Connect with us

Indianapolis, IN

Marvin Harrison Jr. turns heads during joint practice in Indianapolis

Published

on

Marvin Harrison Jr. turns heads during joint practice in Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has quite a few memories of Indianapolis growing up. Having a father who played 13 years for the Colts will do that to you.

But while the young Harrison admits some memories are a bit fuzzy from his time in Indy, the ones he made during Day 1 of joint practice in Indianapolis were anything but.

Harrison didn’t take long to make his presence felt on Wednesday. After drawing a pass interference call up against cornerback Dallis Flowers during 1-on-1 drills, the No. 4 overall pick had fans in the stands in awe.

Come for the catch, stay for the route-running.

Harrison wasn’t just wowing the spattering of Cardinals fans in attendance, either.

At one point during the practice, a young fan was overheard as he walked away from the practice field where the Colts’ first-team offense was operating saying he’d rather watch Arizona strictly because of Harrison.

Harrison wasn’t the only Cardinals wideout handing it to the Colts defense, though.

Greg Dortch continued to do Greg Dortch things, burning defenders in the middle of the field. Michael Wilson remained consistent throughout practice.

Advertisement

The first-team offense as a whole had its ups and downs, though.

After starting off strong, the offense struggled to put a bow on Day 1 of joint work behind a botched snap, a few penalties and a sack on quarterback Kyler Murray deep in their own territory during team drills.

For Murray, these two days of practices mark his only action against another team ahead of the regular season after it was decided he would not suit up for any of Arizona’s preseason games.

But at the end of the day, Arizona’s offense put a lot of good on the tape, knowing there’s still plenty of work to be done in the Crossroads of America.

“It was good. High energy. I feel like the guys are ready,” wide receiver Zay Jones said post-practice. “There’s a lot of stuff we need to be better at, but overall, it feels great to come out and compete against a good football team and it’s great for the experience.”

Advertisement

Owen Pappoe keeps stacking days

The Cardinals offense had its moments throughout Wednesday’s work.

The same can equally be said for the Colts, who had Arizona’s secondary huffing for a good portion of the practice.

While there were groans on one side of the practice fields — where Cardinals receivers were taking it to Colts defenders — it was the complete opposite on the other.

The 6-foot-4 Michael Pittman Jr. was a big reason for that. Much like Harrison, Pittman quickly asserted his presence during 1-on-1 drills before kicking it up a notch in team drills.

One of the final plays of 11-on-11s, a deep touchdown over cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, was the exclamation mark on his evening.

Advertisement

But while there’s plenty for Arizona’s secondary to clean up heading into Day 2, there were some positives elsewhere, most notably in the inside linebackers room.

Second-year pro and inside linebacker Owen Pappoe picked up where he left off from in Saturday’s 16-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Proving effective against the Colts’ second-team offense, Pappoe made easy work of a forced throw by Joe Flacco, snagging the interception and finishing things off with a jaunt to the end zone for the pick-6.

“It was cool. I tried to bait him a little bit. He didn’t even see me coming. I had a really good break and took it to the crib. It felt really good, especially it being Joe Flacco.”

Advertisement

“It feels great. I’ve been working with my DBs trainer. The exact way that I just got that pick right now, we run that drill all the time,” he added. “I gotta send a clip to him. He’s going to be real happy about that one. It feels great seeing the hard work pay off.”

Pappoe, who many around the team believe has taken a big step forward, continues to stack days this offseason and is seriously making a case for added playing time in 2024 behind Kyzir White and Mack Wilson Sr.

No fighting

Head coach Jonathan Gannon was confident there would be no fighting ahead of Wednesday’s action.

He was onto something, as nothing appeared even close to a disagreement between the two sides.

There’s always tomorrow, though.

Emari Demercado, others back

After missing some time with a shoulder issue, running back Emari Demercado was back practicing on Wednesday.

He returned to his first-team role directly behind James Conner.

Also back practicing were cornerback Garrett Williams and defensive lineman Justin Jones.

Advertisement

Up next

The Cardinals take on the Colts for another round of joint practice on Thursday before meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium for Saturday’s preseason game.





Source link

Advertisement

Indianapolis, IN

Planned Parenthood to merge 3 Indianapolis health centers due to funding cuts

Published

on

Planned Parenthood to merge 3 Indianapolis health centers due to funding cuts


The group cites changes in funding, including cuts to programs like Medicaid and rising healthcare costs as reasons behind the merger. - Darron Cummings / AP Photo

The group cites changes in funding, including cuts to programs like Medicaid and rising healthcare costs as reasons behind the merger.

