A child was sent to the hospital Friday after being injured in a shooting on Interstate 465 near the Emerson Avenue exit in the southeast Indianapolis metro area The child was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital The shooting was believed to have happened about 1:30 p.m when a vehicle traveling on I-465 westbound near the Emerson Avenue exit fired at the vehicle containing the child Indiana State Police public information officer A few moments later, the vehicle containing the child crashed near the South Emerson Avenue and Elmwood Avenue intersection in Beech Grove When police arrived, they located the two children: a young boy had been shot and a baby who appeared uninjured, according to Fox59 The two children were quickly transported to Riley Children’s Hospital by medical personnel Two other individuals involved in the crash were also taken to a hospital A person of interest in the shooting had been detained and taken into custody Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman shared his appreciation that the children were able to make it to the hospital safely and urged people not to resort to violence "Our city sits at the intersection of a busy interstate system and make sure everyone gets to their destination safely No one ever wins in a road rage incident," said Coffman “I’m grateful for Beech Grove’s Police Department and Beech Grove Emergency Medical Services for professionalism and defusing the situation while helping State Police with the continued investigation." Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social – The Marion County city of Beech Grove will soon have a fresh healthy option for grocery shopping with the launch of a new farmers market this summer Organized by the Community Health Improvement team at Franciscan Health the market will feature a locally sourced products and aim to support community wellness and local vendors the farmers market will be from 11 a.m.-2 p.m on Tuesdays in the parking lot of the Franciscan VNS Home Care offices community health specialist at Franciscan Health “We are excited to start this new farmers market for those looking for fresh produce and other locally sourced goods in the Beech Grove area The farmers market that Franciscan has hosted on the south side of Indianapolis for many years has always been very successful and we look to build off that with this new farmers market.” the Beech Grove farmers market will also have other products The market will complement Franciscan Health’s Wednesday market near the Indianapolis hospital campus giving the south side Indianapolis area even more access to local goods The initiative is a collaborative effort between Franciscan Health Beech Grove city government and its parks department Producers and artisans interested in becoming vendors can reach out to Stacey Fink at stacey.fink@franciscanalliance.org This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page BEECH GROVE — A Beech Grove man is charged with animal cruelty after two of his dogs were found frozen to death in January Beech Grove Police responded to a report at 416 Byland Drive regarding two dogs that were found deceased in a freezing kennel discovered a small dog lying partially covered in snow outside the doghouse showing clear signs of having succumbed to the harsh conditions Officer McGuire found a second small brown dog deceased within the doghouse This dog appeared to have been dead for some time suggesting it may have been chewed on or eaten by the other dog RELATED | FIDO works to keep Indy pets inside amid cold temperatures The affidavit revealed conditions inside the kennel were alarming: there was a plastic container filled with snow blocking the south door but there was little evidence of regular feeding or care the heating cords that were supposed to service the doghouse and water bowl were found disconnected eventually returned to the scene and claimed he had last seen Colton Neuner indicated he had left the dogs in the kennel before running a quick errand He suggested that they had escaped through a pre-existing gap in the kennel door before being returned later evidence suggested that they had been abandoned for an extended period reported his concerns after his stepsister discovered the deceased dogs After observing the situation for several days and not hearing from the dogs His account revealed that the dogs had often been left outside without clear evidence of care or supervision the deceased dogs were taken for a necropsy which concluded that both died from emaciation Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here the Tennessee Division of Forestry reported at 1 p.m the Tennessee Forestry Division reported on its website at 8:42 a.m the Anderson County Emergency Management Agency reported that acreage scorched by the wildfires in the Beech Grove community outside Rocky Top has grown to 303 The Tennessee Forestry Division has confidence the fire will be contained but they're concerned by winds forecast for Saturday and Sunday The National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website is predicting winds to gust at 20-20 mph Army National Guard helicopters landed on the Rocky Top Athletic Field shortly after 9 a.m Friday morning to help in the dousing of brush fires in the nearby community of Beech Grove After the helicopter personnel talked about the fire situation with other emergency personnel they headed through the air to Beech Grove to drop water on the fire which has burned 150 acres since Wednesday afternoon according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry and the Anderson County Emergency Management Agency The help from the helicopters is “just as a preventative measure to drop water on inaccessible areas,” Tennessee Division of Forestry’s Bruce Miller said in a news release from Anderson County government They are expected