Indianapolis, IN

Hundreds climb Salesforce Tower to fund lung disease research

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2024

Hundreds climb Salesforce Tower to fund lung disease research

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hundreds of people climbed up the stairs of Indiana’s tallest building on Saturday to raise money for charity.

The American Lung Association hosted its 15th Fight for Air Climb at Salesforce Tower in downtown Indianapolis. Just over 500 people signed up before the event on Saturday. Participants were split into two groups — ultimate and general climbers — on their way up 47 flights for the event.

According to Tanya Hussain, the executive director of American Lung Association Indiana, it takes the ultimate climbers about six minutes to go up 47 flights of stairs for the event. Meanwhile, the average climber will take some time between 20 to 30 minutes to complete the trek.

Ultimate climber Jim Campbell is a firefighter in Pike Township. He set a goal of doing the climb 10 times on Saturday.

“Breathing clean air is very important to us, hence the air pack (on our backs),” Campbell said. “I’ve also had a couple of friends die from lung cancer. So, this is a cause that’s very near and dear to my heart. The folks at the American Lung Association are super.”

Also among the ultimate climbers was James Wigginton, who holds the record for climbing and descending 1 million stair steps — which took him 135 days.

The event welcomes many teams to take on the challenge. This year’s top fundraiser was Quarles Climbers for Maddie, raising $6,320 for the nonprofit.

It’s the tenth year Kirsten and Joel Tragesser have organized the team with coworkers and family friends. Over that time, they’ve raised about $116,000.

Like many participants, they have a connection to the cause. The couple lost their daughter Maddie to pulmonary hypertension when she was only three years old.

“Losing a child is one of the most sour things you can experience,” Kirsten said. “You do what you can to make something resembling lemonade, right? This is one way that I do (it), that Joel does at his firm, with our friends and family. It’s just really special.”

Money raised from the event funds the nonprofit’s efforts to research and educate about lung diseases. The American Lung Association also leads efforts in anti-smoking and clean air campaigns.

Local board member Dr. Anthony Ascioti says he sees Hoosiers face the issue every day as the Chief of Surgery at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital.

“Smoking is very big still in Indiana,” Ascioti said. “We see a lot of patients with emphysema, lung cancer, other lung diseases. So it’s a struggle to try and turn that tide. This is part of that process.”

The American Lung Association puts on climbs in 40 cities across the country. Nationally, about 20,000 people participate every year.

Skyscrapers in Boston, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Oakbrook, Illinois, also hosted Fight for Air Climbs on the same weekend.

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

10 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

Published

22 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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Indianapolis, IN

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Brody Robinson had 19 points in Oakland’s 86-74 win against IU Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Robinson added 13 assists for the Golden Grizzlies (16-14, 12-7 Horizon League). Tuburu Niavalurua scored 16 points, going 6 of 10 and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ziare Wells had 14 points and finished 7 of 15 from the field.

Maguire Mitchell led the Jaguars (7-23, 3-16) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and four assists. Kyler D’Augustino added 14 points for IU Indianapolis. Micah Davis also had 12 points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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