Hamilton County voters who want to cast a ballot by mail in the Nov. 3 general election have until 11:59 p.m. today, Thursday, Oct. 22, to get their application in.

Indiana law requires the county election office to receive the application by that deadline. A postmark does not count. The application can be submitted online through the state’s voter portal at IndianaVoters.com, or by email, fax, mail or hand delivery to the Hamilton County Election Office. With the deadline hours away, voters are urged to use the online portal or email rather than the mail.

Not every Hoosier can vote by mail. Indiana requires voters to give one of the reasons allowed under state law. Those include being 65 or older, having a disability, expecting to be outside the county on Election Day and during the entire early voting period, working a shift that covers all 12 hours the polls are open, and caring for a confined person at a private residence. The application lists every accepted reason, and voters must select one.

Applications must also include the voter’s Indiana driver’s license or state ID number, or a copy of a valid photo ID. Leaving that information off can delay or stop the application.

Once a ballot arrives, the voter must mark it personally and sign the ballot security envelope. Completed ballots must reach the county election office by 6 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Ballots arriving after that will not be counted. The U.S. Postal Service generally estimates five to seven days for first-class mail delivery, so voters should return their ballots as soon as possible.

Voters who miss today’s deadline or do not qualify to vote by mail still have options. Any registered voter may vote early in person for any reason. Early voting began Oct. 6 at the Hamilton County Judicial Center and the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Noblesville. Satellite early voting sites in Fishers, Carmel and Westfield opened Oct. 21. All Indiana counties must offer early voting on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 31. Early in-person voting ends at noon Monday, Nov. 2.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID to vote in person.

On Election Day, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For locations, hours and other election information, visit the Hamilton County Election Office website or call the office at 317-776-8476.

Hamilton Southeastern captured its first boys tennis state championship Oct. 17, defeating Delta 4-1 at the Barbara Wynne Tennis Center at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

The top-ranked Royals finished 22-1, winning 22 consecutive matches after a season-opening loss to Carmel, according to the IHSAA championship account.

HSE won both doubles matches and the top two singles matches against sixth-ranked Delta.

Freshman Abhi Manikandan defeated Jackson Darby 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Parker Stump beat Charlie Vannatter 6-3, 7-6 (5) at No. 2 singles.

At No. 1 doubles, Brady Stump and Logan Foust defeated Tyce Dishman and Brandon Grubbs 6-1, 7-5. Evan Holderman and Hudson Osswald won 6-3, 6-2 over Roman Ashcraft and Easton Duckworth at No. 2 doubles.

Coach Doug Gemert’s championship lineup included two freshmen and a sophomore in singles.

The Royals became the first school to claim its initial boys tennis state title since Indianapolis Cathedral in 2005.

Four Hamilton County food pantries will collect donations and share information about food assistance during Fishers’ Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 31.

The Delaware Township Food Pantry, Fall Creek Township Food Pantry, Come to Me Food Pantry and Sally Burton Food Pantry are partnering with Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank to host a joint food drive at the free community event. Boo Bash runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater.

About 21,000 people in Hamilton County experience food insecurity each year, according to Delaware Township. Food insecurity refers to a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.

The pantries said they joined forces to highlight the need for food assistance in the county and to help residents learn about resources available close to home.

All food collected at Boo Bash will stay in the local community. Donations will be divided among the four participating pantries.

Beyond collecting food, the organizations will staff a booth where attendees can learn about food assistance programs, volunteer opportunities and other ways to help their neighbors. The booth will also offer information for individuals and families who need food assistance or other community resources.

Residents who donate food will receive a coupon for a free doughnut from Parlor Doughnuts.

Through the partnership, the pantries hope to raise awareness of food insecurity, connect residents with available help and encourage more community involvement in fighting hunger locally.

Drivers who use the Olio Road and Southeastern Parkway intersection in Fishers will face new traffic patterns beginning next week, as construction on the roundabout there moves into its second phase.

The City of Fishers says the switch to the Phase 2 traffic configuration begins at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. The biggest change: the roundabout connections that carry traffic north and south on Olio Road will close.

City officials urge drivers to review the Phase 2 detour map before traveling through the area.

Here is how traffic will move during Phase 2:

Southbound Olio Road: Traffic coming from the north will be directed west only, onto Campus Parkway/146th Street. Drivers who need to continue south on Olio should use alternate routes.

Northbound Olio Road: Drivers will detour using 136th Street at its new connection to Southeastern Parkway. From there, they can continue east on Southeastern Parkway or use the roundabout at 136th Street and Southeastern Parkway to turn around and head west or north.

