As Myanmar reels from deadly floods, renewed fighting and widespread displacement, the United Nations warned on Thursday that urgent humanitarian needs are going unmet due to escalating violence and blocked access.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 34-year-old Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies targeting six businesses in the city, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release issued Thursday.
The release said Javonte Smith pleaded guilty to a crime spree from Nov. 21, 2023, to Dec. 2, 2023, at two Family Dollar stores, a McDonald’s restaurant, two Walmart stores, and a Kroger grocery. He stole $14,797.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers on Dec. 2, 2023, caught Smith at a Motel 6 following the final robbery at the Kroger. He was wearing clothing that matched surveillance footage from the robberies. Officers found disguises and a black Taurus handgun in Smith’s vehicle, as well as keys to a stolen GMC Terrain.
Smith’s prior convictions include resisting law enforcement, fraud, robbery, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, which prohibited him from legally possessing a firearm.
“This defendant terrorized hard-working people just trying to do their jobs and earn a living. Thanks to the swift work of our law enforcement partners, his violent crime spree was brought to an end, and he will now face serious federal prison time. This office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of repeat offenders who use firearms to commit violence in our communities.”
Tom Wheeler, U.S. attorney for the Indianapolis-based office for the Southern District of Indiana
“This sentence reflects the serious consequences awaiting those who choose violence and intimidation to commit their crimes. His action put lives at risk and threatened the safety of our community. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold violent offenders accountable and get them – and the illegal weapons they carry – off our streets.”
Timothy O’Malley, FBI Indianapolis special agent in charge
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A jury on Thursday found a 25-year-old Indianapolis man guilty of murdering a Marion woman and a Warsaw man in April 2024 in Lawrence, online court records show.
Malik Shaw had been charged in April 2024 with the murders of Londyn Coleman, 19, of Warsaw; 27-year-old Spencer Lawson Jr., 27, of Indianapolis; and Aaliyah Wortman, 19, of Marion.
A news release issued Thursday from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said, “The jury was unable to reach a verdict as to count one relating to a third murder of Spencer Lawson Jr. The count remains pending and the State plans to move forward as a new trial date will be set.”
At 7:16 p.m. April 12, 2024, Lawrence Police Department officers responded to a report of a person shot in the 4400 block of Duxbury Lane. That is at the Jamestowne Apartments near East 45th Street and North Post Road. The three people found shot died at the shooting scene.
A maintenance man at the apartment complex had pursued Shaw as he fled the scene. Shaw ditched his vehicle and fled through a fence.
Later, detectives learned that Shaw had entered a bar seeking a ride home from a stranger, who shared with investigators the address where he dropped off Shaw and a description of him. The address was near Shaw’s home, an apartment complex off East 38th Street west of North Sherman Drive in Indianapolis.
Investigators pieced together Shaw’s movements after the shooting through security footage from various points, and eyewitnesses.
A key piece evidence was found in the Shaw’s car: the cellphone in the center console. Shaw had a cellphone photo in which he was wearing a Nike sweatshirt, the same one that was recovered near the crime scene.
Shaw remained in the Marion County jail on Thursday afternoon, awaiting a sentencing hearing at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 27 in Marion Superior Court 7.
(CNN) — Severe turbulence struck a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam Wednesday, causing service carts and unbelted passengers to hit the ceiling and forcing an emergency landing in Minnesota, where 25 people on board were taken to hospitals.
Delta said flight DL56 landed safely at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and was met by medical teams upon arrival. Video shows fire rescue vehicles waiting on the tarmac as the plane made its landing.
When the turbulence hit, Joseph Carbone grabbed his wife’s hand and braced for the worst.
“I truly thought the plane was going to go down,” the passenger told CNN.
As items flew into the air and passengers around him screamed, Carbone watched as a “flight attendant just about crashed into the ceiling.”
