Closings, postponements, delays

INDIANA

• The Indiana Toll Road has extended its ban on trucks.
• Wednesday's Indiana State Department of Agriculture State Photo Contest ceremony and reception has been rescheduled for 2-4 p.m. March 24 at the Indiana Statehouse. The grand champion award winner is from Warsaw, and many of the winners are from northeast Indiana.
• Wrestling semistate update.

• Decatur Mudokwan martial arts classes are canceled.

Allen County

• School closings, delays
• Many of the girls sectional basketball games scheduled for tonight have been postponed.
• All Fort Wayne Community Schools after-school activities and evening events are canceled today.
• Fort Wayne's Cooper, Jennings and Weisser youth centers will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
• Fort Wayne Community Center at 233 W. Main St. has canceled classes tonight and will close at 5 p.m.
• Any Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation classes or activities scheduled in a school are canceled this evening. These cancellations are not in effect for other Parks and Recreation classes. If your class or activity is not located in a school, the youth centers or the Community Center, call the location to see if it is canceled.
• Tuesday's American Red Cross blood drive in Allen County has moved because of the weather. It is now going to be from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church Resurrection Church at 14318 Lima Road in Fort Wayne. It was originally scheduled at The Third Place in Huntertown.
• Wednesday's Fort Wayne Board of Works and Stormwater Board meetings have been canceled.
• The prenatal class scheduled for Tuesday night at the Parkview North campus has been canceled.
• All Fort Wayne Dance Collective classes are canceled Tuesday evening.
• CinemaCenter shows for Tuesday have been canceled.
• The city of Fort Wayne has rescheduled Mayor Tom Henry's State of the City address to 5:30 p.m. Monday. The 30-minute speech will be in Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne's Rhinehart Music Center. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and people are encouraged to arrive by 5:15. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. A catered reception in the Rhinehart lobby will follow the speech. Free surface parking is available north of the building. The Mayor's Night In slated for Monday has been rescheduled to Feb. 22.
• Community Harvest Farm Wagon food distributions are canceled today due to the weather.
• Daytime classes and activities at the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department Community Center are canceled, but the Community Center will remain open. To check on the status of evening classes, call the center at 427-6460 after 3 p.m.
• The H1N1 flu vaccine clinic at Carew Medical Park in Fort Wayne has been canceled.
• The following EITC Tax Sites in Fort Wayne will be closed Tuesday – St. Mary's Catholic, CANI -Community Action of NE Indiana.
• United Way and Northeast Indiana Central Labor Council are canceling Wednesday's session, "Senior Solutions/Long-Term Health/Annuities/Medicaid," at United Way, 334 E. Berry St. The session is re-scheduled for Feb. 24.

• The scheduled Auburn Plan Commission meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday has been canceled. The next scheduled meeting is 6 p.m. March 9.

• Wawasee band and Color Guard members have been notified that the band florida trip meeting has been rescheduled to Feb. 25.
• Tuesday's Wawasee Community School Corporation board meeting has been scheduled to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Administration Office Board Room.

• Steuben County is under a Level 3 Snow Emergency. County officials are asking residents to use the 911 system only for emergencies.
• The county has activated the 211 system for non-emergency requests such as requests for medications, personal medical needs or any other non-emergency requests.
  • Officials are also asking residents to call 665-3131 to report road hazards in the county and 665-2121 for road hazards in the city of Angola. This is to be used only if there is a road hazard such as roads that are impassable or large drifts. This is not to be used to gather road information such as roads that are closed and county emergency levels.

• In Bluffton, today's hearing about the Morrow Block is being continued to a later date because of the weather. A new time will be announced at a later time, the city said. The following meetings also scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled – 12:30 p.m. executive session of the Board of Public Works and Safety; 1 p.m. regular session of the Board of Public Works and Safety; 7:30 pm regularly scheduled City Council meeting.

Defiance County

• The city of Defiance has canceled Tuesday night's City Council and Public Utilities meetings.

Winter storm warning continues

The National Weather Service in northern Indiana updated its winter storm warning for the region at 3:47 p.m. Tuesday.

The warning remains in effect through Wednesday evening, with mostly light snow falling through Wednesday morning with periods of heavy and moderate snow.

The total snowfall in most of northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio is expected to be 5 to 10 inches, with heavier amounts in some areas. Those driving in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan can expect to see 10 to 14 inches of snow.

Northwest winds are likely to increase to 15 mph to 25 mph with gusts from 30 mph to 40 mph gusts late Tuesday night and Wednesday, the weather service said, resulting in blowing and drifting snow. Near, blizzard conditions are possible and some areas might have whiteouts.

Counties under the winter storm warning until 7 p.m. Wednesday include:

• Indiana – Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben Wabash, Wells, Whitley, Starke, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, White, Cass, Miami, Grant, Blackford, Jay.
• Ohio – Defiance, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Allen.

Road and weather information is available at INDOT's Web site, www.TrafficWise.in.gov or call 1-800-261-ROAD (7623).

• Fort Wayne braces for winter wallop
• Allen County braces for winter storm
• Weather Journal, with a current weather map and updated conditions

To report closings, other news

The Journal Gazette 24-hour news team can be reached at jgnews@jg.net or 466-6397 (NEWS) to report cancellations, postponements and other weather-related news. You may also send a fax to 461-8893.

Winter weather safety tips

• Protect yourself
• Prevent frostbite, hypothermia
• Driving in winter weather
• Going on the road? Pack a winter storm travel kit
• Protect your pets

Elsewhere in Indiana

Verbatim announcement issued by the Indiana State Police Redkey District:

As the day progresses, and snow accumulates, and the wind increases motorists should use extreme caution if travel is necessary. Because of the high winds and low wind chill factor, if you are stranded stay with your vehicle to stay warm. Do not venture away, particularly in the rural areas.

There may be lane restrictions and traffic back-ups. Use caution and reduce speed, particularly when approaching our troopers who are assisting motorists and investigating crashes.

Current road conditions within the Redkey District of the Indiana State Police, which includes Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay and Randolph Counties, are as follows:

• I-69 in Delaware and Grant Counties (31-72 mile-marker), driving and passing lanes are snow covered and slick. Use caution on bridges, underpasses and ramps.
• U.S. and State highways lanes are snow covered and slick. Use caution on bridges, underpasses and ramps.
• Secondary roads (county roads) are snow covered and slick, and motorists may encounter drifting conditions in some locations.

We need to leave our phone lines open for emergency calls. Motorists can access road and weather information by visiting INDOT's web siteTrafficWise.IN.gov or dial 800-261-ROAD (7623).

Motorists please use the following cautions when driving:

• Clear all windows, head/tail lamps of snow and ice
• Turn headlights on, even in the daylight hours
• Reduce speed
• Be aware of sudden stops
• Keep distance between vehicles, don't tailgate
• Hang up cell phones, and drive with caution
• Buckle up
• MOVE OVER, SLOW DOWN when approaching emergency vehicles