Darron Cummings / AP Photo


Planned Parenthood announced via its website it will merge three of its Indianapolis health centers in early April.


Friday, April 3 will be the last day for in-patient services at both the Midtown and Southside Planned Parenthood health centers in Indianapolis.

Advertisement


Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska and Kentucky announced on its website this week the Georgetown Road location will have additional appointment availability and in-patient services. 


The group cites changes in funding, including cuts to programs like Medicaid and rising healthcare costs as reasons behind the merger.


In a statement posted to the website the group acknowledged the changing landscape. “We also know that patient needs and priorities are changing, with more people turning to telemedicine for their health care. Because of this, we are making difficult but necessary adjustments to our health center network.”

Advertisement


For a list of resources patients can visit the Planned Parenthood website.


Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Barbara Anguiano at banguiano@wfyi.org




Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Economic boost expected as Indianapolis hosts Final Four

Published

on

Economic boost expected as Indianapolis hosts Final Four


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — As Indianapolis prepares to host one of the biggest events in college basketball, downtown business owners say they are getting ready for a surge in customers.

“We do have some extra inventory coming in just to make sure we have enough for anybody who’s in town that may need something, but we carry a pretty heavy selection of souvenirs and that type of thing all year round,” said Kim White, Co-owner of Circle City Souvenirs.

The NCAA Men’s Final Four on April 4th and 6th is just the main event. The city will also host the Division II, III, and NIT Basketball Championships.

The events are expected to bring tens of thousands of fans to the city; filling hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

Advertisement

City leaders say it’s not just about basketball, but the ripple effect across the local economy. According to Morgan Snyder, vice president of communications at Visit Indy, there’s an expected 70,000 visitors coming to the city. Hotels are already sold out.

“According to our partners at Indiana Sports Corp, it’s about a $400 million economic impact,” said Snyder.

From concerts and fan expereinces to events along Georgia Street, Snyder says there will be something for everyone. After months on construction, Georgia Steet is expected to repoen just in time, clearing the way for crowds and celebrations.

“It’ll be a tailgate fan fest zone all weekend long to come in and enjoy. It’ll be a major thoroughfare for fans coming either from Gainbridge Fieldhouse or Lucas Oil Stadium to catch some of the game,” said Snyder.

For businesses, a packed downtown is a chance to shine on a national stage, and make a lasting impression on visitors.

Advertisement

“Typically we do pretty well when we’ve got big events in town. We also sell items like hotel gift shops like Sundries, and snacks and drinks so we do sell a lot of that as well,” said White.

“They’re going to come in and see and find just how vibrant of a destination Indianapolis is. They’re going to come back and book another trip. It’s a strategy that has worked for us for years,” said Snyder

Check out the list of full events here.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Planned Parenthood closing 2 Indy clinics, citing loss of federal money

Published

on

Planned Parenthood closing 2 Indy clinics, citing loss of federal money


play

Planned Parenthood will shutter two Indianapolis clinics, leaving its Georgetown Road facility as the only local branch of the nationwide organization.

The Midtown and Southside locations will close effective Friday, April 3. The Georgetown health center will have “additional appointment availability and services” in the wake of the closure, according to Planned Parenthood’s regional website.

Advertisement

Patients receiving ongoing care like birth control or hormone replacement therapy can continue to do so through telehealth or by visiting another Planned Parenthood location, the website said.

“Because of changes to federal funding, including the loss of Medicaid reimbursements, we are making difficult but necessary adjustments to our health center network so we can continue caring for patients in our communities for years to come,” an FAQ posted with the closure announcement read in part.

Planned Parenthood estimated in 2024 that about half of patients receive care paid through either Medicaid or the Title X family planning program, which covers contraception and STI screening for low-income Americans. The Trump administration has moved to block the organization from receiving money from both streams.

Trump’s signature budget legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed in July 2025 with a provision banning clinics that provide abortion, including Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid reimbursement for one year.

Advertisement

It has been illegal since 1976 to use federal dollars, including Medicaid, to cover abortion unless it’s necessary to save a life or to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape or incest. Planned Parenthood does not perform any abortions in Indiana, as the state’s near-total ban only allows the procedure to be performed in narrow circumstances at hospitals or their surgery centers.

For months, Planned Parenthood contested the constitutionality of the Medicaid funding ban in various federal courts, dropping its case on Jan. 30, 2026, after an appeals court ruled in the government’s favor.

Though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restored Title X money to clinics in December 2025 after withholding it for eight months, recipients learned last week that they have one week to reapply for funding. That’s typically a months-long process, and more than 100 congressional Democrats are asking HHS to extend current grants for another year, NPR reported on March 17.

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

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending