Rain and the freeze-and-thaw cycle wreak havoc on Indianapolis’ streets. Here’s how potholes form and how they’re fixed.
Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com
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As a taxpaying citizen of Indiana, I am outraged to read in IndyStar that House Roads and Transportation Chair Jim Pressel wants Marion County to address our potholes and maintain the county’s nearly 8,500 lane miles of roads by allowing us to raise taxes to meet funding needs.
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Pressel and his fellow rural Republican legislators support a lane-mile funding formula that gives as much money to a one-lane county road as to six lanes for a street such as Keystone Avenue. Our county receives about half the lane-mile funding as most other counties. We also get 11 cents per every dollar our taxpayers generate for the state’s Community Crossings program, while other counties receive $1. Pressel says, “I’m trying to help them help themselves.” He rounds out his subterfuge by saying, “They know they have a problem.”
Yes, we know we have a problem: It’s the Republican-dominated state government with its anti-Indianapolis bias. Don’t they notice the discrepancy when they are in town spending their $196 per-diem staying at our hotels or eating at our restaurants courtesy of corporate lobbyists? Why wouldn’t they want their state’s capital city to thrive and serve as a magnet to attract businesses and new residents to Indiana? Instead, they spend their time trying to dismantle our public school system, put roadblocks in the way of efficient public transportation, prevent us from banning right turns on red, and take our money to prop up their backwoods towns.
When the legislative session is over and Pressel is driving back to Rolling Prairie, let’s hope his mega truck doesn’t hit a pothole, bend a rim and destroy a tire when he hits a pothole within our city limits.
INDIANAPOLIS — A shooting that injured a woman at a hotel on Indianapolis’ south side Saturday night is under investigation.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said officers were called to the Motel 6 in the 4300 block of Southport Crossings Way just after 9:30 p.m. on a report of a person shot.
Arriving officers found a woman who had been shot. She was reported to be in stable condition.
Investigators believe there was an altercation between the woman and a man in a hotel room that led to shots being fired.
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No other information about the incident has been released by police.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis City-County Council president explains her desire for a data center moratorium.
Council President Maggie Lewis wants to put a pause on new data center developments. The proposal comes after months of public pressure from residents and environmental groups who say the city needs stronger rules before allowing more data centers. Now, Lewis says it’s time to hit pause while those questions are answered.
“I’m not saying that we’ll never have a new data center in our community. That’s not what this is about. I understand the importance of economic development in our community, but it is important that we hit pause, do that deep dive, and allow the community and the experts to have an honest conversation about the topic,” Lewis said.
Lewis says she isn’t trying to stop economic development. Instead, she says the city needs more time to fully understand what data centers could mean for Indianapolis before approving additional projects. Lewis says residents have raised questions about the potential impact on utilities, the environment and quality of life, and she believes those concerns deserve a more thorough public discussion before the city moves forward with additional developments.
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“The community really is feeling as if their voices haven’t been heard. I believe it’s important that we bring all the stakeholders to the table and have that honest dialogue,” Lewis said.
Councilman Ron Gibson, who supports bringing data centers to Indianapolis, and he says these projects can bring investment to neighborhoods when they’re built in the right locations.
“This land where they’re going to actually develop it has been vacant for more than 43 years,” Gibson said. “It’s zoned for industrial use. This is really going to enhance our neighborhood. It’s going to bring back life, create more businesses that want to move into our area, and create more opportunity.”
(WISH Photo)
One of the biggest concerns raised by opponents is whether increased demand for electricity and water could create additional costs for taxpayers.
“I believe strongly that the data centers must uphold total costs. I made sure the developer, in writing, is responsible for all utility costs, so none of that rolls over to constituents,” Gibson said.
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Across Indiana, at least 17 counties have approved temporary moratoriums on new data center developments. Marshall and Cass counties have gone even further, banning new facilities altogether.
The committee meeting begins Monday at 5:30 p.m. inside the City-County Building, where members will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning rules and consider Lewis’ amendment for a temporary moratorium. If approved by the committee, the proposal would move to the full City-County Council for further consideration.
INDIANAPOLIS — An investigation is underway after a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash in downtown Indianapolis Saturday morning.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, at around 3:15 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of East Maryland and South Pennsylvania Streets after hearing a loud crash in the area.
Photo of IMPD investigating a hit-and-run crash in downtown Indianapolis on July 11, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.
When officers arrived on scene, they were flagged down by several people stating a pedestrian had been struck. Officers located an adult female who had been on a scooter in the crosswalk of the intersection.
She was transported to an area hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries, IMPD said.
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Investigators said the striking motorist did not stay on scene.
Police are encouraging those with information on the crash to contact Detective Adam Jones at (317) 327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.
