South Bend Tribune
Iran war could have an impact on U.S. economy
Oil prices jumped and global stocks stumbled immediately following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, but economists say the war will likely not have much impact on the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision. For...
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STRIKES HIT U.S. EMBASSY
The United States ordered nonemergency government personnel and their family members to leave Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan and closed several diplomatic missions across the Middle East on March 3 as the war with Iran escalated. The move...
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South Bend Black History honorees ‘embody’ change
SOUTH BEND — Eight portraits told the story before anyone spoke a single word. Lining the stage at Century Center on Thursday night, Feb. 26, the images greeted attendees while honoring the night’s awardees: all Black champions for the South Bend...
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Champion pizza maker to open location on Eddy St.
SOUTH BEND — By the end of this year, South Bend residents won’t have to travel to Elkhart to get a taste of the pizza at Osteria Amici. Navarre Hospitality Group and Paul Cataldo, who jointly opened the original location at 240 E. Jackson Blvd. in...
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‘It’s reality, and we can transform our community’
Hardie Blake had worn many hats during his lifetime — student, soldier, businessman, mentor and pastor. h Although he’s worn some of those hats longer than others and a few have been stacked on top of each other for years, Blake said focusing on unity...
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Clinton depositions show changed Democratic Party
WASHINGTON – In late February 2016, Hillary Clinton cruised to an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary – an unambiguous statement of the former first lady and secretary of state’s dominance over her party as she...
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Zoo sets attendance mark
Nearly 410,000 people visited Potawatomi Zoo in 2025, breaking every attendance record the zoo held previously. In just six years, the zoo has just about doubled its attendance from 211,303 attendees in 2019 to 409,776 in 2025. In the 10 years that...
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‘It’s a tough business’
Lasalle Grill is closing its doors after Wednesday night after almost 35 years as one of downtown’s anchor restaurants. South Bend resident and longtime Lasalle Grill customer Bridget Howe Kronewitter told The Tribune that she found out about the...
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‘WE DID IT!’
Reggie Dillard served 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. As he walked out of Elkhart County Correctional Complex, he stood with his shoulders back and his head held high Monday, Feb. 23. h “Ladies and gentlemen, we did it!” Dillard said...
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Meeting on immigration fills Goshen Theater
GOSHEN — A Goshen College student held back tears as she read a classmate’s story to a silent, attentive crowd. “You see, I carry my U.S. passport because I have been granted the privilege to have one, though, just like the dollar, I feel like it’s...
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Local historic Black Greek organizations highlighted
SOUTH BEND — Proudly modeling their organizations’ colors through their clothing and legacies through their poise, members of South Bend Divine Nine chapters sat side by side at the St. Joseph County Public Library on Feb. 11 to discuss the history of...
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‘It’s more than a radio station’
SOUTH BEND — Over the years, the technology at WUBS-FM (89.7) has evolved, with vinyl records and cassette tapes making way for CDS, flash drives and, now, fully digital broadcasting. But Program Director Shane Williams says one thing that hasn’t...
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UZIMA! founder dies at 60
Kelly Burgét, founder and artistic director of UZIMA! Drum and Dance Company and a beloved host of South Bend television programs for more than two decades, died Feb. 6. She was 60. Also known locally as Kelly Morgan until her marriage to Todd Burgét...
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‘HIS LEGACY LIVES ON’
Oletha Jones met the Rev. Jesse Jackson several times in the early 2000s, but, she said, the most memorable interaction was when she had the chance to cook for him after he spoke at the former Marriott Hotel in downtown South Bend. h Jones, education...
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STICKY SWEET
NEW CARLISLE — Soon there will maple syrup at Bendix Woods County Park. St. Joseph County Parks held its annual “Tapping Day” on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Below freezing temperatures at night with above freezing temperatures in the day are ideal...
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Community turns out at Winter Walk
SOUTH BEND — Kate Lee has been participating in the St. Margaret’s House Winter Walk for nearly 30 years. “They do work for women and children in our community every day, empowering them, welcoming them, supporting them through the victories and...
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Gift to pay for chapel and ministry center
SOUTH BEND — Holy Cross College at Notre Dame has announced a $2.25 million commitment to support two new sacred spaces on campus. The anonymous gift includes $750,000 designated to fund a residence hall chapel and $1.5 million to support the Center...
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‘The shop belongs to everybody, not just me’
Editor’s note: In honor of Black History Month, The Tribune is profiling an established Black-owned business each week. Hidden on the northwest side of town is a pillar of community, a place of style and a piece of local legacy. For 56 years, Al’s...
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Report: U.S. inflation ticked down in Jan.
