Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the high-level international conference at UN Headquarters, aimed at advancing practical steps toward achieving a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mandated by the General Assembly, the three-day meeting features plenaries, working groups and interventions from senior UN officials and Member States. UN News app users can follow here.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help restore an iconic attraction on.
The museum said Thursday that it is looking to raise $100,000 to help rehab the fan-favorite Broad Ripple Park Carousel.
Museum officials say the money will go toward deep-cleaning the hand-painted and carved animals, making enhancements to the mechanical system, and other refurbishments.
President and CEO Jennifer Pace Robinson says that the carousel is an important piece of the museum’s history, and they are dedicated to preserving it.
“Our beloved Carousel is more than just a ride – it’s a source of magic and joy for so many children and their families,” Pace Robinson wrote in a statement. “These essential funds are not just to restore our Carousel’s capabilities and physical appearance, but to restore our visitors’ cherished memories and allow families to create new ones throughout our next 100 years.”
The Carousel is 108 years old and welcomes more than half a million riders each year.
It originally opened at the White City Amusement Park in 1917. The park was later named Broad Ripple Park. Only white families were permitted to ride it at the time.
In 1956, the building that originally housed the ride collapsed, destroying the machinery that rotated it.
The Children’s Museum acquired the animals and parts for the carousel in 1965. However, it took 10 years for officials to be able to restore it.
Museum officials say it is one of about 150 carousels out of 3,500 that were built by American companies from the 1880s to the 1930s that remain. Only a fraction of them still operate.
The campaign to restore the iconic carousel coincides with the museum’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The effort runs through Aug. 22 with the Second Century Soiree, a black-tie fundraising event.
Donations to the fundraising campaign can be made to the Children’s Museum by clicking here.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Carmel Clay Schools is set to begin the new school year next Wednesday, Aug. 6, with a focus on building strong relationships between teachers and students under the leadership of a new superintendent, Dr. Thomas Oestreich.
As students prepare to return, the district is emphasizing the importance of personal connections in education, which Oestreich believes are crucial for effective learning. The district is also celebrating its achievements in STEM initiatives and high AP test scores.
“We’re really focused on building those relationships in the classroom,” Dr. Thomas Oestreich said. “The most significant outcome that happens is between a teacher and a student.”
Fifth grade teacher Allie Powell highlighted the importance of making students feel respected and valued from the moment they enter the classroom.
“For me it just starts the first day they walk in the door. Making sure that students like Abby are heard, their stories are told, they feel respected and valued as they walk into my classroom. And I found that that just makes a stronger school family and a stronger district family as well,” Powell said.
Abby Riddle was one of Powell’s students and is heading into middle school this year. She had some advice for fellow students: “Just be yourself.” She also suggests leaning on your teachers and asking them questions.
Oestreich expressed excitement about the district’s STEM initiative, which includes programs from kindergarten through middle school. The district is also proud of its work-based learning programs that provide students with internships in the community. The district says it recently received AP test scores, with nearly 95% of students earning a score of 3 or higher. Notably, Oestreich says, 203 students achieved a perfect score of 5 in the new AP pre-calculus course.
“We had over 2,000 students take AP tests. We had over 5,000 tests administered. And nearly 95% of those students earned a 3, 4, or a 5,” Oestreich said. “The work that our teachers are doing in the classroom from the high school level, the middle school, especially at our elementary school level, I’m so excited about the continued work we’re doing in Carmel.”
As the school year approaches, back-to-school nights are planned this week to help parents and students prepare. You can find the schedules here on the district website.
Powell encourages parents to engage with their child’s teacher and embrace the excitement of the new school year.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Today could be the hottest day of the summer with temperatures climbing in the low and middle ’90s. Heat indices once again into the triple digits but relief is heading in our direction for later in the week.
TODAY: Incredibly hot and humid for the day today. Heat Advisory and place until 8:00 p.m. for much of Central Indiana and an extreme heat warning in place for southwestern Indiana. Heat indices today between 100 and 105 in Indianapolis and above 110 across parts of southwestern Indiana. High temperatures today will be into the low and middle ’90s which may be the hottest temperature of the year in Indianapolis. Sunny, hot and humid throughout much of the afternoon.
TONIGHT: Mild and muggy conditions continue for tonight. We will see mostly clear skies and low temperatures near 75.
TOMORROW: Today will be a day of change across parts of the state. We’ll look for partly cloudy skies. It’s still going to be hot and humid with highs in the lower 90s. A cold front will move across the state later in the day and will bring us a chance for some showers and thunderstorms. Some of those could be on the stronger side with some gusty winds and heavy rainfall. A marginal risk is in place which is a level 1 out of a level 5.
7 DAY EXTENDED FORECAST: Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible for the first part of the day on Thursday. But you will notice a difference in the temperature and humidity for Thursday afternoon. Highs only around 80° with low humidity values throughout the entire afternoon.
