Indianapolis, IN
IACS changes background check policy; deputy director calls old practice 'discriminatory'
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Aug. 20 Indianapolis Animal Care Services Board Meeting was contentious.
The tension was caused by a policy change that prohibits adoption coordinators from running criminal background checks on potential adopters through MyCase, the statewide public court records database.
Kelly Diamond, IACS deputy director, said Tuesday the MyCase checks will not return and called the practice discriminatory.
“As far as the MyCase, It’s not coming back,” Diamond said. “Just by the mere fact that people of color are more likely to have records on there, that by itself is discrimination. It introduces biases for things that are not related to a person’s ability to be a good pet owner.”
Diamond refused two times to speak to News 8 in a one-on-one interview to clarify the old policy or provide additional context.
Two IACS employees were recently fired for going against this change, continuing to look, and in some cases, block adoptions from being approved based on the background checks.
News 8 first reported this story on Aug. 7.
Kylee Fox was the first woman to be fired. She said that, to her knowledge, the initial policy told employees to check every potential adopter for any of the following charges:
- Animal cruelty charges within the last three years
- Murder
- Sex offenses
- Domestic violence
- Neglect of a dependent
- Strangulation
She said she felt this put everyone on an equal playing field.
Fox admitted to checking potential pet adopters for a history of animal neglect and cruelty knowing it was against policy. She told News 8 she continued to do background checks after learning a couple with five animal cruelty or abandonment violations readopted their dog after IACS officials confiscated it.
“We expressed our concerns that we felt more like dog distributors because there’s no fees, there’s no background checks,” Fox said.
Makenna Chiddister is another IACS employee fired for checking MyCase, despite telling the shelter she didn’t break the policy.
“I did know Kylee was doing it. I do think it’s something we should do, but I personally didn’t check MyCase,” Chiddister said. “I was fired based on hearsay.”
The two want to see the policy reinstated.
Both of the women attended Tuesday night’s meeting, and many supporters joined them.
“These animals need to have better protection for them so I will continue to try and get this policy reinstated because the vast majority of the public wants it brought back,” Fox said.
Diamond told the crowd that IACS now instructs employees to use Chameleon before an adoption.
Chameleon is an internal Animal Care Services system. It covers Marion County, but only contains data that animal control officers input, according to Fox.
The MyCase system is statewide and has all criminal charges available.
Fox and Chiddister say they believe the policy was removed to help the shelter improve its “live release” numbers without considering if the adopters were fit to be pet owners.
IACS Board Member Chris Roberson also declined two interview requests after the meeting. News 8 was unable to speak to the other board members.
News 8 was unable to find the names or contact information of any of the board members online to contact them to gain further understanding of the policy and situation.
Indianapolis, IN
New Prime Video doc: Kyle Larson’s maniacal mission to race Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same day
Kyle Larson focused on Indy 500
Arrow McLaren’s Kyle Larson discusses focusing on the Indianapolis 500.
INDIANAPOLIS — Despite knowing the odds were against him, that it would take perfect weather, impeccable timing, the travel gods aligning and everything he had within his soul, Kyle Larson went for “The Double” twice, a feat in racing only four other drivers have attempted.
“The Double” is a maniacal mission to complete 1,100 miles in one day at two of the most iconic races in cities more than 400 miles apart — the Indianapolis 500 first, then NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, N.C.
Larson’s two-time attempt at “The Double” in 2024 and 2025 is the subject of a new Prime Video documentary, “Kyle Larson vs The Double,” which premieres May 21.
The film delves into the incredible challenges Larson faces, on and off the track, as he goes for one of the most elusive triumphs in racing — from 500 miles in an Indy car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to jumping on a plane to North Carolina to compete for 600 miles in a stock car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“The logistical challenge of ‘The Double’ is staggering,” Prime Video says in the film’s press release, “managing the extreme physical toll of heat, dehydration, G-forces and mental exhaustion.”
Before Larson, four other drivers took on “The Double” — John Andretti in 1994; Robby Gordon in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004; Tony Stewart in 1999 and 2001; and Kurt Busch in 2014.
Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600.
In Larson’s 2024 run at “The Double,” rain delayed the Indy 500, causing him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 18th in Indy and was replaced by Justin Allgaier at Charlotte. Larson competed in both races in 2025, but crashes dashed his hopes of finishing 1,100 miles in one day.
The film goes beyond Larson’s mission on the track, taking a personal look at his life and career, his mindset, his sacrifices and the people around him who cheered him on.
“Sometimes, the most compelling stories in sports aren’t about crossing the finish line,” Prime Video says, “they’re about the sheer will and determination it takes to compete at the highest level.”