Eastbound traffic: Drivers will use the bypass lane toward IU Health Fishers to reach the roundabout at 136th Street. From there, they can continue along 136th Street, reach southbound Olio Road using the new connection, or cross Olio and continue east on 136th Street to Southeastern Parkway.

Westbound traffic: Drivers can continue through the roundabout west toward Campus Parkway/146th Street or north on Olio Road. Those heading south can use the new connection at 136th Street to cross Olio Road, continue west on 136th Street to Minden Drive and then travel south.

Nearby businesses, hospitals and medical offices will remain open and accessible, according to the city. Access from Interstate 69 to IU Health Fishers will stay open via the bypass lane, and emergency access will be maintained throughout construction.

The city warns drivers to expect changing traffic patterns and significant delays, especially during peak travel hours.

A motorcyclist died Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, after crashing into a utility pole on 141st Street near the Sedona Woods neighborhood in Fishers, according to the Noblesville Police Department.

Officers from Noblesville and Fishers responded to the intersection of 141st Street and Catalina Drive at approximately 6:07 p.m. The intersection is along the boundary between the two cities.

Police said preliminary witness reports and evidence at the scene indicate a 2012 Honda CBR motorcycle was traveling east on 141st Street at a high rate of speed when the rider lost control and struck the pole. No other vehicles were involved.

The rider was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office will determine and release the rider’s identity.

The Noblesville Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit responded to investigate. Both lanes of 141st Street between Promise Road and Copper Boulevard were closed for approximately two hours while investigators collected and documented evidence.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Hamilton East Public Library will hold its third annual LibraryCon! on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fishers branch. The free, family-friendly event celebrates fandom culture for all ages.

Cosplay is encouraged but not required. Visitors can pose at a photo booth, and costumed members of Star Wars Indiana will roam the library throughout the day. Transformers meet-and-greets are scheduled at several times between 11 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

The keynote speaker is Misako Rocks, a Japanese manga artist and online educator whose work has been published worldwide. She will discuss the making of her Bounce Back book series and demonstrate drawing manga step by step from 2 to 3 p.m., with a book signing afterward.

Hands-on workshops round out the schedule. Cosplay duo Molly Silver and Isabella, known as FruitGoblin Cosplay, will lead an EVA foam bracers workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Illustrator Ray Brown will teach comic-making in “The Art of Four Panels” from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. Both require pre-registration, as do the Jedi Academy sessions and the adult and teen video game tournaments.

Music includes the group il Troubadore performing anime, video game, TV and movie music from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Eric Salazar and Ashton Vickery of Forward Motion will play Legend of Zelda music on clarinet and piano from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.

Trivia fans can join LibraryCon! Book Trivia, hosted by the library’s Teen Advisory Board, at 11:30 a.m., or the LibraryCon! Trivia Showdown at 12:30 p.m.

Drop-in activities run all day, including:

• Open board gaming and playtesting with Who’s Yer Gamers and Indy Tabletop Game Creators
• Learn-to-play Dungeons & Dragons
• The GameStar Mobile video game truck
• Family crafts in the Children’s Department
• A sensory-friendly room
• An artist alley and marketplace featuring local creators
• A community corner with the Hamilton East Public Library Foundation, Circle City Ghostbusters and other groups
• Food trucks and a mobile coffee cart

Visitors can also donate blood at a Versiti blood drive; donors receive library swag and a free book. Pre-registration is recommended. The Friends of the Library bookstore will hold a special sale in the lobby.

A scavenger hunt will run throughout the event, with finishers entered into a prize drawing at 1:45 p.m. Participants must be present to win.

The library notes the schedule and list of participants are subject to change. More information is available on the Hamilton East Public Library website.

The Hamilton County Council approved the county’s 2027 budget Monday, Oct. 19, completing its local adoption process after earlier hearings focused on staffing two new courts and preparing for new public safety facilities.

Council members approved the county’s budget appropriations and tax-rate ordinances during the special meeting. No opposition was recorded in the transcript during those votes. A later debate over commissioners’ compensation involved the county’s separate salary ordinance.

Indiana’s public budget notice lists Hamilton County’s proposed 2027 budget at approximately $350.3 million, with a proposed property-tax levy of $110.3 million. Those are advertised proposal figures; a final adopted spending total was not established in the records reviewed for this story.

Much of the earlier budget discussion centered on services and buildings expected to begin operating next year.

Hamilton Superior Courts 8 and 9 are scheduled to open in January 2027. During budget hearings, departments requested 17 additional positions across the courts, Clerk’s Office, Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office to support the expanded court system, according to the county’s September budget summary.

The county also is preparing to open its $85 million Public Safety Communications Center in 2027. The three-story, 108,000-square-foot facility will house emergency dispatch and operations. A separate Public Safety Training Center also is expected to become available next year, and at least seven additional Buildings and Grounds employees were requested to help maintain new facilities.

