Meet IndyStar photojournalism intern HG Biggs
Similarly, we're taking a break from our "Meet the Staff" feature for the summer to give you a chance to, yes, meet the interns. We also call them Pulliam fellows — in recognition of the family that used to own the newspaper and has continued to support journalism in Indianapolis — and past participants have gone on to rich careers at the Star and elsewhere in journalism.
Up this week is 2025 IndyStar intern HG Biggs.
As a photojournalist, I have the opportunity to help cover anything and everything happening around Indianapolis. While I don't have a specific beat, I will always have a soft spot for baseball because photographing Little League and tournament team games in Jackson, Mississippi, was my introduction to this job. I also enjoy covering stories that localize national and international issues.
I graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's in Mandarin Chinese in May 2024. I am currently a master's student at Ohio University studying visual communication in the Scripps College of Communication.
I'm at a point in life where I enjoy knowing my daily schedule is going to be unpredictable. I get to meet some of the most interesting people, and it's always an honor to be trusted with documenting their stories. Getting the occasional front-row seat to sporting events isn't half bad, either.
My good friend and colleague Brett Phelps was the IndyStar's photojournalism intern last summer, and he spoke highly of his time here. Hearing Brett talk about his experiences, the atmosphere between coworkers, and everything he learned from the editors and photojournalists at the Star encouraged me to apply. I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn from such a robust visuals team. In a time when visuals staff around the country are being cut, IndyStar is a newsroom challenging that trend and proving the value of investing in photojournalists.
Reading: "All We Can Save"
Watching: "The X-Files"
"Insufficient facts always invite danger." — Mr. Spock, "Star Trek: The Original Series"
"Dancin' in the Ruins" by Blue Oyster Cult and anything by Rage Against the Machine
I see myself as a documentary photographer. I have no idea what that will look like, whether I'll be working in a newsroom, freelancing, or working a different job and documenting visual stories on my personal time. The world is always changing, and we have to be open to any opportunities. No matter where I go, two things will always be true: I'll always be a Mississippian, and I'll always be a photographer.
Hiking the Appalachian trail, although that's a much longer undertaking than just a vacation.
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6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hunt's live MLB All-Star Auction remains unique midsummer experience
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Indianapolis Star
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'We will make the city proud.' How Indianapolis landed 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
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'It's a statement about visibility, equity and how far we've come. It's absolutely amazing. Our airport plays such an important role in shaping first impressions. For many visitors, this court will be their first taste of the WNBA All-Star experience.' It's an immersive experience. Not just for the fans coming to Indianapolis for All-Star weekend July 18-19, but also for the casual travelers, those who live and visit the city. Those who may not have known the game's biggest stars will soon descend on Indianapolis for the WNBA's summer showcase for the first time in history. Well, 'now you know,' the graphic at the bottom of the escalator reads. It's the Fever's tagline for the 2025 season, bringing notice to the meteoric rise Indiana has had with two straight No. 1 picks and their first playoff berth in eight years. Now you know, too, that Indianapolis is setting out to host the most mesmeric WNBA All-Star Game the league has seen. 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Most importantly, was everybody, including Pacers Sports and Entertainment, their partners, and the city itself, ready to take this on in such a short time frame? All of those answers came back a resounding yes. Then, Raines and other PS&E employees went to Phoenix that July for the 2024 All-Star game. They took in the WNBA Live setup at the convention center, the different activations around the city, and how Footprint Center was set up for the Skills Challenge and 3-point contest on Friday, as well as the All-Star Game on Saturday. They came back inspired. So, they finalized the deal with the WNBA shortly after Phoenix's All-Star weekend, and Indianapolis was announced as the 2025 later that month. 'It's a great opportunity for us to showcase our franchise, our city,' Raines said. 'Throughout the entire WNBA, we haven't had a chance to do that. Can't imagine a better time now that construction is finished, the plaza is built. It's the perfect time. Conversations were quick, and it was not a difficult decision.' Raines thought one big thing was missing from the WNBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix in July 2024: outdoor activities. That wasn't Phoenix's fault, of course. The desert can get up to 115 degrees in the summer, and it was well over 100 degrees during All-Star weekend. There wasn't much opportunity for Phoenix to safely have any outdoor activations, in order to keep their players and fans safe. But Indianapolis' mid-80s average in the summer is perfect for outdoor activations. And she came back from Phoenix full of ideas. 'The little that I could walk around outside or Uber, all I could think of is in Indy, this would be an activation,' Raines said. 'We could have somebody, we would have a DJ on this corner, we would be celebrating outside in a way that they just, because of the weather, would not be able to do. So we came back with a lot of ideas and excitement.' This is the second time in two years Indianapolis will host an All-Star weekend. The city hosted NBA All-Star weekend in February 2024, months before Fever star Caitlin Clark was drafted. The WNBA had an activation at NBA Crossover that weekend, simulating a draft day experience for fans. During that weekend, WNBA executives also got a taste of what could make Indianapolis a great host city for these types of events. At the time, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said bringing the WNBA All-Star game to Indianapolis was a 'possibility.' Now, it's become a reality. 'Indy is a great city for an All-Star Game,' WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison told IndyStar. 'In my experience going to NBA All-Star, everything is super walkable, the people are super engaged and super excited about basketball. The city was so welcoming, and there's just so many different aspects to take advantage of. 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I think now there's this expectation, and fans know it's something that they can't miss. It's a moment that they have to be a part of.' PS&E is forging its own path, too, building on Raines' idea of having outdoor events to supplement the All-Star experience. For the first time in All-Star weekend history, the host team is putting on a festival the day of the game. Raines learned from the NBA All-Star weekend in developing this festival, in hopes of giving fans more ticketed opportunities throughout the weekend. 'The NBA also had about 190,000 ticketed opportunities, and this one has about (40,000),' Raines said. 'And we wanted to expand the capacity for people to be a part of the weekend, in addition to what we're setting up downtown, that will be free and open to anybody who wants to come downtown… the general thought was, what else could we do so that people can feel part of the weekend if they're not able to get into Gainbridge Fieldhouse?' Fever Fest, headlined by The Kid LAROI, will be at the White River State Park Amphitheater on July 19. It will also have performances from Cedric the Entertainer, Aida Rodriguez and G-Eazy, with tickets starting at $25. Performances will run from 5-8:30 p.m., leading right up to the All-Star Game tipoff. It will then turn into a watch party for the game, which is happening less than a mile down the road. Fever Fest is just one example of how PS&E is trying to redefine the WNBA All-Star weekend. They want it to be as immersive as possible, taking over the fieldhouse, the convention center, and all of downtown. It's a celebration of the best in the league, and they want to meet the moment. 'I'm glad that I still get to be a part of it,' Catchings said. 'Even though I'm not going to be playing, to be a part of it, to be able to showcase the best women basketball players in the world and Indianapolis.' Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@ or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Bonded by crisis: Inside the alliance between Mark Carney and Doug Ford
Forged by crisis, tempered by opportunity and steeled by circumstance, it is the most important political alliance in the country. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford, a federal Liberal and an Ontario Progressive Conservative, each recently tasked by voters with tackling the economic and existential threat of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Carney quietly underscored just how much he values Ford's counsel at the height of the closely fought April 28 election campaign. In an unusual move, the prime minister carved out precious hours in the days before the leaders' debates in Montreal for a private visit to the premier's home in Etobicoke. Federal and provincial sources, speaking confidentially in order to recount internal deliberations, confirmed to the Star that the two men huddled to discuss Trump's ongoing trade war against Canada — and to talk politics. Ford defied the odds Thursday becoming the first premier to win three consecutive majority Carney's advisers, mindful Ford's PCs had just been re-elected by focusing on Ontarians' unease over the American president, felt the visit was a judicious use of their candidate's time in an abbreviated five-week campaign. The federal Liberals, after all, were employing the same electoral strategy as the provincial Tories two months earlier. More importantly, the rookie prime minister appreciated the three-term premier's candour and political acumen . Ford's campaign manager warns that unless the Tories 'get on it quick, they are going to get Bracing for an onslaught of debate-stage attacks from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, the Liberal chief shrewdly tapped into the experience of the most successful Tory politician in Canada. Ford, a seasoned veteran of such potentially fraught televised encounters in three bruising Ontario elections, urged Carney to play to his strengths. It was an argument the premier articulated in more public forums at the Calgary Stampede on Monday and again the following day in an interview with Newstalk 1010's Deb Hutton in Toronto. 'I truly believe that, having conversations with the prime minister, he's no Justin Trudeau, I'll tell you that,' Ford assured Hutton, echoing his comments at a joint news conference with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith the morning before. Their move comes against the backdrop of Prime Minister Mark Carney promising to make Canada 'an 'He's a business-minded person. He's a Goldman Sachs guy, chair of Brookfield (Asset Management), chair of Bloomberg, governor of the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England,' he said. 