Olio Road roundabout closures continue as other Fishers road projects near completion

Motorists traveling through the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road intersection continue to face major traffic restrictions, while several other Fishers road construction projects are nearing completion.

The City of Fishers’ latest weekly road construction report says Phase 2 of the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout reconstruction is expected to continue through the end of the year.

The project has closed the roundabout connections allowing northbound and southbound traffic to continue directly through the intersection on Olio Road. The fifth leg of the roundabout has also been permanently closed.

Southbound Olio Road traffic approaching from the north must turn west onto Campus Parkway/146th Street. Northbound motorists must use 136th Street and the newly constructed connection to Southeastern Parkway. Other detours are in place for eastbound and westbound traffic.

The city urges drivers to review the detour maps at FishersIN.gov/Olio before traveling through the area, particularly when visiting nearby hospitals and medical offices, which remain open and accessible.

There is better news along 136th Street. The widening project between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road reopened November 6. Some intermittent lane restrictions remain while crews finish the work.

At 116th Street and Allisonville Road, the intersection remains open, but drivers should expect occasional lane restrictions as crews complete traffic signal installation, sidewalk concrete work and restoration. Sidewalks within the project area remain closed.

Other construction updates include:

  • Allisonville Road: Beginning the week of November 16, utility work will restrict the right northbound lane just north of Riverplace Drive.
  • 131st Street and Brooks School Road: Utility relocation continues ahead of construction of a new roundabout, with occasional lane restrictions possible.
  • Cumberland Road: Duke Energy utility work continues between 106th and 116th streets, with lane restrictions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • USA Parkway: The widening project north of 106th Street is substantially complete. Final work and periodic lane restrictions are expected through November.
  • Resurfacing: Work is substantially complete along 131st Street, Howe Road and Promise Road, with pavement markings and other finishing work remaining.

Meanwhile, AT&T and Brightspeed are preparing additional fiber installations in several Fishers neighborhoods.

The Clear Path 465 project will also affect regional motorists this weekend. On Saturday, November 14, one eastbound I-465 lane between Keystone Avenue and White River will close from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Construction schedules remain subject to weather conditions.

The complete Fishers area road construction report follows:

Continue reading Olio Road roundabout closures continue as other Fishers road projects near completion →

Fuel Shut Out by Cyclones, 3-0, in Cincinnati

Cincinnati goaltender Timofei Obvintsev stopped all 18 shots he faced, and the Cyclones beat the Indy Fuel 3-0 Friday night at Heritage Bank Center.

The Fuel, who play their home games at the Fishers Event Center, were held to single digits in shots in every period. Indy had eight shots in the first, six in the second and four in the third.

Cincinnati took control in the first period. Ryan Kirwan scored his seventh goal of the season at 9:15, assisted by Matt Copponi and Sahil Panwar. Simon Labelle made it 2-0 at 14:28 with his second goal, set up by Mitchell Wolfe and Matt Anderson.

From there, the game turned into a goaltending duel. Fuel goalie Adam Gajan kept Indy within reach through the second and third periods. Gajan finished with 29 saves on 31 shots.

Indy got its best chance to get back into the game 9 seconds into the second period. Obvintsev was called for delay of game, giving the Fuel their only power play of the night. Indy did not score on it.

Gajan went to the bench for an extra attacker late in the third period. Panwar then scored into the empty net at 18:08 to finish the scoring. It was his eighth goal of the season. Copponi and Sam McCue assisted.

Panwar ended the night with a goal and an assist, and Copponi had two assists. Cincinnati outshot Indy 32-18.

The game was clean. Obvintsev’s delay-of-game minor was the only penalty called. The Fuel were not penalized at all.

Labelle, Panwar and Obvintsev were named the game’s three stars. The crowd was 4,823.

The Fuel return to the Fishers Event Center Saturday at 7pm and face the Wheeling Nailers.

Second bull riding show added at Fishers Event Center in January

Professional Championship Bull Riders (PCBR) will bring two shows to Fishers Event Center in January after organizers announced the addition of a second performance due to popular demand.

The originally scheduled show is set for Saturday, January 9, 2027, at 7 p.m. A second show has been added for Sunday, January 10, at 2 p.m.

Both performances will feature professional bull riders competing against some of the nation’s toughest bulls, along with cowgirls participating in barrel racing competitions.

Organizers say the first 300 children entering the venue will receive a free cowboy hat and autographed poster. Fans will also have opportunities to meet participating bull riders.

Several ticket options are available, including an Early Access Experience that allows fans to enter the venue before the main event.

The Early Access Experience will be offered Saturday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Those purchasing the special passes will have opportunities to take photographs on the arena dirt with bulls and selected riders, shop for merchandise before the general crowd arrives and visit the venue’s Legacy Club. Light snacks and a drink ticket are included.

An Early Access Pass requires a separate ticket to the same day’s performance. Adults and children ages 5 and older must have both tickets to participate. The number of passes is limited.

VIP floor tickets are also available, offering front-row seating near the arena dirt and access to the Legacy Club.

Tickets for both performances are on sale at FishersEventCenter.com.

The Fishers Event Center, which opened in November 2024, seats approximately 7,500 spectators and hosts concerts, family entertainment and sporting events.

The venue is also home to three professional sports franchises: the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, Indy Ignite of Major League Volleyball and Fishers Freight of the Indoor Football League.

Official results confirm Election Night outcomes in Hamilton County

Hamilton County’s official results for the Nov. 3 general election were released Friday after a meeting of the Hamilton County Election Board. They show no changes from the preliminary numbers reported on Election Night.

Of the county’s 290,805 registered voters, 150,824 cast ballots, for a turnout of 51.86%. Early in-person voting nearly matched Election Day voting: 70,190 people voted in person before Election Day and 70,925 voted on Election Day. Another 9,709 voted by mail.

Speaker unseated

The official count confirms that Democrat Lauren Cole defeated Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston in House District 37. Cole won 13,320 votes (51.52%) to Huston’s 12,533 (48.48%), a margin of 787 votes.

Other Hamilton County legislative results:

  • House District 39: Lindsay Gramlich (D) 54.10%, Danny Lopez (R) 45.90%
  • House District 32: Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D) 61.12%, Paul G. Nix (R) 38.88%
  • House District 24: Racheal Bleicher (D) 53.77%, Hunter Smith (R) 46.23%
  • House District 29: Alaina Shonkwiler (R) 52.39%, Devon Wellington (D) 47.61%
  • House District 88: Stephanie Jo Yocum (D) 53.07%, Chris Jeter (R) 46.93%
  • Senate District 31: Kerry Forestal (D) 57.35%, Juanita Albright (R) 42.65%
  • Senate District 21: Kirsten Root (D) 14,053, Tracey Powell (R) 13,927, a 126-vote margin

For districts that extend beyond the county, these figures count Hamilton County votes only.

County offices

Democrats won several countywide seats. Charles Hollowell was elected sheriff with 50.94% over Republican Dustin K. Dixon. Alexandra E. Wilson won circuit court clerk with 51.27%, and Emily L. Angel Shaw won Superior Court No. 8 with 52.47%.

Republican Christine Altman held the District 1 commissioner seat by 326 votes, 72,559 to 72,233, over Democrat Ti’Gre McNear.

In county council races, Democrats Christopher Daniel (District 1), Nathan Bullock (District 2) and Jason E. Frank (District 4) won. Republican Mark F. Hall won District 3.

Fishers-area races

Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ referendum passed with 58.33% of the vote, 25,627 to 18,310.

The HSE school board winners were Greg Wright in District 1, Josh Perry in District 2 and Michelle Fullhart in District 3. Fullhart defeated David Turk with 53.03%. Stephanie Braden was unopposed in District 4.

In Fall Creek Township, Democrat Stephanie Hunt was elected trustee with 55.26% over Doug Allman. Democrats Alex J. Hunt, Joe Weingarten and Mulalo Rikhotso won the three township board seats.

In Delaware Township, Debbie Driskell was unopposed for trustee. Democrats Patrick Schooley, Jennifer Dean Chaudhry and Bethann Buddenbaum won the board seats. In Wayne Township, Laura McNamara was unopposed for trustee.

Other results

School referendums also passed in Carmel, Noblesville and Westfield Washington. Sheridan’s failed, with 47.67% voting yes.

Hamilton County voters approved both statewide constitutional questions: the bail amendment with 57.90% and the judicial residence amendment with 61.83%.

