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Indianapolis Star
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Indianapolis Star
Despite chilly weather, these Central Indiana pools, waterparks are opening Memorial Day weekend
Although temperatures in Central Indiana aren't forecast to break 70 degrees this Memorial Day weekend and rain is likely, many area pools and waterparks are set to stand by tradition and open anyway. The best day for swimming or lounging by the water may be Saturday, with highs in the upper 60s and plenty of sunlight expected. Temperatures will stay in that range Sunday and Monday, but cloudy skies are forecast along with a chance for rain both days. Here are the pools opening for Memorial Day weekend in Central Indiana: These Indianapolis outdoor pools will be open Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday: The pools will close for testing and maintenance after Monday before reopening the weekend of May 31. Starting Saturday, May 24, the splash pads at the following parks are open during park hours from 8 a.m.- to 9 p.m.: Splash pads will likely remain open through Labor Day. For more details and the latest updates on other pool and splash pad openings, go to If you're looking for places to swim until the weather improves, here are some indoor pools in Indianapolis that will be open this weekend during the same hours: Krannert Park's indoor pool is closed for maintenance. The following pools and beaches will open Saturday, May 31, or in early June and will stay open every day but Mondays through early August: Riverside Park's pool is under construction and will likely open sometime in June or July, an Indy Parks spokesperson said. The Willard Park pool is closed for the summer because of construction along Washington Street for IndyGo's Blue Line bus route. Indianapolis pools: Retro Indy: Indianapolis' first municipal swimming pools opened more than a century ago The Waterpark at the Monon Community Center, at 1195 Central Park Drive West in Carmel, will open Saturday, May 24. The park with a surfing simulator, lazy river and lap pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Geist Waterfront Park Beach, at 10811 Olio Road in Fishers, will open Saturday, May 24. The beach is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Forest Park Aquatic Center, at 1077 Cicero Road in Noblesville, will open Saturday, May 24. The pool is open noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Morse Park and Beach, at 19777 Morse Park Lane in Noblesville, will open to beachgoers from noon to 6 p.m. May 24-26 for Memorial Day Weekend. The beach will then close before reopening May 31, at which point it will remain open daily from noon to 6 p.m. Splash Island outdoor waterpark, at 651 Vestal Road in Plainfield, will open Saturday, May 24. The park with a lazy river and waterslides is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Freedom Springs Aquatics Park, at 850 W. Stop 18 Road in Greenwood, will open Saturday, May 24. Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, the park features a 25-meter lap pool, a lazy river, waterslides and a splashpad for toddlers. Franklin Family Aquatic Center, at 390 Branigin Blvd. in Franklin, will open Friday, May 23. The pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's next for Indiana Women's Prison site? What we know so far
As the city of Indianapolis takes steps to redevelop the long-vacant Indiana Women's Prison property, a Near Eastside group has started a separate project to tell former inmates' stories. The Metropolitan Development Commission Wednesday approved $10,000 of city money for a two-day planning session about the old prison's future with city planners, community groups and economic development organizations. The Urban Land Institute, an economic development nonprofit, will use the sessions to create a report about how much a developer would have to pay to make needed repairs and what uses would fit best into the Willard Park neighborhood. Founded in 1873, the 401 N. Randolph St. property was the nation's first women's prison and housed inmates until 2009. After the prison moved to its current Girls School Road location, the site served as the Indianapolis Re-Entry Educational Facility until 2017. Since then, neighbors have lamented a lack of transparency about what's going on at the 15-acre eyesore in their neighborhood. After a land swap with the state gave Indianapolis control of the site last year, the city will engage ULI to help find the "highest and best use" that retains the property's historical significance. The city will likely put out a request for developers' proposals later this year. Any plans should preserve historic elements like the prison chapel, the prayer labyrinth and the original wrought iron fence, said Joey Newsom, president of the Willard Park Neighborhood Association and a vocal advocate for the site's reuse. He wants to see market-rate housing with lower-income units set aside, he told IndyStar. "This is in the middle of a neighborhood, so it needs to make sense with the neighborhood, which probably means housing," Newsom said. "It'd be really nice to get a grocery store in this food desert, but I don't see that happening." In the meantime, the city will hire a security company and may install temporary lighting to ward off trespassers, according to city planner Piers Kirby. This spring, crews will mow lawns, scrub off graffiti and board up windows to protect the remaining buildings. Environmental testing