Latest news with #IBE
Axios
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Indy readies for dual WNBA All-Star, Indiana Black Expo celebration
Regardless of the forecast, mid-July is poised to be the hottest stretch of summer in Indianapolis. Why it matters: Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration and WNBA All-Star 2025 sharing calendar and venue space means the city will need to accommodate two marquee events and countless community-focused initiatives all at once. What they're saying: Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said the first call she made after being contacted by the league about All-Star hosting duties was IBE president and CEO Alice Watson. "We wanted to be sure that that was something that Alice and the organization thought would be complementary to what they were doing, and that we could sort of coexist in downtown together. And she quickly got back to me and said, 'I think this is a great opportunity and I think we could work together in a really cool way.' And so we've been off to the races since then," Raines said. "This is really the most exciting time not only for Indiana Black Expo or PS&E, but for the city of Indianapolis," Watson said. "None of us will be sleeping. We'll just keep going and going and going." Catch up quick: Summer Celebration starts July 11 with the Ecumenical Service at New Direction Church and ends July 20 with the IBE's Gospel Explosion at the Indiana Convention Center. All proceeds generated by the event support IBE's year-round initiatives related to education, business development, community learning, performing arts, college scholarships and more. WNBA All-Star tips off July 18, featuring the inaugural Fever Fest concert at White River State Park and culminating in the sold-out game the next day. A skills challenge and three-point shootout are among the on-court highlights, while off-court action includes the return of "Indy's Home Court," a downtown takeover of arts and culture events first seen during last year's NBA All-Star game. State of play: Four Indiana nonprofits have received $1 million in grants to create a lasting legacy around the All-Star event. Here's what they're working on. Fletcher Place Community Center: Enhancements to early learning facilities and community spaces. The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis: Renovation of the basketball court at Al E. Polin Park. Marion County Commission on Youth: Facility renovations and the launch of a student ambassador program for 25 female high school students. Marvella Foundation: Development of a "Championship Arena" at its Fair Oaks Farms campus in Newton County. Zoom in: Other community engagement plans include an effort to help women entrepreneurs obtain women-owned business enterprise certification and free Zumba sessions held across Indy in partnership with Centers of Wellness for Urban Women. Meanwhile, donors and volunteers are still needed for All-Star Cure on July 12-13. The event is a partnership between the host committee and the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank that invites up to 500 women to donate healthy breast tissue in support of cancer research. What's next: More announcements, including celebrity guests to be added to Summer Celebration's guest list for the education conference on July 17, and the Style Zone July 18-20.
Indianapolis Star
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana Black Expo outdoor concert lineup released. Who's performing in 2025?
It's a lineup to make old-school R&B fans weak. Keith Sweat and SWV will headline the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration 's outdoor concert. The July 18 Music Heritage Festival will also feature Cameo, singer-actor Christopher Williams and Gary, Indiana, native Deniece Williams. This marks the second year for the Music Heritage Festival at its new home at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium, 1001 W. New York St. Indiana Black Expo tweaked its annual free concert offering in 2024, making it a paid ticketed event and moving it from downtown Indy's American Legion Mall. The new enclosed stadium seating venue offered enhanced security, organizers said. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. How much are tickets for the Indiana Black Expo concert? The ticket costs ranged from $10 for general admission to $50-$100 for premium seating last year, with proceeds benefiting IBE's youth and family programs and its scholarship fund. Summer Celebration is back in July This year, the Summer Celebration returns to the month of July, running July 10-20. The 2024 expo events were staged in June to accommodate the National Eucharistic Congress that took place at Lucas Oil Stadium July 17-21. Indiana Black Expo 2025 outdoor concert lineup Keith Sweat: The six-time platinum producer, songwriter and R&B singer ('I Want Her,' 'Make It Last Forever') helped usher in the New Jack Swing Era and later formed supergroup LSG ('My Body') with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill. SWV: The New York City trio's debut studio album, 'It's About Time,' produced top 20 R&B chart singles – 'Right Here,' 'I'm So Into You,' 'Weak,' 'Right Here/Human Nature Remix,' 'Dowtown,' and 'You're Always on My Mind.' Cameo: The funk band led by Larry Blackmon is best known for 80s hits 'Word Up!' 'Candy,' and 'Single Life,' but charted with ballads 'Why Have I Lost You,' 'Feel Me' and 'Sparkle.' Deniece Williams: The four-time Grammy Award winner with a four-octave range sang backup on some of Stevie Wonder, Minnie Riperton and Roberta Flack's biggest projects before recording on her own hits, including 'Free,' 'Silly, 'It's Gonna Take Miracle' and 'Let's Hear It for the Boy.' She dueted with Johnny Mathis on 'Too Much, Too Little, Too Late' and teamed with him again for the 'Family Toes' sitcom theme song 'Without Us.' Christopher Williams: Coming onto the scene in the early '90s with hits like 'I'm Dreamin'' and 'Every Little Thing U Do' the singer also acted in the classic hip-hop film 'New Jack City.' How to get tickets to the Indiana Black Expo outdoor concert The outdoor concert will begin at 6 p.m. on July 18. Tickets go on sale April 28 at or The outdoor concert is a centerpiece of the annual Summer Celebration, which also features business and health expos and conferences. The Summer Celebration is one of the major events produced by Indiana Black Expo Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic advancement of African Americans through year-round initiatives, including its Black Business Training Institute, Scholarship Fund, Performing Arts Academy and Community Learning Hub as well as the Circle City Classic. For more information about Summer Celebration, visit
