Michiana

On a hot summer Saturday, more than a thousand spectators crowded Tiscornia Beach in St. Joseph to watch a World War II re-enactment. Dozens of volunteers dressed up in authentic military uniforms and re-enacted the European and Pacific Beach landings and air attacks on Iwo Jima.  The presentation included a Yankee Air Force B-17 WWII  Bomber, Korean M*A*S*H helicopter as well as Yankee Air Force C-47 Skytrain, B-17 Flying...

Jennifer Copeland is back! "I am SO happy to a part of the WSBT family again," Jennifer said. "After 7 years of being away, it feels great to be back in Michiana close to family. So many good memories were born here. "   Jennifer first worked at WSBT back in 2002. She began as a reporter for WSBT First Thing In The Morning and quickly rose through the ranks eventually becoming a top reporter for the station and occasional news anchor. "I'm extremely proud of our news team," Jennifer said.

It is a day to thank those who have served our country and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. As you can see in the video attached above, throughout our area today many are celebrating and honoring our service members with parades.

Senator Richard Lugar spent the day in the area talking to voters and doing his part to get on the republican primary ballot. The six term senator made three stops in the area on Wednesday. First was at a chamber of commerce event and then later at a health facility in Elkhart. During his visit he also stopped by the St. Joseph County Clerk's office to turn in petitions to get his name on the republican primary ballot. “I just felt that this is the first day of registration and this is a very important county in our state,” said Lugar.

MISHAWAKA — The first full day of lake-effect snow took its toll on St. Joe County.  Crews were busy salting and plowing to keep the roads clear of snow and ice on Suday. "It's keeping us busy," Mishawaka assistant street commissioner Tim Ryan said, " Right now I've got nine trucks on the road...   I just got off the phone, setting up another crew for 8 o'clock.  Then, from there to run the operation, if we need to go 24 (hours), we'll go 24 until we get everything cleaned up. " St. Joseph County officials reported crews hitting the roads from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m to 10 p.m.  With more crews scheduled to start at 5 a.m. Monday morning.

Two soldiers are home tonight. Army Reserve Sergeant David Monsivais and Chief Warrent Officer Shawn Waldron have been gone for ten months in Kuwait. Monsivais was all smiles as he kissed his 14-month-old son. After spending months in the Middle East, David says he couldn't wait to get off the plane and see his family. It's the moment he's been longing for. "The people getting off the plane were taking a little too long, I was about ready to push people around, I was really excited," said Sgt. Monsivais.

The National Weather Service is giving us a word of warning. Scattered thunderstorms were forecast Sunday afternoon, with the main threat being damaging wind gusts. Winds of 20 to 35 MPH were expected with gusts of 45 to 50 MPH possible during the afternoon and early evening hours. The higher gusts are expected near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Wind Advisory is in effect for all of northern Indiana and southern Michigan.

Mother Nature is digging into her bag and pulling out some mixed treats today. Sleet and freezing rain fell on the southern part of the WSBT listening area Tuesday morning before turning to snow for most of us. Several areas were covered in light ice. An Indiana State Police dispatcher reported a lot of slideoffs on the Toll Road but nothing big enough to impede traffic and no major injuries. The Toll Road was more icy to the west. A dispatcher in Marshall County described the roads as "slick," with some slideoffs but nothing too bad. WSBT meteorologist Matt Rudkin says U.S. 31 was fine but says there was icing on signs, power lines and trees between Plymouth and Rochester.

Snow showers have been falling across the area causing slick roads and a return to winter!   Overnight, accumulations ranged from just a dusting to 2 1/2 inches.  This light snow covered up icy patches that formed from this week's rain then freezing overnight.  Wind has also been a huge factor.  While those snow totals aren't enormous, there are still travel issues.  Since most of the snow is light and airy, it is easily blown around creating visibility problems covering up areas that were once cleared.

