The Indianapolis Star
Council moves data center ban toward final approval
A temporary ban on data centers in Indianapolis is one step closer to reality after a City-County Council vote Monday, Aug. 10, moved the proposed moratorium forward. Indianapolis city-county councilors voted 23-1 in favor of the measure to cheers...
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Ex-Indy theater director convicted
A longtime Indianapolis director and actor has been convicted of attacking an Indianapolis artist in a domestic violence incident. A jury convicted Ben Rose of domestic battery and battery resulting in bodily injury on Aug. 5 after a two-day...
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Will child care reforms lower costs or quality?
After Iayanna Fluharty’s son started day care at Gifted and Talented Academy, she noticed him signing “all done” in American Sign Language at meals and walking with more confidence. Fluharty said skill development like this made the center’s cost worth...
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IndyStar’s investigative intern knows that lessons can come from anywhere
IndyStar’s newsroom internships are an important tradition that benefits readers, the news industry and aspiring journalists. We have eight summer interns for 2026 — students who have shown a passion for local journalism and have prior internship or...
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Carmel police shoot armed teen during welfare check
Indiana State Police are investigating after two Carmel police officers responding to a welfare check shot an armed 18-year-old male on Aug. 6. The teen was listed in critical, but stable condition. The two Carmel Police Department officers involved...
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Indiana’s White River shedding its toxic past
Not too long ago, Daniel Woody would paddle along Fall Creek and find himself careening through stretches reeking of excrement. He’s even seen sewage lapping at the shores and soiled toilet paper in the trees. “Now, whenever I go and paddle Fall Creek...
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Cost, safety worries led to rally’s changes
As a severe storm moved across central Indiana on Aug. 1, 130 people gathered under a rural tent for what event organizers called the first U.S. mass deportation rally, an event organizers hope could serve as a blueprint for other cities. The private...
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Indy floods frustrate homeowners again
Katelyn Knecht and her husband, Chip, were late for their own vacation July 28 when sewage backed up into their home in Meridian Kessler. After believing they had the flooding under control, they finally set off for the six-day trip. Before the...
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‘Immigrants are welcome here’
Hundreds gathered in Fishers on Aug. 1 to protest a scheduled “mass deportation rally” featuring former Border Patrol Commander-At-Large Gregory Bovino, who oversaw an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where two Americans were killed. The crowd...
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3 projects in line for city economic incentive packages
Ahead of several votes to consider millions in tax breaks to three developers building data centers in Indianapolis, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office gave the incentives the city’s fullfledged support — just weeks after one of his top directors...
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Daniels pitches plan for Purdue in Indy
Purdue interim President Mitch Daniels says the university should nearly double the enrollment at its Indianapolis campus within the next five years, striving to become the smaller, STEM-focused alternative to Indiana University’s campus next...
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Group cuts ties with Jesse Brown
The local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is severing ties with Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown, whose 2023 victory was considered a breakthrough for the group, for alleged “coercive” and “noxious” behavior against...
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Tally increases for 3rd consecutive year
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis increased for the third straight year, according to new data, but fewer people are living outdoors because of a citywide program to place them in apartments. The annual Point-in-Time...
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ISP investigates false tip against Buttigieg
Indiana State Police are investigating the origins of a false tip that led Michigan child welfare officials to separate former U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg from his children in June, the agency confirmed with IndyStar on July 27. The...
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Indy’s police union calling for investigation of Mears
Indianapolis’ police union president is calling for an investigation of Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears over a judge’s scathing ruling issued a week earlier. “The judge made clear you can’t slap the words ‘criminal investigation’ on a fishing...
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WHERE PROJECTS STAND IN INDIANA
It’s been quite a whirlwind in data center news recently. For the past year, IndyStar has reported on multiple proposed data centers in Indianapolis, watching as rumored developments become approved projects. IndyStar has also kept tabs on other...
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Chat with IndyStar journalists at our next event in Beech Grove this month
Southsiders, ready to talk about local news? IndyStar’s next mobile newsroom will take place at the public library branch in Beech Grove, 1102 Main St., on July 27. From 4-6 p.m., we will be chatting with the community and handing out swag. Among...
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New fast fashion store draws big Indy crowd
$4 tank tops. $7 pants. $15 pajama sets. And so much more. Primark, the Irish retailer expanding across the United States, is betting those ultra-low prices will draw Indianapolis shoppers to its new Castleton Square Mall location on the north side,...
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Rule would require active shooter drills in daycares
Childcare centers in Indiana could soon be mandated to perform active shooter and intruder drills every six months. The change is part of a much larger set of proposed licensing changes from Gov. Mike Braun’s administration, including reducing...
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Card’s home tangled in probe offers bay views
A private boat dock. A pool and spa. Bayside views. The $6.6 million home on Marco Island, Florida, is now the target of an asset forfeiture that federal prosecutors in Indiana are pursuing against Westfield developer Andy Card. The July 16 forfeiture...
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Brown victorious in state Senate primary
Sen. Liz Brown is claiming victory in her hotly contested state Senate primary after challenger Darren Vogt moved to dismiss the recount July 20, according to a document obtained by IndyStar. It’s a rare loss for U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican with...
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Could proposed new taxes fix roads in Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis City-County Council has faced a bumpy ride as members try to raise taxes to fix local roads. Mayor Joe Hogsett vetoed the proposal to raise wheel and excise taxes July 16, citing constituents’ concerns about affordability. Meanwhile,...
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Off-grid power sought at Lebanon data center
Indiana is considering the state’s first off-grid power source to provide electricity temporarily to a Meta data center being built in Lebanon. Texas-based Life Cycle Power submitted an air emissions permit to the Indiana Department of Environmental...
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IndyStar politics intern: ‘Good accountability reporting is crucial’
IndyStar’s newsroom internships are an important tradition that benefits readers, the news industry and aspiring journalists. We have eight summer interns for 2026 – students who have shown a passion for local journalism and have prior internship or...
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Hogsett issues veto on vehicle tax hikes
To stop vehicle tax hikes, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued his firstever veto July 16, setting up a tightly contested debate among Indy councilors over whether to override the mayor. With household budgets already stretched to the limit, Hogsett...
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‘Poisoning our community’
A controversial data center near Irvington will move forward after city officials approved the facility July 15, despite dozens of aggrieved neighbors pleading for it to be rejected. The Metropolitan Development Commission approved the proposed...
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Proposing a pause
Indianapolis City-County Council members advanced a moratorium on new data centers in a key vote July 13, after months of neighbors pleading for such a pause. Council President Maggie Lewis spearheaded a push to temporarily ban approval of new data...
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IN eyes coal ash program
Indiana has more than 100 coal ash sites − more than any other state − and state officials are looking to create a permitting program for the hazardous waste just as the federal government is proposing to roll back cleanup requirements. The program...
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Closure still slow in Fox Hollow slayings
Coral Halloran didn’t give up on finding her father. Her story was told in a new episode of a docuseries on Hulu and Disney+ released July 8 that dives into one of Indiana’s most horrific crimes. “I never gave up on trying to find him or wanting to...
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Carmel leaders seek to fix infrastructure problems
Last year, Allie Missler paid $141,000 in home repairs for water damage from flooding issues that residents say have plagued one of the oldest neighborhoods in central Carmel since its construction. She said she has been calling city officials for 25...
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Trust lost?
More than a year after an outside investigator called for harassment complaints to be handled outside of the mayor’s administration, Indianapolis’ legislative body still hasn’t changed how the city deals with employee allegations. It’s been nearly two...
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‘LIVING IN A NIGHTMARE’
LEBANON, Ind. — Bright lights glare along the edge of the cornfields like something from a Steven Spielberg movie. Earth movers haul gravel across a sprawling construction site. Dust billows into the night. Day by day and night by night on the...
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Council Democrats pass tax hikes to fund roads
Marion County drivers could soon be forced to pay higher fees when registering their cars each year to help pay for long-overdue repairs to Indianapolis roads. A divided Indianapolis City-County Council voted 14-10 July 6 to approve major tax hikes on...
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SWELTERING
Most days Deante Walker’s job is mundane: Walk a block, scour for trash bins in need of collection, meet his coworker driving the garbage truck. But in extreme heat, even the simplest tasks can be taxing. Last week, Walker bent down to snag a stray...
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Indiana embraces its newest citizens
Under a scorching July sun, 75 citizenship candidates from countries ranging from Egypt to South Korea sat patiently in the shade, waiting to be recognized and receive their small plastic American flags. They stood proudly as their names were called,...
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Dixon to end IndyCar career with new team
There is no print edition of the paper today, but you can find today’s puzzles, comics, national news and sports here in the eNewspaper.
