Hamilton County and the City of Noblesville will hold a joint ceremony Friday, Sept. 11, marking 25 years since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the Silos at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St. in Noblesville. The public is invited.

“Twenty-five years have passed, but the responsibility to remember has not,” said Christine Altman, president of the Hamilton County Commissioners. “We owe it to those who lost their lives, to the families who still carry that loss, and to the first responders who ran toward unimaginable danger to make sure their courage and sacrifice are never forgotten.”

Altman and Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen will both speak, along with representatives of the Hamilton County Council and the Noblesville Common Council.

Jensen tied the anniversary to the flooding that has hit Hamilton County in recent weeks.

“September 11 reminds us how Americans came together in the face of tragedy,” Jensen said. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen that same spirit here at home as our community has responded to historic flooding. Neighbors have helped neighbors, first responders have worked side by side, and communities across Hamilton County have supported one another. Twenty-five years later, that sense of unity and service remains one of the most important lessons we can carry forward.”

A joint honor guard from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Noblesville Police Department and Noblesville Fire Department will present the colors.

Local, state and federal elected officials, members of the judiciary, township trustees and public safety leaders from around Hamilton County are also expected to attend.

The appearance will be the first in the Rose Parade for the Fishers High School band.

The Fishers High School Marching Tiger Band has been selected to perform in the 2028 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, Hamilton Southeastern Schools announced.

The New Year’s Day performance will be the band’s first appearance in the Rose Parade and another national spotlight for the program, which performed in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

More than 200 students learned of the selection during a surprise announcement Aug. 29, following a full day of rehearsals.

“We are honored to show the world the dedication and commitment behind performing arts at Fishers High School,” band director Elijah Gardner said. “Our students are thrilled to take part in one of the largest New Year’s Day celebrations in the world and perform on an international stage.”

According to the school district, Fishers is one of 10 high school bands selected through an international application process. The 2028 group includes bands from Colombia, Costa Rica, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United States.

The official Rose Parade route covers 5.5 miles, beginning near Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard before continuing along Colorado Boulevard and ending at Villa Street.

Getting the band to Pasadena will require a major logistical and fundraising effort. The group expects to travel about 4,000 miles round trip with more than 200 students. Two box trucks and a semi-trailer will carry instruments, uniforms and other equipment.

The band has launched an online fundraising campaign to help cover the trip.

“Our students are eager to put their hard work on display and return to Fishers with new friends, new stories and a camera roll full of memories,” Gardner said. “We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Fishers, Indiana, in the 2028 Rose Parade.”

HSE Superintendent Matt Kegley said the invitation reflects the students’ talent, discipline and hours of preparation.

“What an incredible moment for these students, their families and all of Fishers High School,” Kegley said. “We could not be prouder to see the Marching Tiger Band carry the HSE Schools and Fishers name onto an international stage.”

HSE Schools estimates that more than 700,000 spectators will watch the parade in person, with millions more following broadcasts around the world.

Peak heat index values could reach 105 degrees across central Indiana, with little relief expected overnight.

A heat advisory covering Fishers and much of central Indiana will take effect at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, and remain in place until 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis said peak heat index values could reach 105 degrees each afternoon across the advisory area. High humidity and warm overnight temperatures will provide limited relief.

Hamilton County is among the counties included in the advisory. Hot temperatures combined with high humidity can increase the risk of heat-related illnesses.

The Fishers-specific forecast calls for a high near 95 degrees Tuesday, with the heat index reaching about 101. The forecast high is 96 Wednesday and 94 Thursday. Overnight lows are expected to remain in the mid-to-upper 70s during the advisory period.

Residents should drink plenty of fluids, reduce time outdoors and check on relatives and neighbors, particularly older adults and others who may be more vulnerable to extreme heat.

Anyone who must spend time outside should consider moving strenuous activities to the cooler morning or evening hours and taking frequent breaks in an air-conditioned location.

