Indianapolis, IN
Marion County launches online database to find lead contamination
(MIRROR INDY) — Nearly a half-century after the federal government banned the use of lead in many consumer products and after the closure of lead refining smelters in neighborhoods around the city, Indianapolis still faces a lead contamination problem.
That’s concerning, because the toxic metal can damage the brain and kidneys and cause other health conditions in people exposed to it, especially kids. In 2023 alone, blood testing identified more than 70 kids in Marion County with blood lead levels high enough for health investigators to get involved.
At the Lead-Free Indy Summit on Sept. 19, the Marion County Health Department and IU Indianapolis announced a website called Lead Advisor. They hope the site will help make it easier for Indianapolis residents to learn where lead contamination has already been found and where to get the resources to ensure their homes are lead free.
The website “will eliminate barriers to healthy housing, something that everyone in our city deserves, as well as intervening on the problem before it even begins,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said at the summit. “It is a productive first step toward our vision of a lead free Indianapolis.”
According to the county health department, local lead contamination is mainly found in older homes that contain paint, plumbing or fixtures made with lead. Contamination can also come from smelters, like the Avanti Superfund Remedial Site in the Hawthorne neighborhood on the west side and the American Lead site in the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood on the near east side.
In many cases, people don’t know about the lead threat in their homes or neighborhoods until after they’ve been exposed. For Dr. Virginia Caine, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department, that is much too late.
“We can’t wait to tackle this problem after children have been poisoned,” she said at the summit. “We’ve got to reach them before this environmental hazard impacts them, and that means a lot of community education.”
How to use Lead Advisor
The Lead Advisor website lets residents type in the address of a home and check whether it has been inspected for lead. If it has been tested, the site displays inspection results and any violations found.
The site also will allow residents, school administrators and child care providers to schedule lead inspections and parents to schedule lead tests for their children. The website’s Lead Advisor chat function uses artificial intelligence to answer questions about the services offered by the county. The advisor can answer questions in multiple languages.
“I’m excited about the fact that you can look up and know in advance (a rental unit) has no lead contamination, or if I’m moving into a home, that it’s got no lead contamination,” Caine said.
The website is operational but is a work in progress. Right now, the site contains a few years of Marion County inspection data and does not contain the locations of smelters and other lead sources.
According to Karla Johnson, who is the county health department’s administrator, the website ultimately will be expanded to include more lead inspection data.
Finding all the lead sources may be difficult
Residents who live with or near lead contamination often have mixed feelings about testing, because they’re worried they may be left holding the bag for paying for cleanup.
Elizabeth Gore, a member of the Martindale Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, said some residents did not want to be attached to the stigma of a polluted neighborhood.
Her neighborhood is located near the American Lead site, 2102 Hillside Ave., where a lead smelter operated between 1946 and 1965.
According to federal documents, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management knew about pollution there as early as 1980s and was in talks with the owner, Texas-based NL Industries, to clean up the site between 1996 and 2003. The negotiations failed, and the EPA ordered the company to clean up the site, which it did between 2005 and 2007. A decade later, lead from the American Lead plant was found in homes near the plant, and another cleanup was launched.
But despite the knowledge that lead contamination could be present, some people refused testing.
“People didn’t want you to come into their homes and grounds,” Gore remembered. “They didn’t want to be penalized for having lead.”
When home lead inspections are undertaken, homeowners can be held responsible for fixing the issues that inspectors find. That can create a tough situation for some residents, in a neighborhood where the median household income is about $24,200.
Patti Daviau has lived across the street from the Avanti Remedial Superfund site, 502 S. Harris Ave., for more than 50 years. She thinks the website is a good starting point, but believes the city is focusing too much on household sources of lead and not enough on finding where lead was used industrially.
“I just want to scream it from the rooftops,” Daviau said. “You can clean up all the lead paint inside the house, but if the main problem is the environment, then those kids are still exposed, those families are still exposed and new families will come and be exposed.”
More resources for lead contamination
To check whether your home has been tested for lead, head to the Lead Advisor website and enter your address. If it has been tested, results will appear at the bottom of the page.
Home lead inspections through the Marion County Public Health Department Lead Poisoning Prevention Program can be scheduled via the site’s Contact Us tab. They can also be scheduled by phone at 317-221-2155 or via email at leadct@marionhealth.org.
To test the soil around your home for lead, head to any of these 18 Indianapolis Public Library locations around the city to pick up a community science kit, which comes with instructions on how and where to collect the samples.
For more information, call the health department at 317-221-2000 or email healthdept@marionhealth.org.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.
