A Heat Advisory is in effect for Fishers and all of Hamilton County until 9 p.m. Monday, July 27, as high humidity pushes apparent temperatures into potentially dangerous territory.
The National Weather Service said heat index values could reach 105 degrees within the advisory area. Hot temperatures combined with high humidity may cause heat-related illnesses.
The advisory also covers Clinton, Hancock, Shelby and Carroll counties. Fishers, Carmel and Noblesville are among the communities included.
Hamilton County Emergency Management warned that the conditions increase the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Officials are asking residents to take precautions even if they plan to remain indoors.
Staying cool indoors
Residents should drink water regularly—even before feeling thirsty—and spend time in air-conditioned spaces whenever possible.
Officials also recommend closing blinds or curtains to block direct sunlight, taking cool showers or baths, wearing light and breathable clothing, and choosing lighter meals. Windows may be opened at night if outdoor temperatures fall enough to provide relief.
Precautions for outdoor activity
Anyone who must be outside should try to schedule activities during the early morning or evening, take frequent breaks in shaded areas and carry plenty of water.
Damp cloths or lightly wet clothing can also help the body cool down. Children, older adults and pets should never be left inside a parked vehicle, even briefly.
The National Weather Service advises residents to stay out of the sun when possible and check on relatives and neighbors, particularly older adults, people with health conditions and anyone without reliable air conditioning.
An 88-year-old Frankton woman was killed in an SR 37 crash Sunday morning in northern Hamilton County, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called at about 10 a.m. July 26 to the intersection of State Road 37 and 266th Street, near the town of Atlanta, for a two-vehicle collision.
Preliminary information from the sheriff’s office indicates a Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying one occupant was eastbound on 266th Street and stopped at the stop sign at SR 37. A Chevrolet Impala carrying two occupants was traveling south on SR 37.
As the Jeep pulled onto the highway to make a right turn and head south, the southbound Impala struck it on the driver’s side, investigators said. The Jeep appears to have failed to yield the right of way, according to the preliminary account.
Both vehicles suffered what the sheriff’s office described as catastrophic damage.
Both drivers were taken to area hospitals with injuries the sheriff’s office characterized as minor to moderate. The Impala’s passenger was also taken to a hospital but died of her injuries. She was identified as Mary West, 88, of Frankton. A dog riding in the Impala was also killed.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigations Team is handling the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 317-773-1282.
The intersection sits at the northern edge of Hamilton County, roughly 30 miles north of Fishers, where SR 37 runs as a two-lane highway through farm country rather than the limited-access corridor Fishers drivers use to the south.
Two events reflecting sharply different views of immigration are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, but key details about the private rally that prompted the response remain unconfirmed.
Save Heritage Indiana says its invitation-only “Mass Deportation Rally” will begin at 7 p.m. at an undisclosed Fishers location. Former U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino is scheduled to speak, and Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is expected to provide prerecorded video remarks rather than attend in person.
Tickets have been advertised at $50, with the location promised only to approved guests shortly before the event. Save Heritage Indiana’s website calls for ending and reversing “mass migration” and backs universal E-Verify and mandatory local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Executive Director Daniel Poynter has said the event is about enforcing immigration laws, not promoting violence or racial division. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Save Heritage Indiana as anti-immigrant, a characterization Poynter disputes.
Bovino retired in March after nearly 30 years with the Border Patrol. He led high-profile immigration operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis and was removed from his commander-at-large position after federal agents fatally shot U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Bovino drew condemnation for saying Pretti planned to “massacre” officers, a claim The Associated Press reported authorities had not substantiated.
Bovino also has claimed that 100 million people are living in the United States illegally, without presenting supporting evidence. Pew Research Center’s latest comprehensive estimate was 14 million in 2023. Pew said preliminary evidence indicated the number remained above that level in mid-2025, but had begun to decline.
Earlier Saturday, Fishers Resists and partner organizations plan a public “Hoosier Hospitality March” from 3 to 6 p.m., beginning at Roy G. Holland Memorial Park. The roughly 2-mile route is expected to follow Lantern Road and the Nickel Plate Trail to the Fishers Municipal Center for speeches and a vigil, then return by 116th Street. Organizers describe it as a nonviolent show of support for immigrant neighbors and say safety marshals will be present.
Census data show 11.5% of Fishers residents were foreign-born in 2020-24. That figure includes people with a range of legal statuses and does not indicate how many are in the country without authorization.
Mayor Scott Fadness has said the city did not bring the private rally to Fishers and had no coordination with its organizers. He said the city cannot suppress lawful expression on private property. Fishers police have been working to identify the site so they can protect participants and the public, but will not provide private security.
As of July 27, organizers had not publicly disclosed the private rally’s address, venue, ticket sales, expected attendance or any elected officials planning to appear in person. A widely shared social media claim that the organization was still seeking a venue relies on unnamed sources and has not been independently confirmed. Save Heritage Indiana’s separate claim that it received death threats also has not been publicly substantiated. No reliable crowd estimate for either event was available.
Dominic Roberto on his way to scoring a second quarter TD
Somehow, I had a feeling this game would come down to the last play. It did. It just didn’t go the Fishers Freight’s way.
The Freight had the ball on the Orlando 17-yard line with one snap left and everything riding on it. Felix Harper’s pass toward James Blackman in the end zone fell incomplete, and the Orlando Pirates escaped Fishers Event Center with a 67-63 win Sunday afternoon — and with the last playoff spot in the Indoor Football League’s Eastern Conference.
The stakes could not have been simpler heading into Fan Appreciation Night: winner in, loser out. Orlando arrived at 9-6, Fishers at 8-7. The Pirates finish the regular season 10-6 and advance to the postseason. The Freight end their second season at 8-8, still looking for the franchise’s first playoff berth.
It was clear early that these evenly matched teams would trade punches to the finish. Both staffs had their clubs ready, and neither side could put the other away.
There was one bizarre sequence in the middle of it. An onside kick bounced loose and rolled all the way into the end zone before Fishers fell on it. The referee first announced that Orlando would take over at the Fishers 1-yard line. After several minutes of discussion among the full crew, the call was reversed: Fishers had the ball at its own 1.
Orlando finished with 244 passing yards to the Freight’s 196. Fishers deserves credit for what it did to Pooka Williams, the Pirates’ star back and a former Kansas standout, holding him to minus-3 rushing yards. But quarterback Paxton DeLaurent again proved to be the problem. He added 24 yards on the ground and threw the ball well — the same formula that beat the Freight 60-57 in Orlando on May 9, a game decided by a leaping catch over the wall as the clock hit zero.
Sunday’s result leaves Orlando 4-0 all-time against Fishers, including a sweep in 2025.
The Freight missed the postseason, but they can hold their heads high. They lost a stack of close games this season and played what was arguably the toughest schedule in the league, and they were still alive on the final play of the final week. That is a long way from a year ago, when the expansion Freight dropped nine straight before closing with five consecutive wins.
Now comes the offseason. Coach Dixie Wooten and his staff will start rebuilding the roster for 2027 — the team’s third season in Fishers, and the first with real expectations attached.
The Formula 1 team that will soon call Fishers home hit another rough patch Sunday, as both Cadillac cars failed to finish the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.
Valtteri Bottas was the first to go. On Lap 15 of the 70-lap race, the Finn pulled into the pit lane with his left-front brake on fire, even using the pit wall to help slow the car, according to PlanetF1’s race report. Teammate Sergio Perez, who had started from the pit lane, limped back to the garage late in the race and joined Bottas in retirement. Both drivers are officially classified as DNF (Did Not Finish) in the official results, where Lando Norris took the win for McLaren.
The double retirement extends a frustrating pattern for the first-year American team. Just four weeks ago in Austria, both Cadillacs dropped out within the opening laps with brake fires — Bottas’ third straight retirement after brake-related exits in Monaco and Barcelona, RacingNews365 reported. After that race, Bottas said the team should accept an aerodynamic penalty in exchange for bigger brake cooling. “We’ve got to start finishing races; that’s when we learn,” he said.
Why does any of this matter in Hamilton County? Because the team’s growing pains are, in a real sense, ours. Cadillac’s world Formula 1 headquarters — a $200 million, 400,000-square-foot facility — is rising right now between 96th and 106th streets west of Hague Road, near Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport. The Fishers campus is expected to employ about 300 engineers, technicians and staff who will design and build the team’s race cars.
