🌱 Which Purdue professors just hit 55 years of service?

Good day West Lafayette! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Which Purdue professors just hit 55 years of service?
• What Purdue’s latest survey reveals about food insecurity after the shutdown
• Why this couple doubled down on pricey homes by Purdue’s frat row

Also on today's calendar: A Christmas Carol - A Live Radio Play and 5 more events.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Low clouds and cold, with a high of 29 and low of 26 degrees.
• Friday: Cloudy and chilly, temps: high: 31, low: 13. ⛄️ Brr!
• Saturday: Snow and flurries at times, with a high of 17 and low of -6 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Faculty years of service celebrated at recent luncheon (purdue.edu) — Long-serving Purdue faculty in West Lafayette were honored Dec. 2 at a luncheon recognizing more than 300 professors for service milestones from 10 to 55 years. Two engineering professors marked an impressive 55 years, alongside colleagues from psychological sciences and other departments, underscoring the campus’s deep bench of experienced educators.
   

2. Food survey records consumer perceptions during government shutdown (purdue.edu) — From West Lafayette, Purdue researchers report a sharp jump in U.S. household food insecurity during the recent federal government shutdown, especially among SNAP users. Their nationwide survey also tracks rising grocery inflation expectations, heavier food bank use, and shifting trust in agencies like FDA and USDA, offering local readers insight into how national disruptions echo in kitchen budgets.
   

3. We Bought a $400K House on Purdue's Frat Row—Then Spent More Than $100K in Renovations (realtor.com) — A Purdue alumni couple bought and extensively renovated a historic home on Purdue’s frat row in West Lafayette, investing over $100,000 to modernize wiring, floors, and a once-cramped kitchen. They describe why the walkable location near campus, stadium, and restaurants outweighed drawbacks like game-day noise, and even led them to purchase the house next door to preserve neighborhood character.
   

4. What a Blast! NASA Langley Begins Plume-Surface Interaction Tests (nasa.gov) — Purdue University engineers in West Lafayette are helping power NASA’s latest tests on how rocket plumes kick up lunar dust, using an ethane plume system they designed and operate. Their hardware is central to a major vacuum-chamber campaign at NASA Langley that will guide safer Moon and future Mars landings, influencing how landers, rovers, and experiments are protected from flying regolith.
   

5. 2026 Mira Awards Finalists Announced (techpoint.org) — West Lafayette gets a spotlight in the newly announced 2026 Mira Awards finalists, with Purdue University, Purdue Online, Purdue Innovates, and local programs like Interns for Indiana all recognized. The statewide tech honors highlight innovation from Lafayette to Indianapolis, with winners to be named at an April 24 gala in Carmel.
   

📸 Around West Lafayette

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in West Lafayette

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday December 13

• Breakfast with Santa
  The Farm at Prophetstown, 3534 Prophetstown Rd, Battle Ground
  9:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 11

• Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas
  Loeb Playhouse , 128 Memorial Mall , West Lafayette
  7:30 pm

Saturday December 13

• A Christmas Carol - A Live Radio Play
  Lafayette Theater at the Long Center , 600 Main St , Lafayette
  2:30 pm
• Dungeons and Dragons
  Tippecanoe County Public Library - Klondike Branch , 3062 Lindberg Rd , West Lafayette
  3:00 pm
• Wreath Making Class #2 2025
  Clubhouse Bar & Grill , 1295 Cherry Ln , West Lafayette
  5:30 pm

Sunday December 14

• Dayton Flyers at Purdue Boilermakers Women's Basketball
  Mackey Complex , 900 John R Wooden Dr , West Lafayette
  12:00 pm
• JH Orchestra Winter Concert
  West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School West Lafayette, IN 47906
  5:00 pm
• HS Orchestra Winter Concert
  West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School West Lafayette, IN 47906
  7:00 pm

📣 West Lafayette Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 11

• Cafe Literato Social Club — Oasis Community
  Cafe Literato , 1920 Northwestern Ave , West Lafayette
  10:15 am
• The Winter Makers Market 2025
  The Union Club Hotel at Purdue University , Autograph Collection , West Lafayette
  11:30 am
• League Lunch — Take Action Greater Lafayette
  Lafayette Brewing Company , 622 Main St , Lafayette
  12:00 pm
• K / 1 Holiday Music Program
  Mintonye Elementary
  6:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Old-school Christmas!
  Merry Christmas from your favorite poet Joe Morrison. #positivepoetry (Nextdoor Klondike Elementary)
• SK hynix is coordinating and hosting a series of small-group community meetings to give residents the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the company and its planned project in West Lafayette.
  These meetings are not coordinated by the City of West Lafayette. We are sharing this information to ensure residents who follow and are subscribed… (Nextdoor )

• Kroger Family of Companies posted a job opening for Grocery Clerk in West Lafayette. Apply here.
• Wendy's posted a job opening for Crew Member in West Lafayette. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near West Lafayette here.

Ok West Lafayette! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook