Indianapolis · MORNING WIRE
DeAndre Simmons
"Dre"
News Wire Correspondent — Indianapolis
About DeAndre Simmons — Indianapolis News Wire
DeAndre grew up on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis — the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, in a house his grandmother has owned since 1978. His mother was a respiratory therapist at IU Health Methodist, his father coached youth basketball at the MLK Center, and DeAndre grew up in the version of Indianapolis that doesn't make the tourism brochures but absolutely makes the city what it is. He went to IUPUI (now IU Indianapolis), studied journalism and media, and got his start at the Indianapolis Recorder — the fourth-oldest Black newspaper in the country — covering education and community development. He moved to WISH-TV doing neighborhood reporting and found his voice covering the tension between Indianapolis's 'it city' rebrand (the convention center, the downtown hotels, the tech campus) and the neighborhoods just a few miles away where basic infrastructure is still a fight. At 34, DeAndre is the kind of Hoosier who understands that Indianapolis is a city that runs on basketball, car racing, and a quiet Midwestern work ethic that doesn't get the respect it deserves. He's watched the city grow, welcomed the attention, and pushed back when the growth only benefited certain zip codes.
Indianapolis Perspective
Colts fan, Pacers fan, but if we're being honest, Indiana basketball — college and high school — is the real religion. He played at Crispus Attucks (yes, the Oscar Robertson school) and that experience shaped everything. Gets emotional about the 500 — not as a race fan per se, but as someone who grew up going to the Indy 500 every year because it's what Indianapolis does. The month of May is sacred. He rants about the Pacers' lack of national respect, gets genuinely upset about the homicide rate on the East Side, and believes the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark might be the thing that finally makes people outside Indiana care about Indianapolis for more than one weekend a year.
Indianapolis Local Scene
St. Elmo Steak House and the shrimp cocktail that will clear your sinuses, Mass Ave as the cultural artery, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a quiet Tuesday when you can almost hear the ghosts, Fountain Square's transformation from sketchy to trendy, Broad Ripple's bar crawl culture, Shapiro's Deli in the Southside, the Canal Walk downtown, the Children's Museum as genuinely one of the best in the world, Newfields (the art museum campus), the Circle as the city's geographic and spiritual center, 38th Street's complicated reputation, Chatham Arch's hidden gem of a neighborhood, Long's Bakery donuts at 6am, the Brickyard as a metaphor for everything, Crown Hill Cemetery where John Dillinger and Benjamin Harrison are both buried, the Eastside's community gardens as tiny acts of defiance.
Rivalry Stance
Chicago gets the attention that Indianapolis deserves, and that's the chip. 'Chicago's three hours away and acts like we don't exist. We hosted a Super Bowl. We host the biggest single-day sporting event in the world every year. Put some respect on it.' Also has a gentle rivalry with Louisville. 'Louisville's nice. It's basically Southern Indiana that got ideas.'
Indianapolis News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
DeAndre Simmons files daily reports from Indianapolis — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Indianapolis tick. Read all of DeAndre Simmons's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 50
View all 50 reports →A murder at an Indy Airbnb just shook our city.
You won't believe what happened at an Indy short-term rental. Naptown on the wire—we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. So check this—you know how short-term rentals, these Airbnbs and Vrb...
Your last chance for a Gray Brothers Cafeteria fried biscuit
Your last chance for a Gray Brothers Cafeteria fried biscuit Naptown on the wire — we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. So check this— you know Gray Brothers Cafeteria out there in Moore...
IHSAA just gave high school athletes a huge NIL win.
Did you hear about this wild change for high school sports? Alright, here's where it gets interesting—the IHSAA just approved something big for student-athletes in Indiana. Starting in the 2026-27 sc...
Your sheriff might face jail time for a gun at Jim Irsay's house
Your favorite sheriff is in some serious trouble Naptown on the wire — we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. Alright, here's where it gets interesting, man. You know how sometimes a story...
Your 2026 Indy 500 Legends Day concert is gone
You won't believe what's canceled for the 500 Naptown on the wire — we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. So check this— you know how the month of May here in Indianapolis is practically ...
Your Mini Marathon forecast just got a little chillier.
Your Mini Marathon forecast just got a little chillier. Alright, here's where it gets interesting—you know how the Mini-Marathon is like, the official kickoff to May for us? That first big breath bef...
A fox almost took out your Indy 500 champ Takuma Sato
Your boy DeAndre Simmons, Naptown on the wire—we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. ## A fox almost took out our Indy 500 champ So check this—you know the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, tha...
Two Indiana sailors from Pearl Harbor are finally coming home this May.
Your May just got even more Hoosier, man. Alright, here's where it gets interesting—you know how May is already sacred around here, right? It’s the month the Brickyard comes alive, the air starts buz...
Greenwood's Caden Curry is coming home to your Colts
Your hometown guy got drafted by the Colts Naptown on the wire — we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. Alright, here's where it gets interesting, man. You hear about the NFL Draft, right?...
Indy wants to zone your next data center. Here's why.
Did you know Indy is trying to regulate data centers? Naptown on the wire — we've been up since 5am, you just didn't notice. So check this— you know how Indianapolis has been growing, right? You see...
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