For now, Cadillac is running its debut season out of a temporary base in Silverstone, England, while construction here is completed. That means the solutions to problems like Sunday’s brake fires will eventually be engineered a short drive from downtown Fishers.
New F1 teams almost always struggle in year one, and reliability — not speed — has been Cadillac’s biggest hurdle. The next chance to turn things around comes Aug. 23 at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. By the time the team’s operations move to Fishers, locals will hope the hard lessons of 2026 have already been learned.
Indianapolis Business Journal reporter Mickey Shuey, who is new to the publication’s North of 96th beat after years of reporting on other IBJ beats, has hit the ground running, reports that Fishers District now represents more than $900 million in completed and committed investment—and city officials say it is far from finished.
The district began with The Yard, which opened near East 116th Street and Ikea Way in 2019. It has since expanded to include restaurants, housing, hotels, offices and the 8,500-seat Fishers Event Center.
Mayor Scott Fadness told Shuey that additional development could easily push the district’s total investment beyond $1 billion.
Indianapolis-based Thompson Thrift has worked with Fishers on the district since 2015. The master developer is nearing completion of The Union at Fishers District, while construction continues on an expansion called The Crossing.
At the district’s southern end, Buckingham Cos. is developing apartments, town houses and a sports facility. The company is also working with JD Sports on plans to move the retailer’s North American headquarters from Indianapolis to the former Navient office complex along Interstate 69.
The Yard has maintained an overall occupancy rate of about 95%, according to Thompson Thrift. Its restaurant and retail spaces are full, while only two small retail vacancies remain in The Union.
More than 500 apartments and nearly 40 town houses have been developed within the broader corridor, with most leased or sold. Union Flats is expected to add 251 apartments later this year.
Thompson Thrift CEO Paul Thrift said The Yard’s restaurant-centered model was unusual when planning began. Rather than relying on a grocery store or traditional retailer as an anchor, the development made dining and entertainment its primary attractions.
Housing was also essential to creating activity throughout the day. The district benefits from nearly 171,000 people living within five miles and from its location near an I-69 interchange.
Upcoming additions include Indiana’s first AC Hotel by Marriott. The Crossing is expected to feature a 10,000-square-foot Prime 47 steakhouse and the state’s first hotel under Hilton’s Curio brand.
Professional sports have become another major draw. The $170 million Fishers Event Center is home to the Indy Fuel hockey team, Indy Ignite volleyball team and Fishers Freight indoor football team.
The Ignite is also building a 29,000-square-foot headquarters as part of Buckingham’s planned fieldhouse development. Fishers will own the 180,000-square-foot fieldhouse, projected to cost $65 million.
The growth has required substantial public support. Fishers has issued $56.6 million in tax-increment-financing bonds for multiple phases of the district, in addition to building the event center and committing to the fieldhouse. JD Sports is also set to receive a 10-year tax abatement for its headquarters relocation.
City officials argue those investments will encourage long-term commercial and entertainment growth. Fishers’ population has risen from about 38,000 in 2000 to approximately 106,000 in 2026.
More development could occur on both sides of East 116th Street. About 60 acres north of The Yard are owned by Sunbeam Development Corp., while additional land remains near Buckingham’s projects south of the event center.
Fadness said discussions with property owners and development partners are underway. For Fishers District, reaching $1 billion might be less a finish line than the start of its next chapter.
You can read Shuey’s entire story at this link, but you will need an IBJ subscription to access the piece.
Road work continues across Fishers this week, with several closures that could affect your commute.
The biggest disruption remains at 96th Street and Cyntheanne Road, where a full intersection closure is in place while crews build a new roundabout. Signed detours are posted, and local access to nearby properties is maintained.
On 136th Street, the widening project has moved into Phase 2 between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road. The road is closed to through traffic within the project limits; follow the signed detour. When finished, the corridor will become a modern boulevard with raised medians, multi-use paths on both sides, and upgraded drainage.