Refreshing conditions continue into Friday and the weekend. Lows will be into the upper 50s on Saturday morning! Highs remain below normal into the upper 70s and lower 80s.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann is staying in the Circle City.
Raimann and the Colts agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Monday. The team confirmed the deal on Tuesday.
“Bernhard has worked extremely hard, and this contract extension is a testament to his character, dedication and persistence,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said in a release. “He exemplifies each of our team’s four pillars and is a leader in our locker room. I’m excited for him and his family on this well-deserved contract extension.”
The 6-foot-6 tackle is entering his fourth season with the Colts after being selected 77th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Raimann’s journey to the Colts was an unconventional one. Born and raised in Austria, Raimann played wide receiver for the Vienna Vikings club team before moving to Michigan. He played college ball at Central Michigan University before being drafted by the Colts. He made the opening roster in 2022 and his been a solid performer for the Horseshoe ever since.
He’s played in 45 career games with 40 starts at left tackle. Last season, Raimann started in all 14 games he appeared in.
Raimann is one of several Colts players who will enjoy a homecoming of sorts when the team travels to Europe this fall to host the Atlanta Falcons at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that a gunman who killed four people at a Manhattan office building was trying to target the headquarters of the National Football League but took the wrong elevator.
Investigators believe Shane Tamura was trying to get to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building’s lobby but accidentally entered the wrong set of elevator banks, Adams said in interviews on Tuesday.
Four people, including an off-duty New York City police officer, were killed. Police said Tamura had a history of mental illness, and a rambling note found on his body suggested he had a grievance against the NFL over an unsubstantiated claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He had played football in high school in California nearly two decades ago.
The note claimed he had been suffering from CTE — the degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports like football — and said his brain should be studied after he died, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
It also specifically referenced the National Football League, the person said.
A motive has not been determined but investigators were looking into, based on the note, whether he might’ve specifically targeted the building because it is home to the NFL’s headquarters.
The shooting took place at a skyscraper that is home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms, as well as other tenants.
A message sent to Blackstone employees, and obtained by The Associated Press, said a staff member at the private equity firm was killed in Monday’s shooting, but their identity was not immediately released.
Surveillance video showed the man exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6:30 p.m. carrying an M4 rifle, then marching across a public plaza into the building. Then, he started firing, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, killing a police officer working a corporate security detail and then hitting a woman who tried to take cover as he sprayed the lobby with gunfire.
The man then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a guard at a security desk and shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor offices of the company that owned the building, Rudin Management, and shot and killed one person on that floor. The man then shot himself, the commissioner said. The building, 345 Park Avenue, also holds offices of the financial services firm KPMG.
The officer killed was Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years, Tisch said at a news conference.
“He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm’s way. He made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tisch said. “He died as he lived. A hero.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A heat advisory remains in effect until 8 PM Tuesday.
Today:
Areas of patchy fog have developed across Central Indiana this morning, especially in southern counties affected by heavy rain on Monday morning. The fog should lift quickly just after daybreak.
Hot and humid conditions will continue as an upper ridge dominates the Midwest. Precipitation chances are low, keeping conditions sunny, hot, and muggy this afternoon. High temperatures will reach the low to mid-90s, with heat indices potentially climbing to 105°F.
Wednesday:
Hot, humid, and mostly dry conditions are expected during the daytime hours on Wednesday. High temperatures will reach the lower 90s, with heat indices hovering around 100°F Wednesday afternoon.
Storm chances return:
A change is coming Wednesday night into Thursday. A cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms, with the potential for isolated severe wind gusts and localized flooding.
Much of the state is under a Level 1 out of 5 severe weather risk. Damaging winds will be the primary concern Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Additionally, heavy rainfall in already saturated areas could lead to minor flooding concerns through Thursday.
Heat relief:
Scattered showers and thunderstorms should exit the region by late Thursday morning or early Thursday afternoon. A significant cooldown with falling humidity will follow. High temperatures will reach around 80°F on Thursday and may not reach the 80s on Friday or into the start of the weekend.
Dewpoint temperatures will also slide back to more comfortable levels, with very dry air settling in by the end of the weekend.
Overnight lows, which have been stuck in the 70s for the past few weeks, will become more pleasant. Expect lows to fall to the lower 60s starting Thursday night, with some areas possibly seeing lows dip into the mid to upper 50s Friday night into Saturday morning.
7 day forecast:
The long-range pattern suggests a return to the mid-80s, which is near normal for early August. Shower and thunderstorm chances should hold off until early next week.
The people of Gaza are now in the grip of famine, UN-backed food security experts said on Tuesday, with unrelenting conflict, mass displacement and the near-total collapse of essential services pushing the war-battered enclave to a deadly tipping point.
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Neighborhood hero. Prince of Indy.
