Indiana
Three Indiana basketball bold predictions: Myles Rice will be a game-changer for Hoosiers
BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana basketball team opens the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall with a game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
The No. 18 Hoosiers enter the year having assembled one of the country’s more talented rosters through the transfer portal.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s success in reeling in some of the biggest names available, from Oumar Ballo to Myles Rice, helped fans overcome their disappointment over not reaching the tournament last year.
Woodson has expressed confidence in the new-look roster in recent weeks with more firepower and depth, and strong showings in exhibition wins over Tennessee and Marian added to the team’s good vibes.
Will IU remain a feel-good story? Or should fans prepare for another letdown? Here are our bold predictions for the 2024-25 season:
Indiana basketball guard Myles Rice will win Big Ten Player of the Year
Purdue’s Braden Smith is the heavy preseason favorite to win the award, but life without Zach Edey will be an adjustment for the Boilermakers while Rice will benefit from playing with what’s arguably the most talented roster in the Big Ten.
Rice would be IU’s first Big Ten Player of the Year in the Big Ten since D.J. White won the award in 2007-08.
He will have to improve his woeful 3-point percentage — he shot just 27.5% last year — but just a modest jump in production elsewhere should make him a contender. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year last year.
It was a remarkable season for Rice, who spent the previous year receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He went into remission in June 2023 and told reporters at Big Ten Media Days that he’s put on more weight and feels like he’s in the best condition of his career.
Another reason to be bullish on Rice’s prospects for this season is his level of maturity — he’s going into his third collegiate season — and the way he’s taken the reins of the team. That’s a struggle for some transfers, but Rice established himself as a locker room leader right off the bat.
“It’s amazing to see,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway said. “There’s no one like him that I’ve played with ever. The way he’s able to talk to guys and be that influencer on the court is very special to see.”
Indiana basketball will still be one of Big Ten’s worst 3-point shooting teams
Indiana’s 3-point shooting has been a source of frustration for fans during Woodson’s tenure. The Hoosiers ranked 12th in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting last year (32.4%) and dead last in 3-point attempts (15.5).
That’s nothing new — IU has ranked last in the conference in 3-point attempts in each of Woodson’s three seasons.
Will Indiana shoot more 3-pointers this season? Probably, the addition of Luke Goode will be a volume shooter off the bench, but he won’t be able to lift the Hoosiers team average all by himself.
They shot 22.7% (10 of 44) from 3-point range in a pair of exhibition games and much of the success they had against Marian came in the second half when they were just running up the score.
The difference for the Hoosiers this year is that they are better positioned to make up for that lack of production. Rice is going to push the tempo and that should mean more possessions and points off fast breaks.
Indiana basketball will reach the Sweet Sixteen
Indiana should be in the mix for a Big Ten title, but they are better positioned to make a tournament run in March.
The Big Ten will debut a new 20-game scheduling model this year as it expands to 18 teams. Each member school will face three opponents both home and away and the other 14 teams once. Those games are split evenly with seven at home and seven on the road.
Indiana’s conference schedule looks fairly daunting with a run of road games running from January into February — IU plays six of nine games on the road after facing Rutgers on Jan. 2 — and that could make it hard for the program to compete for the regular season title.
The timing of the Hoosiers’ West Coast swing in March isn’t ideal either with it coming so late in the year with little time to rest on either side of the trip.
Indiana’s reward for that punishing schedule should be a battle-tested team in the tournament capable of going toe-to-toe with whoever they draw in the early rounds.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
Indiana
Indiana police find semi trailer loaded up with nearly 400 pounds of cocaine: troopers
CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WKRC) – Authorities in Indiana found a semi trailer loaded up with hundreds of pounds of suspected cocaine.
According to a statement issued by the Indiana State Police (ISP), 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California was taken into custody after nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine were reportedly found in the trailer of a commercial truck.
Per the statement, an ISP trooper seized the suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, authorities said.
The stop occurred Tuesday morning near the 37-mile marker, just east of Cloverdale, after a commercial motor vehicle was observed exceeding the posted speed limit.
Police said Singh displayed several indicators of possible criminal activity during the encounter. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, troopers discovered multiple duffel bags and cardboard boxes in the trailer containing approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at about $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and taken to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond.
He faces the following preliminary charges, per the post:
- Possession of a narcotic drug
Formal charges will be determined by the Putnam County prosecutor.
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Indiana State Police said drug interdiction remains a priority, with troopers focusing on major highways to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics into the state.
Indiana
Op-ed: Healthy rural communities strengthen all of Indiana
For many Hoosiers living in rural Indiana, accessing health care can mean driving 30 minutes or even an hour to see a doctor or reach the nearest hospital. As workforce shortages and financial pressures challenge rural hospitals across the country, ensuring access to care close to home has become one of the most important health-care issues facing our state.
About one in four Indiana residents live in a rural community, yet access to health-care services in many of these communities continues to shrink. Across the nation, rural hospitals and clinics report extremely thin operating margins and often say workforce shortages and rising costs make it difficult to sustain services such as primary care, maternity care and behavioral health.
When rural communities struggle to maintain health-care access, the impact doesn’t stay confined to small towns. It ripples across the entire health-care system, contributing to increases in chronic conditions, reduced preventative care for children, and worsening outcomes for the sickest patients.
