INDIANAPOLIS — Indy's far east side now has a relaxing community asset to call its own. The Grassy Creek Park addition on German Church Road is ready after two years of construction.

The new park blends a community center and play area with a vast area of natural beauty. Indy Parks bills it as an 'environmental community center,' one of just four in the city.

"It's Eagle Creek Park, Holliday Park, and Southeastway Park," said Alex Cortwright of Indy Parks. "It really provides multiple ways to play and learn. You may start coming here as a little kid and play on the playground to identify nature features, then you may come here for summer camp and identify the nature in real life."

Cortwright also said the new Grassy Creek playground is the largest in the parks system.
Neighbors around the Grassy Creek Park expansion are pleasantly surprised that Indy Parks decided to invest in their community.

"It's actually pretty good that they're actually making our community look better, more than it has before," said Albert Velez. "I can come down and look at birds and stuff like that."
"It's nice seeing them trying to do something nice around this side of town," added Keyshawn Williams.

Quincy Bright believes the new Grassy Creek Park can be the peaceful place children in his community need.
"I'm a home-based case management worker, so I work with a lot of kids in the community. I'll be definitely using this as one of my tools," Bright said. "It's kind of cool, it's actually better than I thought. To do something like this and see everyone from the community have something positive to come to, it's good to see."

Cortwright hopes everyone in Indianapolis checks out the new Grassy Creek Park at least once.
"It's such a quality of life boost," Cortwright said. "It's opportunities for engaging with nature and fun for kids on this playground and elsewhere."
-
Patients file lawsuits in Marion County over GLP-1 side effects
In the past few months, court records show dozens of lawsuits filed by patients in Marion County against Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of Ozempic and Wegovy.
Federal agents, multiple police agencies make drug arrest on northeast side
Multiple police agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, arrested a 26-year-old man on Indianapolis' east side Tuesday morning.Father dies after car enters retention pond, police save two children
Indianapolis and Lawrence police officers saved two young children from a retention pond overnight after their father drove their car into the water and it submerged on the northeast side.
Kids could miss out on summer meals after state opts out of food aid program
Students all across the state could miss out on summer meals after the state opted out of a summer food aid program meant to provide extra benefits to families in need