Dear Indy,
The house at 307 S. Vine Street was built, in large part, by high schoolers.
It’s part of their education in a two-year construction trades program at Area 31 Career Center in Wayne Township.
And that westside house? It’s the first one students have completed since the start of the pandemic. The program does more than create new houses, though.
It’s also building students’ skills and confidence.
“For the longest time, I wanted to be a veterinarian,” said Yazmin Taylor, a senior. “But then I found out, I like this a lot more, just working with my hands overall and leading.”
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In other news
- Juneteenth celebrations kick off next week with the Juneteenth Foodways Festival on June 14 at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, and Mirror Indy is a proud partner. The free event will celebrate chef Dolly Johnson, the first Black caterer and chef at the White House with great food, cooking demonstrations from Second Helpings and reenactments from Freetown Village. But there’s a lot more going on through June 19. Check out our list of events here.
- Mayor Joe Hogsett’s MLS-or-bust plan took another step forward Monday night — even if he lacked the support of three Democratic city-county councilors.
- Heads up: Enrique Saenz, a westsider reporting on his own neighborhood for Mirror Indy, is launching a text chat called the Westside Beat. Since I’m an eastsider, I’ve been politely told it’s not for me. But everyone else should sign up! Read about it here, or better yet: Text “westside” to 317-659-7738.
- And don’t forget to sign up for my text chat by texting “news” to 317-458-5131.
What’s going on around the city
- Tomorrow, June 6: Indy Reads, 1066 Virginia Ave., hosts “Hear Our Stories: The Life and Afterlife of Incarceration” starting at 7 p.m. Guests can hear first-hand recounts of life in prison and the barriers faced by those going through the reentry process. This event is sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana, The Garden and Trusted Mentors. Free, but please reserve a spot.
- Friday, June 7: The works of sculpturist Patrick Hurst will be on display at the Long-Sharp Gallery, 1 N. Illinois St., with a reception starting at 6:30 p.m. The gallery includes steel and bronze metal works which seek to start conversations seeking shared understanding. This is the first time Hurst’s works will be on display in the U.S. Free.
- Friday, June 7: Garfield Park resident and artist Wu-Bad will have 12-years worth of paintings on display at the Tube Factory artspace, 1125 Cruft St. Opening at 6 p.m., the gallery includes Wu-Bad’s homages to Georgia O’Keefe, among other works. 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
- Indianapolis Business Journal: The new owner of Metro says he doesn’t plan to make any major changes. “Metro is staying Metro,” said Bill Pritt, who also owns the sushi restaurant FortyFive Degrees.
- Chalkbeat Indiana: As state officials consider major changes to high school education, one potential loss is an existing diploma that is geared toward college-bound students. (Mirror Indy context: Explaining the major changes coming to Indiana high schools)
- CNBC: You’re about to pay more for Spotify, again.
Notes from our Documenters
On Monday, Documenter Bréone Dupree covered the City-County Council meeting on Twitter.
Dupree reported that IMPD Commander Ida Williams received a standing ovation for her years of service as an Indianapolis police officer. Williams is taking on a new role at IPS.
Read Dupree’s tweets from the meeting here.
— Ariana Beedie, community journalism director
Interested in being a Documenter? Here’s how.
Reflections
Today officially marks six months since the launch of Mirror Indy. It still feels like a dream come true to be a part of a newsroom in my city so focused on service and local journalism.
Some of you have been with us since the beginning. Some are just now learning about us. Either way, you’re all part of this journey now!
If you’re able, we’d love to have you join our half-birthday membership campaign. Get the details here.
Here’s to another six months (and many more).
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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