to be on the scene all day The Tennessee Highway Patrol is assisting with traffic control No people have been injured and no structures have been damaged people living in the area are dropping off snacks water and drinks to help -and thank - the firefighters and other emergency personnel The items are being dropped off at the Fire and Police Departments several forestry division and THP officers were eating breakfast biscuits from McDonald's and bacon fried up on the grill by a city employee Pancake batter was being readied to complete the meal a man backed up his pickup truck and dropped off more bottled water personnel from the state forestry division as well as numerous local fire departments - most volunteers - have been on scene helping to control the fire and protect structures The brush fire in the Beech Grove community of Rocky Top has burned 120 acres as of 2 p.m. Thursday, according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry and the Anderson County Emergency Management Agency according to a Facebook post from the agency Crews continue to work to cut a fire break around the fire "It is not uncommon to see an increase of acreage burned as crews begin to gain more information as they cut in fire breaks with the actual magnitude of the situation," the post states People are asked to avoid the area while crews continue to work Fire crews from throughout the Anderson County began fighting a large brush fire in the Beech Grove community outside of Rocky Top on Wednesday night As of 8:26 a.m. Thursday, the fire was covering about 80 acres and was 40% contained, according to Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry's wildfire information The Anderson County Emergency Management Agency posted to Facebook that the acreage burned was closer to 106 acres Wednesday on the Anderson County 911 app asked people to avoid the area and be alert of emergency vehicles going to the fire in the mountainous community The message stated that no houses or buildings were threatened at that time (WISH) — Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman will deliver the State of the City address at noontime Thursday and again later that evening at City Hall The noontime speech will be given to the Greater Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce during a luncheon at Hornet Park Community Center Tickets for the event were no longer available online Wednesday afternoon The speech to the chamber will be recorded and posted sometime Thursday afternoon on the city’s Facebook page according to a news release issued Wednesday from the city’s public relations provider Coffman second presentation of the speech will be at 6:30 p.m The Democrat mayor will be talking about plans for “growth economic development and building a future forward community” as well as public safety the Democrat mayor said in a statement in the release Beech Grove is a Marion County city of 14,400 people, according to estimates posted at StatsIndiana BEECH GROVE — Generations of Beech Grove residents used to shop for groceries at the corner of 18th Avenue and Albany Street a plumbing school wants to take the plunge and build on the abandoned lot a trade school currently located on the east side of Indianapolis purchased the former Marsh grocery store site and hopes to move its operations to Beech Grove "We wanted that central location," said Chuck Gillespie of Indiana Plumbing "We have a shortage of probably 500 to 1,000 plumbers in Indiana and the facilities we have currently are cramped." Beech Grove's Marsh closed when the supermarket chain went bankrupt in 2017. A Safeway Foods moved in shortly after Marsh went out of business but the market was abandoned and demolished by 2022 First-term Beech Grove mayor James Coffman said the supermarket is a tough sell on the real estate market This lot has been a focus for the city for many years," Coffman said "When we lost the old Safeway a few years ago My father-in-law used to be a manager here." Coffman said the closure of the nearby Saint Francis Hospital in 2012 added to the economic anxiety of the neighborhood He is hopeful the addition of hundreds of potential plumbers in Beech Grove every night could revive the area "I think this is a positive use for this site and it will spur more development this way," Coffman said "This is a main corridor into the city of Beech Grove There's so many areas of the city just prime for that Beech Grove City Council needs to approve a rezoning request before Mechanical Skills can start building BEECH GROVE — The Beech Grove Common Council has approved the establishment of a new plumbing apprenticeship school, transforming a long-vacant lot into a center for skilled trades education. the corner of 18th Avenue and Albany Street has been abandoned since the Marsh went bankrupt in 2017 The building was most recently Safeway Foods before it was demolished in 2022 has purchased the site and plans to relocate its operations to Beech Grove aims to develop a 20,000-square-foot plumbing trade school WATCH | Plumbing school hopes to build on vacant grocery store site The non-profit school will provide a four-year training program approved by state and federal officials addressing a growing demand for qualified plumbers Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a six percent growth rate in the plumbing industry over the next decade “I’m grateful that the Common Council took this significant step to move Beech Grove forward,” said Mayor James Coffman “This new development will bring new life into a key corridor that has been a vacant eyesore for far too long Students also pursuing a key trade will not just learn in our community The school plans to employ 21 staff members and accommodate approximately 500 students each week BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) — A new plumbing apprenticeship school