At 116th Street and Allisonville Road, a new traffic shift took effect July 16. Outside lanes are closed and traffic moves to the inside through lanes and turn lanes — a pattern expected to hold through early October. All businesses remain open. Separately, the west leg of Fishers Crossing Boulevard at Allisonville closes for about three weeks starting July 27, so shoppers should use an alternate entrance.
Elsewhere: 126th Street has single-lane restrictions between Parkside and Promise from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for concrete joint work. The Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout stays open with no lane restrictions until early August, though Olio is down to one lane southbound. Resurfacing crews will be active on Harrison Parkway, 131st Street, Howe Road, and in the Rosewood neighborhood through early August.
Regionally, watch for overnight lane reductions on I-465 for the Clearpath project and ongoing crosswalk work in east Carmel.
Four men face burglary, theft and criminal vandalism charges following an investigation into a July 21 break-in at a home on Eller Creek Drive. This is based on reporting by Leila Kheiry of Current In Fishers
According to a probable cause affidavit, the burglary occurred between approximately 10:37 a.m. and 12:24 p.m. while the residents were away. Investigators said the intruders cut a hole to gain access to the master bedroom, which was reportedly the only room searched.
The homeowners, who own a jewelry store in Indianapolis, told police that approximately $300,000 in cash was taken from the home. Other missing property included a Rolex watch, jewelry, designer purses and additional valuables.
The homeowners had departed early that morning. Their son left the residence at 10:37 a.m. after activating the alarm and returned shortly before 12:30 p.m.
Investigators identified two vehicles believed to be connected to the burglary. Using Flock camera records, police tracked one vehicle to Ohio, where law enforcement officers located and stopped it. Officers stopped the second vehicle in Centerville, Indiana.
Searches of the vehicles reportedly uncovered large amounts of cash, expensive bags, dark clothing and tools that police said could have included a drill or saw. Investigators also recovered items bearing the Eller Creek Drive homeowners’ names.
One of the two men stopped in Ohio allegedly admitted taking part in the burglary and implicated the other suspects, according to the affidavit.
Authorities had not confirmed the identities of the four defendants when the affidavit was filed. However, a defendant identified in court documents as John Doe No. 4 has been tentatively identified as 25-year-old Sebastian Martinez. Online court records showed Martinez in custody at the Hamilton County Jail with bail set at $500,000.
The charges are allegations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Black lights, fog machines and lasers will take over the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater on Saturday, Sept. 26, as Fishers Parks brings back Glow in the Park, one of the city’s most popular fall events.
Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 24, and will remain available until the event sells out.
The night is split into two sessions. Family Hours run from 6 to 8 p.m. and cost $5 per person. A 21-and-older session follows from 9 to 11 p.m. at $20 per person.
Both sessions feature live DJs, neon splash zones, a foam cannon, water and inflatable activities, food trucks and glow-in-the-dark fun throughout the gated event footprint. The 21+ ticket also includes a reusable silicone Silipint cup that earns holders a $2 discount on every beer purchased from Mashcraft Brewing.
Fishers Parks is emphasizing one rule in particular: every attendee needs a ticket, including all adults and children entering the event footprint.
Parking
Free parking is available throughout the Nickel Plate District in garages, surface lots and on the street. Free garages include The Depot, 8594 E. 116th St.; Flats at Switch, 9 Municipal Drive; Nickel Plate Station, 8700 E. 116th St.; the Fishers Police Department, 4 Municipal Drive; The Edge, 8890 E. 116th St.; and First Internet Bank, 8701 E. 116th St.
Surface lot availability varies, but spaces can typically be found at Flexware, 12 Municipal Drive, or The Ellipse building, 11 Municipal Drive. Free accessible parking is located in the lot at the City Services Building, 3 Municipal Drive.
Food and drink
Outside food and beverages are not permitted under Indiana State Excise Law. Food, beverage, treat and snack vendors will be on site, with the vendor lineup announced closer to the event.
Weather
The event happens rain or shine. Parks staff monitor forecasts before and during each event, and nearby lightning may prompt a temporary shutdown until conditions clear. Updates will be posted to Fishers Parks social media channels and announced on site.
Volunteers wanted
Fishers Parks is recruiting volunteers to help run the event. Roles include mixing glow paint — a job that requires lifting 5-gallon buckets — staffing the goggle station, keeping the highlighter tent stocked and monitoring water inflatables to ensure one participant uses each at a time. A general float role covers breaks and other needs.