2019 CMA Awards: Blake Shelton wins for Single of the Year for “God’s Country”
Blake Shelton wins CMA for Single of the Year for “God’s Country” at the 53rd Annual CMA Awards
Mike Fant, Nashville Tennessean
A crowd huddled around the windows at Ole Red on Broadway, peering through the glass as a purple light poured over country music star Blake Shelton.
“Honey, look, that’s Blake,” one woman said.
Television screens mounted along the exterior showed the performance and, although his voice didn’t cut through the bass and bands coalescing on Broadway, a sea of cellphones pointed toward the “God’s Country” singer.
Inside his honky-tonk, Shelton was performing his new song, “Let Him In Anyway,” a grief- and faith-stricken plea to God to let a non-believer, lost soul into heaven anyway.
“The reaction that I’m getting to that song is absolutely blowing me away,” he told The Tennessean before his performance. “I’ve only performed this once before tonight and I saw a lot of people crying, like ugly crying, because it’s one of those songs that hasn’t ever been said before in such an honest, brutally honest way.”
As smoke surrounded the singer, Shelton quickly pivoted back to the crowd.
“That’s enough sad songs.”
Opening an Ole Red location in Indianapolis
Less than 12 hours earlier, Shelton gathered on an Indianapolis stage for a press conference, flanked by Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines and Ryman Hospitality Properties Executive Chairman Colin Reed.
“Some of the bigger moments of not just my career, but my life, have been here,” he said. “So I always feel at home when I’m here. And I love the people, and I just love the vibe and the atmosphere in this place.”
The announcement confirmed Ole Red will open a seventh location in the city’s rapidly expanding Fieldhouse District, just steps from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which hosts more than 2 million visitors and over 500 events each year. It sits at the center of roughly $3 billion in tourism-related infrastructure investments.
The 37,000-square-foot, multi-level venture joins existing Ole Red outposts in Nashville (on Broadway and in the airport); Las Vegas; Orlando; Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Shelton’s hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
Indianapolis city leaders touted the addition of Ole Red signals another step in Indianapolis’ evolution.
“What I love about coming here is every time I come here, there’s something new and exciting happening,” Governor Mike Braun said. “I think it symbolizes the entrepreneurialism of the city and the state.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett framed the project opening in 2027 as part of a broader transformation downtown.
“Our city is currently undergoing an unprecedented level of growth, especially right here in the urban core,” Hogsett said. “The future is bright, and it starts with announcements like the one we are celebrating today.”
Shelton’s connection to Indianapolis extends back more than two decades ago, when he performed at a local radio station showcase to test out his first hit “Austin.” He returned to sing “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 and serve as Grand Marshal for the Indianapolis 500 in 2022.
As part of immersing himself in Indy culture, he met WNBA superstars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, both of whom he called “awesome.”
Building a brand legacy on Broadway in Nashville
More than 60,000 customers, sometimes up to 100,000, pass through the doors of Ole Red in Nashville each month, a steady stream that has carried the Lower Broadway venue since it opened in 2018.
Operated by Opry Entertainment Group, a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, the bar was built as more than a namesake venue inspired by Shelton’s song. It has become a destination, carving out its own lane in a landscape where nearly every corner features a country star’s name on a bar. Another branch of the Ole Red brand opened in Las Vegas in 2024.
Brand marketing manager Lindsey Barber credits the success to three things: operating as a full-service restaurant, functioning as a true live music venue and Shelton’s consistent presence.
She recalled a recent trip where Shelton was doing a shoot at the Las Vegas branch and made it to the bar to open the doors and shake hands with fans.
The 6-foot-5 singer joked that he’s become the go-to contact for friends and family hoping to stop by — from last-minute dinners to bachelorette parties and large group reservations.
“I’m not a business guy,” he said. “I just love country music and fun and hopefully people pick up on that and then it bleeds out into these places. People associate me with this bar and it really makes me proud because every time I walk in here there’s new talent. Like I’m sitting here right now watching the Mobile Homeboys and I’m blown away by these guys.”
Plus, there’s another unexpected perk to ownership.
“I’ve got seven concert venues that I could never get kicked out of,” he joked. “That’s a pretty good position to be in.”
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
Hogsett promised this would be his “final term.” But in weighing another run, he may be looking to overcome scandals and project delays, experts say.
Tony Cook and Peter Blanchard on their reporting of Mayor Joe Hogsett
Indy Star reporter Tony Cook and Mirror Indy reporter Peter Blanchard talk to Mirror Indy’s Ibby Ahmed about reporting on Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
As Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett openly considers a fourth term, political experts say that Hogsett’s musing shows he may want to exit office on stronger footing after a third term dogged by scandals and development delays.
With three Democrats already running for Indianapolis mayor in 2027, Hogsett, 69, refused to rule out a reelection bid when reporters asked him about his plans on April 29.
