Indianapolis, IN
National campaign launched to combat battery fire crisis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The National Waste & Recycling Foundation and the National Waste & Recycling Association launched a national public service campaign in January 2026 aimed at reducing battery-related fires in the waste and recycling industry.
The initiative, titled “Skip the Bin – Turn Your Batteries In!,” encourages residents to properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries and is designed to protect sanitation workers, waste facilities and surrounding communities.
The campaign follows a surge in fires linked to discarded batteries. Industry officials reported more than 1,000 battery-related fires nationwide in 2025 at locations including collection trucks, transfer stations, recycling facilities and landfills.
The effort comes as Indiana emerges as one of the fastest-growing manufacturing states for electric vehicle batteries.
Michael E. Hoffman, president of the National Waste & Recycling Foundation and CEO of the National Waste & Recycling Association, said many households now contain numerous lithium-ion batteries but residents often lack information about how to safely discard them.
“There were over a thousand fires in 2025,” Hoffman said. “There’s basically one every single day in every state in just the waste and recycling infrastructure, whether it’s collection, transfer, the recycling facility, or at the landfill, or a waste energy plant. We have a fire every day.”
The campaign warns that lithium-ion batteries operate through chemical reactions rather than simple electrical storage. When damaged or improperly handled, they can undergo thermal runaway — a rapid reaction that can cause temperatures to rise to several thousand degrees Fahrenheit within milliseconds. These fires cannot be extinguished with water, creating significant hazards in homes and waste facilities.
The foundation partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to feature the agency’s mascot, Woodsy Owl, in the campaign — one of the character’s most prominent public appearances in about two decades.
Hoffman said the Forest Service joined the initiative because of concerns about campers discarding batteries into campfires in national forests.
“We went to the U.S. Forest Service knowing that Woodsy had been around for almost 54 years at that point,” Hoffman said. “The Forest Service has concerns about fires in the national forest. So they were thrilled with the idea that Woodsy could get behind something like this.”
In addition to fire safety, the campaign highlights the importance of recycling batteries to recover valuable materials. Lithium-ion batteries contain rare earth metals that can be difficult to obtain. Hoffman said about 60% to 70% of these materials can be recovered and reused to manufacture new batteries.
“These are rare earth precious metals, particularly in the lithium-ion batteries,” Hoffman said. “And these are hard to find rare earth metals.”
The campaign’s website, Batterysafetynow.org, includes a ZIP code locator to help residents find nearby drop-off locations. About 20,000 retail sites nationwide participate in the program, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Tractor Supply Company and Staples.
“You put your zip code in and there are 20,000 retail locations around the country, one pretty much within 10 miles of most zip codes, not all, but most,” Hoffman said.
The program promotes a three-step disposal process: Prepare, Locate and Deliver. Residents are advised to tape the ends of batteries to prevent contact, place them in a resealable bag or box and bring them to a participating retailer.
Once collected, the Battery Network coordinates transportation to processing depots, where batteries are sorted by chemical composition and prepared for recycling.
Hoffman said the foundation hopes to expand the program by partnering with grocery stores.
“Our next big objective is, can we get the grocery industry to agree to let us do this in grocery stores as well?” Hoffman said. “And then we’re pretty much wrapped around the consumer almost everywhere you might go.”
Indianapolis, IN
When is 60th annual Indianapolis Strawberry Festival? Date, time, strawberry shortcake prices
This is the holy sanctuary of strawberry shortcake
Ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries top 20,000 homemade shortcakes at the annual Strawberry Festival on Indianapolis’ Monument Circle.
Indianapolis Star
Strawberry shortcake lovers should grab their forks and head to Downtown Indianapolis for the 60th annual Indy Strawberry Festival Thursday.
Strawberry Festival Indiana 2026: When is Indy Strawberry Festival in Downtown Indianapolis?
The Indy Strawberry Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11 or until supplies run out.
Indianapolis Strawberry Festival 2026: Where is the Indy Strawberry Festival?
The Indy Strawberry Festival is held on Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis.
