Indiana
A Summer Road Trip Along Highway 41 – Travel Indiana
story by Mike Davis, Executive Director Kentland Economic Development
As I drove from Highway 41 into Kentland, I thought about the town from a visitor’s perspective. And because I’d just left a meeting where we discussed the positive impact women have on the local economy, I became keenly aware of businesses that are owned and/or managed by females in the area.
Pulling into the north side of town, I was enticed by a classic ice cream stand where you order from your car and pay in cash—a nod to simpler times and certainly an ideal way to celebrate a summer road trip. The pleasant voice, ready to take my order through the drive-in’s speaker, was Kim Donohue, who, along with her husband, owns Don’s Drive-In, now in its 50th year. While the menu includes traditional items like chili dogs, corn dogs, and more, I opted for one of their ice cream specialties. I was not disappointed.
As I continued through town, the Robert & Jeanette Batton Park caught my eye. The 5.5-acre park features a new pavilion, in addition to picnic facilities, baseball fields, and playground. Next to the park is the recently-opened Autumn Trace senior living community.
Driving further south and around Kentland, I took some time to visit two other parks: Cast Park, featuring a soccer field and fishing pond; and the newest park–Wonder Park–dedicated to children ages 2-12, and surrounded with spectacular designs created by South Newton elementary, middle school, and high school art students. The park system is overseen by another female leader, Park Board President Casey Ward.
Approaching the town square, a quaint full-service grocery store came into view. Murphy’s Food King, now in its 77th year, is the only full service grocery in all of Newton County, and is managed by Colleen Clifton. Taking a quick turn from the grocery, an unusual feature in the town came into view: the parking lane in the middle of the street. Hopping out of the car I took a stroll down 3rd Street, stopping by Cottage on Main, a charming antique and floral shop, owned by Judy King. The shop is a few doors down from the Old Colonial Inn, a fine dining establishment in a classic building constructed in 1894, and directed by Mara Davis.
I passed by Inspiration Fitness Studio created by Bailey Geswein, who also organizes the popular monthly farmers market in downtown Kentland. Crossing the street, I pass by Jodie Havens’ recently opened Simply Stylish Boutique. The charming storefront next door is J.P. STYLE CO., owned by Jessica Pence, a wonderful tasteful ladies and children’s clothing store. Cars were parked in front of a popular style salon owned by Becca Harrington for over a decade.
Backtracking, I sauntered by DX Creations owned by Amanda Rhanor-Saldana, which is adjacent to the Graham Street Barbershop owned by Alicia Gust.
By now I hope visitors realize Kentland truly has a lot to offer; and checking out the real estate market would be a positive exercise. The Real Estate Shoppe on 4th Street is owned by Debby Shuffle- barger, who also serves as the president of the Kentland Town Council, with her associate Ladonna Davidson; there are also two other real estate agents in town. Judy Wirtz and Andrea Standish. Leaving the Real Estate Shoppe you can’t miss the Newton County Mural where historians Kay Babcock and Janet Miller preside over the rich history of Newton County.
Jumping on US24 West, I pass by Si Senor Restaurant run by Gabriele Moreno, and Market No. 48 with owner McKenna Strasburger. By this time two things were obvious to me. One, Kentland Indiana is a charming small town gem; and two, more than 20 women business owners and directors clearly drive a significant part of our local economy. Their contributions make Kentland a delightful community to visit, work, and live in.
For more information visit: kentland.in.gov.
NORTHWEST INDIANA’S NEWEST ATTRACTION!
SOR WILDLIFE ADVENTURE
Exotic Animal Wildlife Park
SOR Wildlife Adventure is a family-owned Wildlife Park. It is situated on approximately 80 acres in Lake Village, Indiana. Raising and caring for exotic animals has always been a part of this family’s everyday life. In early 2021, the SOR family purchased a beautiful plot of land and began building a place where the public can enjoy and learn about wildlife while preserving the natural land their animals call home.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT SOR
When you enter the ranch and pull up to the ticket booth, you will be greeted by a member of the SOR staff. You will stay in your vehicle and immediately drive through a tree-covered terrain admiring the animals as they roam their natural, vast enclosures. So, get comfortable, roll your windows down and see who can spot the animals first! The driving path will end in the parking lot. From there, visitors can park their vehicle and enter the walk-thru portion of the ranch. Take your time, stroll the beautiful landscape and get a closer look at SOR’s smaller animal exhibits. Within the walk-thru adventure, you have the opportunity to feed the animals and possibly meet one of SOR’s baby animals.
WWW.SORWILDLIFE.COM
Indiana
Latest forecast: How much snow will Indiana get Friday? When will it fall?
The Bloomington area will get more snow today. Here’s how much the National Weather Service now expects to fall and when.
How much snow will Monroe County get Friday?
Aaron Updike, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis said the Bloomington area is expected to get between 2 and 4 inches of snow.
Southern parts of Indiana could see even more, with Bedford projected to get close to 4 inches and areas closer to Louisville possibly seeing 6 inches.
When will the snow fall today in the Bloomington area?
Updike said the NWS expects the snow to begin around 11 a.m. and end about 12 hours later. However, he said, the day will bring periods of lulls and peaks, though those are more difficult to predict.
Generally, Updike said, the heaviest accumulation will occur from mid-to-late afternoon, around 2 to 6 p.m.
