Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis, Carmel area fails air pollution measures in new report
Trump repeals landmark EPA climate endangerment finding
President Trump’s repeal of the endangerment finding eliminates the legal basis for regulations that target air pollution from greenhouse gases.
Indianapolis and the surrounding metropolitan area failed a number of critical air pollution measures in the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report.
The ALA’s annual nationwide report published each spring gives the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie metro area an “F” in smog and soot pollution. The report analyzes emissions data over a three-year period from 2022 to 2024.
Smog is ground-level ozone pollution and soot is particulate matter. The two comprise two of the six commonly found air pollutants in the United States according to the EPA.
Both pollutants form in part when coal-fired power plants and diesel engines burn fossil fuels. Smog and soot can cause premature death and other serious health hazards such as heart attacks, strokes, preterm births, asthma and cognitive decline, according to the ALA.
The lung health report ranks the central Indiana metro area in a number of categories with the region performing poorly in most. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie ranked the 11th most polluted area for year-round particle pollution and 14th for short-term particle pollution.
Indiana children at risk from air pollution
And the rest of the state fares little better.
More than 670,000 Hoosier children breath unhealthy levels of air pollution, the report says.
This year’s report focus on the risk to youth that polluted air can pose. Small lungs are particularly vulnerable, said Tiffany Nichols, ALA director of advocacy.
“Infants, children and teens have lungs that are still developing, which makes them more susceptible to the impacts of unhealthy air,” Nichols said.
To prevent today’s youth from developing diseases related to polluted air, the American Lung Association has been asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop rolling back clean air rules put in place by previous administrations. The Indiana chapter has also asked state lawmakers to take steps to protect air quality.
Nichols grew up on the northwest side of Indy where the neighborhoods had been demolished to build I-65. Nearby trees were torn down to make way for the highway that would bring cars and trucks emitting harmful exhaust.
“So, then you have these areas that are essentially like a pocket of unhealthy air, and then those neighborhoods also had a lot of factories,” Nichols said. “That exacerbated health conditions in many of those communities that are oftentimes less fortunate already.”
Data centers and rollbacks
While air pollutants have existed for centuries, the rise of data centers poses a new threat. State and local lawmakers, Nichols said, should also pay attention to these new potential sources of pollution both in Indiana and across the country.
“We’re asking that those companies that are interested in putting data centers in communities work with the local community,” Nichols said. “Since data centers have the potential to be another source of pollution we also ask that they use renewable, zero-ignition energy sources.”
The ALA report also urges the U.S. EPA to recommit to protecting people’s health from harmful air pollution.
This year, the EPA has gone on what Administrator Lee Zeldin has characterized as a deregulation campaign that environmental advocates in Indiana have charged will lead to “death by 1,000 cuts.”
The current EPA, the American Lung Association report says, has “retreated from its public health foundation by rolling back clean air protections.”
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
INDIANAPOLIS — Almost nothing went according to prediction for the Colts in 2025.
Widely believed to be an also-ran without a quarterback, Indianapolis instead raced out to an 8-2 start behind the surprising emergence of Daniel Jones, prompting the Colts to take a big swing at the trade deadline for Sauce Gardner and sparking predictions of a home playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Then Jones got hurt, the pass rush wilted without a healthy DeForest Buckner and the Colts lost seven consecutive games, the freefall interrupted only by the inspirational return of a 44-year-old Philip Rivers, something nobody could have seen coming at the halfway point of the season, much less in May.
The NFL can be awfully difficult to predict.
But IndyStar is going to try again, making a way-too-early prediction on how the Colts’ 2026 season will play out on a game-by-game basis.
Buy 2026 Indianapolis Colts tickets!
The Ravens have Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and they added Trey Hendrickson to revamp the pass rush, but Baltimore also has a new head coach, Jesse Minter, and a roster in transition. Daniel Jones returns for the season opener, takes advantage of the Ravens secondary and the Colts get off to a good start for the second year in a row. Pick: Colts 27, Ravens 23
If Patrick Mahomes isn’t recovered from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, then all bets are off, but if Jones is back from an Achilles, expect Mahomes back as well. Even with a limited Mahomes, the lack of Indianapolis pass rush becomes a problem, and the Colts lose a shootout in prime time. Pick: Chiefs 34, Colts 27
Houston’s defense has only gotten better, and no matter how the offensive line shakes out, the Colts will have a young right tackle. Frustrated all day by the pass rush, Indianapolis drops a tough game to an AFC South rival. Pick: Texans 19, Colts 13
Washington’s run to the NFC title game in 2024 was followed up with a disastrous 2025, and the Colts have handled international games well under head coach Shane Steichen. Indianapolis defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo makes life difficult on Jayden Daniels, and Steichen’s offense takes advantage of Dan Quinn’s scheme. Pick: Colts 31, Commanders 20
Indianapolis broke one streak by winning the opener in 2025. Pittsburgh was a house of horrors for Jones a year ago, but with the Steelers still facing quarterback uncertainty in May and a changing of the guard at head coach, Pittsburgh feels more in flux than ever. Pick: Colts 21, Steelers 14
