Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Airport to expand food offerings, renovate Shapiro’s. Here’s what’s coming
See what makes Indianapolis Airport one of the best in the country
Indy’s airport is consistently ranked among the best in the country and tops among mid-sized in the US. Here’s why.
The menu at the Indianapolis International Airport is set to expand as soon as late this year. Three new dining concepts — a gastropub operation from Speedway-based Daredevil Brewing, a food and beverage outpost from Carmel-based Java House and a concessions space for a rotating roster of chefs — are expected to open over the next two years, while the airport location of Shapiro’s Delicatessen plans to temporarily close and reopen with a new menu in late 2027.
According to a news release from the Indianapolis Airport Authority, the IAA’s request for proposal received pitches for nearly 40 eateries from 21 different businesses. Ultimately, the IAA chose Carmel-based restaurant group CC Holdings to operate all four upcoming concepts.
“By exposing travelers to the incredible innovations in Indiana’s own backyard, offering exceptional interactions with our guests, and maximizing returns for all involved, we intend to enhance the Indiana experience for travelers with their every visit and further distinguish the airport as a uniquely superior destination,” CC Holdings founder and Chief Executive Officer Kim Hendren said in the news release.
Daredevil’s Lift Off restaurant, expected to open in Concourse A by the end of 2026, will offer Daredevil beer, cocktails, tavern-style pizza and other pub grub. The new space will feature exposed brick with wood accents, according to the news release.
Java House Bistro is also expected to open by the end of the year. The 12-location cold brew empire’s airport space will also feature a menu curated by veteran chef and multi-time James Beard Award semifinalist Steven Oakley, whose north-side restaurant Oakleys Bistro has operated for more than 20 years and recently appeared on IndyStar’s list of 21 defining Indianapolis restaurants. Oakley will also serve in an advisory role for chefs featured in the rotating concessions area, which is expected to open in the airport’s Civic Plaza by fall 2027.
“Our goal is to make food fun, approachable, and exciting while bringing hospitality with a very personal touch to our guests,” Oakley said in a statement. “We’ll be offering many local culinary favorites that give a sense of nostalgia with a fun twist, and that offers travelers an experience to remember.”
Similar culinary “incubators” and multi-vendor commissary kitchens have cropped up around central Indiana over the last decade, most notably the Fishers Test Kitchen that housed a series of Indy chefs during its six-year run before ceasing operations at the end of last year. During the 2025-26 Pacers season, Gainbridge Fieldhouse has dedicated one of its concessions spaces to its ongoing Guest Chef program, which plans to feature eight different concepts from local chefs by the end of the season.
The airport’s Shaprio’s location, which has served grab-and-go versions of the deli’s regionally famed fare in Concourse B since 2008, plans to close by early 2027 and undergo renovations with an anticipated reopening date in late 2027. The reimagined Shapiro’s will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner in “traveler-friendly” portions.
Per the IAA’s news release, the new food and beverage spots will create approximately 45 jobs at the airport. Two additional potential locations are presently “undergoing further study.” The Indianapolis Airport currently houses 27 different food and beverage outposts.
Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@indystar.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin and stay up to date with Indy dining news by signing up for the Indylicious newsletter.
Indianapolis, IN
Unsettled Friday and Saturday, then summer heat returns early next week | July 10, 2026
TODAY
Partly sunny and warm with scattered showers and thunderstorms likely through much of the bookends of the day. Highs reach the mid 80s, with a west southwest breeze around 5 mph. It does not look like nonstop rain from start to finish, but this is the least reliable daytime period in the forecast, and any stronger storm could drop a quick heavy downpour with a gusty burst of wind.
TONIGHT
Scattered showers and thunderstorms remain possible through the evening, then another lower-end storm chance lingers late overnight. Lows settle near the upper 60s, with light wind. The severe risk looks lower than it is Thursday night, but a few pockets of heavier rain are still possible if a boundary stalls close enough to central Indiana.
TOMORROW
Mostly cloudy and not quite as hot, with another chance for showers and thunderstorms developing mainly after mid afternoon. Highs reach the low to mid 80s, with a light northeast breeze around 5 mph. Much of the first half of the day should be usable, but later afternoon and evening plans will still need a weather eye.
