Indiana

‘It changes everything.’ Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever react to WNBA move to charter flights

Published

2 years ago

May 8, 2024

‘It changes everything.’ Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever react to WNBA move to charter flights

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides remembers one specific time she and her team got caught up in commercial airline troubles.

Really, she said, she tries to suppress it.

“I don’t remember (what airport),” Sides said. “I was trying to block that one out.”

More: Caitlin Clark, welcome to WNBA… and commercial flights. ‘Will definitely be an adjustment.’

More: How Caitlin Clark is inspiring Indiana’s next generation of stars

Back when she was an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky between 2011-16, the team was trying to make the second game of a back-to-back. But the plane was delayed. Then delayed again. And again. Finally, canceled. The team, coaches and support staff had to sleep in the airport while waiting for a 6 a.m. flight. Then, they played a game that night.

But now, with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert saying the league will start to use full charter flights for all 12 teams this season, commercial flight issues will be a thing of the past.

“It is incredible,” Sides said. “I just sent a message out to the players last night when the news hit, just that this is what they deserve. They deserve this, and it changes everything. It changes their rest, it changes their rehab… Instead of getting up at like, early in the morning to get back here, then they don’t have to practice at four o’clock, five o’clock in the evening. It changes everything.”

With these new charter flights, the only thing they’ll be losing out on is airline miles.

“I guess I’ll have to book some extra flights,” Fever center Aliyah Boston joked.

The league doesn’t have a specific timeline yet for when charter flights will be available for all 12 teams. Engelbert said the program will be implemented “as soon as we can logistically get planes in places,” but added it could take up to a couple weeks or a month, meaning teams will likely start the regular season flying commercially.

More: WNBA plans to provide full-time charter flights for Indiana Fever, league teams this season

The Fever flew commercially from Indianapolis International Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth for their preseason game against the Dallas Wings last week, and they were met with fans wanting signatures and media taking videos.

“There were people (in the airport) like ‘Oh my gosh, can we get signatures, can we get your signatures?’” Boston said. “And obviously you guys saw people like following us with a camera. But I mean, that’s just what it is, we understand. So I’m really glad that we’re taking these precautions, especially with charter.”

Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark has been the main reason for a lot of the media attention the Fever have been getting recently. Pacers Sports & Entertainment beefed up its security during Fever travel because of Clark’s popularity, and she was the subject of most of the videos about the Fever’s arrival in Dallas.

Now, Clark and the Fever will have more privacy when they travel. And in the 27th year of the WNBA, it’s been a long time coming.

“I’m just super excited for the players who have been in this league for a really long time and have really deserved this for years and years and years,” Clark said. “I’m just excited, I’m thankful, at whatever point that it is, that it happens. It’ll be great for us, it’ll make recovery easier, it’ll make travel easier, it just makes life a lot easier for a lot of people… I’m just very fortunate to come to this league and have this opportunity the first year that I’m here.”

Boston spent her rookie season flying to games commercially — a stark change from her four years at South Carolina, where she and the Gamecocks flew charter to every game. For the second-year center, who stands at 6-4, flying charter isn’t only about security. It’s about being able to stretch out on planes, get back home after games, and have extra time to rest.

“You play your game, you get back on that plane, and you get to sleep in your own bed,” Boston said. “That’s really what you know, we’ve been used to in college. So coming here and making that change, you know, is going to be great for us.”

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

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Indiana

Wawa opening with free coffee. What to know about Indiana’s newest store

Published

10 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Wawa opening with free coffee. What to know about Indiana’s newest store

Motorists braving the extreme cold this week will have a new travel center at which to fuel their vehicles and bodies in Indiana

Wawa is slated to open a location in Richmond on Jan. 29.

The grand opening at 2600 Williamsburg Pike will commence at 7:55 a.m. with the doors opening at 8 a.m.

The first 250 customers will get free t-shirts.

All customers through Feb. 1 will get free hot coffee, any size.

The 8,000-square-foot store will offer Wawa’s signature made-to-order hoagies, fresh-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, and a dinner menu that includes burgers, soups and sides.

The store will have interior and exterior seating areas; 16 liquid fuel spots for passenger drivers; 20 EV charging stalls; five high-speed diesel fuel lanes accepting over-the-road (OTR) payments; and a pet relief area.

Richmond will be Indiana’s ninth Wawa location.

The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain entered the state in May 2025 with a store in Daleville, and quickly followed with openings in Noblesville and Clarksville.

The chain plans to open 60 stores in Indiana, including a location at 7140 E. Washington St. in Indianapolis scheduled for early 2027.

Contact reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.

