Indianapolis, IN
Hogsett: Major League Soccer an 'opportunity we cannot pass up'
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Thursday’s announcement that Indianapolis is pursuing a Major League Soccer team has sparked a very intense conversation about the sport’s future in the city.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said Thursday that he met with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber earlier this week about brining an MLS franchise to the Circle City, adding that an ownership groups is already in place.
The timeline for the proposed MLS team is unclear, as is how costly the expansion fee would be. There’s a bit more detail about a possible location for a new MLS-sized stadium: 335 E. Pearl St. in the heart of downtown Indy.
Indy’s pursuit of “the world’s game,” as Hogsett put it, has led to a lot of questions from soccer fans and residents alike.
Many of the questions are about the future of Indy Eleven — the pro soccer team that’s played in Indianapolis for the last decade — and its Eleven Park project, a $1 billion development that’s already under construction between West Washington Street and Kentucky Avenue.
Hogsett addressed those concerns — and a few others — in an interview with Scott Sander on Daybreak.
Q: Why now? What’s right about this move?
A: I think the time is right. I think the efforts that have been made over the last 10 years have paid dividends and we’re now at a point where we have the ability to build a soccer-specific stadium downtown.
My conversation with the MLS commissioner on Monday morning couldn’t have gone better. No guarantees, but I think we have a very good chance of being a franchise.
Q: MLS expansion fees are into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Who pays for that?
A: The ownership group. Public money would be involved in building a soccer-specific stadium, but in terms of the buy-in, that would be on the backs of the owners.
Q: You talk about a soccer-specific stadium. There’s a project already underway — Eleven Park. Is that still part of this future idea? Are we building two soccer stadiums?
A: We’re not building two soccer stadiums. We’re just gonna build one. But where that goes is largely dependent on what MLS is going to expect, what the ownership group wants to involve itself with — we’re trying to give as many opportunities to MLS as we can possibly give them.
Q: The Brickyard Battalion and other Indy Eleven fan groups are not happy with you. They’re furious. Talk to them.
A: Major League Soccer is an opportunity that we cannot, as a community, pass up. I can’t guarantee that MLS will ultimately award a franchise to Indianapolis, but at the same time, passing up the opportunity is not acceptable for a “major league city” like Indianapolis.
Q: Does this mean the Indy Eleven Park project idles? Does it move forward?
A: That’s entirely up to my friend Ersal Ozdemir (owner of Keystone Group and Indy Eleven). We’re committed to building a soccer stadium that is soccer-specific. What we’re doing is focusing on bringing a third major league franchise to the city of Indianapolis. We deserve and need an MLS franchise.
Q: What makes you think that a strong and passionate soccer base can grow to enough to fill a stadium on a random Tuesday?
A: It’s the world’s game and it’s increasing exponentially. With all do respect to baseball and basketball and football, soccer is the wave of the future and that’s why we want to be in the mix for a new franchise.
Q: Is there any way the Indy Eleven are elevated into this franchise? Can it become part of the future that you see?
A: That would be up to the Indy Eleven. Major League Soccer will welcome any and all people who are willing to participate. Working in conjunction with one another will make us more competitive.
Click on the video at the top of this story to watch the full interview.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana State Police have arrested a man in connection with two attacks, including one deadly, near Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis earlier this month.
29-year-old Michael Willis is facing two counts of attempted murder. Police say that the attacks happened on June 19 and June 26, both happening on N Senate Ave. near Monument Circle.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by News 8, on June 19, Willis was walking in the area near Monument Circle around 2 a.m. when he approached a person laying down and repeatedly stomped on them. Police say that this first victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
The first victim died on Sunday due to their injuries sustained from Willis’s attack, documents say.
Police also say that on June 26, Willis attacked a different person at the same location near Monument Circle. Police believe that the second victim was repeatedly kicked and stomped on while they were lying down as well. This second attack also took place around 2 a.m.
Indiana State Police detectives shared surveillance photos of Willis from the attacks with other police agencies in an attempt to identify him. Police say Willis was identified by a Greensborough Police Sergeant after Willis had asked the sergeant to use his cell phone.
Police then approached Willis and detained him. Police say that when Willis was detained, he was wearing the same clothes that were seen in the surveillance footage of both attacks. Officers also noticed blood on Willis’s socks.
In an interview with detectives about the July 26 attack, Willis at first said that he was only “nudging” the victim. Police say that according to Willis, he was trying to wake the victim up because he was concerned about them.
Later in the interview, Willis admitted to attacking both victims. Willis said that he was frustrated that he had been homeless and unemployed for around the past 6 months. According to police, Willis also said that the people in the area were “mean and rude” to him.
Police say that Willis told detectives that he was the only person involved in these attacks.
Willis is currently in custody of the Marion County Jail.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.
Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.
Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.
Marion County
For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.
Those Cooling Centers are:
- Broad Ripple Park Family Center
- Brookside Park Family Center
- Christian Park Family Center
- Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
- Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
- Krannert Park Family Center
- Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
- Pride Park Family Center
- Rhodius Park Family Center
- Riverside Park Family Center
- Stanley Strader Park Family Center
- Washington Park Family Center
- Windsor Park Family Center
- Watkins Park Family Center
- Thatcher Park Family Center
For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.
Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:
- Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
- 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday
Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers
For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.
Marion
- St. Martin Community Center
- Grant County Family YMCA
- Grant County Rescue Mission
Kokomo
- The Kokomo Rescue Mission
- The Excel Center in Kokomo
Peru
- Community Resource Center
- Miami County Courthouse
- Miami County Health Department
- Miami County YMCA
- Peru City Hall
- Peru Public Library
- Peru Schools Administration Building
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.
WRTV
A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.
Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.
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