These IndyStar stories made a difference for Hoosiers in 2022

Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star
·17 min read

At IndyStar, we don’t shy away from difficult topics. We know the responsibility afforded us by the platform we’ve built over the last century, and we’re here to inspire change in service of the greater good of Central Indiana.

In the past year, our journalists dove deep into issues like gun control, abortion access and the eviction crisis. We also highlighted the ways residents of a historic neighborhood pushed to honor that legacy amid the city’s plans for redevelopment, told the story of a wartime hero who never got his due and shared snapshots of life across the city by reporting from barbershops, locally owned restaurants and houses of worship.

While often serious in nature, our work has inspired kindness — readers have reached out to pay for hotel rooms, offered to build accessible ramps, donated tens of thousands of dollars to help organizations serving youth and families amid the ongoing fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s the kind of impact we work for. IndyStar has compiled its first Community Impact Report not as a pat on the back, but as a reminder to us all that strong, local journalism is essential to our community because of its potential to change lives.

We believe in this work because we want to make our city a better, more equitable place for everyone to call home.

The following are just a few examples of how IndyStar journalism made a meaningful difference for Hoosiers in 2022.

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Marion County changes Red Flag practices after IndyStar investigation

In the wake of a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility, IndyStar found that even as gun violence has increased, police and prosecutors failed to file over 100 red flag cases, some of which may have prevented at least 14 deaths and eight injuries.

This investigation was named among finalists for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting, the Star’s second Pulitzer recognition in as many years.

In the year since the shooting, Marion County has shifted its policies and practices. In the past, police were sending red flag cases to the prosecutor’s office for an initial review. Now police are skipping the prosecutor’s office and submitting them directly to the courts.

Since IndyStar began reporting on problems with the red flag law:

  • More than 90% of Indianapolis police gun seizures have resulted in red flag court filings, as opposed to just 36% previously.

  • Cases are being filed in less than three days on average, as opposed to an average of 27 days previously, and they're being resolved in a matter of weeks as opposed to months or years.

  • Dozens of people have been found dangerous, meaning they are prohibited from accessing firearms and their names have been reported to the FBI's national background check system. Not a single person had been reported to the background check system prior to IndyStar's reporting.

Additionally, victims of the FedEx shooting sent a claim notice to the city seeking $2.1 million because of the failure of police and prosecutors to pursue a red flag case against the gunman. The victims cited IndyStar's coverage in their claim letter.

The impact is likely to continue. Red flag failures reported by IndyStar played a significant role in the 2022 Marion County prosecutor election. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Gov. Eric Holcomb have said they are looking into the failures with an eye toward possible improvements.

Revelations about the failures in the FedEx shooting have also played a role in the national dialogue about red flag laws, factoring heavily into a U.S. Senate hearing in April 2021. The U.S. Department of Justice also issued model red flag legislation in June 2021 that addresses some of the flaws exposed in IndyStar's early reporting.

Read some of the work:

Account of pregnant 10-year-old shapes state, national discussions of abortion access

In July, IndyStar published a story about people crossing state lines to come to Indiana to undergo abortions. Our reporting sparked a national discussion about access to the procedure and influenced state legislators’ approach tothe issue.

The lead anecdote of our story quoted Dr. Caitlin Bernard, a local obstetrician and gynecologist who shared that she had provided an abortion to a 10-year-old girl from Ohio who had come to Indiana for the procedure.

The story sparked a furor on both sides of the abortion debate: Anti-abortion activists as well as Fox News personalities questioned its veracity while abortion-rights supporters — including President Joe Biden — used it as fodder to demonstrate the impact of tightening abortion restrictions. The account proved to be accurate. In partnership with colleagues at the Columbus Dispatch, also part of the USA TODAY Network, follow-up stories verified the existence of the girl as well as the man charged with her rape.

In Indiana, the final abortion legislation passed a few weeks later in a special session gave more leeway to pregnant patients under the age of 16. Before the story ran, there had been no discussion among legislators as to whether younger patients should access to the procedure.

Read this work and more:Inside all of IndyStar's coverage of abortion in Indiana since Roe v. Wade decision

An unsung Vietnam War veteran finally recognized for heroic battlefield actions

Indianapolis resident Fred Norris proudly served his country during the Vietnam War. At 17, Norris joined the service and was one of the first Marines in Vietnam. He would save a downed helicopter pilot, running from his position through enemy fire, but his bravery was never recognized.

