Isabella Zarate

About Me

Hi there! My name is Isabella Zarate. I am a 2023 University of Illinois College of Media Grad as well as a former Pulliam Fellow for The Arizona Republic. 

Now I am working as the Lead Staff Reporter for Hendricks County's oldest newspaper!

The Republican Newspaper •

Sheltering Wings Uses Bingo to Spark Community Involvement

October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and Sheltering Wings is inviting the community to get involved.Sheltering Wings, a domestic violence abuse center located in Hendricks County, provides emergency housing for victim families.During the month of October, the organization is hoping to raise awareness through a number of events like the Men In Action Breakfast, local fall festivities, and things like National Night Out. On top of that, the center has also released a “Give y...
The Republican Newspaper •

International Festival Made the World Seem a Little Smaller

The intriguing smell of unfamiliar food fills the air. Bright colors and intricate patterns decorate clothing not native to Hendricks County. Music, laughter, and conversation, though different in origin, mingle in harmony. People of all kinds gather to enjoy the 5th annual International Festival.For five hours on Saturday, October 5, Plainfield’s The Shops at Perry Crossing were turned into a hub of diverse, different, and welcoming individuals.Upon entering the event, visitors were given a pas...
The Republican Newspaper •

U.S. vs Hendricks Co.

Members of the Muslim Community proposed to turn a former Brownsburg golf course into an Islamic Seminary in January of 2021. The development was originally going to include religious buildings, educational facilities, and housing. The proposal moved to the Hendricks County Board of Commissioners where it was ultimately struck down on the basis of drainage issues.Before the Commissioners rejected the project, hundreds of community members had taken it upon themselves to express their concerns in...
The Republican Newspaper •

Faces of the Festival

“In December of 2018, a small group of Plainfield residents and community leaders met to discuss creative ways we, as a community, could come together and enrich the lives of our children, ourselves and the friends around us. We gathered many ideas as a group and determined there was a strong desire to have a multicultural event here, in Hendricks County.” – Hendricks County International Festival websiteNow in its fifth year, that group of Plainfield residents have been proven right. Hendricks...
The Republican Newspaper •

Citizens Get Law Enforcement Lesson During Academy Session

Members of the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department Citizens' Academy made their way to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) at Plainfield last Thursday. Week three of the 10-part course focused on Emergency Vehicle Operations (EVO) and STOPS (Strategies and Tactics of Patrol Stops) Training. The three-hour sessions gave class members (including this reporter) the chance to participate in mock traffic stops and pursuit scenarios. The Citizens' Academy, which is designed to promote positiv...
The Republican Newspaper •

A Few Good Words from "A Few Good Men"

“More than a few good men are in this show,” said Caity Withers.Withers is playing Lieutenant  Commander Joanne Galloway in Hendricks Civic Theater’s upcoming production of “A Few Good Men.”The 1992 drama by Aaron Sorkin will be taking the Hendricks Live! theater by storm starting on Friday, June 7.The 20-person cast, containing nine Hendricks County residents, took some time out of rehearsals to chat with The Republican about the show.“The whole purpose of theater, in my opinion, is to give peo...
Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traf •

Sephora plans distribution center in Avon

AVON, Ind. (The Republican) — A new development is set to bring more than 400 jobs to the Hendricks County area next summer.
Sephora, a beauty product company with its origin roots in France, has chosen to bury some in Avon with its 750,000 square foot distribution center being built off of Ronald Reagan Parkway and near East County Road 300 North.
The company, which was originally exploring options in eight different states, according to the Town’s Economic Development Director John Taylor, eve...
The Republican Newspaper •

Language Barrier Becomes Learning Lesson for Avon Teachers

Chinese, Spanish, and Amharic were the three languages spoken in Katharine Martinez’s Monday afternoon English Learners class. Those home languages were just a few of more than a hundred spoken amongst Avon Community School students.

While many go to school to learn basics like math, history, and science, others do the same while also learning how to speak English.

At Avon, these students are referred to as Multilingual Learners, or ML’s for short. ML’s are the students that speak English as a
The Republican Newspaper •

After More than 20 Years, Dogs Still Get Their Play On at Dogtona

Cameron Johnson and the annual Hendricks County Dogtona event have been making tails wag for more than 20 years.

What started as a way to raise funds and awareness for a local dog park has since turned into a multi-decade tradition.

“I put a little letter to the editor in the Hendricks County Flyer to see if anyone would be interested in working on getting a dog park,” Johnson said.

While she quickly received some responses, and startedto build a group of supporters, they realized that moneyn