2026 Indy Strawberry Festival prices: How much does strawberry shortcake cost at Indianapolis Strawberry Festival?
An Indy Strawberry Festival shortcake costs $10 for “The Works,” a container packed with strawberries, ice cream, homemade shortcakes and whipped topping. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Be prepared to wait in line.
Indy Strawberry Festival origin: How did Indianapolis Strawberry Festival start at Christ Church Cathedral?
Christ Church Cathedral Women will make nearly 20,000 homemade shortcakes, and use 12,000 pounds of strawberries during the festival, where sellouts are not uncommon for the 300-plus volunteers.
According to the festival website, the book “The Little Church on the Circle,” written by Eli Lilly, spoke of Christ Church Cathedral using strawberries to raise money since 1864.
The first official Indy Strawberry Festival began with 100 homemade shortcakes sold on the lawn in 1965.
The women set up their stand on Thursday to make the most of J.C. Penney department store hours. Two hours later, the women had sold every last shortcake.
The event − held annually on the second Thursday in June − helps Christ Church Cathedral raise more than $70,000 each year, where 95% of the profits benefit local, national and international nonprofit outreach groups.
Chris Sims is a trending reporter at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.
Indianapolis, IN
Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Alexy Highlight Strong Lineup For Indianapolis (Psych Sheets)
2026 Indianapolis Pro Series
The Indianapolis Pro Series stop next weekend will serve as the final stop of the Pro Series before the 2026 Pan Pac Championships that will take place in Irvine in August. Pre-scratch psych sheets revealed a star-studded lineup including Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Ryan Murphy, and Jack Alexy.
The meet will serve as the first competition since both Ledecky and Walsh competed at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open at the end of April and into May. Ledecky won the 800 and 1500 freestyles in Fort Lauderdale. Walsh swam to another World Record, lowering her own record in the long course 100 fly as she touched in a 54.33.
Ledecky trains at the University of Florida and much of her training group will be in attendance as Bobby Finke, Emma Weyant, and Kieran Smith. Walsh trains at Virginia, and much of the Virginia group will be in attendance as Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Isabelle Stadden, Anna Moesch, and Claire Curzan highlight the psych sheets as well. Cal training partners Jack Alexy and Ryan Murphy highlight the group from Cal that also includes names such as Lucas Henveaux, Gabe Jett, and Ryan Erisman.
Notably not on the psych sheets is the large training group out of Texas under Bob Bowman that includes names such as Regan Smith, Shaine Casas, Chris Guiliano, Luke Hobson, and Carson Foster. Erin Gemmell will be in attendance for Longhorn Aquatics.
Katie Ledecky‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #1 seed
- 400 free: #1 seed
- 800 free: #1 seed
- 1500 free: #1 seed
Gretchen Walsh‘s Lineup:
- 100 fly: #1 seed
- 50 back: #7 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
Ryan Murphy‘s Lineup:
- 100 back: #1 seed
- 50 back: #42 seed (seeded with a 100 back time)
Jack Alexy‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #14 seed
- 50 back: #16 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
- 100 free: #1 seed
U.S. Pan Pac Roster Set To Compete In Indianapolis:
Almost all of the US women’s roster for Pan Pacs will be in Indianapolis as 21 out of 26 women on the roster are on the pre-scratch psych sheets. The men’s side includes 16/26 members of the Pan Pac roster, with most of the “no’s” coming from the Texas men.
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was fatally shot on the north side of Indianapolis Wednesday morning, according to police.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says officers were dispatched to investigate a shots fired incident in the 6700 block of Woodmere Circle in the Delaware Trails area, west of Hoover Road, around 5:41 a.m.
They arrived and located a person suffering a gunshot wound.
IMPD originally reported their condition as “awake and breathing,” though the person died sometime after arriving at a hospital.
According to Public Information Officer Drew Brown, the person who called police was the shooter in the incident.
He told police that two masked individuals approached him before shots were fired. The shooter is cooperating with law enforcement, police said.
Another person was detained on scene; IMPD did not identify or state their role in the incident.
This is a developing story.
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