Throughout the coverage of what happened to Hailey Buzbee, this website has worked hard to report only the information her family has chosen to release. A Facebook post from Hailey’s father makes clear that others have not taken that approach — and that is a very sad thing for a family already living through the worst kind of loss.

Beau Buzbee, who signed his post “Hailey’s Proud Dad,” wrote that the family has not endorsed, supported, authorized or partnered with any media outlet, influencer, content creator or other individual or group planning to tell his daughter’s story.

“We have experienced and continue to live through the worst kind of pain a parent can endure on this earth,” Buzbee wrote. “While our family is still grieving and have a long road ahead, the vultures are circling and have already started to work to capitalize on this tragedy.”

He directed particular criticism at those who frame that work as a public service.

“I have a serious problem with people who hide behind words like ‘education’ or ‘awareness’ while exploiting a child’s tragedy and doing further harm to a family for attention, content, clicks, money, and personal gain,” he wrote.

Buzbee closed by describing his daughter in plain terms.

“Hailey was a child. She was our daughter. She was deeply loved. Her life and her story are not someone else’s opportunity,” he wrote. “Hailey had everything taken from her, and as her dad, I will continue to fight for her.”

Hailey Buzbee, 17, of Fishers, disappeared from her home Jan. 5. Police said she left willingly and had been in contact for more than a year with Tyler Thomas, 39, of Columbus, Ohio, a man she met through an online gaming platform. Her remains were found in early February in Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio after Thomas led investigators to the site. Authorities have said they believe she died within days of leaving home.

Thomas was initially charged in Ohio with pandering obscenity and tampering with evidence and held on $1.5 million bond. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Ohio then charged him with sexually exploiting a minor and traveling interstate with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, each carrying up to 30 years in prison, and the local charges were dismissed so the case could proceed in federal court. The investigation remains open.

The standard here does not change. This website will continue to report what the Buzbee family and public officials choose to make public, in a responsible, journalistic manner .

Fishers drivers who commute to and from Indianapolis should plan for delays this weekend as crews shift traffic into its final configuration on northbound I-465 in northeast Indianapolis.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says northbound I-465 will be reduced to one lane between Fall Creek and I-69 from 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, through 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. Crews will use the closure to install pavement markings and signage needed to open the rebuilt roadway.

Work will begin closest to the median Friday night and move to the outer lanes Saturday evening.

As crews shift to the outside lanes, the ramp from northbound I-465 to northbound I-69 will close from 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, until 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. A signed detour will send drivers to westbound I-465, with a turnaround at U.S. 421.

INDOT is advising motorists to expect delays, plan ahead and seek alternate routes when possible.

56th Street ramp expected to reopen

The added capacity is expected to allow the ramp from 56th Street to northbound I-465 to reopen next week — a change many Fishers-area commuters have been waiting on.

Additional closures are scheduled Monday night to prepare for that reopening. From 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, to 6 a.m. Tuesday, drivers can expect:

• The exit ramp from northbound I-465 to 56th Street/Shadeland Avenue (Exit 40) closed
• The ramps from 56th Street to northbound Shadeland Avenue and northbound I-465 closed
• The northbound Shadeland Avenue/56th Street collector ramp reduced to one lane, with no access to 56th Street

The work is weather dependent. INDOT says dates and the scope of the work could change if inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances occur.

Thunderstorms are expected late Wednesday afternoon into the evening as residents continue recovering from recent flooding.

Severe thunderstorms could bring damaging winds and large hail to Hamilton County late Wednesday afternoon and evening, Aug. 26, according to the National Weather Service.

The hazardous weather outlook issued Wednesday morning covers Hamilton County and much of central Indiana. Forecasters said thunderstorms are likely and some could become severe. Weather spotters may be activated.

Hamilton County Emergency Management said partly cloudy conditions are expected during the day, with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing later in the afternoon. Temperatures should reach the lower 80s, with rain chances near 50%.

Showers are likely Wednesday night, with thunderstorms possible into the late-night hours. Rain chances increase to about 60%, and temperatures are expected to fall into the lower 60s.

The National Weather Service forecast for Fishers calls for a high near 83 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Wednesday night, mainly before 1 a.m., with a low near 64.

Most locations are expected to receive less than an inch of additional rainfall, Hamilton County Emergency Management said. Isolated areas could receive between 1 and 1.5 inches.

That rainfall is not expected to alter current river-level forecasts. However, saturated ground and areas where water is already standing could experience slow drainage or minor localized flooding during heavier downpours.

