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Trey Benson flashes potential in Cardinals' sloppy loss to Colts

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Trey Benson flashes potential in Cardinals' sloppy loss to Colts


INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson didn’t necessarily wow the crowd behind eight carries for 21 yards in his team’s preseason opener loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Seeing about the same number of touches in the Cardinals’ 21-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Benson flashed his big-play potential and vision.

In just over a quarter of work, Benson averaged 4.8 yards per carry on his way to 43 yards on nine rushing attempts.

And it could have been much more.

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Recording his fourth carry of the night, Benson nearly had a house call. After shaking multiple Colts defenders, the third-round pick turned up the field for a 19-yard gain. Had it not been for safety Nick Cross, Benson had a clear path to pay dirt.

It wasn’t only the Colts defenders Benson had to worry about, though.

On Benson’s final carry of the evening, the running back again made Colts defenders miss as he shifted his way 20 yards to Indianapolis’ two-yard line.

Unfortunately for Benson and the offense, his efforts were for naught thanks to a Christian Jones holding penalty. It was a tough series for Jones, who picked up three straight holding calls.

Benson, who entered the game listed as Arizona’s RB2 behind James Conner, won’t see the lost yardage on the stat sheet. He and the coaching staff will, however, see improved tape.

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Much to clean up

While Jones was dinged for numerous penalties, he wasn’t the only one caught having mental lapses.

As a team, Arizona committed 11 penalties for 82 yards.

The sloppiness on display simply cannot happen if the Cardinals hope to improve their win-loss record from a year ago.

“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. One of our modes of play is our brain and we didn’t use it tonight,” Gannon said. “That falls strictly on me.

“I thought we were ready to play physically, violence was on display, good effort and finish, but I just told them we’re not going to beat anybody making those kinds of mistakes and you can’t self-destruct and we did on all three phases. That falls on me and the coaches. We gotta get it cleaned up fast.”

Tune takes Round 2

For a second consecutive week, Clayton Tune outperformed Desmond Ridder, further solidifying his case for QB2.

Completing 80% of his throws (8-of-10) for 79 yards, Tune again looked comfortable operating the offense after getting the starting nod on Saturday.

He capped off a strong first half with a 12-yard touchdown run.

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“I feel like I’ve put in some good work,” Tune said postgame. “There’s still work to be done. That’s my mindset. Go in, watch the tape, learn from it, come back next week ready to work and build on it.”

“I feel like I’m playing more on time, playing quicker, getting through my reads, seeing the defense and just being decisive,” the QB added.

Ridder on the other hand completed 60% of his passes (6-of-10) for 71 yards, though saw the majority of his yardage (42) come in the final series of the game.

A false start on Dennis Daley ended the drive and the game, leaving Ridder without another chance at finding the end zone.

“He had some good balls in there. I thought he made some plays with his legs,” Gannon said. “Would have liked to see the last play get off, but we couldn’t get it done.”

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The Thomas twins

Saturday night was another strong showing from 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas.

Recording his second sack of the preseason along with two QB hits and a tackle for loss, Thomas had good pressure on Indianapolis signal callers.

For someone who said their legs were shaking on the first play of the preseason opener against the Saints, Thomas is looking more at home and appears to be trending up the depth chart.

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“Today I pretty much knew what to expect and things like that. It’s always good to get more comfortable,” Thomas said postgame.

The rookie wasn’t the only Thomas who stood out on Saturday.

Third-year pro Cameron Thomas was also a factor in the backfield, getting to quarterback Sam Ehlinger for a sack and pressuring fellow signal callers Jason Bean and Valley native Kedon Slovis on multiple occasions.

The Cardinals still have question marks surrounding their pass rush after projected starter BJ Ojulari went down with a reported torn ACL during training camp, ending his season before it began.

Could either Thomas find a more prominent role in the rotation? A strong showing next week in Denver could press the issue.

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Aside for the Thomas twins, Victor Dimukeje was another name getting added pressure against the Colts and narrowly missed out on a pair of sacks.

Give me that!

Kei’Trel Clark and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson provided an added boost in Arizona’s secondary on Saturday, each forcing a turnover and flipping the field in the Cardinals’ favor.

Clark put the hammer down on wide receiver Anthony Gould to force a fumble in the waning moments of the first quarter.

