INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Latino Expo 2025 Awards Gala will take place on December 12 at La Flaca at The Square in Indianapolis, celebrating the achievements of the Latino community.

This gala marks the quinceanera of the Indiana Latino Expo, celebrating 15 years of recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Latino community in areas such as civil rights, health, arts, and entertainment.

“What I love about it, too, is all these people and organizations that are going to be honored, they don’t do what they do for that,” said Charles Garcia with the Indiana Latino Expo. “It’s really an opportunity for you guys to say, hey, we see the work that you’re doing behind the scenes.”

The event promises a night filled with entertainment, delicious food, and inspiring stories, providing an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate their achievements.

Sponsors for the gala include McDonald’s, Indianapolis Airport, Old National, and WISH-TV, highlighting the support from various sectors for the Latino community.

DJ Rican will be providing entertainment, ensuring a lively atmosphere where attendees can relax, dance, and enjoy the evening.

Charles Garcia emphasized the importance of recognizing the hard work and dedication of those who contribute to the community, often sacrificing personal time to make a positive impact.

The Indiana Latino Expo 2025 Awards Gala is set to be a memorable event, celebrating the contributions and achievements of the Latino community in Indiana. Attendees can look forward to a night of recognition and fellowship, marking the end of the year with a celebration of community and impact.

INDIANAPOLIS — Salt and plow truck drivers work tirelessly through winter to keep the roads clear. Have you ever wondered how they prepare for their shift?

Indianapolis Department of Public Works is currently running twelve-hour rotating shifts. This is to keep up with multiple rounds of ice, snow, and cold temperatures.

WRTV went to the 11 a.m. shift change at one of the DPW’s buildings on Thursday.

As B-shift employees exited the building, groups of A-shifters filtered in and waited for their group briefing.

“A shift, good morning, good morning!” greeted William Walker, superintendent of District 3.

Walker was speaking to the group of incoming A-shift employees. They gathered in a large circle around Walker. Some stood; others found benches or couches to lounge on through the meeting.

Walker described the forecast and potential impacts on all the workers.

“The game plan today is the weather advisory is in effect,” Walker said. “Snow expected late tonight, continuing into Friday morning. There’s a potential for sticking on untreated pavement.”

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Walker went on to take roll call and give drivers their assignments for the day.

“You’re going to get your trucks, check them out, make sure they’re fueled up, have salt in them,” Walker spoke to the group of drivers. “Ready to go when we deploy at three o’clock today.”

After the meeting, drivers went outside to the row of waiting salt and plow trucks. Some performed maintenance, others were doing walk-arounds to ensure all their equipment was working properly.

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Today’s challenge was the shifting weather: from treating for freezing drizzle in the morning to focusing on what they call the ‘snow fight’ in the evening.

Dewayne Clemmons, Chief Union Steward, shared what happens once the drivers are deployed.

“It depends on the inclement weather that we get,” Clemmons said. “We approach it differently.”

“There’s times that we’ve gotten so much snow that we just pause the salting, and just go strictly into a plowing operation, because at that point, all we’re doing is just wasting salt,” Clemmons continued.

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Adam Pinsker, spokesperson for DPW, shared more of the process.

“When the snow comes, they’ll be out plowing.,” Pinsker said of the crews. “That’ll start as soon as the first bit of snow comes down. It can be tricky because some parts of the city, like the last snow event we had, certain parts of the city got three or four inches, and other parts got less than two inches. So it does vary by where you are in Indianapolis.”

Decisions to pause salting and move to plowing come from the Operations team. This is communicated to the different districts and ultimately communicated to each driver.

Even though the group of drivers has a plan when leaving the briefing at the start of the shift, the plan often shifts as the forecast unfolds.

In Thursday night’s instance, A-shifters will continue plowing roads until 11 p.m., when B-shift returns for their next 12-hour shift.

The work doesn’t stop once the snow has been plowed.

“Then we go back to salting, to start breaking it up, and try to get it down to bare pavement,” continued Dewayne Clemmons.

From December 1 through April 1, drivers are not allowed to take scheduled vacations. This is in addition to working the rotating 12-hour shifts when the weather demands it.

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It’s a lot of work, but there is a support team for the drivers. There were countless other workers on-site at the changing of shifts.

“We also have Indianapolis Fleet Services. They’re there to make sure that these vehicles are maintenanced if there’s a problem,” Pinsker told WRTV. “We have laborers who work back here at the salt barns and in the facilities. We have supervisors who are out here, so it takes an entire team to support our drivers and make sure they have what they need to succeed in this snow fight.”

During the A-shift prep meeting, Clemmons encouraged the group.

“It looks like we may be in this until Sunday,” Clemmons said. “It don’t look like it’s going to be as long as our last snow fight. We do appreciate you guys coming in. We’re spending more time with each other than we’re spending with our own families. So again, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

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What can everyday drivers do to help these hardworking DPW drivers during their next snow fight?

“When these trucks are out on the roads, just give them their space, because they’re trying to make the roads safe for the city of Indianapolis,” Clemmons concluded.

There used to be a holiday tradition in Precious Sarver’s home. Two Christmas trees. One for her, one for the kids.

This year, there’s only one tree.

It cost $5 at the dollar store. And it’s sitting on a table in the family’s eastside hotel room, where they’ve been living for more than a month.

“I do everything right,” Sarver said through tears, “and I end up here.”

Sarver, 46, said she and her three children had no choice after a landlord forced them out in hopes of charging more in rent to the next tenant.

Sarver spent some time looking for another place to live, but even the search is expensive. She estimated spending a couple hundred dollars just on application fees. The housing search became even more difficult after the death of her mother.

Now, Sarver is paying $343 each week for the hotel room. There are two full beds, an air mattress, TV, fridge and microwave.

“Look where I’m at,” she said. “I never would’ve thought in a million years that I’d be homeless.”

Sarver has already told her kids that Christmas will have to wait this year. That was after not being able to make them a Thanksgiving meal.

But the tree wasn’t optional. It’s an all-white miniature version, sharing table space with boxes of cereal and paper plates. The family loves the holiday season. Her oldest son counts down the days until B105.7 FM starts playing Christmas music.

“We do the Christmas thing,” Sarver said.

The only thing missing from the tree is ornaments. Those are sitting in one of the two storage units that Sarver is paying $180 for each month.

‘I can’t be the only one’

Sarver said she’s not the only one struggling at the hotel. There’s a mother with five or six kids, and another woman who just gave birth.

“I can’t be the only one,” she said. “I gotta imagine older people going through this is insane.”

They’re part of what homelessness advocates sometimes call the “hidden homeless.” They live out of their cars or double up with friends and family. Or, in Sarver’s case, they end up in an extended-stay hotel.

“Most of the people that clean this place live here with their kids,” she said.

Even outside of the hotel, Sarver can see the extent of the homelessness crisis in Indianapolis. There’s a woman who sits in the cold with a blanket, Sarver said, and no socks.

“So I stopped and gave her a McChicken,” she said. “I don’t have anything else.”

‘I know God’s got a plan’

Sarver said she takes pride in doing the right thing: paying bills on time, helping others, volunteering at a local school.

Things only got worse for Sarver’s family when she accidentally dropped $520 in the hotel hallway.

Security footage shows a man picking it up and walking away.

“That was my phone bill, food money, gas,” she said.

That money also could have helped Sarver cover a security deposit, which she said is one of the biggest obstacles between her family and a home. Plus, Sarver has a nerve condition in both legs that requires her to use a cane, so finding a home isn’t only about money. She also needs something accessible.

Sarver collects about $1,900 a month in disability payments between her and her youngest son, who has special needs. And she gets help paying rent through the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s Section 8 program.

But the program doesn’t help with a security deposit.

For that, Sarver said she’d need to come up with about $1,700.

It’s hard to see where that money will come from.

“But I know God’s got a plan,” she said. “It’s gotta be something else for us.”

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.

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