Monday, October 19, 2026 · Crime & safety, housing, roads and infrastructure across Indianapolis / Marion County, with a closer look at Speedway and Indy's West Side
DC Construction is scheduled to start asphalt patching around Speedway this week. The town says most of the work will be on 16th St. and Cunningham Rd., with patching in a few other spots as work goes on. Drivers should expect short traffic disruptions near work crews. The town says the schedule depends on the weather.
Agendas are posted on the town's Agendas & Minutes page.
The MSD of Wayne Township, which runs Ben Davis High School, is asking voters on Nov. 3 to replace its current operating referendum, which expires in December 2027. The district wants a maximum rate of 70 cents per $100 of assessed value, up from 35 cents now, for eight years. District leaders told Mirror Indy they expect to charge 60 cents next year. They estimate that would add about $200 to the 2027 tax bill on a $200,000 home. The district has an online calculator for property owners.
Superintendent Shenia Suggs said the district already cut about $10 million this year, including more than 100 positions eliminated through attrition and skipped teacher raises. If the referendum fails, district leaders say they would cut about $20 million more by next school year. That could mean larger classes, longer walks to bus stops and one elementary school closing. Preschool, the HOSTS reading program and Ben Davis University could also be cut.
Mirror Indy has also published a guide to reading the referendum question as it appears on the ballot, using Wayne Township's question as its example.
IMPD was called shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, to the 5200 block of Georgetown Rd., east of Lafayette Rd. and W. 52nd St. on the northwest side. Officers found two people with gunshot wounds. A third person went to a hospital on their own. Police say all three are in stable condition.
IMPD has not released any suspect information or a motive. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
Around 1:15 a.m. Monday, a Lawrence police officer saw a sedan speeding near 46th St. and Shadeland Ave. The driver did not stop. The officer started a pursuit and then called it off. Shortly after, the car went through a house in the 3300 block of N. Richardt Ave. The person inside the home was not hurt.
Two juveniles in the car had minor injuries and were taken to a hospital. Lawrence police say the car had recently been reported stolen nearby. The two face preliminary counts of auto theft and resisting law enforcement. Police have not released their ages or sex. They have not been convicted.
INDOT's overnight work at the I-465 and U.S. 31 interchange on the north side continues this week, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., while crews set steel beams for a widened ramp. On Monday night, the ramp from northbound Meridian St. to eastbound I-465 is closed and eastbound I-465 is down to one lane near the interchange. On Thursday night, Oct. 22, the ramp from westbound I-465 to U.S. 31/Meridian St. is scheduled to close. The detour for that ramp is to continue west, exit at Michigan Rd. (U.S. 421), get back on eastbound I-465 and exit at U.S. 31.
INDOT says the schedule can change with the weather.
The renovated ArtsPark on the Indy Arts Center campus near the White River has been unveiled after the August floods delayed its opening. The park covers nearly 10 acres. Cleanup included power washing, reseeding and replacing plants the floodwater swept away. The renovated park has walking trails, new landscaping, limestone walls near the river and seven new statues. Arts Center officials did not give the project's cost.
The City-County Council meets at 7 p.m. Monday in the public assembly room of the City-County Building for its final vote on the roughly $1.9B 2027 budget. Last year's adopted budget was about $1.7B. Passing the budget takes at least 13 of the 25 councilors. The largest item is nearly $400 million for IMPD. As of Oct. 15, the council's chief of staff told WFYI the budget had not changed since it was introduced.
WTHR reported last week that the bipartisan TRUST ordinance on surveillance technology was also expected to be introduced Monday. The bulletin will report the results of both in the next edition.
Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell said social media posts claiming that any mark on a ballot, including a poll worker's, disqualifies it are "simply not true." State law requires two sets of poll worker initials on the back of every ballot before it can be counted. During early voting, two poll workers initial each ballot before it is cast and two more sign after it is cast.
Early voting continues at the City-County Building through noon on Nov. 2. Satellite vote centers open Saturday, Oct. 24. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, Oct. 22.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 19 | Speedway Police Commission 10:30 a.m.; Speedway Town Council 7 p.m.; I-465/U.S. 31 overnight closures (details) |
| Mon, Oct 19 | City-County Council, 7 p.m.: final 2027 budget vote (details) |
| Week of Oct 19 | Asphalt patching in Speedway, mostly 16th St. and Cunningham Rd. (details) |
| Tue, Oct 20 | Speedway Community Development Corp. 5:30 p.m.; Arts Advisory Council 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed, Oct 21 | Speedway Parks and Recreation Board 6 p.m.; Cable Advisory Commission 7 p.m. |
| Thu, Oct 22 | Deadline to request an absentee ballot; overnight closure of the WB I-465 ramp to U.S. 31 |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Satellite early voting begins; Speedway Trunk or Treat, 5–6:15 p.m. |
| Mon, Oct 26 | Speedway Redevelopment Commission 6 p.m.; Town Council 7 p.m. (details) |
| Wed, Oct 28 | Wayne Township Trustee's Harvesting Memories event, 5–7 p.m. (details) |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Trick-or-Treat in Speedway, 6–8 p.m. |
| Tue, Nov 3 | Election Day, including the Wayne Township schools referendum |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Next Speedway Stroll on Main Street (details) |