The second-year pro flew around the football field for most of the night, a positive development in a cornerbacks room where roles are still up for grabs.

“I thought he looked violent, physical. He had a couple good coverages in there, forced the fumble,” Gannon said. “He looked good in there and he played two spots today, so it was good to see.”

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It was Taylor-Demerson, better known as Rabbit, who had the play of the evening.

With 1:51 left in the first half, Taylor-Demerson snagged a pass near the sideline intended for wide receiver D.J. Montgomery and managed to keep his feet inbounds.

Had it not been for the duo’s takeaways, the score would have looked a lot different in Gannon’s eyes behind the mountain of penalties.

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“The takeaways were good. That’s the reason we stayed in the game,” Gannon said. “Without those takeaways, I think we get the brakes beat off of us, truthfully. I gotta watch the tape, but I know the interception was a phenomenal play. I thought he had a couple tackles in there. He looked good.”





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Indianapolis, IN

Circle City Orchestra wraps up season with ‘Sound Bites’ fundraiser

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Circle City Orchestra wraps up season with ‘Sound Bites’ fundraiser


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Circle City Orchestra will close its 2025-26 season with a special “Sound Bites” concert on Sunday.

The concert begins at 4 p.m. at the Athenaeum’s Basile Theatre. Admission is free, with a suggested donation to support the nonprofit, all-volunteer orchestra and “keep the music going.”

Craig Mince, president of the Athenaeum, said the venue has been home to the orchestra for several years — a connection that runs deeper than most might expect. The Athenaeum once hosted a full-time orchestra of its own, and welcoming Circle City Orchestra back into the space has felt like a natural homecoming.

“We love having them,” Mince said. “It harkens back to an old Athenaeum orchestra that used to be in the building full-time. We’re happy to have music back in the building again.”

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Phil Kranyak, principal cellist with the orchestra, started playing cello in third grade but stepped away from the instrument for 17 years before joining Circle City Orchestra. He said the group’s welcoming culture made the return feel seamless.

“We are inclusive in every sense of the word,” Kranyak said. “Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time or coming back after a long pause, it is so easy to step into this orchestra.”

Andrew Wu, an oboist who joined about a year ago, had a similar experience. Wu played violin, saxophone, and oboe through graduate school before taking a roughly 10-year break. He said the orchestra gave him a meaningful way to reconnect with both music and community.

“Music is such an important part of people’s lives,” Wu said. “Being able to express yourself through music and connect with a greater audience — and within your own orchestra — is just wonderful.”

The orchestra says it is always looking for new musicians.

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Rehearsals are held every Wednesday at the Athenaeum, and new faces are always welcome. Mince said nearly every rehearsal brings at least one first-time attendee, and the orchestra embraces that.

Musicians do not need to commit to a full season – the orchestra asks only that members participate in rehearsals for the concert cycle they plan to perform in.

Concert Details

  • ❓: Circle City Orchestra “Sound Bites” End-of-Season Concert.
  • ⏰: 4 p.m. Sunday.
  • 📍: The Athenaeum’s Basile Theatre, 401 E. Michigan St.



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Indianapolis, IN

Top seeded West Chester cruises to 12-3 win over University of Indianapolis in the Division II championship

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Top seeded West Chester cruises to 12-3 win over University of Indianapolis in the Division II championship


CARY, N.C. — One big inning was all the West Chester baseball team needed to get off to a winning start at the Division II championship.

The Golden Rams put their first five batters on base in the first inning and all eventually came around to score in a 12-3 opening round victory against the University of Indianapolis at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Friday.

Ace Julian Costa didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, but he battled through seven innings while his offense pounded out 14 hits to earn a date against UT Tyler on Sunday (6 p.m., ncaa.com) in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

» READ MORE: Kyle Lazer aims to finish what he started with West Chester baseball in Division II championship

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“Our guys all do our homework, so we knew what we were getting and were just looking to be aggressive early,” said catcher Caleb Strawhecker, who in addition to going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored at the plate, threw out two would-be UIndy base stealers. “Putting up a lot of runs on the board was the goal and luckily we were able to do that.”

The Rams (45-10) wasted little time establishing their dominance against the overmatched Greyhounds, who advanced to Cary, N.C. by winning the Midwest region.

