Fort Wayne/Allen County
Braun creates cybersecurity office
The Office of Cybersecurity has been created within the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Mike Braun announced Friday. That followed cyberattacks that targeted more than 30 water systems in Minnesota this week.
“We are not going to sit around hoping a cyberattack doesn’t happen,” Braun said in a statement. “My administration is working proactively with entities in which a cyberattack could have serious consequences to the daily lives of Hoosiers, especially critical infrastructure owners and operators. We want to be partners with them in this fight to make sure our communities stay safe and fully operational.”
The office will ensure Indiana has a unified playbook to address the threat of cyberattacks, according to a news release. State officials said the approach “will strengthen coordination and collaboration between state agencies and external stakeholders so Indiana is well-positioned to prevent and recover from cybersecurity attacks.”
Redemption reunion postponed
Redemption House Ministry has rescheduled the alumni reunion originally scheduled for today at Packard Park because of the rain forecast, organizers announced Friday.
Organizers said they expect to announce a new date soon.
The annual event features free food, music, family-friendly activities, giveaways, playground access and commemorative reunion T-shirts.
The reunion is a celebration of hope, healing and the power of community. Each year, Redemption House welcomes alumni, current residents, families, church partners, volunteers, sponsors and neighbors to celebrate the women whose lives have been transformed through the organization’s faith-based residential recovery program.
Night Out set for Memorial Park
National Night Out, a free community event, will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Park, 2301 Maumee Ave., Fort Wayne. The event is open to everyone to bring their families out and enjoy.
This year is going to break records with more than 20 community service tables, Fort Wayne Police Department officials announced Friday. Mission BBQ will be passing out food. Activities for kids will include face painting, balloon artists and a mobile gaming trailer.
Officials are giving away more than 500 bookbags filled with school supplies.
In addition to the police department’s Special Ops teams, the event will include representatives from the Fort Wayne Fire Department, Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control, the Indiana State Police, Three Rivers Ambulance Authority and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Animal shelter places 391 pets
Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control started Friday 31 pet adoptions short of reaching 400 in July. As of 6 p.m., that number was just nine short of the goal.
Despite falling short, the city’s shelter leaders said they are proud of the staff’s efforts. Officials at the animal shelter believed their goal was “very possible” because almost 90 adoptable animals were waiting for new homes.
During the summer months an influx of cats, and especially kittens is common.
Right now, there are still nearly 300 kittens and even puppies in foster waiting to come into the shelter when they are old enough. New animals are arriving daily.
Over the past week, almost 200 animals arrived at the shelter. Some have been adopted, transferred to other rescues, or reclaimed.
To help make space, the shelter will offer fee-waived cat and kitten adoptions through today. The shelter will be open from 9 a.m. to noon.
Or visit one of the 11 offsite adoption locations to meet adoptable cats and kittens. Check out the website to find the location of your next furry friend. View adoptable animals by going online to www.fwacc.org.
Rokita files to keep coal plants running
Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Friday that he has filed a motion an Ohio federal district court to intervene in the consent decree proceedings regarding the scheduled 2028 closure of the AEP Rockport power plant.
According to a news release from Rokita’s office, southwest Indiana needs the coal-fired power plant to remain in operation.
“Indiana’s energy policy should be decided by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers – not by judges hundreds of miles away in Ohio,” Rokita said in a statement. “We cannot sit on the sidelines while plant closures, driven by outdated agreements and federal overreach, jeopardize affordable, reliable power for our families, businesses and growing economy.”
Fort Wayne-based Indiana Michigan Power has committed to retiring the Rockport Generating Station by the end of 2028 under a consent decree involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, northeastern states, the Sierra Club and other activist parties.
Spring, Fairfield closing for work
Fort Wayne City Utilities on Friday announced two projects expected to interrupt local traffic.
The 400 block of Spring Street will be closed today so crews can replace a water valve, according to a news release.
Beginning at 8 a.m., crews will close Spring Street between Beach Avenue and Wells Street for the work. The repair is expected to last one day. Motorists should use West State Boulevard and Sherman Boulevard to access Spring Street.
And next week, Fairfield Avenue will close between Pettit Avenue and Paulding Road beginning Monday through mid-September while crews install a new 36-inch stormwater pipe and inlets. The sewer separation project will address chronic flooding in the Fairfield-Terrace Belmont neighborhood.
Northbound and southbound traffic will be detoured to South Calhoun Street using Pettit Avenue and Paulding Road. Access will be available only for residents living within the closed area.
The improvements are part of City Utilities’ five-year stormwater plan to address neighborhood drainage issues in 50 areas across the community.
INDOT to resume work on Coliseum
The Indiana Department of Transportation on Friday announced ongoing work on Indiana 930/Coliseum Boulevard will continue this weekend.
The work is scheduled to begin Friday night, when crews close the westbound lanes of Indiana 930/Coliseum Boulevard between East State Boulevard and Vance Avenue to complete pipe construction and asphalt patching.
The westbound lanes are scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. Monday. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.
During the closure, drivers needing to head west on S.R. 930 through this area should seek a different route. The eastbound lanes will remain open.
Webster, Connors roads projects set
Allen County Highway Department officials on Friday announced two road projects.
The portion of Webster Road between Dawkins and Rorick roads will have a lane restriction due to utility work in the northbound lane from 7 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Thursday.
Also, work will continue on Connors Road for a bridge replacement that began on July 13.
The stretch of Connors between Yoder and Hamilton roads is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m. Aug. 14.
State board appointments
Gov. Mike Braun on Friday announced new appointments to various state boards and commissions. The appointees living in northeast Indiana are:
Marc Deshaies, of the Fort Wayne Police Academy, was reappointed to the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board, for a term that expires July 31, 2030. He is from Allen County.
Dawn Richie, city of Fort Wayne, was appointed to the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust Project Commission for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2029. She is from Allen County.
Lana Keesling, Indiana Republican State Chair, was reappointed to the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities for a term that ends Sept. 30, 2029. She is from Allen County.
Heather Harwood, of Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, was appointed to the Natural Resources Foundation for a term that ends June 30, 2030. She is from Kosciusko County.
Area
Bluffton woman getting ramp
Bluffton city officials will welcome Operation Ramp It Up, in partnership with Project UPS, for a community service project that will provide a new wheelchair ramp for Bluffton resident Sue Crum. The effort is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at 3498 SW Church Road.
The volunteer-led project will construct a sustainable aluminum wheelchair ramp, giving Crum the accessibility she needs to safely return to her home with greater independence.
Throughout her life, Crum has endured tremendous personal loss, including the tragic death of her 8-year-old daughter in a head-on collision. She is also the surviving spouse of a Marine Corps veteran who honorably served in Vietnam and later passed away from illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure.
“One of the greatest strengths of our community is the willingness of people to step forward and serve others,” Mayor Scott Mentzer said in a statement.
For more information about Operation Ramp It Up or how to apply for a ramp, go online to www.operationrampitup.com or follow Operation Ramp It Up on social media.
– The Journal Gazette