will show whether underground storage tanks or old dry-cleaning facilities could restrict potential uses, Kirby said. Retro Indy: How the oldest women's prison in the country came to be Aside from the city's efforts, a Near Eastside organization will produce a podcast series and a research archive that tell the stories of formerly incarcerated women. In a project led by social impact studio City Rising, former inmates and community members will take part in oral histories, creative writing workshops and public forums to document their experiences at the prison. To be released over the course of the next year, "Beyond These Gates" will center the voices of women who spent decades imprisoned at the site. The original Indiana Women's Prison had two distinct departments. The reformatory housed girls under 15 who were imprisoned because of 'incorrigible or vicious conduct," while the penal section held women and older girls who had been convicted of criminal offenses. Over the years, the prison witnessed escapes, suicides, arson, fires and an 1879 typhoid epidemic that hospitalized 35 and claimed the life of one inmate. "The redevelopment of the former prison site should not erase the people who once called it home, even temporarily," City Rising founder Mark Latta wrote in a blog post announcing an Indiana Humanities Council grant paying for the remembrance project. "Instead, it should serve as a space of reflection, education, and community dialogue." Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@ Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09 This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What's next for Indianapolis women's prison site on near eastside
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
IndyStar's yearslong investigation reveals extent of Indiana nursing home scheme
It's a great Sunday to love basketball, isn't it, Indiana? While IndyStar readers open their Sunday editions or log on to for their morning news ritual this Sunday, I'm sure I'll have already grown wistful over the encroaching end to my favorite weekend of the year. But I'm writing this on Thursday, filled with anticipation ahead of the first tip-off of the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments. While it's hard to focus beyond the apex weekend for my favorite pastime, I'm also filled with gratitude for IndyStar subscribers' support of our mission to inform and empower Central Indiana through essential and exclusive local journalism. So, before we return to the warm glow of televised basketball, indulge me for a few updates on what we've been up to at 130 S. Meridian St. and places beyond. Just what is essential and exclusive local journalism, you ask? IndyStar investigative reporter Tony Cook has been delivering it for years. Cook's latest reporting is a continuation of a 2020 investigation into Indiana county hospitals diverting Medicaid funds meant for the nursing homes they operate. That scheme has allowed the hospitals to to pad their bottom lines and pay for construction and other projects unrelated to nursing home care at a time when nursing home staffing in Indiana is among the worst in the nation. Cook's reporting published this week uses data that was partially obtained through a public records lawsuit filed by IndyStar in 2022 to show, as he wrote, that "County-owned hospitals in Indiana have diverted away more than $2.5 billion in Medicaid money intended to provide care at nursing homes, leaving sick and elderly residents to languish in some of the most poorly staffed facilities in America." A companion piece published Thursday shows that despite efforts to slash federal spending in President Donald Trump's second term, there's little appetite so far to address this scheme that's impacting the care of Indiana's most vulnerable residents. Cook's dogged reporting is emblematic of IndyStar's commitment to watchdog and accountability journalism. Our investigative and expanded government accountability teams have worked independently and in collaboration to bring readers revelatory reporting about how decisions by Indiana's most powerful organizations impact our daily lives. Two weeks ago, I put out the call for Indiana historians interested in contributing to our weekly Retro Indy feature. With more than 20 people sharing their qualifications and interest, it's clear I have some extra reading to do. With a busy end to March ahead and May being dominated by Indy 500 coverage, we'll look to make some headway toward a selection in April. Until then, those interested in Indiana history should turn to today's sports section or head to for high school sports reporter Kyle Neddenriep's piece on how basketball's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, discovered his game's future here in Indiana. It's a great read. Finally, IndyStar columnists James Briggs and Gregg Doyel both publish popular mailbag columns where they answer reader questions. Given that it's something I already do on a daily basis via e-mail, and perhaps I can provide answers more broadly, I'll try to emulate their success. E-mail me at ericlarsen@ with the subject line "Ask the editor," or fill out the form at the end of the online version of this column to send in your question. Maybe you'll see it, and my answer, in a future edition. Thanks for reading. Have a great week. Eric Larsen is IndyStar executive editor. E-mail him at ericlarsen@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar investigation reveals extent of Indiana nursing home scheme
