Latest news with #Hinkle
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
I took on the Indy Hoops Pass challenge. Here's what I discovered about basketball in Indy
Coming from Texas and Chicago, I never knew how core basketball is to Indy. But then I found myself in Indianapolis this summer when the city is hosting the WNBA All-Star Game. This weekend felt like the perfect time to learn everything I can about Indianapolis and basketball, so I signed up for the Indy Hoops Pass, a self-guided tour through hoops history that runs through All-Star weekend. My pass took me from iconic courts to hidden basketball-themed art installations throughout Indy, and it's safe to say: in Indy, basketball is more than a sport. The idea behind the Hoops pass is simple: visit basketball-themed locations around Indianapolis, scan the QR codes on the ground, and rack up points for prizes (each location is worth 100 points). But finding those codes? Not as easy as it I embarked on a crash course on Indy basketball, learning about the game one stop at a time. I visited one of the oldest college basketball arenas still in use, Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse. I checked the bust of longtime Butler coach Tony Hinkle, then peered into the building that's hosted buzzer-beaters, milestone games — including Butler's 1929 title — and the final scenes of iconic sports film 'Hoosiers.' Fittingly dubbed 'Indiana's Basketball Cathedral,' Hinkle felt sacred. Next up: the 'Free Basket' installation at the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at Newfields. This funky collection of sculptural hoops blends art and play in unexpected ways — a perfect example of basketball as both science and expression. Hoops meet sculpture. Art meets game. But I almost did not find the well-hidden QR code here. I had to wander a while before finally spotting it. Almost missed it entirely. Downtown Indy was buzzing. Crews were hanging banners, the Nike pop-up across the Morris Bicentennial Plaza was coming together, and even the sidewalks were decked out in orange — carpet included. I had to check out Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers and Fever. All around the area were larger-than-life murals of Caitlin Clark, some tucked into alleyways, others wrapped around full buildings like one big love letter to basketball. All along, I kept my eyes peeled for those QR codes. Pro tip: slow down and look twice. I stopped by The Sports Legend Experience at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, where one towering dinosaur wore a whistle and another posed mid-dribble with an orange basketball, ready to sub in. In Indy, basketball and the Hoops Pass, is for everyone to enjoy, it seems, from toddlers to T. rexes. One of the more powerful moments came at the downtown statue that honors Indiana native and coach John Wooden. More than a photo op, Wooden's Legacy provides a reminder of how basketball's roots in Indy go far beyond the action. Values like discipline and humility were passed down through coaches like Wooden; he didn't just coach basketball, he coached character. The Indy Hoops Pass isn't just about basketball. It's about art, history, and the little discoveries you'll make along the way. It challenged me to slow down and explore new corners of the city. This wasn't just about prizes (although everyone loves free stuff); my pass showed me a side of Indianapolis I hadn't fully appreciated. Basketball here isn't just a sport, it's a reason to paint a wall or build a museum exhibit or lace up your shoes and try something new.
Axios
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Richmond parking tickets cost drivers millions
Drivers paid nearly $43 million in Richmond parking tickets between 2015 and 2023, according to a deep dive from The Richmonder. Why it matters: Parking tickets are the bane of many residents' existence. The big picture: The revenue collected — which averages about $400,000 per month — goes toward sustaining Richmond's parking system, not city services in general, city spokesperson Michael Hinkle tells Axios. The system includes Richmond's contract with SP Plus Corp. to issue citations, Hinkle says. The five-year contract, which expires December 2026, costs Richmond about $5.6 million a year, reports the Richmonder. That's more than the money Richmond gets from parking tickets annually, per the Richmonder's analysis. Zoom in: Despite it feeling like the city's parking monitors are everywhere, they're still not ticketing as much as they did pre-pandemic, which means parking ticket revenue hasn't bounced back yet. That could change when the minimum charge for a parking ticket jumps from $25 to $30 on July 1. Thought bubble: I'm personally dreading that increase considering I just found out I've paid Richmond $1,032 in parking tickets since moving to the city in 2020.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Drivers in Birmingham concerned about prices at the pump after Israel attacks Iran
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The price of crude oil rose on Friday in the wake of Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets. Concerns about escalating violence could impact the flow of crude globally. We talked with drivers in Birmingham to see how concerned they are about paying more at the pump. Gasoline at a Chevron gas station in Avondale was $2.89 for regular gas on Friday afternoon. Michael Hinkle, who drives a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, said he spends a lot of time behind the wheel playing the role of 'Uber dad': 'Taking my teenage daughter wherever she may want to go, and then my son, he's in sports, so you know, we got to get back and forth to his practice and his games,' Hinkle explained. If gas prices increase significantly, Hinkle said that may have to change. 'We'll probably have to start carpooling games and stuff like that, and I'll tell my daughter she'll have to cut back on going out with friends and everything, just hanging out at the house.' Evanescence coming to Tuscaloosa Sept. 11 Art Carden, who teaches economics at Samford University, explained how this might play out in terms of paying more at the pump. 'If we have a sustained conflict, then maybe we end up with slightly higher prices over the longer term,' Carden said. 'You might want to think about gas mileage the next time you buy a car. But this is anything but catastrophic.' Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis for GasBuddy, said you will be paying more at the pump. 'Diesel prices could go up 10 to 30 cents a gallon over the next week or two starting here and now,' he said. He said gas prices could jump 10 to 15 cents a gallon over the next week or so starting as early as this weekend. De Haan said these are just estimates that could change. He added that the good news at the end of the day is that gas prices are still about 31 cents lower than last year. He noted that if escalations continue and Iran shuts down the vital Strait of Hormuz, which sees a significant amount of crude oil flowing through it every day, the situation could change. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Economic Times
09-06-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
The biggest explosion since the Big Bang; Star ripped apart by a Black Hole unleashes history's most powerful and brightest known explosion
TIL Creatives Astronomers discover new class of extreme outbursts shining 25 times brighter than the strongest supernovae Imagine a star, more than three times the mass of our Sun, straying too close to a supermassive black hole. Instead of quietly fading, it's torn apart, and what follows is one of the most powerful explosions ever witnessed. Astronomers now call these titanic outbursts Extreme Nuclear Transients, or ENTs, and they may be the most energetic cosmic phenomena since the universe's inception. ENTs stand apart from regular tidal disruption events (TDEs) and supernovae by a staggering margin. The largest event recorded, named 'Gaia18cdj', unleashed 25 times more energy than the most powerful supernova ever found, equivalent to what 100 Suns would emit over their entire lifetimes, concentrated in a year. The discovery was led by Jason Hinkle, a doctoral researcher at the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy. While combing through data from ESA's Gaia mission, Hinkle noticed something odd: smooth, long‑lasting flares from galactic centers that looked nothing like typical cosmic fireworks. 'Gaia doesn't tell you what a transient is, but when I saw these smooth, long‑lived flares… I knew we were looking at something unusual,' Hinkle said Two such flares were traced to 2016 and 2018, with a third dubbed 'Scary Barbie' detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility in 2020. Follow‑up observations from the WM Keck Observatory and other telescopes confirmed their extraordinary brightness and behave differently from more common cosmic explosions. Typical TDEs brighten and fade within weeks, but ENTs linger for months or even years, shining nearly ten times brighter than any previously studied events For co‑author Benjamin Shappee, ENTs offer something deeper than just fireworks.'ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies, and we gain insights into black‑hole growth when the universe was half its current age,' he rare, estimated to be ten million times less frequent than supernovae, these cosmic giants offer a powerful way to study black holes in action. With upcoming telescopes like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA's Roman Space Telescope, astronomers expect to find more ENTs, painting a richer picture of how black holes shaped our cosmos. As Hinkle puts it, 'This was the final piece of my doctoral work… thrilling to think we're opening a new chapter in understanding how stars die and how black holes shape the universe.'
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
The biggest explosion since the Big Bang; Star ripped apart by a Black Hole unleashes history's most powerful and brightest known explosion
Imagine a star, more than three times the mass of our Sun , straying too close to a supermassive black hole . Instead of quietly fading, it's torn apart, and what follows is one of the most powerful explosions ever witnessed. Astronomers now call these titanic outbursts Extreme Nuclear Transients , or ENTs, and they may be the most energetic cosmic phenomena since the universe's inception. ENTs stand apart from regular tidal disruption events (TDEs) and supernovae by a staggering margin. The largest event recorded, named 'Gaia18cdj', unleashed 25 times more energy than the most powerful supernova ever found, equivalent to what 100 Suns would emit over their entire lifetimes, concentrated in a year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The price of dental implants may surprise you Dental Implants | Search Ads Search Now The discovery was led by Jason Hinkle, a doctoral researcher at the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy. While combing through data from ESA's Gaia mission , Hinkle noticed something odd: smooth, long‑lasting flares from galactic centers that looked nothing like typical cosmic fireworks. 'Gaia doesn't tell you what a transient is, but when I saw these smooth, long‑lived flares… I knew we were looking at something unusual,' Hinkle said Live Events Two such flares were traced to 2016 and 2018, with a third dubbed 'Scary Barbie' detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility in 2020. Follow‑up observations from the WM Keck Observatory and other telescopes confirmed their extraordinary brightness and longevity. ENTs behave differently from more common cosmic explosions . Typical TDEs brighten and fade within weeks, but ENTs linger for months or even years, shining nearly ten times brighter than any previously studied events For co‑author Benjamin Shappee, ENTs offer something deeper than just fireworks. 'ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies, and we gain insights into black‑hole growth when the universe was half its current age,' he said. While rare, estimated to be ten million times less frequent than supernovae, these cosmic giants offer a powerful way to study black holes in action. With upcoming telescopes like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA's Roman Space Telescope, astronomers expect to find more ENTs, painting a richer picture of how black holes shaped our cosmos . As Hinkle puts it, 'This was the final piece of my doctoral work… thrilling to think we're opening a new chapter in understanding how stars die and how black holes shape the universe.'
