Morning Crash takes down Traffic Lights on State Road 67
Due to a crash on the morning of December 16th, the lights at State Road 67 and 800 West were significantly damaged. Due to this being a State Highway the intersection is maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation. According to INDOT, the lights could be out for up to a week. At this time they have posted stop signs on 800 West and advising that cross traffic does not stop. For any questions or concerns reference this intersection please contact INDOT. Please use caution when navigating this area. Do not contact 911 to report this outage, as it is tying up emergency lines.
Lucas Oil Stadium will be matching donations made to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital through December 31st. Lucas Oil will match dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 as part of an extended Giving Tuesday program this holiday season. Donations can be made directly to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital via the link found here.
Ball State University conferred more than 1,200 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and baccalaureate degrees in its Fall 2023 Commencement ceremony on Saturday. The event was held at Worthen Arena on Ball State’s campus, where Matthew J. Momper, a distinguished Ball State graduate and member of the University’s Board of Trustees, was selected to address the Fall graduates.
In other Ball State news, the University announced that it received a $35 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. The Grant is the largest single gift in the history of the University. The grant will support the University’s ambitious, long-term plan to revitalize The Village—the commercial district adjacent to Ball State’s campus. The majority of the grant will support the design and construction of a new performing arts center, which will serve as the catalyst for the entire project. The Lilly Endowment grant enables the University to leverage additional development projects, including a new 100-room Tapestry by Hilton Hotel as well as new restaurants and retailers.
Money.com recently ranked the top 50 cities to live in the United States, and 2 Indiana cities made the list: Carmel came in at No. 19 and Jeffersonville, at No. 49. The list was compiled using cost of living data as well as measurements of diversity, economic opportunity, education, amenities, the housing market and quality of life.
Central Indiana is going to have a new football team. The Fishers Freight will play in the Indoor Football League at Fishers Event Center starting in March of 2025, according to Mayor Scott Fadness. The Event Center will be home to the Indy Fuel but the Hallet family has decided to expanded their portfolio and get into the arena football game.
It was a big sports weekend in Indianapolis. Ball State fell to Indiana State in the Indy Classic by a score of 83 to 72. #3 Purdue won over #1 ranked Arizona by a score of 92-84. The Indiana Hoosiers lost to #2 Kansas by a score of 75 to 71 and the Indianapolis Colts rolled over the Pittsburgh Steelers 30 to 13. The Colts improve to 8-6 on the year and are a factor in the NFL playoff race. They face the Atlanta Falcons on Christmas Eve at 1 pm.
USA today reports that initial filings for unemployment benefits in Indiana rose last week compared with the week prior, according to the US Department of Labor. New jobless claims, increased to 5,165 in the week ending December 9th, up from 5,123 the week before, the Labor Department said. Montana saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims: UP by 47 percent. The US Virgin Islands saw the largest decrease in claims: DOWN by 94%.
WTHR reports A new primate exhibit is coming to the Indianapolis Zoo. The zoo is getting ready to open an International Chimpanzee Complex over the 2024 Memorial Day weekend. It will be one of the largest communities of chimpanzees in the country. The complex will be able to house up to 30 chimpanzees who can live well into their 50s and 60s.
Leaders from IU Health, IU Health Foundation and Riley Children’s Health presented The Arc of Indiana Foundation with a $487,500 grant from the IU Health Community Impact Invest Fund this week. The grant will create the Erskine Green Training Institute at Riley Hospital for Children. The institute works with other community partners to provide healthcare-related work experience, technical training and healthy living and social skills for neurodiverse persons and those with disabilities. Muncie has had its Erskine Green Training Institute inside the downtown hotel since January of 2016.
The Muncie Central High School Alumni Association at its annual meeting in November recognized three distinguished alumni and gave an honorary award to the five Central alumnae for their founding of Delta Theta Tau sorority, which grew into a national organization. The three alumni recognized for their distinguished careers and contributions to their community and Muncie Central were Bob Barnet, who graduated in 1929; Ryan Kerrigan, 2007; and Marilyn Weaver, 1961. See the full article on munciejournal.com for more information on those recognized.
Two students from Delaware County have been named Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients for 2024. They are: Lucy Holaday of Yorktown High School, and Jillian Kimmel of Muncie Central High School. Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. See the full article on munciejournal.com for more on this story.
The National Weather Services has issued a special weather statement for possible snow squalls today. Falling temperatures, strong wind gusts of 35-40 MPH, and snow showers may allow for the development of snow squalls. If you are planning to travel across central Indiana today you should monitor forecasts, and be prepared for rapidly changing travel conditions.
WTHR reports The Indiana State Museum will be hosting a pre-concert tailgating-themed party when Taylor Swift brings her record-setting “Eras Tour” to downtown Indianapolis November. 1st through 3rd, 2024. From 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M all three days, “Swifties” can enjoy food, themed drinks, bracelet trading, live music, karaoke, local vendors and more. A VIP ticket option is available and will include dedicated bars, additional vendors, and hair and makeup touch-ups. Tickets are $40 per person for general admission and $90 per person for VIP. To get your tickets, visit The Indiana State Museum Website.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was undergoing surgery for a broken hip Saturday after falling at a concert in Los Angeles. The NBA Hall of Famer was attending a show Friday night when he was injured. Paramedics at the undisclosed venue responded and the 76-year-old was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt was voted as the top holiday market in the United States in USA Today’s 10 Best competition. It’s the fourth time the market has won the Best Holiday Market award, previously landing top honors in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Christkindlmarkt, located on Carter Green in Carmel, is open Wednesday through Sunday until December 24th.
The location of the popular Chick-fil-a chain on the Ball State Campus will be moving to North Dining in the near future, according to Ball State University Dining. The move has been tentatively slated for January 2024 and will include an upgrade to the existing location.
Saturday at approximately 5:45 P.M. the Yorktown Fire Department was dispatched to a brush fire in the location of County Road 725 West and Division Rd. Once on scene crews found a large brush burn pile that had extended several acres into the wooded area next to it. Assistance was called from Daleville-Salem Township Fire Protection Territory.
The Tony Award-winning musical THE CHER SHOW comes to Emens Auditorium in Muncie for 1 performance on January 23rd. For 60 years Cher has dominated popular culture and the Cher Show tells so much of her story that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star, and the icon. Tickets are on sale now and range from $20 to $50. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 765-285-1539 or by visiting the Emens Box Office.
According to a social media post by the Chesterfield Police Department, THE GRINCH was spotted around the Chesterfield Millcreek Civic Center Friday evening. The GRINCH was not able to steal anyone’s Christmas, but residents are encouraged to be on the lookout for him. Contact the police department for any future sightings.
On this day in history, the Nutcracker made its debut in St. Petersburg Russia. The two-part ballet was inspired by German author Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann’s novella “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” Even though the ballet’s score was composed by a famous Russian composer, it did not get good reviews. It was only in the mid-20th century, that The Nutcracker gained popularity among theater goers, especially during Christmas time in the United States.