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Indy data center regulations head to City-County Council
A proposal on one of the hottest topics in the city data centers moved forward July 1 as city officials continue to debate how to regulate the controversial developments. The Metropolitan Development Commission split, voting 5-3 to approve zoning...
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Sculpture gives White permanent place at IU
BLOOMINGTON — There was never a sliver of a doubt, never a question in Ryan White’s mind where he wanted to go to college. If only he could live long enough, Indiana University was his dream. As White fought AIDS in the 1980s, he was known around the...
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3D-printed models speed surgeries at IU Health
Before some surgeons at Indiana University Health begin a complex operation, they turn to a 500-pound machine in IU Health’s 3D printing studio for a consult. Five machines, nestled in the single-room studio in a technology park on the west side of...
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278,000 tickets, $3.2M
The bright yellow and orange signs catch drivers’ attention as they drive through the busy I-465/I-69 construction zone: “ACTIVE: SPEED LIMIT PHOTO ENFORCED.” Despite the warning sign since the camera was installed more than a year ago, thousands of...
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Visitors reject Trump’s ‘snitch signs’ campaign
Last year, the Trump administration asked visitors to hundreds of national parks to report any “divisive” signs or monuments that tarnished the country’s image. Called “snitch signs” by critics, notices with QR codes appeared in places that included...
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From campus to city streets, summer on public safety beat
IndyStar’s newsroom internships are an important tradition that benefits readers, the news industry and aspiring journalists. We have eight summer interns for 2026 — students who have shown a passion for local journalism and have prior internship or...
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He rebuilt a life after 27 years. Now, prosecutors want him back in prison A ‘SECOND CHANCE’
Anthony Bailey wakes up at 2 a.m. every day. By 3 a.m. he’s at work, driving a bus in Indianapolis. He normally works 13-hour days. Some days, he doesn’t get home until 7 p.m. But he loves his job and the idea that he gets to work. On his days off, he...
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New IURC chair vows to scrutinize rate increases
The new chair of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission said he would “make sure that we heavily scrutinize any requests that come in from utilities” to raise rates, days after he was appointed by Gov. Mike Braun in a surprise shakeup of the IURC’s...
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‘Monumental undertaking’
The prevailing sentiment of the packed room at the Indianapolis Public Library’s Glendale branch on June 23 was clear: property taxes had to go. But several attendees of the town hall, held by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, to gauge interest in his...
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Dunes caught between sand, steel
On a breezy evening in late May, Rutul and Namrata Dalal, tourists from the Washington, D.C., suburbs, found their way down to a beach on the Lake Michigan shoreline, their dog in tow. Then they noticed smokestacks. Locals, tourists and seagulls share...
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Engling wins GOP nod
GOP delegates nominated Max Engling as their candidate for secretary of state June 20, capping off a messy convention season with the ousting of the current secretary of state for the second convention in a row. Engling, a staffer for U.S. Sen. Jim...
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INDIANA HOUSING MARKET
“We knew that if we waited another day it would be gone.”
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Inside the mission to refuel USAF Thunderbirds midair
The pilots and crew looked on as meteorological technician Duane Robinson pulled up the satellite radar on a TV screen. Incoming storms, the radar showed, and the crew discussed avoiding the threat. A threat that would later dump rain, spawn tornadoes...
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‘WILDLY BORING’
“Has anybody ever wondered what the internet looks like?” As Alex Carroll poses this question next to a row of cages inside the former Eastgate Mall in Indianapolis, he has to shout to be heard from a few feet away. A group consisting mostly of local...
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PRESERVING THE PAST
Stepping inside old City Hall at 202 N. Alabama St. is like stepping into a different era, one in which government buildings represented the grandest architecture. But the building has sat vacant for roughly a decade now and it shows. A musty smell...
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IN heritage will tee up at National Mall
Indiana is celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday with a round of mini-golf on the National Mall. Gov. Mike Braun and Indiana State Fair Commission Executive Director Ray Allison unveiled Indiana’s contribution to the Great American State Fair at a...
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‘A family is a family’
Rainbow-tinted joy mixed with anger and eye rolls as LGBTQ+ Hoosiers at the Indy Pride Parade expressed frustration with the governor’s recent decision to declare June “Nuclear Family Month” in Indiana.
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NO SILVER BULLET SOLUTION ON ROADS
At a June Indianapolis City-County Council committee meeting, residents pleaded with councilors to find a way to not raise vehicle taxes. “I’m 81 years old. I do not want to have to go back to work to pay taxes and to pay for my living, but that’s what...
