Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis area restaurants that opened and closed in January 2024

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Press Room

Indianapolis area restaurants that opened and closed in January 2024

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A mere month into the new year, Indianapolis’ dining scene saw a number of shakeups. Some new names entered the fray, including an upscale restaurant owned by the Pacers.

Meanwhile, a slew of chains and local favorites closed their doors. Find out what came and went in central Indiana in the first month of the year below.

Restaurant openings:

World Famous HotBoys

4335 W 106th St., Carmel, opened Jan. 13

The Oakland, California-based fried chicken chain first arrived to Indianapolis in Fountain Square in 2022. The Carmel location is HotBoys’ fifth, bringing spicy fried chicken, crinkle-cut fries and a biscuit-donut hybrid fittingly called Bonuts to Hamilton County.

Commission Row

110 S. Delaware St., opened Jan. 22

Owned by Pacers Sport and Entertainment and operated by Cunningham Restaurant Group, Commission Row is a three-story venue complete with a steakhouse, speakeasy and private event space. Executive chef Corey Fuller’s menu goes big on seafood and prime cuts, while the basement bar, Mel’s, offers an expansive cocktail menu in a cozy speakeasy setting.

Sneak peek: See inside Commission Row

Restaurant closings:

Rooster’s Kitchen

888 Massachusetts Ave., closed Dec. 31

Rooster’s moved into the former home of fine dining restaurant R. Bistro, which served Mass Ave customers for 15 years before closing in early 2016. Chicago transplant Ross Katz’s menu featured upscale comfort food and craft beer. After over seven years, Rooster’s announced on Facebook that it would close at the end of 2023.

World of Beer

409 Massachusetts Ave., closed Dec. 31

World of Beer shuttered its downtown Indy location after five years. The Florida-based brewery chain has 40 locations throughout America, pouring about 300 different craft beers alongside classic pub food. The Mass Ave brewery was World of Beer’s only location in Indiana.

Indonesian food in Indy: Embracing the fire at Wisanggeni Pawon, Indianapolis’ newest Indonesian restaurant

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux

247 S. Meridian St., closed Jan. 14

In May 2023, the Louisiana-based Cajun-inspired eatery moved into the former street-level home of After 6 nightclub, which closed in 2022 alongside upstairs neighbors Taps and Dolls and 247 Sky Lounge. Building owner and Walk-On’s franchisee Todd Johnson opened the family-friendly restaurant in the hopes of revitalizing a venue with a recent history of safety concerns. Walk-On’s vice president of communications Andy Izquierdo said the franchise will relocate elsewhere in the Indy metro area.

HopCat Broad Ripple

6280 N. College Ave., closed Jan. 28

After 10 years in the heart of Broad Ripple, the Michigan-based brewery chain announced on Facebook that it would pull out of the Hoosier State. It leaves behind a high-profile location along the Red Line near the Central Canal.

Mimi Blue Meatballs

807 Massachusetts Ave., closed Jan. 30

The Mass Ave favorite closed its original and last remaining location, citing mounting operational costs. Mimi Blue opened in 2015 as a collaboration between Zionsville-based development company Kosene & Kosene and Sangiovese Ristorante owner Chris Evans. Co-owner Gerald Kosene said he would mourn the loss of a gathering space for Mimi customers, particularly the LGBTQ+ community that frequented the restaurant’s monthly drag brunches.

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @bradleyhohulin.

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Indianapolis, IN

The Zone Banner winner is revealed

Published

9 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Student sections have been packed out and bringing the energy all season competing for The Zone Banner.

And the winner of The Zone Banner is… Brownsburg!

Brownsburg made AC’s Top 8 in eight of the nine weeks of the regular season. They were impressive throughout the season and were active on social media as well, campaigning for their school to win The Zone Banner.

This is Brownsburg’s second time winning The Zone Banner.

WISH-TV Sports Director Anthony Calhoun will present Brownsburg with its championship banner at its gymnasium on Tuesday, November 25.

