TODAY

Mostly sunny and very warm to start, then the storm chance rises later in the day. Highs reach the upper 80s to near 90, with a light southwest breeze. A Heat Advisory remains in effect through 9 p.m. Saturday, and the better chance for showers and thunderstorms develops after mid afternoon, with any stronger storm capable of heavy downpours, hail, and damaging wind gusts.  

TONIGHT

Showers and thunderstorms remain likely early in the evening, then coverage gradually trends lower later at night. Lows fall into the low 70s, with light wind. It does not look like nonstop rain, but evening outdoor plans, including fireworks, will need a weather eye.  

TOMORROW

Partly sunny, warm, and still somewhat unsettled, with storms becoming more likely as the day goes on. Highs reach the mid 80s, with light wind. Much of the first half of the day looks more usable, but the second half becomes less reliable as showers and thunderstorms become more common.  

TOMORROW NIGHT

Showers and thunderstorms remain likely early, then fade back later in the evening and overnight. Lows settle near 70. It should turn quieter with time, and the air will feel a little less oppressive than the previous few nights.  

MONDAY

Partly sunny and still hot, but not quite as extreme as the holiday weekend. Highs reach the mid 80s, with a more humid feel and at least a low-end thunderstorm chance around. This looks more manageable than Saturday, but not completely quiet from start to finish.

MONDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy and seasonably mild, with lows in the mid 60s. Any leftover storm chance looks limited, and quieter weather should win out for most of the night.

TUESDAY

Clouds and sun mix with a stray thunderstorm chance, and highs recover into the mid 80s. Heat is still around, but not as punishing as the late-week surge, and much of the day still looks usable.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy and muggy again, with lows in the upper 60s. Quiet weather generally holds overnight, even if a completely dry forecast is not guaranteed.

WEDNESDAY

 Mostly cloudy and humid with a thunderstorm possible in spots during the afternoon. Highs reach the mid 80s. This keeps the pattern a little unsettled, though it still does not look like an all-day rain setup.

7 DAY FORECAST

The main concerns are the late-day storm chance on the Fourth and then a hot, humid stretch that continues into next week. Saturday and Sunday both carry storm chances, with the Fourth looking more active later in the day and Sunday staying somewhat unsettled. After that, temperatures settle into the 80s with occasional storm chances lingering into midweek, so the pattern stays summerlike even though the worst of the heat eases back a bit.  

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Two women are facing criminal charges following a prostitution investigation at an apartment complex in Westfield.

According to a news release Thursday, the investigation began June 23, stemming from a Crime Stoppers tip about suspected prostitution and possible human trafficking at The Farmhouse at Lantern Commons Apartments, near the 16000 block of Gleam Way.

On June 25, detectives arranged a meeting, entered the residence and encountered two adult women. One of the women agreed to engage in sexual activity in exchange for $300. Both women were detained at the scene.

Detectives searched the apartment and found evidence of sexual activity and prostitution-related activity.

Yanyi Zhang faces five charges:

• Two counts of Promoting Prostitution, a Level 5 Felony.
• Identity Deception, a Level 6 Felony.
• Class A Misdemeanor for prostitution.

Linxia Shi was charged with a Class A Misdemeanor for prostitution.

Zhang and Shi were offered victim assistance resources during the investigation, Westfield Police said.

A jury trial for Zhang is scheduled for Nov. 2, according to online court records.

This case marks the second prostitution investigation by the Westfield Police in the past two months, both of which were initiated by tips submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers. The department encourages residents to continue to report suspicious activity.

After bouncing between nine different cities in the years following the nation’s founding on July 4, 1776, the United States’ capital finally settled into its permanent home in Washington, D.C. on December 1, 1800.

That same year, Indiana gained the first of its three capitals at a former French trading post near the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War.

The journey of Indiana’s seat of government from Vincennes to Indianapolis via a stop in Corydon reflects the growth of the state in the early years of the nation’s history.

Founded by French explorers in 1732, Vincennes was Indiana’s first permanent European settlement. France ceded control to the British in 1763, who built Fort Sackville in 1777 to protect the Western front during the Revolutionary War. Americans took over the fort in 1778, but lost it to the British a few months later.

Then in 1779, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark successfully led a daring expedition 180 miles across the flooded plains from Kaskaskia, Illinois, to recapture Fort Sackville for the United States and secure the area that would later become the Northwest Territory.

In 1800, Congress carved out the western portion of the Northwest Territory to create the new Indiana Territory which encompassed Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Michigan. Vincennes was named the capital of the Indiana Territory.

By 1810, the size of the Indiana Territory had shrunk to the state’s current boundaries. Lawmakers sought to move the territorial capital to a new location in the southeastern part of the state where the center of population had shifted. Madison, Charlestown, Lawrenceburg, Clarksville and Jeffersonville were all in the running for the prized seat of government, but Corydon eventually won out in 1813 because of its centralized location and its new limestone courthouse that would make an ideal site for the legislature to meet.

After serving three years as the territorial capital, Corydon became the first official state capital when Indiana was granted statehood in 1816. Under the state constitution this was a temporary arrangement that would end in 1825 when a permanent state capital would be established on land the federal government had donated.

In 1820, a group of commissioners met at William Conner’s house near Noblesville to begin their search for a new capital that would be carved out of the wilderness. Two sites landed on their short list – a well-known waystation for travelers on the bluffs of the White River in present-day Morgan County and a small pioneer settlement at the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek. The latter was approved by the commissioners on June 7, 1820 partly because they mistakenly believed that the White River was deep enough to serve as a major artery for commercial shipping.

The General Assembly approved the commissioners’ recommendation on January 6, 1821. After rejecting “Tecumseh” and “Suwarrow,” lawmakers named the new capital “Indianapolis,” for city of Indiana. Because most of its residents were sick with malaria during the summer of 1821, the city’s first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1822. The entire town was invited, and a freshly killed buck was barbecued in the middle of Washington Street. Near the end of the day and after much alcohol was consumed, pioneer leader Calvin Fletcher offered the following toast: “Indianapolis. May it not prove itself unworthy of the honor the state has conferred upon it by making it her seat of government.”

As it turned out, however, being designated the state capital and becoming the state capital were two different things. The Indiana General Assembly needed to pass legislation to relocate state government from Corydon to Indianapolis, but southern Indiana lawmakers balked at relinquishing their power base. And so the nascent city of Indianapolis lacked representation in the General Assembly until 1823. Finally in January 1824, state lawmakers authorized the move and later that year the official relocation began.

On a sunny day in October 1824, a small wagon train led by State Treasurer Samuel Merrill left Corydon to begin the arduous journey through the backwoods to Indianapolis. A large covered wagon carried important state documents and a strong box containing the state treasury.

As later recounted by Merrill’s son, the party made quite an impression when it reached Indianapolis after 11 days on the road.

Feeling like this was the proudest day of his life, the wagon driver decked out the horses with sleigh bells as they approached the city and asked a man who passed them on horseback to ride forward and let the townspeople know that the seat of government was coming.

According to Samuel Merrill, Jr.’s account, “At the word, out poured most of the five hundred inhabitants – boys, girls, men and women – to see a sight that will never again be seen in Indiana.”

The capital had finally arrived.

Libby Cierzniak is a retired attorney who has written extensively about Indianapolis history for HistoricIndianapolis.com and in her own blog, Indypolitan.com. She is a frequent guest on Hoosier History Live and a regular contributor to Retro Indy. Contact her via Indypolitan.com.