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Indianapolis Prize finalists have shot at $250k for their work to save endangered animals

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Indianapolis Prize finalists have shot at 0k for their work to save endangered animals


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The Indianapolis Zoological Society has named six DeHaan finalists for its biennial Indianapolis Prize honoring animal conservationists from around the world.

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The finalists have spent their lives working to protect manatees, kangaroos, orangutans and elephants and the critical habitat each species needs for healthy populations.

The winner of this year’s prize will receive a $250,000 award and will be celebrated at the Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 27. The remaining five finalists and the winner of the society’s Emerging Conservationist Award will each receive a $50,000 award.

Dr. Rob Shumaker, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, said the six finalists have produced tangible results while protecting threatened species across the globe.

Indianapolis Prize reaches milestone

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the prize, which has awarded more than $7 million since it began. 

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The society established the Indianapolis Prize to bring attention to animal conservation and the people who spend their lives saving endangered animal species. It is the largest individual monetary award for work in this area.

2025 DeHaan finalists

Here are this year’s DeHaan finalists for the Indianapolis Prize.

  • Alberto Alves Campos founded Aquasis, a nonprofit organization in Brazil that works with endangered species and habitat conservation. His work has improved the conservation status of the Antillean manatee.
  • Lisa Dabek founded the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, where she partners with indigenous communities and local governments to establish conservation plans in Papua New Guinea.
  • Biruté Mary Galdikas is the president and co-founder of Orangutan Foundation International, where she leads the way in orangutan ecology research. Galdikas was also an Indianapolis Prize DeHaan finalist in 2023.
  • Julie Packard is the founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and works to uplift the sustainable seafood movement using ecosystem-based science.
  • Lily-Arison René de Roland serves as the national director of The Peregrine Fund’s Madagascar program and has helped establish five national protected areas totaling 1,550 square miles.
  • Lee James Taylor White is a field biologist with the Institute for Tropical Ecology Research working with the critically endangered African forest elephant in the countries of the Congo Basin.

2025 Emerging Conservationist Award

The society named its 10 finalists for the Emerging Conservationist Award in October last year. The award honors early-career efforts to save animal species.

The winner will be honored at the gala in September.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

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Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social



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Record highs possible Sunday, storms later this evening | Mar. 22, 2026

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Record highs possible Sunday, storms later this evening | Mar. 22, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Record highs are in jeopardy with high temperatures in the low 80s for most. Scattered storms will develop later this evening after a very warm day.

TODAY: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies this afternoon. The cold front arrives sooner in north-central Indiana, where highs will get into the 70s and fall quickly. A slight (2/5) risk of severe storms is in place mainly after 7 PM south of I-70.

TONIGHT: At first, cells pop up before forming a line. Large hail is the primary threat, especially as the storm mode is cellular at the start. Once a line forms, the damaging wind threat will also be elevated. Tornado threat is very low, but not zero. Storms move south of south-central Indiana around 11 PM EDT. Low temperatures in the mid-30s.

TOMORROW: Partly cloudy, cooler. High temperatures in the low 50s.

7-DAY FORECAST: A gradual warm-up is anticipated this week. Scattered showers and storms move back in for Thursday. Otherwise, most of this forecasting period will be dry.



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Storm risk Sunday before a sharp cooldown early next week | Mar. 21, 2026

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Storm risk Sunday before a sharp cooldown early next week | Mar. 21, 2026


TONIGHT

A very mild night is on tap for Indianapolis with mostly clear skies and a low around 60. South southwest wind stays going near 5 to 10 mph, so the air should not cool off much at all overnight. Impacts are minimal, with good travel conditions and no weather hazards beyond the unusual warmth for late March. 