Norris shared with visual journalist Mykal McEldowney glimpses of his life — how he grew up terrified of his violent father, survived poverty, overcame a severe stutter and joined the Marines.

Norris told the story of the day he rescued  the pilot, slogging through the mud to reach the man as bullets whizzed by his ears.

“The Marine Corps stresses ‘no man left behind,’” Norris said. “But the Bible also stresses that there is no greater gift than a man who is willing to give his life to save somebody else.”

IndyStar spent months digging, working to verify the facts surrounding Norris' incredible life. Shortly after the piece published, representatives from the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana reached out to ask how they could help Norris in receiving the medals he deserves. Local organizations reached out to offer their services as well, such as building a free wheelchair ramp or offering rides to the Veterans Administration hospital.

Unfortunately, Norris died Aug. 24, before any medals could be awarded.

"Even though he didn't get recognized by man, God seen it," his brother, the Rev. Louis Norris, told IndyStar. "And when God recognizes and sees things, he rewards you."

Read the story:Fred Norris raced into danger to save a downed pilot in Vietnam. Why wasn't he honored?

Job offer rescinded after IndyStar exposes state official's crass behavior

After IndyStar learned of the sudden resignation of Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles commissioner, Peter Lacy, reporters dove into an investigation that revealed the departure came one day after he attended a staff meeting apparently drunk.

They also uncovered a long history of sexually inappropriate comments and outbursts of anger that created a toxic environment for employees, especially women. Hours after the story published, Virginia rescinded an offer to hire him to head that state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

Read our investigation:BMV head Peter Lacy abruptly resigns a month before planned departure

State cites Indianapolis nursing home, family members file lawsuit

Inspectors with the Indiana Department of Health cited a troubled nursing home on the south side of Indianapolis after an IndyStar investigation used federal data to show the facility violated federal staffing requirements without consequence and had amassed over $117,000 in state health department fines in one year.

The family of an 80-year-old resident who was raped and killed at Homestead Healthcare Center also filed a lawsuit against the nursing home and its government owner, claiming the tragedy was the "inevitable result" of poor staffing and horrible conditions at the facility.

The lawsuit drew heavily on IndyStar's reporting, which found the nursing home ranked among the worst in the nation for staffing and had 30 police runs over 14 months for thefts, assaults, drug investigations and other problems.

Denomination defrocks West Lafayette pastor after IndyStar probe

Our December 2021 investigation into allegations of child sex abuse being mishandled at a West Lafayette church resulted in the suspensions of Pastor Jared Olivetti and much of the church's elder board and, eventually, the loss of Olivetti’s ordination.

Our investigation found that Olivetti was aware of allegations that a young relative of his had been sexually harassing or abusing young children in the congregation at Immanuel Reformed Presbyterian Church for months before the congregation was notified, and that the leadership at the church had abused the denominational structure to allow Olivetti to oversee the investigation into his own family member. Following our investigation, Olivetti and the three remaining members of his elder board resigned. Following ecclesiastical trials in early 2022, the elders were suspended from service and Olivetti was defrocked.

Read some of the work:

Man credits IndyStar reporting with saving his life

Three years after we published a story about 17-year-old who died from a little-known condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which causes recurrent, severe nausea and vomiting, we received a Facebook message from a young man in Arkansas who said he read the story and, like the young man we featured, also struggled withthe condition.

The man said that reading the story helped him move beyond denial and get the help he needed to save his life.

Read the story:He loved weed. But then the vomiting began. And then he died.

State bans negligent landlord after IndyStar reports of mismanagement

In late 2021, IndyStar reporting found that apartment giant JPC Affordable Housing and its affiliate Berkley Commons LLC were part of a web of companies responsible for more than 8,300 housing violations from 2015–21. Their housing complexes, which at one point included Lakeside Pointe, in Nora, were allowed to fall into severe disrepair. By summer 2022, the landlord had failed to pay $1.7 million in utility bills, putting residents at 1,400 apartments across the city in jeopardy of losing their water service.

This spring, the city of Indianapolis, the Indiana Attorney General’s office and utility provider Citizens Energy Group sued the housing company. Eventually, the landlord was banned from operating in the state for seven years.

Purdue's Back a Boiler program suspended after legality questioned

Following IndyStar's reporting on Back a Boiler, Purdue University's income share agreement program, the controversial program was put on pause.

IndyStar wrote that, in the agreements, students pledged a share of their future income for a set length of time. But, because of extraordinarily high interest rates and astronomical pre-payment penalties, many borrowers paid back over two and a half times what they originally borrowed.

IndyStar spoke to multiple current and former students who said they felt misled by their university, showing the human impact of a financial program that is seemingly making it more affordable for students to go to school, but just doing the opposite.

The program, championed by outgoing university President Mitch Daniels, came under fire for practices that an advocacy group alleged were illegal. About a month after our first story was published, a message was posted quietly to the university's website said the program is unavailable for the 2022-23 academic year.

It's unclear what this means for the students that had already tied their salaries to these agreements. Purdue did not respond to a request for comment but has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

Read the story:Students feel duped by Purdue's Back a Boiler loan program. Could it be illegal?

NBA agrees to pensions after IndyStar's work

ABA player Sam Smith died waiting on a pension from NBA. He left this gut-wrenching photo behind weeks before his death.
ABA player Sam Smith died waiting on a pension from NBA. He left this gut-wrenching photo behind weeks before his death.

The IndyStar has been covering the struggles of former American Basketball Association players for years as they fought for financial support from the NBA through the help of the Dropping Dimes Foundation.

Wonderful storytelling and dogged reporting highlighted the hardships of these players. In June, IndyStar shared a chilling photo taken of Sam Smith, a former ABA champion with the Utah Stars, just before his May 18 death. He’d spent decades of his life fighting for pensions owed to himself and other former ABA players, all now in their 60s, 70s and 80s. While some, like Smith, have been able to afford their basic needs, others have fallen into homelessness and poverty. Previous IndyStar reporting revealed a majority of those former players who were struggling are Black.

Because many ABA players didn’t make it to the NBA after the leagues merged, they were ineligible for NBA pensions.

The depth and impact of our reporting was clear when the NBA voted to give players pensions and gave us the story. The vote will be life-changing for 115 former players and their families.

Read the story:Another ABA player dies waiting on pension from NBA. He left a chilling photo behind

Advocates call on city to address Indianapolis Housing Agency issues

IndyStar spoke to a dozen Indianapolis Housing Agency and Section 8 tenants as well as Marcia Lewis, the interim executive director tasked with turning the agency around, and found a clear pattern of neglect, driven by deep-rooted financial and structural problems.

For example, an IndyStar analysis of agency-provided data found:

  • On April 23, there were 242 open emergency work orders at Lugar Tower despite the agency receiving more than 100% of rent dollars owed for the month at the property.

  • At the nine public housing sites managed by the agency, there were 4,731 open emergency work orders as of the same date, according to agency data.

  • There were also 11,871 open work orders as of the same date.

IndyStar's investigation led to 25 community advocates writing a June 13 letter to the mayor and executive director of the agency calling for them to address the problems. Our story was also quoted in the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana's 2022 State of Fair Housing in Indiana report on Marion County renters.

Read the story:As Indy housing agency faces financial crisis, residents suffer the brunt of its neglect.

IndyStar readers rally in donating to homeless family amid eviction crisis

Akiela Atkinson kisses her daughter, Ajhonaiste Rivers, 1, as she cries Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in frustration over being without a home. As the two stand outside their hotel on Indianapolis' west side, Atkinson notices her car is gone from the parking lot. "He must have gone to give plasma," she said of her child's father, Johnny Rivers. The two are struggling daily to find the money needed to stay in their hotel room.

During the second wave of the eviction crisis, IndyStar shared the story of Akiela Atkinson, Johnny Rivers and their toddler, who after being evicted  from their home. Atkinson, who held multiple jobs prior to giving birth to their daughter, had to quit working after being unable to find affordable child care.  The family fell behind on rent, and soon were scraping together money to rent a motel room for the night. When they couldn’t, the family slept in their 2008 Ford Fusion.

