Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis veteran shelter damaged in fires last year makes progress in reopening

Published

12 months ago

March 18, 2025

Indianapolis veteran shelter damaged in fires last year makes progress in reopening

Months after a devastating fire tore through Indianapolis’ largest veteran shelter, leadership with Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana announced Tuesday that it had made significant progress in rebuilding the downtown shelter.

Over the past several months, HVAF staff and volunteers have fixed issues inside the Manchester Apartments that were heavily damaged from fire, smoke and water, ultimately getting the property prepared for contractors to start rebuilding the shelter.

The October 2024 fire caused significant damage to the property’s north and south corridor, which primarily housed the shelter’s 48 transitional housing beds and ultimately displaced over 45 people.

Shortly after the fire was extinguished, investigators with the Indianapolis Fire Department and the Indianapolis Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the fire had started in the building’s attic but were unable to determine what had initially ignited the fire. Ultimately investigators deemed the fire an accident.

Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana leadership believes that it might be able to reopen its north corridor, which houses 23 of the non-profit’s 48 transitional housing beds, within the next few months.

The non-profit has made significant progress in reconstructing the north corridor of the building, as well as completing assessment reports on the structure’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, which are needed to reopen.

As part of the new construction, Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana is planning to install upgraded electrical panels, all new windows and enhanced fire safety systems.

“The support from our community has been remarkable. With this new chapter of Manchester Apartments, we are creating more opportunity for veterans to begin their journeys toward self-sufficiency,” Emmy Hildebrand, CEO of Helping Veterans And Families said in a press release about the construction update.

When it comes to the progress of the property’s south corridor, non-profit leadership is planning to redesign the whole wing as the original structure was heavily damaged by the fires.

To continue its goal of supporting veterans throughout this reconstruction process, non-profit leaders are collaborating with a local, veteran-owned architecture firm to help redesign the south corridor. Leadership is planning on including additional housing units for veterans as well as expanding its food and clothing pantry space.

The non-profit can make these improvements, thanks to the donations provided by the community and insurance coverage.

Since Oct. 27, 2024, 84% of veterans who left Helping Veterans and Families transitional housing were able to successfully exit into permanent housing.

“Each successful exit represents a veteran whose homelessness has ended. Despite the immense challenges posed by the fire at Manchester Apartments, I’m beyond proud of our team for continuing to provide high-quality services during such a trying time,” Hildebrand said.

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@gannett.com. Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com, and follow him on X @1NoePadilla or Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.

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Indianapolis, IN

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

Published

3 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.

Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

Published

15 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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