GET IN THE KNOW WITH KIM’S WEDNESDAY NEWS & HEADLINES
Water gushing from the ground in the cold Broad Ripple air causes an icy school delay, Indiana’s governor calls for a balanced budget amendment while some observers say he dropped a few presidential aspiration clues, Congressman Carson joins a new committee, the Indianapolis Urban League joins forces with Radio One Indy to have a community conversation after a screening of “Selma” and more news impact your mid-week.
Good Morning on this Hump Day…
A water main break at Broad Ripple Avenue and Compton Street in Indy–located next to Broad Ripple High School has Broad Ripple High operating on a two-hour delay this Wednesday morning. The water event has also opened up a sink hole causing a hazard that Citizens Energy is working to fix.
Trash pick-ups are getting back to normal on this Hump Day across Indy. Trash collection was disrupted with the bitterly cold bad weather causing double pick-ups to get back on track.
U.S. representative Andre Carson is expected to become a member of the House Intelligence Committee. The Indianapolis Democrat will be the first Muslim to serve on the panel. Carson and Representative Keith Ellison are the only Muslims in Congress.
Governor Mike Pence is calling for a balanced budget amendment to the state constitution. During his State of the State address Tuesday night, Pence said Indiana is one of just a few states without the requirement. Pence also renewed his call for increased education funding. And in a call that mirrored highway spending priorities of the federal Democratic administration, the governor asked state lawmakers to approve $300 million to fund new highway construction. Though it is well-known that Pence is considering whether to throw his hat into the 2016 Presidential race, he’s said he won’t make the decision until after this current legislative session ends.
A list of the 50 states relying on federal assistance shows Indiana is number 29. The ranking from Tax Foundation shows the Hoosier State requires 32 percent of federal aid using data from the Census Bureau. The number one state needing the most help is Mississippi.
Public Safety Director Troy Riggs is not running for mayor of Indianapolis. Riggs says “numerous people” within the Republican Party have approached him about it, but says he already has his “dream job.” He added that he came to the city to be public safety director and still has some unfinished work to do.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is partnering with Light of the World Christian Church to give teenagers something to do this holiday weekend. It’s a three-day weekend because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Officials say 1,500 kids are expected at Sunday’s MLK Holiday Lock-In. Pre-registration is required and can be done HERE.
Indiana University is making it easier for its students and university-community to travel back and forth between Indianapolis and Bloomington. The university has partnered with GO Express Travel to launch a Campus Commute shuttle. The service launched on Monday running four trips a day on weekdays. There are two stops on the Bloomington campus and two in Indy–one at IUPUI and the other in front of the Indiana Statehouse on Capitol. Prices begin at $7 one-way and is also open to other commuters.
Castleton Square Mall is asking parents to find someplace else for their kids to “hang out.” In an open letter, mall officials say those who are shopping or are there to see an event are welcome, but should be picked up promptly. The request comes on the heels of a melee earlier this month caused by unchaperoned teenagers.
The new issue of “Charlie Hebdo” is selling out. People lined up at newsstands around Paris Wednesday morning to get a copy of the satirical magazine with a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in tears on its cover. A French television station said 700,000 copies were sold in the first hour after release.
Meanwhile, Iran is warning that depiction of the Prophet Muhammed on the mag’s cover could “fan the flames of extremism.” A spokeswoman for the foreign ministry in Tehran called it “insulting” and “provocative.”
Congressman Randy Weber is apologizing for Monday’s Twitter post comparing President Obama to Hitler as he criticized the president for not joining other world leaders in Paris at a ceremonial memorial demonstration following the attacks on the magazine and in the kosher deli. The Texas Republican said Tuesday it was not his intention to offend anyone or trivialize the Holocaust. Weber explained he has since learned that using the Nazi leader’s name invokes pain and emotional trauma for many victims and survivors.
While attention is still on the attack in Paris that left a death toll in the teens, others still want to know why there is a lack of mainstream news coverage on the massacre in the Nigerian town of Baga by Boko Haram. Amnesty International calls this massacre the most deadly attack in the terror group’s history with a death toll topping 2,000. Comparing the difference in coverage and why, click HERE to read more.
Back in the states…U.S. airports are tightening security checks because of threats by al-Qaeda in Yemen. The new measures will include more random checks after passengers go through security with pat-downs, bag checks and hand swabs for traces of explosives. The group’s leaders have said repeatedly over the past few months that its followers should target the U.S.
President Obama is praising the ongoing economic recovery and calls job growth “robust.” Hosting a White House meeting with congressional leaders, the President said the nation is poised for an even stronger year in 2015. The president heads out across the U.S. today to discuss bringing faster, more affordable broadband access to the entire nation. Obama will speak in Cedar Falls, Iowa this afternoon calling for an end to laws that ban broadband service competition.
In Sports…
The #BelieveInBlue hashtag is live and well on Twitter to support the Indianapolis Colts. The team wants to see your Photos of how you’re preparing for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots on Twitter. Also using that same #BelieveInBlue hashtag, the Colts say you can load a video of you and your friends chanting “I believe the Colts will win” to Vine or Instagram. Limited edition playoff posters will be available Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the south parking lot of Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Indiana Pacers had no answer to Mo Williams who came into Bankers Life Fieldhouse Monday night and dropped 52 points as Minnesota took down the Blue ‘n Gold 110-101. C.J. Miles led the way for the Pacers with 22 points and C.J. Watson helped him out, adding another 17 in the loss. In the fourth quarter alone, Indiana was outscored by the T’Wolves by 15 points. The Pacers now stand at 15-and-25 on the season. They hope to stop the fall in their next home matchup against Detroit on Friday.
And Finally…JOIN US!
We are teaming up with The Indianapolis Urban League to hold a special screening of the film, “SELMA” Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m at Castleton Mall’s AMC Theatre on 82nd Street. This IUL “Community Forum” will create an inter-generational, community dialogue around Civil Rights–the movement of the past and the issues of today. Join me–Kim Wells, Amos Brown, IUL President/CEO Tony Mason, WTLC-AM/FM-and-IUL staffers for this screening and the community conversation that will follow. For more info keep listening to AM-1310 “The Light”, 106.7 WTLC and log on to IUL’s web HERE.
Indianapolis weather…
Cold today. Mainly sunny with a few afternoon clouds moving across the city. A High of 21 degrees. There is hope though…a warm-up is coming in the days ahead. Keep the faith.
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