South Bend Tribune
U.S., Iran trade infrastructure attacks
DUBAI – The United States struck bridges and an airport in Iran on July 17 and Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as the warring foes risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure. In...
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Todd Blanche grilled at AG confirmation hearing
Todd Blanche faced a tough grilling from Democrats at his Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general, but it’s not clear they have the votes to block his nomination. The former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump was hit with accusations...
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St. Adalbert marks 100 years
The parishioners and friends of St. Adalbert Parish will celebrate the centennial of the Catholic church’s current building with a dinner and dance at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at American Legion Post 357, 5414 W. Sample St. The church, 2505 W. Grace St., will...
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Lt. Col. Laudeman can’t seem to retire
Kent Laudeman of Niles has worn many hats during his 83 years. He has been an Army officer, a professor with a PHD, an advocate for veterans, a college registrar both at IUSB and the United States Military Academy, a director of a suicide prevention...
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Elegance on wheels
A1929 Duesenberg Model J Sports Sedan-weymann exhibited by Don Ghareeb of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, won the Best of Show award at Studebaker National Museum’s 2026 Concours d’elegance at Copshaholm on Saturday, July 11. h The same car also won the...
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Big Boy train could bring over 10,000 people to Knox
KNOX — After more than 10,000 people flooded Argos last month to see Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, officials in nearby Knox are bracing for an even bigger crowd when the historic locomotive arrives Thursday, July 16. Argos, a town of 1,777, saw...
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Our American Vision
As we celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, we asked Americans across the Midwest a simple question: In a few words, what does America mean to you? The answers we received in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,...
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Ceasefire falls apart as Iran buries slain leader
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to have fallen apart over continued strife over the Strait of Hormuz as Iranians buried their supreme leader, killed by U.s.-israel forces at the outset of the war. There were no new...
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Rehabilitation coming to Lasalle Park Homes
SOUTH BEND — In about 15 months, Lasalle Park Homes, a 150-unit U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud)-subsidized housing community on South Bend’s west side, will have a complete exterior and interior makeover. Originally built in...
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Maranatha church vows to keep going after fire
There is still not much known about the cause of the fire at Maranatha Fellowship 7th Day Sabbath Church, 1406 E. Ewing Ave. on Monday, July 6. The call came in around 5:15 a.m. from a nearby neighbor who smelled smoke. South Bend firefighters quickly...
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Wet opening day at county fair with storms, happy tears
Mother Nature grotesquely underestimated the Midwestern spirit on the evening of Friday, July 3, as torrential downpour in the 4 p.m. hour did not stop Hoosiers from showing up and showing out to opening day of the 101st-annual St. Joe County 4-H Fair...
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‘LOVE ONE ANOTHER’
The Venue Parks & Arts Fourth of July Celebration on July 3 at Howard Park and Seitz Park didn’t start as planned. As the event began at 4 p.m., heavy wind sliced through the city, blowing nearly every neatly set up tent off the ground. Then came the...
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‘ONLY RAIN SHOULD GO DOWN THE DRAIN’
SOUTH BEND — The storm drains in downtown have taken on a new, much more colorful life and are now visible to passersby coming through the area. Eleven murals, located on the sidewalk of Michigan Street between Colfax Avenue and Wayne Street, were...
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SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY
The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. h If the first eight steps, rising amid the site’s...
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Bison grazing rights in question
Bison are political animals. A federal decision to revoke grazing leases for bison on public lands on the rolling plains of eastern Montana is the latest manifestation of long-standing contention. The largest land animal in North America, bison are...
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20 YEARS OF PIGMENT
SOUTH BEND — Catherine Mccormick used to put pen to paper while studying journalism in college. Today, the evening instructor of pastel painting and drawing at the South Bend Museum of Art teaches about the different types of pastels and paper...
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Demolition makes room for Tech and Talent hub
Main Street Row looks a little different as demolition has begun at the University of Notre Dame’s Colfax Corner project, which will reimagine the historic former South Bend Tribune building and Main Street Row into a Tech and Talent hub. The project...
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‘What the city can do’
When Trina Robinson agreed to be a part of the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission, she told the Common Council she’d do it under one condition. “I didn’t want my name attached to anything that sits on a shelf,” Robinson said. “I mean that from...
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Early fireworks show in Central Park draws crowds
MISHAWAKA – Sprinklers erupted with a cooling rinse of water and children shrieked in delight late in the afternoon Saturday, June 27, at the city’s Central Park splash pad, 235 E. Mishawaka Ave. Their laughter and exuberant screams mirrored the...
