Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis woman to be honored on historic deep space mission
INDIANAPOLIS — Jo Ann Holder always longed for her final resting place to be among the stars.
When she passed away in 2019, her son Joe Cassady set out to make that wish a reality.
“From the time I could remember, she was sitting me down in front of the TV every time there was a launch or something happening I was watching it,” Cassady said.
On January 8, her remains along with more than 200 others, will be launched on Celestis’ Deep Space Voyager mission, known as the Enterprise flight.
Also on the flight will be the remains of original cast and crew members of Star Trek and even President George Washington.
“She loved her grandchildren, the space program and Purdue athletics,” Cassady said.
Holder’s fascination began in the 1960s, when America turned its attention to the Moon race.
In her lifetime, she witnessed over two dozen launches from Kennedy Space Center.
Her passion inspired Cassady to begin a career in aerospace.
He works for a company that builds rockets and — as a coincidence — will be helping fulfill his mother’s dream in more ways than one.
“We’re actually providing the rocket engines for the upper stage on the launch. When they go out and do the maneuver to go into orbit around the sun, we’re gonna be the engine that does that,” he said.
Holder had a career in law enforcement with the Indianapolis Public School Board.
She loved photography and had a never-ending sense of wonder.
Cassady says now, he’ll feel her spirit anytime he looks up at the sky.
“I can always say when I look out to the moon and beyond, mom is out there,” he said.
If you’d like to honor a deceased loved one or send DNA to deep space, you can reach out to Celestis for reservations.
Its second upcoming Voyager Mission, known as the Infinite Flight, is tentatively scheduled for 2025.
INDIANAPOLIS – A person was found shot to death on the near southeast side early Monday morning.
Indianapolis Metropolitan police officers were dispatched around 4:55 a.m. to the 2600 block of E. Minnesota Street.
Police found a person who had been shot at the location. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting remains under investigation.
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis firefighter was injured while responding to a pole barn blaze on Sunday night.
Public police reporting systems indicate crews were dispatched to the 2000 block of Columbia Avenue around 7:23 p.m. on a report of a building fire. A battalion chief at the scene told FOX59 and CBS4 that, when crews arrived at the scene, they located a single-story pole barn that was fully engulfed in flames.
IFD reported that nobody was in the barn when the fire broke out.
As of 8:45 p.m., the blaze was contained. At that time, however, IFD indicated that crews were still working to extinguish cars and other equipment that were on fire.
One firefighter was injured during the blaze, per IFD. The firefighter sustained the injury on a ladder and was transported from the scene to IU Methodist Hospital. A battalion chief on scene told FOX59 and CBS4 the injured firefighter is in stable condition.
As of this article’s publication, no additional information on the fire or what caused it had been released.
Indianapolis, IN
What could prevent Josef Newgarden from racing Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double
LEBANON – Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Nashville resident Josef Newgarden would be interested in one day running the double — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.
However, Newgarden acknowledged there is a lot more behind the scenes to making that happen than simply saying he’d like to compete in the two races, which would account to 1,100 miles racing in one day.
“If we win enough Indy 500s, maybe they’d just have to say yes,” Newgarden said Sunday during a media availability at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the Ally 400. “That’s the strategy. We’ve got two now. How many do we need to get an automatic yes. Is it two more? I don’t know what the answer is. We’ll keep going until they say yes.”
Newgarden, The Tennessean’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, has won the past two Indianapolis 500 races.
“I’d love to drive a Cup car at some point,” said Newgarden, a Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School graduate.
“I used to go to Bristol races when I was a kid. Bristol has always been very high on my list. This track and Bristol are probably the tracks I went to the most to see Cup races. To do the double, would be a great opportunity.
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“I don’t know if that will ever take shape. It’s really tough nowadays to get that all lined up. There is a lot of people that have to be involved and come together on that. First and foremost, it was great to see Kyle (Larson) do that. We’d love to see more do that.”
Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske. Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup program includes 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Roger Penske also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.
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