The flight likely hit severe turbulence over an area of southwestern Wyoming that had been identified as a potential trouble spot by federal aviation forecasters earlier in the day.
Twenty-five on board the flight were taken to area hospitals “for evaluation and care,” Delta said in a statement.
All crew members and those passengers “willing to share their status” had been released as of noon Thursday, Delta said.
“All seven crew members who were taken to area hospitals after the flight landed were treated and released by Thursday morning. All customers who were evaluated at the hospital and willing to share their status with Delta have also been released,” the airline said.
The plane was carrying 275 customers and 13 crew members, according to Delta. It’s unclear whether all passengers taken to area hospitals have been released.
The health systems HealthPartners and Allina Health told CNN Thursday morning that they were assessing and treating passengers from the flight.
“The overwhelming majority of the folks taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment have been released,” a Delta spokesperson told CNN earlier Thursday morning.
Carbone said the turbulence hit in three waves: “bad, to worse and way worse.”
The pilot apologized over the intercom, explaining that they were flying above an altitude where most storms hit and the turbulence was unexpected, Carbone said.
“After we got off the plane, we kissed the ground, and Delta took us to the Delta Lounge and got us hotels and rebooked our flights,” he said.
Another passenger, William Webster, told CNN he takes about 80 flights a year, but what he experienced on board was “the craziest turbulence I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“I felt the centrifugal force. I was off my seat for like 30 seconds with the turbulence,” he said.
People were screaming as phones and other items were thrown into the air, Webster said.
“I watched a wine cart just get thrown into the air,” he said, noting that with his seatbelt on, he was able to grab his phone and an empty champagne glass to keep them from flying away. Webster said he was not injured.
A couple on the flight told ABC News that dinner service had just started when the turbulence hit.
“If you didn’t have your seat belt on, everyone that didn’t, they hit the ceiling and then they fell to the ground, and the carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground and people were injured,” Leeann Clement-Nash told ABC News.
“And it happened several times, so it was really scary,” Clement-Nash added.
The plane landed around 7:25 p.m. local time, a spokesperson for the airport told CNN, confirming the flight was diverted “due to reported in-flight turbulence that caused injuries on board.”
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport Fire Department and paramedics met the plane at the gate and provided “initial medical attention to passengers in need,” before some were taken to hospitals, the airport spokesperson said.
A Salt Lake City branch of the National Weather Service’s aviation unit warned of thunderstorm potential Wednesday, noting that severe weather was possible across Wyoming.
An aviation weather advisory for significant meteorological hazards, known as a SIGMET, was in effect when the turbulence occurred over southern Wyoming. The advisories alert pilots to severe weather events like thunderstorms or strong turbulence.
Thunderstorms were developing in much of Wyoming Wednesday evening and some in the southwestern part of the state had grown to 35,000 to 40,000 feet tall when the aircraft experienced turbulence, according to a CNN analysis of archived weather radar data.
The aircraft was at about 35,000 feet when it experienced the severe turbulence, according to a CNN analysis of flight data.
Rising and falling air within thunderstorms is very turbulent and can be extremely dangerous to aircraft.
According to data from flight tracking site Flightradar24, the flight climbed by more than 1,000 feet in less than 30 seconds roughly 40 minutes after its departure. It then descended approximately 1,350 feet over the next 30 seconds.
Soon after, the plane altered its course in the direction of Minneapolis-St. Paul, where it landed safely about an hour and a half later, the data shows.
The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN it is investigating and expects a preliminary report to be ready in about a month.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane landed safely in St. Paul after the crew reported “severe” turbulence. The agency said it will investigate.
The FAA says turbulence is normal and happens often, but it can sometimes be dangerous, especially for those not wearing seat belts.
Last year, seven people were injured when severe turbulence rocked a United Airlines flight from Cancún to Chicago, forcing an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee. Five people were taken to the hospital last month, after severe turbulence hit an American Airlines flight from Miami to Raleigh, North Carolina. And in March, several flights were diverted to Waco, Texas, due to turbulence on their routes, and five passengers were taken to the hospital.