They were among thousands of Hoosier renters in free fall, facing eviction and on the brink of homelessness, as rental assistance dollars dried up, renters were being hit by record high rent hikes, and the eviction moratorium had been lifted. An IUPUI report found there were 6.7 eviction filings for every 100 rental households in the first six months of this year.

Dozens of IndyStar readers rallied in support of the Atkinson and her family and donated several hundred dollars to help them as they navigated the continued unknown. Additionally, the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, a local nonprofit, reached out to pay for the family's hotel room for a week.

Read their story:Evicted family sleeps in car as housing crisis looms

Honoring the legacies of John Hardrick and the Norwood neighborhood

Artist and historian Kaila Austin told IndyStar about a lost Crispus Attucks mural painted by John Hardrick, an artist whose legacy she wanted to see honored in Norwood, the former Freetown on the city’s southeast side where he grew up.

Norwood has dealt with a number of issues, including fighting the development of a morgue and more from the nearby justice complex. Following our reporting this year on the city’s plans for the land and the community’s outrage, city officials said they would no longer seek to locate a morgue there and would instead look into ways to help residents seek official recognition as a historical area.

Residents told IndyStar they’d like to have a community center and a place that honors Hardrick and imagines what his lost mural might have looked like. At the same time, the Hardrick family had been looking for ways to honor his legacy.

After our story published, the Hardrick family connected with Austin, the artist and historian, and plans are in the works to find a place and way to celebrate him, hopefully in Norwood.

Read some of the work:

IndyStar awards $120,000 to local nonprofits serving families in need

IndyStar readers and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust gave over $114,000 to support the 2021 Season for Sharing campaign, which harnesses the power of local journalism to serve Central Indiana youth in need. Through their donations and a gift of our own, we awarded $120,000 in grants to organizations serving vulnerable families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Awards were determined and distributed in spring 2022.

Season for Sharing grants supported the following projects:

  • Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis' mission is to engage youth with art to encourage confidence and cultural awareness. This $10,000 grant supported a social-emotional learning program for youth ages 12-18 to build self-esteem as they navigate the digital world.

  • Brightwood Community Center offers programming to youth ages 8-12. This $15,000 grant helped buy a van to transport participants.

  • Christel House Academy seeks to provide equitable and holistic educational opportunities. This $7,000 grant supported their partnership with Early Learning Indiana to create a care option for the parents with children as they take classes or participate in programs at the Manual campus.

  • DREAM Alive provides mentoring and career planning to IPS students in grades 7-12 with the goal of breaking the poverty cycle. This $10,000 grant provided support for transportation costs for career exposure trips, programming, staff training and volunteer development.

  • Dyslexia Institute of Indiana serves Hoosiers with dyslexia. This $11,000 grant supported the Ready, Set, READ program, which provided participating students with free tutoring, with an emphasis on reaching students of color and those from low-income families.

  • Grassroot Projects provides low-barrier access to essential items such as food, school supplies and clothing to immigrants, refugees and the undocumented.This $15,000 grant helped them pay a coordinator to recruit and manage volunteers and grow outreach.

  • Indy Hunger Network is a collaborative of organizations working to increase nutritional food access. This $7,000 grant helped provide cooking and nutrition classes to kids, adults and families.

  • Kids' Voice of Indiana provides child advocacy and family services to children impacted by the child welfare and judicial systems. This $5,000 grant supported programming to help older foster youth transition out of the welfare system and into independent adulthood.

  • LifeSmart Youth works to address substance use disorder among youth, particularly in Black and brown communities. This $15,000 grant helped the organization expand offerings to Crispus Attucks High School and Outreach, a nonprofit working with youth experiencing homelessness.

  • Murphy Mentoring Group provides services and mentorship to youth and families. This $5,000 grant supported the creation of The Respite House, which offers support to youth diagnosed with mental illnesses while their families rest.

  • Brightlane Learning provides tutoring and academic support to K-12 students who are or have recently experienced homelessness. This $15,000 grant supported services and expansion in up to 11 locations.

  • SHEroes Inc. seeks to decrease the rate of drowning deaths by providing swim lessons to children ages 5-18, prioritizing youth from BIPOC communities. This $5,000 grant supported the organization as it expanded the swim class from a summer camp to a year-round training workshop.

Contact Newsroom Development Director Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar stories that made a difference for Hoosiers in 2022