More than 70 artists, artisans and authors will gather along the Nickel Plate Trail on Sunday, Sept. 13, for the seventh annual Harvest Fest.

The free, family-friendly event will run from noon to 5 p.m. in downtown Fishers. Fishers Arts Council and Hamilton County Tourism are presenting the festival, which combines an art fair, live entertainment and activities with fundraising for 10 area nonprofits.

Harvest Fest will extend from Café Patachou, 8654 E. 116th St., to Hamilton East Public Library, 5 Municipal Drive. Vendors and activities will be divided among seven “art fields” along the trail.

Visitors will find fine art, jewelry, woodworking, ceramics, glass, clothing, home décor, personal-care products and books by Indiana authors. Musicians Erick Oneal Fisher, Brandon Douthitt and Glenn Seland will perform, along with the band Enigma Fig.

Participating nonprofits include Bee Free Bakes, Central Indiana Wood Workers, the Delaware Township Trustee food pantry, Fishers Community Chorus, Fishers Art Center, Fishers Historical Society, Hamilton East Public Library Foundation, Hoosier Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Saving Our Sisters and Fishers Arts Council.

Fundraising activities will include Turkish paper marbling led by artist Esma Yokus, animal interactions with Hoosier Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation and face painting hosted by the Fishers Historical Society.

The Delaware Township Trustee food pantry will collect nonperishable food and monetary donations for fresh milk, meat and produce. Visitors who donate may also decorate a tote bag.

Seven food trucks will donate part of their event proceeds to participating nonprofits. The lineup includes Biscuit Baby, Chef TLC with Faith the Food Bus, Dog & Ball, Ice Cream Donuts, Kona Ice Indy, Pastelitos Las Gochitas and Smokey Blue BBQ. MashCraft-Fishers will sponsor the beer garden.

Harvest Fest was founded in 2020 and moved from Heritage Park at White River to the Nickel Plate Trail in 2025.

“Moving from Heritage Park at White River to the Nickel Plate Trail has added so much to the experience,” Fishers Arts Council Executive Director Les Reinhardt said in the event announcement.

No RSVP is required. Event maps, parking information and updates are available on the Fishers Arts Council event page.

Fishers Event Center will show three classic movies free of charge on its outdoor plaza this fall, starting Sept. 12 with “Back to the Future.”

The Movies in the Plaza series runs on the FORUM Credit Union Plaza in front of the arena at 11000 Stockdale St. Gates open at 6 p.m. each night, with showings beginning at 7 p.m.

The schedule:

• “Back to the Future” — Saturday, Sept. 12
• “Miracle” — Saturday, Oct. 3
• “Hocus Pocus” — Saturday, Oct. 10

Admission is free, and the venue says no tickets or advance registration are required. Free surface parking will be available.

Because the plaza is an open-air space, the arena is advising moviegoers to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating, along with weather-appropriate gear such as sunglasses or ponchos.

Outside food and beverages will not be permitted. Themed menu items tied to each film will be sold inside Fishers Event Center, according to the venue.

Fishers Event Center is also recruiting local artists, artisans and crafters to set up at a vendor fair alongside the screenings. Makers interested in taking part can contact the Movies in the Plaza coordinator at info@asmfishers.com or fill out an interest form linked at fisherseventcenter.com.

The arena opened in November 2024 with a seating capacity of 7,500 and hosts concerts, comedy and family shows, along with high school graduations and local athletic events. It is home to three professional teams: the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, Indy Ignite of Major League Volleyball and the Fishers Freight of the Indoor Football League.

More information on the movie series is available at fisherseventcenter.com.

Every parent in Fishers who has watched a teenager vanish into a phone at the dinner table has a stake in what happened in a California courtroom last week. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to settle claims by state attorneys general that it designed its platforms to be addictive to children and harmful to their mental health. Indiana’s guaranteed share is $296 million, and it could reach $419 million. The changes Meta accepted — a two-hour daily default limit for users under 18, notifications silenced during school hours, and no access from midnight to 6 a.m. — will land on the phones of Hamilton Southeastern students, and on teenagers everywhere, within months.

