IndyStar photojournalist Kelly Wilkinson recognized with prestigious NPPA Longevity Award
IndyStar staff photojournalist Kelly Wilkinson has been awarded the National Press Photographers Association's Longevity Award. Wilkinson was one of several NPPA Honors Award recipients recognized for their work in visual storytelling.
The NPPA Longevity Award recognizes a photojournalist who has contributed at least 40 years of service to the industry.
"I guess there is something for staying a bit longer," Wilkinson said to NPPA Past President Carey Wagner when she was notified of the recognition. "Get there early and stay late," she said of her career, mirroring a common photojournalism motto.
Wilkinson's career started in 1983 working for the Atlanta Journal-Consitution. She then moved to the Gwinnett Daily News in Gwinnett County, Ga., before joining the Indianapolis Star staff in 1989.
"Through her images and video, Kelly has created connections that give us a better understanding of each other despite our differences," said Max Gersh, senior visuals editor at IndyStar. "For decades, her work has introduced neighbors to each other. Her lens has focused on nearly every crack and crevice in our community."
'In Indianapolis, I joke that I've photographed everyone at least once," Wilkinson said. "I spend my days seeing through the eyes of others. And I realize that is a wonderful way to live.'
Wilkinson will travel to Alexandria, Va., in May to be recognized by the organization.
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Indianapolis Star
4 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Hoosiers call for tighter pollution control for BP's Lake Michigan refinery permit
The diesel-like smell sometimes rising off Lake Michigan near BP's oil refinery in Whiting gets so bad that surfer Mike Calabro and his girlfriend suffer headaches and need to get out of the water for relief. Growing up in Whiting, Calabro learned how to surf at the beach next to the refinery. He lives in Chicago now but still makes the 40-minute drive down to his old stomping grounds to hit the waves. Calabro is among a large group of environmental advocates saying Indiana regulators are failing their duty to protect the water quality of Lake Michigan by ignoring pollutants coming from BP's refinery and letting the company release excess mercury into the lake. Lake Michigan's ecosystems are threatened by the pollution coming from the refinery, the groups say, and the wildlife — including migratory birds and bald eagles nesting in the area — face toxic consequences. The groups are now calling for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to revise BP's application for its pollution discharge permit, known as an NPDES, which is renewed every five years. BP is in the process of renewing its five-year permit and is waiting for IDEM to issue the final permit detailing the parameters for each pollutant the refinery discharges. The company "is committed to safe and compliant operations at the Whiting Refinery and across our global operations," spokesperson Cesar Rodriquez wrote in an email to IndyStar. "We will continue working every day to keep this commitment and to ensure the refinery remains an important part of the Northwest Indiana economy for years to come." Rob Michaels, a senior attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center and part of the cohort wanting changes to the permit, said IDEM is obligated to protect water quality — and Lake Michigan in particular — but there are numerous ways the current permit fails to meet that objective. One of the biggest failures is the numerous pollutants IDEM should have previously limited in BP's discharges, Michaels said. The list of these chemicals the groups claim IDEM has ignored is long, but some of the more worrying pollutants include PFAS, known as forever chemicals, and BTEX, which are a group of chemicals found in the oil and gas industry. Both are found to be harmful to human health. One of the BTEX pollutants, benzene, is known to cause anemia and an increased risk of cancer, according to the U.S. EPA. Meg Parish, with the Environmental Integrity Project, said BTEX chemicals are 'really dangerous to people at very small levels.' 'EPA did a big study on oil refineries in 2019 and said these (chemicals) are something we should be concerned about and yet Indiana didn't even consider it,' Parish said. 'They ignored it completely.' IDEM spokesperson Barry Sneed told IndyStar the department will provide full responses to concerns about BP's permit when a final decision is made. 'If any potential permitting discrepancies are raised during the public comment period, IDEM will thoroughly evaluate and address them before making a final decision,' Sneed wrote in an email to IndyStar. One area of the permit the groups are adamant needs to be reevaluated is an exception to how much mercury BP is allowed to release. IDEM has issued the company what is known as a streamlined mercury variance for the past 12 years. This variance allows BP to release more mercury than the established safe water quality standard for Lake Michigan. The exception allows BP to discharge about five times more mercury than normally allowed. Susan Thomas, with Just Transition Northwest Indiana, called the mercury situation at BP 'egregious.' 'They've had years to remedy this situation, and they have not,' Thomas said. 'They have been given a pass all of these years by IDEM.' The group's comment letter sent to IDEM says BP has had since 2012 to come into compliance with the mercury standards for Lake Michigan to protect the ecosystem and human health but has instead 'avoided installing the treatment needed …' Calabro, the Lake Michigan surfer, is part of a group called SurfRider Foundation that helps protect coastal areas. Sarah Damron oversees many of the group's chapters in the Great Lakes. Surfers are often the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to coastal water pollution since they're out in the water and exposed to the contaminants, Damron said. The mercury variance is also one of the surfing group's main concerns. 