In county voting for statewide offices, Democrat Beau Bayh received 53.90% for secretary of state. Jessica Bailey (D) won 51.42% for comptroller, and Coumba Kebe (D) won 50.95% for treasurer. In the 5th Congressional District, Democrat J.D. Ford carried the county with 55.36% over Rep. Victoria Spartz.

Jeff Rasley on Indiana’s death penalty and the people who push for change

When I was a news reporter at WCSI in Columbus, Indiana, I watched defense attorney Niles Stanton argue a case. Jeff Rasley knew Stanton from a different vantage point. He worked as Stanton’s law clerk in the late 1970s, and that experience became the basis for his novel Justice Betrayed: The Rise and Fall of a Death Penalty Crusader.

Rasley, a retired Indianapolis attorney, joins me on the November 13 edition of Fridays With Larry. We recorded the interview on November 5, the day Indiana executed Jeffrey Weisheit at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. We talked about the years that can pass between a death sentence and an execution, and why it matters whether journalists are allowed to witness the procedure.

The conversation also turns to county jails. Rasley recalls working on lawsuits over jail conditions in central Indiana. He makes a point that can get lost in the debate over building a new jail. Many of the people held there are still waiting for their cases to be heard.

I open the episode with a commentary on how people outside elected office push for changes in the law. I close with a question for those of us in Fishers and Hamilton County who fly out of Indianapolis International Airport. When will we see the benefits of the FAA’s move to replace floppy disks and other aging air traffic control equipment?

Fridays With Larry is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Watch the November 13 edition of Fridays With Larry below at this link, or listen only using this link.

 

 

 

 

HSE School Board rejects bids for 16 acres on 136th Street

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board voted Wednesday night to reject all bids for 16.14 acres of district-owned land at 136th Street and Prairie Baptist Road in Fishers. Administrators recommended rejecting the bids after the October auction fell short of the district’s target price.

The vote clears the way for a real estate broker to seek offers. The district expects a sale to close in 2027, and the board would still have to approve the final sale. Tim Brown, HSE’s assistant superintendent for finance, previously told LarryInFishers.com that the auction drew 45 bids. He did not disclose the highest offer or the district’s target price.

The property is leased for farming and is part of a larger tract the district once owned at the intersection. A portion of the original tract was used for a Fishers fire station. District officials told the board’s finance and facilities committee in August that the remaining acreage was too small and poorly situated for a future school.

Brown has said the district plans to use the proceeds to pay down part of the $8 million its health insurance trust owes the operations fund.

The board also approved a 3% pay raise for non-certified staff in 2027, with a maximum increase of $1,828. The percentage matches the increase approved for teachers. A decision on raises for administrators was deferred.

The board extended its agreement with the City of Fishers for hands-on learning programs and added the district’s kindergarten arts program to the agreement. The program, piloted last spring, is already underway this school year. It brings kindergarten students to the Fishers Art Center and Hamilton East Public Library for activities that connect visual art, music and movement with storytelling.

Board members were also briefed on a proposal to authorize up to $40 million in general obligation bonds for 2027, with a decision expected in December. The board set the same borrowing limit for 2026, when the district determined it needed $33 million.

 

Volunteers thanked for HSE referendum win

Laura Cole, Chair of the Advance HSE PAC, with many of her volunteers

Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Kegley used Wednesday night’s school board meeting to thank the volunteers behind the district’s successful funding referendum. Voters approved it with 58% of the vote.

Kegley singled out Laura Cole, who chaired the Advance HSE political action committee, along with the committee chairs she recruited over the summer.

Kegley said he contacted Cole because she had been active in the district’s 2023 referendum effort.

“She came into my office, and she sat down, and anyone that knows Laura won’t be shocked. She said, ‘What do you need from me?’” Kegley said. “I knew I was in.”

Cole agreed to lead the PAC. During public comment at the board’s June meeting, she asked members to put the question on the ballot and assured them the community would rally behind it.

“As usual, she was not wrong,” Kegley said. “Our community has always come alongside our schools.”

Kegley said the result was no accident. He credited Cole and the team she built, as well as the volunteers who made calls, knocked on doors, wrote postcards and worked the polls. He also noted that many volunteers’ spouses deserved recognition alongside them.

