INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Deandrea Rayner addressed food insecurity in Indianapolis by establishing the Indy Community Pantry, which launched in 2020 and has since expanded to include five dry-goods pantries and three community refrigerators throughout the city.

The initiative started with Rayner filling old boxes with food. Still, the demand quickly outpaced the supply, prompting her to expand the project with the help of volunteers and donations.

Rayner said, “It was a lot of people who didn’t have the resources and means to find food because COVID was new, and no one knew what was going on. So, I was like, ‘How can I help?’”

Rayner’s efforts have been supported by

A network of volunteers, who assist with tasks such as donation pickup and stocking the pantries and refrigerators, have supported Rayner’s efforts. “It would not be what it is today without my volunteers.”

The motto of the Indy Community Pantry is simple: Take what you need, leave what you can.

However, keeping the shelves stocked remains a constant challenge due to high demand.

Resident Peter Yazzie, talking about the occasional scarcity of food, said, “Yeah, sometimes we have to look around by ourselves to see if we can find something, and, most of the time, we’ll find something for the time being. But, yes, the refrigerators are empty sometimes.”

Rayner has ambitious plans for the future, including placing a refrigerator in a school and opening a completely free grocery store, but emphasized the need for continued community support and donations to achieve these goals.

The Indy Community Pantry will continue to address food insecurity in Indianapolis, relying on community involvement to sustain and expand its efforts, Rayner said. “That’s why we need the community’s help and why we are so big on donations, because the food goes so fast.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones scored 18 points in her return from an ankle injury, and the New York Liberty beat the Indiana Fever 98-84 on Tuesday night.

Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich each scored 17, Sabrina Ionescu had 13 points and nine assists, and Isabelle Harrison also had 13 points to help the Liberty (15-6) beat the Fever for the second straight time. New York beat Indiana 98-77 last Wednesday in their last game before the All-Star break.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points to lead the Fever (12-11), which again played without Caitlin Clark (groin injury).

New York struggled in the first half with Ionescu and Stewart scoring three points and six points, respectively — an anomaly for the duo that averages 18 and 19 points per game. Ionescu was held scoreless in the second and third quarters, spending most of the third on the bench.

The Fever led 46-42 at halftime, capitalizing on Liberty turnovers to grab the thin lead. They held on to that advantage for most of the third quarter, until Stewart made a 3-pointer and a layup to put the Liberty back on top in the final minutes of the quarter.

Ionescu’s return in the fourth helped solidify the momentum moving in New York’s direction. She scored 10 straight points for the Liberty coming off the bench, opening the first double-digit lead of the night.

Jones had been out since June 19.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Tent after tent on Tuesday lined Leonard Street between Virginia and Woodlawn in the Fountain Square neighborhood near downtown Indianapolis.

Residents told News 8 that homeless people about three months ago set up one or three tents, and it’s expanded now to more than 25 tents.

One homeowner across the street from the encampment reportedly called police after she said she saw two homeless people fighting, one of them was waving a sharp scissor.

She’s not the only resident tired of encampment next to their home.

Kyle Christie lives in a home close by the encampment. “I think everyone’s a little frustrated because, at this point, they’ve been here for about three months. Initially, there weren’t any issues, but, just last week, they threw trash in our recycling.”

Christie said one homeless woman picked up a stray dog he found. He said she claimed it was hers, but he later found out she served time for killing dogs and cats. After he reported her to police, they found a dozen malnourished animals.

“There are a lot that are super-helpful and just having a hard time and down on their luck, and there are also a lot that are really suspicious. I will say across the board if they see something or hear something illegal, they’ll never call the cops. It’s an area that’s lawless over there, which is concerning.”

Kenneth Washington said he pitched his tent early this summer because the area was quiet. “We don’t bother nobody. We want peace of mind. We keep it clean. I guess they don’t want us here but we have no where else to go.”

He says there aren’t a lot of resources available. He just wants a quiet, shady place where he can put up a tent and live, “some place away from the community.”

The traffic of cars divides the homeless encampment from homes worth half a million dollars.

Joby Salinas works at Square Scoop Ice Cream shop down the street. He passes by the tents on his way to work.

“It’s concerning to me. I go to L.A. a lot and its very reminiscent of downtown L.A. and Venice Beach and places like that. It’s very disheartening for me to see just driving pass there because it gets worse every single time I go pass there. Now, it (the campsite) fills the entire street to the (Indianapolis) Cultural Trail.

“I want to see better policies and places, better places for (homeless) people to go.”

Statements

“For the past several months, I’ve heard from many residents expressing growing concerns about homeless encampments across our community. As a City-County Councilor, I do not take these concerns lightly. In May, my colleagues and I on the Council approved $2.7 million in funding for the Streets to Home initiative — a program designed to transition individuals experiencing homelessness from encampments into safe, stable housing.”

City-County Councilor Kristin Jones, a Democrat

“IMPD will continue to respond to calls for service in the area and utilize the IMPD Homeless Outreach Unit when appropriate. OPHS will continue to work with its outreach partners to engage with those in this area. OPHS, IMPD’s Homeless Outreach Unit and service providers also work to connect unsheltered individuals with housing, addiction services, and medical care.  Addressing homelessness requires a city-wide and community-wide effort.  

Last month, Streets to Home Indy was announced, which is a targeted initiative to end chronic and unsheltered homelessness in Indianapolis. Phase One of Streets to Home Indy, which aims to house and provide wraparound services to an estimated 350 unsheltered individuals living on the streets, is currently underway. The City of Indianapolis is also utilizing housing initiatives like St. George Bridge Housing and the pilot Master Leasing program to rapidly house unsheltered individuals.”

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Indiana Office of Public Health and Safety

Related stories

• Annual count finds 26% drop in veteran homelessness in Indianapolis
• Mayor Hogsett announces Streets to Home Indy initiative, 350 people to be housed
• Compass on Washington making a difference for Indianapolis homeless community
• Homeless woman highlights challenges of living on the streets

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A former Muncie woman has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for defrauding the U.S. Department of Education out of over $930,000 in federal financial aid, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release issued Tuesday.

Reina Isom, 47, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and two counts of federal financial aid fraud, and she has been ordered to pay $348,148 in restitution.

Her scheme involved enrolling accomplices in online colleges and submitting fraudulent Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications to obtain financial aid, which she then diverted to accounts she controlled.

Tom Wheeler, U.S. attorney for the Indianapolis-based Southern District of Indiana, said in a statement in the release, “When someone abuses these programs, they don’t just break the law — they potentially steal a life-changing opportunity from a first-generation student or someone from an underserved community.”

According to court documents, Isom’s fraudulent activities spanned nearly a decade while she was living in Muncie. She enrolled accomplices in low-cost, online colleges using their personal information and submitted FAFSA forms with false financial details to increase aid amounts. Isom ensured the “students” remained enrolled by completing coursework on their behalf, often submitting copied assignments from previous terms.

Over 50 fraudulent FAFSA applications were submitted for more than a dozen people, resulting in over $930,000 in aid being fraudulently dispersed.

Isom has a history of fraud, with prior convictions in 2004 for arson with intent to defraud and in 2011 for similar financial aid fraud activities.

The case was investigated by the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by U.S. attorneys Adam Eakman and Meredith Wood.

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.

ELWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — A 32-year-old Elwood man was formally charged Friday in a Madison County court with 10 felonies including two counts of promotion of child sex trafficking, online court records show.

The Hamilton County Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said in a news release issued Tuesday that it arrested Austin Thompson on Thursday.

The release said detectives with the Fishers-based task force served search warrants on Thompson’s social media accounts, uncovering evidence of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. The investigation revealed approximately 1,000 images of child sex abuse and around 2,300 messages soliciting minors for such material.

In addition to the mid-level felony charges of promotion of child sex trafficking, Thompson also was charged with five mid-level felony counts of child exploitation; two low-level felony counts of child exploitation; and a low-level felony count of possession of child pornography, online records from Madison Circuit Court 6 show. No additional hearings had been set in the case as of Tuesday night.

Thompson on Tuesday night remained in the Madison County jail in Anderson on a $50,000 bond.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said lawmakers should approach Indy leaders with ideas for collaboration rather than control.

