Inmates injured after power outage hits jail in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS – Nearly a dozen inmates were injured in falls or fights after a power outage plunged a privately operated jail in Indianapolis into darkness early Monday and a backup generator failed to start, officials said.
Crews with Indianapolis Power & Light reportedly had disconnected a power line in the area that had an ice accumulation when the outage hit Marion County Jail II just after 3:30 a.m., Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal said.
While the power was out, eight inmates were sent to a hospital after suffering broken bones or minor injuries in either in falls or fights that broke out among inmates in the darkness, Forestal said. Three other inmates were treated at the jail for lesser injuries, and no inmates were critically injured.
BALTIMORE – For every documented coronavirus infection during the first six months of the pandemic last year, five cases slipped by undiagnosed – 16.8 million – according to a federal study led by a University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate.
The results of the National Institutes of Health study led by immunologist Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler “suggest a much larger spread of the COVID-19 pandemic than originally thought,” wrote Sadtler, who heads the Section for Immunoengineering at NIH’S National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The study reviewed data from January through July of last year as the pandemic ramped up across the country. The study also indicates that Black and Hispanic communities were hit hardest by the virus from its outset.
The 16.8 million figure falls in line with estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding undiagnosed Americans, which said 1 in 4.6 cases had gone unreported in the first half of 2020.
Solid numbers on the virus’s true toll have eluded health officials because of the shoddy rollout of diagnostic coronavirus testing across the U.S. during the first wave of infections and the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers who may not know to get tested, said Dr. Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist and professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“This type of study is really important for public health decision-making,” Gronvall said. “It’s really important for officials to know if there are particular groups that are not getting the resources they need, or care or preventative measures.”
Researchers analyzed blood samples sent by mail to Sadtler’s Bethesda, Maryland, lab from a representative sample of more than 9,000 volunteers who had never been diagnosed with COVID-19. Researchers determined volunteers’ seropositivity – whether or not their blood serum contained antispike protein antibodies that appear in those who have carried the virus.
Of Black participants, 14.2% were found to have natural coronavirus antibodies. That figure dropped to 6.8% among Native American and Pacific Islander volunteers and 6.1% among Hispanic participants. And among white volunteers, the study showed 2.5% were undiagnosed carriers, and 2% of undiagnosed Asian carriers.
“Clearly there’s something – or in the case of this pandemic, many things – wrong with the way that we approach ... public health resources and medical care,” Gronvall said.
Residents of the Little Turtle neighborhood on Columbus’ Northeast Side call it a hidden gem, with its golf course, rolling hills and mature trees.
Now some residents say that their environment is threatened by a $5.3 million city plan that would change the entrance to their neighborhood while making other improvements Columbus officials say will ease the morning traffic congestion at the busy interchange of Route 161 and Little Turtle Way.
“Instead of looking at beautiful green space, we’ll be looking at more concrete,” said Darlene Slater, president of the Little Turtle Civic Association.
She is referring to part of the plan that would eliminate green space between the northbound and southbound lanes of Little Turtle Way, eliminating the eastern northbound lane all together, and converting the southbound lane into a two-way road with a concrete median.
“We’re not being unreasonable. This would not happen in a New Albany or a Muirfield,” said Slater, who has lived in Little Turtle for 34 years.
City officials say the improvements are necessary because of the increased amount of traffic from the growing development in the area.
To do that, the city plans to combine the northbound and southbound lanes
of Little Turtle Way into a unified twoway roadway between Blue Jacket Road and the westbound ramp to Route 161.
Columbus officials also plan to install a roundabout at the intersection of Little Turtle Way and Longrifle Road; put in a traffic light at the intersection of Little Turtle Way and the westbound ramp to Route 161; and install a sidewalk along the west side and a shared-use path along the east side of Little Turtle Way between Blue Jacket Road Route 161.
Project manager Kevin Thomas said the improvements are aimed at easing congestion in the area, including the roundabout and installing a combination right-turn and through lane at the west ramp from Little Turtle Way to Route 161. Now there are just dedicated lanes for each of those movements, he said.
According to Mid-ohio Regional
“We’re not being unreasonable. This would not happen in a New Albany or a Muirfield.” Darlene Slater President of the Little Turtle Civic Association
Planning Commission traffic counts from 2017, more than 13,000 vehicles traveled daily on Little Turtle Way at Route 161, and about 3,900 vehicles a day traveled Little Turtle Way through the Longrifle Road intersection.
Myers said the city has worked with the Ohio Department of Transportation on the plan and said officials there are OK with the project’s scope.
The Columbus City Council has yet to vote to approve the money for the project. Thomas said he hopes to start work by late spring or early summer and finish by early 2023.
