INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) —  Each and every Saturday, WISH-TV highlights a local company together with our partners at Indiana Grown. This week, the focus is on Sugar Creek Lavender farm, a female-owned, family-run lavender farm north of Lebanon.

Sugar Creek Lavender Farm, run by the Lavender family — yes, that’s their real last name! — plants, harvests, and makes products with lavender.

While the farm is not yet open to the public, the Lavender family hopes to offer you-pick sessions, photo shoots, yoga classes, and tours in about two years.

In the meantime, lavender lovers can enjoy a “Learning About Lavender” presentation, sip something sweet at a Lavender Tea Tasting, or sign up for a “Make & Take” class to create their own lavender sugar scrub or lavender Play-Doh.

Sugar Creek Lavender Farm sells a number of lavender-based items on its website, including sugar scrub, body butter, eye pillows, linen spray, dryer bags, and tea blends.

If you’d rather do your shopping in person, several central Indiana shops carry the farm’s products: Indiana Gifts and Tru-Finds Treasures in Lebanon, Shop Small, Shop Handmade in Crawfordsville, and Possibilities: Homes Re-Imagined in Franklin.

Be sure to look for Sugar Creek Lavender Farms in the Indiana Grown Market Place in the FFA Pavilion’s Country Market at this year’s Indiana State Fair.

Click here for more information.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hartbeat and Pacers Sports & Entertainment are launching the first-ever Fever Fest, a music and comedy event coinciding with the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025 in Indianapolis.

The event will be hosted by comedy legend Deon Cole and feature performances by GRAMMY-nominated artist The Kid LAROI, comedians Cedric the Entertainer, Leslie Jones, and Aida Rodriguez, as well as musical acts G-Eazy and BIA.

Fever Fest will kick off at 5 p.m. with a special performance by 803Fresh, leading into the main show at the Everwise Amphitheater. Following the performances, attendees can enjoy a watch party for the WNBA All-Star game starting at 8:30 p.m., complete with food and drinks.

Tickets for the event are available at feverfestival.com, and one ticket provides access to the entire evening of entertainment.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment, known for its dedication to quality entertainment, is partnering with Hartbeat, a company founded by Kevin Hart that focuses on comedy and cultural content, to bring this event to life.

Fever Fest promises to be a night of entertainment and sports, offering fans a unique experience during the WNBA All-Star weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark bounced a ball, joined a team huddle and gave one of her All-Star teammate’s shots a playful thumbs down before gingerly lobbing her own half-court heave Friday.

It may be the most demanding action anyone sees from Clark this weekend.

Indianapolis’ big midseason weekend wasn’t supposed to play out this way, with Clark patrolling the sidelines instead of impressing her home fans with more nifty passes or trademark logo 3-pointers.

But as she sits this one out because of yet another injury, Clark remains the center of attention. From the 30-story, larger-than-life image covering Indianapolis’ JW Marriott Hotel to the wraps around the city’s maze of skywalks, last season’s Rookie of the Year seems every bit as in demand — maybe even more — as All-Star teammates with the Indiana Fever, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, or anyone else in town.

“Oh, yeah. I am going to be there,” Clark told “Good Morning America” on Friday, referring to Saturday night’s game. “I am going to be there, active on the sideline. I’m going to cheer these two on.”

Clark did not speak during Friday’s scheduled interviews with reporters.

For a league that has seen ticket sales and television ratings soar since Clark’s arrival last season, her absence comes at the worst possible moment.

Indianapolis was selected as the All-Star host last summer, and Clark was set to make her debut in the 3-point contest in her adopted hometown. The contest may have featured the strongest field ever — the last two contest winners, Sabrina Ionescu of New York and Alisha Gray of Atlanta; former NCAA Division I scoring champ Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Washington rookie Sonia Citron — if Clark was in it.

Instead, Fever guard Lexie Hull will replace Clark in Friday’s contest.

“I think Lexie deserves it,” Mitchell said. “I think that C.C. is dope for making sure that happened or the WNBA, for that matter, I don’t know, and I think for the Fever it’s just a good way to represent us and have someone the that this city loves.”

Of course, everyone wanted to see Clark, who remains quite active off the court.