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There’s more to New Carlisle than data centers
New Carlisle has received a lot of attention lately. The town on the northwest side of St. Joseph County is on the edge of technology while trying to maintain the charm of family farms and small businesses. It has 2,000 residents and a lively main...
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AN AMERICAN COMPANY
Printed in thick, all-caps letters and inked onto the front page, “AUTO OUTPUT TO END HERE” and “Studebaker will assemble cars in Canada” greeted residents as the South Bend Tribune evening paper made its way around the city on Dec. 9, 1963. The...
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Trump sees victories on guns and immigration
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump victories in two immigration cases June 25. In the divide between gun rights and gun violence, the justices struck down another state law, this one in Hawaii, aimed at curbing guns in public...
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New homes in land trust must go to local residents
The Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization and South Bend Heritage Foundation have partnered to build five new homes on Turnock Street that can only be sold or rented to local residents. The two organizations put together a construction...
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Community finds joy, inclusion
Local community members, crafters and food vendors alike gathered inside Potawatomi Park Saturday afternoon, June 20, to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month — which is globally recognized in June — during South Bend LGBTQ Center’s annual Pride in the Park...
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Discrimination addressed by Common Council
The South Bend Common Council checked off another recommendation from the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission’s report Monday, June 22, passing two resolutions formally acknowledging, accepting and apologizing for historical and systemic racial...
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‘We can never forget’
SOUTH BEND — South Bend rapper and Fremont Youth Foundation founder Blu Casey stepped on stage at the 27th annual Juneteenth celebration and rapped about freedom. The freedom to be a leader, to feel safe in every neighborhood and to be proudly...
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New splash pad, renovations are open at softball complex
SOUTH BEND — Local teams have once again taken the field at the Byers Softball Complex on South Bend’s westside, following last summer’s series of “away games” at other city parks while the complex underwent a $3 million, grant-funded renovation,...
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Stretch of Indiana 2 will be studied
NEW CARLISE — Residents from Laporte County and St. Joseph County gathered for the first step of a two-yearlong study on a 13-mile stretch of Indiana 2 from Chapel Lane in South Bend to County Road 600 E. in Laporte County. The Indiana Department of...
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Board OKS new $20/hour for security staff
Full-time security professionals at South Bend schools will receive a new minimum hourly wage of $20 per hour under a newly approved agreement between the district and Teamsters Local 264. This comes after the SBCSC board voted to recognize full-time...
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‘We’re really excited to see all of the teams’
OSCEOLA – The wheels are in motion as Granger Exploration and Robotics Studio (GEARS) prepares to host the second annual FIRST Tech Challenge Michiana Premier Event — the largest premier robotics event in North America — June 18-21 at Century Center in...
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‘Demonstration of unity’
South Bend feels different than it did when 80-year-old Marian Cane was raising her six children. “We need peace,” she said. “We need peace in our hearts; we need peace in our souls; we need peace in our minds and we need peace here in South...
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BLM pitches housing fund, testing in Lasalle Park
SOUTH BEND — South Bend Common Council members, Lasalle Park neighborhood residents and members of the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission sat side by side at the St. Joseph County Public Library downtown for two hours discussing a recently...
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WINDS OF CHANGE
The United States is in a bizarre situation in 2026: It’s facing a looming energy shortage, yet the Trump administration is making deals to pay offshore wind developers nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money to walk away from energy projects. These...
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CAPPING OFF THEIR CAREERS
Commencement season has ended for another spring. Today, The Tribune spotlights some of this year’s high school graduates with photos from this year’s ceremonies. To view galleries from all the schools, go to southbendtribune.com. Graduate Janiyah...
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Pakistan indicates Iran deal is at hand
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said June 12 the text of a peace deal between the United States and Iran “has been reached,” and Iran’s foreign minister said a deal has “never been closer,” raising hopes for a genuine settlement to wind down...
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Injured Laporte deputy moved to Chicago for rehab
LAPORTE — A Laporte County Police officer continues to show progress in his early recovery from three gunshots, but his future could include a fight with paralysis. Jon Samuelson, a 33-year-old deputy who has been with the department for 12 years, has...
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How will Rum Village Park change?
SOUTH BEND — After more than a year of planning, community conversations and stakeholder meetings over the Rum Village Park master plan, the city and South Bend Venues Parks and Arts invites the community to an open house meeting to share the final...
