Indianapolis, IN
Indy 500 driver feeling the pressure ahead of HISTORIC weekend
Indy 500 driver Scott Dixon has admitted that “the pressure is definitely on” ahead of his chance to become the first person to earn three consecutive poles.
Only 11 drivers have ever managed to secure successive pole positions in Indy 500 history. Nobody has ever found a way to make it three in a row.
But that is exactly what Dixon is hoping to achieve this weekend as he prepares for what could be his chance to etch his name in the history books.
“Three in a row…honestly, I haven’t even thought about that,” he told RACER. “I haven’t even thought there was two in a row.
“Most of the time you think about the ones that got away more than the actual ones you knew you nailed and got. But what I love about qualifying is the roller coaster ride that you take to get there to try and pull it off.
READ MORE: IndyCar CEO in ‘crock of s***’ BLAST about F1
“What’s special about the pole is just the amount of effort that goes into making these cars super-fast. It’s a whole team effort. The pressure is definitely on and then there’s trying to nail that right downforce level.
“And then each year is its own thing of what you’re finding, whether it’s wind direction, track temp, or a combination of the two. Last year’s pole for me was one of the most enjoyable because the car was so well balanced. It was just a perfect scenario.”
Three in a row ‘would be huge’
Pole would see Dixon go level with all-time leader Rick Mears – with six starts from P1 each – something that the New Zealander is eager to achieve.
He added: “If we could pull that off, go for the six, three in a row, be the first to do that, obviously that would be would be huge.
“But at the moment, the process is just trying to make the car the best that we can and then come end of Saturday, be in the Fast 12 and then hopefully Sunday we can make it to the Fast Six and then obviously go on to try and fight for the pole.
“But you know this place can throw weird things at you and we could even be out of it on the first day. So, we’ll keep our heads down, keep after it and hopefully we can be fighting for a pole on Sunday.”
READ MORE: Norris left gobsmacked by ‘INSANE’ McLaren special liveries
Indianapolis, IN
Stabbing on Indy’s west side leaves man dead
INDIANAPOLIS — A man has died after being stabbed on the west side of Indianapolis on Friday.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department South District officers responded to the 3500 block of Dogie Road on a report of a person stabbed on June 14.
Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from injuries consistent with trauma. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday, June 15.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office will release the victim’s identity once his family is notified.
IMPD says a person of interest was arrested for this incident. The suspect is facing aggravated battery charges.
WRTV does not name suspects until they are formally charged.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact IMPD Det. Anthony Johnson at 317-327-3475 or by email at Anthony.Johnson@indy.gov.
Alternatively, anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).
Indianapolis, IN
44-year-old man critically injured in Anderson shooting
INDIANAPOLIS — A 44-year-old man was critically injured in an Anderson shooting Saturday evening.
According to Indiana State Police, around 7:30 a.m., state police were requested to assist the Anderson Police Department at a residence located on Delmar Street.
Police said officers located a 44-year-old man at the residence suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body.
The victim was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition.
An investigation from state police detectives determined that an altercation at the residence led to the victim being shot.
Police said a 24-year-old man was arrested at the scene for invasion of privacy and unlawfully carrying a firearm, which resulted from him violating an existing protection order.
Indianapolis, IN
How would you change I-65 and I-70 in Indy?
(MIRROR INDY) — The roar is loud and constant at Candace Miller’s home on West McCarty Street. Living about 100 feet from Interstate 70’s westbound lane means she’s been able to hear every vehicle every day for the past two and a half years.
She’s gotten used to the din. Now the only time she worries about the interstate is when other sounds pierce the roar, such as crashes or sirens — or the rattle of a stranger trying to open her neighbor’s door. Sometimes, she says, they happen all at once.
“We’ve had cars come off the road after they get in wrecks,” she said. “Then people jump the fence and try to get into peoples homes to not get caught by the police.”
Families living in dozens of West Indianapolis homes on McCarty Street, Wyoming Street and others that run parallel to the interstate are only separated from it by an embankment, a few sparse trees and a waist-high chain link fence.
Miller said she’d like some sound barriers to reduce the noise, but she said the state should prioritize things that could protect her home, such as more lighting on the interstate and more protective fencing on the embankments.
