Indianapolis, IN
Lucas Oil Stadium sensory room open during events
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lucas Oil Stadium is now home to a sensory room, making one of the city’s largest venues accessible to all.
The room was created by nonprofit KultureCity, the “nation’s leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance for those with invisible disabilities,” according to their site. KultureCity worked alongside the stadium and the Capital Improvement Board to make the room possible.
Tucked away near the stadium’s southwest entrance, the room turns chaos to calm with sensory-friendly components. The room features bubble walls, adjustable lighting, calming visuals, comfortable seating and Yogibo bean bags.
“It’s all in an effort to give guests the best experience possible and be able to come to events that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to come to events that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to,” Mike Rogers, a member of the Lucas Oil Stadium’s Guest Services team.
The room is open during every event at the stadium and families are free to use it after checking in with the room’s attendant. They can also download the nonprofit’s app before the event to see all available features.
“Every one of those families, they were in here for 15 or 20 minutes, and you can see the kids were calm as they walked out, and so you can see that it really works,” Rogers said.
Rogers says aside from the excitement the room brings professionally, it also has a personal impact.
His grown son is on the autism spectrum and would have benefited hugely from a sensory room at the stadium.
“We had Colts season tickets for a while and every time we came, we did the best we could to give him headphones and so forth, so that he could take the environment, but it still wasn’t working,” Rogers said.
“We knew the best thing to have would have been a room just like this.”
The stadium also offers sensory safe bags, which include a weighted blanket, fidget toys, headphones, and verbal cue cards.
Attendees in need of a bag can check one out at guest services.
Indianapolis, IN
IMPD asks for help to find missing 26-year-old man
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis police on Tuesday asked for the public’s help to find a missing 26-year-old man with autism.
Tyrese Pepper was described as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark-colored jacket with a Colts logo and navy jogger pants.
He was last seen riding a navy-and-white bicycle eastbound on East 21st Street, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
IMPD says Pepper is nonverbal and autistic.
If located, please call 911 immediately.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis councilman says ‘No Data Centers’ note was left at his home after someone opened fire
The home of a councilman in Indianapolis was shot at early Monday in what local police said was an “isolated, targeted incident.”
The incident came less than a week after the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission voted 6 to 2 on April 1 to approve rezoning to allow the construction of a data center.
Ron Gibson, a Democrat who represents District 8 on the council, spoke out in support of the rezoning and the efforts to build the data center in his district.
“Earlier this morning, between approximately 12:45 a.m. and 12:50 a.m., just a few hours after Easter Sunday, an individual fired 13 rounds at the front door of my home and left a note on my doorstep that read, ‘No Data Centers,’” Gibson said in a Monday statement.
Councilman Ron Gibson
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said it was called to the home on Monday morning, and officers found evidence that gunshots had been fired at the house. Police said no injuries were reported.
“I understand that public service can bring strong opinions and disagreement, but violence is never the answer, especially when it puts families at risk,” Gibson said in his statement.
The Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
The data center is set to be built by Metrobloks, a data center developer based in Los Angeles. Following the vote last week, Gibson shared a statement on social media promoting the project.
“Metrobloks has the potential to bring significant investment, create jobs, and generate long-term tax revenue that supports infrastructure, housing, and essential services,” the statement said.
A data center boom is happening across the US, with companies pouring billions into building the infrastructure to keep up with demand in the era of AI. The data centers have faced increased opposition, with critics pointing to the high resource costs, from water to energy, and other issues like noise pollution, as detailed in a Business Insider investigation.
Indianapolis, IN
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