WAMMfest is a festival of wine, art, music and microbrews, and it’s happening on Saturday, August 21 at Craig Park in Greenwood.

Russ Dodge, media consultant for WAMMfest, and Nate Johnson, owner of Johnson’s BBQ Shack, joined us today to share what kind of food and fun you can expect at this year’s 12th annual festival.

For more information and for tickets visit, WAMMfest.com.

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY WAMM.

Today in the kitchen we had Chef Debbie of Yokohama in Greenwood. She treated the kitchen with many of their off the menu items and plenty of tasty sushi!

Today Chef Debbie prepared  a “Sushi Sundae” and the “Sushi Sandwich”.

Yokohama prides itself on not only producing great “rolls” but creating unique and amazing sushi dishes that have become increasingly in demand. 

Almost everyone is familiar with Sushi after so many years here in the U.S. but many people still associate it with “Raw Fish”.   Many many items that are sushi are cooked or have cooked elements. 

They were very blessed to remain open through just take out during the initial phases of the pandemic.  

Yokohama remained busy because they were able to make sushi an on the go dish. Chef Debbie believes artistry and culinary creativity are a major part of the sushi industry and always should be.

About Yokohama:

Yokohama has been owned and under the direction of Debbie for 10 years now.  

They actually own the Red House next door now so parking is available there as well. 

They have had almost exclusively with few exceptions, female sushi chefs. 

Debbie gives a beginner sushi classes by appointment only.

Class size is limited and is $40.00 a person to learn to make 3 rolls. 

Much of our seafood is processed on site.

• Sushi Classes can be scheduled by calling 317.859.1888 during operating hours

• Party rooms with karaoke are available with 24 hours notice and 8 or more people

• Contact by Phone at ..317.859.1888  OR by Email at Sm.Bennett@yokohamagreenwood.com

To find more information visit,

Facebook: Yokohama Japanese Cuisine and Sushi

Instagram:  Yokohama.Greenwood 

Website:   http://www.YokohamaGreenwood.com

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — One of the oldest “all-accessible” playgrounds in the state is getting a makeover.

Independence Park has more than 100 visitors a day, according to Johnson County Parks and Recreation. The organization is planning to improve accessibility for kids with disabilities.

Leigh Duke, a mother who often brings her child to the playground, said, “I think that there definitely could be a lot more accessibility. There’s like a couple swings, but for the most part there’s not a whole lot of easy access.”

The park has been around for 19 years, and some of the equipment has been showing its age. It’s been removed because it became too dangerous.

Megan Bowman, Johnson County parks superintendent, said, “One swing was geared toward people with mobility issues and it’s a $800 piece so replacing that doesn’t make sense when we’re going to replace all of it coming very soon.”

The project will cost $335,188. Johnson County Parks and Recreation raised about half of the money as of Wednesday. They want to level the playground’s ground to make it easier for kids in wheelchairs and add ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in between play equipment. Those are just a few things that the project entails.

“Technology and playground equipment itself has grown a lot and improved a lot with the quality of material and making it more accessible to all,” Bowman said.

Fundraising has been happening throughout the year. Johnson County Parks and Recreation has also received some grants. It has been working with community partners to host events. A community member started a GoFundMe page.

Visitor Seth Owens said, “It’s something for the community so I feel like it’s a good thing. Something that’s good we can put our money to.”

The project will start this winter and be finished in the spring.

News 8 asked what would happen if all the money isn’t received by the time of construction.

“We are looking into other funding options, like project financing,” the parks superintendent said. “We may also need to eliminate components from the design until more funds are raised. Park funds are being used to fund this as well, but there is only so much that we have to contribute. That is where the financing will help us spread out the cost.”

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Jordan and Brooke Scherer started the Living for Logan Foundation to fight for justice and stronger consequences for distracted driving after their 9-year-old son Logan was killed in a 2016 crash.

News 8 first reported in April that the foundation helps to educate people about distracted driving and is pushing for state legislators to toughen hands-free laws. The Scherers said their passion for their mission has grown even stronger since the birth of their daughter Mila-Grace Scherer in August.