I said on my latest Fridays With Larry podcast that this is a real milestone, and I still believe that. Attorney General Todd Rokita called it “a milestone victory for Hoosier families.” An industry that spent two decades escaping regulation just wrote an enormous check and accepted rules about how its product works.

But I would be doing readers a disservice if I stopped there. Some of the people who know this industry best are not celebrating.

Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineer who testified against his old employer, put it bluntly: “The limitations that are in the agreement are the equivalent of saying: ‘Well, you can smoke as many cigarettes as you can in two hours a day.’ … It doesn’t make the cigarettes any safer.”

That criticism should stay with us. Two hours of a product engineered to be compulsive is still two hours of a product engineered to be compulsive.

Amba Kak, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute and a former senior adviser on artificial intelligence at the Federal Trade Commission, made a similar argument this week in a news interview.  She called the settlement significant and welcome, then noted that $17 billion spread across 10 years is, for a company spending at Meta’s scale on AI infrastructure, “a drop in the ocean.”

Her deeper concern is what the settlement does not touch. “We’re not really getting at the root cause of why do we have infinite scroll, or why are these platforms being architected in ways that are designed to addict teenagers,” Kak said. “And the answer is the business model.” That model — surveillance advertising, which pays out according to attention captured — remains fully intact. Treat the symptoms, she warned, and “we’re gonna be stuck playing whack-a-mole once the harms have already metastasized.”

Kak’s prescription is rules written in advance rather than fines collected afterward. “We cannot be relying on fines or certainly even on litigation after harms have already transpired,” she said. She argues the same lesson applies right now to artificial intelligence, before that industry builds its own decade of damage.

For Fishers, two things follow.

Watch the enforcement. The mother of a 16-year-old who died by suicide said outside the courthouse that the terms matter only “as long as they enforce it properly,” and that independent people need to verify it. A limit a determined teenager routes around on a laptop is a headline, not a safeguard.

Watch the money. Indiana’s share is meant to support youth mental health and crisis services. Hoosiers deserve to see where it lands, and whether any of it reaches HSE counselors and Hamilton County providers.

A settlement is not a safety standard. It is an admission, priced and scheduled. Parents in Fishers still have the hard part.

FEMA representatives will offer one-on-one application help Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville.

Hamilton County residents affected by recent flooding can get in-person help applying for federal disaster assistance at a temporary FEMA registration center Monday through Wednesday.

The Mobile Registration Intake Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St. in Noblesville, according to a county announcement. No appointment is required.

FEMA representatives will help residents complete applications, answer questions about the registration process and confirm that applications have been submitted correctly.

“We know the FEMA process can feel overwhelming, particularly for people who are already dealing with the loss of their homes, belongings, or sense of normalcy,” Chad Knecht, executive director of Hamilton County Emergency Operations, said in the announcement. “We want to remove as many barriers as possible to getting people the help they need.”

Applicants are encouraged to bring:

• A Social Security number
• Insurance information
• Information about property damage
• Financial information
• Current contact information
• Bank account and routing information if they want any approved assistance deposited directly into an account

Visiting the center is not required to apply. The county said the fastest option is to apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov. A Spanish-language application is available at DisasterAssistance.gov/es.

Residents who cannot reach the center and are unable to apply online may call the Hamilton County Flood Relief Hotline at 317-645-3261. County staff will work with callers to identify barriers and determine what help may be available. Additional information is available on the county’s flood resources page.

“Our community has been through an extraordinary ordeal, and now we need to make sure the people who suffered losses have every opportunity to access the federal assistance available to them,” Hamilton County Commissioners President Christine Altman said. “Please don’t assume you won’t qualify. Register, ask questions, and let FEMA make that determination.”

My last regular job in radio broadcasting was as a reporter and anchor for Network Indiana in 1983. Later that year, I made the difficult decision to leave broadcast journalism and pursue another career.