Little Turtle resident Debi Abbott said the project will destroy the integrity and ambience that drew her to the neighborhood. She grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and said Little Turtle reminded her of that area.
“It’s a totally different feeling. I’m a
Realtor. Every time I show a property or condo here, people go ‘Wow,’ ” she said.
“Tearing out our boulevard and putting in a two-lane street is really disappointing.”
Resident Debbie Bowman said she worries about safety, including at places where golf carts cross Little Turtle Way. She said the city’s plans won’t improve safety.
“We need a bridge over Little Turtle Way,” said Bowman, a retired real estate agent.
A Feb. 11 letter from the Little Turtle Civic Association to the Columbus City Council and the city Department of Public Service said the association has collected 350 signatures on a petition aimed at blocking or modifying the city’s plans. The association’s letter notes its “iconic” boulevard entrance has been in place for 50 years.
“We feel that the City is not hearing us! This is evidenced all throughout the City of Columbus as other communities echo the same sentiments about the City over-reaching in those communities with aggressive developments and ignoring the communities’ input into the projects,” the letter said.
Among things the civic association wants is a larger and landscaped roundabout at Longrifle Road and Little Turtle Way; decorative stone walls to screen new construction; new signs, lighting, landscaping, stone walls and columns, and public art at the entrance to Little Turtle.
Myers said the city has been talking with the Little Turtle Civic Association. “They’ve been very expressive about all of these concerns,” he said.
He said that the concrete median planned for Little Turtle Way may be changed to grass. The city also plans to save a Civil War-era oak tree that residents were worried would be removed.
While the city plans to remove some trees, Myers said it will plant another 80.
But Abbott said that isn’t enough to offset the damage.
“They’re going to plant sticks out there,” she said. mferench@dispatch.com @Markferenchik
Hulu has added a wealth of fresh content to mark Black History Month.
Among the offerings is a new virtual concert, “Your Attention Please: The Concert,” featuring five rising musicians. It debuted Thursday on Hulu. Non-subscribers are able to watch for free for a month on Hulu’s Youtube channel.
The performers are rappers 24kgoldn, Lil Yachty and Swae Lee, as well as folk singer Joy Oladokun and R&B singer Kiana Ledé. Actor Craig Robinson (“The Office”) will serve as host.
If you’ve turned on the radio in the last few months, you’ve likely heard 24kgoldn’s No. 1 song, “Mood” featuring Iann Dior. The catchy song has spent 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and he was named Youtube’s first Artist On the Rise of 2021. His upcoming stu
dio album, “El Dorado,” will include a collaboration with Dababy.
It’s important for today’s youth to see people in the media who look like they do, 24kgoldn (real name Golden Landis Von Jones) told USA TODAY.
“As a young kid, seeing representation of Black artists on my TV screen inspired me to be the artist I am today, and hopefully I can do the same for a kid somewhere today,” he said.
In 2017, Ciara and Russell Wilson used Oladokun’s “No Turning Back” to announce they’d had a baby. Oladokun, an Arizona native who calls Tracy Chapman one of her biggest influences, released her second album, “In Defense of My Own Happiness,” last year. Oladokun was one of 21 Black musicians picked by Youtube this year to receive a grant to further her work.
“I want to remind people that we are actively shaping the culture right now,” she told USA TODAY. “I think it’s cool to start with a bunch of dope performances and interviews to show why people do what they do. I want a new generation of Black creatives to look at this and think, ‘I am a part of shaping what’s happening in the world.’”
Georgia-born Lil Yachty’s (real name Miles Parks Mccollum) early singles “One Night” and “Minnesota” introduced his signature sound, which he’s described as “bubblegum trap.” His debut studio album arrived in 2017, “Teenage Emotions.” A fourth studio album, “Lil Boat 3,” came out in May.
Swae Lee (real name Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown) is one half of hiphop group Rae Sremmurd (“Drummers Ear” spelled backward) along with his brother Slim Jxmmi (real name Aaquil Iben Shamon Brown). “Sremmlife,” their debut album, dropped in 2015, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard’s albums chart. They teased an upcoming album in 2019 that has not been released yet.
Ledé is perhaps best known so far for her role in the MTV series “Scream.” Her album debut, “Kiki,” has been out since April and peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. She actually got her start performing for “Kidz Bop.”
The concert is a companion to Hulu’s original series “Your Attention Please,” which is dropping new episodes each Friday this month. “Your Attention Please,” also hosted by Robinson, introduces viewers to Black artists, including musicians, authors and dancers.
In addition to the concert and fresh episodes of “Your Attention Please,” Hulu has curated a number of other Black History Month offerings under the “Black Stories” tab when you log in, including popular TV shows and movies, as well as Hulu originals.