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🌱 Patch AM: Why Tamika Catchings is closing Tea’s Me’s original 22nd Street cafe

Make time for The Nutcracker - presented by Metropolitan Youth Ballet on the Indianapolis Patch calendar

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Thursday December 18th Patch AM
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Coffee in hand, Indianapolis? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why Tamika Catchings is closing Tea’s Me’s original 22nd Street cafe
  • Why Martin University alumni say their Indianapolis campus isn’t “dead” yet
  • How a west side pantry is transforming into a grocery-style lifeline

Also on today's calendar: The Nutcracker - presented by Metropolitan Youth Ballet and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Indianapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Indianapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Windy with periods of rain, with a high of 55 and low of 20 degrees.
  • Friday: Much colder, temps: high: 29, low: 26.
  • Saturday: Breezy in the morning, with a high of 48 and low of 28 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Tamika Catchings' Tea's Me Cafe to close original 22nd street location (indianapolisrecorder.com) — Tea’s Me Cafe will close its original East 22nd Street location in Indianapolis on Dec. 30, but its Tarkington Park and Indiana University Indianapolis campus cafes will stay open. Owner Tamika Catchings says the move supports a new campus-focused model, and the shop is marking the transition with a bottled tea blowout sale and farewell events for neighbors.
   

2. Alumni call for leadership change at Martin University (wthr.com) — Alumni and students of Martin University gathered on Indianapolis’ east side demanding leadership changes after the school paused operations and laid off staff. They’re pressing the board for answers, insisting the historically Black institution isn’t dead and fighting for options so roughly 200 students, many close to graduating, aren’t left starting over.
   

3. West Indianapolis food pantry expands to meet growing demand for food resources (wthr.com) — A west Indianapolis neighborhood center is expanding its Morris Street food pantry into a grocery-style space with more refrigeration to better serve low-income families in a local food desert. Demand has jumped more than 25%, and the nonprofit is still $50,000 short of its $826,000 renovation goal as it works to centralize food resources on the city’s west side.
   

4. Court records detail how investigators tracked down alleged street racers that caused fatal crash in Indianapolis (fox59.com) — Investigators in Indianapolis used surveillance video, witness accounts, and a home visit to identify two men now charged in connection with an alleged street-racing crash that killed a driver at North Lynhurst Drive and West Vermont Street. Court records outline how police linked a burned pickup, a Mustang, and an Altima back to a westside residence and arrested two stepbrothers.
   

5. The City of Indianapolis' "Indy Peace Fellowship" 2025 review (wrtv.com) — Indianapolis officials report the city’s Indy Peace Fellowship helped drive more than a 20% drop in criminal homicides and nearly a 30% reduction in non-fatal shootings this year. Program leaders say stronger partnerships with neighborhoods, IMPD, and local organizations are paying off, and they plan to keep using daily data reviews and community outreach to push violence even lower in 2026.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Does she belong to anyone ?
    i can not keep her but she wont leave my garage , i have reached out to shelters but no one has responded. She seems to be 8-12 months and pregnant … (Nextdoor Ethel Acres / Kessler Blvd)
  • While there are so many dogs and cats available for adoption and who desperately need loving homes, please think carefully before buying or adopting a cat , dog, kitten, puppy as a present for a child or even your entire family.
    From what I’ve been told by shelter workers and volunteers , far too many adopted dogs and cats are returned after the holidays - when the novelty… (Nextdoor Meridian Woods)

Ok Indianapolis! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
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