Hey Locals,

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This week in Above the Fold, we’re talking about a program helping unhoused individuals in Fort Wayne access housing by utilizing their own income. We also brief you on how the city’s 2026 budget is shaping up and what’s happening with Fort Wayne’s passenger rail plans. Plus: a new dairy-free ice cream shop in town, and the story behind a new sculpture in West Central.

In our To Do List, we’ve got an unconventional haunted forest experience for you at Lindenwood Nature Preserve (and cemetery). Plus, fun places to trick-or-treat Downtown this weekend and more excuses to show off your Halloween costume.

Now, let's get started!

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

This program helps homeless people access housing in Fort Wayne.

And use their own income to do it.

What’s happening?

As the City of Fort Wayne and Downtown business owners seek solutions to rising homelessness citywide, one program is already experiencing success on the Broadway corridor. In 2024, a non-religious nonprofit called Forgotten Stones grew out of Inasmuch Ministry at Broadway Christian Church, and in one year it has helped about 100 unhoused individuals in Fort Wayne access stable housing by utilizing their own income.

In this week’s paid Thursday newsletter, we take a deep dive into this program – and how it could be a gamechanger for homelessness in Fort Wayne.

• City Controller Pat Roller says her team managed to preserve essential services in the “difficult” 2026 city budget – but 2027 could be worse. On Oct. 7, Roller presented the budget to council. (Worth noting: It’s based on property tax estimates, which won’t be finalized until spring.) Roller says all departments are feeling the effects of budget cuts, but the city has managed to preserve current police and fire staffing levels. It’s also trimming salary increases and holding off on expenses like new city vehicles and a new fire station in Waynedale. The city will also have to dip into about $8.8M in cash reserves, leaving about $94.6M remaining. City Council has until the end of October to pass the 2026 budget and may suggest further cuts. 
• Fort Wayne’s passenger rail ambitions aren’t losing steam. Last week, the City of Fort Wayne, along with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, announced they have committed a collective $650,000 in local funds to develop rail service connecting Chicago to Pittsburgh with stops in Columbus and Fort Wayne. This allows the Midwest Connect Passenger Rail project to progress to Step Two: planning routes and stations. In February, Paul Spoelhof, who is leading the project for the city, told WANE 15 construction could begin in about five years if funding continues to go smoothly. Last week, he reassured residents: The Federal Railroad Association’s “enthusiasm for this project is very high.” 
• Organizers estimate 8,000 people participated in Saturday’s “No Kings” protest at the Allen County Courthouse.* The local protest was one of nearly 3,000 across the country, including more than 50 in Indiana. It was organized by Indivisible Northeast Indiana in response to the Trump administration’s initiatives, including the use of military force in American cities to address immigration. One speaker was State Rep. Kyle Miller (D-Fort Wayne)*, who said it “isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats or left versus right. This is about people versus power.” The turnout this month exceeded the first No Kings protest in June, which drew 5,000 people Downtown.
• Fort Wayne native Heather Headley, a Tony Award-winning actress and Grammy-winning musician, will teach a masterclass to about 30 teens in Fort Wayne* at the Pearl Arts Center next month. Last week, about 30 students, grades freshman to senior, were chosen from more than 100 area high school applicants. Headley is a Northrop High School graduate and currently stars in the Netflix series, Sweet Magnolias.
• Fort Wayne Community Schools received a “highly sought after” federal grant of nearly $20M to help low-income students pursue and succeed in college and careers. The grant will benefit most current sixth- and seventh-graders in the FWCS district, following them through the next seven years and giving them opportunities to receive $2,500 scholarships when they graduate. FWCS is one of only six school systems nationally to receive the grant. 
• Volunteers planted 50 new trees at Bob Arnold Northside Park on Saturday as part of the Great Tree Canopy Comeback. They also removed invasive species at Swinney Park East. Fort Wayne’s annual Great Tree Canopy Comeback began in 2001 with a mission to restore the park system’s “severely lacking” tree canopy. The separate Tree Canopy Growth Fund launched in 2022 to assist Fort Wayne’s urban forest growth beyond parks and public property by planting trees at homes, churches, businesses and schools. 
• Moo-Over ice cream, formerly of Columbia City, opened its new location in Covington Plaza. The shop was founded in 2020 by Julie Hurd, who is lactose intolerant, and seeks to offer desserts free of dairy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and artificial dyes. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
• Fairfax Avenue has been reconstructed between Hanna Street and Gaywood Drive, thanks to community advocacy by local residents. For years, Bridge of Grace Ministries and Fort Wayne Community Schools Levan Scott Academy have invested in the area, convening a neighborhood association and providing an early learning center and community health clinic. Mayor Sharon Tucker called the $1.07 million new road “a great example of high-trust partnerships and collaboration with the end result being an enhanced quality of life for our residents.” 

