Indianapolis, IN
Indy mom preps her 3 kids for Christmas in a hotel
There used to be a holiday tradition in Precious Sarver’s home. Two Christmas trees. One for her, one for the kids.
This year, there’s only one tree.
It cost $5 at the dollar store. And it’s sitting on a table in the family’s eastside hotel room, where they’ve been living for more than a month.
“I do everything right,” Sarver said through tears, “and I end up here.”
Sarver, 46, said she and her three children had no choice after a landlord forced them out in hopes of charging more in rent to the next tenant.
Sarver spent some time looking for another place to live, but even the search is expensive. She estimated spending a couple hundred dollars just on application fees. The housing search became even more difficult after the death of her mother.
Now, Sarver is paying $343 each week for the hotel room. There are two full beds, an air mattress, TV, fridge and microwave.
“Look where I’m at,” she said. “I never would’ve thought in a million years that I’d be homeless.”
Sarver has already told her kids that Christmas will have to wait this year. That was after not being able to make them a Thanksgiving meal.
But the tree wasn’t optional. It’s an all-white miniature version, sharing table space with boxes of cereal and paper plates. The family loves the holiday season. Her oldest son counts down the days until B105.7 FM starts playing Christmas music.
“We do the Christmas thing,” Sarver said.
The only thing missing from the tree is ornaments. Those are sitting in one of the two storage units that Sarver is paying $180 for each month.
‘I can’t be the only one’
Sarver said she’s not the only one struggling at the hotel. There’s a mother with five or six kids, and another woman who just gave birth.
“I can’t be the only one,” she said. “I gotta imagine older people going through this is insane.”
They’re part of what homelessness advocates sometimes call the “hidden homeless.” They live out of their cars or double up with friends and family. Or, in Sarver’s case, they end up in an extended-stay hotel.
“Most of the people that clean this place live here with their kids,” she said.
Even outside of the hotel, Sarver can see the extent of the homelessness crisis in Indianapolis. There’s a woman who sits in the cold with a blanket, Sarver said, and no socks.
“So I stopped and gave her a McChicken,” she said. “I don’t have anything else.”
‘I know God’s got a plan’
Sarver said she takes pride in doing the right thing: paying bills on time, helping others, volunteering at a local school.
Things only got worse for Sarver’s family when she accidentally dropped $520 in the hotel hallway.
Security footage shows a man picking it up and walking away.
“That was my phone bill, food money, gas,” she said.
That money also could have helped Sarver cover a security deposit, which she said is one of the biggest obstacles between her family and a home. Plus, Sarver has a nerve condition in both legs that requires her to use a cane, so finding a home isn’t only about money. She also needs something accessible.
Sarver collects about $1,900 a month in disability payments between her and her youngest son, who has special needs. And she gets help paying rent through the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s Section 8 program.
But the program doesn’t help with a security deposit.
For that, Sarver said she’d need to come up with about $1,700.
It’s hard to see where that money will come from.
“But I know God’s got a plan,” she said. “It’s gotta be something else for us.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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The Indianapolis Colts changed the landscape of Shane Steichen’s offense by taking tight end Tyler Warren with the 14th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Warren took the field in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins and didn’t look back. He’d set the Indianapolis rookie reception record with 76 while also piling on 817 receiving yards and five touchdowns (four receiving, one rushing).
Warren’s emergence put the other Colts tight ends in the shadow of the limelight. However, one name on the depth chart is ultra-reliable, willing to do the dirty work, and has been a staple for the Colts. That name is veteran Mo Alie-Cox.
This is part four of a series where I’ll detail Colts players who may not get the limelight they deserve. Alie-Cox might not be the playmaker Warren is, but he’s vital to the success of the Colts’ offensive attack.
From the Hardwood to the Gridiron
The craziest part of Alie-Cox’s journey to the NFL is that he didn’t play a single snap of college football during his days with the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. This was, of course, due to the program not having a football team.
Very few players have accomplished this, but the most notable is unquestionably NFL Hall of Fame tight end, Antonio Gates. Gates played at Kent State University and didn’t see any action on the college gridiron.
What stood out about Alie-Cox was is immense stature and athleticism, standing around 6’5″ and weighing approximately 260 pounds. This type of build and athletic profile made him perfect for a tight end spot.
Alie-Cox was undrafted in 2017, but Indianapolis liked what they saw from his private workouts and development into a tight end.
Alie-Cox went through a series of signings, injuries, practice squad designations, and releases. However, 2018 is when he saw his first NFL action with then-quarterback Andrew Luck.
He’d play nine games and stack a modest seven catches for 133 receiving yards and two scores. After this season, Alie-Cox got more respect from the Colts coaching staff to begin building his reliable resume.
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Respected and Reliable Asset for the Colts
Alie-Cox isn’t a freakish offensive weapon like Warren, but he boasts other great attributes that have helped propel Indy’s offense while also providing a steady hand as a pass-catcher in big situations.
