The Local Fort Wayne

11/21/2025

A few weeks ago, we received a reader email, asking us to look into what’s happening with Fort Wayne’s City Clerk Lana Keesling. The reader claimed Keesling – a full-time city employee who earns a taxpayer-funded salary of about $100,000 – was “rarely in her office.” They also questioned why she accepted a second job as Indiana’s Republican Party Chairperson in February of this year.

“Why does she not resign (from) her job as clerk?” they asked.

To answer this: We had our reporter Rachel Horton do some digging, and to our surprise, not long after she spoke with Allen County’s Democratic Party Chair Chad Wierzbinski, he publicly called for Keesling to resign from her role as clerk, claiming it’s a “conflict of interest.”

Since then: Keesling and Allen County Republican Chair Steve Shine have responded by announcing that Keesling has been planning to resign at the end of this year, and a caucus to fill her position is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2026.

But a few important questions remain: Why didn’t Keesling resign in February when she accepted her second job – another paid position (whose salary is not public)? And why not go public with details of her intended transition, rather than raise speculation?

We break it down — and why it matters to Fort Wayne taxpayers — on the link in our bio.

10/28/2025

If you want the scoop on possible mid-decade redistricting in Indiana, WPTA 21 () published a helpful report, highlighting the finances of the controversial move. Spoiler alert: Even hosting next week’s special session for lawmakers on Nov. 3 will cost Indiana taxpayers about $32,000 per day — and that is all taxpayer dollars, WPTA reports.

09/23/2025

This month, we’re partnering with The Fairfield () to host a Local Trivia Night (tomorrow!) where you can compete to win some pretty amazing prize packages, all while testing your knowledge of Fort Fun! (RSVP online to join us at 7:30 p.m.)

We’ll be playing trivia on the second floor of the Fairfield, Urban Golf (). Come early or stay late to play a round of golf, and check it out.

Here are three quick things to know about Urban Golf, courtesy of Co-Owner Nathan Newport:
1. Urban Golf offers eight bays (one private) to play 85 courses year-round. Walk-ins are welcome, but Newport recommends booking ahead online – especially in October when busy season begins.
2. All ages and skill levels are welcome. There’s even a professional golf instructor for private lessons, and you can BYO clubs or borrow.
3. Don’t like golf? The simulators also offer games for kids, and there’s plenty of lounge seating with full-service food and drinks. There’s also another first-floor bar and restaurant with duck pin bowling just below, so everyone can find something to enjoy.

See for yourself tomorrow night!

09/13/2025

As Fort Wayne and Allen County face massive budget cuts this fall, what’s worth preserving, and what should we reconsider? This week, we’re taking a look at the tough questions local leaders are asking as they prepare for cuts in 2026 (due to the state’s property tax changes)—and what this could mean for quality of life and community momentum.

09/10/2025

How well do you know Fort Wayne? Test your knowledge at our Local Trivia Night at , coming up on Sept. 24! Games start at 7:30 p.m., and RSVP is free, but required to ensure we have enough space for everyone. (Check out the link in our bio.)

A few quick notes about the night:
-We’ll be playing on the second floor, Urban Golf. *Note: This is a slight change from what we’ve posted previously.
-Teams can be up to five people. We can also assign you to a team the night-of if you prefer, or you can play alone.
-There are some seriously good prizes for this game, provided by our sponsors, The Fairfield. Details + RSVP in bio!

See you soon!

09/04/2025

Last week, Google sought approval from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to build on about 2.47 acres of wetlands in Southeast Allen County, including some that are protected.

Citizens have until Sept. 11 to submit comments about Google’s proposal to IDEM’s Project Manager Evan White at [email protected] or 317-671-6698. With enough comments, IDEM might host a public hearing.

So what’s the big picture of Google’s ask, and how might it affect the local environment and your water bill? We break it down in today’s newsletter.

08/24/2025

Recently, the Allen County Election Board announced it’s considering moving from the current system of 110 assigned precincts (based on your address), to 39 universal public voting centers, where anyone from the county could cast a vote.

This means: the total number of voting locations might decrease by about 64%. And it could result in longer lines at the May 2026 midterm election, which is already shaping up to be a hot one locally and nationally.

In this week’s Above the Fold newsletter (for paid subscribers), we break down what to know. Subscribe on the link in our bio.

08/14/2025

It’s been a difficult year for Fort Wayne in terms of civil lawsuits against the City.

On August 5, the city’s actuarial consulting firm SGRisk told City Council about $2 million worth of lawsuits were still pending – up from about $300,000 most years. As a result, SGRisk recommended the city put aside about $1 million during October’s 2026 budget planning to cover potential outstanding losses – money that won’t be freed up for Council to use for other purposes until the cases are decided.

So what does all of this mean? What’s driving the city’s legal woes? And why does it matter? We break it down in today’s newsletter.

08/07/2025

In recent weeks, there’s been a trend of absenteeism among some members of City Council, contributing to delayed decisions on projects like the Urban Trail. In this week’s paid newsletter, we explore how council attendance affects the community – and how the system might change.

Learn more at link in bio 🔗

08/06/2025

If you’ve watched Downtown’s growth in recent years, you might have noticed a trend: mixed-use developments with first-floor retail continue to dominate project pitches; meanwhile, many (existing) retail spaces at Downtown buildings remain vacant (or transient). We explore why in our paid newsletter.

08/06/2025

07/25/2025

This year, Allen County ranked 44th out of 92 counties in Indiana for its low number of local journalists – only 8 per 100,000 residents, according to the national Local Journalist Index. And now, federal (and state) cuts to public media (PBS + NPR) are making a bad situation worse. We break down why it matters to Fort Wayne’s economy (and democracy), regardless of personal politics.