Dear Indy,
After years-long construction, West Morris Street is expected to open to two-way traffic in August and be complete this fall.
The $10 million project has resurfaced about 2 miles of road and installed new curbs, sidewalks, storm sewers, streetlights and a multi-use path.
At least one westside business owner hopes the improvements will spur investment.
“You have the makings of a nice community. You have shops. It just needs to be invested in,” said Lee Kleiner, who owns a Dairy Queen on Morris Street.
Read more here from westside reporter Enrique Saenz.
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In other news
Indianapolis ambulances will carry naloxone kits on board and distribute them at the scenes of overdoses to prevent future fatalities. On average, two to three Marion County residents die every day from an opioid overdose, according to Health Department data, health reporter Mary Claire Molloy writes.
Today’s weather from WTHR
Today is the last day for rain chances. Watch for on-and-off downpours with highs in the low 80s.
— Matt Standridge, WTHR meteorologist
What’s going on around the city
- Tonight, Aug. 2: Pianist Christopher Pitts and his CP3 Jazz Trio will perform at 9 p.m. at McGowan Hall, 1305 N. Delaware St., for a First Friday after party. Free.
- Saturday, Aug. 3: The Indiana State Fair, 1202 E. 38th St., will commemorate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ concert at the fairgrounds in 1964 with Beatles-themed programming throughout the day. A 2 p.m. performance from the Hard Day’s Night tribute band will follow the exact setlist from 1964, and Beatles artifacts owned by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay will be on display. Free with a ticket to the fair.
- Thursday, Aug. 8: Indy Drag Theatre’s musical reimagining of Stephen King’s “Carrie” will open with a 7 p.m. performance at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave. Tickets start at $30.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
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What else we’re reading today
- Chalkbeat Indiana: Purdue and IU each weighed in on the new high school diploma requirements. There’s concern, especially at Purdue, that the requirements aren’t rigorous enough.
- Indiana Capital Chronicle: Have you seen those commercials targeting Indiana health care during the Olympics? An Ohio group appears to be responsible.
- WIBC: Foghat is replacing Three Dog Night as the opener Friday at the Indiana State Fair.
Reporter’s Notebook
Here’s some labor news to pay attention to in the coming weeks:
Maintenance workers at Lawrence Township Schools might unionize. Full-time and regular part-time workers are in the process of voting on whether to join the International Union of Operating Engineers.
The school district contracts maintenance workers from Chicago-based company R.J.B. Properties, so they aren’t school employees.
A union organizer told me votes will be tallied Aug. 7.
Speaking of labor, I want to make that a larger part of my beat going forward. I’ve done some work already — I went to an REI union rally in May — but I’m trying to do more.
So let me know if there’s anything I should pay attention to. It doesn’t have to be big or scandalous. Have a cool job? A bad employer? A good employer? Find me and tell me.
— Tyler Fenwick, housing and labor reporter
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Anyone who’s ever moved knows you accumulate so much more stuff than you think.
But what if you had to move in two days and you were packing up supplies meant to sustain people for months on end?
That’s the problem some students at IU Indianapolis faced this week. In case you missed it, IU trustees approved a new policy that effectively shut down a three-month pro-Palestinian camp in Indianapolis, one of the only camps remaining in the country after a wave of campus activism this spring.
Students spent the week packing up the camp. In addition to the tents and sleeping bags, there were two bookshelves, a tent full of art supplies and potting soil for the camp’s tiny garden. Many of the supplies will be donated to mutual aid groups or stored at encampment organizers’ houses.
Through the encampment, Elliott Samons, an IUPUI undergraduate, found a new roommate. He wants to keep building community by hosting art nights and dinners at his eastside home.
Although he’s sad and angry about the new policy, Samons said he feels energized to keep the movement going. He’s confident that students will eventually succeed in their call for IU to divest from Israel and the Crane naval base — it’s happened elsewhere.
“Living here has showed me what is possible for us to accomplish,” the 29-year-old said.
By Aug. 1, the encampment had been cleared. The only remaining signs of the demonstration were a few remnants of paint and chalk drawings on the blackboards.
— Claire Rafford, higher ed reporter
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Reflections
It’s a slow ride. Take it easy.
I had to put on my Foghat for that one.
Chris
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at chris.sikich@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.
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