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Willard Park neighbors fight Indiana upkeep of former women’s prison

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Willard Park neighbors fight Indiana upkeep of former women’s prison


To residents of Willard Park, the arrival of a development car at the previous Indiana Girls’s Jail grounds in early March was each troubling and a sign of long-awaited change. 

The almost 140-year-old jail was transformed into the Division of Correction’s Indianapolis Re-Entry Facility (IREF) in 2009. However that closed in 2017, and neighborhood advocates say the 15-acre website has been an intensifying eyesore ever since. 

Joey Newsom, president of Willard Park Neighborhood Affiliation instructed IndyStar: “It’s trying horrid. There are fence elements damaged down. There’s overgrowth. There’s fallen limbs. There’s trash in every single place.” 

Will Pritchard, who lives two blocks away, in Woodruff Place, known as it “one of the vital dilapidated properties on the east facet.

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“And satirically,” he stated, “it’s owned by the state.” 

What’s occurring on the former Indiana Girls’s Jail?

The state had beforehand introduced the positioning was being thought-about as a location for the brand new state archives, however it in the end was not chosen for that challenge. As exercise round IREF picks up, they and others within the space are involved the state is making ready for main developments of their yard with out together with them. 

Residents’ issues aren’t confined to the neighborhood. At an April 19 discussion board, candidates for state senate District 46 instructed residents they shared related frustrations with the state’s actions, or lack thereof, surrounding potential improvement on the website. 

“I’ve already reached out to (Division of Administration) people to get solutions,” Democratic candidate Karla Lopez-Owens stated, “and I really feel like we’re getting the run round.” 

The lone Republican candidate, Evan Shearin, stated his primary prime concern was giving the group a voice. “That they’ll let this state property languish and crumble and turn into an eyesore within the neighborhood,” Shearin stated, “is actually unacceptable.” 

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Residents stated they’ve not too long ago seen elevated exercise round IREF, together with the looks of development automobiles. Though change is welcomed, many worry the state has plans that they are being excluded from. 

A consultant from IDOA knowledgeable IndyStar that cleanup and demolition of IREF will start this spring.

Simply two miles east of Monument Circle, IREF is bordered by residential buildings on all 4 sides; an space Newsom considers “ultimate” for redevelopment. Due to the property’s measurement and site, Newsom stated, “No matter occurs right here goes to have an effect on our entire group.”

Which is why Newsom, Pritchard and different residents within the space stated they have been pleading with state officers for transparency.

Residents ‘worry’ state performing with out their pursuits

After years of emptiness, Newsom stated the primary time he heard something about state improvement plans for IREF was in October 2021.

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Indianapolis Enterprise Journal reported that Indiana officers deliberate to construct a 50,000-square-foot state archive on the former IREF website, housing historic paperwork just like the state structure.

Newsom stated discovering this data second-handedly was a significant misstep by Division of Administration officers overseeing the challenge, who he stated failed to think about the neighborhood’s pursuits.

He questions how such a “big” improvement in the midst of a residential neighborhood can proceed whereas both ignoring or dismissing the group surrounding it. 

“As a result of this can be a state company,” Newsom stated, “do they really feel like they’ll simply do these items with impunity?”

In November, the month after the article was launched, Newsom and Pritchard joined seven others to type the IREF Advocacy Alliance, believing their mixed energy may get them in entrance of state officers. 

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“The committee’s major goal,” Pritchard stated, “is having enter within the resolution.”

In an e mail to IndyStar, a consultant from IDOA stated the division has met with neighborhood residents a number of instances and listened to their issues. 

Relating to group enter for future developments, IDOA wrote they’re “dedicated to internet hosting group conferences to present all within the neighborhood the chance to precise their concepts within the coming months.” 

Historic fencing still surrounds part of the former Indiana Women's Prison on Randolph St., Wednesday, March 9, 2022, in Indianapolis. Neighbors want a say in the future of the historic sight and for historic buildings and fencing to be saved. The 15 acre sight surrounded by homes, was the first women's prison in the country, operating for 136 years until it moved to the west side of Indianapolis.

Pritchard and Newsom really feel otherwise. 

After they met with IDOA commissioner Rebecca Holwerda in December, they stated they had been instructed the state is contemplating the positioning for state archives however that it wasn’t conclusive. They stated they had been instructed demolition would start this 12 months however weren’t given a begin date. They stated they had been instructed they’d be told of subsequent steps; however as they’ve witnessed vans, trailers, dump vans and excavators come and go from the realm, Newsom and Pritchard stated they’re caught speculating.

The worry, Pritchard stated, is that IDOA has its personal plans for improvement with out making an allowance for how the group feels.