TOMORROW

Sunday is the attention-grabber in this run. The day starts warm and mostly dry, then clouds increase with a chance of rain developing during mid to late afternoon before a chance of thunderstorms arrives toward evening. Highs reach the lower 80s, and south southwest wind increases to around 10 to 15 mph with gusts near 25 mph. The main impact is late-day storm potential after a very usable daytime stretch. A few strong to severe storms cannot be ruled out, so any evening plans need a weather check before heading out. 

TOMORROW NIGHT

 The front comes through Sunday night with a chance of thunderstorms early, then a chance of plain rain for a time before things taper off. Temperatures crash hard by daybreak, falling to the upper 30s, and the wind flips north around 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph. The biggest impacts are the evening thunder risk, wet roads, and then a much colder feel by Monday morning. This is the one period in the forecast with a meaningful hazard signal, even though coverage does not look widespread enough to make it an all-night washout. 

MONDAY

Monday feels like a full reset after the weekend warmth. Skies turn mostly sunny, but highs only recover into the low 50s with a north wind around 10 mph and occasional gusts near 20 mph. It looks dry and bright, yet noticeably cooler, so the impact is mostly on comfort rather than travel or safety. 

MONDAY NIGHT

Monday night turns quiet and chilly with partly cloudy skies and lows in the mid 30s. North wind eases to around 5 mph. No major hazards are expected, but it will feel much more like early spring again after the warm weekend. 

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TUESDAY

Tuesday trends a bit milder with mostly sunny skies and highs near 60. South southeast wind stays light around 5 mph. This looks like a low-impact day with decent outdoor conditions and no significant weather concerns. 

TUESDAY NIGHT

Clouds increase Tuesday night, but it still looks dry with lows in the lower 40s. South southeast wind holds around 5 mph. Impacts remain minimal, with only a slightly cooler and cloudier feel overnight. 

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday stays mostly cloudy and seasonably mild with highs in the mid 60s. Southeast wind runs around 5 to 10 mph. It is another fairly quiet day, though the thicker cloud cover keeps it from feeling as bright as Tuesday. 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

By Wednesday night, a small rain chance returns with a slight chance of showers and even a thunderstorm after 2 a.m. Lows hold in the lower 50s with a south wind around 5 mph. Impacts look limited for now, but it is the next window to watch for unsettled weather.

7 DAY FORECAST

The overall pattern features one more spring surge, then a quick correction, then a gradual warm back up. Tonight stays very mild, Sunday pushes into the lower 80s with the only notable storm chance of the period arriving late day into Sunday night, and Monday snaps back into the low 50s with a brisk north wind. From there the forecast turns quieter, with highs near 60 Tuesday and the mid 60s Wednesday before the next low-end rain chance sneaks in Wednesday night and likely grows a bit more by Thursday.

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Tuskegee Airmen exhibit and commemoration event at Indianapolis Airport

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Tuskegee Airmen exhibit and commemoration event at Indianapolis Airport


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A special ceremony at the Indianapolis International Airport is set to celebrate the lasting legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, Black aviators and ground crews that served with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.  

Robin Williams and Katherine Putnam, who is the granddaughter of the airmen featured in the event, joined News 8 on Daybreak to highlight some of the Tuskegee Airmen that are from Indiana.

Airman Gordon Morgan and his wife Alexine Rothschild Morgan met on a Tuskegee Airbase and got married on August 1,1945.

“My grandfather actually came back to the United States after being overseas for about five months, and they got married before he was brought back to Kokomo,” Putman explained. She says that through this discovery, with the help of Williams, she’s been able to explore her family and her roots.

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Williams explains that there is a exhibit at the airport that deep dives into the Tuskegee Airmen America’s Freedom Flyers and that it’s been there since November, located in the Civic Plaza.

“We keep uncovering and discovering more stories,” Williams said. “There are many firsts in Indiana, Charles B. Hall from Brazil was the first Black pilot to shoot down the enemy in World War II.”

The commemoration event will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. and will feature performances of jazz from the 1940’s by Decatur Central High School Jazz Orchestra.

Attendees must RSVP here.

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