will transform a long-vacant site into a hub for skilled trades The site previously occupied by grocery stores will become a plumbing apprenticeship school by Mechanical Skills, Inc. offering a four-year training program that meets state and federal standards “The city of Beech Grove is a landlocked community. We only have 4.5-square-miles and don’t have room to grow. So, when entities like Mechanical Skills want to call Beech Grove home, I think it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman said Mayor James Coffman expressed gratitude for the common council’s decision on Monday to rezone the land for the training program He highlighted its potential to rejuvenate a key corridor that’s been abandoned for too long “It’s a win-win for the residential area a win for other businesses around this area and it’s also going to spur more development throughout the city There are several areas on this side of the town just crying for development and this will spur the work that way,” Hoffman said The Indiana Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association oversees the current program Along with the new facility – which will be the largest in Indiana – Mechanical Skills plans to hire 21 full and part-time staff Once they start to welcome students to the new facility they’ll aim to enhance Beech Grove’s economic landscape “There’s a tremendous need for skilled tradesmen The skill trade of plumbing is expected to grow by 6% by 2033 outpacing most other skill trades far and away,” Mechanic Skills program manager Bill Ciriello said Students ranging from recent high school grads to those looking for new careers attend the school The new building in Beech Grove will give more space for both in-class and hands-on teaching “Those who graduate come away with wonderful careers and an opportunity to make a good living with no college debt at all,” Ciriello said A nearby business owner is excited about the revitalization and increased foot traffic the new plumbing apprenticeship school will bring “It’s the next generation, right? Hopefully they are coming here to go to school, graduate, start a family, and stay in Beech Grove. It’s a wonderful community and we’re very excited about it,” The Tea Room of Rustic Root owner Tammy Hanna said (WISH) — A new plumbing apprenticeship school is replacing a longtime vacant lot in Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman announced Jan. 27, that Mechanical Skills, a nonprofit plumbing apprentice school, filed a petition to develop a trade school in the four-acre lot at 1831 Albany Street “This vacant grocery store site has long been an eyesore in the heart of Beech Grove despite the best efforts of previous administrations to redevelop it,” Coffman said in the announcement students pursuing a key trade will not just learn in our community patronize our businesses and support our schools and making Beech Grove their permanent home.”  Mechanical Skills offers a four-year program to train plumbers, a job which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to grow faster than average over the next ten years Along with constructing a 20,000 square foot school and parking lot Mechanical Skills plans to hire 21 full and part-time professionals at the school They estimate 500 students at the school each week The Beech Grove Common Council will decide on the petition for the trade school Feb The Marion County Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star game is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m The game started in 2018 and every year the proceeds have been donated to the Matt English Foundation for the former Beech Grove coach who died from brain cancer that year Perry Meridian and Speedway will make up “Team Owls.” Players from Ben Davis Park Tudor and Beech Grove will make up the “Team Comets” roster The teams are named for former Marion County schools - the Warren Township Owls and Castleton Comets North Central coach Kevin Gant will coach the Owls and Ben Davis coach Don Carlisle will coach the Comets Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649 BEECH GROVE — The City of Beech Grove is getting ready to welcome Swifties during the global superstar’s Eras Tour stop in Indianapolis with Main Street (Taylor’s Version) Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman made a proclamation in honor of Taylor Swift's visit that from November 1-3 the city will temporarily be called Beech Grove (Taylor’s Version) "The second I heard Taylor was coming to town I was like there's an opportunity here," said Samantha Stratton Stratton is a self-proclaimed Swiftie and knows the impact the Eras Tour can have on the city "Some people have been saying it's going to be like three Super Bowls in one weekend," said Stratton Stratton also owns Silver Linings Coffeehouse Two-years-ago with the release of Swift's Midnights album she started hosting listening sessions and other Taylor-themed events RELATED | Countdown to Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ in Indianapolis hits 100 days (wrtv.com) I had to turn away 150 people," said Stratton Part of that is why Stratton is behind Main Street (Taylor's Version) The hope is to pull some of the estimated 200,00 people from downtown Indianapolis I think people sometimes overlook that," said Stratton WATCH | Scammers prey on Taylor Swift fans ahead of Indy concert 11 restaurants and businesses will host Taylor-themed events throughout the whole weekend There will also be a block party on November 2 from 6 p.m Here's a full list of participating businesses: 5th Ave Grill and BarAlice & Agnes – Taylor Swift-themed décor bracelets and a 13 percent discount on merch Eckstein Shoe Store Gwendolyn Lee – Taylor’s Chai Sugar CookiesHey Now Pizza – Taylor Swift-themed pizza the “Midnights Snack” and a $19.89 comboNapoli Villa – The Lavender Haze Martini