Nearly five miles of Washington Street from the Near Eastside through Irvington will get upgraded, thanks to a nearly $22 million federal grant.

Why it matters: The road improvements, including lane reconfigurations, upgraded sidewalks and crossings and new traffic signals, are one piece of IndyGo's larger Blue Line bus rapid transit project.

• The nearly $400 million project, spanning from the Indianapolis International Airport on the city's west side to Cumberland on the east, will be the third in the public transit agency's comprehensive rapid-transit program.

Driving the news: The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the winners of its latest round of infrastructure funding grants yesterday. A total of $1.8 billion was awarded for 148 projects nationwide.

• IndyGo received $21.9 million to improve safety and mobility along 4.7 miles of Washington Street, from Highland to Edmonson avenues.

The big picture: This stretch of Washington Street includes the intersection where a 7-year-old girl was killed while walking home from school with her mother in 2021, which has spurred the Irvington community to lobby for traffic calming and safety measures.

• Another student was hit by a car yesterday along this same stretch of road while trying to board her school bus.
• The 12-year-old girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

What they're saying: "It's a huge win and will go a long way toward getting the Blue Line across the finish line," Indy Department of Public Works director Brandon Herget said.

What's next: The work along Washington Street is expected to start next spring.

Zoom out

The granddaughter of a Negro Leagues legend says celebrations like the one held Saturday at Victory Field are so much bigger than just a night at the ballpark.

Why it matters: Long-overlooked ballplayers of color are finally getting their recognition and reshaping the record books following the May announcement that their stats will be officially acknowledged by the MLB.

Driving the news: The Indianapolis Indians honored Negro Leagues players Saturday night when they donned Indianapolis Clowns jerseys and took on the Iowa Cubs.

• Vanessa Ivy Rose, granddaughter of multiple Hall of Famer Norman "Turkey" Stearnes and host of the ABC News podcast "Reclaimed: The Forgotten League," attended the game wearing a custom Clowns jersey.
• "This is honestly the biggest celebration I've ever seen for the Negro Leagues … I've been to many, but they do it right here," Rose told Axios. "These players contributed majorly to the sport, and to write the story of baseball and not include them is like a double punishment after what they've already endured."

State of play: Considered one of the best hitters of all time, Stearnes played for Negro Leagues teams in Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, New York and Philadelphia.

• Once the MLB included stats from the Negro Leagues into the records, Stearnes' staggering .348 batting average placed him sixth on the list of all-time batting leaders.

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👀 Mayor Joe Hogsett's proposal to build a soccer-specific stadium on the east side of downtown in an effort to lure MLS to town passed the Metropolitan Development Commission yesterday.

• Next steps are a feasibility study on the site and a final signoff from the state before a private ownership group makes an official appeal for an expansion team.
• The identities of those willing to fund the team have been secret, but Hogsett hinted yesterday that Pacers owner Herb Simon may be among them.

⚖️ Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita want to resume executions in Indiana prisons, starting with a man responsible for a Fort Wayne quadruple homicide in 1997.

• Convicted in 1999, Joseph Corcoran has been awaiting execution since exhausting his appeals in 2016. (WANE)

🏫 The Washington Township Schools district is looking for a new North Central principal. Daniel Mendez resigned from the position after just 14 months, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. (IndyStar)

Meet Pancha La Flor, an Indianapolis drag performer with deep theater and cosplay roots.

The inspo: La Flor tells Axios her journey to the drag stage began several years ago with a desire to emulate the looks of female video game, comic and anime icons like Chun Li, Poison Ivy and Sailor Saturn.

Zoom in: As the time demands of the cosplay game began to pile up, drag — something she always wanted to get into — came calling about two years ago.

• "... it's not just about being a drag queen," she says. "It can be about being a drag king. Or it can be more inclusive and be about being a drag artist. Drag is art."

What she's making now: More trips to center stage. La Flor has a show in Bloomington tomorrow night but will return to Indy Saturday to perform at Latinx Pride at The Vogue.

Check her out

The Savannah Bananas are bringing their unique brand of baseball hijinks back to the Circle City.

Why it matters: The Bananas World Tour, which hits Indianapolis for three days of sold-out action at Victory Field starting tonight, is a viral sensation that reminds us all to loosen up.

The intrigue: The team is deliberate with its word choices — the Bananas rehearse (not practice) for their nightly shows (not games).

• Umpires dance, players toss bananas around the field and the two teams even do things like break into spontaneous dodgeball matches near home plate.

The big picture: The Bananas were once an ordinary collegiate summer team, but ownership pivoted in 2022 to a unique brand of "Banana Ball" to spur greater fan interest.

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