Hey Locals,

As luck would have it, when you slow down to rest, you get sick. I (Kara) am down and out with a cold this week, but thankfully, our reporter Rachel Horton stepped in to assist with today’s newsletter.

We’re also testing a new format for our paid subscribers this week. Instead of sending an in-depth Above the Fold breakdown on Thursday, we’ll be doing more of an end-of-the-week touchbase, similar to our Tuesday newsletters with briefs, insights and to-do list items geared to your weekend. See what you think! 

In today’s newsletter: We answer requests from multiple readers about how to support the family of a local immigrant and gas station owner detained by ICE. We also brief you on new developments with the Google data center, the city’s 2026 budget (and its challenges), as well as new high-wage jobs coming to town. In our To Do List, we share ways to enjoy this glorious fall weather at multiple fall-themed festivals and events.

One more quick thing: We’re taking a break from deals in October due to some scheduling conflicts on our end. But we’ll be back in November. Stay tuned! 

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

Following last week’s report about Paramjit Singh, a Fort Wayne business owner with a brain tumor, being detained by ICE, we received several emails from readers wanting to know how to support the Singh family. 

We reached out to several sources — some of whom we’re waiting to hear back from. But we did get in touch with Singh’s attorney, Luis Angeles, who says the best way to support the family right now is with “prayers and sharing his story online.” He also recommends contacting elected officials. “We encourage every reader or supporter to write to their congressman or senator and demand that Mr. Singh be released. There is no reason for his detention.”

• For a quick recap: Singh is a legal green card holder detained by the ICE while returning from a trip to India in late July. Authorities cited a decades-old case for his detention, despite the fact that Singh already served time and resolved this years ago. Since then, DHS has prolonged his detainment, delaying surgery he needs for a brain tumor. Angeles says: “DHS has continued to employ what I would describe as legal—yet arguably unethical—tactics to prolong his detention, despite being fully aware of his severe medical condition.”
• What’s next: Singh’s case is set to be heard today, Oct. 14. We will update you with what happens. 
• Why it matters: Along with many ethical reasons, Singh is a local business owner of 16 gas stations in Fort Wayne and a trucking company employing hundreds of people – in many ways, his story embodies the “American Dream.” His case is one of many making international headlines as evidence that, while the Trump administration claims to target the "worst of the worst" undocumented immigrants with criminal records, legal immigrants who follow due process and contribute to society are also facing consequences – sometimes based on unfounded claims of wrongdoing. “Several green card holders have been detained based on decades-old legal issues,” Newsweek reports. 

• Residents are organizing to attend a Nov. 13 hearing on Google’s request to operate 179 emergency diesel generators at its Fort Wayne data center. This hearing follows concerns about Google filling wetlands in Southeast Fort Wayne to complete its 12-building campus. While the Indiana Department of Environmental Management didn’t hold a public hearing about the wetlands, they are hosting a hearing regarding the diesel generators, allowing members of the public to share opinions. The hearing will be Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Ivy Tech auditorium, 3800 N. Anthony Blvd. (See our previous coverage on the data center and its environmental impact here.) More on Google in our Thursday newsletter!
• City Council is reviewing the already tight 2026 city budget and has until the end of October to suggest cuts. WANE 15 provided an in-depth overview of council’s first budget meeting last week, as well as a look at how Indiana’s new “circuit breaker” property tax law (SB1) will affect Fort Wayne. City Controller Pat Roller told council there are still a lot of unknowns about the budget and SB1, but the city will lose about $25 million in property tax revenue in 2026 due to the legislation. Council President Russ Jehl noted this decrease in revenue leaves the city with a “$9 million deficit despite holding expenditures flat.” The city can set new Local Income Tax (LIT) rates in 2027, which could offset some losses. Some regional mayors are also lobbying representatives to change SB1, so its impacts are blunted.
• A Montreal-based aerospace manufacturer is bringing about 100 new high-wage jobs to Fort Wayne in coming years, along with a new career pathway for area students. On Oct. 8, the company Bombardier announced the creation of a new service center in Fort Wayne. According to its website, it sells new and pre-owned aircraft. It also designs, builds, modifies and maintains aircraft for private customers, and its facility in Fort Wayne is the first of its kind in a multi-phase, large-scale U.S. expansion. Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Adams called the announcement “a global beacon for the state of Indiana.” Operations are expected to begin in late 2026, and Bombardier is working with Ivy Tech Community College and Fort Wayne Community Schools to advance aviation career pathways for students. 
• The St. Marys River is “one of the most contaminated bodies of water in Indiana,” according to data from the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District. Despite efforts to reduce runoff from farms and stormwater overflows, District Director Julie Davis Good says water quality in the St. Marys has not improved since 2012 and is trending slightly downward. Thanks to a recent grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the District is creating a two-year watershed management plan to address these challenges. County Commissioner Rich Beck notes the issue goes beyond Allen County and is related to bigger influences in the regional watershed, where corporations, like Campbell’s Soup Co., have recently admitted to contaminating water connected to the St. Marys. 
• Fort Wayne businessman and restaurateur Don “Bud” Hall II died Oct. 6 at age 83. Bud was the son of Don Hall, who founded Don Hall’s Restaurants in 1946. Family and friends remember him as a “visionary” who opened Hall’s Hollywood Drive-In at Lima Road when the area was largely undeveloped and later encouraged his son’s launching of Fort Wayne Outfitters & Bike Depot. Bud also helped save and relocate the former Baltes-Cambray Building, which remains vacant near Promenade Park.

• Attend: Sunbound Books Fall Festival to celebrate their Fall Into Reading Program, with an afternoon of activities, crafts and treats on Oct. 18, 1-5 p.m.
• Get outdoors: with a Safari Bus Tour at LC Nature Park, and spot some bison, elk, and other wildlife. Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Purchase tickets at least 24 hrs in advance.)
• Dress up: in lederhosen or dirndls for Oktoberfest at Chapman’s Brewing Company at Electric Works. Enjoy German-inspired fun, seasonal drinks, games, and community Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.
• Shop: Sunrise Mart’s Inaugural Fall Celebration, featuring local producers and small businesses on Oct. 18, 2-5 p.m. Sample products, and try something new from the store’s collection of local provisions. 
• Cheer on: athletes competing in the 2025 WPV Sitting ParaVolley World Cup at Turnstone Center, featuring hundreds of athletes from across the world, many of whom are preparing for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games. Oct 12-18. (Tickets start at $15 for adults).
• Thrift: unique finds at Vintage Treasures Antique Mall 10-Year Anniversary Open House, featuring special sales, raffles, giveaways, and opportunities to meet vendors. Oct 18th, 10 a.m-5 p.m.
• Experience: Midnight Metropolis, a Halloween-themed dance performance presented by Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Oct. 17-19. (Tickets are $20; ages 12 and up).

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett