Indianapolis remains one of the worst cities in the U.S. for getting around on two wheels, per a bicycle advocacy group's new study.

Why it matters: Indy leaders and advocates are trying to navigate the Circle City through a street safety crisis that has disproportionally claimed the lives of bicyclists and pedestrians.

Pedaling the news: Each year, nonprofit PeopleForBikes rates thousands of U.S. cities in its Best Places to Bike rankings.

How it works: Cities are scored on a scale of 0-100 based on "low-stress" access to residential areas, jobs and schools, basic needs, recreation, shopping and major transit hubs.

By the numbers: Indianapolis earned just 20 points, well below the national average of 36.

• That score puts Indy at No. 2485 out of the 3019 cities ranked, and No. 548 in the Midwest.
• Our best grades came for access to shopping centers (31) and areas where other residents live (21).
• Our lowest marks were access to core services (12) and job/schools (16).

The good news: We're up from an overall score of 15 last year, 12 in 2024 and 11 in 2023.

Zoom in: Central Indiana's suburbs fared better, with Carmel coming in at No. 2 with a score of 62, and Fishers landing at No. 5 with a score of 47.

• The state's No. 1 place to bike is Santa Claus. The Spencer County community, with a population of just over 2,500, also ranked No. 33 in the nation with 79 points, making it the only Indiana city to crack the U.S. top 100.

The big picture: Small communities with fewer than 16,000 residents swept the top 10, suggesting that compact places with connected streets and easy access to daily destinations can outperform much larger cities.

Go deeper

Indy may not be tops for biking, but it's hard to beat the Monon Trail — which is why apartments, townhomes, a school and a hotel are all in the works along several miles of the former rail trail just north of downtown.

Why it matters: What had been a largely industrial, undeveloped stretch of one of the city's best amenities is projected to become one of Indianapolis' fastest-growing residential areas.

State of play: Population growth in the area is projected to outpace that of the broader county, according to the city, as hundreds of apartments, townhomes and other housing projects come online.

Zoom in: Just south of the Indiana State Fairgrounds, work has begun on a $50 million, 200-unit affordable housing project.

• Apartments have opened with townhomes, a Hyatt hotel, and an entertainment venue planned for a development around the trail at 30th Street.
• About one mile south, developer Onyx + East is constructing a community of rental townhomes and single-family homes on the east side of the trail, while a three-building project of 111 apartments is underway on the west.

What's next: The city is considering development ideas for "The Bulge," a 16-acre parcel of open land it owns between 25th and 28th streets along the Monon.

• A neighborhood survey found residents wanted to see more places to shop and eat, while maintaining green space.
• Mixed-density housing is likely to be part of the development, too.
• "Some portion of the Bulge site will likely become park space," according to city documents.

⛹️‍♂️ Division I athletes can play five seasons over a five-year period under new rules from the NCAA that seek to make eligibility less complicated and more predictable.

• Eligibility begins with an athlete's full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. (Associated Press)

📵 U.S. Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.) has introduced legislation for a data center moratorium until safeguards can be put in place at the federal level. (FOX59)

🐘 Indiana's Republican Party added closed primaries and the elimination of property taxes to its official platform. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Meet Kyle Armstrong, the leader of an Indy-based tech startup looking to tackle a national shortage of sports officials.

The inspo: Armstrong is the founder of RefReps, a digital platform that helps schools and sports organizations educate the next generation of legendary refs.

• To address a lack of officials that emerged during the pandemic, RefReps launched a pilot program in 2022 with the Indiana High School Athletic Association, seven schools and 79 students.

Zoom in: The goal was to make something that was easy to use, interactive and classroom-ready to remotely teach officiating standards supported by professional and collegiate leagues.

• It has since expanded across 1,000 schools and organizations, preparing officials across 15 sports.

The latest: Armstrong was among those honored during the 2026 TechPoint Mira Awards.

• He was presented with the Rising Entrepreneur of the Year Award for "delivering a best-in-class entrepreneurial performance marked by clear vision, meaningful traction, and exceptional execution," according to a statement from TechPoint.

What he's saying: Armstrong — who described entrepreneurship as both exhilarating and devastating — said the two things needed to make something great are an unwillingness to quit and a "team that dreams with you."

• "You are changing the world through sports officiating," he told the RefReps squad after receiving the award. "Who would have ever dreamed of that?"

Check him out: On the RefReps website.

Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA record this week.

Driving the news: The Fever split their back-to-back games with the Phoenix Mercury, falling Wednesday after Clark led the Fever to a victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Monday with 24 points.

• It was her sixth straight game with 20+ points and 5+ assists, a league record. She almost broke it again on Wednesday, with 19 points and 8 assists, but left in the third quarter with a back injury.
• She'd previously shared the record of five games with Kelsey Plum, Arike Ogunbowale and Cappie Pondexter.

The intrigue: There seems to be some unfinished business between Mercury player DeWanna Bonner and her former teammates.

• Bonner lasted just nine games with the Fever last year before leaving.
• Clark and Bonner got into an altercation on Monday, and each received technical fouls, as did Fever star Sophie Cunningham and two other players who entered the fray after the fact.

What we're watching: How many techs are handed out when these teams see each other again on July 9.