INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The first nonstop Aer Lingus flight from Dublin, Ireland landed Saturday night, but the long-term impact is just starting to take off.

Indianapolis International Airport executives say the nonstop connection isn’t just about convenience, it’s all about creating jobs, attracting investment, and building a global bridge between Indiana and Ireland.

“What does it mean to the state? We reconnect back to Europe. A world-class state and a world-class city needs that kind of connection,” said Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis International Airport.

Indiana is home to 52 Ireland-based companies, and just this year, Eli Lilly and Company announced a $1.8 billion dollar investment in its two Irish facilities. Rodriguez says in 2024, over $30 billion came to the state in imported goods.

“One out of every 4 items that are exported to the United States come to Indiana,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of it is pharma, thank you to Eli Lilly and thank you everybody else in pharma, but it really is an economic driver and it’s an economic connection.”

But it’s not just Hoosiers who will gain from the connection. Irish officials say this new route also opens up new markets, makes travel easier, expands business opportunities, and will keep the Indiana and Irish relationship strong.

“That’s based on deep people-to-people links, and also booming economic connections,” said Pádraig Manning, vice consul at the Consulate General of Ireland in Chicago, Illinois. “So, we’re really looking forward to building on those links and exploring new connections too.”

Alison Metcalfe, executive vice president and head of North America at Tourism Ireland, says she’s excited about having more tourists learn more about what Dublin and other cities have to offer.

“They want great scenery, they want to enjoy our unique culture through music, literature and also through great food,” Metcalfe said. “They want to have fun. As we say in Ireland, I think we have a unique brand of hospitality.”

Bill Byrne, Senior VP of Global Sales at Aer Lingus, highlights that the under eight-hour flight will not only save time, but also help travelers save money, making it a smart choice for the average flyer. Flights are an average of $600-$800 round trip per person.

“What’s better than all of this is by having nonstop service, it’s going to be the most affordable flight you can take to Europe,” Byrne said. “It’ll be the fastest flight and probably the cheapest flight from Indianapolis to Europe that the citizens from Indianapolis can take advantage of.”

VINCENNES, Ind. (WISH) — Former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb accepted an honorary doctorate in public service from Vincennes University during its Saturday commencement. 

Indiana’s 51st governor spoke to the graduates for about 20 minutes, largely focusing on his roots in Knox county, like his parents having first met at the university. 

Instead of discussing state politics, as Holcomb said, “graduations are no place for politics.” Holcomb offered three important lessons he learned from his time in office. 

“Listen to other people. Second, embrace innovation and the changes that come with it. And third, keep moving.”

Shortly after being term-limited out of office, Holcomb joined the board of directors for Doral Renewables, a green energy company.

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SYRACUSE, Ind. (WISH) — Scheduled maintenance will put weather radio transmitters across Northern Indiana offline for several days this week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) announced its Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) in Syracuse, Indiana, will be conducting a required, scheduled update from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon.

During that time, all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio transmitters maintained by NWS Northern Indiana will be off air.

The outage includes transmitters located in:

• South Bend.
• Fort Wayne.
• Angola.
• LaPorte.
• North Webster.

This means you won’t hear alerts on your NOAA weather radio in these areas.

The NWS said there would be no disruptions to its “core services of forecast products,” including weather watches, warnings, and advisories.

During the update, forecast operations for Northern Indiana will be conducted out of Indianapolis to minimize service interruptions.

Phone alerts will be unaffected, so you will still get weather alerts if they are enabled on your phone.

CLEVELAND (WISH) — It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Pacers prevailed, stealing Game 1 in Cleveland, 121-112.

The Pacers retook the lead with 6:21 left in the 4th quarter and never looked back.

Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points.

Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 33 points.

The Pacers led 64-58 at halftime.

Game 2 will be on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Cleveland.

This story will be updated.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (WISH) — Caitlin Clark picked up right where she left off.

In her first shot back at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, she knocked down a three-pointer. It was less than a minute into the game.

The three-pointers didn’t stop there. With the seconds ticking down at the end of the first quarter, Clark stepped back to her left and hit another three with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.

Her biggest highlight came in the third quarter. The shot looked a lot like the one she made to break the NCAA scoring record against Michigan in her senior year at Iowa.

Clark crossed half court and pulled up from a step behind the spot on the floor that has her name and number on it (to commemorate where she broke the scoring record). It was nothing but net.

The crowd at Clark’s collegiate stadium erupted, as they did countless times throughout the game.

The Fever cruised to the victory against the Brazilian National Team, winning 108-44.