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare fly species wears fake termite head to infiltrate nests
The natural world is full of tricksters. African daisies can imitate flies to trick real insects into attempting to mate with them and depositing precious pollen. Some spiders can scuttle around like ants to avoid trouble. Now, an international team of scientists have observed a blow fly successfully living in disguise among termites–by wearing 'termite masks.' The findings are detailed in a study published February 10 in the journal Current Biology. A team of scientists discovered a species of blow fly (family Calliphoridae) whose larvae can infiltrate colonies of harvester termites in the Anti-Atlas mountains of southern Morocco. The research group from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) at the Spanish National Research Council primarily studies ants and butterflies. Since the area was a little dry and lacking rainfall, the butterflies were not flying. The team decided to look around for some ants instead and were in for a surprise. 'When we lifted a stone we found a termite mound with three fly larvae that we had never seen before. The water had probably flooded the deeper layers of the nest and the larvae had emerged onto the surface,' Roger Vila, a study co-author and an evolutionary biologist at IBE said in a statement. 'It must be an extremely rare species, because we have made three more expeditions in that area and, despite lifting hundreds of stones, we found only two more flies, together, in another termite mound.' The team took a closer look at the ant's bodies to see what types of adaptations were unique to this species of blow fly. The larvae of this calliphorid fly use disguise that helps them infiltrate termite mounds. The larvae display a 'termite mask' on the backs of their bodies. The mask includes a non-functional head adorned with antennae and palps–forward appendages near the mouth of termites–that are the same size as those of a large harvester termites. They also have two false eyes. These fake peepers are the larvae's breathing holes. 'Most termites live several metres deep and have no visual perception,' said Vila. 'However, harvester termites come out at dusk to collect grass, so they have functional eyes that the larvae are able to mimic with their spiracles.' The larvae also use unusual 'tentacles' around their bodies that are detailed termite antennae dupes. The team used a scanning electron microscopy to look at the tentacles and saw that they help the larvae communicate with several termites at the same time. [ Related: Even ants may hold grudges. ] Everything inside a termite nest is dark, so the termites use their antennae to recognize each other. Their antennae can detect the shape and smell of their siblings, since all members of the nest share a particular scent. If the soldier termites sniff out intruders from other colonies, they will attack and dismember the interlopers. To keep from being detected–and likely dismembered–the bowflies mimic the distinctive odour of their hosts. The team's analysis revealed that the chemical composition of the larvae is indistinguishable from the termites in the colony. This chemical disguise is key to interacting with the termites and benefitting from their communicable nest life. Future studies could determine how they create this unique scent booster. When the team initially found the larvae in Morocco, they were in the termite mound's food chambers. When they observed the larvae back in a laboratory set up, they saw that they tend to settle in the most populated area of the nest. Here, they actually received constant attention from the termites. While the team couldn't determine what the larvae were eating, they did observe that the termites appeared to be transmitting food to the larvae using their mouths. 'The larvae are not only tolerated, but they constantly communicate with the termites through contact with their antenna-like tentacles,' said Vila. 'The termites even seem to feed them, although this has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated.' One of the study's biggest challenges was the difficulty of keeping the insects in the lab. It involves maintaining colonies of desert termites, who live in very special conditions in the wild. 'The larvae we studied eventually died without metamorphosing, so there may be elements of the nest and the symbiotic relationship between the termites and the flies that we were unable to transfer to the laboratory. Their diet is currently unknown, and their adult form remains a mystery,' said Vila. [ Related: Flies with shorter eye-stalks act aggressively because females are less attracted to them. ] According to the team, the relationship between the blow fly larvae and termites appears to be some form of social parasitism or symbiosis. Humpbacked flies and termites have a similar relationship. However, it is adult humpback flies and not the larvae that mimic termites. Genomic study also showed that the fly belongs to the genus Rhyncomya. No known species of this genus have this unusual lifestyle or physical traits, so the team believes that this new species must have evolved very quickly. 'This discovery invites us to reconsider the limits and potential of symbiotic relationships and social parasitism in nature,' said Vila. 'But, above all, we should realise how much we still do not know about the vast diversity and specialisation of insects, which are essential organisms in ecosystems.'