Did you know…

A new sculpture in West Central honors a world-renowned local artist behind Castle Gallery?

What's happening?

While driving into Downtown on West Jefferson Boulevard, you might notice a large pink and green steel sculpture of a blooming Amaryllis. The flower, which serves as a “landmark gateway” to Downtown, honors the late Jody Hemphill-Smith, a world-renowned local artist who loved the West Central neighborhood. Last week, city and neighborhood leaders gathered to dedicate the sculpture created by fellow Fort Wayne artist Cary Shafer and inspired by one of Hemphill-Smith’s paintings. 

You might remember: Hemphill-Smith and her husband, Mark Paul Smith, purchased the original site of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art Downtown in 1995 and redeveloped it to be the Castle Fine Art Gallery. She died in October 2023 and received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from Arts United in 2024, honoring her contributions to the city’s creative scene. “Every painting that you do, your whole life is involved in its creation,” Hemphill-Smith said.

• Get scared: at the “The Lindenwood Tour: Haunted Forest,” October 24–26, starting at 6 p.m. The free event (ages 8+), in partnership with the ACPL, starts with a walking tour of the historic Lindenwood Cemetery, where guests hear captivating stories about some of the city’s notable past residents – followed by a journey into the Lindenwood Nature Preserve forest, which Northrop High School theatre students have transformed into a haunted realm. (Registration required.)
• Sample: food at the Famous Asian Food Fest on Oct. 25-26, noon-6 p.m., at Good News Fort Wayne Church. The event features an opportunity to taste local Korean, Chinese, Thai, Burmese and Japanese cuisine. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
• Watch: local and international independent films at the 10th annual Hobnobben Film Festival at Cinema Center. The festival is October 23–26, and tickets can be purchased by the day. (We recommend attending Opening Night for $15.)
• Dress up: for Rock and Roar HALLOWEEN a 21+ live music series at the Fort Wayne Zoo, Oct. 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m. The event is presented by Rohrman Auto Group and will feature the local band Decade Divide, taking you on an adventure through music of the past. Free rides on the Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride and the Endangered Species Carousel.
• Trick-or-treat: Downtown on Oct. 25 at the Botanical Conservatory, noon-3 p.m., with costumes and a Pumpkin Path Display. (Regular admission fees apply.) You can also stop by the Riverfront Halloween, 3-9 p.m., with costume contests, trick-or-treating on the Auer Lawn, kids crafts and activities, haunted history tours, and a screening of "Hocus Pocus."
• Dine-in: at Bravas for $10 Tuesday meals, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., featuring a burger, fries and fountain drink (dine-in only).
• Celebrate: the Painted Lady’s 5-Year Anniversary on Oct. 25, noon-5 p.m., with vendors, food by Bahn Mi noon-2 p.m. and bubbles by Katie Jo.
• Dance: at a Halloween popup at the Fairfield on Oct. 25 with Halloween-themed drinks and DJs. Watch Instagram for details!
• Shop: the Fall Festival at The Deck on Oct. 25, noon-8 p.m., with live music, kids activities and vendors.

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett