AUG. 7-13, 2020
In this week's issue, Samm Quinn explores how the pandemic has illuminated and magnified the challenges facing people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis’ core. Susan Orr explains how a pandemic-related plunge in ridership and expected declines in tax revenue has led IndyGo to examine all of its operations for potential cost cuts. And Mickey Shuey details how dozens of Indianapolis-area bars, music venues and other performance spaces have banded together to fight for government assistance that they say is vital for them to survive.
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Pandemic thrusts downtown’s homelessness problem to fore
For weeks, camps of people experiencing homelessness and those suffering from substance use disorders have settled in on Monument Circle and near City Market.
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IndyGo predicts long-term ridership, tax revenue drops from pandemic
Though work on the Purple Line and Blue Line bus rapid transit lines will continue, transit system says some other planned route improvements are on hold.
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Elanco’s big job: Making the Bayer deal work
Now that the company has closed its $6.9 billion acquisition of the German conglomerate’s animal-health division, it must now swiftly and carefully integrate the two sprawling companies in the midst of a pandemic.
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After years of struggle, WhatFriendsDo finds its wings
The online platform designed to rally support around people who are sick or otherwise in need is now on a path to expansion.
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Independent music venues face closures without help
About 60 entertainment stages, bars and studios across Indiana have joined forces in a new association to fight for government assistance they say is needed to survive.
Read MoreQ&A: Salvation Army adapting to serve people in need
Unmet needs are cascading as the pandemic brings them to the surface, says Major Marc Johnson, commander of The Salvation Army’s Indiana division.
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Lilly to start testing experimental treatment for COVID-19 in nursing homes
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said it will enroll about 2,400 residents and staff of nursing homes to test an antibody it is developing with a Canadian biotech. Nursing homes account for about 40% of U.S. deaths from COVID-19.
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IU Health to add eight blocks to downtown campus, build new $1.6B hospital
The expansion will add 44 acres to the campus., extending it from 16th Street south to 12th Street and from Capitol Avenue west to I-65.
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Direct foreign investment in Indiana now a key economic driver
After decades of skepticism, pretty much every Indiana political entity, from small towns to the Governor’s Office, strives to persuade overseas businesses to launch operations in the state,
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EDITORIAL: Make mail-in voting available to all Hoosier voters this fall
In a pandemic, we don’t want people waiting in line to cast votes in person—just like we don’t want them crowded together anyplace else.
Read MoreGREG MORRIS: Indy 500 still a go for Aug. 23, but …
With all the planning that had taken place, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway might have been the safest place to be on race day.
Read MoreKENNEDY: This is not the time for economic idealogues
Americans’ economic battles are being fought between ideologues who have convinced themselves that their favored economic system is “the” answer to every problem.
Read MoreMOULD: With rising unemployment, will views of welfare change?
Stereotypical stories about poverty and welfare that cast aid recipients as lazy and entitled tend to emerge like clockwork during election cycles.
Read MoreGarrett Mintz: Pivoting to quality is key to future success
Your quantifiable goals, such as revenue, might not be achievable if the customer no longer believes in your product.
Read MorePETE THE PLANNER: New grad should pay down loan debt as quickly as possible
Following my first two rules will create an inordinate amount of stress if he were to earn at or below living wage, even if he is living with you and eliminating most of his living expenses.
Read MoreBOHANON & CUROTT: Tossing around statistics can quickly lead to trouble
We did NOT suffer a shrinkage in GDP of 32.9% between the first and second quarters of 2020—more like a 9.5% shrinkage.
Read MoreLetter: School decisions undermine equity stance
The decision to close schools assumes that families have the resources to provide daytime care for children, whether that be the parents, another family member, or a paid service (daycare, nanny, private school, etc.).
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Performance Racing Industry hoping to hold December trade show
More than 940 exhibitors have already registered for the event, which could bring upwards of 67,000 people to the Indiana Convention Center and generate an economic impact of $65.2 million. But county health officials haven’t yet approved the event.
Read MoreCarmel OKs Estridge townhouse development despite concern from neighbors
At least one person was ordered to leave the Carmel City Council meeting Monday for interrupting the council’s review of plans for 15 townhouses on the city’s north side.
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Horizon House plans 36-unit apartment project for homeless on downtown’s east side
The four-story project will also feature office space for Horizon House, which is located adjacent to the site and has provided services for homeless individuals since 1990.
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Pacers organization terminates dozens of employees in cost-cutting move
Pacers Sports & Entertainment, which owns and manages the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, has cut about 16% of its full-time workforce in response to financial losses during the pandemic, a spokesman told IBJ.
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Republic Airways to furlough 293 in Indianapolis, 2,500 company-wide
Indianapolis-based Republic expects the layoffs to take place in two waves on Oct. 1 and Nov. 1, although they likely will be temporary for local pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers and maintenance facility employees.
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MARK MONTIETH: At 94, an NBA veteran tells tales of league’s hard-scrabble start
Terre Haute’s Duane Klueh remembers long, cold road trips and teams that pinched pennies to pay the bills.
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