After I retiring from my regular job, one adventure I always wanted to take was hopping in the car, driving south the Daytona, Florida, and watching the 24-hour sports car race at the speedway there. That is exactly what I did in 2017, and took side trips to Orlando, the Kennedy Space Center and Fort Walton Beach.
The race was everything I expected and more. It’s hard to believe that after a full 24 hours of racing, so many cars were on the same lap at the end. The fastest of the four classes, the prototype division, actually had a very close finish. The weather wasn’t so great, rainy overnight and much colder than normal for that part of Florida. But I was very glad to be there.
I left January 25th and just arrived back in Fishers over the past weekend. I find several things have happened during my time away. Here are just a few:
–Kudos to the Fishers Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in the area for making an arrest of a 16-year-old Lawrence Township juvenile, charged with making threats on social media targeting Hamilton Southeastern Schools. Students and staff at HSE were lauded by Fishers Police Chief Mitch Thompson for playing an instrumental role.
–The Hamilton Southeastern School Board approved a method to hand out teacher performance awards on a 6-1 vote. Michelle Fullhart voted no. You can see the plan at this link. The board is also wrestling with some student population imbalances at the intermediate and junior high levels. The board is set to further discuss the imbalance issue at the February 8th meeting.
–John Tuohy of the Indianapolis Star posted a story January 30th about talk of turning the Nickel Plate rail line into a walking and biking trail, much like the Monon Trail running through north Indianapolis and Carmel. City officials had no comment. I wonder if that will be further revealed at the mayor’s State of the City address in March? We will see. You can read the Star story at this link.
–I was sad to learn that local restaurateur Bill Smythe was unable to successfully sell his Claude and Annie’s location in Fishers. Bill is now lobbying the Indiana General Assembly. You can read Lindsey Erdody’s story at this link.