Fishers firefighters were busy overnight knocking down a garage blaze at 10966 Innisbrooke Lane, south of 106th Street between Mollenkopf Road and Windermere Boulevard.  No one was injured.

25 firefighters responded to the alarm that was reported at 3:13am Tuesday, and the fire was under control by 3:43am.   A family of three made it out safely after their teenage son smelled smoke and alarms sounded shortly thereafter.

The fire was contained to the garage area of the home, but the home did see smoke damage.  The cause and extent of damage are yet to be determined.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness made an important staff announcement at Monday night’s City Council. meeting.  Elliott Huntgren has been appointed as Fishers Deputy Mayor of Administration.

Hultgren has been the fleet director for the city.   He recently served a stint in Africa as a member of the armed forces.

In is new role as a deputy mayor he will head-up the city’s human resources department, information technology, business solutions and the controller’s office.

“All of the departments that don’t always get a lot of air time.” Fadness said, “but are critical for the operations of our internal organization.  We’re excited to have him in a leadership role.”

Office space in Fishers is a very scarce resource, but more is on the way.  The City of Fishers and the Hageman Group have entered into a project agreement an office building, which was approved Monday night by the Fishers City Council.   The plans call for a 31,000 square foot office structure with a total investment of $8.5 million as lease commitments are finalized.

The office building will be multi storied, located at 8939 Technology Way, across from the Meyer-Najem building.  The city hopes this will become a  gateway to the Fishers Certified Tech Park.  The park already houses operations such as Launch Fishers, the IOT Lab and Netfor.

“This will add needed office space to our downtown office inventory,” said Brandon Dickinson, Director of Economic Development at the Monday night city council session.  “We honestly can’t build it fast enough for the demand that we have.”

Fishers officials say the city will provide the land, $2.05 million in bond proceeds through Tax Increment Financing and a waiver of impact fees to assist with development costs only in the event the building is pre-leased and under construction within 30 months with a minimum private investment of $5.6 million.

“Innovation companies are looking for a place to call home in Fishers and this development provides another opportunity for growing companies to join the entrepreneurial economy here in our city,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release.

The downtown area of Fishers has seen $430 million in development over the past three years.

Democrats have not been much of a factor in Hamilton County elections as far back as I can remember.  Hamilton County Reporter columnist Fred Swift recently pointed out that, with only a very few exceptions, Republicans have governed Hamilton County for the past 150 years.

But local Democrats are saying they have a chance to grow and make a difference now.  Sam Quinn of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote a story recently about local Democrats and their efforts to become competitive.

County Democratic Chairman Joe Weingarten sent me the picture shown above to send a message that there are Democrats in Hamilton County and they are organizing for the November election.

Weingarten says he will be appointing candidates to several local offices that have no Democrat on the ballot as of now.  That announcement will be coming in late June.

I am often asked when we will know whether Democrats will ever become a factor in Hamilton County elections.  I have a simple answer.  We will know when a Democrat is elected to office, or at the very least, is competitive in a general election.  Then we will know true progress has been made.

Until then, the key elections in our county will be in the Republican primary.

This is an even-numbered year with no presidential election, so it is called an “off-year” election by national pundits.  There is a U.S. Senate race in Indiana receiving national attention and a few other state-wide races.  There are a number of local elections to be decided in November.

But there is one election where you do not see the identification of the candidates as Republicans or Democrats.  In Indiana, school board elections are nonpartisan.  It is possible locally that a candidate may be known as a supporter in a particular political party, but the election itself is not to be partisan.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Corporation takes-in all of the City of Fishers, plus unincorporated areas of Fall Creek & Delaware Townships.  All of Wayne Township is also part of the HSE Schools.

The HSE Schools are governed by a seven-member school board.  The board members are elected to four-year terms.  Elections are staggered and held every two years.

In 2016, HSE had what is called an at-large election.  There are three races, with each candidate required to reside within her/his township (Fall Creek, Delaware or Wayne) but the entire school district votes on all three township races.  Mike Bottorf won the Fall Creek Township seat in 2016, Amanda Shera was the winner in Delaware Township and Sylvia Shepler won re-election in Wayne Township.

In 2018, four board seats are up for grabs, but the election process is a little different.  Each candidate must live within her/his district and only the voters within the district cast a ballot for their school board member.

A map of the four districts is shown above.  There could be as many as three seats open in this upcoming November school board election.

In District 1, Matt Burke is the incumbent but cannot run again in that district because he has moved since the 2014 election.  But Mr. Burke told me days ago that he is leaning heavily toward not running in his new district (District 4).

John Delucia is finishing up his second term in District 2 and has been saying for some time he will not run for a third term.