TOMORROW NIGHT
A few showers and thunderstorms may linger early, then the trend turns quieter with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Lows fall to the upper 60s, with an east northeast breeze around 5 mph. It is a calmer setup than Friday night overall, even if an early interruption is still possible.
SUNDAY
Mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid 80s. An east breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the day from feeling too stagnant, and this looks like one of the cleaner forecast days of the stretch. Most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and seasonably mild, with lows around the mid 60s and a light east northeast breeze. Quiet weather continues overnight with no meaningful travel concerns.
MONDAY
Sunny and hotter, with highs climbing into the upper 80s. A light east wind around 5 mph holds through the day. After the unsettled end of the workweek, this looks like a very usable summer day with heat becoming the main story instead of storms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows near 70 and only a light breeze. There will be little trouble overnight, and the warmer pattern settles in more firmly.
TUESDAY
Sunny and hot again, with highs near 90. Wind stays light, becoming east southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. This is another day where the weather looks broadly quiet, with heat the main thing to plan around.
7 DAY FORECAST
The main concern in the near term is the unsettled Friday into Saturday period, when repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms could bring quick heavy rain, especially Friday afternoon and evening. After that, the pattern trends warmer and drier from Sunday into at least Tuesday, with highs returning to the upper 80s and lower 90s while heat index values stay more manageable than the late-June heat. By Wednesday and Thursday, isolated afternoon and evening storms begin to creep back into the forecast, with a more noticeable thunderstorm threat showing up later next week into next weekend.
Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Workforce Pell Grant options limited so far
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Education leaders on Thursday said waiting for rulemaking limited the number of programs approved for a new grant program, but they expect more approvals soon.
Created as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed last year, the Workforce Pell Grant program allows students to use Pell Grants for short-term, direct-to-workforce training programs. The program began on July 1. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and Vincennes University, which are Indiana’s two two-year vocational and technical institutions, are the only institutions in the state authorized for the program so far, though state officials have said they’ll consider expanding it to other institutions depending on the results of the first year.
So far, state education officials have approved three programs for Workforce Pell Grants: certified clinical medical assistant programs at Ivy Tech and Vincennes, plus an electrical maintenance technician bootcamp Vincennes offers. Final approval must come from the federal government, which has not yet green-lit any of those programs.
Molly Dodge, Ivy Tech’s senior vice president for workforce and careers, said Ivy Tech leaders needed to make sure they thoroughly understood the requirements they would face. To be eligible, a program must have at least a 70% completion rate and a 70% job placement rate. It also must lead directly to a job in a high-growth, high-demand job sector. Dodge said the rules were finalized this spring. After that, she said Ivy Tech leaders began going through each of their courses to see which ones would be eligible.
“Workforce Pell has a significant requirement related to job placement and wages, and so we need to backward design from an employer, in many cases, to make sure that we’re successful in launching these Workforce Pell programs,” she said.
Tony Hahn, Vincennes University’s vice president for government and legal affairs, said July 1 was the earliest under federal statute the program could begin. In practice, he said the rollout will take some time because programs must be offered for one year in exactly the same format before they become eligible for the Workforce Pell Grant.
“These are often programs that we have offered through Next Level Jobs programs and other Department of Workforce Development funding, but didn’t have the exact same requirements on number of classroom hours or number of total weeks offered,” he said. “And so, we made some modifications and we’ll be able to expand this list.”
Both Dodge and Hahn said leaders at their respective institutions are reviewing their course catalogs for other potentially eligible programs. They said they expect to add approved programs in the coming months.
Dodge said Workforce Pell-eligible programs are often designed with the expectation that you will go to work with a partner employer upon completion of the program, but that doesn’t mean education ends there. She said Workforce Pell Grant programs are stackable and can be pursued as part of a longer-term higher education strategy. Students can qualify for both traditional Pell Grants and Workforce Pell Grants, though not at the same time.
Hahn said prospective students won’t be able to apply for Workforce Pell Grants until this fall or next spring. If you’re interested, he said you should fill out a federal student financial aid form. He said Vincennes University leaders expect to add information about eligible programs to their application website once approved.
Indianapolis, IN
Man dies after car crashes into pole on near NW side
INDIANAPOLIS – A man died in a crash on the near northwest side of Indianapolis.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were dispatched to 505 W. 16th St. around 4:15 a.m. Thursday.
There, officers discovered a vehicle had crashed into a utility pole. The driver was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
The incident remains under investigation.
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