“If it’s raining and it’s dark, you can’t see anything,” she said. “I feel they should spend some money and make sure people that are driving can see better.”
Miller’s concerns are the types of comments the Indiana Department of Transportation wants to hear from Indianapolis residents as it considers the future of the inner loop, made up of I-70 and Interstate 65.
Both interstate routes were built in the 1970s and are nearing the end of their service lives. INDOT plans to modernize them, but it first wants to hear how residents think it should approach the upgrades.
The agency is taking public comments through its Pro Planning and Environment Linkages program, or ProPEL Indy, until June 30 and will have several public information sessions around the city.
Original project split neighborhoods
When the Indianapolis portions of I-65 and I-70 were originally built, the interstates split neighborhoods, such as West Indianapolis, in the path of the selected inner loop routes. About 8,000 buildings were demolished for the projects, displacing about 17,000 residents, according to the Oct. 15, 1976, edition of the Indianapolis Star.
Little consideration was given to how the projects would affect those neighborhoods. The projects were designed in the 1960s and predated the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act, which requires environmental impact assessments for major federal actions. That includes how a proposed project would affect the people living near it.
Many residents at the time were unhappy with the project. Some would form groups like the West Indianapolis Neighborhood Congress that would scrutinize future transportation projects and would oppose the projects when they didn’t serve the interests of the community they represented. The group and other city residents successfully opposed the construction of a proposed Harding Street freeway that would have linked I-65 in the north to I-465 in the south through I-70.
Building projects around residents’ needs
ProPEL Indy project manager Tim Miller said future interstate projects will be planned with the needs of the public, businesses, and other organizations in mind instead of imposing the projects’ needs on them.
“What we’re trying to ask people to do is re-imagine how those interstates function within our community, whether that’s from a mobility standpoint, safety standpoint, or efficiency standpoint,” Miller said. “Instead of just giving ideas about this — saying this is how it will be — let’s have a conversation about how we want (interstates) to function in our community.”
The feedback that state officials receive from the public will be used to create plans for the interstate sometime next year. At that point, they’ll ask for more input.
“This is a generational study,” Miller said. “It’s very important that people get engaged.”
Residents like Miller expressed concerns that the outreach was just a formality before the state builds newer and bigger versions of the existing interstate, like the North Split project connecting I-65 and I-70 in the northeast part of the inner loop.
“They’ll act like, ‘We’ll take your comments,’ just to say it and pretend like they’re trying to have your back, but in my experience nothing’s ever done with that feedback,” Miller said.
But others are optimistic about the prospects of changing the interstate system for the better.
“I’m very impressed with their outreach. I think that they’re taking it seriously,” said Jakob Morales, who works on the west side. “These are projects that are going to be around for a very long time and affect millions of people. This is the future, so it’s important to them.”
Morales said he wants INDOT to completely reimagine the interstate system.
“(They should consider) highway elimination and transforming them into slower boulevards that are dense, transit oriented and that aren’t going to leave us with these polluting interstates for the next 50 years,” he said.
What do you think?
ProPEL Indy will hold several more information sessions this month and will accept public comments online until June 30.
Tuesday, June 18
Martin University
2186 N. Sherman Dr.
3-5 p.m.
Wednesday, June 26
Guion Creek Middle School
4401 W. 52nd St.
4-6 p.m.
For more information, head to the ProPEL Indy website.
-
Politics1 week ago
Newson, Dem leaders try to negotiate Prop 47 reform off California ballots, as GOP wants to let voters decide
-
World1 week ago
Dozens killed near Sudan’s capital as UN warns of soaring displacement
-
World1 week ago
‘Bloody policies’: Bodies of 11 refugees and migrants recovered off Libya
-
Politics1 week ago
Embattled Biden border order loaded with loopholes 'to drive a truck through': critics
-
Politics1 week ago
Gun group vows to 'defend' Trump's concealed carry license after conviction
-
Politics7 days ago
Should Trump have confidence in his lawyers? Legal experts weigh in
-
News1 week ago
Would President Biden’s asylum restrictions work? It’s a short-term fix, analysts say
-
News1 week ago
Read Justice Clarence Thomas’s Financial Disclosures for 2023