The storms arrive as Hamilton County continues recovering from widespread flooding earlier this month. The National Weather Service said multiple rounds of storms beginning Aug. 11 produced severe weather and catastrophic flooding in parts of central Indiana.

As of Wednesday morning, the county’s flood-related road closure list showed Hazel Dell Parkway closed between 96th and 106th streets. Conditions and closures may change during the day.

Drivers should avoid flooded roads and never drive around barricades. Residents should also monitor weather alerts as storms approach.

Hamilton County residents who need help with food, shelter or cleanup supplies following the recent flooding can call the county’s recovery hotline at 317-645-3261. Flood damage to homes or businesses may be reported by calling 211. Additional information is available on the county’s flood recovery resource page.

Residents explored the new shared home of three Hamilton County agencies during an open house Tuesday evening at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville.

The Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District, Hamilton County Household Hazardous Waste and Hamilton County Weights & Measures hosted the Aug. 25 event at 1721 Pleasant St.

Visitors followed activity stations highlighting conservation, recycling and environmental stewardship. Attractions included the district’s new community mural, the hands-on Soil Trailer and a touch-a-truck display featuring a tractor, forklift and Weights & Measures equipment.

Staff also shared information about services available to residents, including the safe disposal of paint, chemicals, batteries and other household hazardous waste. Snow cones and snacks were served during the family-friendly event.

Hamilton County homeowners and renters who lost property in this month’s record flooding can now apply for federal disaster aid.

President Donald Trump approved Gov. Mike Braun’s request for a major disaster declaration, Braun’s office announced Tuesday. Hamilton County was included on both lists that matter locally: the 21 counties approved for individual assistance, which sends money directly to households, and the 11 counties approved for public assistance, which reimburses local governments and eligible nonprofits.

How to apply

Residents should file an insurance claim first. FEMA cannot duplicate what insurance pays, but it can help cover uninsured or underinsured losses.

Applications are taken three ways:

• Online at disasterassistance.gov
• By phone at 800-621-3362
• Through the FEMA mobile app

Applicants will need a Social Security number, insurance information, a description of the damage, current contact information and banking information for direct deposit.

FEMA had not announced a registration deadline as of Tuesday. The agency typically sets a 60-day window from the date of declaration, so residents should not wait.

That last point carries extra weight in Hamilton County. Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and many of the homes that took on water this month sit outside mapped floodplains, meaning their owners had no reason to carry a separate flood policy. For those households, federal aid may be the only assistance available.

What individual assistance covers

The program can help with temporary housing, home repairs, replacement of essential personal property and other disaster-related needs not met by insurance. It is not a substitute for full reconstruction, and grant amounts vary by household. FEMA also refers applicants to the U.S. Small Business Administration, which offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses.

Residents who have not yet documented their losses should photograph damage before making permanent repairs and keep every receipt.

What public assistance covers

Public assistance reimburses cities, the county, townships, school corporations and eligible nonprofits for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to damaged public facilities. In practical terms, that covers the cost of the closed roads, washed-out trails and damaged parks that Fishers, Noblesville and Carmel have been working through since mid-August.

The local damage

The White River crested at 24.56 feet at Noblesville on Aug. 15, breaking a record that had stood for 113 years.

Damage assessment teams went door to door across Hamilton County the following week. Their early counts: roughly 552 residential units affected in Noblesville, concentrated in Riverwood, the southwest quadrant of downtown and near Federal Hill Commons; about 230 properties in Carmel, where 40 residents were relocated, including 14 from a senior living facility; and in Fishers, swift-water rescues and more than 160 families who accepted voluntary evacuation help.

Statewide, Braun’s request reported eight deaths, at least 44 structures destroyed and 959 with major damage. Early estimates put residential property damage between $550 million and more than $5 billion across at least 22,164 parcels — a figure the governor warned will grow.

Other help still available

The Indiana State Disaster Relief Fund remains open for uninsured damage to primary residences. Indiana 211 (call 211 or 866-211-9966) connects residents to local resources. Fishers residents can reach the city’s recovery hotline at 317-595-3211 or submit a request at FishersIN.gov/Flooding.

Counties left off Tuesday’s list could still be added as officials review more damage, according to the governor’s office.

Imitation firearm found in student’s backpack at Fishers Junior High, police say

A 13-year-old Fishers Junior High student was arrested Tuesday after a school resource officer and school administrators found an imitation firearm in his backpack, the Fishers Police Department said.