“Any mayor who has put enough time into the development of our downtown would like to see it completed. So it’s one thing to shovel in a new development. It’s another thing to open the doors and welcome people in and see them enjoy it,” Hogsett told reporters with WISH-TV and WRTV.
“So that tugs at my heartstrings,” he added. “But ultimately, I’ll make a decision that’s based on whatever legacy I’d like to leave our city and how far along we are in promoting that legacy.”
Hogsett did not agree to IndyStar’s request for an interview April 30, made through campaign spokesperson Emily Gurwitz. In a statement, Gurwitz said the mayor remains focused on finishing out his third term by delivering investments in roads and public safety, as well as stewarding the Indianapolis Public Education Corp., the state-mandated entity tasked with reshaping public education in Indianapolis.
“Mayor Hogsett made it clear in his comments yesterday: with the 2027 election still more than a year and a half away, he is focused on the work immediately before him to continue shaping a safer and more vibrant Indianapolis,” Gurwitz said. “This includes developing the 2027 City-County budget, moving forward the critical work of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, delivering on important infrastructure investments with triple the funding in the strip-patching budget in 2026, and continuing to drive meaningful public safety improvements for neighborhoods across the city.”
When he announced his reelection bid in 2022, Hogsett said multiple times that he was seeking his “third and final term.” But the mayor’s recent comments and campaign finance reports have sparked curiosity about his intentions now. Hogsett raised more than half a million dollars in 2025 and ended the year with $1.2 million on hand.
Hogsett, who would be 76 at the end of a fourth term, told reporters that he will announce his decision toward the end of this year, ahead of the May 2027 city primary election.
If he enters, he’ll compete with fellow Democrats Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili, Indiana Sen. Andrea Hunley and Department of Public Works official David Bride.
Each mayoral candidate told IndyStar April 30 that the mayor’s remarks don’t affect their plans.
“I’m running for mayor. I’m talking with residents, visiting every corner of our city, and focused on affordability, housing, roads, and public safety,” Osili said in a written statement April 30. “Everyone has the right to decide their own political future, but the real question isn’t about one candidate, it’s about the future of our city.”
Will Hogsett move beyond ‘third and final term’ he promised?
The 2022 speech where Hogsett announced his bid for a third term — which came after he’d previously called for mayors to be limited to two four-year terms during his 2015 campaign — may shed light on some of the unfinished business he has in mind.
Addressing a crowd gathered inside City Market in November 2022, he mentioned several major redevelopment projects that he hoped to see finished in a third term, after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the “train of progress” to a “screeching halt.”
“Over the next three years, a historic public-private partnership will revitalize the historic City Market while transforming an entire city block,” Hogsett said.
“New development next to old City Hall? It’s on its way,” he later added. “Downtown heliport redevelopment? Won’t be far behind. The old downtown jail? It’s coming down and we’re going up.”
Of that partial list, the only projects that may wrap up by the end of Hogsett’s third term are downtown’s two jail redevelopments. Jail I was demolished and the Indiana Fever are building a $78 million practice facility, set to open in 2027. Although construction started years late on the Jail II redevelopment, it’s expected to bring more than 200 residential units to downtown’s east side by 2027.
The delayed or failed redevelopment plans, meanwhile, have stacked up.
Earlier this month, the city backed out of plans to build a museum hotel, housing and office space at old City Hall. The renovated City Market won’t open until at least 2028, after the city cut ties with the initial developers.
While the downtown heliport — eyed as a potential site for a Major League Soccer stadium — has closed, Indiana Senate leader Rodric Bray recently dashed hopes for an arena on the site in the near future, saying it “doesn’t look like there’s much chance there.”
“We are confident that Major League Soccer puts Indianapolis at the top of its list of places it would like to see a club,” Hogsett Communications and Policy Director Aliya Wishner said in February in response to Bray’s remarks. “We realize there is still challenging work before us to provide the framework for how state and local support will accomplish this goal.”
Scandals, delays could sway Hogsett to seek reelection
Experts say Hogsett may want to secure more wins to overshadow scandals tied to his handling of sexual harassment allegations within his administration and his oversight of city development deals involving conflicts of interest.
An IndyStar/Mirror Indy investigation dubbed “Mr. Clean” found that Hogsett allowed his former chief of staff Thomas Cook, whose sexual misconduct allegations the two outlets investigated in 2024, to cash in on millions in city incentives overseen by a city official with whom he had a romantic relationship. The stories also showed that the Hogsett administration routinely awards no-bid contracts to former staffers and top campaign donors.