Watch ‘Kyle Larson vs The Double’ trailer
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
Indianapolis, IN
Franklin Middle School’s ‘Welcome to Reality’ event prepares students for adulthood
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Franklin Community Middle School will host its annual Welcome to Reality event on Friday, offering eighth-grade students a hands-on, immersive experience designed to prepare them for the financial and personal responsibilities of adulthood.
Welcome to Reality is an interactive simulation that places students in the role of a 28-year-old working adult. Prior to the event, students select a career based on their grade point average and are assigned a corresponding salary.
During the event, students navigate through a series of stations including housing, transportation, utilities, and food. Students are required to make real-life financial decisions and manage a check registry to track expenses.
“This event is absolutely pivotal in the transition to high school for our students,” Monica Anderson, FCMS school counselor said. “The students experience, in real time, how their education can impact their future.”
Community members play a critical role in the simulation by facilitating transactions and serving as tour guides for students throughout the event.
The event is scheduled in groups throughout the school day:
- 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Indianapolis, IN
Even without a garden, you can get farm-fresh produce in Indianapolis
Grow this vegetable and get hooked on gardening
Tyler Gough, director of Indy Urban Acres, says you’ll get hooked on gardening once you start growing your own tomatoes.
Locally grown food is typically more sustainable and fresher than imported groceries, but even in Indiana, where almost two thirds of the state is farmland, local veggies can be hard to find.
Some Indianapolis residents grow fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. Others might join a community garden. Many frequent the local network of farmers markets.
At least half a dozen community supported agriculture groups, known commonly as CSAs, provide another way to shrink the divide between Indianapolis dwellers and their food systems. From Greenwood to Noblesville, neighbors have banded together to create local agriculture cooperatives, buying food in bulk from nearby farmers — some even within city limits.
How CSAs work
Every week during the growing season, the Fisher family, Amish farmers in Montezuma, pack blue mail bins full of cucumbers, carrots and corn and send them to Indianapolis. A driver totes the bins about 80 miles east to the Irvington CSA, which has been connecting neighborhood residents with farm- to- Irvington produce for almost two decades.
“It connects me to the food I eat,” Alyssa Chase, an Irvington CSA coordinator said. “I’ve been to the farm. I know exactly where it’s grown, and I know whose hands are picking it.”
The CSA model is simple. Participants pay farmers, usually smaller scale growers, an upfront fee to help cover season start-up costs. Then each week, the customers receive a delivery.
There’s no guarantee of bounty. CSA members might be blessed with an abundance of greens one week, but they also share with growers the risks involved with farming.
Not only does the local delivery model provide urbanites with fresh food and family farms some much-needed support, it’s more eco-friendly than the grocery store. A bustling network of refrigerated planes and trucks import 90 percent of Indiana’s produce, said Rachel Brandenburg, a food distribution manager at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Indianapolis area farmers also offer slightly non-traditional, more tailored CSA programs, via monthly subscription boxes. Farmers markets offer a way to purchase local produce a la carte (even in the winter). Free food stands like in Fletcher Place and the White River State Park,’s U-Pick garden offer local produce at no cost.
“We’ve got a pretty robust system of urban growers here in Indy, some really shining examples who take the mission to their farms, the mission of feeding their neighbors,” Brandenburg said.
Starting in May each week at the Irvington CSA, members stop by the Downey Avenue Christian Church to pick up fresh produce. The first month can bring greens lettuce, kale and Swiss chard. Next sweet red strawberries appear in the bins, then cucumbers followed by carrots, squash, tomatoes and corn as summer turns to fall.
How to find fresh food near you
The Irvington CSA eventually spilled over into Greenwood, which now runs a separate CSA program delivering produce from the Fisher Farm to the southern suburbs.
Similar programs have popped up across much of Indianapolis:
Kheprw’s Community Controlled Food Initiative offers year-round local produce pick-ups in Midtown, and Tuttle Orchards delivers subscription produce boxes across several area locations, with weekly pick ups at North Mass Boulder, Irvington Vinyl and Books, JCC Indianapolis, Geist Coffee, Wasson Nursery and Indiana Artisan.
Warfleigh resident Ben Matthews delivers his CSA boxes locally — by bike.
Bountiful Farm and Floral, a small urban farm, delivers produce directly to the homes of Irvington members. And Soul Food Project offers CSA delivery and pick up at the Binford Farmers Market, plus at its local farms in Irvington and Martindale-Brightwood.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at sophie.hartley@indystar.com or on X at @sophienhartley.
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