'This guy's no shrinking violet. He's a smart, smart individual. He understands that we need to bring more revenues and be more self-reliant ... within Canada and diversify our trade across the world.' The personal warmth between the 60-year-olds — born within four months of one another, each into families with two brothers and one sister — began over breakfast at Wally's Grill in Rexdale on March 12. The Ontario premier and the incoming prime minister held their first in-person meeting at Carney, three days after succeeding Trudeau as Liberal leader but still two days from being sworn in as prime minister, travelled to Etobicoke for the morning confab. With no media cameras in tow at the restaurant, though an official photographer was there to document the meeting, there wasn't the commotion or the artifice of a staged political event. Over poached eggs and tea, the two men had time to chat while aides hovered nearby. Recognizing Ford, the local MPP for Etobicoke North, two diners approached their table. 'Doug, you should be the prime minister,' enthused one of the patrons, praising the premier's 'Canada Is Not For Sale' crusade during the Feb. 27 Ontario election. Not missing a beat, Ford laughed and motioned across the small table to an equally amused Carney. 'Well, this is the prime minister,' said the premier with a grin. Bonhomie aside, the two most powerful politicians in Canada are adherents to Nobel laureate economist Paul Romer's mantra that 'a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.' That's why they have both rammed through controversial legislation — Carney's Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, and Ford's Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act — designed to expedite major infrastructure projects like pipelines and rail corridors. It's why the prime minister has tried to turbocharge the premiers' push to remove interprovincial trade barriers they believe cost the Canadian economy $200 billion annually. 'Listen, there is a real strong relationship there,' a senior federal Liberal said. 'It's credit to Doug. Doug is, as you know, the outgoing chair of the Council of the Federation and he's done a fantastic job as the chair' said the Carney confidante, referring to the rotating role of chairing the premiers' organization. 'Doug has been a very strong ally. He's helped, in partnership with the prime minister, to keep the country united and strong as we navigate the tariffs and our relationship with the United States.' At last month's first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, Carney and Ford were like impish schoolboys, smiling and sharing whispered asides during the interminable closing news conference whenever the cameras were focused on other premiers. 'The average person wants governments of all stripes to work together and that's exactly what Doug and the PM have been doing. They've set aside whatever partisanship ... that may exist as a trademark of politics,' said the federal Liberal. 'What Doug is doing ... is working shoulder-to-shoulder with the prime minister and other premiers so that we can stitch together the various regional economies under the banner of building these major projects that are in the national interest,' added the Grit. 'This is the way in which we're going to get the economy firing on all cylinders. We're going to get the economy more productive. We're going to get the economy to be more competitive.' Ford's advisers acknowledge the relationship between Queen's Park and Ottawa can never be all sunshine and roses, but say right now 'it feels very adult and practical and respectful.' 'I shouldn't interfere in the federal election,' Ford told reporters in Mississauga on Wednesday 'It's not without tension for sure — we bark at each other, but it's respectful,' said a senior provincial insider. Federal Liberals, meanwhile, remain baffled that Poilievre's Conservatives treated Ford with indifference bordering on contempt for most of the past two years. As reported by the Star earlier this year, the federal Tory leader made his first-ever call to the premier on March 17, days before Carney called the election. The premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario, the Star has learned. Equally surprising, the Poilievre Tories underestimated the Liberal prime minister's bona fides among some loyalists to the late Jim Flaherty . The former federal and provincial finance minister, who died in 2014 , anointed Carney, a fellow diminutive Irish-Canadian Ivy League hockey player, as Bank of Canada governor 17 years ago. While former prime minister Stephen Harper endorsed Poilievre during the campaign , conveniently ignoring the fact he asked Carney to be his treasurer after Flaherty resigned due to illness, not all Tories followed his advice. A revered figure among many Conservatives — including, significantly, the Ford family — Flaherty thought very highly of Carney personally and professionally. So much so that a few of his former aides have privately confided they cast Liberal votes for the first time in their lives in part to honour the memory of their beloved boss. Such expressions of loyalty matter to Ford, whose first deputy premier and health minister was the well-respected Christine Elliott , Flaherty's widow. Similarly, Carney, who marvels at the premier's skills both as a retail politician and as a consensus-builder around the table at the Council of the Federation, was grateful when Ford publicly defended him in Calgary. 'He wants to get things going. He comes from Alberta,' the Ontarian reminded reporters there Monday. 'I have all the confidence that he's going to listen to the premiers and straighten out the federal government once and for all.'