Monday’s most extended discussion concerned commissioners’ pay. Council members debated a proposed amendment to the salary ordinance and whether compensation should be linked to a separate health-insurance issue. After that discussion, the council adopted the salary ordinance, with opposition recorded in the transcript. The transcript does not clearly establish the final disposition of the pay amendment.

The council also approved separate 2027 budget measures for the Hamilton County Airport Authority and Solid Waste Management District.

The county budget next goes to the state for review and approval. The 2027 budget year begins Jan. 1.

Fishers voters can cast early ballots close to home starting Wednesday, when two city park buildings open as early voting sites for the Nov. 3 general election.

The Roy G. Holland Memorial Park Building and the Billericay Park Building will each host early voting over the next two weeks. The two Hamilton County sites in Noblesville, which opened Oct. 6, will remain open through Monday, Nov. 2.

Both Fishers locations keep the same schedule:

Roy G. Holland Memorial Park Building, 1 Park Drive
Billericay Park Building, 12690 Promise Road

• Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 21-22, 2 to 7 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28-29, 2 to 7 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Fishers sites are not open Monday or Tuesday. Voters who want to vote early on those days, or during weekday morning hours, can go to either Noblesville location.

Hamilton County Judicial Center, One Hamilton County Square, Noblesville

• Monday through Friday, Oct. 19-23, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday through Friday, Oct. 26-30, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to noon

Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville

• Monday through Saturday, Oct. 19-24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday through Saturday, Oct. 26-31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to noon

The final chance to vote early is Monday, Nov. 2, at the Noblesville sites only, from 8 a.m. to noon. The Fishers sites close for good after Saturday, Oct. 31.

Registered Hamilton County voters may vote early at any of the four locations. Indiana law requires voters to show a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or state ID card.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Construction is underway on The Crossing Lofts at Fishers District, a 273-unit luxury apartment community that will sit next to the Fishers Event Center, developer Thompson Thrift announced Monday.

The four-story building will include about 10,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and attached structured parking. The first residents are expected to move in in January 2028.

The project is part of The Crossing at Fishers District, the southern section of Thompson Thrift’s larger Fishers District development near Interstate 69 and 116th Street. That section is anchored by the 7,500-seat Fishers Event Center.

“The Crossing Lofts represents another important step in bringing our long-term vision for Fishers District to life,” said Josh Purvis, managing partner of Thompson Thrift Residential. “Over the past decade, Fishers District has evolved into a vibrant mixed-use destination, and this community will build on that momentum by bringing residents closer to everything the district has to offer.”

The development will offer studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments of up to 1,440 square feet. Units will include quartz countertops, stainless-steel appliances, full-size washers and dryers and smart-home technology. Some units will have a den, private yards and other upgrades.

Amenities will include a heated pool, a 24-hour fitness center, courtyards with grilling areas, a pet spa, a coffee bar, work spaces and a temperature-controlled delivery station that keeps restaurant and grocery orders fresh until residents pick them up.

Residents will be within walking distance of other Fishers District destinations, including The Union, The Yard and Slate at Fishers District.

Ryan Menard, Thompson Thrift’s vice president of commercial development, said the ground-floor space will add to the mix of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues in the area.

“What makes Fishers District special is the way each new development builds on what is already here,” Menard said. “The Crossing Lofts will bring more residents into the heart of the district while creating new opportunities for commercial users.”

When finished, The Crossing at Fishers District is planned to include more than 75,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, a 125-room hotel and nearly 500 apartment units.

Thompson Thrift began work on Fishers District in 2015. The full 123-acre development, valued at about $750 million, will include five separate areas with apartments, townhomes, hotels, offices, dining, shopping and entertainment, all linked by pedestrian paths.

Fishers and Hamilton County voters face a consequential question on the Nov. 3 ballot: When should the government be allowed to keep someone in jail before proving that person guilty?

Public Question 1 would expand Indiana judges’ authority to deny bail. Supporters say it would close a dangerous gap in the law, allowing courts to detain defendants whose release conditions cannot adequately protect others. Opponents say the amendment reaches too broadly and could leave people accused of relatively minor offenses behind bars while their cases proceed.

The disagreement involves public safety, individual liberty and how reliably courts can predict future conduct. It also raises a practical question: Would the change produce carefully targeted detention, or a wider system of incarceration before conviction?

The amendment would apply statewide, including in Hamilton County. It requires approval from a majority of voters voting on the question.

Continue reading Indiana’s bail amendment: More protection from dangerous defendants, or too much power to jail before trial? →