Indianapolis, IN
‘Great Day TV:’ Remembering the Eskenazi couple’s legacy of generosity and compassion
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each and every week, “Great Day TV” shares information, entertainment, and news you can use.
During this week’s segment, host Patty Spitler is joined by News 8’s Stacy Schooler and Dr. Lisa Harris from Eskenazi health, to honor and remember the philanthropists behind a $40 million gift to Eskenazi Health, Lois and Sidney Eskenazi.
They are being honored for their contributions to public health care following their recent passings. Sidney was 95 years old at the time of his death and Lois was 92.
The donation marked the largest gift ever given to a public health facility at the time it was made. Dr. Harris says the couple’s generosity was fueled by Sidney’s childhood experiences as a resident of the south side of Indianapolis, where the hospital served as his family’s primary source of medical care.
Harris recalled the first time she and Ernie Vargo, president and chief executive officer of the Eskenazi Health Foundation, met with the couple and their daughter, Sandy. Harris described a four-hour conversation dominated by Sid’s stories of hard work, humility and compassion while Lois interjected with warmth and wit.
“The love that they shared was palpable,” Harris said. “Everything we would get to know about them was there in that first conversation.”
Lois was described as a woman who valued individual dignity and made everyone feel important. Harris said the couple lived below their means and Lois had no interest in expensive items.
“As Sid began to do well, he wanted to buy Lois nice things and she had no interest in that,” Harris said. “She wanted to keep it simple.”
When the gift was first announced, the family met with hundreds of hospital staff members who wanted to express their gratitude. Harris remembered Lois wearing a white jacket that day that became covered with makeup from the many employees who hugged her. Harris noted that the family treated the hospital staff as part of their own family.
Dr. Harris said the hospital will maintain the standards set by the couple.
“The way we honor their legacy is that we continue to work hard and we continue to care,” Harris said. “We continue to work hard and care and that is what they would want.”
Indianapolis, IN
South Bend prepares for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – South Bend is officially in “This is May” mode.
The Tire Rack’s corporate headquarters on Wednesday night was one of the race themed community events popping up across Indiana ahead of the Indy 500.
It is all part of the buildup to the 110th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Organizers say the point is simple, get people together, decorate, and have fun.
Across the state, you will start seeing checkered flags, black and white drapes and homemade race day decor on porches and at businesses.
“When you say Indianapolis 500, you say Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it has Indianapolis in the name, but it really is an Indiana asset. The reason it is getting ready to have its 110th running of the Indy 500 is because of the way this entire state has embraced it,” said Doug Boles president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indy Car series. “The Indianapolis 500 and the Speedway is responsible for about $1.1 billion in economic impact across our state.”
In South Bend, it is a reminder that you do not have to be in Indianapolis to feel the buzz.
Stay up to date on local news with WNDU on-air and online. Be sure to download the 16 News Now App and follow our YouTube page as we continue to bring you the latest news coverage.
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WSBT) — We are just over a month away from one of the biggest events in racing.
Preparations are underway for the Indianapolis 500.
Street signs are being unveiled in Indianapolis, one for each of the IndyCar drivers.
Those drivers were on hand to help hang their own sign.
“It’s like the first tradition that kind of kicks off the month of May for us internally. So yeah, I’m excited. I’m excited to hit the track soon and see how the cars feel this year,” said Alex Palou, four-time IndyCar Series champion
All signs will be up by the end of the week.
The big race is Sunday, May 24th.
You can watch the 110th running over on FOX Michiana.
Trump repeals landmark EPA climate endangerment finding
President Trump’s repeal of the endangerment finding eliminates the legal basis for regulations that target air pollution from greenhouse gases.
Indianapolis and the surrounding metropolitan area failed a number of critical air pollution measures in the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report.
The ALA’s annual nationwide report published each spring gives the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie metro area an “F” in smog and soot pollution. The report analyzes emissions data over a three-year period from 2022 to 2024.
Smog is ground-level ozone pollution and soot is particulate matter. The two comprise two of the six commonly found air pollutants in the United States according to the EPA.
Both pollutants form in part when coal-fired power plants and diesel engines burn fossil fuels. Smog and soot can cause premature death and other serious health hazards such as heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, asthma and cognitive decline, according to the ALA.
The lung health report ranks the central Indiana metro area in a number of categories with the region performing poorly in most. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie ranked the 11th most polluted area for year-round particle pollution and 14th for short-term particle pollution.
Indiana children at risk from air pollution
And the rest of the state fares little better.
More than 670,000 Hoosier children breath unhealthy levels of air pollution, the report says.
This year’s report focus on the risk to youth that polluted air can pose. Small lungs are particularly vulnerable, said Tiffany Nichols, ALA director of advocacy.
“Infants, children and teens have lungs that are still developing, which makes them more susceptible to the impacts of unhealthy air,” Nichols said.
To prevent today’s youth from developing diseases related to polluted air, the American Lung Association has been asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop rolling back clean air rules put in place by previous administrations. The Indiana chapter has also asked state lawmakers to take steps to protect air quality.
Nichols grew up on the northwest side of Indy where the neighborhoods had been demolished to build I-65. Nearby trees were torn down to make way for the highway that would bring cars and trucks emitting harmful exhaust.
“So, then you have these areas that are essentially like a pocket of unhealthy air, and then those neighborhoods also had a lot of factories,” Nichols said. “That exacerbated health conditions in many of those communities that are oftentimes less fortunate already.”
Data centers and rollbacks
While air pollutants have existed for centuries, the rise of data centers poses a new threat. State and local lawmakers, Nichols said, should also pay attention to these new potential sources of pollution both in Indiana and across the country.
“We’re asking that those companies that are interested in putting data centers in communities work with the local community,” Nichols said. “Since data centers have the potential to be another source of pollution we also ask that they use renewable, zero-ignition energy sources.”
The ALA report also urges the U.S. EPA to recommit to protecting people’s health from harmful air pollution.
This year, the EPA has gone on what Administrator Lee Zeldin has characterized as a deregulation campaign that environmental advocates in Indiana have charged will lead to “death by 1,000 cuts.”
The current EPA, the American Lung Association report says, has “retreated from its public health foundation by rolling back clean air protections.”
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
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