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He stated within the assembly with Holwerda they voiced opposition to the positioning changing into an archive. As a substitute, they proposed the realm be utilized in accordance with any of the three agendas outlined in both the Close to Eastside High quality of Life Plan; the federally designated IndyEast Promise Zone; or in Governor Holcomb’s plan for the close to east facet as certainly one of Indiana’s twenty first Century Expertise Areas.  

The Close to East High quality of Life Plan emphasizes bodily areas for arts and tradition, assist sustaining and increasing close to east facet enterprise, and rising choices for adults to enroll in profession and academic coaching. Indy East Promise Zone consists of targets like reasonably priced housing and redevelopment, job creation and financial exercise. Each plans advocate for group enter in future developments. 

Pritchard stated he left the assembly with Holwerda with out clear solutions and unhopeful that sufficient group engagement was more likely to occur shifting ahead.

Communication stalls whereas additional exercise develops

IREF Advocacy Alliance and its members have despatched letters to the governor, emails to IDOA and contacted two state senators and a state consultant trying to find readability.  

State Sen. Jean Breaux, who represents District 34, which consists of IREF, stated she met with workers within the governor’s workplace in January concerning residents’ issues.

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“They simply need the state to speak with them. And we’ve been making an attempt to get that to occur,” Breaux stated. “It’s not one thing that appears to be very simple, and I don’t perceive why it isn’t.” 

IREF Advocacy Alliance founders, Will Pritchard, left, and Joey Newsom, right, are photographed in front of the historic iron gates of the former Indiana Women's Prison on Randolph St., Wednesday, March 9, 2022, in Indianapolis. The men who live near the prison campus and fellow neighbors want a say in future development at the historic site. The 15 acre campus is unique in that it's surrounded by homes, and was the first women's prison in the country. It operated for 136 years until it moved to the west side of Indianapolis.

Whereas communication stalled, residents stated exercise continued to unfold across the IREF website.

Electrical energy was minimize off from sure elements of the constructing, creating issues for neighborhood security at night time. This prompted one other e mail from IREF Advocacy Alliance to Holwerda and IDOA on March 11. 

Members wrote they’ve had “not one of the group engagement” they had been instructed they’d have after December’s assembly, nor seen maintenance of the amenities or obtained any response to electrical energy issues. 

Holwerda emailed a response the identical day, a duplicate of which was supplied to IndyStar, and reemphasized that there was no willpower on the archive or a longtime date to start demolition at IREF. She didn’t tackle the electrical energy issues. 

She wrote that residents could be engaged with “on the applicable time” for enter, and that IREF was nonetheless in consideration for the archive. 

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4 days later, Gov. Eric Holcomb’s workplace introduced the state’s resolution for the archives to be inbuilt downtown Indianapolis, close to the Canal. The press launch additionally included updates for IREF, stating that it can “transfer ahead with a feasibility research” to find out the positioning’s future.

“I used to be relieved that the state determined to not pursue the archives constructing on the positioning with out participating the group,” Newsom stated. “This provides the state one other alternative to now to interact us with no matter goes to be there, and hopefully not do the identical factor they did after they first introduced the archives constructing.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Brandon Drenon at 317-517-3340 or BDrenon@gannett.com. Comply with him on Twitter: @BrandonDrenon.

Brandon can be a Report for America corps member with the GroundTruth Venture, an impartial, nonpartisan, nonprofit information group devoted to supporting the subsequent technology of journalists within the U.S. and world wide.

Report for America, funded by each non-public and public donors, covers as much as 50% of a reporter’s wage. It’s as much as IndyStar to seek out the opposite half, via area people donors, benefactors, grants or different fundraising actions.

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If you want to make a private, tax-deductible contribution to his place, you may make a one-time donation on-line or a recurring month-to-month donation through IndyStar.com/RFA.

You too can donate by verify, payable to “The GroundTruth Venture.” Ship it to Report for America, IndyStar, c/o The GroundTruth Venture, 10 Visitor Avenue, Boston, MA 02135. Please put IndyStar/Report for America within the verify memo line.





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Indiana

Purdue vs Indiana Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, QB Matchup, Betting Trends and Stats

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Purdue vs Indiana Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, QB Matchup, Betting Trends and Stats


Indiana is coming off its first loss of the season and welcomes Purdue to town for Senior Day.

The Indiana Hoosiers are 10-1 with its first loss of the season coming at Ohio State (38-15). Indiana dropped to No. 10 in the AP Poll and will likely be on the backend of the teams in for the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but a convincing win here would help. Indiana has been one of the best against-the-spread (ATS) teams in the country and as a -29 point home favorite, all signs point to Curt Cignetti and company rolling.

Not much has gone right for the 1-10 Purdue Boilermakers. After the 49-0 win over FCS Indiana State, Purdue has lost 10 straight games with seven out of 10 losses coming by 17 or more points. Purdue lost to Michigan State 24-17 last week and has two OT losses this year, but this road game seems out of reach for the Boilermakers.

NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from BetMGM, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.

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Listen to the B1G Talk podcast with Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle for the most compelling storylines across all ofcollege football, with the biggest teams on the rise and the latest rankings!

Game Details and How to watch Purdue @ Indiana

  • Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
  • Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Site: Indiana University Memorial Stadium
  • City: Bloomington, IN
  • TV/Streaming: Fox Sports 1

Want to check out the other games on the College Football schedule this week? We’ve got you covered right here on NBC Sports with all the matchup, venue, game-time and TV/streaming info so you won’t miss any of the action!

Game odds for Purdue @ Indiana

The latest odds as of Tuesday afternoon:

o Moneyline: Indiana (-6500), Purdue (+2000)

o Spread: Indiana -29 (-110)

o Total: 56.5 points

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*odds courtesy of BetMGM

The spread opened at Indiana -25.5, so heavy money is pouring in on the Hoosiers. That is no surprise since Indiana is on the cusp of a College Football Playoff. The total has no movement.

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) has the following best bets between Purdue and Indiana:

“The Indiana Hoosiers suffered the first loss of the season last week at Ohio State (38-15) and need to bounce back dominantly to secure a College Football Playoff berth.

Indiana’s First Half Team Total is 23.5, which might seem mighty lofty, but it’s certainly within range and so is a 50-point game for the Hoosiers. At home, Indiana has scored 17, 17, 14, 31, and 21 first-half points versus DI opponents this season for 20.0 first-half points per game.

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Purdue’s defense hasn’t taken any steps forward this season. In the last seven games, the Boilermakers have allowed 24, 21, 21, 17, 21, 24, and 21 first-half points, so this number is nothing Indiana cannot do.”

BetMGM College Football Insights: National Championship

Line movement (Last Week to Now)

  • Ohio State +320 to +275
  • Georgia +500 to +400
  • Texas +500 to +450

Highest Ticket%

  • Ohio State 13.4%
  • Texas 11.1%
  • Georgia 10.5%

Highest Handle%

  • Ohio State 15.9%
  • Georgia 14.9%
  • Alabama 12.1%

Biggest Liabilities

  • Colorado
  • Ohio State
  • Alabama

College Football talk is taking over Bet the Edge every Thursday throughout the season. Bet the EDGE is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Vaughn Dalzell, Eric Froton, and Brad Thomas’ insights Thursdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Quarterback matchup for Boilermakers @ Hoosiers

  • Purdue: Hudson Card threw for a season-high 342 passing yards against Michigan State last week on 26-of-47. Card has nine touchdowns to six interceptions on the year and 1,606 passing yards.
  • Indiana: Kurtis Rourke has had a phenomenal season that has begun to be derailed slightly by injury. Rourke has 274 combined passing yards in the past two games and had zero touchdowns to zero interceptions last week. On the season, Rourke has 21 touchdowns to four interceptions for 2,478 passing yards and a 69.6 completion percentage.

Boilermakers @ Hoosiers player news & recent stats

  • Purdue is 3-8 ATS this season, ranking tied for fifth-worst.
  • Indiana is 8-3 ATS this season, ranking tied for seventh-best.
  • Indiana is 8-3 to the Over this season, ranking third-best.
  • Indiana is 5-2 ATS this year at home and 4-3 to the Over.
  • Purdue is 2-3 ATS this season as the road team and 3-2 to the Over.
  • Kurtis Rouke threw for zero touchdowns and zero interceptions last week.
  • Hudson Card threw a season-high 342 passing yards last week.

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Eric Froton (@CFFroton)





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IU trip to Bahamas will reveal a lot about Hoosiers, who can’t come home empty-handed

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IU trip to Bahamas will reveal a lot about Hoosiers, who can’t come home empty-handed


BLOOMINGTON – Indiana heads to The Bahamas this week with plenty to gain — and plenty to prove.

The Hoosiers placed virtually all their nonconference emphasis on their first-ever trip to Battle 4 Atlantis, and they cannot afford to come home without some quality wins pocketed from a Thanksgiving spent on Paradise Island.

What makes this a successful holiday tournament trip? Five thoughts …

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Greater consistency

Through four wins in four games, we’ve seen the idea of Indiana burst through the clouds. Stretches when the Hoosiers’ array of talent and experience makes them virtually unplayable at both ends of the floor, when even a high-major opponent like South Carolina looked simply overwhelmed.

We haven’t seen it often enough, though.

In a way, that’s fine. No basketball team should be fully formed in November. Anyone playing their best right now is in big trouble come March.

But IU needs it this week. A reasonable path through this tournament will see games against top-50 competition at least once, probably multiple times. That means opportunity, but it also means the hot-and-cold performances thus far need to be smoothed over a little more. Those windows into what Indiana can be need to open a little wider this week.