In 2024, 23 people – 20 of whom were crew members – were seriously injured in turbulence events, according to FAA data.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gamers, geeks, cosplayers and nerds of all genres have taken over downtown Indianapolis for the return of Gen Con at the Indiana Convention Center.
The annual gaming convention celebrates pretty much every kind of game — minus sports and gambling — with tabletop gaming having a big presence.
Organizers announced on Tuesday that it sold out again, with a record-breaking crowd expected.
Despite the sell-out, there are still some ways to get in on the action without a badge— namely, the Gen Con Block Party near Lucas Oil Stadium.
It runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the con, except Sunday, when it wraps up at 4 p.m.
Dozens of food vendors are lined up, with seating and a break from the heat available inside the stadium.
Several businesses, hotels and restaurants often have Gen Con-related events to entertain the droves of gamers.
Stacia Kirby, a spokesperson for the convention, says everyone is welcome to hang out.
“You can still come down and see people in costume,” Kirby said. “We have a [Maker’s] Marketplace that has local artists that people can get access to, and we just welcome everybody to come down.”
It’s that sense of community that Ben Reasinger says he looks forward to every year.
“Always [look forward to] the new releases,” Reasinger said. “I’m a Magic [the Gathering] player, so seeing all the new sets is awesome.”
Alongside the Lawrence native is Natasha Steffen, who came from out of town to attend her first Gen Con.
“I’m a huge gamer,” Steffen said. “I grew up in a gaming family have been dying to come. Love the costumes, the community, the games. It’s wonderful. Like, you can’t — There’s nothing like it.”
The duo is part of the nearly 75,000 convention-goers expected this weekend. Organizers say it’s not just attendance records being broken, either.
This year will see the most vendors ever, with 595, and the most activities, with almost 30,000 individual sessions planned for the 4-day event.
Gen Con was started in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1968 — that’s where it gets the “Gen” in its name.
It’s been held in Indianapolis since 2003. Event Runners have renewed the event in Indy through at least 2030.
This year’s Gen Con runs through Sunday at 4 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The FDA is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration to classify 7-OH, 7-hydroxymitragynine, as a Schedule I controlled substance with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
What is 7-OH, 7-hydroxymitragynine?
It is a naturally occurring substance found in the kratom plant, a tropical evergreen tree, with opioid-like properties. Products sold under the name 7-OH contain a synthetic concentrated version of the compound. Reports state it binds to mu-opioid receptors in our body and is stronger than morphine. It is commonly sold in convenience stores, gas stations and online in the form of tablets, gummies and drink mixes. There are also widely available supplements containing trace amounts of natural kratom whose creators have been calling for the ban of the synthetic compound.
What are the effects of taking 7-OH?
It’s marketed to ease pain, improve mood, enhance focus and help with opiate withdrawal, leading millions of Americans, ages 12 and up, to use it. Possible severe effects include vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations, delusions, liver damage, high blood pressure, respiratory distress, seizures and death (reports of the latter cite 7-OH was used in combination with other drugs).
The call for its ban comes at a time when there have been federal cuts to addiction support and mental health care.
Before a final decision is made by the DEA, the public will be able to give comments in favor of or against regulations. When the DEA last planned to regulate kratom in 2016, there was pushback from users, suppliers and members of Congress.
WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — Clark-Pleasant Community Schools began a new school year on Wednesday, introducing several new initiatives and construction projects.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Edsell joined WISH-TV live for Daybreak’s Morning Bell on Thursday.
Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation is a public school system serving grades pre-kindergarten through high school and is a rural/suburban community, located in the heart of Johnson County. The district is made up of Clark and Pleasant townships and the district boundaries include Greenwood, Whiteland, New Whiteland, and Franklin, with some students choosing to go there from surrounding towns and the south side of Indianapolis.