In addition to the morning interview and a midday practice with the team she “drafted,” the coach she acquired in a trade and the team that bears her name, Clark was scheduled to appear on Sue Bird’s podcast, WNBA Live and with two sports brands — Nike and Wilson — before returning for Friday night’s festivities.

It’s also a good bet Clark’s schedule includes some injury treatment time.

Ionescu’s advice: Take full advantage of the unexpected opportunities.

“I went through something similar in my career,” Ionescu said. “My first year, I didn’t play due to injury and then second year, I had like three to four soft tissue injuries. You look back and it’s a blessing in disguise because you’re able to learn and grow and understand it’s all part of your journey, continue to figure out what you need in a pro career.”

Clark won’t have much down time Saturday, either.

There’s a morning shootaround, a 15-minute interview session with reporters and then she’ll have to navigate the newly constructed stage inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse before testing her coaching skills. And that may not be all.

“Obviously, unfortunate about Caitlin, but she’s going to still have a great impact on this team,” said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “I will give the coaching hat to her as much as she wants, to be quite honest. We’re going to play around with it a little bit. It’ll be fun.”

Clark never missed a game in college or her first pro season because of injury but already has missed 10 this season with three muscle injuries.

Boston and Mitchell have seen how their teammate has responded in all 10 and expect nothing different this time, a contest that doesn’t count in the standings.

“Caitlin will still be Caitlin, trust me guys,” Mitchell said, drawing laughter. “She’s going to be in a coaching uniform, like you’ll definitely see the competitive nature. But I think for her, her body deserves what it deserves from a break standpoint. I think this weekend will still be about what her and other individuals have brought to our league.”

So while the league’s biggest stars compete on the court, Clark will return to her role as promoter.

It’s a role she must embrace if she hopes to play Tuesday when the regular season resumes with a home game against the defending champion Liberty — even if it’s a disappointment for the women’s basketball fans.

“I am feeling good,” Clark told GMA. “Obviously, a lot of this cheers me up. It’s fun to see everybody out here having such a good time.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis police took one person for questioning after a woman was shot and killed at a liquor store on the city’s northwest side.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded just before 3 a.m. Saturday to a shooting at Jack’s Liquor Store. That’s at the intersection of 56th Street and Georgetown Road, just west of Saddlebrook Golf Club.

Officers arrived and found the injured woman. She was rushed to a local hospital but did not survive.

One person of interest was taken for questioning, but IMPD did confirm if that person is a suspect.

Security camera footage shows the victim an the person of interest arrive at the store together, but investigators say they’re not sure if or how the two know each other.

No other information was immediately available.

Anyone with information was asked to contact IMPD or Crime Stoppers.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A big weekend in Indy with the WNBA All-Star game in town. Strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening. Hopefully, we will have more breaks closer to the tip time of 8:30 PM.

TODAY: Dry start with some areas of fog in eastern Indiana. A spotty shower or storm can’t be ruled out in the midday hours. However, strong to severe storms are on the table from 2 pm – 8 pm with damaging wind as the primary threat. A slight (2/5) risk of severe weather is in place for central Indiana. A quick spin-up tornado can’t be ruled out. High temperatures in the mid-80s.

TONIGHT: Lingering showers and storms are still possible. The severe threat will go down, but flooding remains a concern. Low temperatures in the mid-70s.

TOMORROW: Scattered showers and storms become likely for the afternoon and evening hours. A marginal (1/5) risk is in place for damaging wind. High temperatures in the mid-80s. Multiple inches of rain could fall in some spots south of I-70 this weekend.

7-DAY FORECAST: Heavy rain potential should be wrapping up Monday AM. Temperatures will be cranking up midweek with higher dew points making multiple days feel like 100+. Additional chances of rain enter the forecast late week.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull was eliminated in the first round of the WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest on on Friday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

She was one of five players taking part in the competition. The top two point scorers from the first round advanced to the championship round of the contest.

Hull finished with 20 points in the first round, five points behind the top two highest-scorers in the round.

Here was the final totals from the first round:

1. Allisha Gray – 25 points
2. Sabrina Ionescu – 25 points
3. Kelsey Plum – 22 points
4. Lexie Hull – 20 points
5. Sonia Citron – 19 points

As a result, Gray and Ionescu advanced to the championship round of the competition.