Inflation cooled a bit more than forecasters expected in January, with prices rising 2.4% from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Feb. 13. The report, which was delayed two days because of a brief government shutdown, revealed that inflation...
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Bergamot to ‘spin a tale of love’ with SBSO
More than two decades ago, Jillian Speece made a mix tape for her valentine — a compilation of Billy Joel songs that would serve as the soundtrack as she and Nathaniel Paul Hoff marked their first Valentine’s Day together with a road trip. That...
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‘WE’RE THE NEW GENERATION’
SOUTH BEND — Drivers traveling through downtown around noon Feb. 9 might’ve noticed a small group of about 25 students huddled in front of the South Bend City Hall chanting, “No justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets.” South Bend Purdue Polytechnic...
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SCIENCE COMES ALIVE
In a crowded auditorium, a hush falls on the children in the room as a handler from Potawatomi Zoo holds a bird and describes what it hunts in the wild and tells the children about its endangered status. h Suddenly, the kids start arguing over what...
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‘FIRE & ICE’
SOUTH BEND — Ice shavings flew through the air as nine carvers made works of art out of blocks of ice Feb. 6 during Downtown South Bend Inc.’s “Fire & Ice” First Fridays event. Along Michigan Street, one sculpture depicted a dinosaur, another created...
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Colfax Corner project could add 700+ jobs
SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Tribune’s former building may be getting a facelift, with the possible creation of 400 full-time jobs and 340 temporary construction jobs to go with it. But one member of the South Bend Economic Development Commission...
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Wigfall Barbershop owner Ms. Adeline still cuts hair every day at
Before Adeline Wigfall-jones went to barber school or even got her first job in South Bend, she thought she was sick. Turns out all she needed was a reason to get up every day. h “I went to my doctor. I told him all I do is sleep. I can hardly wake up...
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Driver accountability urged for seat belt use
DETROIT – On the morning of Jan. 6, 2024, Detroit resident Paradise Warsaw experienced a brutal car accident alongside her daughters, Lyliah Williams and Payden Pinson. The details remain fuzzy even a year later, but Warsaw, 30, recalls spinning out...
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Building demolition to allow new housing
SOUTH BEND — The city is one step closer to demolishing three vacant properties at Portage and Elwood avenues to build new housing and commercial activity in their place. The Board of Public Works received quotes from various demolition and excavating...
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MEET RHETT
As sports fans debate whether the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots will win Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, another athletic competition has its own important questions left to be answered, particularly for local dog lovers: Will Rhett bring a win...
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New year brings board changes
As January draws to a close, the boards of St. Joseph County’s public school corporations have all had their first meeting of 2026, welcoming back the returning board members and voting on a slate of officers for the year. Although no trustees were...
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Public works meeting to open bids, quotations
SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Board of Public Works began its 9:30 a.m. Jan. 27 meeting with a six-page agenda and multiple coffee mugs. The meeting was intended to open bids and quotations for new projects while also approving a few. Residents can...
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‘NO ONE ELSE IS GONNA DO IT’
MISHAWAKA — Penn High School junior Emily Monroy-huerta didn’t know what to expect when she decided to invite some fellow students to participate in a school walkout on Friday, Jan. 30, to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). So when...
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City of South Bend developing Ai-driven approach to utilities
SOUTH BEND — The City of South Bend is a finalist in an international competition that challenges local cities to think creatively about their municipal services. South Bend’s project would integrate artificial intelligence into the city’s 311...
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Shutdown is still possible, despite DHS compromise
Lawmakers appeared to be closing in on a deal endorsed by President Donald Trump to avoid an extended government shutdown, but a key player said a brief government closure may be inevitable as there still was work to be done Jan. 30 as funding was set...
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Rokita investigates habitability at Karl King
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office has launched an investigation into habitability issues regarding Karl King Riverbend Tower apartments and is currently holding negotiations with the owners. Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow filed a...
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‘It is a problem’
Black students are more likely to face discipline in South Bend Community Schools than other students. The school board is establishing a committee to identify what’s causing the disproportionality. During a board meeting on Monday, Jan. 26, board...
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‘REFUSE TO BE SILENT’
Over 100 community members braved the freezing weather Sunday, Jan. 25, to hold a candlelight vigil in the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday. h Attendees gathered around the Studebaker Fountain in...
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Winter hits South Bend
Expect Sunday's and Monday's snow — along with the weekend's below-freezing temperatures — to continue Tuesday and through the week in the South Bend region. The city saw an average of 6 inches of snow this weekend, according to the National Weather...
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Beat the cold with a warm meal and drink
SOUTH BEND — Winter Restaurant Weeks in downtown South Bend continues through Feb. 8, just in time for the coldest weeks of the winter season thus far. For the next two weeks, specific independently owned restaurants located in the downtown area will...
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Goshen man rebuilds life with paralyzing bullet lodged in his spine
The house on West Carson Street was packed. h It was Nov. 2, 2024, and the house party had spilled out onto the front yard. That’s where then-20-year-old Goshen resident and Ball State University student Austin Elliott stood socializing with people...
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House sends funding bills to the Senate
WASHINGTON – With just a week left to avoid another government shutdown, the House of Representatives voted Jan. 22 to send a $1.2 trillion spending package to the Senate. The appropriations bills passed despite widespread consternation from Democrats...
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Polluting plants – disproportionately located in low-income communities – forced back into service ‘VERY DISAPPOINTING’
CHICAGO – In Chicago’s workingclass Pilsen neighborhood, a 1960s-era oil-fired power plant rises up from an industrial lot behind Dvorak Park, which in warmer weather is packed with children climbing on its colorful playground and zooming down...
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Trump calls for ‘immediate negotiations’ for Greenland
President Donald Trump said in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to acquire Denmark’s Greenland territory and that he does not intend to use military force to gain control of the...
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‘Uncomfortable truth’
Keynote speaker Timothy Lake spoke candidly as he urged influential individuals in society to be courageous and stand up against the “niggerization” — or dehuminzation — of all people, regardless of race, during his address at the 40th annual Martin...
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Move inspires fresh recipes at Cambodian Thai
MISHAWAKA — The memory of the smell of warm curry and chicken traveling through her childhood home lights up Sonita Winston’s face. A mix of curry, coconut milk, carrots and rice noodles topped with cabbage slaw easily transports her back into the home...
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‘Salute to courage’
When Fort Wayne native Timothy Lake was in elementary school, he didn’t dream of becoming a musician or professional athlete. He wanted to be a philosopher. That dream didn’t disappear as he navigated his undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees,...
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Machado gains little in White House visit
WASHINGTON – Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado got her courtesy luncheon with President Donald Trump on Jan. 15 but gained little else politically after the White House secured a $500 million deal for Venezuelan oil through ongoing...
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‘No, no, no debate’
In no uncertain terms, 5th District Common Council member Sherry Bolden-simpson made her thoughts clear on a state senate bill that would remove the elected South Bend school board: “No, no, no debate. Stop Bill 248.” Bolden-simpson joined several...
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Public, trustees rally against SB 248
SOUTH BEND — The public and South Bend school board trustees united in opposition to an Indiana State Senate bill targeting the district’s elected school board, a bill one community member described as “heinous (and) pernicious,” during a SBCSC board...
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South Bend schools, local officials on Senate Bill 248
SOUTH BEND — After four Republicans in the Indiana State Senate introduced a bill on Thursday, Jan. 8, that would remove the elected members of the South Bend school board, several South Bend-area officials released statements about the issue. Senate...
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Furor continues over ICE shootings
Tensions remained high Jan. 9 after shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis and in Portland, Oregon, drew protesters to the streets and deepened fractures between federal and state officials. In Portland, a U.S. Border Patrol officer...
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TIME TO CELEBRATE
To celebrate the 40th Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19, local leaders are hosting a variety of events to honor King’s life and recognize community members who are carrying on his work in South Bend and beyond. Organizer Gladys Muhammad said the...
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Potawatomi Zoo’s baby fennec foxes’ names revealed
SOUTH BEND — The fennec fox kits born Sept. 26 at Potawatomi Zoo now have names: Lucy, Jewel and Sonny. J.R. Fox Jewelers named the two females and one male, the zoo said in a press release. Sonny and Lucy are named after Sonny and Lucy Fox, parents...
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Community gathers to celebrate Kwanzaa
SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Chapter Indiana Black Expo Inc. held its annual Kwanzaa Celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at the St. Joseph County Public Library, 305 S. Michigan St. The event, which included entertainment and concluded with a community...
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EMBRACE YOUR INNER NERD
MISHAWAKA – For Jeff Parker and Lisa Weimer, it first hit them on their second day open when they saw a father and son playing a game together. For Dory Parker, it happened a few days later when she saw a couple invite someone sitting by themselves to...
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Mamdani promises new era for NYC
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s promises to address affordability. On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor...
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South Bend native, iconic character actor, dies at 71
Isiah Whitlock Jr., a South Bend native and iconic character actor known for his work as corrupt state Sen. Clay Davis on HBO’S “The Wire,” as well as appearing in “Veep” and seven Spike Lee films, has died. Whitlock, a 1972 Adams High School grad,...
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PICTURES WORTH THOUSANDS OF WORDS
ABOVE: LEFT: Attendees hold up competing signs for and against the St. Joseph County Council as it considers a proposal for another large data center between South Bend and New Carlisle at a meeting on Dec. 9. MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE MIDDLE:...