The Democrat’s comments come in response to a proposal from Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, to carve the Mile Square out from Indianapolis control and place it directly under the control of the state government of Indiana.

The Mile Square is bounded by North, South, East and West streets and Young said he also would include Lucas Oil Stadium and Victory Field in the district. Young told News 8 on Monday that the Indiana State Police would take care of patrolling the district and the attorney general would prosecute any crimes committed there.

Mears, long a target for Republican criticism, said Republican state lawmakers helped create the very county justice system they now attack.

“Republicans at the Statehouse spend a significant amount of their time complaining about Marion County judges,” he said. “Marion County judges are appointed by a Republican governor pursuant to a law the Republican legislature drafted. And so, we’ve already seen this quote-unquote state control at the local level here in Marion County and they complain about the very people that they appoint pursuant to a law that they drafted.”

Young said his idea would not require any additional expenses on the part of the state because the Mile Square already generates revenue through a combination of property taxes, food and beverage taxes, hotel taxes and rental taxes. Paul Helmke, director of the Civic Leaders Center at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said he isn’t so sure. Helmke, a former three-term Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, said a state takeover of the Mile Square would disrupt tax increment financing or redevelopment districts the city has in place. He said the state would have to either redo those agreements or grandfather them in.

“Those are very complicated financial transactions that can’t be messed with. Those determine where the tax revenue might be going from a hotel or from the convention center or from another business,” he said.

Helmke said the state’s responsibilities would go far beyond merely having state police patrol the area. He said state agencies would have to figure out how to tackle more mundane tasks such as filling potholes or working minor crashes. He said Young’s proposal probably is constitutional. He pointed out the legislature completely changed Indianapolis’ city government when it created Unigov at the end of the 1960s. The one area where Helmke said he might see a constitutional problem is reassigning prosecutorial duties away from the elected county prosecutor.

“This is not just responding to the shootings that we’ve seen downtown. This is dealing with every issue that a city, whether it’s Indianapolis or Fort Wayne or whatever deals with on a daily basis,” he said. “I’m not sure that this is the most efficient way to use our taxpayer resources. I think that’s the question that has to be asked.”

Mears said if state lawmakers were serious about helping Marion County, they would approach his office and those of city leaders with ideas for ways to work together rather than proposing expanded state control.

“If we just want to troll people and say things online, great, but it doesn’t change things and it doesn’t improve the quality of life for people in Marion County and it certainly doesn’t help the kids who are in need,” he said.

(WISH Image)

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — “It feels like the first day of school again!”

That’s how cornerback Kenny Moore II and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts felt moving in to Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield for Training Camp Tuesday. Energy was high as the team was back together again.

“It’s definitely exciting to get back. New year, just new opportunities,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said.

“I feel like the morale is up,” defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said. “Everybody’s been great since we’ve been back in OTAs and everything. I know the guys are excited to be back.”

That includes quarterback Anthony Richardson, who arrives at camp healthy after re-injuring his throwing shoulder during spring. Richardson has been back to throwing for the last three weeks but will be on slight volume management for the first part of camp, according to general manager Chris Ballard.

Either way, he’s ready to compete for the starting job against newcomer Daniel Jones.

“It’ll be a fun competition to watch between these two guys. They’re both very talented,” Ballard said.

Ballard wouldn’t commit to a timeline of when the Colts will name their starter. He said that it will happen whenever he, head coach Shane Steichen and the rest of the staff are “sure” of the decision.

“It’s probably not what most teams are doing, but you got to do what you got to do,” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “It’s competition, and that’s the great thing about football.”

“We need to make sure that whoever’s back there with us, we need make sure we mesh with them,” running back Jonathan Taylor said. “We need to make sure whatever we’re doing is making their job as easy as possible.”

Richardson and Jones aren’t the only players out here to prove something. The entire Colts team feels the pressure to get back to the playoffs. They haven’t been since 2020, which is the longest drought in team history since the 1990s.

The team leaders know success during the season starts at training camp.

“Not being able to get over that hump the last four years has definitely been frustrating,” Buckner said. “Everybody needs to buy in and believe in the one goal that we’re trying to accomplish, and that’s win a Super Bowl. Being able to do whatever it takes and doing your job without anybody’s egos getting attached to it.”

