Backed by thousands of NWI Explorers
Welcome back, Explorers!
I’m absolutely elated to welcome you back to another weekly kick-off post here on NWI Explored. We’re still growing at a rate we never thought possible so early on in our run, and that is all thanks to our loyal readers and subscribers. NWIE is entering it’s fourth week of activity and we’ve just crossed our goal for the first three months: hitting 1000 subscribers to the newsletter!
The plan is to always be innovating and changing so that we can best fit what the audience is wanting from us, so stay tuned. The best way you can help out (other than subscribing) is to give us feedback so we know how best to serve all of you incredible NWI followers. Take a second on this chilly fall Monday to respond to this poll underneath so we know what you’re all looking for from NWI Explored.
Now, onto the newsletter.
What kind of content do you want to see from NWI Explored?
🧭In This Issue of NWI Explored🧭
A Community Spotlight You Won’t Want to Miss
A Peek Back into NWI History
New Developments in NWI, The News You Need to Know, and More!
The Midweek Hangouts and Get-Togethers You’ll Want to Know About
All this and more on your Monday dose of NWI Explored!
Today in NWI
Here’s your Monday forecast:
November 17th is:
The start of National Anti-Bullying Week. 🙅
National Baklava Day🍴
National Homemade Bread Day🍞
National Zinfandel Day 🍷
Today in NWI History
The Thursday, Nov. 17th, 1932 edition of the Lake County Times, front page.
🏘The Lowdown 🏘
Every Monday, we give you a recap of news that’s happened over the weekend so that you can go through your work week informed and aware.
Albert’s Diamond Jewelers, once a mainstay of the East Chicago Harbor and now located in Schererville, is celebrating it’s 120th anniversary.
What used to be a spot for steelworkers to cash their hard-earned checks and buy their sweethearts something nice, has now become a legendary institution in the Region. The shop survived the Great Depression, World War II, and countless ups and downs over it’s long and storied history. The fact that it’s still going strong is a testament to the hardened spirit of NWI natives.
As of yesterday, Nov. 16th, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has stated that they will begin issuing full SNAP benefits to recipients.
This comes after the recent reopening of the federal government after it’s longest shutdown in history, which had paused SNAP benefits for the majority of recipients due to the stoppage of federal funding of the program.
Provecho, the Latin American restaurant serving up incredible meals in downtown Crown Point, has finally reopened after a kitchen fire threatened to take the whole thing to the dirt in early June.
Their first meal served since reopening? Served to the first responders who helped to save Provecho in the summer. New menu items, cocktails and a renewed spirit are sure to excite new and returning guests to this Crown Point staple.
Multiple NWI school boards have meetings scheduled for this week to reconsider teacher contracts, staff raises, school year calendars, among other things.
Among those schools are Portage, Valparaiso, Merrillville, and Lake Central. Portage and Lake Central will be meeting on Monday at 5pm and 7pm respectively. Merrillville will meet Tuesday and Valparaiso on Thursday.
In a similar vein, multiple municipalities, including Valpo, Hobart, and Munster, will be holding council meetings this week to speak on various issues and developments within their communities.
Hobart City Council will meet on Wednesday to discuss the development of a rainy day fund, a retooling of building permit fees, and other items. Valpo Board of Zoning Appeals will be meeting on Tuesday for final discussions with Meijer in order for the grocery chain to build a second grocery store and gas station in town on Calumet Avenue (at the site of the former KMart location). Munster Town Council is meeting today, Monday the 17th, to discuss the town’s salary ordinance for 2026.
Here are the scores from the Region high school football regional championship games this past weekend.
Merrillville 34, Michigan City 14
South Bend Saint Joseph 10, Hobart 7
Andrean 52, Southmont 32
Here’s the latest on businesses opening and closing in the Region
The owner of the former Cajun House restaurant in Merrillville has opened a new spot called Viet Cajun, on Taft St. in Merrillville. The Vietnamese and Cajun fusion restaurant promises to fuse together owner Tuan Duong’s Vietnamese heritage with the Cajun style of cooking he loves
3 Greek Gyros in Portage has remodeled and rebranded as Meraki Greek Street Food, still located at 3378 Willowcreek Rd. They’ve kept a lot of the favorites, but added new menu items like pastitsio and pork kebabs.
Running Vines Winery has decided to no longer pursue a second location at the old Toys in The Attic spot in downtown Valpo. Citing permit issues and roadblocks, the owners have opted to focus on their downtown Chesterton location and grow their distribution instead.
Furniture Icon in Hammond, across from the Sportsplex and YMCA, is closing down. The furniture showroom is currently holding a liquidation sale, with discounts ranging from 45% up to 80%.
NWI Explored Wants to Partner With You & Your Business
We’re always looking for great local businesses to work with and promote. If you own a small business in NWI and are looking for ad opportunities, NWI Explored would love to work with you!
Reach out to us here or send an email to [email protected].
The Latest from the NWI Explored Instagram
Local Business Spotlight
We wanted to give a humongous shout out to a local business that we were super impressed by recently, and that is 2 Sweet Cookies by Laura.
2 Sweet Cookies by Laura is a home baker out of Dyer who specializes in gluten, dye, and dairy free iced cookies for parties and events. We had reached out to her to make some NWI Explored cookies for us and not only were we blown away by how they looked, but they tasted absolutely incredible. As people who’ve had their fair share of gluten-free treats, these are the closest to the real deal as we’ve ever had.
If you need cookies for a party, event, or even just to have some great treats around the house, 2 Sweet Cookies has our vote for a fantastic local option! I mean, look at these things!
What’s Coming Up?
Here’s your rundown of what midweek activities are popping off in this chilly November season.
Hobart Art Theater (230 Main St)
Monday, Nov 17th
Doors @ 6pm, Show starts at 6:30pm
Art Barn School of Art (695 N 400 West, Valpo)
Open every weekday until Christmas from 10am-4pm
Byline Brewing (2825 Carlson Dr, Hammond)
Tuesday, Nov. 18th: 6-9pm
Barker Mansion (631 Washington St., Michigan City)
Wednesday, Nov 19th: 6-8pm
Journeyman Distillery (258 S. Campbell St, Valpo)
Wednesday, Nov. 19th: 5-7pm
Hobart Art Theater (230 Main St.)
Wednesday, Nov. 19th: Doors @ 6, Show @ 7:30
It’s been a lighter week in terms of news and events, but the fall season is just getting started! Stay tuned as we chart out everything worth checking out in the late fall and early winter seasons, especially as we move closer to Christmas. Drop us a comment if there’s a winter activity or event you want us to highlight!
Happy Exploring,
Eric & Luke
The NWI Explored Team
“There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.”