Edsell says the school year is off to a successful start. He highlighted the district’s efforts to enhance educational facilities and programs without increasing taxes.
“We had a great day. We got every student to school. We got them back home,” Edsell said.
The district is in the third year of a multi-phase high school construction project, which includes building an academic wing with 65 classrooms and a state-of-the-art science lab. Plans also include adding an auditorium, a fieldhouse, and upgrading athletic facilities, all while keeping the tax rate neutral.
“Not raise those taxes, but provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students in fine arts, academics, and athletics,” Edsell added.
The district says it now holds the record for the largest high school scoreboard in the state of Indiana.
“We are very proud of a new video board that’s posted at our football field that we will use for football games, for track and field events, for our marching band competitions. We even used it this past May for high school graduation. Our families love seeing that,” Edsell explained. “It’s a partnership that we have been able to start and implement with businesses that are going to be able to provide commercials, promote their business, and be a good revenue stream and pay for itself.”
For elementary students, a new K-5 Trauma and Behavior Program aims to provide individualized support for students struggling in traditional classroom settings, helping them transition back successfully.
“It supports the students and it also supports our traditional teachers and regular student body in a way that will help them stay on track to learn as much as they can and then eventually graduate,” Edsell said.
The district is also undergoing a rebranding effort, standardizing its colors and crest to unify its identity.
“(We wanted) a uniform, a standard approach with our colors, blue, orange, and white. This is our corporation crest that illustrates when the corporation was formed and the two high schools of Clark High School and Whiteland High School merging back in 1965,” Edsell explained.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Rolls Royce with an original price tag of $311,900 was among more than a dozen stolen vehicles found Monday on the near southeast side of Indianapolis.
The recovery operation began after Massachusetts State Police alerted officers to a stolen vehicle pinging its location in the 1000 block of South Keystone Street, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday.
Officers arrived and found 11 other stolen vehicles. The estimated total value of the recovered vehicles is $1.2 million, according to IMPD.
The list of stolen vehicles includes:
The vehicles were towed away and are being held for their owners to retrieve, IMPD says.
So far, police have not made any arrests.
Anyone with information related to the case was asked to contact Crime Stoppers or the IMPD Auto Theft Unit at 317-327-1270.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — As educators across our community race to get classrooms ready for the opening bell, WISH-TV and Teachers’ Treasures are also in a sprint – to secure more donations during the Gr8 Paper Push.
In the quarter century since its founding, Teachers’ Treasures has grown into a vital resource for schools across Marion County. It’s a nonprofit that serves schools with a demonstrated need, where 60% or higher of students receive free or reduced lunch rates. The organization provides teachers and school staff with free supplies, allowing them to shop once a month from August to May.
“They get to make a once a month appointment to come in and shop for thousands of dollars worth of supplies entirely for free,” Hannah Yeager from Teachers’ Treasures told viewers on WISH-TV’s Daybreak. She also listed the many different kinds of educators who benefit. “Teachers and school staff members, including social workers, school nurses, guidance counselors, school counselors.”
Yeager’s on-air appeal comes on the penultimate day of the 11th annual Gr8 Paper Push. The deadline for donating dollars or supplies is Friday.
“We couldn’t do it without your support and without the community support,” she said.
To give supplies to Teachers Treasures during the Gr8 Paper Push, you can bring anything from pencils and paper to cleaning wipes and tissues to any Financial Center location in Indianapolis through Friday.
You can also donate dollars directly, HERE.
“We like to say we can turn $1 donation into $15 for the school supply,” Yeager said.
Click here to learn more about the 11th annual Gr8 Paper Push.
In Gaza, UN aid teams continued their efforts on Thursday to help people of the war-shattered enclave by retrieving urgently needed fuel and other supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south of the Strip.
Read the full story, “On brink of famine, Gazans forced to scour dirt for food”, on globalissues.org →