Expect Tennessee to make some strides in Cam Ward’s second season as the starting quarterback, but it’s still a young team in the early stages of a rebuild. With momentum on their side and Jonathan Taylor rolling, the Colts make it three straight. Pick: Colts 34, Titans 20
Minnesota is another team facing uncertainty at quarterback, but a coaching staff led by Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores is top-notch. Indianapolis struggles against all of Flores’ wrinkles, and Kyler Murray does just enough. Pick: Vikings 20, Colts 16
If there were any questions left about the curse the city of Jacksonville has placed on the Colts, they should have been erased when Jones suffered a season-ending injury there last season. Until the curse is broken – maybe by a stadium renovation – it’s hard to see a win here. Pick: Jaguars 28, Colts 24
Dallas has tried to revamp its defense since trading Micah Parsons, but the Cowboys still don’t have a difference-making edge rusher who can hound Jones all day. With time in the pocket, Jones attacks Dallas with Alec Pierce and Josh Downs for a big win. Pick: Colts 38, Cowboys 31
Miami’s a mess, a team in the process of laying a foundation after tearing everything down to the studs. The Colts know how to handle a team in that spot. Pick: Colts 35, Dolphins 17
A short week on the way to Houston is a difficult test, especially considering how good the Texans’ defense has become. The schedule-makers did the Colts no favors with this Thursday night game. Pick: Texans 23, Colts 21
New York already has injury concerns with wide receiver Malik Nabers, and young quarterback Jaxson Dart is the kind of target that Anarumo can exploit. New York’s pass rush gives Jones some problems against his old team, but Taylor takes advantage of the lack of Dexter Lawrence for big yardage. Pick: Colts 31, Giants 21
Philadelphia’s roster remains stacked, and even with the bye week, the Colts find themselves struggling at Lincoln Financial Field against a team that has been one of the NFC’s best since Nick Sirianni took over. Pick: Eagles 21, Colts 17
Tennessee’s receivers simply don’t have the experience to beat Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward’s man coverage consistently, and the Colts get back in the win column by riding Tyler Warren to a big day. Pick: Colts 33, Titans 22
If Joe Burrow is healthy, the Cincinnati offense is the kind of unit that could give the Indianapolis defense fits, and even though the Bengals’ defense is in its own rebuild, Burrow wins this one with a vintage performance. Pick: Bengals 41, Colts 38
With a snowstorm whipping in off the lake, the conditions are difficult, but Cleveland’s fatal flaw is a quarterback position that is somehow still begging for a savior. Indianapolis keeps itself in the playoff race with a hard-fought win. Pick: Colts 24, Browns 14.
With a playoff berth on the line, the Colts get moved into prime time for a game against the Jaguars, and Jones returns the favor for what happened in Jacksonville in 2025. A last-second field goal sends Indianapolis into the playoffs as a wild card. Pick: Colts 27, Jaguars 24
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
Indianapolis, IN
Conor Daly, Alex Palou become 1st drivers to top 228 mph on 2nd day of Indianapolis 500 practice
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis 500 drivers turned Wednesday’s practice into a possible race day preview.
They ran in packs, created long, snaking lines through the two long straightaways and mostly avoided trouble over the frantic final 75 minutes on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.
Conor Daly and Alex Palou took advantage of the cool, overcast conditions to post the fastest laps on the second practice day. Daly posted the best lap of the day at 228.080 mph with Palou just a fraction slower at 228.026. They were the only drivers to top 228, while Palou had the fastest trap speed of the day at 237.220.
“We have, we think, found some speed in other areas,” said Jack Harvey, Daly’s teammate with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “So, generally, they’re just all excited to try and I think, I mean I think we were good the last month of May, but I think we can be a lot better this year.”
Harvey has been fast all month, though he finished 14th on Wednesday at 225.100.
The weather created ideal conditions for speed and the drivers didn’t disappoint.
Daly, the stepson of speedway president Doug Boles, seems to be making the most of his first and possibly only IndyCar start of the season. He was one of five drivers to top 225 on Tuesday, then backed that up with an even better performance Wednesday.
David Malukas was the strongest of Team Penske’s drivers, finishing third at 227.139, just behind Palou, the Spaniard who has won four series crowns and is the defending 500 champ. Graham Rahal and France’s Romain Grosjean rounded out the top five.
Though most of the 33 drivers stayed on the track as long as they could over the final 75 minutes, crew members for three previous race winners — Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi — were also busy trying to fix problems.
Hunter-Reay, of Arrow McLaren, had a radio issue. Castroneves, of Meyer Shank Racing, had an issue with the car’s balance, while Rossi’s Ed Carpenter Racing crew worked on the engine.
Drivers return to the track Thursday then will receive a turbocharge boost Friday before making four-lap qualification runs on Saturday and Sunday. The race is scheduled for May 24.
It hasn’t just been busy on the track.
One day after series officials announced their second rule change of the month, race organizers announced all reserved seats have been sold for the second straight year and the third time since 2016. That also means fans in central Indiana will be able to watch the telecast live.
And NASCAR team BRANDed Management announced it would give 45-year-old British driver Katherine Legge a chance to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. If Legge qualifies for both races, she’ll become the first woman to attempt racing’s “double” — 1,100 miles of racing in one day — a half century after Janet Guthrie arrived at the Brickyard with the hope of qualifying for the 33-car starting grid. When that didn’t happen, Guthrie wound up starting NASCAR’s World 600, which is now known as the Coca-Cola 600.
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