Indianapolis, IN
Indy peace leaders offer a new approach to changing school culture
(MIRROR INDY) — Dairius Banks wasn’t in Indy Peace Leaders when it first started this year but, after he kept showing up, the program’s leader let him stay.
The Arsenal Tech senior had followed a friend to the group which had been meeting regularly at their school to talk about what it means to be a leader. Banks said he’d never been a part of a group like it, but once he joined, he just started talking.
“It’s like a big therapy session,” Banks said. “We all had somebody to talk to.”
Banks is one of 14 young Black men at Tech who graduated Friday, April 12, from the school’s first cohort of Indy Peace Leaders. It’s a group Brandon Randall, of the local consulting group Tru Colors Indy, has led at Tech since late September. In it, he teaches lessons on how to appropriately deal with life’s challenges and become a leader for others as they’re faced with similar struggles.
The program’s launch comes amid the backdrop of an already violent spring in Indianapolis. Seven young people between 12 and 17 years old were injured in a downtown shooting in March, prompting police to announce their enforcement of a state curfew for kids. And Tech has lost several of its own students to gun violence, Randall said.
A chair sat empty at the Indy Peace Leaders’ graduation celebration last week. One of the 14 young men set to graduate was recovering in the hospital after being injured in a shooting, Randall said — a visceral reminder of something Arsenal Tech Principal JR Shelt told the Indy Peace Leaders he remembered hearing when he was a young Black student: “One in four of us won’t make it to see 25 years old.”
“That’s always stuck with me,” Shelt told the graduates, explaining how it drives his purpose today. “When you’re my age, you’ll do the same thing. If someone changes your life or gives you an opportunity or gives you a different way of thinking, you’ll pass that on to the next generation.”
[An Arsenal Tech mentor was killed just days before he would have received a mentorship award.]
Building up new leaders
Indy Peace Leaders grew out of an Indianapolis Urban League grant to the Peace Learning Center, a local nonprofit specializing in peace education, which contracted Randall to work with the teens. Students selected to participate in the program were paid up to $1,400 for their attendance plus bonuses for extra steps such as participating in a service project and a creative writing contest, Randall said.
The teens were able to use the stipends however they wished, Randall said. Some have jobs and cars and used the money to help pay bills or meet other needs outside of school. Though Dountonia Batts, associate director of the Peace Learning Center, said that’s not why the teens kept coming back each week.
“Not one person said that money was the motivation,” Batts said during the group’s graduation. “They mentioned people.”
Most teens in this year’s group were referred to the program by Tech staff. As part of a student body of more than 2,500, some teens in the group didn’t know each other at the start of the year. Others did, but didn’t necessarily get along. Randall said he worked hard to make sure the students, when they teamed up, worked with other students outside of their established friend groups.
Branden Randall, program facilitator, speaks to students. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy
The cohort met twice a week during school for about an hour at a time, taking in lessons about relationship building, mental health, family structure and conflict resolution. Randall challenged the young men to think about power structures, peer influence and how their actions could set an example for others around them.
He encouraged conversation and assigned the group homework occasionally. At the end of the school year, Randall said he plans to compare the students’ grades and attendance to reports from the middle of the school year. Although, for Randall, improving grades is a secondary goal.
“It is really important for people to understand the narrative of what youth leadership looks like,” Randall told Mirror Indy. “A lot of times, people expect that you have to have a 4.0, you have to be applying to colleges. These kids are very much leaders and while some of them want to go to college, not all of them do and that’s fine. They’re still finding joy and happiness in the world and they’re committing to making a positive difference.”
Keeping that in mind, Randall introduced the teens to different career paths. This month, he invited eight people from different industries to network with the group in a small, end-of-year career expo. He also arranged a service project where about half the group assembled hygiene and snack bags for 50 people in the city experiencing housing insecurity.
Jonathan Brewer said the activities taught him how to make plans and take accountability for his actions. The Tech senior studied welding in high school and now hopes to continue that in trade school. He’s also considering colleges where he can continue his participation in athletics.
“There’s not a lot of people that’s gonna tell you the right way of how to do things,” Brewer said. “Now, I try to look at the right company to surround myself with that’ll help me later on in the future.”
Relationships to continue
Randall said he focused from the beginning on building relationships and trust with the teens in the program. Randall, who is white, said he especially wanted to break their initial impressions that he was just another white man trying to tell them how to change their lives.
Banks said Randall quickly distinguished himself as someone who was there to stay by “blowing up” the teens’ phones and providing them rides when they needed it. He’s also helping some of the teens set up their first bank accounts and has connected them to potential job opportunities.
Several of the teens said their favorite parts of the program were the conversations Randall encouraged, creating a space where the group felt comfortable to share what was on their minds and hold each other accountable when they needed it. At graduation last week, the Indy Peace Leaders laughed together about the time they raided Coach Jeffery Cottrell’s snack supply and pledged to keep the cohort’s group text alive in the days and weeks to come.
[Mental health support among teens is progressing, but support is still needed.]