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Indiana

How does this winter storm measure up to the Blizzard of 1978 in Indiana

Published

22 hours ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

How does this winter storm measure up to the Blizzard of 1978 in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — For long-time Hoosiers, when snowstorms are in the forecast, the Blizzard of ’78 comes to mind.

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How does this winter storm measure up to the Blizzard of 1978 in Indiana

That’s the case for Faith Toole, who lives in Pittsboro now. She lived in Noblesville in 1978, and she had a one-week-old baby during the blizzard.

“We actually saved water. We got buckets and pans,” Toole remembered of the blizzard. “We had oil heat at the time, so we had to make sure our oil was good.”

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The blizzard became a benchmark of sorts, since it set many weather records.

“I really thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime, but we got so close this time around. We really did. I’m just thankful we didn’t,” Toole said.

The winter storm that happened across Central Indiana on January 24 and 25, 2026, did pack quite the punch for Hoosiers, with an event snowfall total of 11.1″ in Indianapolis and frigid temperatures.

Did the storm compare to the historic Blizzard of ’78?

The blizzard occurred over the period of January 25, 26, and 27, 1978. It was the first time a blizzard warning was ever issued for Indiana.

What is a blizzard? It doesn’t entail snow totals. Instead, it focuses on the impact of gusty winds (gusts over 35 mph) and low visibility (less than a quarter mile) that lasts for an extended period of time (three hours).

During the storm in 1978, wind gusts over 50 mph lasted through the 26 and 27 of January.

“The wind, I’ll never forget the wind, how it blew!” exclaimed Toole.

The National Weather Service recorded visibility less than a quarter mile for 25 hours straight.

The wind in the 1978 storm also created blowing and drifting snow, with some drifts 20 to 25 feet.

How does this compare to the 2026 storm?

Wind gusts stayed less than 30 mph, so this time, we did not reach blizzard criteria.

We did see quite a bit of snow: 11.1″ in Indianapolis, with other areas in Central Indiana seeing even higher totals.

In 1978, it snowed 15.5″ across the three days.

1978 was also unique because there had already been a bit of snow on the ground before the blizzard got started.

To this day, the Blizzard of ’78 still holds the record for the most snow on the ground in Indianapolis, set at 20″.

“It felt like it snowed a lot longer. Had we had the wind, it would have been ’78 all over again,” Toole said.

It was very cold, with lows near zero degrees, and wind chills near -50 degrees during the blizzard.

Similarly, in 2026, we have frigid air temperatures, meaning it will be difficult to clear the snow this week. Temperatures may not climb above freezing until next week.

The roads and businesses that have been shut down following the storm in 2026 are a reminder of the closures in 1978.

Toole says she stayed at home following the blizzard, mainly focusing on sleeping when she could (because of her one-week-old baby).

“Reading, we were into word search at the time,” Toole remembered how she spent the time indoors. “We didn’t have devices to do anything. We had the TV, and that was it.”

Luckily for Hoosiers, technology has come a long way since 1978, meaning there was more to do while cooped up indoors during the 2026 storm.

“It wasn’t as boring, because it was 24/7 news coverage for the weather!” laughed Toole. “And you know, I had my games on my phone to play, movies to watch.”

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Indiana

Frigid week ahead across central Indiana | Jan. 26, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

Frigid week ahead across central Indiana | Jan. 26, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Extreme cold settles in for the extended period with several nights of overnight lows below zero.

Today:

The state is under an extreme cold warning for today and Tuesday, as windchills could dip to 25 below zero or lower. That can lead to frostbite occurring on exposed skin in 15 to 30 minutes.

We should see plenty of sunshine for our Monday, but it will not help temperatures as arctic air settles in over a very deep snowpack across the area. High temperatures will top out in the upper single digits and lower teens.

Tonight:

Temperatures will dip to below zero across the air, and there will be mainly clear skies overnight.

Tuesday:

Tuesday will be slightly warmer under partly cloudy skies. The one concern we do have for Tuesday is winds will start to pick up a bit, gusting up to 30 mph. Now, well, much of the snow should settle in after a couple of days. There will be the potential for some blowing and drifting with any top layer of light snow that hasn’t frozen in completely. This could lead to some drifting and some lower visibility at times through the day.

Bitter cold:

Unfortunately, the rest of the week looks frigid, as several Arctic air masses will continue to push into the region. Eyes will be in the mid teens for the rest of the week, and overnight lows will be at or below zero.

7 day forecast:

Very limited precipitation chances in the extended forecast. There could be some isolated snow chances to start off the weekend Saturday, with a strong north flow bringing down some lake-effect snow showers across the area.