Communities such as Greater Lafayette serve as a regional hub for care, with hospitals like IU Health Arnett caring for patients from surrounding counties across north-central and west-central Indiana. That role is something we are proud to fulfill. But when rural residents must travel long distances for care that should be available closer to home, it places increasing pressure on emergency departments, specialty clinics and inpatient services at larger regional hospitals.
In many cases, what might have been a routine appointment, preventive screening or early diagnosis in a local clinic becomes far more serious by the time a patient reaches a larger hospital. A missed screening can escalate into a medical emergency.
That reality makes strengthening rural health care more important than ever — not just for rural communities, but for the health of the entire state.
One of the most important steps we can take is investing in the next generation of health-care professionals who will care for these communities.
At IU Health, we are working directly with local schools and community partners to help build that workforce pipeline. Across the region, IU Health has partnered with the Greater Lafayette Career Academy and area school districts to introduce students to health-care careers earlier and provide hands-on learning opportunities that bring those careers to life.
Through these programs, students explore health-care pathways and earn certifications such as certified nursing assistant, medical assistant or emergency medical technician while still in high school. Many participate in job shadowing opportunities, clinical experiences and mentorship programs, giving them valuable exposure to the field before they graduate. In fact, since the first cohort in 2023, IU Health has extended job offers to more than 70 students.
The goal is simple but powerful: help students see that meaningful careers in health care exist in their own communities and create pathways that allow them to stay and serve those communities.
For rural health care, this approach is critical. Students who train and develop personal mentorship connections locally are far more likely to remain in the region after completing their education. By helping young people build skills and connections early, we can create a sustainable workforce that strengthens health-care access in both rural communities and regional centers, including Greater Lafayette.
Since launching the $200 million Community Impact Investment Fund in 2018, IU Health has invested more than $40 million in community grants supporting workforce development, education and school-based programs that build Indiana’s health-care talent pipeline. This includes funding for the Indiana Latino Institute, which placed Latino students in health-care internships, supported career pathways, and provided medical interpreter training and college coaching to communities across the state.
Our goal is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is one way we work toward that in partnership with our communities.
But workforce development is only part of the solution.
Strengthening rural health care will also require continued collaboration between health-care providers, educators, community leaders and policymakers. Expanding telehealth access, supporting rural hospitals and investing in primary care and behavioral health services are all critical steps toward ensuring patients can receive care close to home.
Greater Lafayette will always play an important role as a regional health-care center, providing specialized care and advanced services for patients across a broad region. But the long-term health of Indiana’s health-care system depends on maintaining strong local access points for care in rural communities.
When rural clinics and hospitals can provide preventive care, manage chronic conditions and connect patients with the services they need early, the entire system works better.
Patients receive care sooner, communities stay healthier and larger hospitals can focus on the complex cases they are designed to treat.
Healthy rural communities do not just benefit the towns where they are. They strengthen Indiana’s entire health-care system by ensuring that every Hoosier — no matter where they live — has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.
When rural health care succeeds, all of Indiana benefits.
Gary Henriott is a lifelong resident of Lafayette and the retired CEO and Chairman of Henriott Group. He is the chair of the IU Health West Region board of directors and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, and president of Lafayette’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
Indiana
Indiana mother charged with neglect after baby’s co-sleeping death
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — An Indianapolis mother is now facing criminal charges after her 2-month-old baby died in an apparent improper co-sleeping environment, according to investigators.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by FOX 59/CBS 4, police were called to an area hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, following the death of 27-year-old Brooklyn Davis’ son. The boy had been found unresponsive in his family’s home early that morning, and Davis attempted CPR before he was rushed to the hospital.
The affidavit says the boy had been sleeping on Davis’ bed with his 6-year-old brother. Davis later showed investigators a video showing the baby sleeping chest down on the 6-year-old’s chest.
An autopsy concluded the baby’s cause of death was “sudden explained death of an infant” with an intrinsic factor, which included being “placed to sleep in a queen-sized mattress being shared with a 6-year-old sibling, along with numerous blankets and other miscellaneous items; discovered unresponsive in a prone position with his face turned to the side and partially covered with a blanket.”
A report from the Department of Child Services (DCS) indicated the boy had no known health issues and that Davis ran an FSSA-licensed day care and has “extensive training on child care and safe sleeping environments.”
Davis had been known to DCS prior to the baby’s death. The boy had been born marijuana-positive and, on July 2, 2024, Davis had reportedly signed a “Safe Sleep Safety Plan,” acknowledging she understood that the safest places for her baby to sleep were in a crib, pack-and-play or bassinet and warned that co-sleeping places the baby at risk of suffocation and sleeping areas should be kept free of blankets, pillows and other items. The plan also included a provision that Davis not use marijuana while caring for her children, but she told investigators during an interview that, the morning of her baby’s death, she had gone downstairs to smoke marijuana and left the children alone upstairs.
Davis’ two other children were removed from the home, and interviews with them revealed that co-sleeping with the infant happened often.
Investigators say they attempted to contact Davis several times after talking to her children.
“She called me on February 18, 2025, and said she didn’t do anything wrong, her baby died of SIDS,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “Brooklyn never came in for an additional interview.”
Court records indicate the case was filed in March 2026. Davis was booked into jail on April 1 on three counts of neglect of a dependent. An initial hearing was held on April 7, and a bail review hearing is planned for Monday.
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