Indianapolis, IN
‘Such a little gem’: Indianapolis cat returns home after six-month disappearance
Meet the 2024 White House turkeys, Peach and Blossom
National Turkey Federation Chairman John Zimmerman raised the White House turkeys, Peach and Blossom, with his 9-year-old son, Grant.
After nearly six months, Christine and Adam Ellis finally got the phone call they’d been waiting for: their missing cat, Moot, was alive and well.
Christine Ellis said she and her husband never lost hope throughout Moot’s gut-wrenching absence. Before her disappearance, Moot had already lived a storied life.
The Ellises first noticed a little calico near their Indianapolis house in March 2023. They began leaving out food for her. After about a month, they started calling her Moot. The couple set up a surveillance camera to make sure she was getting enough to eat. Once the Ellises finally managed to transport the cat to a vet appointment, they learned Moot was pregnant with five kittens.
The couple was about to travel to Czechia for their wedding, which would take place soon after Moot’s due date. They knew they couldn’t dedicate the time needed to newborn kitten care — a round-the-clock job — so the vet recommended a foster program with special expertise in neonatal feline care. But the Ellises already loved Moot.
“When we dropped her off for the foster care program, we wrote this multi-page letter saying how much we adored her and wanted to adopt her,” Christine Ellis said.
The kittens were adopted once they were old enough, and the Ellises officially adopted Moot in October 2023. She matured into a loving, happy cat who loves spending time around her people.
In May 2024, Christine and Adam Ellis traveled to Italy for a belated honeymoon, so Moot stayed with family members in Illinois. The couple had just flown back to Indianapolis when they learned Moot escaped her babysitters’ home by breaking through a screen door. The Ellises suspect she saw a squirrel.
The couple immediately drove to Illinois. They caught passing glances of her in the first few days of her disappearance, but they were never able to get close enough to catch her.
The Ellises were devastated. For the next six months, they put up flyers, made social media posts, and called shelters throughout Illinois. Christine Ellis estimated they heard about a potential sighting about once per month, but nothing ever panned out.
Right before Halloween, Christine Ellis’s mother posted laminated flyers throughout her neighborhood. The Ellises hoped that families might recognize Moot’s picture while out trick-or-treating.
Then, on Nov. 2, a man called about a stray calico visiting his porch. Christine Ellis asked him for a picture. She and her husband immediately recognized the distinctive freckle on the cat’s nose.
The man managed to lure Moot into his garage. His house sat only about one and a half miles from the site of her escape.
Christine and Adam Ellis drove three hours the next morning to pick up their beloved cat. Moot is now safely back at home, where she enjoys playing with her favorite blue string, cuddling and getting belly rubs.
Moot’s veterinarian gave her a clean bill of health, and she’s re-acclimating to the indoor lifestyle.
“It still feels like a shock,” Christine Ellis said. “She’s just such a little gem, and we’re so happy to have her back in our family.”
Indianapolis, IN
Aloft Hotels to open new location in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Aloft Hotels, Marriott’s lifestyle brand, is opening a new location in downtown Indianapolis this February.
Located two blocks east of Monument Circle on Market Street, the Aloft Indianapolis is a short walk away from Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“We are absolutely thrilled to open our doors and welcome guests to the Aloft Indianapolis Downtown,” General Manager Ryan Niketh said in a press release. “With a focus around local culture, crave-able food and beverage and purpose-built design; the Aloft Indy is the ideal choice for travelers in search of a boutique hotel with bold design elements, but who still want the confidence of a Marriott Brand as well as the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.”
Aloft Indianapolis will have 128 urban loft-style guestrooms, with nine-foot ceilings. Guests will have access to the Arf pet program, which provides lodgings, toys, and treats for your dog, and Camp Aloft, a program designed to entertain children.
In homage to the building’s original tenant, a bank vault in the lobby was renovated as a lounge for private dining and as an event space.
WXYZ Bar, a new cocktail bar, can be found at home in the Aloft. The mixologist-inspired bar will offer weekly live music.
Indianapolis, IN
Cathedral beats Attucks to win City Championship
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Cathedral finally got the Tigers off their back.
For the third straight year, the Cathedral Fighting Irish faced the Crispus Attucks Tigers in the Indianapolis City Championship Monday night at Arsenal Tech High School. The Tigers owned the bragging rights from the last two seasons, but the Irish aren’t strangers to hoisting the city tournament trophy. The two programs have won the title the last eight years.
This year belonged to the Irish, though. Led by 19 points from Brady Koehler, Cathedral held off a late Attucks surge to be the city champs once again, beating the Tigers, 71-63.
“Just really proud of our guys, how they just battled,” head coach Jason Delaney said postgame. “We didn’t play a perfect game tonight, but they found a way to win and made some veteran plays when it mattered.”
“It means a ton. We haven’t won the last two years. I haven’t won since I’ve been on varsity, so I mean it’s great to contribute and get a win,” Koehler said. “We’ve been on a little drought in the city, so just nice to get a dub and I’m doing it with the guys I’ve been playing with for a long time, so it’s great. It feels great.”
Cathedral now moves to 12-4 on the season, holding strong to the No. 5 ranking in Class 3A. The Irish play Winton Woods of Ohio next. Meanwhile, the No. 9 Tigers drop to 10-6 and will host Indianapolis Washington on Wednesday.
Watch WISH-TV’s The Zone every Friday night starting at 11:08 p.m. for the most high school sports coverage in the state.
Indianapolis, IN
Broad Ripple hot chicken eatery closes its doors
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Joella’s Hot Chicken opened its doors in Broad Ripple in October 2018.
Sunday the business closed its doors for good.
In a Facebook post, Joella’s Broad Ripple said “It is with heavy hearts that we announce our Broad Ripple location closed its doors for the final time on 1/26/25. We want to thank our team and guests who we have been fortunate to serve since we opened.”
Joella’s Hot Chicken is a national chain, who’s website proclaims: “The place where hearts are always warm and the chicken is spiced just right. At Joella’s, we’ll spice our 100% antibiotic-free, hormone-free, all-natural chicken just the way you like – from just enough heat to bring out the flavors and warm your heart, to Fire-In Da-Hole, bless your heart.”
The restaurant was located at 1072 Broad Ripple Avenue.
No reason was given for the closing, but competition in the hot chicken market has heated up in recent years with several competitors vying for a slice of the industry.
Joella’s operates another location on 96th street, which is not affected by the closure.
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