Hogsett has said he’s confident that multiple layers of legal, administrative and legislative oversight ensured that tax incentives and no-bid contracts were in the best interest of the city and taxpayers. Cook, who has not been charged with any crime, has apologized for “consensual relationships that violated a trust placed in me” but denied that he used his professional role to further those relationships.
Still, experts say, the incidents may mar Hogsett’s record.
“He has not been able to cement his legacy in the way that I think he hoped,” Gregory Shufeldt, an associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, told IndyStar in an April 30 interview. “The sexual assaults and corresponding cover-ups, the Mr. Clean series of articles and kind of broader insights into corruption, I think have really weakened his political capital. The types of things that he has tried to make the capstone or kind of lasting contributions — for example, the MLS team — have not really seen significant progress.”
By keeping the door open to a fourth term, Hogsett can maintain influence over the debate about who will replace him, Shufeldt said. If a candidate wants the mayor’s endorsement or access to his campaign finance largesse, Hogsett can persuade them to focus on issues that further his legacy.
Paul Helmke, who served as mayor of Fort Wayne from 1988 to 2000, told IndyStar he thinks Hogsett has to weigh whether he may want to hold onto power for the right reasons. Helmke, now 77, said his decision not to seek reelection to a fourth term in 1999 was tough, even though he felt he’d accomplished his major goals.
About 50 years old at the time, Helmke chose to devote his next few decades to pursuing other work. He led an organization working to end gun violence and in 2013 became a faculty member at Indiana University, where he founded a civic leadership center and teaches courses on law and public affairs.
“If Hogsett has things he wants to accomplish that he’s making progress on, that he’s not sure will go well if he’s not there, that’s a reason to run again,” Helmke said. “But if you’re just doing it because you don’t know what else to do, or you get to the stage where you’re not sure you’ll have the energy or enthusiasm, then you probably shouldn’t do it.”
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
IndyGo serves 22,000 riders daily who rely on it for jobs and healthcare. The funding is voter-approved and separate from road budgets.
IndyGo paratransit services have possible 57% rate hike
Ryan Malone appreciates IndyGo paratransit rides. He has vision impairments and MS. He talks about the rides and the proposed 57% fare increase.
The April 14 letter titled, “Indianapolis doesn’t prioritize pothole repairs” raises a fair frustration shared by many drivers, but it misrepresents priorities, ignores dedicated funding streams, cherry-picks numbers and overlooks how IndyGo delivers broad, measurable value that helps roads and the city overall.
The 2026 Indianapolis city budget directs unprecedented funding to roads. The Department of Public Works’ most recent capital plan included $218 million for transportation infrastructure in 2026, in addition to key investments in additional snow removal and road maintenance equipment. DPW’s transportation capital funding has nearly tripled since 2016. Since that time, the city has resurfaced 1,279 lane miles and strip-patched 1,169 more.
The city is prioritizing basics; roads got a massive boost even with tighter revenues.
The state funding formula has disadvantaged Indianapolis by using two-lane road mileage and ignoring urban complexity. But House Enrolled Act 1461 shifts to a lane-mile formula and provides $50 million extra annually to Marion County — and state law restricts those funds to construction and reconstruction of local streets.
There are several points aimed at IndyGo that are worth correcting and adding important context the public should understand about this critical city service.
The claim that IndyGo’s $432 million budget “could go a long way toward streets” is the most misleading. The 0.25% income tax was voter-approved in 2016 — with nearly 60% voting yes — specifically and exclusively for public transit. These locally raised dollars leverage up to a 400% federal match, multiplying their impact several times over and ensuring Indianapolis captures funding that would otherwise go elsewhere. Diverting them would break a voter promise.
The “less than 2% uses the bus” stat is a classic distortion. IndyGo’s 2025 ridership included 6.7 million trips, or nearly 22,000 riders Monday through Friday. Transit serves disproportionately low-income, senior, disabled and car-free residents who rely on it for jobs, healthcare and school. It isn’t a luxury — it’s mobility infrastructure.
Public transit isn’t in competition with roads; it complements them. Every $1 invested in public transit generates $5 in broader economic activity. The Red Line alone delivered more than $7 per $1 invested, and IndyGo’s BRT network has already attracted more than $1.2 billion in corridor development.
By completion of the Blue Line, IndyGo will have paved more than 90 miles of Indy streets and built or repaired more than 1,300 ADA ramps. Nearly 7 million riders take cars off the road — fewer vehicles mean less congestion and less wear-and-tear on pavement, directly reducing potholes.
Potholes are real, but scapegoating IndyGo distracts from the actual balanced progress underway. Indianapolis is a world-class city with a great future, and the best is yet to come.
Richard Wilson is treasurer of the IndyGo Board of Directors.
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