CIB optimistic about finances post-pandemic
The Capital Improvement Board of Marion County is working to balance its budget and rebuild its reserves after a year in which it fell $40 million into the red.
Tourism & Hospitality
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July 4 downtown fireworks show returning after 2020 cancellation
The annual fireworks show has new organizers and a different launch site. The 36-story Regions Tower had been the launch site since the 1970s, but can no longer be used.
Food Fridays to begin this week on Monument Circle
In a push to bring more revenue to Indianapolis restaurants as they recover from the pandemic, Downtown Indy Inc. is introducing a new event on Monument Circle.
Indianapolis 500 welcomes 135,000 fans in global benchmark
The largest crowd in the world for a sports event showed up in joyous force on Sunday, 135,000 of them packing the stands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Despite capacity limits, Indy 500 to be largest sports event of pandemic
Indianapolis Motor Speedway worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine that 40% of venue capacity will be allowed.
Two dead, two injured during shooting outside downtown hotel
The incident occurred under the entrance canopy at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, across from the Indiana State Museum and near White River State Park.
Wi-Fi upgrades coming to convention center after pandemic delay
The aging system has created friction between the CIB and some users of the convention center—most notably Gen Con, which wrote in 2018 emails it was concerned the Wi-Fi system was falling short of meeting its needs.
Southwest adding nonstop Florida flights to Miami, Panama City Beach
The news of the new flights comes as the airline industry sees a rebound in passenger traffic from the pandemic, which decimated air travel last year.
$28.6B federal relief program for restaurants launches this week
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will provide up to $10 million per recipient to qualifying restaurants, bars, food trucks, caterers, and other eligible recipients based on their pandemic-related revenue losses.
Wing of inn at popular Indiana park reopens after renovation
The 54-room east wing of Abe Martin Lodge recently reopened to visitors following the $4.5 million project by the Indiana Department of Administration and Indiana State Parks.
$16 billion grant program for performance venues set to reopen for applications
The federal grant program, part of a larger pandemic relief effort, officially launched April 8, but its application portal crashed within hours because of technical problems. The portal is set to reopen Saturday.
NFL exploring changes to scouting combine, source says
The source, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conversations are ongoing, said the league is evaluating all aspects of the combine, including the player experience.
Indiana announces $30 million grant program for hotels, entertainment venues
The Indiana Hospitality & Entertainment Grant program is intended to help those businesses “largely excluded from other government assistance programs,” the state said.
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site plans $6M in updates for grounds, interior, programming
Plans for the two-acre site, where the 23rd president lived before and after his time at the White House, include the addition of a new commons area and portico with a drop-off site for buses, as well as a promenade and a pathway connecting Pennsylvania and Delaware streets.
Dinosaur drive-thru show planned for Indiana State Fairgrounds
The dinosaur show is among the largest public events to be scheduled at the fairgrounds since the pandemic began
Regions Tower nixed as downtown fireworks launch site after 50 years
Emmis Communications Inc., which has produced the July 4 fireworks show for more than a decade, said it was handing off responsibility for the annual event to civic organization Downtown Indy Inc.
Parties keep amphitheater naming-rights deal details close to vest
Teachers Credit Union has signed on as the naming-rights partner for the newly renovated concert venue at White River State Park, but those involved in the deal aren’t sharing details about the contract.
Work on five-story downtown mural for Indy cycling legend to start next month
A mural honoring Indianapolis native Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first Black world champion cyclist, will begin going up in mid-May on a downtown building a block from Monument Circle, the Arts Council of Indianapolis said Monday.
White River could become a national-park-like amenity
Improving a 58-mile stretch of the White River and taking advantage of the natural resource that flows through the Indianapolis area has been on local leaders’ wish list for years.
Indy hopes to capitalize on tournament successes
Throughout March Madness, tourism and sports leaders entertained dozens of prospective clients, pitching the city as a safe place for those groups to host their own big events.