Shifts run 5 to 8 p.m. for the family event, 5:30 to 8 p.m. for water inflatable monitors, and 7:30 to 11 p.m. for the 21+ event. Volunteers working the late shift must be at least 18.
Volunteers receive snacks, drinks and a meal, a volunteer T-shirt and service hours.
More information and tickets are available through Fishers Parks. Find tickets at this link.
Scott Fadness (left) and Larry McQueary, recording a podcast in November 2023
A playoff berth will be on the line Sunday when the Fishers Freight host the Orlando Pirates at the Fishers Event Center.
The equation could not be simpler: Win, and the Freight are in.
Fishers enters the regular-season finale with an 8-7 record, while Orlando is 9-6. The winner earns the final playoff spot in the Indoor Football League’s Eastern Conference. For the Freight, a victory would secure the first postseason appearance in the young franchise’s history.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Sunday, July 26. The game is also Fan Appreciation Night.
It has been quite a journey to reach this moment.
The IFL announced in October 2023 that an expansion franchise owned by Jim Hallett—whose organization also owns the Indy Fuel hockey team—would begin playing at the new Fishers Event Center in 2025.
My first real introduction to the plans came the following month, when I recorded a podcast with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Larry McQueary, who was then president of the Indy Fuel and the new football franchise.
I became curious about the IFL and started watching games, which were available on YouTube at the time. I quickly discovered an entertaining, fast-paced version of football that I believed local fans would embrace.
Indoor football is a different game. It is played eight-on-eight on a 50-yard field, with narrower goalposts and rules designed to encourage scoring and keep the action moving. The walls surrounding the field are part of the playing surface, placing fans close enough to hear the collisions and conversations.
The timing also fills a gap on the sports calendar. Once the NFL season ends, the IFL offers professional football from spring into summer.
When the Freight hired Dixie Wooten as their first head coach and general manager, the Hallett organization arranged for me to interview him. I learned a great deal about the league during that conversation.
Wooten brought substantial credentials to Fishers. He was named IFL Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and guided the Iowa Barnstormers to the 2018 league championship. He later served as offensive coordinator for the Bay Area Panthers when they won the 2023 IFL title.
Wooten told me he had passed on other coaching opportunities for the chance to build a new franchise from the ground up in Fishers.
The inaugural season delivered the challenges one would expect from an expansion team. The Freight won their first two games, then endured nine consecutive losses. Even after being eliminated from playoff contention, however, they did not quit. Fishers won its final five games to finish the 2025 season with a 7-9 record and create genuine optimism for year two.
Wooten and his staff brought back key contributors from that late-season run and continued building around them. The 2026 season has included its share of highs and lows, but the Freight have earned the opportunity now in front of them.
They will play the most important game in franchise history Sunday—and they will play it at home.
Orlando won the teams’ first meeting this season, edging Fishers 60-57 on a touchdown as time expired. The narrow loss showed how evenly matched these teams can be, but Sunday’s rematch carries much greater stakes: The winner advances to the playoffs, while the loser’s season ends.
One of the most encouraging parts of the Freight story has been the core group of fans that has supported the team from the beginning. Team officials are projecting a crowd of approximately 4,500 for Sunday’s game, which would be the team’s largest attendance since this season’s home opener.
There are no bad seats for indoor football at the Fishers Event Center. The compact field and close proximity to the action give spectators a view and atmosphere that cannot be duplicated while watching from home.
Good seats also remain available. Fans can attend Fan Appreciation Night, support the home team and potentially witness the first playoff-clinching victory in Fishers Freight history. Tickets are available here.
I have covered the Freight since their first game at Northern Arizona in 2025. I have attended all but two of their home games and watched their road contests by video.
What I have seen is a legitimate professional football organization that has worked to establish roots in this community. The Freight do not simply play in Fishers—the city’s name is displayed across their uniforms.
This is Fishers’ team, and it is a franchise worthy of the community’s support.
If you have not attended a Freight game, Sunday would be an ideal time to experience one. Once you see indoor football in person, I suspect it will not be your last game.