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Native languages help capture magic of Indiana, U.S. landmarks
When I moved to Indiana in 2015, I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the Wabash River, mesmerized by how it changed depending on where I stood. From my vantage point as I walked on a pedestrian bridge in Tippecanoe County, the body of water...
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Data center divides
Aplanned data center near Irvington took a step forward June 11 despite impassioned pleas by neighbors worried the development will harm the quality of life on the east side. ● Atlanta-based DC BLOX proposed to build a data center, a technology center...
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Indy-area sites eyed for LEAP discharge
After Lebanon Utilities scrapped plans to discharge treated wastewater into Eagle Creek Park last month, the company had to find another plan for where the water − several million gallons a day − will go. Lebanon Utilities has repeatedly declined to...
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Data center plan splits 2 east-side councilors
The Pennsy Trail, a former railroad, links the Irvington area’s industrial past to its increasingly walkable present. Heading east from the neighborhood’s core, the trail passes local restaurants and shops, then blocks of charming houses. After about a...
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Dems pick Bayh
Beau Bayh, the son and grandson of two popular Democratic senators, won over delegates at the Indiana State Democratic Convention on June 6 to become the party’s nominee for secretary of state. Bayh, 30, defeated fellow Democrat and ● veteran Blythe...
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Teen suspect had no earlier arrests
A 14-year-old boy with no criminal history is facing several charges, including murder, for the downtown Indianapolis shooting of recent Indiana University graduate Brett Scrogham. Scrogham, a graduate of Indiana University’s Kelley School of...
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IndyStar reporter among those honored with national award
The USA TODAY Network’s commitment to covering matters of constitutional importance is being recognized with a national award. ● The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication announced May 28 that a team of reporters, including...
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‘Be nosy... Be involved’
Aday after police arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of murder, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Tanya Terry said parents should be held criminally liable if they fail to prevent their kids from committing violent crimes. “100%, I...
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Finkam: Marion County is ‘exporting its crime’
She felt her home shake, and Melissa Farmer didn’t know what was happening. The Carmel resident of more than two decades then discovered that an SUV had crashed into her house, breaking windows, taking out the deck and privacy fence and causing damage...
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Candidate argues posts nullify votes
A Donald Trump-backed state Senate candidate is still fighting to win a tight election by making an unusual legal claim that voters’ social media posts exposed that they voted illegally under an obscure state law. Republican Paula Copenhaver was one...
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TIMELESS TREASURES
Editor’s note: Antiques Roadshow requires that news media refers to guests by first name only. Apiece of IU’s basketball stadium floor signed by Bobby Knight. A chartreuse rocking chair designed by Eero Aarnio. A redwork quilt embroidered with the...
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Pence: Populist takeover puts Republican values at risk
Former Vice President Mike Pence accused the Trump administration of drifting further from traditional conservative principles and embracing a populist right movement that espouses big government, protectionism and isolationism on the world...
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‘Very strong’ El Niño possible by winter
Meteorologists expect El Niño conditions to begin in early summer this year, with some predictions that the meteorological phenomenon, which could bring unusually dry conditions, may be “very strong” by winter. The National Weather Service’s Climate...
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EarthFest arrives
Students give a presentation during an Earth Day event in April 2022 at The Orchard School in Indianapolis. For much of the country, this year’s Earth Day festivities, tethered to the unofficial national holiday in April, have come and gone....
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Growing around grief
MUNCIE, IN — A Facebook post changed Suzanne Swierc’s life. Last fall, Ball State University fired her after she made a post that both offered prayers for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s soul and criticized the “violence, fear and hatred he...
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Where will IN data centers get energy?
Large load data centers like the ones Meta, Google and Microsoft are building across Indiana pose challenges for utilities. They use a massive amount of electricity around the clock. And one data center’s energy requirement can rival that of an entire...
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Dream come true
It’s been 21 years, 11 months and 15 days since Paul Van Thomme’s Indy 500 dream died. That was the day his father died, the man who had instilled this crazy, intense love of racing in his son. The two had plotted for decades to ● one day maybe, just...
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More property tax changes could be coming to state
As Brian Schmutzler knocked on about 4,500 doors in the Senate district where he easily defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Linda Rogers, he heard some residual frustration about redistricting, which had resurged in the national news lately. But once...
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