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‘What happens inside this campus powers the future’
NEW CARLISLE — Amazon Cluster Operations Leader of Indiana Josh Sallabedra said Amazon calls all its employees “builders.” “When you come to Amazon, we’re trying to build something together,” Sallabedra said. These “builders” now include 58 local...
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‘AN INCREDIBLE PERSON’
MISHAWAKA — Esra Heisey said one thing he remembers about his father is his larger-than-life presence. “I think of his voice, and his laughter,” Heisey said, “and the amount of space that he took up in a room, and the way that he channeled that into...
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Forecast for D-day changed history
To go or not to go? h June 2026 marks 82 years since Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s chief meteorologist, Group Capt. James Martin Stagg, made one of the most important weather forecasts of all time. Defying his colleagues, he advised the general to...
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Transpo responds to SEA 1 with changes to 15 routes
MISHAWAKA — Fifteen South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (Transpo) bus routes are expected to change as early as August. The changes were outlined for the public May 27 at an open house held at the downtown Mishawaka-penn-harris Public Library...
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Trump, Netanyahu clash over Lebanon, Iran talks
President Donald Trump lit into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an expletive-laden call on June 1, multiple news outlets reported, after Iran threatened to pull out of peace talks with the United States over strikes on Hezbollah in...
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Due diligence extended again
SOUTH BEND — The Madison Lifestyle District appeared on the Redevelopment Commission agenda for the third and possibly last time May 28 to extend its development agreement’s due diligence period by one month to June 28. In March 2024, city officials...
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Graduation days
Commencement season has begun for 2026’s graduates. Catholic high schools Saint Joseph High School of South Bend and Marian High School of Mishawaka held their ceremonies Sunday and Friday, respectively. To view galleries of photos from each ceremony,...
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City: Deterioration of old church makes repair futile
SOUTH BEND – After years of neighbors voicing concerns regarding the condition of the New Birth Christian Ministries church at 747 to 749 Harrison Avenue, the 1920s building is officially coming down this June. Originally built as a Lutheran church,...
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‘A TREMENDOUS YEAR’
SOUTH BEND — It’s been almost a year since private Christian school Trinity Academy South Bend moved into the Greenlawn campus on South Greenlawn Avenue, and Trinity School, Greenlawn’s former occupant, relocated to a new facility. The transition...
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Potential Iran deal puts Trump in a bind
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump finds himself in a bind as he seeks to end the war against Iran: He is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get U.S. gasoline prices down but at the same time faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks...
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Property will soon be open to proposals on use
SOUTH BEND — More than 20 people addressed the St. Joseph County Council as the discussions about what to do with the historical Portage Manor property move forward with a 9-0 vote in favor of allowing the board of commissioners to seek...
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Final commencement
Graduation. A time of transition. You commence something new. The senior class of Purdue Polytechnic South Bend marked their achievement May 26 as the final graduates of the charter school, which closes now to merge with fellow charters South Bend’s...
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Taste: La Belle Vie brings a slice of France to South Bend
SOUTH BEND — La belle vie. The good life. When customers enter La Belle Vie Charcuterie Café, they’re met with sunlit seating, fresh floral arrangements and the warm smile of owner Monica Hoban or one of her staff members. It’s difficult to ignore...
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Democracy at risk
Democracy requires practice, according to the many researchers and scholars from across the world who descended on the University of Notre Dame for the third Kellogg Institute Keough School of Global Affairs Global Democracy Conference. But...
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Trump: Blockade stays until deal signed
President Donald Trump on May 24 said he has told his diplomatic representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran because “time is on our side,” less than a day after announcing that an agreement with Tehran had been largely negotiated. “The Blockade...
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Lessons from 2026 primary elections
Voter turnout is alterable and is affected by a variety of political conditions. In St. Joseph County, voter turnout is up compared to the last three primary elections, though overall, voter turnout is facing a decreasing trend. The Tribune analyzed...
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Pakistani official searches for deal on Iran
WASHINGTON – Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on May 22 to discuss proposals to end the U.s.-israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Iran’s uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait...
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Amazon opens state’s first ‘Think Big Space’ STEM lab
NEW CARLISLE — Amazon has unveiled its first “Think Big Space” in Indiana at New Prairie High School, part of the company’s nationwide initiative to open STEM education labs and encourage students to explore careers in STEM. The Think Big Space at New...
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MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, a day to honor those who died fighting in the Civil War. Ohio Rep. James A. Garfield, a former general and future U.S. president, made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on the first Decoration...
