WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Vintage Indiana Wine and Food Festival returns to Indianapolis on Saturday (June 7) at Military Park.

The 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. festival, sponsored by the Indiana Wine Grape Council located at Purdue University, will give visitors the opportunity to taste more than 200 wines from 21 Indiana wineries.

“Vintage Indiana is a wonderful celebration of Indiana’s wine industry,” said Jeanette Merritt, marketing director for the Indiana Wine Grape Council and festival director. “Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or simply appreciate a good glass of wine from time to time, Vintage Indiana offers a broad range of flavors and styles.”

The event also will feature foods from local restaurants, cooking and wine demonstrations and live music.

Cooking and wine demonstrations will be held in the Wine and Food Experience Pavilion and will be hosted by Indianapolis TV personality Jill Ditmire. Live music will be performed throughout the day by the Woomblies, Brigid’s Cross and Jennie DeVoe.

Radio Disney will provide entertainment for children in the form of the Radio Disney KidZone – a Disney-themed interactive attraction that includes carnival games, miniature golf and ice cream for an additional cost.

Festival tickets are available at participating wineries, Marsh Supermarkets and online at www.vintageindiana.com. Advance ticket prices are $20 for adults (21 years and older), $10 for designated drivers and $5 for youth (ages 6-20). Children 5 and under will be admitted for free.

Tickets also can be purchased at the event for $23 for adults, $10 for designated drivers and $5 for youth. All guests are required to show proof of age at the gate.

A list of all participating wineries and vendors is available online at www.vintageindiana.com or by calling (800) 832-WINE.

All Vintage Indiana Wine and Food Festival proceeds benefit the Indiana Wine Grape Council, which promotes the development of the state’s wine and grape industry.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Lafayette Online) — CityBus is inviting Lafayette and West Lafayette drivers to “Dump the Pump” and ride the bus instead. To kick off its campaign highlighting the financial and environmental benefits of public transportation, CityBus invites everyone to ride free all day on all routes on Thursday, June 19.

Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski and West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis have proclaimed June 19 “Dump the Pump” Day in the two cities.

“We’re citing the high price of gas as just one reason to consider CityBus for regular commutes,” said General Manager Martin Sennett. “There are many more benefits — less traffic congestion, better air quality because greenhouse gases are reduced, and the convenience of having someone else drive. Using public transportation is an easy and significant way to reduce fuel consumption, save on spending and help the environment.”

“By experiencing the ease of riding, we believe many commuters will realize what a benefit public transportation is to our community and world and make the decision to become everyday riders,” said John Metzinger, manager of development.

“Dump the Pump” is a nationwide campaign coordinated by the American Public Transportation Association. Many cities across the U.S. are participating by offering free rides.

CityBus operates a fleet of 73, including four hybrid busses. It logged nearly 4.7 million passenger trips in 2007, including more than 340,000 on the free downtown/Purdue trolley. Its mission is to be a proactive community partner, striving to improve the community’s quality of life by operating safe, reliable and environmentally friendly transit services, by partnering in local economic development activities, and by providing excellent customer service and efficient, convenient access to destinations throughout Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University Police are investigating a break-in that occurred Wednesday morning at 130 Russell St., West Lafayette

A male resident of the house told police he was awakened by the handle to his room door being jiggled, said interim Police Chief John Cox. The resident got up to see who was at the door and reportedly saw a white male walking down the hallway trying to open doors to other rooms.

The suspect reportedly saw the resident and fled from the house to the parking lot where he got into a white late 1990s model mid-size pickup truck with a black stripe or design on the side and drove away.

The suspect was described as 30 to 40 years of age, about 6′ 3″ to 6′4″ tall, with a shaved head. The resident also stated the suspect had a muscular build and was wearing a blue sweatshirt.

“Even though school is not in session, residents are reminded to keep their doors and belongings secured,” Cox said. “Incidents like this occur year round in and around campus. Students, staff and visitors are reminded to continue to stay vigilant and report all crimes and suspicious behavior to the police department.”

Anyone with information on this incident, is asked to contact the Purdue University Police Department at 765-494-8221.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Lafayette Online) — The Purdue Police Department reminds faculty and staff to be cautious and obey all stop signs and traffic control devices on the West Lafayette campus, particularly along Harrison Street between South Russell Drive and South Martin Jischke Drive.

Due to construction in the area, traffic has been realigned and lanes have been narrowed along Harrison Street.

The Police Department has noticed an increase in the number of vehicles ignoring the stop signs and traffic control devices in that area, increasing the chances for a serious accident. To help with safety, the police will be aggressively patrolling the area throughout the coming weeks.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Abandoned and damaged bicycles on the West Lafayette academic campus (not residence halls or Purdue Village) will be removed during the next week in a partnership between the Grounds Department and Purdue Police.

Student patrol officers will begin marking bicycles this week and the bikes will be removed by grounds personnel next week (May 5-9).

Removed bicycles will be held for 90 days and a master list of all bicycles removed will be maintained by the police department. After the 90-day holding period, abandoned bicycles will be made available for sale using established University procedures.

Gary Evans, director of grounds, encourages students to take care of their bicycles before the semester ends.

“Our mission is to maintain the visible excellence of our campus, and abandoned bikes detract from that image,” Evans said. “We also want to provide fair warning to students that we are conducting a campus-wide sweep, and to let them know they should contact the police department at 49-48221 if they think their bicycle was secured as a damaged or abandoned bike.”