Gemma DiCarlo

A former social studies teacher at Concord High School is facing a number of criminal charges, including possession of child pornography.

A state committee has chosen a charter school to take over South Bend’s Tarkington Elementary School building, which the school board voted to close earlier this year. 

Council and school board members, as well as South Bend Mayor James Mueller and School Superintendent Todd Cummings, met June 17 to discuss ways to improve education in South Bend.

Two years ago on June 16, Eric Logan, a Black man, was shot and killed by a white South Bend police officer near downtown South Bend.

After months of review, the South Bend Board of Public Safety approved changes to the city’s Police Use of Force Policy Wednesday. 

All but seven of Indiana’s 92 counties are now in the “blue” on the state’s color-coded COVID-19 tracking map, including almost all counties in the WVPE listening area.

South Bend city leaders held a meeting Tuesday night to gather community feedback on the South Bend Community School Corporation’s School Resource Officer program. About 70 people met at Washington High School to discuss whether police officers have a place in city schools.

St. Joseph County and South Bend leaders voted this week to opt out of Indiana’s settlement plan for lawsuits against opioid companies.

Both the county and city have pending lawsuits against different opioid manufacturers, marketers and distributors. They’re seeking redress for the effects of the opioid epidemic on local communities, as well as financial compensation for public funds used to address those effects.

Once considered a coronavirus hotspot, Elkhart County’s COVID-19 cases are now at their lowest levels in a year. 

Goshen Health is closing its COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Pro Park One, and offering the vaccine at Goshen Physicians Family Medicine & Urgent Care instead. 

(Read more in the release below.)

GOSHEN, Ind., June 14, 2021 – Effective today, COVID-19 vaccines will be administered at Goshen Physicians Family Medicine & Urgent Care – 2824 Elkhart Rd, Goshen. 

At the beginning of the year, the City of South Bend implemented a new program plan for contracting with minority and women-owned businesses. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion released its first report under the new plan Tuesday night.

The Indiana Department of Health's latest color-coded COVID-19 tracking map shows over 70 percent of all Hoosier counties in the least serious “blue” category.

The Elkhart County Historical Museum has won a national award for its exhibit “Crossroads of Elkhart County," which chronicles the county's history from the arrival of native groups to the industrial revolution and the present day. 

The exhibit took three years to complete, and seeks to highlight the county’s Native American, African American, Latinx and Anabaptist voices.

Earlier this year, the Morris Performing Arts Center announced a $30 million fundraising campaign for its 100th anniversary. At least $1 million of money would fund an Equity in the Arts endowment, which officials say will be shaped by community input.

A regional partnership has awarded almost $2.5 million in grants to colleges and universities throughout the South Bend-Elkhart area. 

For the first time since the Indiana Department of Health launched its COVID-19 tracking map, St. Joseph County is in the "blue" category, which indicates the lowest spread of the coronavirus. 

New, loosened COVID-19 restrictions took effect in Michigan on Monday.

With over 50 percent of eligible residents at least partially vaccinated, Michigan officials have lifted capacity limits on outdoor gatherings and increased indoor capacity to 50 percent. Additionally, masks are now only required for unvaccinated individuals indoors. 

The pandemic has driven many to seek outdoor activities and safer ways to travel, causing demand for recreational vehicles to soar. Now, the RV Industry Association is reporting its sixth straight month of record shipments. 

The association’s April survey found manufacturers had shipped close to 52,000 RVs by the end of the month, the most for any April on record.

It was 75 years ago Wednesday when South Bend’s all-female baseball team played their first game at Playland Park, between South Bend and Mishawaka. 

For the first time in more than two months, the Indiana Department of Health’s COVID-19 tracking map shows no counties in “orange,” which indicates high spread of the coronavirus.

In the WVPE listening area, LaPorte, Starke, Marshall, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties all maintained their “yellow” status from last week, which indicates moderate spread of the virus.