Indiana
‘It changes everything.’ Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever react to WNBA move to charter flights
What we learned from Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut with Indiana Fever
The Iowa superstar scored 21 points in the Fever’s WNBA exhibition game at Dallas on Friday night.
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.
Indiana
Springfield Township homicide suspect dead from gunshot after police pursuit in Indiana
A woman suspected in a Springfield Township homicide Monday morning was fatally shot after a vehicle pursuit in Indiana.
Springfield Township police responded to a home in the 2700 block of Lincoln Avenue around 7 a.m. for a shooting, according to a press release from Springfield Township police. There, they found 33-year-old Lacresha Black suffering from gunshot wounds on her front porch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives identified the suspect as Terea Brown, 42, who officials said fled the scene in a dark-colored Chevrolet Cruise before officers arrived. A regional broadcast was issued to law enforcement agencies with Brown’s description and vehicle information.
Brown had traveled to Clinton County, Indiana, where she was involved in a vehicle pursuit with Indiana State Police, according to the press release. A gunshot was fired from inside Brown’s vehicle after the pursuit, police said, and pursuing troopers returned fire. She was pronounced dead.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Springfield Township police at 513-729-1300 or Indiana State Police investigators at 765-567-2125.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided the photo for this report.
Indiana
Ohio State vs. Indiana football picks: What the oddsmakers say
A huge battle between top-five ranked Big Ten teams kicks off as No. 2 Ohio State welcomes No. 5 Indiana on Saturday. Here’s how the oddsmakers are predicting the game right now.
Ohio State moved to 6-1 in Big Ten play but still sits in third place in the standings thanks to that 1-point loss at Oregon earlier this year, and this game will determine second place in the league.
Standing in the Buckeyes’ way is arguably the surprise team in college football this season: undefeated Indiana, playing its first-ever 10-win season behind the nation’s second-ranked scoring offense under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti.
What do the wiseguys expect will happen as the Buckeyes host the Hoosiers this weekend?
Let’s check in with the early predictions for Ohio State vs. Indiana in this Week 12 college football game, according to the oddsmakers.
Ohio State is an 11.5 point favorite against Indiana, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.
The book lists the total at 52.5 points for the game.
And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -465 and for Indiana at +350 to win outright.
Ohio State: -11.5 (-110)
Indiana: +11.5 (-110)
Over 52.5 points: -104
Under 52.5 points: -118
Ohio State is 5-5 against the spread (50%) overall so far this season …
Indiana is 8-2 (80%) ATS in ‘24, the third-best mark nationally …
Ohio State is 3-3 against the spread at home this year …
Indiana is 3-0 ATS on the road …
The total went under in 6 of Ohio State’s last 7 games …
Indiana is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road …
Ohio State is 8-4 against the spread in its last 12 home games …
Indiana is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road against Ohio State …
Ohio State is 4-2 against the spread in its last 6 games in November …
The total went over in 7 of Indiana’s last 9 games …
A plurality of bettors expect the Hoosiers to give the Buckeyes a good scare this weekend, according to the spread consensus picks for the game.
Indiana is getting 66 percent of bets to either win outright in an upset, or to keep the margin under a dozen points in a loss.
The other 44 percent of wagers project Ohio State will win the game and cover the big spread.
The game’s implied score suggests a comfortable win for the Buckeyes against the Hoosiers.
When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Ohio State will defeat Indiana by a projected score of 32 to 21.
Our early pick: Indiana +11.5 … Ohio State hasn’t performed well against the spread and its defense has been prone to exposure by aggressive passing offenses. Buckeyes by 10.
When: Sat., Nov. 23
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: Fox network
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
Indiana
Desperate family of pregnant Indiana mom of four who vanished in October begs for public’s help with search
Desperate family and friends of a pregnant mother of four who disappeared in Indiana last month are hoping to rally support to bring her — and her possibly newborn child — home.
Emma Baum, 25, was last seen at her boyfriend’s house in Gary, Ind. on Oct. 10, her family said. She was heavily pregnant at the time and likely due in just days.
“We are looking for my sister. She was one centimeter dilated on October 4. She has been missing since October 10,” Baum’s sister, Abigale Smith, said at a press conference on Friday.
“At this point, we have done everything we can, and now we ask the public to please help us.”
Jamie Baum, Emma’s mother, believes her daughter’s boyfriend had something to do with her sudden disappearance.
“I would like my daughter home. We miss her. Her babies need her. Her family needs her,” she said at the press conference.
Emma’s boyfriend has since been taken into custody, but in connection to an unrelated case for a failure to appear warrant, Gary police Commander Jack Hamady said.
A missing persons report wasn’t filed for Emma until Oct. 28 — 18 days after she was last seen at her boyfriend’s house.
Police say that they have dedicated their search efforts to the three primary locations that have come up during the investigation and are pivoting to scour old video footage in the areas where Emma was last seen.
The young mom is approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 136 pounds. She frequently wears wigs and different hair pieces but is naturally a brunette.
“We love you, Emma. And if you can hear us, there is nothing that you have done to make any of us stop loving you. We trust that somebody knows something and we want her home,” Smith said.
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