Dear Indy,
Some fourth graders at Pleasant Run Elementary School on the east side are meeting after school every week to learn about the construction industry.
It’s part of an effort to teach kids about potential careers beyond their typical ideas of nurse, firefighter and police officer.
“It’s a good thing to expose them to lots of different things,” club sponsor Yvette Glenn said. “We’re exposing kids to things they would probably never use at this age.”
The kids are already practicing some of what they learned: by building houses for birds.
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In other news
- On Saturday, Haitian Flag Day provided residents an opportunity to celebrate and learn about the city’s growing Haitian culture. Check out photos from the event.
- Butler University is adding a bachelor’s degree in nursing as part of an effort to address the state’s ongoing nursing shortage. Butler will provide clinical experience to students in their first year, which officials anticipate helping those students establish connections in the city sooner. “We’re hoping to keep students in Indiana or in the Indianapolis area, giving back to that community who’s given to them during our education,” said Seth Carey, Butler’s inaugural nursing program director.
- Child care in Indiana has gotten so expensive that thousands of people, mostly women, cannot work because they either can’t afford child care or they can’t find dependable care nearby. A panel of state government officials and experts will tackle that subject during a panel tonight. Get the details here.
What’s going on around the city
- Friday, May 24: To celebrate the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, the town of Speedway is hosting a free Rockin’ on Main event with live music from Clayton Anderson, food trucks, artwork and a Kid Zone. The festivities run from 5-10 p.m. on Main Street.
- Friday, May 24: You don’t have to go to Speedway to take part in Race Day fun. The Melody Inn, 3826 N. Illinois St., is hosting its own Carb Day event with the local ska band The Operators, Indy punk band UH, the Indianapolis rock band PILOTS and the Pork n Beans Brass Band from New Orleans. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
- Saturday, May 25: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., kick off the season with the Summers Makers Market at the Benton House, 312 S. Downey Ave. Twenty-five local vendors will be selling handmade jewelry, ceramics, artwork, crystals, crafts and more. Free.
— 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: As state leaders push for more changes to high school education, some educators are asking them to slow down or to reconsider new requirements for work experience. (Mirror Indy context: Explaining the major changes coming to Indiana high schools.)
- Fox59: Denise Paul Hatch, the elected constable for Center Township, was arrested again over the weekend after police say she was found carrying a gun — a violation of a judge’s order.
- Indiana Capital Chronicle: Overdose deaths are on the decline in Indiana, according to new data from the CDC, with Indiana seeing the second-best percentage change.
Arts and Culture
I Made Rock ‘N’ Roll lived up to the hype.
Indiana’s first Black rock music festival took over the American Legion Mall downtown on Saturday — and the photos from the event show just how cool it was.
Local photographers Ted Somerville and Nichelle Short captured several images for us. See anyone you know?
Want to explore more of our city’s vibrancy? Find more arts and culture coverage here.
Reflections
This newsletter has been running for less than six months, but we are now closing in on a major milestone.
We’re about 500 subscribers away from hitting 10,000.
That’s so much more than I expected to see this early for our new nonprofit newsroom. It shows that our city really hungered for a different kind of news coverage that filled gaps and put the community first.
But that rapid growth also is a result of your generosity — in donating, emailing me suggestions and helping spread the word about Mirror Indy.
So now I’m asking for another favor. Can you help us reach 10,000 subscribers?
If you know anybody who would enjoy or appreciate our daily-ish newsletter, could you tap them on the shoulder and ask them to sign up?
Ryan
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at ryan.martin@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.
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