In District 3, Michelle Fullhart is the only incumbent clearly gearing-up for a re-election campaign.

In District 4, Terry Tolle informed me he will not seek re-election.

Candidates do not officially begin filing for office at the Hamilton County Election Office, located in Noblesville, until Wednesday, July 25th.  The deadline to file your candidacy is noon, Friday, August 24th.

So, why am I writing about this so early?  I am letting everyone in the local community know that there will likely to be at least two open seats, possibly as many as 3 open seats, in this year’s HSE School Board election.

If you have a desire to serve your local community in a nonpartisan but very important way, consider running for the local school board.  After covering school boards off-and-on since the mid-1970s, I won’t sugar coat this challenge…it is a tough job that will demand a lot of you time.  But it is important work that will have a major impact on your local schools.

If you have an inclination to become a candidate, talk to one or more of the current board members, or request a meeting with HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff.  There are technicalities in becoming a candidate and handling all the reports required, but there are people willing to assist with that.

When you talk with real estate agents locally, and ask them what attracts home buyers to the Fishers area, most of them will tell you it is the solid reputation of the HSE Schools.  Having a school system with prestige impacts not just the students, but has a positive impact on the quality of the community overall.  It also keeps property values high.

So, if you are interested, or know someone that may be a good candidate, consider the Hamilton Southeastern School Board in the 2018 election.  Now is the time to start your campaign.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 7:00am, Monday, June 18th…Terry Tolle contacted me and confirmed he will not seek re-election in District 4.    

I have two sets of emotions every Father’s Day.  First, I reflect on how fortunate I am to have two wonderful daughters, Allison and Mary.  There is no dad anywhere that could be more proud of his daughters than I.

But I also remember that on the first Father’s Day when I was a dad, my father had died the February before.  I was a proud father of my twin girls that day, but I very much missed my own dad.

I don’t think about my dad just on Father’s Day, I think about him every single day.  Time does heal the pain, but I still miss him.

His real name was Martin Bernard Lannan, but everyone he knew called him Bernie. If someone called him Martin, that meant the person calling him by that name did not know him at all.

I cannot summarize in a few words what my dad taught me.  The most important principles he gave me and all my siblings were rooted in telling the truth and doing that right thing.

I learned from him all about volunteering your time for the betterment of your community.  Dad served on the board of directors of what is now Financial Center First Credit Union.  He was never paid for serving on that board most of his adult life, but he found it important to serve people working where he did, which was a group of federal workers served in the early days of that credit union, before the pool of members began to increase with changes in the law.

This blog I write and the podcasts I produce are volunteer activities for me.  My dad taught me how important it is to give something back to your local community.

My dad has been gone for 24 years, but he left so much behind.  He left a legacy for me, Tom, Barbara, Diane, Tony and Tim.  Dad taught us how to be good people.  A lesson none of us will ever forget.

Adam & I review the film Oceans 8.  Greg Sorvig of the Heartland Film Festival stops by and gives us a preview of the new short films event sponsored by Heartland.

by

Rich Torres

Hamilton County Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS – Luke Albright recognized what was about to happen. All he needed was confirmation, and the expression on Grant Richardson’s face was telling, if not prognostic, prior to the bottom of the seventh at Victory Field.

“I saw Grant smile before he went out to pitch, and I knew, ‘this is it, man,’” Albright said. “I just know when he has a smile, he’s having fun. It means he’s on.”

The 1A to Albright’s 1B, or vice versa if you ask the other senior co-ace, Richardson was locked in as he closed out the final 1 2/3 innings for Fishers (29-7) during the IHSAA Class 4A state championship on Friday night.

After halting a potential Cathedral rally in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts, including a four-pitch punch-out with the bases loaded, Albright had full confidence in Richardson with only three outs separating the Tigers from the program’s first-ever state title.

It boiled down to execution, and both were on point in the clutch against the defending state champion Fighting Irish (23-9-1), who were attempting to claim the state’s first repeat since Fort Wayne Carroll in 2010 and ‘11.

Albright carried a no-hitter through four innings and was later relieved in the bottom of the sixth with one out and two runners on base. He limited Cathedral to three hits, struck out three and walked four with 101 pitches thrown.

“We knew Luke was going to show up, no matter what. He always comes out strong, and if he needed any help, I knew I would be there to back him up,” Richardson said.
Despite not allowing a hit until a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth to Peyton Schofield, Albright, a Kent State recruit, retired eight straight after Cathedral went up 1-0 in the first inning due to two Fishers’ throwing errors.

For some, an early deficit and the pressure of the state finals could have spelled disaster, but Albright never flinched en route to the win and a 9-2 record. Instead, he stuck to the plan.

“With our guys, our goal was to get ahead and then that way we can execute with our secondary pitches,” Fishers assistant coach Craig Huls said. “Albright did a great job of it, getting ahead.”

Two of the three runs charged to Albright were earned, and by the second inning the Tigers offense put him in front 3-1 and eventually 4-2 in the top of the fifth, providing him breathing room.

“I know what this team is about. We can be down five after the first inning, and I know we can come back from that,” Albright said. “We have something special here.”

They’ve had something unique from 60 feet, 6 inches all season.

With the addition of Richardson, who transferred from Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger last summer, neither pitcher was asked to do too much, and it paid off.

The duo combined for 14 wins and 169 strikeouts this season, a result of trust and mutual support, especially on Friday as they worked in unison in front of a crown of 4,308 in downtown Indianapolis.

“(Richardson) coming here was just unreal. I knew from the start, this was going to be something special. Had I known he was going to close out my last two games; it’s just amazing. I love him to death,” Albright said.

Richardson struck out three and induced back-to-back pop ups in Cathedral’s final two at-bats to nail down his second consecutive save. He also came out of the bullpens to close out Fishers’ 5-3 semi-state win against Chesterton in Plymouth last Saturday.

“Grant’s a special kid. His fastball is 81 to 91 (mph), which is ridiculous because you never know if you’re getting the hard one or the soft one. You gear up for the hard one, and he’ll take a little bit off,” Fishers head coach Matthew Cherry said. “That’s what makes him effective.”

In the seventh, he was challenged.

After hitting Bo Sanders, Richardson walked Mack Murphy, which gave Cathedral runners on first and second base and one out. Facing Louisville recruit Jared Poland, who was 1-for-2 and reached base in his three prior plate appearances, Richardson, an Indiana recruit, had to be precise.

“Going into the Big Ten, there’s going to be tons of matchups like that where you have to make the perfect pitch, and you can’t just go up there and throw,” Richardson said. “I did for a couple of batters because I was worried, but when Poland came up, I wasn’t worried.”

Richardson fell behind 2-1, but a fastball on the inner-half of the plate equalized the situation as Poland flew out to center field.

“We decided to stay hard on him after his first couple of at-bats,” Cherry said. “We weren’t going to do that, but the way his swing looked tonight, and again, he’s a great hitter, but we thought we could get him with the fastball.”

The left-hander had the arsenal and he delivered similar to the sectional championship against Noblesville when he shut down the Millers in consecutive innings with three straight strikeouts, including in a bases-loaded scenario.

“I just didn’t want to miss a fastball location. That’s all I was worried about,” Richardson said. “If I threw it in on him, it might get jammed, and that’s what happened. It was perfect pitch, perfect time. It couldn’t have been a better pitch selection.”

For the Tigers, it couldn’t have played out any other way.

The offense and it’s .319 batting average supplied a lead to topple Cathedral’s touted 1.83 ERA. The defense rebounded from two first-inning errors, turning a key 7-6-4 pickoff at second in a near momentum-swinging bottom of the fifth, and the Tigers’ dual aces did the rest to best their staff’s 3.55 ERA.

“It’s special. It started last year with the dominant arms Albright was able to learn from. So he got some experience there and with Grant, we just rode those guys all year,” Huls said. “Our offense was what it was. They were able to score runs when they needed it, but without those guys on the bump, I don’t think we’re here today.”

by

Richie Hall

Hamilton County Reporter

Is it possible for a team to play loose when the stakes are high – and win?

Ask the Fishers baseball team. The Tigers have made a habit of playing loose
and having fun throughout the season. Now you will have to wait a little bit for an answer
– the Tigers are busy celebrating a state championship, so they’ll get back to you.

Fishers won a dramatic Class 4A IHSAA state title game Friday night at Victory Field.
The Tigers dethroned the defender, Cathedral, by the score of 4-3. After giving up an
early run, Fishers scored three in the top of the second and held the lead from that point
forward despite the Irish threatening in what seemed like every one of their at-bats.

But the Tigers held firm throughout every pressure situation.

“It’s a testament to their families,” said Tigers coach Matthew Cherry. “Our community,
our teachers in our building, teaching them to be tough. They fight till the end.
They don’t really ever feel pressure. They’re loose as all get-out, sometimes too loose.
They were goofing around today at BP (batting practice). You would never thought
we were playing a state finals game tonight.”

Fishers’ loose attitude was tested briefly in the first inning, when Cathedral scored an
unearned run. Jared Poland, the Irish’s star pitcher who is also a pretty good hitter, drew
a walk to get on base. Carson Caito came in to pinch run for Poland, stole second, then
made his way home on two throwing errors.