Ionescu would end up winning it all after scoring 30 points in the final round compared to Gray’s 22 points.

Ionescu, who also won the 3-point contest in 2023, is just the second player in WNBA history to win multiple 3-point contests. The only other player to do so is Allie Quigley, who won the competition four times.

Hull was a late add to the 3-Point Contest. She replaced Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who is not taking part in All-Star week events due to a groin injury.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump filed a $10 million lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch Friday, a day after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The move came shortly after the Justice Department asked a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s sex trafficking case, as the administration tries to contain a firestorm that erupted after it previously announced it would not be releasing additional government files from the case.

Trump had promised the lawsuit after thet Journal put the spotlight on his relationship with Epstein, publishing an article that described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denies writing the letter, calling the story “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump cast the lawsuit as part of his efforts to punish news outlets, including ABC and CBS, which both reached multimillion-dollar settlement deals with the president after he took them to court.

“This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,” he wrote.

A representative of Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The letter revealed by The Wall Street Journal was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a birthday album for Epstein years before the wealthy financier was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump.

The letter bearing Trump’s name includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the newspaper.

Trump denied writing the letter and promised to sue. He said he spoke to both to the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its top editor, Emma Tucker, before the story was published and told them the letter was “fake.”

“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” the president wrote on social media.

The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely or provide details on how it came to learn about it. The suit was filed in federal court in Miami.

Earlier Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed motions in a separate federal court urging them to unseal the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the case against Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Epstein killed himself in 2019 shortly after his arrest while awaiting trial.

The Justice Department’s announcement that it would not be making public any more Epstein files enraged parts of Trump’s base in part because members of his own administration had hyped the expected release and stoked conspiracies around the well-connected financier.

The Justice Department said in the court filings that it will work with with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are released.

“Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims,” Blanche wrote.

But despite the new push to release the grand jury transcripts, the administration has not announced plans to reverse course and release other evidence in its possession. Attorney General Pam Bondi had hyped the release of more materials after the first Epstein files disclosure in February sparked outrage because it contained no new revelations.

A judge would have to approve the release of the grand jury transcripts, and it’s likely to be a lengthy process to decide what can become public and to make redactions to protect sensitive witness and victim information.

The records would show testimony of witnesses and other evidence that was presented by prosecutions during the secret grand jury proceedings, when a panel decides whether there is enough evidence to bring an indictment, or a formal criminal charge.

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Neumeister and Colvin reported from New York.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — For the first time in WNBA history, the WNBA All-Star game is in Indianapolis.

The Circle City is no stranger to hosting major sporting events. Already in 2025, Indy has hosted the WWE Royal Rumble, the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games), and more.

With all of the city’s experience welcoming some of sports’ biggest stars, WNBA All-Stars praised Indianapolis for the excitement the city has created around All-Star weekend.

“All-Star weekend is such a great environment and I think, honestly, the Fever have done an amazing job of just making this city just so fun and really showing people how full of life it is,” Fever star Aliyah Boston said.

“This is a basketball state,” Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young said. “I think they’re super excited and you can tell just by what they’ve done throughout the city and the fans, just seeing the fans yesterday whenever we got here. I think All-Star Game is going to be fun.”

“Yeah, I think you can definitely feel it,” Washington Mystics All-Star Sonia Citron said. “It’s exciting. I think they’re doing a great job hosting. It’s been fun, and I feel like it’s only just started.”

“It is really cool just seeing what Indiana basketball has turned into, especially on the women’s side,” Seattle Storm All-Star Gabby Williams said. “The Pacers have always been here. It has been really fun seeing the city, seeing the airport decked out, so just a testament to the growth of the game and what she’s brought to the city. So just really cool to actually see it in fruition.”

The WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Skills Competition and the Three-Point Contest are on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

More WNBA All-Star coverage

Sabrina Ionescu’s message to All-Star captain Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark receives support from All-Stars as she deals with injury

Aliyah Boston excited for Caitlin Clark as ‘Coach C’ in All-Star Game

Lexie Hull replaces Caitlin Clark in 3-Point Contest

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Prepare for an active and swampy weekend with several rounds of showers and storms. This will include risks for flooding and severe storms.

Friday night: We look to increase rain chances closer to the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. Lows in the low 70s.