During that final year, Don Fischer was working the sports side of Network Indiana. News and sports sat at opposite ends of the building, so I rarely saw Don or the rest of the sports crew. But I knew he was well liked by the staff. It is one thing to be an outstanding broadcaster and quite another to be an outstanding person. Don Fischer was, and is, both.

Indiana University’s public television station, WTIU, has produced a documentary about Don and his 50-plus years as the voice of IU football and basketball. It is called “Timeless: Don Fischer’s Half-Century Broadcasting IU Sports,” written and produced by Mark Alesia. It premiered Aug. 28 and runs about a half hour.

His story is a lot like mine. He went to a broadcast trade school out of high school, and so did I. In the documentary, Don says the first football game where he called play-by-play was the worst broadcast in history. He is wrong about that. My first venture into football play-by-play, in 1970, was certainly worse.

The difference is that Don had people willing to teach him the craft, and he improved. He was 26 when IU hired him in 1973 to build the school’s first exclusive sports radio network. He has since called more than 2,000 IU football and basketball games, been named Indiana Sportscaster of the Year more than 20 times, and been inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. He has become a legend as an IU broadcaster.

In the mid-1980s, I worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during time off from my regular job, covering practice and qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. I met up with Don one year and we caught up, talking about people we both knew in the business. Let’s just say Don Fischer is a class act.

Very few people understand how much work goes into preparing to broadcast a sports event on radio or television. You put together massive amounts of material and usually end up using about 10% of it. You never know how a game will unfold, so you have to be ready for whatever comes at you.

Don Fischer is 78 years old and still going strong, calling play-by-play of IU sports. I will be 75 in a few days, and I doubt I have it together anymore to call a game on the radio. Don is still doing it, and at a very high level.

The documentary is worth your time. WTIU also has screenings scheduled at venues around Indiana during September. The link to the film is below.

Fishers drivers face a mix of detours, lane restrictions and a Sunday morning triathlon over the coming week, according to the city’s latest weekly construction update.

136th Street closed between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist

The 136th Street Widening Project has moved into Phase 2, shifting work to the stretch between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road. The road is closed to through traffic within the project limits, and drivers should follow the signed detour using Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road to reconnect with 136th Street.

The project converts a rural two-lane road into a boulevard with raised medians, multi-use paths on both sides, new pavement, curb and gutter, and upgraded storm sewer infrastructure. The city is asking motorists to expect changing traffic patterns and added travel time.

New traffic pattern at 116th and Allisonville

At 116th Street and Allisonville Road, the outside lanes are closed and traffic has been shifted to the inside through lanes and designated turn lanes — one lane in each direction. The city expects that pattern to remain through early October, weather permitting.

The west leg of Fishers Crossing Boulevard at Allisonville Road has been closed since Aug. 5, meaning drivers cannot enter or exit the Fishers Crossing Shopping Center at that connection. Sidewalks within the project area are also closed. All businesses remain open and accessible.

Crews are currently replacing driveway approaches, painting streetlights, installing temporary traffic signals and reconstructing the west side of Allisonville Road at Fishers Crossing Drive.

96th and Cyntheanne now open

The 96th Street and Cyntheanne Road intersection is fully operational and open in all directions. Drivers may still see crews finishing punch-list items.

Other projects

Lane restrictions on USA Parkway north of 106th Street are expected to last through October as crews widen the roadway and add curbs, trail and new pavement. Substantial completion is anticipated in mid-October, with restoration work continuing into November.

At Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road, roundabout construction brings periodic lane restrictions, with Olio Road reduced to one lane. Phase 2 detour maps will be released before that work begins in October. Utility relocation is underway at 131st Street and Brooks School Road ahead of a new roundabout, with periodic lane restrictions possible.

Resurfacing and utility work

During the week of Aug. 31, paving crews will work in Fawnsbrook, Weaver Woods and Weaver Woods North, and on Westmoreland Drive in Somerset. Residents should expect equipment, temporary parking restrictions and short delays.