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Acting Ensemble president likes to play villains
As the president of The Acting Ensemble — a local troupe of performing arts people — Melissa Gard is the force behind bringing top-notch plays and outstanding local talent to the group’s Mishawaka stage. She admits she has plenty of help from her...
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Dance, Dance, Dance
Adams High School, Mishawaka High School and Penn High School held their proms this past weekend, on Friday at the Palais Royale for Adams; Saturday at the Gillespie Center for Mishawaka; and Saturday at Century Center for Penn. To see galleries from...
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Qualex demolition clears the way for redevelopment
SOUTH BEND — After sitting vacant for decades, the Qualex Building on Louise Street adjacent to Mishawaka Avenue has been demolished into large piles of bricks and old pipes. Located in what is being branded as the “Market District” on the southeast...
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Festivals and fun in the forecast for South Bend
The Tribune’s Festival Guide offers you a variety of events, festivals and county fairs. Most are family-friendly, but watch for some 21+-only events. There is something for everyone to experience. A guide featuring summer outdoor concerts will be...
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Centurylong effort aims to keep nations White
Whiteness appears to be an official immigration credential in the eyes of the United States government. The Trump administration in late 2025 slashed the annual cap on refugee admissions to 7,500 for budget year 2026, down from the 125,000 cap set in...
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‘MOMENTOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT’
The Stanley Clark School Science Olympiad team is headed to the University of Southern California to compete in the National Science Olympiad Tournament for the first time in 13 years. The Science Olympians came in first out of 35 teams at the Indiana...
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Lasalle Park residents urged to lobby city over reparatory report
Lasalle Park resident Alice Pickens had one main lesson to share with her neighbors at a meeting held by the Lasalle Park Neighborhood Alliance and Black Lives Matter South Bend: “We need to stand up for ourselves.” Pickens comment comes after a report...
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‘He’s pastoral, but he’s courageous’
At 78 years old, St. Thérèse Little Flower Catholic Church parishioner Catherine Odell said she appreciates that Pope Leo XIV is appealing to younger people, joking that his papacy is the first time the pope has been younger than her. But that’s not...
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Report: City has ‘extensive history of discrimination’
SOUTH BEND — The city has “an extensive history of discrimination against the Black population,” according to a briefly-published report from the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission. According to that report, the systematic denial of equal access...
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Tarner accuses airport of unfair bidding process
Surrounded by his employees and family members, President of the South Bend Chocolate Company Mark Tarner appeared to get emotional speaking about the pride he has in his company and the journey it’s endured over 35 years in business. He took many...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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Trump says Iran ceasefire holds
President Donald Trump is brushing away concerns that the U.s.-iran ceasefire agreement is finished after the two sides launched strikes on each other that he called a “trifle.” “They trifled with us today. We blew them away. I call that a trifle,”...
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Races show power of Trump’s support
President Donald Trump tested the strength of his endorsement in eight Indiana Senate races, and he basically aced it. The candidates he endorsed in his revenge plot to oust Republican incumbents who voted against mid-decade redistricting nearly all...
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O’brien beats Schaetzle in GOP primary
Jamie O’brien beat incumbent St. Joseph County Republican “not in good standing” Dan Schaetzle in the Republican primary for St. Joseph County Council District C on Tuesday, May 5. “Obviously, in any election, someone comes out on top and someone...
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‘If there’s a chance to vote, you have to take it’
SOUTH BEND — Residents who showed up to vote for Tuesday’s primaries said a low voter turnout won’t fly anymore. In 2024’s primary, only 12% of St. Joseph County’s registered voters showed up to cast their primary ballots, according to turnout...
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RILEY STEPS UP
Prom season has kicked into high gear, with South Bend Riley high school holding its dance last Friday. The Tribune will be at many local proms and will share galleries of photos online. Please share your prom photos with us, too. Check out...
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INVESTING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
MISHAWAKA — Gurley Leep Automotive Family is coming up on its 50th anniversary on Oct. 7, 2027, and how do its owners plan to celebrate it? By finishing a 70-acre auto campus that will feature 11 automotive brands, a dog park, public car wash, a...
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Prediction markets see explosive rise
Though prediction markets have been legal in the United States for less than 18 months, they can’t stop making news and making money. On prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, users can stake real money on just about anything, from the...
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Trump: Iran blockade could last months
President Donald Trump indicated he’s prepared to keep his current strategy of blockading Iranian ports for months in order to inflict economic pain on the Islamic republic as long as he feels is necessary. “At this moment, there will never be a deal...
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