Most students in the first cohort are juniors and seniors. Randall said he hopes the graduates will stay involved as mentors to future Indy Peace Leader participants. He also hopes to bring the program to Harshman Middle School and said there’s been talks of launching a young women’s cohort and a group that caters to Latino students.
Randall has already tapped Banks to participate in another leadership program. The Tech senior said he especially liked how Indy Peace Leaders put the teens in front of community leaders who asked the teens directly what they think young people need today.
Banks, the Arsenal Tech senior, said the support he found through Indy Peace Leaders was the change of pace he needed after previously struggling and being expelled from another school. He called the new friends he’s made in the group a brotherhood.
He told Mirror Indy he thinks the community needs more programs such as Indy Peace Leaders to help teens make sense of the conflict they see around them. At the very least, he said, teens need to feel seen and trusted.
“There’s a lot of hurt,” Banks said. “We need more people to listen.”
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
INDIANAPOLIS (Gray News) – A woman died after falling about 50 feet from an outer curb at the Indianapolis International Airport, police confirmed.
Indianapolis Airport Police said the fall happened around 12:16 p.m. Saturday.
A security camera captured the woman falling from the outer curb of Upper Terminal Drive to a grassy area below. The fall was about 50 feet.
Several emergency departments responded, but after half an hour, she was pronounced dead by a doctor via telephone.
By Monday afternoon, police were still investigating. The woman’s identity has not yet been released.
Copyright 2026 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Indianapolis Colts’ 2026 NFL Draft class got mixed reviews to say the least as some rankings and grades have them at the top and others in the mid-20s. Here’s a selection of the analysis from the national media.
The Colts didn’t pick in Round 1, a product of their deadline deal with the Jets to land Sauce Gardner in November. They were 7-2 at that point with Daniel Jones playing great ball, but after an overtime win the following week in Berlin, they became the first NFL team to ever be six games over .500 and still finish with a losing record (per ESPN Research). Jones tore an Achilles in Week 14, and 44-year-old Phillip Rivers, signed out of retirement, was unsurprisingly unable to right the ship.
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The CJ Allen pick is going to be huge for the defense. He was a steal at No. 53 — I had him 28th on the board. He has three-down attributes that allow him to impact the game in coverage, as a run stopper and as a blitzer. Just look at his stat line from 2025: 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine run stops, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks. Paired with free agent signing Akeem Davis-Gaither and Day 3 pick Bryce Boettcher, the linebacker unit should take a step forward.
Despite tying for 14th with 39 sacks, this team was 30th in pass rush win rate (29.1%) last season. George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry chip in with Laiatu Latu (who is looking like a promising young pro after 8.5 sacks in 2025) to get after more AFC South quarterbacks, but Indy could have used a little more here. A.J. Haulcy enters as a potential Nick Cross replacement next to Cam Bynum, with eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups over the past two seasons. And Jalen Farmer was a strong value in Round 4, as I ranked the 6-foot-5, 312-pound guard at No. 81 overall. He didn’t allow any sacks last season.
Without the first-round pick, the Colts did pretty well here overall, getting a borderline first-round talent on Day 2.
The Indianapolis Colts gave up their first-round pick as a part of the Sauce Gardner trade. Given the lack of elite cornerback prospects in this year’s draft — after Mansoor Delane, who was taken sixth overall — the Colts will probably stand by their position.
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Gardner will only turn 26 in August, and he may prove to be more valuable than prospects who would have been available with Indy’s 16th pick, like Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and USC receiver Makai Lemon.
GM Chris Ballard picked up a little extra capital by trading down in Round 2 — flipping the 47th and 249th picks for the 53rd, 135th, and 237th selections — before grabbing Georgia linebacker CJ Allen.
Allen was considered one of the top off-ball linebackers in the 2026 class and should immediately boost Indy’s second-level defense. With their second pick on Day 2, the Colts added safety A.J. Haulcy, another talented defender who should make an early impact.
Haulcy was the 53rd-ranked prospect on the B/R board.
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Linebacker Bryce Boettcher could also push for early playing time. He and Allen have the potential to reshape Indy’s linebacker group, and Jalen Farmer will provide valuable depth along the interior O-line.
GM Chris Ballard could have afforded to address the team’s need at edge-rusher earlier in the draft, but he largely did a good job of adding defensive help without a Day 1 selection.
The Colts addressed their defensive needs on Days 2 and 3 after watching from the sidelines on Thursday. That has to feel good for Lou Anarumo after his group put up some real stinkers in the second half of last season.
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Inside linebacker help was a necessity for Indianapolis, and it found some in the second and fourth rounds. If not for positional value, Allen would have been a first-round pick. For him to still be on the board at 53 was a win. Allen is a hard hitter who will help establish a tough culture on the defensive unit. And if recent history tells us anything, it’s that there is nothing wrong with taking a linebacker out of Georgia.
Bryce Boettcher is just as exciting. He has two-sport experience after playing both baseball and football at Oregon and boasts a motor that separates him from most prospects in this class.