Duke Energy work continues on Cumberland Road between 106th and 116th streets, with lane restrictions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. AT&T will install fiber in Beaver Ridge, Pine Bluff Overlook, Bradford Ridge, Walnut Creek, Delaware Pointe, Summerfield and Delaware Crossing, then Limesprings the week of Aug. 31. Brightspeed begins fiber work next week in The Boulders, Reserve at Steeplechase, Sanctuary at Steeplechase and Oakhurst.

Triathlon and interstate closures

The Geist Waterfront Triathlon starts at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Geist Waterfront Park, 10811 Olio Road. Expect police-assisted intersections, cyclists on area roads and runners on nearby trails and neighborhood streets.

On the interstates, ClearPath crews will reduce northbound I-465 to one lane between Fall Creek Road and I-69 from 9 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Sunday, and close the ramp from northbound I-465 to northbound I-69 from 9 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday.

Here is the full road construction report, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the week beginning August 30:

Continue reading Fishers Road Construction: 136th Street Detour Continues, 96th and Cyntheanne Reopens →

Hamilton Southeastern 30, North Central 14 · Lawrence North 48, Fishers 0

Two Fishers high schools played Friday night. One spent three quarters proving its opening loss was an aberration. The other spent four quarters unable to reach the end zone for the second week in a row.

Hamilton Southeastern picked up its first win of the season, beating North Central 30-14 at home — but the final score undersells how the night started. The Royals trailed 14-3 after the first quarter. From there, HSE outscored the Panthers 27-0 over the final three quarters and did not allow another point.

That second-quarter-onward shutout is the story of the game. A week earlier at Fort Wayne Carroll, the Royals gave up 54 points in a 54-23 loss. On Friday they surrendered two touchdowns in the opening 12 minutes and then nothing at all.

The scoring line was unusual: HSE put up 3 in the first quarter, 6 in the second, 6 in the third and 15 in the fourth. Two six-point quarters point to touchdowns that didn’t come with the extra point, and the 15-point fourth suggests a two-point try in the mix — worth confirming with the coaching staff before it goes in print as fact.

Michael Kelly’s Royals are 1-1. They travel to Avon on Friday, Sept. 4 to open Hoosier Crossroads Conference play against a team that is 2-0 after a 22-12 win over Ben Davis.

Fishers still looking for its first point

Across town, Fishers hosted Lawrence North and never found footing. The Wildcats scored 27 points in the first quarter alone and added a touchdown in each of the remaining three for a 48-0 final.

It was the Tigers’ second straight shutout loss. Carmel beat Fishers 47-0 in the Week 1 opener. Through two weeks, Fishers has been outscored 95-0 and has not scored a point in the 2026 season.

The context matters, and it cuts both ways. Fishers has drawn one of the hardest opening slates in the state — Carmel entered the year ranked No. 5 in Indiana by MaxPreps, and Lawrence North was coming off a 48-25 loss to defending 6A state champion Brownsburg, meaning the Wildcats had every reason to come out sharp. Fishers itself opened the season ranked No. 6 in Class 6A.

But this is also a program that reached the 6A regional final last November, beating Hamilton Southeastern 28-20 in the sectional final before losing 20-10 to Westfield. A team with that recent a résumé being held scoreless in consecutive weeks is the kind of start that raises questions the coaching staff will be asked about.

Curt Funk’s Tigers are 0-2. They host Noblesville on Friday, Sept. 4 in their Hoosier Crossroads opener. The Millers are 1-1 after a 27-15 loss to Homestead.

What to watch

Both Fishers-area programs open conference play Sept. 4, and both draw opponents who will tell us something. Avon at 2-0 is a real measuring stick for whether HSE’s three-quarter defensive performance was a turning point or a one-week outlier. And Noblesville, at 1-1, is the most winnable game on Fishers’ schedule so far — if the Tigers are going to score a point this season, that’s the likeliest night for it.