🥳 TGIF!

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 84 and a low of 71.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Indianapolis members Vincent Delaney and George Turner!

Today's newsletter is 1,091 words — a 4-minute read.

While Indiana is generally late to the party on drug reform and deregulation — ie, legal weed — the Hoosier state is at the forefront of medical research into psychedelics as a mental health treatment.

Why it matters: Research has highlighted the promise of psychedelic compounds in treating mental illness — like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

• A team from Indiana University, with backing from the state, is contributing to that research with a clinical trial treating veterans and first responders suffering from treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorder with psilocybin, also known as "magic mushrooms."

The big picture: The federal government gave psychedelics research the green light in April, and some in the industry expect FDA approval for a psychedelic treatment to come as early as this year.

• Veterans have emerged as a leading group campaigning to take psychedelic therapy mainstream.

State of play: Helen Fox, an associate professor of psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine, says research has already demonstrated "unprecedented findings" for psychedelics in treatment-resistant depression and other mental health issues.

• Her taxpayer-funded clinical trial seeks to answer which dose of psilocybin (5 mg, 10 mg, or 25 mg) is safe and effective to treat depression and substance use.

What they're saying: "We can be optimistic," Fox said during a recent panel discussion about the role of psychedelics in the mental health care of veterans. "We have to be cautiously optimistic."

Zoom in: Fox's research is funded in part by the Therapeutic Psilocybin Research Fund, created by the Indiana General Assembly in 2024 to help Hoosier research institutions study the use of psilocybin to treat mental health and other medical conditions.

• Last year's budget allocated $300,000 to the fund for this year and next.

What's next: Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville) says he'll be advocating for continued funding in the next budget-writing session, starting in January.

Go deeper

It's looking more likely the Chicago Bears are really going to end up in Indiana.

Driving the news: The team is evaluating two sites near Wolf Lake in Hammond for a potential stadium and surrounding mixed-use development, Bears president Kevin Warren said during a press conference yesterday.

• The team says the Lost Marsh area is suitable for a stadium and is looking at possibly merging it with the Wolf Lake terminal area to create more mixed-use development space including retail, hotels and housing.
• Warren said he is in regular communication with Indiana lawmakers, while saying talks with Illinois leaders have been "minimal."

What they're saying: "We're reaching that point where we have to make a determination and decision," Warren said.

• "The representatives from the state of Indiana, all the way from the governor's office to representatives in Northwest Indiana, have been phenomenal partners."

Flashback: In June, the Bears board of directors voted to explore sites in Indiana after the Illinois legislature failed to pass a proposed stadium tax incentive package in its spring session.

• Indiana had already passed tax breaks to lure the Bears across the state border.
• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he was open to calling lawmakers back for a special summer session, but only if the Bears clearly laid out what they wanted from the state.

The bottom line: Indiana has viable sites and legislation; Illinois and the Bears can't even agree on who should make the next move.

💡 Just days after Andy Zay filed a lawsuit over his ousting from the IURC, AES Indiana requested the commission not reconsider the utility's approved $71 million rate hike while Zay's firing remains in dispute. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

🛒 Indianapolis residents are losing another grocery store option. The Safeway at 2176 Shelby St. in Garfield Park is set to permanently close on a yet-to-be-announced date. (IBJ)

⛈️ Gov. Mike Braun has issued a statewide disaster emergency order in response to this week's storms causing widespread damage, power loss, severe flooding and injuries. (FOX59)

🏈 Former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt has been named head coach of the Indianapolis Capitols, the new minor league pro football team. (IndyStar)

👮‍♂️ An IMPD officer accused of using the city's automated license plate readers for personal reasons has been suspended and recommended for termination. (WTHR)

🦏 The Indianapolis Zoo was forced to bid a sad farewell this week to Gloria, a 47-year-old white rhinoceros who has been at the facility for the past 18 years, due to declining health and mobility. (WRTV)

The Pacers' road back from a 19-win season includes a trip to Mexico City and an NBA Cup championship game in Indianapolis.

Why it matters: With superstar Tyrese Haliburton returning to the court, the 2026-27 Pacers look more like the team that nearly won it all one summer ago than the squad that set a franchise record for regular-season losses.

Yes, but: The NBA doesn’t seem as convinced, and that’s reflected in the league's decision to limit the team to only a handful of marquee spots on national TV.

Zoom in: The release of the full 2026-27 NBA schedule yesterday afternoon includes 11 Pacers games scheduled for national broadcast, up from nine the year before.

• Their only ESPN game is Oct. 28 when they host LeBron James and the 76ers. Philly will come back to town for this year's Gold Friday game on Nov. 27.
• They’ll step into the spotlight on NBC against the Pistons on March 16.

More big games

Even with big multiday events like the Indiana State Fair and the IndyFringe Festival in full swing, Indy still has more to offer adventure seekers this weekend.

📽️ Spend the weekend watching documentaries that inspire socially conscious discourse during the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival, Friday-Sunday at Indy Art Center and Kan-Kan Cinema.

• Opening night tickets start at $35. Single screening tickets start at $15.

🌭 Fill up on food, fun and fundraising during the 22nd annual St. Thomas Aquinas SausageFest, 5:30pm-midnight Friday and Saturday.

🩰 Take in a free outdoor performance when the Indianapolis Ballet presents Ballet in the Park at Taggart Memorial Amphitheater alongside food trucks and family activities.

• The festivities start at 6pm, and the performance starts at 8pm.

More weekend picks

Our picks:

🐶 Arika wants to go hiking with corgis in Maine.

🦏 Justin is glad he got to visit Gloria one last time during his recent trip to the Indianapolis Zoo.