Several communities across Michiana are offering public fireworks displays through the weekend. Go prepared with plenty of bottled water to stay hydrated during the area's extreme heat and lawnchairs. Above all ... Enjoy! INDIANA Marshall County issued comprehensive fireworks ban, including public displays. Michigan City ... Dusk on July 8 at Washington Park Mishawaka ... 9:30 p.m. July 5 at Beutter Park  Syracuse ... Dusk on July 7 at Lake Wawasee MICHIGAN Hartford ... 10 p.m. July 6 at Hartford Motor Speedway    

The past several days have been extremely violent in the plains and parts of the Midwest.  Many are wondering -- can we expect severe weather as extreme as what we've seen out west? For those of us who have lived here for several years, we have all heard of the Palm Sunday tornadoes or the super outbreak of 1974.  These tornadoes brought massive destruction to our area, but it's been nearly 40 years since we've seen a twister that strong.  So, how often do we see tornadoes, in general?

Masses of people all over the country flocking to stores hoping to get their hands on tonight's winning powerball lottery ticket. Some in California waited in line up to three hours to buy tickets. Saturday night's $600 million dollar jackpot is the largest in the game's history. The winning numbers were 10, 13, 14, 22, 52. The Powerball was 11. One clerk at a Mishawaka gas station told me today that 70% of her customers have bought Powerball tickets this week. "You don't play, you don't win," said Kayla Snelling.

Property tax payments are due May 10 and some property owners are crying foul because they think their assessments are too high. One man says the property tax bills for three of his rental properties increased $700 or more from last year. Jerry Ivacic enjoys showing off his rental homes, but that joy quickly disappeared when he opened his property assessment bill this year. "I'm gonna head to the bar and take care of some of these problems by drinking it away," Ivacic said.

Ticks are pretty bad this year, especially for dogs, according to a veterinarian who has been pulling them off pets every day for the past few weeks. “Just since it's warmed up the past couple or few weeks the number of ticks have gone up dramatically,” said Dr. Jeffrey Vogl, a veterinarian at University Park Veterinary Hospital. It's sure not what most people want to think about as the weather warms, but it's something to be aware of now that a lot of people and pets are heading outdoors to play.

Rick Schutt, WSBT's newest anchor/reporter, is excited to be back in Michiana where he previously spent 10 years anchoring and reporting news and sports. Rick covered all the major stories in the area from 1996 -2007 while at WSJV-TV. He lists the leasing of the Toll Road, the time change in Indiana, the end of one-class basketball in the Hoosier State, and all the great Notre Dame teams as some of the more memorable stories he's reported on. He's also proud of the volunteering he did, helping numerous charities in Michiana over the years.

Jennifer Copeland is back! "I am SO happy to a part of the WSBT family again," Jennifer said. "After 7 years of being away, it feels great to be back in Michiana close to family. So many good memories were born here. "   Jennifer first worked at WSBT back in 2002. She began as a reporter for WSBT First Thing In The Morning and quickly rose through the ranks eventually becoming a top reporter for the station and occasional news anchor. "I'm extremely proud of our news team," Jennifer said.

Investigators say they believe the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing were motivated by a radical version of Islam. It's an important development in the investigation, and also an opportunity for followers of Islam to educate others about a religion that's sometimes misunderstood. “These cases should be looked at on an individual level rather than generalizing the whole Muslim community,” said Imam Mohammad Sirajuddin, who leads the Islamic Society of Michiana.

A group of runners from Michiana finished the Boston Marathon just minutes before the deadly explosions. Tracy Eaves of Niles and Lisa Smith of South Bend ran the race along with two other friends who are members of the Michiana Runners Association. “I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch and then I heard this huge explosion,” said Smith, who was running the race for the first time, “it was right at the corner where I turned the corner to come into the finish chute.” “Lisa had started in another class and doing the math mentally I knew she would be like right at the finish line when they went off, so there was a bit of panic,” said Eaves, who just completed her third Boston Marathon.

It's been a rough weekend for fires all throughout Michiana. We've heard of all kinds of grass fires and brush fires, and there was a house fire Saturday night in Elkhart. Initially there were reports of flames showing when a fire broke out at 221 Banks Street. Everyone made it out safely and it didn't take long to knock down the flames. A neighbor says the building's owner suspects an animal may have chewed through the wiring sparking the blaze. And in Niles a field fire broke out early this evening near the airport.

It's considered one of the worst disasters in our area's history, killing around 50 people in Elkhart County and injuring many others. This retrospective by WSBT-TV, which originally aired in 1995, chronicles the events of Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965 through original broadcasts and survivor interviews.        The following story from WSBT-TV reporter Rachel Lake aired Sunday night:   ...