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Owner of Linden Grill passes torch to daughter
SOUTH BEND — Aniyah Mack spent a lot of her time as a kid hanging out at her dad’s restaurant on Linden Avenue. Linden Grill quickly became her home away from home and a place she could spend quality time with her family and friends. Now, she’s...
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Where to ring in 2026 in the South Bend area
Ring in the New Year by attending one of these fun events from Dec. 30 – Jan. 1. There is much to do in the South Bend area, so put on your dancing shoes or your winter boots and bring in 2026 in your chosen style. DEC. 30 HOWLING IN THE NEW YEAR...
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Energized opposition
Three years ago, the St. Joseph County Council welcomed an Amazon hyperscale data center to Northern Indiana with open arms, capitalizing on a company that wanted to spend $11 billion and create high-paying jobs in Northern Indiana. But the welcome...
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U.S. strikes Islamic State in Nigeria
President Donald Trump said on Dec. 25 that the U.S. military had attacked Islamic State targets in Nigeria, claiming the group had been targeting Christians. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he directed the military to launch a “powerful...
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Most Amish now work off the farm
Andrew Troyer was teaching in his Amish settlement’s school in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1977 when his pupils began relaying orders for rope. Troyer had brought his handmade, hand-twisting machine to school so his students could make jump ropes. The...
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2 dead after PA nursing home blast
BUCKS COUNTY, PA – A “catastrophic” explosion at a nursing home near Philadelphia killed at least two people, injured 20 others and collapsed a portion of the facility on Dec. 23, authorities said. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news...
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Braun on redistricting loss, 1st year as governor
Gov. Mike Braun is about to wrap his first year in office coming off a redistricting push that ultimately fell apart in the Senate and made Indiana the only Republican-led state to defy President Donald Trump's wishes. Redistricting is the issue that...
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Farmers concerned about new proposed data center
SOUTH BEND — After the St. Joseph County Council voted 7-2 to reject a zoning change to allow Western Hospitality Partners to build a data center outside New Carlisle, proposed plans have surfaced for the construction of a 300-acre data center within...
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WDHGAG-10100Q
COMING NEXT SUNDAY Get the latest news, sports and more See today’s top headlines, local breaking news, area scores, things to do and subscriber exclusives at southbendtribune.com. Data center boom is pitting Indiana residents against big tech The...
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Brown University shooting suspect found dead in NH
PROVIDENCE, RI – Though the suspect connected to the deadly Brown University attack and the fatal shooting of an MIT professor was found dead in New Hampshire, the questions and fallout have only begun.
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WNIT receives Bridge Fund grant to make up for cuts
SOUTH BEND — PBS Michiana WNIT-TV (34.1) President and General Manager Amanda Miller Kelley and her staff had an extra reason to celebrate Thanksgiving this year: The day before the holiday, the public television station learned it had received a...
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Ryan White never got to attend IU
For Indiana University sculpture professor Melanie Pennington, getting commissioned to create a sculpture of Ryan White – the Kokomo native son whose teenage battle with AIDS made him into a national poster child for the oft-maligned disease in the...
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LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
Downtown South Bend Inc. continued its “Downtown for the Holidays” celebration with its eighth annual Holiday Light Parade on Friday, Dec. 12 along Jefferson Boulevard in the East Bank Village. More than 30 lighted floats, vehicles and walking units...
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La Casa director continues advocacy for South Bend
SOUTH BEND — Dara Marquez Venegas is no stranger to advocating for South Bend’s Latino, Hispanic and immigrant community. From early advocacy work as a teenager in Elkhart to now working at La Casa de Amistad, Marquez Venegas strives to support...
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Data center talks could be ongoing
After a 7-2 vote in the early hours of Wednesday, Dec. 10, the St. Joseph County Council rejected a rezoning petition that would have allowed a third new data center to be built in the county. But Wednesday’s decision may or may not be the end of the...
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Abrego Garcia released from detention facility
In a whiplash series of events, a federal judge on Dec. 12 blocked an effort to have Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to custody a day after his release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. On Dec. 11, District Judge Paula Xinis ordered...
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SJ County Council rejects proposed 3rd data center
The St. Joseph County Council voted against a proposed data center on 1,057 acres near New Carlisle, a project that has garnered staunch support and opposition from officials and community members alike. The vote came after 4 a.m., more than 10 hours...
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Exclusion from the CFP has Irish AD ‘perplexed’
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua continued his media tour on Monday, Dec. 8, in the wake of the football program’s surprising omission from this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff field. As it turns out, “Team B” wasn’t...
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