Saturday: We are gearing up for several rounds of activity this weekend that gives way to flood/severe risks beginning Saturday morning. Mid 70s dew points + increasing dynamics aloft are leading to this active pattern. Rainfall rates within the heavier downpours will be up to 1-2″ per hour, which could cause some localized flash flooding.

Pinpointing exact timing is still difficult. There looks to likely be scattered showers/storms in our area Saturday morning before a storm complex rolls in Saturday afternoon-evening. Additional development may occur late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

A level 2/5 slight risk is in place due to the Saturday afternoon-evening complex for a threat of damaging winds, and there could be some embedded rotation at times.

Highs in the mid 80s with feels like temperatures pushing the mid 90s.

Sunday: Additional development may occur at times throughout Sunday with very muggy air persisting. There is also a low level 1/5 severe risk for damaging winds. Flooding concerns will remain prevalent with highs in the mid 80s.

7-Day Forecast: Rain and storm chances remain elevated through Monday before a hot dome begins to take over the area. This dome will bring us sweltering heat and humidity into mid to late next week and reduce rain/storm chances to isolated pop-ups. Highs look to soar into the low to mid 90s with heat index values over 100. At this point, we’re likely heading towards heat alert territory.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s own supporters, his administration on Friday asked a federal court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case in an effort to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making.

But even if those records become public, it’s far from certain they will appease critics enraged over the administration’s unfulfilled promises of full transparency about evidence against the wealthy financier. Meanwhile, the administration remains dogged by questions about its refusal to release other records in its possession after stoking conspiracy theories and pledging to uncover government secrets of the “deep state.”

Here’s a look at the ongoing Epstein files controversy and what may happen next:

How the case got here

Trump is desperately trying to turn the page on a crisis that has consumed his administration since the Justice Department announced last week that it would not release any more evidence about the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019.

The latest development came Thursday when the Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

Shortly after the story was published, Trump said he had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.”

“This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!” the president wrote on social media.

Bondi then announced that the Justice Department would move Friday to ask the court to unseal the grand jury transcripts. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed the motion urging the court to release the transcripts.

Courts are typically reluctant to release grand jury materials

Grand juries decide whether there is enough evidence to bring an indictment, or a formal criminal charge, and their proceedings are secret to protect the reputations of people who end up not being charged and to encourage reluctant witnesses to testify.

Grand jury transcripts — which could show the testimony of witnesses and other evidence presented by prosecutors — are rarely released by courts, unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial proceeding. In fact, grand jury secrecy is such a sacrosanct principle under the law that government officials who improperly disclose testimony are subject to prosecution. Witnesses are not bound by those rules.

Even with the Justice Department endorsement, it could take weeks or months of legal wrangling to decide what can be released and how to protect witnesses and other sensitive victim information.

And it’s unlikely the transcripts would shed any light on a major fascination of conspiracy theorists obsessed with Epstein’s case: the financier’s connections to other powerful figures whom some believe were involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme.

Court have blocked the release of grand jury materials in other high-profile investigations. House Democrats in 2019 sought grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation while Congress was conducting its impeachment inquiry into Trump. But the Justice Department successfully fought for years to keep the material secret.

The administration could release other records right now

The Justice Department’s decision to seek grand jury transcripts gives the administration a reason to point to the courts to explain why more material hasn’t yet been released. But the uproar over the Epstein files was never about the grand jury transcripts — it was about the thousands of other pages in the government’s possession that the administration now says it won’t release.

Facing outrage after the first release of Epstein files flopped in February, Bondi said officials were poring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI. But after a monthslong review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”

The Justice Department has yet to fully explain why none of that material could be released. It noted in its memo earlier this month that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

Since then, Bondi has largely refused to answer questions from reporters about the matter.

Congress’ Epstein files resolution carries no legal weight

House Republicans may vote next week on a resolution that seeks to appease GOP demands for more transparency on the Epstein case, The resolution calls on the Justice Department to publicly release records, but it carries no legal force.

“The House Republicans are for transparency, and they’re looking for a way to say that they agree with the White House,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday. “We agree with the president. Everything he said about that, all the credible evidence should come out.”

Democrats, with the support of nine Republicans, have advanced their own legislation that would require the Justice Department to release more information about the case.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.