Indianapolis, IN

Indy ambulances now place overdose reversal drug in hands of most vulnerable

Published

1 year ago

July 30, 2024

Indy ambulances now place overdose reversal drug in hands of most vulnerable

INDIANAPOLIS — People who are most vulnerable to a drug overdose will now have medication that saves lives delivered directly to their hands.

Indianapolis EMS medics responding to an overdose will offer kits to patients, their families, friends or bystanders. The kits include two doses of intranasal naloxone, a resource card with a QR code to the program’s webpage, how to sign up for text alerts about an overdose surge in Marion County and educational materials on recognizing an overdose and administering naloxone.

The initiative is part of the “Naloxone Leave Behind” project, in tandem with the Marion County Public Health Department.

The program’s goal is to reduce overdose deaths in Marion County by delivering the opioid reversal medication naloxone directly to those who are statistically at higher risk of fatally overdosing in the future.

“Indianapolis EMS stands among those who work on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic in our community, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death,” said Daniel O’Donnell, chief of Indianapolis EMS. “Increased access to naloxone can greatly increase survival chances in overdose situations, which can lead to more people seeking treatment to break the hold that addiction has on so many.”

Most people who fatally overdosed in Marion County in the first half of the year – about 62% −died in a home, according to a new report by the coroner’s office. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, continues to rank the most common substance driving up overdose deaths in the Indianapolis metro area.

Fentanyl, methamphetamine: The Top 5 drugs fueling the overdose crisis in Indianapolis

How to sign up for ‘bad batch,’ overdose surge text alerts

To receive texts about bad drug batches or overdose spikes in Marion County, text SOAR to 765-358-7627.

Texts will be sent when a bad drug batch is detected, when a neighborhood sees a spike in overdose or when police conduct a drug seizure in an area — a move that research has shown disrupts the drug supply and increases overdose. The program, called the Community Harm Reduction and Improved Outcomes Team (CHARIOT), is part of the statewide nonprofit Overdose Lifeline, which aims to help individuals impacted by substance-use disorders. The Office of Public Health and Safety has partnered with the organization.

‘Zombie drug’: The ’emerging threat’ for Indiana

Be in the know: Is your Indy neighborhood at risk for overdose?

Other ways to get Narcan in Indianapolis

Narcan, the common name brand for naloxone, can be requested through Overdose Lifeline website at overdoselifeline.org. The supplies can be delivered anonymously.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

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Indianapolis, IN

The Zone Banner winner is revealed

Published

16 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Student sections have been packed out and bringing the energy all season competing for The Zone Banner.

And the winner of The Zone Banner is… Brownsburg!

Brownsburg made AC’s Top 8 in eight of the nine weeks of the regular season. They were impressive throughout the season and were active on social media as well, campaigning for their school to win The Zone Banner.

This is Brownsburg’s second time winning The Zone Banner.

WISH-TV Sports Director Anthony Calhoun will present Brownsburg with its championship banner at its gymnasium on Tuesday, November 25.

Past winners

2024: Fishers
2023: Bishop Chatard
2022: Franklin Community
2021: Cathedral
2020: Westfield
2019: Mooresville
2018: Brownsburg
2017: Carmel
2016: Franklin Community
2015: Guerin Catholic

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis rocked by mistaken identity shooting of paperboy in 1980s

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Indianapolis rocked by mistaken identity shooting of paperboy in 1980s

There was no warning before the gunshot was fired from within the house. Inside, an armed homeowner believed they’d thwarted a crime. Feet away, a loved one watched as their family member died, the light low before sunrise.

That was the case on Nov. 5, 2025, as it also was on Sept. 25, 1986. Nearly four decades before the death of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, a high school junior mistaken for a vandal was fatally shot while delivering The Indianapolis Star on his early morning paper route.

The killing of Scott “Patrick” Lawson, 16, drew national headlines. As the teen approached a northside home to deliver the morning paper, 74-year-old Nokomis Toombs fired a shotgun through his living room window, striking Lawson in the chest. Lawson’s mother, who was helping her son out that morning, was parked feet away.

Toombs told police he’d been keeping an all-night vigil after a rash of youth violence near his home in the 5200 block of North Rosslyn Avenue north of the Indiana Fairgrounds. When Lawson approached his home at about 4:45 a.m., Toombs believed he was a neighborhood teen taking part in an ongoing harassment campaign. He did not give a warning before firing the gun, he told police.

Toombs had recently testified against three teens in a burglary case and feared retaliation, according to a Sept. 26, 1986, United Press International article.

About a month before Lawson’s death, police confiscated two guns from Toombs after he admitted to firing into a neighbor’s home. He said his own home had been fired upon first, and the guns were returned because Toombs had no criminal record.

Prosecutors soon learned that Toombs had not been home all night on Sept. 25, as he had claimed, and had instead been cut off at a bar only hours before the shooting – a fact that likely made the state’s case stronger.

Toombs was charged with murder within days of the shooting.

“I’m not convinced this was a case of a homeowner defending his home,” said Steve Goldsmith, Marion County’s then-prosecutor, according to an Associated Press article from Sept. 29, 1986.

Indiana law allows people to use reasonable force — including deadly force — to prevent an unlawful entry of their home, occupied motor vehicle or curtilage.

Toombs eventually pleaded guilty to reckless homicide. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 1987, serving two and a half after a sentence reduction and good time credit.

There are sharp differences between the two shootings, decades apart. Curt Andersen, the 62-year-old man charged in connection with the Nov. 5, 2025, shooting of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, who arrived at his home mistakenly thinking she had a cleaning job there, made no mention to police about previous break-ins or crime, according to court documents. There’s also no indication that investigators suspected Andersen of being under the influence at the time of the shooting.

On Nov. 17, Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announced a charge of voluntary manslaughter against Andersen. Guy Relford, Andersen’s attorney, indicated on social media that his defense will center around castle doctrine.

“Contrary to the contention of the prosecutor — and without discussing the specific facts of the case — we believe Mr. Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were absolutely necessary and fully justified at the time,” Relford wrote on X shortly after charges were announced.

Andersen’s initial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21.

(This article will update.)

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis metal supplier lays off 54 people

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2025

Press Room

Indianapolis metal supplier lays off 54 people

INDIANAPOLIS — More than 50 people will soon be unemployed as a metal supplier on Indy’s east side announced mass layoffs that go into effect in January.

Kloeckner Metals Indianapolis, located at 8301 E. 33rd Street, filed a notice with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to inform the state of a mass layoff at its facility.

Kloeckner Metal said a total of 54 people will be permanently laid off, with the first separations occurring on Jan. 20, 2026. The rest will all take place within 14 days thereafter.

No reason for the layoffs was included in the notice to the DWD. Affected employees include welders, warehousemen, saw operators, drivers, shear operators, burner operators, supervisors, account managers and various other positions.

Kloeckner Metals Corporation is based in Georgia and boasts itself as one of the largest metal manufacturing, supply and service companies in North America with over 45 branches.

According to the website, the Indianapolis location is a 160,000 square foot facility. Products ranged from structural beams and tubing to flooring, grating and sheet products.

It is unclear if the entirety of Kloeckner Indianapolis’s workforce is being laid off or only a portion. No complete workforce number was listed for the location. The notice filed with the state did not mention a closure for the facility, however.

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