Michiana

High winds on Tuesday knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses, which are serviced by Indiana Michigan Power. The hardest hit areas are near Lake Michigan where the waves and winds from Superstorm Sandy are fierce. Early Tuesday afternoon nearly 2,900 I&M customers in Berrien County were still without electricity. The numbers were 2,300 in LaPorte County, nearly 300 in St. Joseph County and over 200 in Cass and Van Buren Counties. CLICK HERE for I&M outage map. NIPSCO was reporting a big drop in the number of power outages just after noon, with 2,200over 6,300 outages across northern Indiana with 2,700 in Michigan City.

Independence Day is just around the corner and if you're planning on celebrating with a backyard firework display there are some things you should know. In all of St. Joseph County and in Elkhart, there are some strict rules surrounding fireworks. The 4th of July holiday is one of the only times it's legal to set them off. From June 29 through July 9, fireworks can be set off from 5 to 11 p.m. But on the 4th, hours are extended to 10 a.m. to midnight. "Just make sure you're using fireworks with an adult, you're in an open area not enclosed, make sure you're on your own property when lighting them off and buy them from a licensed retail vendor," Gerard Ellis, public education officer for the South Bend Fire Department.

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...

Many of us want to know how we can help with the relief efforts on the east coast after Superstorm Sandy. Two organizations here in Michiana are aiming to help those in need. The Elkhart County chapter of the American Red Cross and the one in St. Joseph County are hitting the phones. Both agencies are calling volunteers to see if they can help with hurricane relief. So far, between both chapters, a total of 20 volunteers have been deployed to the east coast.

When snowplows clear streets and roads, all that snow has to go somewhere. That’s why some of it ends up on sidewalks, in driveways and other places where people might not want it, say the people who head the departments responsible for the plowing. As of Monday, the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka and St. Joseph County already have received complaints. South Bend street department director Sam Hensley said that if plows stopped to keep from throwing snow into a driveway, they would leave a big ridge of snow in the street that eventually would turn to ice. Mishawaka street commissioner Mike Watson said snow gets pushed onto sidewalks because his crews have to keep the snow cleared as far back as possible.

When you look out the window Wednesday morning you will see a lot of snow. And the wind probably will be blowing. The area has gotten the 3 to 6 inches WSBT-TV meteorologists predicted Tuesday. Rick Mecklenburg also was anticipating another 3 to 6 inches Tuesday night. And he expected the wind to pick up overnight. For today, he is anticipating another 2 to 4 inches of snow and wind in the 20- to 30-mph range for most the day. A National Weather Service winter storm warning for Wednesday is to end at 7 p.m. and Mecklenburg thought the wind would ease at about that time, too. "It won't be a real nice day," he said.

On Monday, people around the country will take part in a national holiday to celebrate the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In South Bend, organizers are putting the finishing touches on an area-wide breakfast to honor the civil rights leader. Volunteers gathered on Sunday to work on the final details of the 25th annual breakfast that will be held at the Century Center. They put together brochures for the event, as well as signed off on everything that will be needed.

MISHAWKA - It's a good thing we're heading into a weekend, because shoppers who spent all day and in some cases all night at the stores after Thanksgiving need some rest. But was the Black Friday rush enough to give retailers the confidence they need this holiday season? “We've actually been really busy. This is supposed to be one of the number one gifts this year,” said Jessica Waller, who was selling Pop-Up-Pals slippers at a kiosk inside the University Park mall.

INDIANA Bremen Police Department Patrolman Tony E. Swartzlander, 37, Feb. 22, 1981 Culver Police Department Marshal Edward R. Cook, 50, July 19, 1932 Elkhart Police Department Officer Willard S. Burton, 36, Oct. 27, 1888 Officer Oren M. Shelmadine, 54, Feb. 9, 1920 Patrolman Henry M. Wentz, 51, Dec. 13, 1924 Patrolman III Douglas M. Adams, 31, March 20, 2001 Cpl. Michael L. Swygart, 43, Dec. 29, 2009 Goshen Police Department Patrolman Thomas E. Goodwin,...

Michiana's bedbug problem isn't getting any better. Exterminators say they're just as busy today as they were a few years ago when the insects really started showing up. “Elkhart and Niles are for me our two big spots right now,” said Bob Leinonen, owner of Bob the Bug Guy, “we're out there continuously.” South Bend has tapered off, Leinonen said, but not soon enough for renters at the Courtyard Apartments on East Jefferson Blvd...