Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis set to clear snow and ice with 170 drivers, 18,000 tons of salt
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)– The city government has a plan to keep people safe when winter weather hits.
That plan includes additional drivers to help clear ice and snow.
“Emergencies don’t wait for snow and ice to melt. Our first responders need to clear streets as soon as possible to keep our residents safe, ” said Mayor Joe Hogsett at a Wednesday news conference.
Sixty-five drivers will be added to the Department of Public Works (DPW) this season, for a total of 170 drivers with 12-hour shifts to keep the roads clear.
Erin Escobar will be one of the new drivers. She spoke to News 8 about what its like driving a salt truck. She described it as “intimidating at first.” After she got trained, she said that it’s “comfortable, like driving a big pickup truck.”
Eighteen thousand tons of salt is stored in seven barns throughout the city. The Democrat mayor said, “That’s a lot of salt, 18,000 tons. This means DPW is officially ready to do what they always do keep our roads clear and residents safe.”
Public Works recommends slowing down around snowplows to give their drivers enough room to maneuver. “Safety’s got to be No. 1,” said Steven Quick, president of AFSCME Local 725. “We’ve got 11-foot plows, and they can actually do damage.”
The city is also ready to battle potholes. Public Works Director Brandon Herget said, “It’s freeze-thaw cycle that causes potholes. It’s not the amount of snowfall.”
Permanent pothole fixes this season will have to wait until spring, when repair crews can use hot-mix asphalt. Herget said, “We’ll be prepared to not only get the trucks and plows in the immediate future, but, next spring, we’ll make sure we get contacts in place to get the hot-mix asphalt as quickly as possible.”
Motorists should expect salt trucks on the road before the first snowfall, Public Works leaders said, as the truck drivers learn their routes before a big storm hits.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana and ‘The Zone Extra’ has it all covered.
Athlete of the week and Guerin Catholic senior outfielder Ian Taylor is off to a scorching hot start to the young season. Check out his interview as well as Guerin Catholic head coach Dave Schrage talk about Taylor’s success.
The Johnson County baseball tournament came to a close. See highlights from Center Grove’s tournament victory.
The 4A baseball coaches poll was released as well as the 3A softball coaches poll.
The former Columbus North gymnastics coach, John Hinds, passed away at 88 years old.
Center Grove head softball coach Alyssa Coleman joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.
See highlights from the Colts Local Pro Day, featuring several former Hoosiers and Purdue’s Devin Mockobee.
Girls lacrosse is in the first season as an IHSAA emerging sport.
All of that, and more, can be found in the full The Zone Extra show above.
(WISH) — A tornado watch was issued until 3 a.m. EDT Saturday for counties northwest and west of Indianapolis, and into Illinois.
Indiana counties in the watch area are Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Elkhart, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Parke, Pulaski, Putnam, St. Joseph, Starke, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren and White. The watch area includes the cities of Crawfordsville, Elkhart, Lafayette, Lebanon, South Bend, Terre Haute, and West Lafayette.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued two watches in Indiana. The other one until midnight EDT Friday includes the Indiana counties of Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter. That includes the city of Gary. That watch also extends into Illinois.
Storms on Friday night in central Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota led to dozens of confirmed tornado warnings. The storms in central Illinois has gusts up to 80 mph, and tornadoes embedded in heavy rain.
An alert issued after 10:30 p.m. Friday from the National Weather Service at Indianapolis said, “A line of strong thunderstorms is nearing the state line with a history of widespread damaging winds and tornadoes. The line is expected to continue to produce damaging winds as it moves into Indiana with the potential for additional tornadoes. The line is then expected to gradually weaken as it moves further into the state.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis is getting ready to welcome spring with its annual St. Benno Festival this Saturday.
Organizers say it’s one of the longest-running cultural festivals in Indianapolis.
St. Benno Festival is based on the German tradition of “Frühlingsfest,” the springtime version of Oktoberfest, Athenaeum Foundation President Craig Mince says.
“It would always be the festival that would open up the beer garden,” Mince said. “So that was kind of their kickoff of the spring and that warmer season. “
The Athenaeum’s celebration focuses on St. Benno, the patron saint of anglers and the city of Munich, Germany.
There’s a lot of folklore surrounding St. Benno. He’s said to have created Bach beer. He also had a sidekick, “Einbeck,” which means “billy goat” in German.
Legend has it that when the invaders were coming to Munich, he threw the key to a church into a body of water. Years later, he caught a fish that had eaten the key and retrieved it.
“When the German immigrants came here to central Indiana, Indianapolis in particular, they started to organize,” Mince said. “They celebrated Benno. They celebrated Bach beer. So that was kind of the beginning of this institution.”
St. Benno Fest will include lots of beer, pretzels, and Gomez BBQ’s doner kebab.
Francene Thomas, the Athenaeum’s event and festivals manager, says there’s a lot of thought that goes into the menu.
“We want to definitely bring the tradition of this festival and continue that, but also, just bring some fresh flavor to it, too.”
The celebration serves as a fundraiser for the Athenaeum. Money raised will go back into maintenance and other events that promote German culture.
Tickets are $25 and can be bought in advance on the Athenaeum website. St. Benno Fest is a 21+ event and runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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