'To just continue to allow a variance as opposed to strengthening the requirements over time so they are able to meet the standards set by the state is not in the best interest of public health and wellbeing,' Damron said. The outfalls where BP discharges its pollutants are close to the area where people like Calabro use the lake for recreation. People are fed up with the situation, Just Transition's Thomas said. 'How much more can the frontline communities take?' Thomas said. 'If you stand outside in Whiting, your throat can start to burn, your eyes tear up and you can get heart palpitations. These communities are called sacrifice zones are deserve extreme consideration.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Hoosiers call for tighter pollution control for BP's Lake Michigan refinery permit
The diesel-like smell sometimes rising off Lake Michigan near BP's oil refinery in Whiting gets so bad that surfer Mike Calabro and his girlfriend suffer headaches and need to get out of the water for relief. Growing up in Whiting, Calabro learned how to surf at the beach next to the refinery. He lives in Chicago now but still makes the 40-minute drive down to his old stomping grounds to hit the waves. Calabro is among a large group of environmental advocates saying Indiana regulators are failing their duty to protect the water quality of Lake Michigan by ignoring pollutants coming from BP's refinery and letting the company release excess mercury into the lake. Lake Michigan's ecosystems are threatened by the pollution coming from the refinery, the groups say, and the wildlife — including migratory birds and bald eagles nesting in the area — face toxic consequences. The groups are now calling for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to revise BP's application for its pollution discharge permit, known as an NPDES, which is renewed every five years. BP is in the process of renewing its five-year permit and is waiting for IDEM to issue the final permit detailing the parameters for each pollutant the refinery discharges. The company "is committed to safe and compliant operations at the Whiting Refinery and across our global operations," spokesperson Cesar Rodriquez wrote in an email to IndyStar. "We will continue working every day to keep this commitment and to ensure the refinery remains an important part of the Northwest Indiana economy for years to come." Rob Michaels, a senior attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center and part of the cohort wanting changes to the permit, said IDEM is obligated to protect water quality — and Lake Michigan in particular — but there are numerous ways the current permit fails to meet that objective. One of the biggest failures is the numerous pollutants IDEM should have previously limited in BP's discharges, Michaels said. The list of these chemicals the groups claim IDEM has ignored is long, but some of the more worrying pollutants include PFAS, known as forever chemicals, and BTEX, which are a group of chemicals found in the oil and gas industry. Both are found to be harmful to human health. One of the BTEX pollutants, benzene, is known to cause anemia and an increased risk of cancer, according to the U.S. EPA. Meg Parish, with the Environmental Integrity Project, said BTEX chemicals are 'really dangerous to people at very small levels.' 'EPA did a big study on oil refineries in 2019 and said these (chemicals) are something we should be concerned about and yet Indiana didn't even consider it,' Parish said. 'They ignored it completely.' IDEM spokesperson Barry Sneed told IndyStar the department will provide full responses to concerns about BP's permit when a final decision is made. 'If any potential permitting discrepancies are raised during the public comment period, IDEM will thoroughly evaluate and address them before making a final decision,' Sneed wrote in an email to IndyStar. One area of the permit the groups are adamant needs to be reevaluated is an exception to how much mercury BP is allowed to release. IDEM has issued the company what is known as a streamlined mercury variance for the past 12 years. This variance allows BP to release more mercury than the established safe water quality standard for Lake Michigan. The exception allows BP to discharge about five times more mercury than normally allowed. Susan Thomas, with Just Transition Northwest Indiana, called the mercury situation at BP 'egregious.' 'They've had years to remedy this situation, and they have not,' Thomas said. 'They have been given a pass all of these years by IDEM.' The group's comment letter sent to IDEM says BP has had since 2012 to come into compliance with the mercury standards for Lake Michigan to protect the ecosystem and human health but has instead 'avoided installing the treatment needed …' Calabro, the Lake Michigan surfer, is part of a group called SurfRider Foundation that helps protect coastal areas. Sarah Damron oversees many of the group's chapters in the Great Lakes. Surfers are often the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to coastal water pollution since they're out in the water and exposed to the contaminants, Damron said. The mercury variance is also one of the surfing group's main concerns. 'To just continue to allow a variance as opposed to strengthening the requirements over time so they are able to meet the standards set by the state is not in the best interest of public health and wellbeing,' Damron said. The outfalls where BP discharges its pollutants are close to the area where people like Calabro use the lake for recreation. People are fed up with the situation, Just Transition's Thomas said. 'How much more can the frontline communities take?' Thomas said. 'If you stand outside in Whiting, your throat can start to burn, your eyes tear up and you can get heart palpitations. These communities are called sacrifice zones are deserve extreme consideration.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
The investigation into Hogsett's handling of harassment claims is over. What the firm found
An independent investigation into Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's response to alleged harassment by his former chief of staff Thomas Cook found that the city didn't break any laws in its response to those complaints, but raised new questions about the end of Cook's tenure as chief of staff back in 2020. Chicago-based law firm Fisher Phillips' investigation found that Cook was allowed to stay on as chief of staff for 68 days following the city's 2020 investigation that found Cook had violated city policy by having another relationship with a subordinate. The law firm said that time period warrants further investigation. The overall finding from the law firm is that Hogsett's administration acted within the law during three investigations conducted in 2017, 2020 and 2023 as the result of Cook's alleged behavior. IndyStar reported last year that three women alleged that Cook sexually harassed them while he was their supervisor, and Cook engaged in another consensual relationship with a subordinate employee. One of the women alleging harassment against Cook also said that he sexually assaulted her. "While complainants 1 and 2 challenge the existence, timing, and integrity of the investigations into their raised complaints, the response by Mayor Hogsett and his administration was legally sufficient and reasonable under the circumstances," according to the law firm's final report. However, the report noted that while the mayor's decision to allow Cook to resign as opposed to face termination was "not inconsistent with the law," the fact that Cook had knowingly violated a prior directive against having relationships with employees "would reasonably cause the City-County's decision to be questioned." In addition, the law firm noted that "Some individuals interviewed during this investigation shared their perception that (Cook) was given an opportunity to use the period from November 2, 2020, through December 30, 2020, to position himself for personal gain by negotiating contracts for his own benefit," according to the report. "We also recommend (the city) identifies action steps the City-County can take to minimize potential for City-County employees to negotiate contracts for personal gain while employed at the City-County or for the 12-months following their departure," according to the firm. Several council members on the investigative committee - including Democratic committee Chair Christa Carlino - said they felt there was a difference between the administration's legal obligations and its ethical ones. "Just because something's perfectly legal, doesn't make it right," Carlino said. She said the council should look further into Cook's departure from the city in 2020. Fisher Phillips also recommended that the city dissolve its current human resources structure in favor of an independent one, as well as appoint an independent inspector-general, in its presentation of a final report at the Indianapolis City-County Council's investigative committee on May 29 after a months-long investigation. Fisher Phillips' attorney Danielle Kays said 12 people were interviewed over the course of the investigation, including Hogsett and two women who said they were harassed by Cook. Kays said the firm reached out to Cook multiple times and received no response. Cook previously apologized for his conduct in a statement to IndyStar last year. He has not been charged with a crime. The meeting was tense and emotionally charged. At one point, Carlino recessed the meeting as Lauren Roberts, Hogsett's former deputy campaign manager, who was on speaker phone, pleaded with Carlino to get a copy of the report, which she had not received even as the law firm presented their findings about her case to the public. "This entire thing has been torture," Roberts said. "I'm sitting here being dissected in public." Carlino said no one from the council or public — besides its general council — had access to the report before it was presented tonight by the law firm. "I know the wait has been excruciating for those survivors," Carlino said. Hogsett said in a statement after the report presentation that "the findings are clear that the earlier investigations and resulting sanctions were handled appropriately and confidentially," though clarified he hadn't had time to read the report in full. "It remains crucial that the city has the best system in place for reporting, investigating, and dealing with harassment of any kind, which is why I will work with the City-County Council on how these recommendations may further strengthen efforts to create a safer, better workplace for everyone throughout the city's operations," Hogsett said. The City-County Council launched an investigative committee last year to probe Hogsett's response to the alleged harassment by Cook. IndyStar reported in 2024 that Cook faced sexual harassment and assault claims by three women who worked under Cook over the course of a decade. The sexual harassment allegations in Mayor Hogsett's administration: What you need to know Cook also had a relationship with another subordinate employee while he was serving as chief of staff, which prompted him to be asked to resign from the administration back in 2020. Two of the women have alleged that Hogsett didn't handle the allegations properly. Roberts, for example, has said that Hogsett didn't respond to her when she reached out about Cook's alleged treatment of her during the campaign, and that she was never interviewed as part of any investigation over the conduct. Hogsett previously apologized to women who say they were harmed by Cook, but has also defended his response. This story will be updated. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Here's what law firm found on Hogsett's response to sexual harassment