and 15% for anyone dressed in a Taylor EraRustic Root – Popstar-inspired high tea with the Taylor Swift-inspired theme everybody agrees”Scarlet GroveSilver Linings Coffeehouse – Taylor themed drinks and the following events:  Taylorween on October 31 Taylor-themed drinks and Block Party on November 2 and “Track 5 Sunday” on November 3.Spalding JewelryThe Local Radish – Bracelet making Station I think we'd miss an opportunity as a city," said Coffman the city has invested $1 million into their Main Street and wants to be able to showcase the businesses moving down there INDIANAPOLIS — The intersection of Churchman and Southern in Beech Grove is one of the busiest in the city Around 5,000 cars travel through it every single day just not a safe place,” Sister Mary Luke Jones from Our Lady of Grace Monastery said Unsafe is the word commonly used to describe the intersection Many have a story about the danger of the intersection "A Bishop who presided over a ceremony at our place he showed up back at the door with his white shirt full of blood,” Sister Jones said The only time this has ever happened while trying to show me their safety concerns on the intersection,” Anna Gremling with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization If that wasn't enough to convince the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization to update the area's infrastructure According to the Beech Grove city engineer there were more than 50 crashes at the intersection are an infrastructure that Beech Grove's engineer says will make the area safer "If you think about driving into a roundabout it doesn't mean you can't have an accident especially if you have aggressive drivers,” Trent Newport “What you do find is that those are going to be fender benders They are going to be ones that hit at off angle The total cost of the project was $2 million (AP) — A man convicted of killing an Indiana police officer during a foot chase 24 years ago will be executed next month Benjamin Ritchie shot Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney in September 2000 Ritchie jumped out of a stolen van after a police pursuit Toney was chasing him when Ritchie turned and shot him four times A jury convicted Ritchie of murder and other offenses in 2002 Ritchie has spent years challenging the convictions at the state and federal level to no avail His latest motion asks permission to raise claims that his attorney was ineffective because the lawyer failed to investigate whether Ritchie suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders as well as childhood lead exposure Ritchie also sought permission to argue that his age at the time of the shooting — he was 20 years old — should be taken into consideration The Supreme Court denied the request and ordered that he be executed before sunrise on May 20 Justice Geoffrey Slaughter wrote that the court couldn’t assume further evidence of Ritchie’s cognitive impairments would have swayed his jury Chief Justice Loretta Rush wrote in dissent that the evidence suggests Ritchie was suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder when he committed his crimes “We should not set a date for the most irrevocable of punishments without first ensuring that Ritchie was not denied the effective assistance of counsel,” Rush wrote Court records list Ritchie’s attorney as public defender Amy Karozos She didn’t immediately respond to a message The Associated Press left on her office voicemail after hours Tuesday seeking comment on the justices’ decision Ritchie’s execution will be the first in the state since Joseph Corcoran was put to death by lethal injection on Dec Corcoran was convicted in the July 1997 shootings of his brother; his sister’s fiancé; and two other men His execution was the state’s first in 15 years a hiatus marked by a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday set an execution date for Benjamin Ritchie fatally shot Officer William Toney of Beech Grove Police Department with a 9mm handgun during a foot chase on Sept Ritchie’s execution must be carried out May 20 before sunrise Toney was shot in the throat, just above his bulletproof vest, a day before his 32nd birthday Indiana’s first execution since 2009 happened Dec. 18. Convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran of Fort Wayne was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 12:44 a.m. Executions in Indiana had been delayed over the inability of the state government to obtain a drug used to perform the executions Indiana has set the execution date for a man found guilty of killing a Beech Grove police officer more than two decades ago Ritchie was fleeing police in a stolen van on Sept when he pulled into someone's yard and ran from the vehicle Ritchie turned around and shot him four times The officer was declared dead at the scene Soon after a jury found Ritchie guilty of murder in 2002, Ritchie began challenging his conviction and sentence in state and federal courts. In a September 2024 motion Attorney General Todd Rokita asked the Indiana Supreme Court to set a date for his execution “This convicted cop killer has been on death row far too long — 22 years — and it's past time for him to pay his debt to society,” Rokita said in a news release at the time Ritchie requested a stay of the execution so that he could pursue more legal claims alleging prosecutorial misconduct ineffective counsel and a suspected diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder the state's Supreme Court rejected that bid in an evenly divided vote Ritchie would have needed the majority of the court to side with his reasoning to stay the execution the court was obligated to schedule a date for the execution More: State seeks execution date for man convicted of Beech Grove officer's killing in 2000 In December 2024, Indiana executed Joseph Corcoran, an Allen County man