Indianapolis, IN

IndyGo receives $150M grant for Blue Line

Published

1 year ago

January 8, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS — Many Hoosiers rely on IndyGo buses to get to different points around the Indianapolis Metropolitan area.

Thanks to funding from a new grant, the bus system will potentially connect people in the town of Cumberland over to the Indianapolis International Airport.

Justin Bruno has been using IndyGo his whole adult life.

“They support us out here,” Bruno said.

WRTV

He works part-time as a bellman for a hotel downtown.

The bus helps him in a pinch.

“I do have transportation but things happen. So IndyGo is a blessing,” he said.

IndyGo announced Tuesday that it received a $150 million federal capital grant for the construction of the upcoming Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit route.

The awarded funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts Capital Investment Grant.

The FTA’s Capital Investment Grant contribution represents nearly 40 percent of the Blue Line’s estimated project budget.

“The Blue Line is going to be the longest of the BRT routes. It’s going to run through the heart of the city, the busiest corridor. 28 million visitors, within 150,000 jobs,” IndyGo spokesperson Carrie Black said.

The Blue Line will run 24 miles east to west along I-70, Holt Road and Washington Street.

Black says residents can expect some construction in the coming months.

“A big part of bus rapid transit is dedicated bus lanes. What that does is it allows buses to travel independently of car traffic, and likewise it allows cars to travel independently of the buses and not have to deal with the stops and starts of buses,” she said.

But those dedicated bus lanes are causing a bit of controversy for the people living and working along the streets it will affect.

“Revenue. They’re afraid of the revenue loss. They don’t have corporations to back them,” Jason Hunt said.

Hunt works at a tavern and sports bar on E. Washington Street in Irvington.

He says there are both positives and negatives to the Blue Line.

“There are a lot of independent restaurants and shop owners within here. So you’re doing to remove the 10 to 15 places out front, you’re going to go down to one lane. You’re going to have increased congestion,” he said.

But on the other hand, he says reliable public transportation is necessary.

“It definitely reduces their stress and their anxiety, I believe, of getting to a doctor’s appointment, getting to work. Maybe they can’t accept a position because of the infrequency of the rides,” Hunt said. “These are growing pains. I think that the pros outweigh the cons.”

Construction on the Blue Line is expected to begin early this year, with the route set to open for service in late 2028.

IndyGo will be hosting open houses in February all along the Washington Street corridor to share the details on construction, closures and detours.

They’ll be sharing the dates, times and locations of those meetings in the next week.

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Indianapolis, IN

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

Published

6 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

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.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

Published

18 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

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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