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Point guard play

Myles Rice has been outstanding through these first four games. Trey Galloway has had moments, as he continues his steady progress back to full fitness following offseason knee surgery. Indiana will need their best this week.

In settings like these, players with their creativity and experience, are crucial. Sightlines are weird. The whole environment can make shooting difficult. The teams that can force the ball to the rim and either finish or draw fouls (or both) have an added advantage.

The axiom in basketball that guards win games generally always applies. But in neutral venues, when certain elements of a team’s offense might be stunted, the ability to force action and either score or create moving downhill — something both Galloway and Rice have shown proficiency in doing — becomes invaluable. Both players must deliver in The Bahamas.

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Rebound the ball

It was too often a problem last season, and it’s been too often a problem this season.

Yes, Indiana is playing smaller. And yes, games like UNC Greensboro can go a little sideways in this department when an overmatched opponent chucks and chases because it knows there’s little point in trying to attack the rim.

But a team with IU’s size and athleticism cannot be a sub-200 team in opponent offensive rebound rate. The Hoosiers cannot afford to be so poor in closing out possessions. This team will undermine its offensive improvement and its athletic advantages if it continues to be so poor on the glass.

Indiana doesn’t need to be (and probably won’t ever be) dominant here. That’s not how the Hoosiers are constructed. But they are and must be better than they’ve been so far in this area, and three games in three days against demanding competition will require immediate improvement.

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Mackenzie Mgbako’s continued growth

Indiana’s leading scorer had his quietest game of the season Thursday, scoring just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting and seeing his second-half playing time eaten into by Bryson Tucker’s bench performance. Everyone’s allowed a bad day at the office.

But Mgbako would do well to ensure he leaves those at home this week. IU’s most dynamic offensive player early in the season, Mgbako has flashed three-level scoring potential the likes of which few players with his size and athleticism can claim.

Few teams, even good ones, have adequate cover for a 6-8 wing who can shoot from multiple levels and finish around the rim the way Mgbako does. Couple that to improved rebounding and defense, and when he’s on, Mgbako is perhaps this team’s biggest individual game changer.

A microcosm of his team’s task this time of year, Mgbako needs to strive for consistency in those areas. Make the off nights few and far between. Find ways to impact games in multiple ways, and shift the way he scores to suit what his opponent struggles against.

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This week is a good test for Indiana, and it’s certainly a good test for Mackenzie Mgbako. Both will get a better look at their ceiling in Atlantis.

Quality wins

It’s the simplest and most important storyline following Indiana to the islands.

The Hoosiers put all their faith in this tournament, in terms of being able to add quality to their NCAA tournament in nonconference play. Barring a surprise breakout from South Carolina, IU isn’t likely to beat anyone of meaning from a NET perspective anywhere but in Atlantis.

That represents a calculated gamble for Mike Woodson, whose program learned the hard way how far behind the eight ball an empty-calorie nonconference resume can set a team from an NCAA tournament perspective. The Hoosiers cannot repeat that this year.

Which means they need to make hay in the sunshine in Atlantis. Louisville might stand up as a decent win, somewhere between Quads 1 and 2. Gonzaga and/or Arizona would be worthwhile scalps. Oklahoma, Providence and West Virginia all might be in time.

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Whatever its performances, Indiana needs to leave The Bahamas with some wins, or it will leave itself with a lot to do in conference play to ensure Selection Sunday isn’t a stressful experience.

Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.



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Where is Indiana basketball ranked going into the Battle 4 Atlantis?

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Where is Indiana basketball ranked going into the Battle 4 Atlantis?


BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball heads to the Bahamas as a top 15 team.

The undefeated Hoosiers (4-0; 0-0) jumped three spots in the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll to No. 15 and two spots in the latest AP Poll to No. 14. They spent nine weeks ranked in the top 15 of the AP Poll during the 2022-23 season.

Indiana will compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis this week starting with a game at noon on Wednesday against Louisville. No. 4 Gonzaga and West Virginia are on the same side of the bracket and No. 23 Arizona is also among the teams in the field.

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The tournament is IU’s only chance to pick up any wins away from Assembly Hall during its non-conference schedule.

Indiana beat Louisville, 74-66, in last year’s Empire Classic. The Cardinals parted ways with Kenny Payne and hired Pat Kelsey as his replacement. They head into the event 3-1 this season — they suffered a 22-point loss to a Tennessee team that IU defeated in a pre-season exhibition — without a single returning player in their starting lineup.

The Hoosiers have won all four of their games by double-digits and averaging more than 80 points per game with four of their five starters — Mackenzie Mgbako (18.8 points per game), Myles Rice (14.8), Malik Reneau (13.5 points) and Oumar Ballo — averaging in the double-digits.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

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