INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis will host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game for the first time at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, the league announced Wednesday.
This summer's game featured the All-Star team against the U.S. Olympic team and was played in front of a sellout crowd of 16,407 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. A television audience of 3.44 million watched the All-Stars win 117-109 on July 20 in the most-watched WNBA All-Star Game.
“The city of Indianapolis and the entire state of Indiana have such an incredible and enduring passion for the game of basketball, making the region the perfect host to celebrate the WNBA and the game’s greatest stars,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.
A 3-point shooting contest and skills challenge will be held July 18.
The Indiana Fever, fueled by the buzz surrounding rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, are the focal point for the dramatic increase in the WNBA's popularity this year. The Fever's average attendance of just under 17,000 leads the WNBA, and 10 of their games have set league TV viewership records.
“We are in the middle of a pivotal, transformational moment in the history of the WNBA and women’s basketball, and we are thrilled Indiana will be the center of it all with the game’s biggest stars on display during next season’s All-Star Game,” said Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “Leaders across our community are going to do what we do best: welcome fans from around the nation and the globe to Indiana, raise the bar for future host cities, and leave a lasting legacy for our city and state.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
FILE - A WNBA basketball sits on the court during a WNBA game, May 19, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis, File)
BERLIN (AP) — Officials are investigating why a concrete bridge partially collapsed in eastern Germany early Wednesday, disrupting a major traffic artery in Dresden and interrupting the heating system for a city nicknamed "Florence on the Elbe” for its Baroque architecture.
No one was injured when a section of the Carola Bridge fell into the Elbe River, the Dresden fire department said on its website. Police are treating the collapse as an accident, because there are no signs of foul play, according to German news agency dpa.
The bridge dates back to East Germany's formerly communist era, dpa reported, and officials at the scene said that chlorine corrosion from the time could have contributed to Wednesday's collapse.
The emergency closure of the entire bridge snarled travel for the city's tram system, as well as motorists, pedestrians and cyclists who use the span to travel between Dresden's Old Town and New Town. Boat traffic is also halted, affecting cargo ships and tourism sightseeing vessels.
Crews were alerted shortly after 3 a.m. and are concerned more of the bridge — one of several crossings over the Elbe — could collapse in the coming hours.
The last tram crossed the span just 18 minutes before the collapse, dpa reported. The section that fell was scheduled to be renovated next year, while other parts only reopened in March after months of construction.
Pipes that are part of the city's heating system were also damaged.
“In addition, due to the bursting of two large district heating pipes, we have the problem that the supply of hot water has come to a complete standstill in the entire federal state capital of Dresden,” fire department spokesman Michael Klahre told reporters.
Dresden is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Berlin.
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe have collapsed in Dresden, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The State Chancellery can be seen behind it. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe have collapsed in Dresden, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe have collapsed in Dresden, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The State Chancellery can be seen behind it. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe is seen collapsed in Dresden, eastern Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe is seen collapsed in Dresden, eastern Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe is seen collapsed in Dresden, eastern Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
Parts of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe have collapsed in Dresden, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Robert Michael/dpa via AP)
