Highway shooting on the Westside of Indianapolis
One person was killed and another injured on Monday during an early morning shooting on I-465 in Indianapolis. Responding Officers of a 3:30am automobile accident on Indy’s Westside found two adults with apparent gunshot wounds. One of the adults died. Indiana State Police said it appeared the car that crashed was hit by gunshots before the wreck. ISP then closes a stretch of 465 to search for evidence. Investigators are not yet sure what prompted the shooting, and are currently accepting tips from anyone which may have information regarding the incident.
Indiana’s Attorney General offers Hoosiers tips for avoiding Holiday scams
Attorney General Todd Rokita is warning Hoosiers to watch for scams while finishing their holiday shopping this year, as scammers are known to look for rushed, unsuspecting victims.
“This time of year,” Attorney General Rokita said, “individuals most absorbed in the season’s traditions could become easy prey to fraudsters. That includes shoppers hurrying to finish buying all the gifts on their lists. I encourage everyone to exercise vigilance to protect themselves.”
AG Rokita offered the following tips for avoiding falling victim to scams:
- When shopping online, stick to secure websites that have “https” in the address (or a lock icon) rather than just an unsecured “http” site.
- Pay by credit card when online shopping. Always review your monthly statements for charges you don’t recognize. You can reverse charges or dispute a charge with your credit card company if necessary. It is more difficult to dispute charges on your debit card or obtain cash back.
- If you are purchasing gift cards, make sure you know the expiration date, as well as the terms that apply to the card. Keep receipts associated with gift cards in case they do not get properly activated to the amount you paid.
- Also, on the subject of gift cards: Remember that any solicitor who contacts you by phone or email and asks you to pay with a gift card is no doubt a scammer. Do not cooperate with anyone making such a pitch.
- When shopping at physical store locations, conceal your purchases in the trunk of your vehicle or under the seat rather than leaving them in plain sight through windows. Also keep a close watch on purses and wallets when walking through shopping areas.
- Stave off “porch pirates” by making sure home exteriors stay well-lit. Follow a plan for the arrival of home deliveries, such as arranging for trusted neighbors to receive deliveries when you’re gone. Homeowners also may consider such options as purchasing lockable drop-off boxes or security systems with cameras.
- If a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Take your time to investigate and be skeptical of such deals. Ask questions. Be sure to read the fine print to make sure you are purchasing exactly what you want on the terms you expect.
- Closely read emails advertising holiday deals to make sure they come from the companies they claim to represent rather than imposters and fraudsters. Consider navigating to a company’s official website through a trusted search engine rather than clicking on a link in an email.
- To protect your personal information, refrain from making online purchases while using public Wi-Fi.
- Never make hurried decisions. Scam artists want to pressure you into making a quick commitment to buy from them. Slow down and check out details for yourself.
- Research charities before donating — and follow the same online payment and security rules you would follow with online shopping. You can look up charities’ reports and ratings on these websites: Give.org; GuideStar.org; CharityWatch.org; and CharityNavigator.org.
As always, if you believe you have been subjected to a scam, file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. Our office relies on Hoosiers filing complaints to know which companies or individuals to investigate. A consumer complaint can be filed at indianaconsumer.com — or you can contact the Office of the Attorney General at 1-800-382-5516.
South Lincoln Street Reopens from Smith to Third with Back-In Angle Parking Spaces
South Lincoln Street will reopen from Smith Avenue to East Third Street on Wednesday, December 15th with reconfigured public on-street parking and a widened sidewalk. The block has been closed to through traffic since May to accommodate the City of Bloomington Utilities’ Hidden River Pathway Project culvert construction. The following changes have been made in this block to improve safety on the street for all users and reduce the likelihood of crashes:
- Pull-in angle parking spaces on the west side of Lincoln have been reconfigured as back-in angle parking spaces. These spaces continue to offer free, two-hour parking.
- Some free, two-hour parallel parking spaces on the east side of the street have been removed in order to improve safety for bicyclists and motorists. The total number of on-street parking spaces in this block has been reduced from 37 to 34.
- The sidewalk on the west side of the street along Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park has been widened.
- Signage clarifying the new parking spaces, including signs providing instruction about back-in angle parking, are being installed this week.
The traffic signal at Third and Lincoln has been replaced and is in operation starting today. Permanent striping and an improved bike lane, separated more widely from the parallel parking lane than before, will be installed when the project is complete in the spring.
In comparison with pull-in angle parking, back-in angle parking improves visibility of the traffic into which the motorist is entering when exiting a parking space and reduces the potential for collisions. Like parallel parking but simpler, back-in angle parking allows a motorist to back into the parking space slowly. When exiting the back-in angle parking space, a motorist is facing the street and able to see on-coming traffic.
Additionally, when a car is parked in a back-in angle parking space, the orientation of open car doors helps to direct children onto the sidewalk instead of into the street when exiting the vehicle. Also, back-in angle parking allows safer access to the vehicle’s trunk – from the sidewalk instead of the street.
Back-in angle parking is permitted in Bloomington through changes to the Bloomington Municipal Code (15.32.175) approved by the Bloomington City Council in 2017. The City Traffic Commission reviewed the proposal to implement back-in angle parking and the additional changes at this location at their November 17, 2021 meeting. Stakeholders from the vicinity were notified of the proposed changes and invited to provide feedback at the meeting, where the commission voted in favor of the proposed changes. The City Engineer issued a 180-day order to establish the changes on an interim basis until council is able to update the City’s Traffic Ordinance.
This Week in Hoosier History
1958 – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a crowd of 4,000 at Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis. The 29-year-old Baptist minister was welcomed to the city by Mayor Charles Boswell. King told the crowd, “If democracy is to live, segregation must die.”
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