Those are just a couple of the nicknames the Indianapolis Colts have given cornerback JuJu Brents. The Indianapolis native and former Warren Central standout is embracing the hometown hero role both on and off the field.
On the field, Brents returns to the Colts for his third season in the NFL, healthy and ready to prove himself after missing most of his sophomore season with a knee injury.
Brents tore his MCL and meniscus in last year’s season opener against the Houston Texans. After spending most of the year on the injured reserve list, Brents was able to play in the season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now, he’s back at camp competing for a starting spot on his hometown team.
“I’m just appreciative and blessed to be able to be back out here with the guys and be able to compete,” Brents said.
Brents is in a tough cornerback competition with Jaylon Jones and this year’s third round draft pick Justin Walley. All the players welcome the competition, knowing it will make them all better at their craft.
“I think if you’re a competitor, you love this kind of competition,” Brents said. “I think for me, it’s just a challenge every single day. But it makes us better though. It’s good competition, and it’s healthy. Essentially we just look at it like we’re all helping each other by competing every single day.”
Head coach Shane Steichen said Brents’ biggest goal will be staying healthy. But so far, so good for Indy’s hometown favorite.
“He’s been good so far,” Steichen said. “Obviously learning a new defense, taking that in stride. He’s made some good plays out there. We need to continue that.”
Brents’ Colts teammates are also glad to have their “Neighborhood Hero” back in action.
“It’s cool having JuJu back on the field. Such a great guy, such a great pro. He’s a pro’s pro. And I like the way he approaches the game,” veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II said. “I can’t wait to see the ceiling that he reaches in the league. I can’t wait to see the ceiling that he reaches being an Indianapolis Colt. I’ve got a lot of confidence and excitement just to see all the plays that he’s going to be able to make over the course of his career.”
“I’m sure everybody can see it, man,” Jones said. “Just that aggressive mentality and just being a good brother, man. He comes in and he helps people and he’s just a good guy.”
The offseason wasn’t all about getting stronger and healthier for Brents. It was also about giving back to the city of Indianapolis. Brents helped more than 1,000 kids get ready for the start of school with a backpack giveaway and free haircuts at his church New Beginnings on 21st Street.
Being a fixture in the community is a top priority for Brents.
“I just remember being that little kid just going up and seeing guys in the NFL or whatever professional sport it may be, just knowing, telling myself as a kid, ‘I’m going to be that guy one day.’ Like when I do get in that position, I want to be able to give back,” Brents said. “So, me being local, being in Indy, what better way to be able to give back to the community.”
Brents hopes to give the Indy community plenty to cheer about on the field this season, as well.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than 200 people showed up Monday night at the Southeast Community Services facility for a discussion about a homeless encampment in Fountain Square.
The talk reached a fever pitch.
But rather than address the Fountain Square homelessness, Indianapolis city government leaders spent much of the meeting discussing an upcoming homeless pilot program that won’t start until August.
The new program won’t deal with the Fountain Square encampment on Leonard Street.
Tony Moody has lived in Fountain Square for six years. He said residents have been dealing with the homelessness issue for a while. “We have to deal with people sleeping on the doorsteps, people in the alleys people screaming and yelling. I mean, you go by Fountain Square, we have our fountains. Nothing worse then going there Saturday morning and people are taking baths in the fountains.”
The upcoming homeless program called Streets To Home aims to house 300-350 homeless people in the course of a year. The $8.1 million program under the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention was designed to be a pilot program, so it cannot be used for the Leonard Street encampment. The city government’s Office of Public Health and Safety instead will close the encampment.
A representative for the Office of Public Health and Safety said the homeless population will be brought to Wheeler Mission and other similar programs. But, critics say, it’s a temporary solution, with the homeless going in and out of shelters.
Moody said, “It’s a mess every day you deal with it” and he’s dealt with it for years.
Chelsea Haring-Cozzie, executive director of Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, told the gathering about the upcoming program, “It shouldn’t be about displacement and moving people along, neighborhood to neighborhood. It shouldn’t be about criminalizing folks. They need access to housing.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department last week issued notices for the homeless campers to leave the camp by Aug. 11. The notices said any personal items left behind will discarded — the complete opposite of how the Streets to Home Program works.
Streets To Home organizers say the program has worked in New Orleans and Houston, and it can work in Indianapolis. The organizers said they just need time to test the pilot and later make it official. The organizers said the upcoming program will not only give a home to people who need one, but also resources so they can keep their place.
Travis Dalton is homeless. He said getting the letter “kind of gets me angry a little but not much. Me and my sister were trying to find an apartment to go to anyway.”
For some, there is no other place to go. Samuel Chicago said, “This can happen to you at any point. It can happen tomorrow. You just don’t know. You never know when you can end up just like us, so cherish what you have. Don’t judge us.”