convicted of a quadruple homicide. It was the first time the state had carried out the death penalty in 15 years, owing to a shortage of lethal injection drugs Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com Pig jokes were flying in the comment section of a post on social media Thursday afternoon after images of what looked like a dark spotted pot-bellied pig were captured in Beech Grove "Anyone missing a pig?" Samantha White posted. "He's chasing the poor mail lady around my neighborhood." White said the woman was working for USPS and she contacted Animal Care Services to pick the animal up Animal Care Services confirmed they did capture the pig at North 25th Avenue and Troy Street near Perkins Avenue in Beech Grove It was considered a stray and if there is an owner who can come forward they have four business days to claim the animal before the pig will be sent to a rescue "I hope this piggy finds his way back home," White told IndyStar It hasn't been confirmed if the pig was male or female Do we have wild pigs in Indiana? Are they wreaking havoc like everywhere else? Coffman commends the work of their animal patrol officer for capturing the pig "Whether it be a dog or a cat or a chicken or a pig it's about ensuring the safety of everybody around and making sure those animals if they are pets can get home safely," Coffman said According to the city's ordinance it's unlawful for anybody to own or harbor any swine poultry or other domestic farm animal in Beech Grove The only exception is a pot-bellied pig and no more than six hens Beech Grove law also states no owner should fail to exercise proper care and control of his or her animals to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance habitually attacking other domestic animals or trespassing on private property that leads to damaged property is deemed a nuisance didn't report the snake missing for five days He believes Vine left because it was too hot in the house and someone left the door cage unlocked during cleaning day Tarplee asked people not to kill Vine and assured that as long as Beech Grove residents didn't touch her spawning a Twitter account and a petition to change the mascot of Beech Grove schools to pythons Vine was eventually found under Tarplee's shed Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) — Beech Grove officials on Wednesday announced that the city will welcome Swifties and those who love them during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Indianapolis with Main Street (Taylor’s Version) Beech Grove will temporarily be called Beech Grove (Taylor’s Version) in honor of Swift’s visit to central Indiana from Nov according to Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman The idea for the Swift-focused events came from Beech Grove Clerk-Treasurer Samantha Stratton Stratton is a long-time Swiftie and Main Street business owner Silver Linings Coffeehouse and The Local Radish will hold a block party from 6-9 p.m opening up the 600 block of Main Street so pedestrians can participate in the festivities the participating Main Street (Taylor’s Version) businesses are: “During the Eras Tour stop in Indianapolis we encourage all Swifties to stop in for some small-town hospitality along our Main Street The Eras Tour has had a significant economic impact on every community it visits Swift is closing her tour just ten minutes away from Beech Grove.” we aim to create an atmosphere where “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” and everyone can ‘Shake it Off’ and embrace the joy of this special community I’m grateful for the many Main Street businesses who are enthusiastically participating in this fun and inclusive weekend.” Beech Grove Clerk-Treasurer Samantha Stratton BEECH GROVE — The Beech Grove Police Department announced it would be returning to On Patrol: Live this week will be back starting Friday night at 9 p.m The department did not say exactly how many episodes it will be featured on the show but confirmed Beech Grove officers will make an appearance “for several weeks.” The show features Beech Grove Police and other police departments responding to police calls in the community in real time “We are excited viewers will again get to see the hard work, commitment, and passion our officers bring daily. Thank you again to our community and #OPNation for your support,” the department wrote in a social media post (WISH) — The man sentenced to death for the murder of a Beech Grove police officer believes the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome should block his execution Attorneys for Benjamin Ritchie made that argument in a filing with the Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday Ritchie is on death row for his conviction in the killing of Beech Grove Officer William Toney A jury convicted Ritchie for the September 29 shooting death of Toney during a foot chase then waited for Toney to climb over it before shooting him multiple times Ritchie’s attorneys claim he suffers brain damage as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome (now referenced as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and should be spared the death penalty as a result.   The only issue at trial was whether Richie should be sentenced to death,” his attorneys wrote.  “Evidence that behaviors associated with Ritchie’s brain damage were consistent with Ritchie’s version of the crime is reasonably likely to have persuaded the jury that Ritchie need not die.” Attorney General Todd Rokita has asked the state’s highest court to set an execution date for Ritchie saying the inmate has exhausted all possible appeals The justices have not yet voted on setting an execution date The court has set December 18th as the execution date for Joseph Corcoran a Fort Wayne man convicted of killing four people in 1997 It would be the state’s first execution since 2009.