The Tigers responded right away. Matthew Wolff got on base with a hit, then
stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. After a flyout to center field, Nick
Lukac and Jack Roudebush both were walked, loading the bases with two outs.

That brought up Ben Burton, who stretched Poland to a full count, fouled off
at 3-2, then smacked a double into left field. Wolff and Lukac easily scored.

“As soon as they (the Irish) got that run, I was not happy,” said Burton. “I was like,
‘We got to come back, we got to do something, put something on the board.’ Just at
least keep the game going.”

“He got a big triple in the sectional championship game to take the lead in the
seventh,” said Cherry. “And then that huge double to get the lead there early, forced
them to play from behind and allowed us to pitch guys certain ways because we had the
lead. But he’s been awesome. Went through a position change, didn’t like it at first but
totally bought in. Just came up with big hit after big hit this season. He’s been awesome.”

Roudebush moved to third, and he was home seconds late: JJ Woolwine sent a
single into center field on the very next pitch. Fishers flied out to right field for the
third out, but the Tigers had what they needed: A 3-1 lead.

The score remained 3-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when Caito scored again for
Cathedral on a sacrifice fly by Cole Vassilo. Fishers answered back in the top of the fifth
with another run.

Grant Richardson cracked a double into left field to get on base with two outs, then
moved to third on a throwing error. That brought up Kiel Brenczewski, and he drew
a walk, then stole second.

Wolff was next up, and he was walked to load the bases. Alex Jamieson came to the
plate next, and he drew a four-pitch walk, which scored Richardson and increased the
Tigers’ lead to 4-2.

“Most people would be nervous, but personally, I was excited,” said Jamieson.
The senior didn’t feel any nerves at all on the field – “I was just ready to play,” he said.

“Our guys have answered back,” said Cherry. “We talk about punching them in
the mouth, and when we get punched in the mouth, answering back. Our guys have done
that all year. They did it in the Zionsville series when we swept them at the end of the
season and they did it a couple times in the tournament again tonight. Just been their
M.O., answering right back and again, they don’t know how to lose, so when they fall
behind, they take it personally and they get after it.”

The Irish scored one more run in the fifth inning, when Bo Sanders singled in Peyton
Schofield. Neither team scored for the remainder of the game, although Fishers got
itself out of some tricky situations in the final two innings.

Luke Albright pitched five and a third innings, allowing only three hits. Albright
exited the game to a standing ovation with one out in the fifth, but with runners on
second and third. Albright only gave up three hits against Cathedral’s big-hitting
team in securing his ninth win of the season.

That brought in Richardson, who struck out two of the next three batters to end the
inning. Wolff got a two-out double for the Tigers in the top of the seventh, but a center field fly out brought Cathedral back out for one last chance.

Richardson got a strikeout for the first out. Sanders was hit by a pitch to get on
base, then moved to second when Mack Murphy drew a walk. But the Irish would
get no closer. Shortstop Craig Yoho caught a 2-1 pitch to retire the dangerous Poland
for the second out, and Woolwine’s center field catch of an 0-1 delivery ended the game
and started the Tigers’ celebration in front of a crowd of 4,308.

“When I first stepped on this field, I looked at the stands and I was like ‘Wow,
that’s a lot of people,'” said Burton. “Never played in front of that many people before.
It’s just an honor that we can even be state champs.”

Richardson got the save, his second of the season. Both he and Albright tossed
three strikeouts.

The Tigers received another honor after the game, when Wolff won the L.V. Phillips
Mental Attitude Award. The son of Brian and Angie Wolff, Matt graduated with a 4.0
grade-point average, has been active in his church, served as a peer guide for junior high students and has been an excellent role model for youth, according to the school’s administration.

“It feels amazing,” said Wolff. “It’s such an honor to win and I just want to thank my parents for raising me up the right way. I owe a lot to them. My coaches for being with me every step of the way through high school.”

Wolff will serve our country by attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., also playing baseball for the Midshipmen.

“I’d always had a great appreciation for the Naval Academy and the military service academies and I never really thought of it as a true option until they started recruiting me last summer,” said Wolff. “I fell in love when I went there and I knew it was the place for me.”

The Tigers finished the season 29-7 and became the second Hamilton County baseball team to win a state championship. Noblesville was the first in 2014.

Friday’s state baseball triumph marked the fourth state championship for the Fishers athletic program. The Tigers won state in boys cross country in 2007, followed by a 5A football title in 2010 and a 2A girls soccer championship in 2014.

It’a all about the distant future and time travel….my review of the play Critical Recall