Second-round LB CJ Allen (53rd overall pick) and third-round S A.J. Haulcy (78th) seem like sweet value picks given where these talented defenders were selected – and both could start as rookies. They’re also the secondary story of this draft. In a win-now move made at least year’s trade deadline, Indy surrendered this year’s first-rounder (and next year’s even more valuable one) to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner, who – through no fault of his own really – wasn’t able to help the cratering Colts win now in 2025. But if Gardner, who hasn’t been the same player the past few years that he was earlier in his career, doesn’t revert to All-Pro form – maybe even Deion Sanders form – history is not going to look kindly upon GM Chris Ballard’s very expensive gambit.
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Analysis: The Colts, without a first-rounder, still made this draft solid with the combination of Allen and Haulcy early to fill defensive needs. With no glaring holes, GM Chris Ballard did the best he could to bolster depth with Curry being the best later pick.
Allen: Allen is a physical, reliable middle linebacker with strong run-defense ability. His length limitations are notable, but he flashes enough in coverage to project as a starter.
Haulcy: Haulcy is a true deep safety with strong range, ball skills and an aggressive playmaking mentality. He projects as a starter in systems that keep him in a traditional backend role.
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Farmer: Farmer put together a solid but unspectacular 2025 season, earning a 69.8 PFF overall grade that ranked 93rd among guards. His best work came in pass protection, where his 72.4 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 256th, while his 67.4 run-blocking grade ranked 113th. Across 818 snaps, he allowed 14 pressures, including three sacks and no quarterback hits, and committed one penalty.
Boettcher: Boettcher is a high-energy, multi-sport athlete who plays with physicality despite a smaller frame. He could carve out a role in an attacking defensive scheme.
Gumbs: Gumbs brings intriguing size and length (6-foot-4, 245 pounds, 33 5/8-inch arms) alongside developing production, and entered draft weekend at No. 211 on the PFF Big Board. He logged 345 snaps in 2025 and earned a 66.0 defensive grade, with solid marks in run defense (69.2) and pass rush (68.2). His 13 total pressures and 12 run stops point to flashes of impact, though five missed tackles and inconsistent efficiency highlight a still-developing profile.
Curry: Curry generated 46 pressures and 12 sacks along Ohio State’s defensive front while also excelling against the run, earning an 86.7 PFF run-defense grade. However, his lack of ideal size and length could limit his defensive role, making his extensive and productive special teams experience a key path to a roster spot.
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McGowan: McGowan has the build and athleticism to be a starting-caliber back at the NFL level. His explosiveness in short areas and long speed, paired with quick processing and play speed, make him a difference-maker between the tackles in power-run concepts.
Llewellyn: Llewellyn brings effort and a variety of pass-rush moves but is an average athlete who must improve strength to earn consistent snaps.
Burks: Burks’ size and production do not clearly point to a future NFL contributor, but his athleticism and strength make him difficult to dismiss. He offers intriguing upside as an explosive slot receiver, though he may not fit every scheme.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts draft grades: Colts get high marks from some, very low from others
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – People can weigh in on regulations guiding the future of data center development in Indianapolis.
The Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) will hold two virtual meetings this week on a proposed ordinance to create zoning regulations for data centers. The city doesn’t currently have zoning rules specific to data centers.
The virtual meetings are Tuesday, April 28, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 30, from noon to 1 p.m.
Attendees need to RSVP to join the info sessions. A meeting link will be provided after registering.
Public comments can also be submitted through an online survey.
The city says four separate requests were made to build data centers in Indianapolis over the last year. These developments have drawn intense public pushback, with concerns surrounding the environmental impacts of data centers and their strain on water and power supply.
After the Indianapolis City-County Council approved rezoning for the $500 million Metrobloks data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, someone shot into the home of Democratic Councilman Ron Gibson. A note reading “No data centers” was left under his doormat.
A lawsuit seeks to block a $4 billion data center project on the southwest side of Indianapolis.
“The fact of the matter is data centers are coming whether we want them to or not,” Gibson told News 8. “So, how do we make sure they’re more responsible, how do we make sure they invest in our community, and how do we make sure that investment is what we want?”
Council President Vop Osili, a Democrat currently running for mayor, says he doesn’t want any data centers built in residential neighborhoods. Republican Councilmember Michael Paul-Hart wrote in his weekly newsletter, “communities need stronger protections, better notice, and clearer standards if these projects are approved.”
A DMD spokesperson said the goal of the data center zoning ordinance is to create minimum requirements and add clarity to the development process.
Critics have said the proposed regulations are too relaxed.
Ben Inskeep, Program Director of consumer and environmental advocacy group Citizens Action Coalition (CAC) told News 8 “This ordinance fails to create basic protections for Hoosiers.” Inskeep said the ordinance could include stronger noise limits, requirements to use clean energy, and increased setbacks.
CAC is also calling for required annual reporting on water usage.
Democratic Councilmember Jesse Brown has publicly called for a six-month moratorium on data center developments in Marion County. According to CAC, a dozen Indiana counties have already put moratoriums in place.
The Metropolitan Development Commission will consider the new zoning ordinance on data centers during its next meeting on May 20. If approved, the ordinance could be introduced at an Indianapolis City-County Council meeting in June then be adopted as early as July.
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