Through eight years with the Colts, Alie-Cox has played 125 games, earned 53 starts, and secured 127 catches for 1,550 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
He averages just a single catch per game through his NFL tenure, but two things stand out most about Alie-Cox: his red zone prowess, and his excellent blocking skills inline.
Alie-Cox averages a touchdown reception for every 7.94 catches, and always poses a threat when Indianapolis is in the red zone. Given his small usage as a receiver, this is a high clip to catch scores.
As for his blocking, he’s the top man for the job for all Colts tight ends, and 2025 was no different for the former basketball talent.
Alie-Cox led the way for Colts tight ends when discussing his Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade, which stood firm at 64.6 on 220 run-blocking snaps. This placed Alie-Cox 37th out of all NFL tight ends in 2025.
Alie-Cox might not blow anyone’s mind as a pass-catcher, but he’s one of the best rotational pieces for any tight end room in the league. And the Colts are happy to have his services.
Outlook With Colts
I chose to refrain from putting any Colts in-house free agents into my Player Spotlight series, but Alie-Cox gets a big pass here.
I would be shocked beyond belief if Indianapolis doesn’t get Alie-Cox a new deal in 2026. He’s cheap to keep, and his value to the franchise can’t be overlooked simply because he isn’t a household name.
In fact, the Colts would be wise to keep him in Indianapolis for the rest of his career. He’s an excellent vet to have available, does every job he’s asked to do at a high level, and brings a great presence to the locker room.
Alie-Cox has put together a solid NFL career against all odds after not playing a lick of college football or getting an invitation to the 2017 NFL Combine.
The Colts need to prioritize re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, but they must make room in the salary cap to keep Alie-Cox in their roster ranks.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than a dozen protesters gathered at Military Park. In a dramatic escalation, the US and Israel engaged in military strikes against Iran and protesters are upset, including veteran Lucas Lee.
“I know what it’s like to be on the edge, potentially going somewhere where your life is at risk. And I believe this war is something we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s important to stand up, because not only is standing up the right thing to do, but it could potentially save lives.”
Protesters held signs that read ‘Hands off Iran’ in front of the corner of West and New York intersection.
Several cars honked in support. Democratic City County Councilor Jesse Brown attended as well.
IPS School Teacher Noah Leininger organized the Anti-Iran War Rally. “The United States spends 1 trillion dollars on war every single year. While there are massive unmet needs right here in our own communities. People need jobs, healthcare, housing, and schools. And instead our government spends a trillion dollars every year to go and bomb elementary school age girls,” he said.
Iranian officials say the U.S. and Isreal hit a girl’s primary school in southern Iran killing at least 115 people.
The US strikes have not only created tension in the Middle East, but also here at home.
Mark Oakley who supports military action Iran, confronted the anti-war protesters. “Freedom for Iranian people, freedom for Americans. Freedom for everybody, but this [protest] is not it. When you’re debating about innocent people getting killed. You are debating the wrong thing.”
Additional police were called in to de-escalate the situation.
Chris Gomez, attended the protest because he wanted to take action. “Trump ran on a platform called the party of peace. That’s what Republicans run their policy on a party of peace, but look where we are now.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Opera will host a free concert in honor of Black History Month Saturday night at 6 p.m. to celebrate the legacy and artistry of Black composers. The event features a range of spirituals, contemporary art songs, and operatic works performed a cappella.
Lyndsay Moy, the director of education, outreach, branding and design for Indianapolis Opera, said the event is designed to keep this specific music accessible to the public.
Resident artist Ian Williams, describes the concert as a mix of traditional repertoire and new songs. The artists will perform without microphones or instrumental accompaniment. “All of this is just straight out of our voices, so there’s no microphones,” Williams said. “We’re just creating the sound ourselves and putting it into a space, so it’s a little bit of, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of extra work there, yes.”
“So many composers tonight have been so influential in the broader vocal canon and it’s important and wonderful for us to be able to offer this kind of concert for free to our community to keep this kind of music accessible and more importantly to feature these fabulous artists like Ian so much talent,” Moy said.
Williams noted that the concert allows the organization to celebrate classic composers who were not well known during their own time. “It’s very cool because we get to celebrate some of classic composers all the way back to William Grant Steele, who was one of the who wrote operas back in the day, even during the time of Porgy and Bess, but he wasn’t, it wasn’t well known,” Williams said.
One of the featured pieces is the traditional spiritual “Fix Me Jesus,” which was arranged for the University of Michigan choir. Williams said the arrangement by Stacey Gibbs maintains the traditional spiritual style while adding rich harmonies.
While formal tickets for the event are currently sold out, those interested in attending can email tickets@indyopera.org to be added to a waitlist.
Check out the video above to hear a sneak peak of the Indianapolis Opera!
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