He urged commuters to take extra time and care, as they may experience slippery roads and sidewalks on their way home.
What kind of snow will be falling in Indiana on Friday?
Updike said the snow should be light and fluffy. The NWS expects only light wind, with gusts of 10 to 15 mph, which means the area should not expect to see much drifting snow.
How cold will it get in the Bloomington area tonight?
The NWS projects that the cloud cover will hang around the area for a while, which will contribute to temperatures falling only to about 20 degrees.
Is there a chance of snowmelt any time soon in Indiana?
Updike said temperatures should rise to near freezing on Sunday, and the area also might see some pockets of sunshine, which should help melt some snow especially on pavement and roads.
However, he said temperatures will not rise enough in the next few days to melt all of the snow.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.
Indiana
Indiana Fever linked to trade for 2-time All-Star
Satou Sabally was immediately linked to the New York Liberty after announcing that she has played her final game for the Dallas Wings during Unrivaled Basketball’s media availability on Thursday. However, the Indiana Fever are another team who were recently mentioned as a possible trade suitor for the two-time All-Star, via Chloe Peterson of indystar.com.
Sabally’s announcement was the primary discussion swirling around the WNBA world on Thursday. The Wings will have the option to core Sabally, which will likely lead to a trade given her comments on Thursday. The chances of Dallas simply letting Sabally walk in free agency while passing on the option to core her are slim, but Sabally will likely still end up with a new team for the 2025 season.
The question is which team will she end up with? The defending-champion Liberty have Satou’s sister Nyara Sabally on the roster, so that may catch Satou’s attention. Joining an up-and-coming team like the Fever may also entice Satou, though.
There will be other candidates aside from Indiana and New York, of course. The Fever and Liberty both make sense as possible trade destinations for Satou Sabally, however. At only 26 years old, Sabally features the ceiling of a true superstar. If she can stay healthy, Sabally can significantly impact any team she joins.
Fever could trade for Satou Sabally
Sabally would add more star-power alongside Caitlin Clark in Indiana. Clark instantly became one of the most popular players in the WNBA in her rookie season during the 2024 campaign. Adding a star or two would help Indiana, though.
The Fever reached the postseason but were quickly eliminated in the first round. Indiana’s future remains bright, but they need to upgrade the roster around Clark. Sabally would turn the Fever into serious contenders.
If the Liberty find a way to acquire Sabally, however, the rest of the WNBA may be in trouble. With Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones already on the roster, the Liberty project to be a championship contender once again. Assuming Stewart returns, the Liberty will compete with or without Sabally, but adding her to the roster would turn New York into a super-team.
Sabally’s announcement on Thursday is already changing the landscape of the WNBA. Rumors will continue to swirl over the next few months. If Sabally is traded, which is seemingly expected at this point, whichever team acquires her will take a big step forward.
Indiana
Winter Weather Advisory issued for Friday morning across central Indiana
It was the coldest morning of the season so far across Central Indiana. For Indianapolis, we had our coldest temperatures since January 21, 2024 with a low of 5°. Crawfordsville and Columbus both had balmy lows of -8°. The clear skies, light winds and fresh snowpack allowed more heat to be released into the atmosphere. For tonight, it will still be chilly. But, we’ll have increasing clouds overnight ahead of our next snowmaker.
Tracking our next snow
This behemoth of a weather maker prompts winter headlines across several states across the United States. This includes Winter Storm Warnings from Raleigh, North Carolina through Dallas, Texas. Some spots in the northern Dallas suburbs could approach half an inch of snowfall overnight and into Friday. We’ll get our share of the snow Friday, too and it will come with commute impacts. Winter Weather Advisory kicks in at 4:00 a.m. Friday and sticks with us through 4:00 a.m. Saturday.
Most of the Friday morning commute should be okay. However, the tail-end of the commute could see some snow showers starting SW and west of Indianapolis. Because of this, a few slick spots can’t be ruled out but those will be few and far between. That activity will gradually spread NE throughout the morning and afternoon. It will become a steady snow from that time and stick around through the Friday p.m. commute. We anticipate that the p.m. commute will come with slowdowns and headaches. So plan ahead!
The snow will taper through the evening before exiting into the overnight hours. When all is said and done, most will end up with 2-4″ of snow. This will be the story through much of Central Indiana. Less snow likely further NW but more possible south and southeast. Those spots could approach 5.0″ in spots.
This will continue what has been a busy winter season for Central Indiana. Since October 1st, Indianapolis has 12.0″ of snow under its belt. Compared to last year’s 2.2″ to date, we have 10″ more snow overall. It’s the most snow to date in 11 years. A typical season (October 1st to May 1st) sees 25.5″ for Indianapolis.
Cold (and more snow) follow
The cold temperatures aren’t going anywhere following Friday’s snow. High temperatures in the 20s will be around through the weekend. We’ll “peak” with highs near 30° Sunday ahead of a frontal boundary. This clipper system could bring some snow showers Sunday night into Monday but those chances are low. If any snow were to occur, amounts would be low.
That will pass through late Sunday into Monday which will give us our next cold blast. Temperatures will tumble during the day Monday setting the stage for more cold. Highs in the teens on Tuesday and Wednesday as we remain dry. Lows in the single digits with subzero wind chills are also likely.
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