Past winners

2024: Fishers
2023: Bishop Chatard
2022: Franklin Community
2021: Cathedral
2020: Westfield
2019: Mooresville
2018: Brownsburg
2017: Carmel
2016: Franklin Community
2015: Guerin Catholic

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis rocked by mistaken identity shooting of paperboy in 1980s

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Indianapolis rocked by mistaken identity shooting of paperboy in 1980s

There was no warning before the gunshot was fired from within the house. Inside, an armed homeowner believed they’d thwarted a crime. Feet away, a loved one watched as their family member died, the light low before sunrise.

That was the case on Nov. 5, 2025, as it also was on Sept. 25, 1986. Nearly four decades before the death of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, a high school junior mistaken for a vandal was fatally shot while delivering The Indianapolis Star on his early morning paper route.

The killing of Scott “Patrick” Lawson, 16, drew national headlines. As the teen approached a northside home to deliver the morning paper, 74-year-old Nokomis Toombs fired a shotgun through his living room window, striking Lawson in the chest. Lawson’s mother, who was helping her son out that morning, was parked feet away.

Toombs told police he’d been keeping an all-night vigil after a rash of youth violence near his home in the 5200 block of North Rosslyn Avenue north of the Indiana Fairgrounds. When Lawson approached his home at about 4:45 a.m., Toombs believed he was a neighborhood teen taking part in an ongoing harassment campaign. He did not give a warning before firing the gun, he told police.

Toombs had recently testified against three teens in a burglary case and feared retaliation, according to a Sept. 26, 1986, United Press International article.

About a month before Lawson’s death, police confiscated two guns from Toombs after he admitted to firing into a neighbor’s home. He said his own home had been fired upon first, and the guns were returned because Toombs had no criminal record.

Prosecutors soon learned that Toombs had not been home all night on Sept. 25, as he had claimed, and had instead been cut off at a bar only hours before the shooting – a fact that likely made the state’s case stronger.

Toombs was charged with murder within days of the shooting.

“I’m not convinced this was a case of a homeowner defending his home,” said Steve Goldsmith, Marion County’s then-prosecutor, according to an Associated Press article from Sept. 29, 1986.

Indiana law allows people to use reasonable force — including deadly force — to prevent an unlawful entry of their home, occupied motor vehicle or curtilage.

Toombs eventually pleaded guilty to reckless homicide. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 1987, serving two and a half after a sentence reduction and good time credit.

There are sharp differences between the two shootings, decades apart. Curt Andersen, the 62-year-old man charged in connection with the Nov. 5, 2025, shooting of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, who arrived at his home mistakenly thinking she had a cleaning job there, made no mention to police about previous break-ins or crime, according to court documents. There’s also no indication that investigators suspected Andersen of being under the influence at the time of the shooting.

On Nov. 17, Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announced a charge of voluntary manslaughter against Andersen. Guy Relford, Andersen’s attorney, indicated on social media that his defense will center around castle doctrine.

“Contrary to the contention of the prosecutor — and without discussing the specific facts of the case — we believe Mr. Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were absolutely necessary and fully justified at the time,” Relford wrote on X shortly after charges were announced.

Andersen’s initial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21.

(This article will update.)

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis metal supplier lays off 54 people

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2025

Press Room

Indianapolis metal supplier lays off 54 people

INDIANAPOLIS — More than 50 people will soon be unemployed as a metal supplier on Indy’s east side announced mass layoffs that go into effect in January.

Kloeckner Metals Indianapolis, located at 8301 E. 33rd Street, filed a notice with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to inform the state of a mass layoff at its facility.

Kloeckner Metal said a total of 54 people will be permanently laid off, with the first separations occurring on Jan. 20, 2026. The rest will all take place within 14 days thereafter.

No reason for the layoffs was included in the notice to the DWD. Affected employees include welders, warehousemen, saw operators, drivers, shear operators, burner operators, supervisors, account managers and various other positions.

Kloeckner Metals Corporation is based in Georgia and boasts itself as one of the largest metal manufacturing, supply and service companies in North America with over 45 branches.

According to the website, the Indianapolis location is a 160,000 square foot facility. Products ranged from structural beams and tubing to flooring, grating and sheet products.

It is unclear if the entirety of Kloeckner Indianapolis’s workforce is being laid off or only a portion. No complete workforce number was listed for the location. The notice filed with the state did not mention a closure for the facility, however.

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