The department’s School Resource Unit was made aware of the situation Tuesday, Aug. 25, after Fishers Junior High staff learned the student might have an imitation firearm at school, according to a release from FPD. The school’s SRO and administrative staff began an investigation and located the item in the student’s backpack. It was collected as evidence.

The student, whom police did not identify because of his age, is charged with possession of an imitation firearm on school property or on a school bus, a Class B misdemeanor. Any school discipline will be handled by Fishers Junior High, police said.

Police said the situation was resolved quickly and without incident.

“We appreciate our relationship with Hamilton Southeastern Schools,” the department said in its release. “HSE and FPD are committed to keeping our students, staff, and families safe. We are grateful that this situation was handled very quickly and without incident.”

A new state law, in its first school year

The charge stems from a law that is new to Indiana classrooms this fall.

House Enrolled Act 1343, signed into law as Public Law 94-2026, took effect July 1 and makes it a Class B misdemeanor to knowingly or intentionally possess an imitation firearm in or on school property or on a school bus. The 2026-27 school year, which began for HSE students on Aug. 5, is the first full school year the law has been in effect.

The term generally covers realistic-looking replicas that are not actual firearms — airsoft and BB or pellet guns, replica handguns and rifles, and toy guns designed to closely resemble the real thing. The law includes an exemption for an imitation firearm that is lawfully possessed and properly secured inside a locked vehicle.

For an adult, a Class B misdemeanor in Indiana carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Cases involving a 13-year-old, however, are generally handled through the juvenile system in Hamilton County rather than adult criminal court, where the matter would be treated as an act of delinquency and the adult sentencing range would not apply directly.

What police did not say

The FPD release did not describe what kind of imitation firearm was recovered, how staff first learned of it, or whether the student was accused of showing it to anyone or making any threat. No students or staff were reported hurt.

Parents and students who become aware of a safety concern at school are urged to tell a teacher, an administrator or a school resource officer.

The flood-damaged bridge could cost nearly $10 million, although officials are pursuing federal emergency funding.

Hamilton County hopes to complete a replacement for the flood-destroyed Hazel Dell Parkway bridge during 2027, county officials announced Monday.

The county-owned bridge carries Hazel Dell Parkway over Blue Woods Creek between 96th and 106th streets in Carmel, on a heavily traveled north-south route near Fishers. County Commissioner Christine Altman said during an Aug. 24 flood update that the structure is a total loss.

Engineers expect the design process to take approximately 60 days. While that work proceeds, the county will seek bids to demolish and remove the portions of the bridge that remain.

Officials hope to hire the replacement contractor by Thanksgiving, leaving the remainder of 2026 and much of 2027 for construction.

“We believe we can get it done next year,” Altman said.

The county hopes to keep the cost below $10 million, but several variables remain. Floodwaters substantially enlarged and rerouted the Blue Woods Creek channel into the Martin Marietta quarry. Engineers must determine how to reconstruct the channel toward the White River before completing the bridge design.

The project also will require coordination and permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Hamilton County may qualify for a Federal Highway Administration emergency program that could cover 80% of the project, leaving the county responsible for 20%. Altman emphasized that the federal funding has not been approved and that officials do not know whether sufficient money is available.

Hazel Dell Parkway is one of the main north-south connectors on the Fishers-Carmel line, and the closure south of 106th Street has pushed traffic onto Allisonville Road and Keystone Parkway. An end-of-2027 completion still means roughly a year and a half of detours — but it is meaningfully better than the two-year-plus outlook that seemed likely two weeks ago.

Drivers should not expect any change in the near term. The site remains closed to the public, and the demolition phase will keep it that way.

The county also released updated residential damage figures. Emergency officials said they assessed 912 residences and identified 434 as affected by the flooding.

Using federal damage classifications, one residence was destroyed, 180 sustained major damage, 113 sustained minor damage and 116 were affected by water intrusion. Another 24 residences remained inaccessible. Officials cautioned that FEMA’s “minor” classification can still represent significant damage for a homeowner.

A preliminary estimate compiled four days before the news conference placed known damage above $32 million. That figure did not include the Hazel Dell bridge, economic losses at the quarry or an estimated $75 million to $100 million in equipment left at the bottom of the flooded quarry.

Flood-debris collection began Monday in seven zones across Hamilton County. Residents should separate debris by category and place it along the public right of way without blocking roads, utility equipment or fire hydrants. Detailed collection instructions are available from the county.

Officials also extended the prohibition on recreational travel on the White River for another seven days, citing debris and continuing dangerous conditions.

Residents should report flood damage through 211 and retain receipts in case additional federal assistance becomes available. The Hamilton County flood-assistance hotline is 317-645-3261. Additional information is available on the county’s flood resources page.