Clark finished the game with 16 points and four made three-pointers. She added six rebounds and five assists.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 17 points.

The Fever move to 2-0 in the preseason, after defeating the Washington Mystics in overtime on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Clark and the Fever have one more preseason game on the schedule, travelling to Atlanta to play the Dream on Saturday.

The regular season tips off for the Fever on Saturday, May 17 at home against the Chicago Sky.

BOSTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his refusal to go along with President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.

The award recognizes Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,” the JFK Library Foundation said, when it made the announcement last month. Pence will receive the award at the JFK Library in Boston.

Trump pressured Pence to reject election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud. Pence refused, saying he lacked such authority. When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence.” Pence was whisked away by Secret Service agents, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote at the time on X, formerly Twitter, as rioters moved through the Capitol and Pence was in hiding with his family, aides and security detail inside the building.

Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared.

The Profile in Courage Award, named for a book Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president, honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

“Political courage is not outdated in the United States. At every level of government, leaders are putting country first, and not backing down,” Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s daughter and grandson, both of whom will present Pence with the award, said in a statement. “His decision is an example of President Kennedy’s belief that an act of political courage can change the course of history.”

Pence said in a statement that he’s “deeply humbled and honored” to get the award.

“I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past,” Pence said.

Pence has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration.

His political action group, Advancing American Freedom, campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivered speeches urging the president to stand with longtime foreign allies and posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — With more than 1,000 athletes and 400 entries, the Indianapolis Rowing Center (IRC) is hosting one of the largest regattas in the Midwest this weekend. 

Teams from all over the U.S. are competing at Eagle Creek in the Junior Sprints. 

The IRC is hosting teams from all over the country to compete as they chase the Midwest championship in two weeks and qualify for nationals in June. 

Attending on behalf of IRC are over 100 athletes from the Indianapolis area and local schools including Zionsville Community High School, Carmel High School, Brebeuf, Guerin, Fishers and others. 

Ryan Miller, a High Schooler from Fishers that is setting sail to compete at Drexel University in the fall, is attending the Junior Sprints. 

“People here have been like a family, they’ve been helping me get better and the coaches here have been great,” Miller said. 

Miller joined the IRC team in seventh grade. His sister was also apart of the rowing community as well. 

Miller’s dream is to compete in the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles. But why rowing and not another sport where a six-and-a-half-foot tall athlete would fit in?

“Since my size I knew I could be good at it, and be really good and compete at the Olympics, cause I know at basketball it would be hard for me to compete at the Olympics,” Miller said. 

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Missed Saturday’s Indy Eleven game against Detroit City FC? No worries! You can watch the game here on WISH-TV.

WISH-TV and MyINDY-TV 23 are the Official Broadcast Partners with Indy Eleven for the 12th year in a row. Fans of Indiana’s Team will have a free over-the-air option to watch a minimum of 15 matches this season.

“Our goal has always been to serve as Indiana’s Team, and thanks to Circle City Broadcasting, more Hoosiers than ever before will be able to watch and follow Indy Eleven,” Greg Stremlaw, Indy Eleven President and CEO said. “The club and our fans know they are watching the premier local broadcast in the USL Championship when they turn on an Indy Eleven game, and we look forward to WISH-TV & MyINDY-TV 23 delivering those again this season.”

In addition to the two-hour game window, every Indy Eleven broadcast on WISH-TV and MyINDY-TV 23 will be followed by the Indy Eleven Post-Game Show, a wrap up of the evening’s action featuring extensive highlights and interviews with personalities from Indiana’s Team.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Sunday’s edition of “All INdiana Politics,” Gov. Mike Braun will have the sole power to hire and fire the Indiana University Board of Trustees under the budget bill approved on April 25.

A health department director will have to postpone new services after state lawmakers cut tens of millions of dollars in funding.

Indiana Sen. Todd Young says America’s shipbuilding capacity is as much an economic security issues as a military one.

An Indiana University grad student is facing more than a dozen intimidation charges for sending threatening Christmas cards to members of the IU Board of Trustees.

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith defends comments he made about the Three-Fifths Compromise. Braun said he didn’t like the way his lieutenant governor talked about the Three-Fifths Compromise in a widely-viewed social media post.

News 8’s Phil Sanchez brings in two members of Indiana’s best political team, Democrat Dana Black and Republican Tom John, to discuss Beckwith’s controversial Three-Fifths Compromise comments, Beckwith’s views and the Republican Party, Braun’s first 100 days, and the intimidation charges against the IU grad student.

“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sundays on WISH-TV.

• Listen to “All INdiana Politics” podcasts