Indianapolis, IN

Indiana police team up for human trafficking awareness

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2024

Indiana police team up for human trafficking awareness

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana groups are touting efforts to put a stop to human trafficking during Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Organizations and state troopers were pushing to spread awareness. Indiana State Police says, through Friday, troopers will spread awareness about human trafficking through the help of truckers.

Jessica Evans, founder and executive director of Allies Inc., said, “It’s everyone’s responsibility to raise awareness because it only does harm to survivors when we don’t have an accurate picture of what trafficking actually looks like.”

According to the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program, at least 61 people in Marion County, were recovered in 2023. The majority were young women who were forced or tricked into doing sex work or forced labor.

“There’s mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and so it really impacts their entire being and so recovery moving forward can be extremely complex,” Evans said.

Allies Inc. and other organizations are combatting trafficking and helping survivors get a second chance at life through mentorship. Evans said, “Think about when you’re a teenage girl regardless of what’s happened to you it’s great to have people who are investing in you and see you for who you are.”

Police say truckers play a vital role in preventing human trafficking.

Indiana State Police says it’s working closely with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and Truckers Against Trafficking to hand out information this week to truckers. Kimberly Hill, a motor carrier inspector at Indiana State Police, said that the information “tells them when to call 911, when to call the human trafficking hotline if they’re able to interact with the individual, questions to ask, along with some red flags to look for like a van or an RV,”

State police say truckers are in a unique position to fight human trafficking, and they should follow several signs. “They are the eyes and ears of America. They’re in places that the rest of us are not. They’re spending the night at truck stops or rest areas. which is very often where human trafficking occurs in those locations,” Hill said.

Darlene Bradley-White, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security special agent, said, “A lot of people feel like that’s the movie ‘Taken.’ Trafficking happens right in our schools, it happens in our neighborhoods, it happens in our malls. It happens on social media. so that’s something important that we need to look at wholeheartedly all around as a community,”

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Indianapolis, IN

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

Published

6 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.

Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

Published

18 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

1 day 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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