The Local Fort Wayne

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.

07/21/2025

Now (through Aug. 8), we’re partnering with to bring all paid subscribers to The Local a special BOGO deal on their house-made pasta dishes (dine-in only).

Learn how to claim the offer on the link in our bio — and catch our full Q&A with Rune’s Chef Sean Richardson.

07/18/2025

For decades, Fort Wayne has made national headlines as an affordable place to buy a house for the average income earner. But as housing prices rise nationally, that’s changing. Last week, noted that Fort Wayne’s median local housing price of $236,317 is becoming out of reach for its median local income earners (making $66,648/year as of April 2025).

As “market-rate” homes become less attainable to the local population, it’s drawing attention to a gap in the housing market for what some are calling “workforce housing,” designed to serve buyers falling through the ever-widening gap between traditional Section 8 affordable housing (at or below 30-50 percent AMI) and the “market rate.” Workforce housing often takes the form of “missing middle” housing types – think multifamily units, townhomes, duplexes, fourplexes and more. Along with their affordability, these housing types allow for greater social mobility in neighborhoods, and they happen to align with a lot of characteristics modern homebuyers are seeking in communities, like intentional density and walkability.

So why aren’t cities like Fort Wayne building more workforce housing? We explore in this week’s Above the Fold in our bio.