Franklin says he feels the pressure from the fans, as well.

“They’re upset, and they’re demanding. And to be quite honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Franklin said. “This locker room is hungry. There’s a lot of guys in here trying to prove not only that they deserve a certain respect or a certain place in this league. When you got a team in the building full of competition in an organization where everybody top to bottom is out to prove themselves, that usually is a recipe for success.”

Something the team believes its just a few plays away from.

Training Camp practice begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. and goes all week long at Grand Park.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Today felt fairly good out there with lower humidity and temperatures that were near normal for this time of the year. Unfortunately, all good things don’t last forever as we’re about to have an extended issue with high heat and humidity.

Heat advisories are currently in place across western Indiana for Wednesday afternoon and evening. These may get extended further east. There will also be an air quality alert for Wednesday.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear and decent for tonight with lows in the mid to upper 60s.

Wednesday: Tomorrow will be the first of a several day stretch of misery weather-wise. Highs in the low 90s, dew points rising into the low to mid 70s, and mid 90s to low 100s heat indices will make it feel terrible out there.

Thursday: The worst of this pattern of heat arrives Thursday with some locations tapping into the mid 90s for highs. Dew point values that look to push into the mid to upper 70s will cause heat indices to potentially approach 105-110 degrees. Now, there could be a caveat with Thursday’s forecast, especially for areas in northern Indiana. This would be increased cloud cover and a spotty shower/storm chance if it fully materializes.

7-Day Forecast: Sweltering conditions will continue into the final weekend of July with the hot dome beginning to break down a little bit by Friday. This in turn will increase rain and storm chances into the weekend. Exact timing and placement is still very uncertain with these storm chances.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A mom has come forward to recount the horror of finding out her daughter was shot in the mass shooting in the early morning July 5 in downtown Indianapolis.

That shooting left two people dead and five others hurt.

Bionka Killebrew said her 18-year-old daughter was grazed on an arm in the shooting. “She was grazed in her arm with a bullet. She was so scared. She was actually hiding behind cars when it happened. As a mother, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ It made me look at things different.”

While her daughter is healing physically, the emotional scars remain.

Killebrew said her daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time, a painful reminder that shootings can happen anywhere in the city. Killebrew wants the violence to stop, and has urged others to step up. She said enforcing the curfew is a start. Killebrew supports the city’s curfew, hoping it will help keep more teens off the streets at night and out of harm’s way.

“I don’t think I’ll let my other children go there. Not now. Not until I see that things are more structured.”.

As Killebrew sees it, change starts with honest conversation, and the courage to speak up. “I just say to the parents, keep praying, and, to the kids, put the guns down.”

The Indianapolis TenPoint Coalition, led by the Rev. Charles Harrison, stepped up during the weekend downtown to help enforce the curfew and encourage peace during the WNBA All-Star and Indiana Black Expo activities. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported that no curfew violations downtown.

Harrison said, “I think a lot of parents who came down their had their children, so they didn’t just send their parents, they came with them. Other parents decided that since they could not come, they were not going to let their children come downtown, and that was key.”

But, Harrison says, there’s still work to be done across the city. He hopes to see better follow-through in the future from city leaders. He says it’s crucial to continue to build connections. “When you have those kind of relationships, it really helps to tamp down violence because people share stuff with you and you can get in front of potential acts of violence when you know the people involved who may be in conflict with one another.”

Harrison says the TenPoint Coalition will continue its patrols in hotspots across Indianapolis, and hopes more parents and children continue to follow curfew and seek better conflict resolution.

ROCHESTER, Ind. (WISH) — A woman died and two others were seriously hurt after a two-vehicle crash in Fulton County.

The crash happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Indiana State Police say that 43-year-old Nicole Davis of Gary was driving northbound on State Road 25 near County Road West 500 South when, for an unknown reason, she traveled in the path of a Ford F-150 driven by Jackson Rentschler, 20, of Lucerne.

Davis died at the scene. Her passengers, 41-year-old Steven Davis and a juvenile, were rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. Rentschler sustained minor injuries.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, but they do not believe drugs or alcohol are a factor.