INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Valentine’s Day is two days away, and flower shops across Indy are in overdrive.

News 8 stopped by to check in on the Flower Boys at Fletcher Place on Thursday morning. Co-owner Jake Smith says they were preparing for a busy Thursday, Friday, and Valentine’s Day.

Much of the holiday-ordering starts months in advance, Smith says. “This is months in the works, and all of these flowers are ordered months in advance. We’re processing it, prepping it, and putting them in boxes.”

Smith says that for the most popular holiday flowers, roses and tulips have stayed consistent fan favorites over the years. The pricing for roses has also remained the same.

For those who are wondering how to make your flowers last longer, here are Smith’s main tips: 

• Change the water frequently.
• Give the flowers fresh cuts on the stems.

Indianapolis community members are raising alarms after a group of Black teens were dragged from their vehicle by police officers. Video of the shocking interaction has since went viral showing one officer threatening to “kill” 17-year-old Trevion Taylor.

It began when the teenager decided to meet up with some friends — all of whom are between ages 16 and 17 — for an anti-ICE protest happening near Warren Central High School. Taylor graduated from the school early but chose to drive to the event, his mothe told IndyStar News.

While driving with three friends away from the protest, Taylor reportedly noticed a police vehicle following him. He was pulled over at a local gas station only half a mile from the school, according to the outlet. Once Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) officers approached his car, Taylor– who was sitting in the driver’s seat– pulled out his phone and started recording.

Video of the traffic stop was posted to social media. In it, you can see multiple officers surround the teen’s car before one tells Taylor, “We’re gonna get you out here. So when you get out, I’m gonna pull you out, I want you to put your hands on top of the car, OK?”

The teenager asked the unidentified officer why he was being instructed to get out the vehicle. “The car smells like weed,” the officer can be heard saying. “Step out of the car.”

Moments later, officers opened the car doors and pull out Taylor and one teen sitting in the passenger seat. “Yo, what?” Taylor asks as he’s being dragged by his wrists. That’s when one officer says the unthinkable.

“I will f***ing kill you. Do you understand me?” the officer shouts at Taylor, who instantly goes silent. The video continues showing the rest of Taylor’s friends being detained.

Taylor’s mother, Ambar Taylor, uploaded the video and accused Indianapolis PD of racial profiling. “He’s a young Black man. You’ve seen the news 100 times,” she told IndyStar. “My son will not be a victim.”

Now, she’s demanding answers from IMPD, but the officers’ account of the Feb. 6 incident is vastly different from Taylor’s. According to a department statement, officers were monitoring the anti-ICE protest after receiving a tip that students might have guns.

“Officers observed a juvenile male enter a vehicle while in possession of a firearm and initiated a traffic stop once the vehicle was away from others,” the statement read. Police said Taylor failed to signal during a lane change, which triggered the stop. Still, the department addressed the officer’s threats against the 17-year-old.

“While the video does not show the entire incident, some of the language heard does not reflect the standards or values of the IMPD,” the statement continued.

President of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police Rick Snyder released a statement defending the police. He called the video “incomplete” adding that the officers’ tactics were reasonable, according to WISH-TV. An internal investigation is underway.

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This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

The Purdue Polytechnic High School board of directors will close the charter network’s South Bend location amid financial challenges while it focuses on the long-term stability of its two remaining Indianapolis campuses.

The decision comes amid declining enrollment at both its South Bend and Broad Ripple campuses that could signal a broader enrollment challenge for both traditional public and charter schools. The South Bend location served 112 students this year, according to state enrollment records.

PPHS declined an interview through a public relations professional and did not answer specific questions about the South Bend closure. And it’s unclear if the network still has plans for a third Indianapolis location as previously planned.

In June, OEI issued a notice of deficiency for the network’s two Indianapolis campuses that cited concerns over financial reporting and missed enrollment targets at the Broad Ripple campus.

But in a statement last week, OEI Executive Director Shaina Cavazos said the school is well-positioned to build strong fiscal health based on recent performance and enrollment trends.

“Throughout my communication with the board and school leadership, it has been clear the focus remains on building strong fiscal health for the Indianapolis schools,” Cavazos said.

In South Bend, a partnership with the Career Academy Network of Public Schools — another charter network with four schools in South Bend — allows PPHS South Bend students to be offered priority enrollment at Career Academy schools next school year, the network said in a press release. South Bend staff members will also be able to interview for open positions at Career Academy locations.

Fast growth in first campus sparks quick launch of two others

PPHS launched in Indianapolis in 2017 with the support of former Governor and then-Purdue University President Mitch Daniels. The high school model focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math with a goal of increasing the number of historically underserved students of color attending Purdue University.

The network’s first location in the east side area of Englewood, approved by the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation, grew by one grade each year and has since seen year-over-year enrollment growth with 617 students this year, according to state enrollment records.

The network launched two other locations in quick succession. In 2019-20, PPHS North, also approved by OEI, opened with 64 students and later moved into Broad Ripple Middle School through a partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools. The next year, PPHS opened its South Bend campus.

But both of those locations have been losing students in recent years. In Broad Ripple, enrollment has dropped from its high of 283 in 2022-23 to 220 this school year, well below the maximum 600 threshold that the school pitched to the mayor’s office in its application.