The Fishers Freight will head into their third season with the same man in charge.

The Indoor Football League franchise announced Monday it has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Head Coach and General Manager Dixie Wooten, keeping him in both roles for the 2027 season.

Wooten has run the Freight’s football operations since before the team ever played a down, building the roster, the staff and the program’s structure from scratch through the franchise’s first two seasons.

“After taking the time to evaluate our first two seasons, we believe Dixie has earned the opportunity to continue what we started together,” Freight President Sean Hallett said in the announcement. “Dixie is passionate about winning, his players believe in him, and there is no question how much he wants to bring a championship to Fishers.”

Hallett was equally direct about what comes next.

“At the same time, we both understand that the expectations are higher in year three,” he said. “We believe this team is capable of competing for a championship, and that is the standard we are setting for ourselves.”

That standard follows a 2026 season that ended about as painfully as a season can end. The Freight finished 8-8 and were eliminated on the final play of the final week, falling 67-63 with the ball on the Pirates’ 17-yard line and one snap to play. The loss handed Orlando the last Eastern Conference playoff spot and sent Fishers home.

It was still a step forward from the inaugural 2025 campaign, when the expansion Freight lost nine in a row before closing the year with five straight wins.

Wooten arrived in Fishers with one of the more decorated résumés in the league — two IFL championships and multiple Coach of the Year honors — and that track record was a central part of how the Freight built their football program from the ground up.

“We’ve built a strong foundation over our first two seasons, but our goal has always been bigger,” Wooten said in the team’s announcement. “We want to win a championship for this organization, our players and our fans, and I’m excited to get back to work.”

Wooten’s first words were about the water, not the contract

Wooten shared his own reaction on social media Monday — but he did not lead with the job.

He opened instead with a message to Indiana communities still digging out from the historic flooding that swamped the central part of the state between Aug. 11 and Aug. 17. More than a foot of rain fell in places east of Indianapolis, the White River set record crests at Anderson and Noblesville that topped marks standing since 1913, and one woman died after driving into floodwaters near Yorktown.

“I chose to wait before speaking,” Wooten wrote. “While the water was still rising, the attention belonged with the first responders and rescue crews pulling families out of it.”

He went on to describe what he had watched over the past two weeks: “Neighbors reaching neighbors by boat. Meals prepared for families no one had ever met. Help offered long before anyone thought to ask. That is the character of this state.”

To families who lost homes, livelihoods or loved ones, he wrote, “The days ahead will be long and heavy, and you will not face them alone.” He signed it, “Your neighbor, your friend, and your coach.”

Only then did he turn to the extension.

“I’m happy to be back with the Fishers Freight Football!” Wooten wrote. “Jim and Sean have given me an opportunity to build this football program and take it to the next level. I’m grateful to have a great front office and the best community in the Indoor Football League. Year 3, the movement starts now. Fans, you are going to be proud!”

What’s next

With Wooten’s status settled, the Freight now turn to assembling the 2027 roster and coaching staff.

“Our first two years were about establishing the Freight,” Hallett said. “Year three is about taking the next step.”

The Freight play their home games at the Fishers Event Center.

Canadian rock band Triumph will bring its 50th anniversary tour to Fishers this fall.

The band will perform at the Fishers Event Center on Friday, Nov. 27, as part of the second leg of its Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded Tour. Fellow Canadian rock band April Wine will appear as the special guest.

An artist presale begins Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m., followed by a Citi presale at noon. Additional presales are planned before tickets go on sale to the general public Thursday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Ticket prices and a concert start time were not included in the announcement.

The Fishers concert is among 16 new U.S. shows added after the tour’s first leg. The band’s official tour schedule lists founding members Rik Emmett and Gil Moore alongside touring musicians Phil X, Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns.

Triumph formed in Mississauga, Ontario, in 1975 with Emmett, Moore and Mike Levine. The group became known for arena-rock songs including “Lay It on the Line,” “Magic Power,” “Fight the Good Fight” and “Follow Your Heart.” According to the tour announcement, Triumph has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and received 27 gold and platinum certifications.

The band’s current tour follows the 2025 release of “Magic Power: All-Star Tribute to Triumph,” featuring artists including Slash, Nancy Wilson, Sebastian Bach, Dee Snider and Alex Lifeson.

Organizers said $1 from every ticket sold will support SoundsUnite through Triumph’s partnership with PLUS1. The charity provides music-learning resources, wellness programs and collaboration tools for marginalized and at-risk youth.