INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Outside Monday night’s Indianapolis City-Council meeting, the Indiana Forest Alliance rallied to convince city leaders to protect urban forests.

Organizers are demanding Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett use $6 million in the 2025 budget for urban forest acquisition.

The group marched from its office on Alabama Street to the City-County Building, where the council met.

Organizers say they are fighting off multiple real estate deals that endanger Indianapolis forests.

Jeff Stant, the executive director of the alliance, said, “We just did a study two years ago that showed the forests canopy in Indianapolis is producing about $258 million in benefits. … It’s not chump change. This is real value that the forests produce every year for Indianapolis.”

Hogsett is expected to announce the 2025 budget proposal in august, and the council will vote on it in October.

This story is from a script aired on WISH-TV.

Indiana state Rep. Rita Fleming announced Monday that she is retiring, citing a desire to spend more time with her family.

The Democratic lawmaker from Jeffersonville in southern Indiana was first elected to the statehouse in 2018. Fleming’s statement said she is leaving office immediately.

“I have 15 grandchildren, and they and the rest of my family are my priority,” Fleming said in a statement. “Legislative sessions are long up at the Statehouse in Indianapolis and it takes a lot of work to properly represent House District 71.”

INDIANA REP. SPARTZ FENDS OFF GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGERS IN BID TO RETAIN HOUSE SEAT

Fleming was facing a rematch in the general election against Republican Scott Hawkins, who she narrowly beat in 2022 by a margin of about one point. A caucus will chose her replacement on the November ballot.

Fleming was the the ranking minority member of the insurance committee and served on the natural resources and public health committees.

A retired obstetrician-gynecologist, Fleming is known for authoring and backing legislation related to reproductive healthcare, including a 2022 law that prohibits the shackling of inmates during labor and delivery.

This year, she authored a bill requiring hospitals to offer postpartum Medicaid patients birth control. Democrats became divided over it after a committee removed the option to offer intrauterine devices or IUDs.

The final law signed by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb requires hospitals to offer those patients a subdermal contraceptive arm implant birth control option after giving birth.

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“As a retired physician with decades of experience under her belt, Rita’s empathy, care and firsthand insights helped her improve Indiana’s public health and healthcare policy,” House Democratic leader state Rep. Phil GiaQuinta said in a statement.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The transfer portal has closed for new entrants, but plenty of players that have already entered the portal are still looking for new schools.

That includes UT Martin forward Issa Muhammad, who has received interest from Indiana, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, San Diego State, Utah, FIU, New Mexico, Eastern Michigan, Mercer, Wright State, Southern Indiana, Montana, Appalachian State, East Carolina and more, according to The Portal Scoop on Sunday.

Muhammad is a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward with one year of remaining eligibility. He played the 2023-24 season at UT Martin after beginning his career with two seasons at Daytona State College, followed by one season at Northwest Florida State College and one season at New Mexico State.

As a senior in 2023-24, Muhammad started 28 games and played 29.6 minutes per game for a UT Martin team that went 21-11 and won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title. He averaged 11.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field, 26.7% from 3-point range (4 for 15) and 62% from the free throw line.

Among all OVC players last year, Muhammad ranked third in offensive rebounding percentage (10.6%), fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (22.1%), 11th in effective field goal percentage and 15th in block percentage (2.62%). He was named to the All-OVC second team.

Muhammad spent the 2022-23 season at New Mexico State, where he started 18 games and played 24.3 minutes per game. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while 58.2% from the field, 27.3% from 3-point range (3 for 11) and 53.1% from the free throw line. New Mexico State suspended its season in February after hazing allegations.

Muhammad played one season at Northwest Florida State College, a junior college program in Niceville, Fla. He averaged 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 34 starts as the Raiders won the 2021-22 NJCAA national championship.

Muhammad began his career at Daytona State College, a junior college program in Daytona Beach, Fla. During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 15.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% from the field, 34.3% from 3-point range (23 for 67) and 65.4% from the free throw line. As a true freshman in 2019-20, he averaged 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Indiana has two open scholarships heading into the 2024-25 season and currently has the No. 2 ranked transfer portal class in the nation, according to 247 Sports. Coach Mike Woodson has added four transfers, including guard Myles Rice (Washington State), center Oumar Ballo (Arizona), guard Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and wing Luke Goode (Illinois), along with freshman Bryson Tucker, a five-star recruit ranked No. 20 in the nation.

These additions, as well as a core group of returners, have led to Indiana being ranked No. 16 in the nation, per ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25. Ballo and Malik Reneau figure to start at center and power forward for the Hoosiers, but Indiana still has a need for a player like Muhammad in the front court after losing Kel’el Ware, Anthony Walker and Payton Sparks from last season’s roster.

Indiana Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker