INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Kroger and the union representing its workers in Indiana have extended their current contract while negotiations continue. Contract talks have spanned several months, and the two last met on Friday.

Leaders at the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 700 say they set a schedule to continue negotiations, including an Aug. 6 return to the bargaining table.

The union represents 8,000 grocery store workers at Kroger locations across central Indiana.

UFCW 700 members have rejected two tentative agreements with the grocer. The first was in May while the organization announced the second rejection last week.

Demands include hourly raises and retroactively applying some pay increases, among other benefits. Union leadership also reports they have no plans for workers to walk off the job any time soon. However, the length of negotiations has left Vern Sowers and other union members on edge.

“There’s a lot of fear there,” Sowers said. “A lot of [my coworkers] say they can’t afford to strike — I can afford to strike, but there’s a lot of people I know at work that can’t.”

The 30-year industry veteran says he’s worked just about every job in retail. He’s worked for Kroger for 20 years and previously worked for K-Mart for 10 years.

As a shop steward, Sowers says he wants to fight for his coworkers at the store on Olio Road in Fishers.

“It seems like they’re trying to slap us in the face,” Sowers said.

Kroger offered the union a $2.75 per hour raise by 2028 in its latest proposal. In a bargaining update, the company reported it pays an average hourly wage of $18.18 an hour.

The most recent rejected contract would have given employees a 5.7% pay bump if accepted. The company argues it is more than double the current rate of inflation. Sowers, on the other hand, says this still isn’t enough in today’s economy.

“What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to stay ahead of the cost of living. Of course, prices are going up. You can see it in the store. You know, prices are going up little by little, but they’re going up,” Sowers said.

Last month, Kroger reported an operating profit of $1.3 billion. Sowers says the company can afford to meet the union on its demands.

“Maybe some appreciation to the employees that helped make Kroger get these record-breaking earnings,” Sowers said. “That’s kind of where my head’s at.”

Kroger declined an interview with News 8 and instead referred to a statement made by Central Division President Colleen Juergensen last week:

“At Kroger, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are grateful for the dedication and hard work of our associates, and we’re proud to invest in them through market-leading wages, strong benefits, and career opportunities. We believe that by working together with the Union, we can reach an agreement that truly reflects the value of our associates and the communities we’re honored to serve.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Shrouded in a white sheet back in 2024, a homeless man lit fires that destroyed an IndyGo Bus and damaged a bus stop. After pleading guilty, Tuesday he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

In a press release, U.S. prosecutors say Demarcus McCloud, 46, was sentenced for pleading guilty to two counts of arson and malicious damage of federal property. It landed him eight years in federal prison with three years of supervised release.

McCloud was ordered to pay over $1.7 million in restitution.

April 24, 2024, News 8 reported that McCloud set fire to the bus at 38th and North Meridian streets. He was caught on video pouring a brown jug of liquid on a seat and the center aisle of the bus, then McCloud lit a piece of paper on fire which sparked the flames.

One person, who was helping at the scene, was hurt from smoke inhalation.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested McCloud in a McDonald’s parking lot — he was holding two butane lighters at the time.

Four days prior, McCloud started another fire, this time in a trash can at the IndyGo Red Line bus stop at Virginia Avenue and New Jersey Street.

Both fires caused an estimated total of $1,790,685 in damages.

Court documents report that McCloud has a 25-year history of violent crime, including: battery of his mother and of a woman who rejected him while McCloud was peddling money, robbery, attempted car theft, drug offenses, having a gun as a violent felon, and threatening to rape and murder another woman.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Tom Wheeler said in the press release, “Federal dollars are invested in our communities to serve and protect the public, not to be torched by a violent repeat offender with no regard for human life. Thanks to the swift response of first responders and the dedication of our federal and local law enforcement partners, he has been held accountable for his dangerous and destructive conduct.”

Previous Coverage

• Man faces 3 counts of arson after IndyGo bus catches fire
• Video: Man facing arson charges poured jug of liquid onto bus floor, ignited it

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On what may become the hottest day of 2025, organizers of a local winter event are asking you to take a crisp and cool look ahead, five months into the future.

The Brown County Christkindl Market is lining up talented vendors for the two-day December celebration.

“This show is juried, and so we say get your application in as soon as possible,” Lisa Hall, founder of the Market, said. She stopped by WISH-TV’s Daybreak to issue the invitation for artisans and artists to part of the Market. “It’s a $40 application fee, and we will be closing that site on Aug.15.”

Hall also offered Daybreak viewers the very first view of the official mug for the 2025 event. It features the coal eyes and carrot nose of a snowman getting a warm hug from a scarf.

“It’s just kind of a new concept that was in my head. And my friend Holly Salo, who owns Holly Pots, is one of the most talented potters that I know. Holly has done our souvenir mugs hand-pottered for the last four years, so this is year five for her,” Hall said.

This is the 5th year for the annual event.

Hall notes that while Brown County’s colorful autumn displays have made the community a must-visit in fall, the area still has opportunities for visitor growth during other seasons.

“Brown County looks like a Hallmark community,” she said. “And every Hallmark community needs their own Christmas event, right? And we are tourism dependent, and when you’re tourism dependent, you have to create reasons for people to return.”

The Brown County Christkindl Market is Dec. 6-7 and is free to attend.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday proposed revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule would rescind a 2009 declaration that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.

The “endangerment finding” is the legal underpinning of a host of climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the proposed rule change on a podcast ahead of an official announcement set for Tuesday in Indiana.

Repealing the endangerment finding “will be the largest deregulatory action in the history of America,” Zeldin said on the Ruthless podcast.

“There are people who, in the name of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country,” Zeldin said. “They created this endangerment finding and then they are able to put all these regulations on vehicles, on airplanes, on stationary sources, to basically regulate out of existence, in many cases, a lot of segments of our economy. And it cost Americans a lot of money.”

The EPA proposal must go though a lengthy review process, including public comment, before it is finalized, likely next year. Environmental groups are likely to challenge the rule change in court.

Zeldin called for a rewrite of the endangerment finding in March as part of a series of environmental rollbacks announced at the same time in what he said was “the greatest day of deregulation in American history.” A total of 31 key environmental rules on topics from clean air to clean water and climate change would be rolled back or repealed under Zeldin’s plan.

He singled out the endangerment finding as “the Holy Grail of the climate change religion” and said he was thrilled to end it “as the EPA does its part to usher in the Golden Age of American success.”

Tailpipe emission limits also targeted

The EPA also is expected to call for rescinding limits on tailpipe emissions that were designed to encourage automakers to build and sell more electric vehicles. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Environmental groups said Zeldin’s action denies reality as weather disasters exacerbated by climate change continue in the U.S. and around the world.

“As Americans reel from deadly floods and heat waves, the Trump administration is trying to argue that the emissions turbocharging these disasters are not a threat,” said Christy Goldfuss, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It boggles the mind and endangers the nation’s safety and welfare.”

Under Zeldin and Trump, “the EPA wants to shirk its responsibility to protect us from climate pollution, but science and the law say otherwise,” she added. “If EPA finalizes this illegal and cynical approach, we will see them in court.”

Three former EPA leaders have also criticized Zeldin, saying his March announcement targeting the endangerment finding and other rules imperiled the lives of millions of Americans and abandoned the agency’s dual mission to protect the environment and human health.

“If there’s an endangerment finding to be found anywhere, it should be found on this administration because what they’re doing is so contrary to what the Environmental Protection Agency is about,” Christine Todd Whitman, who led EPA under Republican President George W. Bush, said after Zeldin’s plan was made public.

The EPA proposal follows an executive order from Trump that directed the agency to submit a report “on the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding.

Conservatives and some congressional Republicans hailed the initial plan, calling it a way to undo economically damaging rules to regulate greenhouse gases.

But environmental groups, legal experts and Democrats said any attempt to repeal or roll back the endangerment finding would be an uphill task with slim chance of success. The finding came two years after a 2007 Supreme Court ruling holding that the EPA has authority to regulate greenhouse gases as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Passing court muster could be an issue

David Doniger, a climate expert at the NRDC, accused Trump’s Republican administration of using potential repeal of the endangerment finding as a “kill shot’’ that would allow him to make all climate regulations invalid. If finalized, repeal of the endangerment finding would erase current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars, factories, power plants and other sources and could prevent future administrations from proposing rules to tackle climate change.

“The Endangerment Finding is the legal foundation that underpins vital protections for millions of people from the severe threats of climate change, and the Clean Car and Truck Standards are among the most important and effective protections to address the largest U.S. source of climate-causing pollution,” said Peter Zalzal, associate vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund.

“Attacking these safeguards is manifestly inconsistent with EPA’s responsibility to protect Americans’ health and well-being,” he said. “It is callous, dangerous and a breach of our government’s responsibility to protect the American people from this devastating pollution.”

Conrad Schneider, a senior director at the Clean Air Task Force, said the Trump administration “is using pollution regulations as a scapegoat in its flawed approach to energy affordability” and reliability.

He and other advocates “are dismayed that an administration that claims it cares about cleaner, healthier and safer air is seeking to dismantle the very protections that are required for those conditions,” Schneider said.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at https://apnews.com/hub/us-environmental-protection-agency.

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.

This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and
edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

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.

Related Coverage

• In their own words: 8 quotes from Day 6 of Colts training camp
• Former Warren Central star JuJu Brents healthy, ready for Year 3 with Colts
• Colts WR Alec Pierce draws rave reviews from teammates, coaches
• ‘It’s always exciting’: Colts kick off training camp at Grand Park

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.”