Carter Rust hit a leadoff single in the first inning and scored on a double by Strawhecker, who then came around on a single by Austin Stalker. After Hunter Smith walked and a perfectly placed bunt single by Patrick Gozdan loaded the bases, Tanner Donati made it 3-0 with an RBI single before two more runs scored on a double-play grounder by Harry Middlebrooks and a single by No. 8 hitter Christian Michak.

“It was a good complete game effort,” West Chester coach Mike LaRosa said. “Jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first. Give Costa a five spot and I think everybody feels confident from there on that we’ve got an opportunity to take that game.”

As it turned out, the first inning outburst was enough for the Rams to win the game. But it wasn’t as easy even with their best arm on the mound.

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The senior left-hander Costa wasn’t as sharp as he was when he held Millersville without a hit into the seventh in last week’s NCAA Atlantic Super Regional. While he gave up 10 hits and walked two, he always seemed to make the right pitches at the right times to wiggle out of trouble.

» READ MORE: Rowan baseball drops opening game vs. Adrian in Division III championship, face elimination on Saturday

The only runs he allowed were a second inning homer to Brayton Bowen and an RBI single by Austin Bode in the fourth.

Not only did Costa leave the bases loaded twice on the way to his 13th win in 14 decisions this season, he started the game by picking off the first two UIndy runners to reach base in the top of the first. Strawhecker also helped him out by throwing out two more runners trying to steal second.

“It was a little [difficult] location-wise at the start of the game,” said Costa, who struck out seven. “Around the third inning was when I started extending my legs and worked on the mound, and everything came together.”

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West Chester added to its lead with a run in the fifth, then broke the game open late with two in the seventh and three more in the eighth on a three-run homer to left center by Rust. UIndy (39-23) got its final run in the ninth off the Rams’ bullpen.

“After the pickoffs happened [in the top of the first], we all just laughed to ourselves and said ‘We’re good now,’” Strawhecker said. “Then it was just getting back to business, getting outs and playing our game.”



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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect following pursuit

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Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect following pursuit


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  • The suspect was wanted in connection with the shooting death of a woman earlier in the evening.
  • The suspect was taken to the hospital in stable condition after being shot by officers.
  • Two firearms were recovered at the scene of the police-involved shooting.

This article will update. Get breaking news alerts on your phone → download the IndyStar app.

Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a vehicle pursuit that ended west of downtown near Interstate 70.

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Just before 8:30 p.m. May 28, 2026 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street. Arriving officers found Patricia Wieber, 65, with gunshot wounds. Wieber was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

Witnesses were able to give police information about the shooter and officers tracked the suspect to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side. The suspect, identified by police as Ronald Cross, 75, got into a different vehicle with another man. While tracking that vehicle officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads. The driver, who is not implicated in the homicide, got out of the vehicle without incident and was taken into custody.

Police said Cross then slid into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled. Officers used stop sticks and then in the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70 a SWAT officer used a vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations.

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After the vehicle was stopped officers shot the suspect, Adams said. Cross was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured.

Adams said two firearms were located at the scene.

During a news conference at the scene, Indianapolis police chief Tanya Terry extended her thoughts to the family of Wieber who was killed in what police believe was a domestic violence situation. She also praised her officers’ handling of the situation.

“[Our officers] did exactly what our community expects them do to in situations like this,” Terry said. “Our officers worked with bravery, coordination and precision in their attempts to safely bring the suspect into custody. I’m extremely proud of them for the work that they’ve done.”

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The chief added that Cross would be facing charges in the case and police confirmed hours later that Cross was arrested on a murder charge.

The shooting involving police was among a string of shootings across the city, including one downtown roughly two hours before that left a man in critical condition.

“It’s been a difficult night for our city,” Terry said.

The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting and body and dash cameras were activated during the shooting, Adams said.

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It is unclear whether Cross fired at officers and what makes and models of firearms were found by police.

Asked those questions by IndyStar, an unnamed IMPD spokesperson did not provide additional information and instead referred to a press release that did not contain the answers. 

This is the fourth shooting involving Indianapolis police since the start of the year.

📩 Start your morning with the top Indy news delivered straight to your inbox with IndyStar’s Daily Briefing. Sign up for free at indystar.com/newsletters.

Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.

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After an IMPD officer-involved shooting, what comes next?

From investigations and reviews to public updates and department procedures, this is what happens after an IMPD officer-involved shooting.



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