“This team showed up, and the volunteers that followed showed up in a big way,” Kegley said.

He thanked them on behalf of the district’s employees, the community and its students. He closed with a joke: with any luck, the district won’t have to talk about referendums for a while, hopefully 8 years.

Cole told the board she sent out a call for help right after Kegley asked her to lead the effort. She reached her own network and people well beyond it.

“There’s Republicans, there’s Democrats, there’s parents, there’s grandparents, there’s retired teachers, there are school board candidates,” Cole said. “There are so many people that just showed up because they knew how important this funding was.”

She called the campaign a chance to build bridges in the community.

“I hope that this really helps us to move forward as a community and that we all just see how good we can be and how much good we can do when we all work together,” Cole said.

Cole said one of the things she appreciated most was the support from this fall’s school board candidates. The PAC could not help their campaigns in any way, but all but two of the candidates still pitched in. They staffed tables, worked football games, handed out flyers, donated or came to events.

“I just think it’s really incredible what they did,” Cole said. She noted that some of those candidates were at the meeting.

Cole called the campaign “a herculean effort.” She said she hopes the district won’t need another referendum for eight years, when her own children will be out of school. But she made a promise to the board.

“You have my yes vote in eight years if we have to do that,” Cole said. She added that she hopes the community can now turn its attention to coming together and doing what is best for the district’s teachers and students.

Indy Ignite visits HSE Schools ahead of Big Ten volleyball tournament

Indy Ignite players visit Hamilton Southeastern Schools students. (Photo provided)

Indy Ignite players are reading with elementary students and teaching volleyball in physical education classes as Fishers prepares to host the first Big Ten Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

The school visits began Oct. 28 and continue through Nov. 20, the opening day of the tournament. Hamilton Southeastern Schools says the program is expected to reach about 5,000 students. The tournament runs Nov. 20–25 at the Fishers Event Center, where the Ignite play their home matches.

The activities vary by grade. Ignite representatives are reading with students in kindergarten through fourth grade, teaching volleyball to fifth and sixth graders, and greeting seventh and eighth graders at morning pep rallies.

Members of the team’s front office are also taking part, along with the Firestarters dance team and Pepper, the Ignite mascot. Students who participate receive a Big Ten drawstring bag and pencil.

“Having Indy Ignite players visit our schools, read with students and even jump into our physical education classes is something our kids will remember and it might even inspire a new love for volleyball,” HSE Superintendent Matt Kegley said in the release.

Kegley credited the Ignite, the City of Fishers and the Fishers Event Center with making the visits possible. Mayor Scott Fadness encouraged residents to welcome the college teams and fans coming to Fishers for the tournament.

The Ignite are part of Major League Volleyball. The team finished as the league runner-up in its inaugural 2025 season and entered the 2026 championship as the No. 1 seed.

Veterans Day ceremony at Fishers City Hall honors all who served

A near-capacity crowd for the Fishers Veterans Day ceremony

A large crowd gathered at Fishers City Hall Wednesday for the city’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, which featured a retired Army major general who spent more than 37 years in uniform and a mayor who remembered when the event drew only a handful of people.

El Ahlwardt, Chair of the Fishers Armed Services Commission, served as master of ceremonies. The program included a POW/MIA remembrance, and the city handed out pins to every military veteran in attendance.

The guest speaker was retired Maj. Gen. Timothy Winslow, executive director of the Indiana War Memorials and assistant director of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Winslow is a Master Army Aviator with two combat deployments. He served as interim adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard and was chief of staff of the 38th Infantry Division.

Winslow began by drawing the line between the two military holidays.

“Memorial Day honors those who died while serving our country,” he said. “Veterans Day honors all who have served.”

He told the crowd that service is not measured by how long someone wore the uniform. He pointed to young sailors aboard the USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. Some had not yet attended boot camp or been issued uniforms, but they had already accepted the responsibility of service.

“It’s measured by the commitment to serve, and the willingness to accept the risk,” Winslow said.

He said he had heard some veterans that morning describe themselves as “just” having served, and he rejected the idea.

“Everyone serves, and it takes everyone to complete that mission,” he said. “So don’t allow anyone to say, ‘I was just.’”

