Indianapolis, IN
Indiana did not see an influx of traffic on solar eclipse day like predicted. What happened?
Solar eclipse reaches totality in Indianapolis
Solar eclipse watchers experienced the moment of totality from the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
Indiana State Police expected thousands of visitors to view the total solar eclipse. Governor Eric Holcomb even signed and emergency order. But the state didn’t see nearly the number of tourists expected.
The April 8 solar eclipse was predicted to be big day for Indiana tourism, and while in many ways it still was, the crowds were not what local officials predicted.
Here’s what happened during the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Read more from the Herald-Times: Eclipse day was sunny in Indiana. Where were the crowds?
Bloomington’s numbers were lower than expected
Instead of 300,000 spectators, as multiple officials projected, Bloomington saw tens of thousands, according to early estimates, The Herlad-Times reported.
While the smaller-than-expected crowds enabled the city to escape snarled traffic, the overestimates also kept some Bloomington residents from leaving their homes and attending the local events, including those at Switchyard Park and Memorial Stadium.
At the Bloomington Police Department, officers of all ranks were scheduled to work 12-hour shifts. But they were cut to 10 hours as the day progressed and the anticipated crowds failed to appear.
Nashville also saw lower numbers than predicted
Between 50,000 and 100,000 eclipse viewers were expected in Nashville and Brown County, an estimated 20,000 showed up.
Indianapolis saw the most tourists, but still lower than estimated
Indiana State Police told IndyStar in March they were expecting about as much traffic for the eclipse as the city sees for the Indy 500, which can be anywhere from 200,000 to 250,000 visitors.
Clare Clark, senior communications manager for Visit Indy, confirmed that Indianapolis welcomed 125,000 visitors for the eclipse, with representation from all 50 states and 35 countries.
Why was solar eclipse viewing attendance lower than expected?
According to NASA, the path of totality for this year’s eclipse was between 108 and 122 miles wide, or about 72% wider, at the high end, than the eclipse in 2017. This year, about 31.6 million people lived in the path of totality, compared with 12 million in 2017.
The eclipse this year also passed over “more cities and densely populated areas” than in 2017, NASA said.
That meant people had more options as to where to travel, reducing the likelihood of congestion for any particular area.
Several Indiana cities had reported chances of cloud cover during the eclipse, which may have also been a reason less tourists came to Indiana, but neither Indianapolis or Bloomington ended up having any clouds block the view of the solar event.
Schools being closed for the day also helped reduce normal traffic in cities.
Local events, tourism still saw success despite fewer visitors than planned
Despite getting fewer visitors than planned, several cities in the state still saw great success.
Airbnb said Indianapolis was the #1 most booked destination within the path of totality and there was a virtual sell-out of hotel rooms on Sunday night ahead of the eclipse, Visit Indy said.
Visit Indy also broke their record for the most website traffic in a single day on the day of the eclipse, meaning tourists and locals were looking for things to do.
Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington, said hotels and short-term rentals were “near capacity,” though he won’t have final data until later this month.
IU spokesman Mark Bode said the university hosted “tens of thousands of visitors and students across at least seven separate events,” including “nearly 10,000” at Memorial Stadium.
Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.
Indianapolis, IN
Two arrested in road rage shooting along I-65 in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WPTA) – Two people have been arrested in connection to what WTHR reports as a road rage shooting on I-65 near the 102.2 mile marker in Indianapolis, officials with the Indiana State Police (ISP) say.
ISP officers say just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, they received reports of a possible shooting and a car running off the road into a pond. When responders first arrived, they found a man unconscious on the grass near a pond where officers later determined his car had gone into. Police say the man was later pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a release from the police, Andre Briski of Indianapolis and Shawna Rowland of Greenwood were arrested pending the following charges on Thursday, May 2:
- Andre Briski
- Murder
- Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person
- Shawna Rowland of Greenwood
- Assisting a Criminal
- Obstruction of Justice
Officials say key information provided by witnesses who called to report the incident led to detectives being able to identify the suspect vehicle quickly which in turn led police to arrest Briski and Rowland.
This is an ongoing investigation by the Indiana State Police.
Copyright 2024 WPTA. All rights reserved.
Indianapolis, IN
Several rain chances coming up
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures remain above average for much of the extended forecast
This morning:
Showers are pushing through the area here this morning. Most of the rain activity is relatively light. Temperatures remain fairly mild, with numbers hovering around 70 this morning.
Friday:
We will continue with our rain and thunderstorm chances for the morning hours. We should start to gradually dry things out by the afternoon with cloudy skies. We can’t rule out an isolated shower storm after lunchtime, but those should be few and far between.
The rainfall amount should be less than half an inch across the state.
High temperatures will top out only in the mid-70s this afternoon.
This weekend:
It should be quiet, cloudy, and somewhere foggy overnight. Temperatures will fall to the upper 50s and lower 60s.
We should have a lot of quiet time over the weekend. No weather issues for the Indy mini marathon on Saturday morning. Temperatures will be hovering in the lower 60s for step-off times. A few spotty thunderstorms will be possible with the heat of the day. High temperatures will top out around 80°.
A broken line of showers and thunderstorms could push through the state late Saturday night or very early Sunday morning. That should clear the area before daybreak on Sunday. The rest of Sunday looks to be partly to mostly cloudy skies and highs into the mid-70s.
8 day forecast:
The weather looks to remain active heading into the next week, with several rain and thunderstorm chances each and every day. As of right now, Monday’s chances are fairly limited. The better chances for thunderstorms will be Tuesday and Wednesday, and a few of those storms could be severe.
Temperatures look to remain above average for this time of year.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis police fatally shoot male who pointed a weapon at others and threatened them
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis police fatally shot a male pointing a weapon at other people and threatening to shoot them Thursday afternoon.
Officers were sent to the scene on the city’s north side on a report of a person armed with a weapon, Officer William Young of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in an impromptu news conference.
The male was “pointing a firearm at people (and) threatening to shoot them,” Young said. The situation then escalated into the police shooting.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the police department said in a news release.
Two officers discharged their service weapons, striking the individual, the department said. No officers or uninvolved people were injured, it said.
Detectives found a gun at the scene, the department said.
The shooting will be investigated by the police department’s Critical Incident Response Team and Internal Affairs.
The officers who fired their guns have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting investigation.
The civilian-majority Use of Force Review Board will conduct a mandatory hearing.
-
News1 week ago
Larry Webb’s deathbed confession solves 2000 cold case murder of Susan and Natasha Carter, 10, whose remains were found hours after he died
-
News1 week ago
First cargo ship passes through new channel since Baltimore bridge collapse
-
World1 week ago
Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns, transitional council takes power
-
World1 week ago
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez suspends public duties to 'reflect'
-
World1 week ago
US secretly sent long-range ATACMS weapons to Ukraine
-
News1 week ago
American Airlines passenger alleges discrimination over use of first-class restroom
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Humane (2024) – Movie Review
-
Education1 week ago
Video: Johnson Condemns Pro-Palestinian Protests at Columbia University