Father Jordan Scherer said, “We kind of look at Mila as a rainbow baby, sort of cues from her big brother in his passing and being on the other side that there was supposed to be a third for our family.”

The Tampa Bay Times reported Logan died, authorities said, when Gregory Andriotis slammed into the back of the family’s Mazda SUV while driving more than 100 mph in September 2016 on Interstate 75 north of Tampa, Florida. Logan’s father, mother and 5-year-old sister were hospitalized after the crash.

Andriotis is set for a jury trial on Jan. 9, according to online court records from Hernando County, Florida.

“The cellphone was being used consistently in the car of the man who hit us from the time he left his destination to when he hit us just before 3:30 in the afternoon,” Brooke said.

The Scherers started the foundation after the crash.

Brooke said, “States are starting to pass really good hands-free laws, but until everybody’s on board with that there’s not a lot of strict punishment that can happen in the court system,”

The foundation partnered with Hillsborough County Schools in Tampa to educate students on the dangers of distracted driving. It’s one of the nation’s largest school districts and where Logan attended school. The Scherer hope to expand the program in schools nationwide.

“It’s an A-to-B thing, and we don’t need to be buried in our technology while we’re doing it,” Jordan said. “We’re just trying to get people to recognize the responsibility that we have when we’re behind the wheel.”

Living for Logan is seeking community partnerships to end distracted driving. Interested partners are asked to contact info@livingforlogan.org.

The name of the foundation has been corrected in this version of the story.

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) – Amazon is hiring for more than 1,000 full-time job positions at their newest fulfillment center in Greenwood.

It hasn’t been announced when the center will open, but Amazon is currently taking applications. The job positions include receiving orders, packaging and shipping them in the area.

“I think it’d be a nice opportunity for a lot of the local people, along with, it’ll draw people into the city to live,” longtime Greenwood resident Steve Dillman said. “This is one of the fastest growing towns in the county.”

According to Amazon, there is a high customer demand in Indianapolis and the company wants a fulfillment center near customers for faster shipping and great customer service.

“We also strategically look for locations that provide robust public infrastructure, a strong dedicated workforce and great local support,” Amazon spokesperson Andre Woodson said. “And we found all those factors in the Indianapolis area.”

“Greenwood needs more jobs. There’s a big workforce here,” resident Gary Gresham said. “Amazon is a big company. I think it’ll provide benefits overall to the community. “

Pay starts at $15 per hour, with healthcare and 401k benefits. Other perks for employees include up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave and prepaid college tuition for courses in high-demand fields.

“I’m really excited that the kids here will have an opportunity after high school to do something well,” Amy Welsh said. Welsh is a Southport resident, but visits Greenwood frequently.

For more information or to apply for a job, visit Amazon’s website.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Fire officials urged smokers to dispose of cigarettes away from mulch after two fires Saturday afternoon in Wayne and Pike Townships.

Both blazes appeared to be caused by cigarette butts tossed into mulch beds, according to Wayne Township Fire Capt. Mike Pruitt.

No injuries were reported.

“Luckily, damage was minimal,” the fire department said in a Tweet. “Please do not discard your cigarettes into mulch beds. You could be responsible for major property damage, serious injury or death. #thinkbeforeyouflip”

Hot, dry weather and careless cigarette disposal are a “recipe for disaster,” Pruitt said, adding mulch fires can ignite beneath the surface and spread undetected in tunnels.

“It burns down into the mulch, which then [spreads] to the building,” he told News 8. “We’ve had apartment buildings nearly burn to the ground because of a discarded cigarette. That’s how serious of a situation it is. We just want people to pay attention.”

A fire that displaced more than 50 residents in May 2018 at the Meridian Oaks Apartments in Greenwood was believed to be caused by discarded smoking materials in a mulch bed, officials said.

Pruitt also urged Independence Day revelers to keep fireworks and sparklers away from mulch.

“It runs a huge risk of starting a major fire,” he said. “Keep an eye on where hot items fall. Keep the mulch beds wet and stir them up so nothing smolders beneath the surface.”

Fireworks were the suspected cause of an Independence Day fire south of St. Louis in 2010 that took more than 12 hours to extinguish.