Winslow mixed in plenty of humor. He noted he served more than 37.5 years and has been married for 34, and he wanted to leave neither. Senior leaders finally told him it was time to retire, he said, which he took as the military’s way of saying someone else deserved a turn.

He drew laughs describing lessons every branch shares: five minutes early is merely the minimum acceptable level of punctuality, “hurry up and wait” is a complete description of military time management, and anyone who says a task “will only take a minute” deserves suspicion.

He also recalled the smells and sounds veterans never forget, from diesel fuel and gun-cleaning oil to boots in the hallway and engines starting before sunrise.

Winslow said families carry the burden of service too, through deployments, moves and uncertainty. He urged the crowd to listen to veterans’ stories, support the organizations that serve them and remember that returning to civilian life is not always easy.

“‘Thank you for your service’ means the most when it’s followed by genuine respect and meaningful support,” he said.

Mayor Scott Fadness called the day “doubly special.” His oldest son was born on Veterans Day and turned 12 Wednesday. Driving him to a 7:15 a.m. basketball practice, Fadness said, they passed about 50 American flags and a sign at his elementary school saying “we love our veterans.”

Fadness said he and Ahlwardt remembered the early years of the city’s veterans programs, when about 10 people came if you counted the two of them and city staff.

“To see what we’ve got is incredible,” he said.

The mayor credited a new veterans Hall of Fame inductee, FASC Co-Chair Eddie Rivers, and a newly-minted veteran, Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren.

Fadness, who is not a veteran, said speaking to the group is probably his most humbling experience each year. He referred to the recent election as more contentious than most.

“I doubt any of you went off to war to fight for a Republican Party or a Democratic Party,” Fadness said, “but rather for the things that unite us as Americans.”

He thanked veterans on behalf of city officials and community leaders and invited them back for the city’s Memorial Day service.

Here a some additional photos of Veterans Day in Fishers:

Continue reading Veterans Day ceremony at Fishers City Hall honors all who served →

Fishers Arts Council Seeks New Board Members

Dia de Muertos 2026 event photo with board members Alonzo and Gonzalez (L to R: Esperanza Alonzo, Luis Chavez, Fabi Gonzalez, Victor Zamudio) Photo provided by FAC 

The Fishers Arts Council is looking for residents with a passion for the arts to join its board of directors. Applications are due Dec. 14.

The nonprofit’s mission is to support, advocate for and cultivate visual and performing arts opportunities that educate, enhance or enrich the lives of people who live, work and visit Fishers.

FAC says it wants applicants who can give two to three hours a month to promote and grow public and private art in the city. That time can go to meetings, serving on art juries or volunteering at art events. Board members are also expected to help put events on.

The council calls itself a working board. Members take active roles in its programs and support its part-time executive director.

Les Reinhardt, FAC’s executive director, joined the board in 2018 and served as its treasurer.

“Over the past eight and a half years I’ve witnessed an incredible variety of projects, events, and exhibits, thanks to the talented and creative people we have on our team,” Reinhardt said. “If you have a passion for the arts and are willing to lend a hand to make it happen, I strongly encourage you to apply for the board of directors.”

Meet the board

Prospective applicants can meet current board members and tour FAC galleries during the Second Friday Gallery Hop reception this Friday, Nov. 13:

  • From 6 to 8 p.m., board President Chris Hayes will be at the Ball State Gallery-Fishers in the Ball State Fishers Center, 8626 E. 116th St., Suite 300. The gallery can be reached from the Switch Plaza.
  • From 5 to 9 p.m., more board members will be at the Art Gallery at City Hall, 1 Municipal Drive.

There is one more chance to meet board members at the final Second Friday of the year, Dec. 11, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Art Gallery at City Hall.

How to apply

Applications are available at fishersartscouncil.org/how-to-help. Scroll down to the Board Application button, where you’ll find a printable PDF and an online form. Completed applications can be submitted online, mailed or emailed to the addresses listed on the form. To have a form mailed or emailed to you, contact FAC.

Questions about board membership can go to info@fishersartscouncil.org, or you can call or text 317-537-1670.

FAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It runs the gallery inside the Fishers Municipal Center at 1 Municipal Drive, the Build BW Gallery at 11 Municipal Drive and the Ball State Gallery-Fishers.