My news blog has, so far, been a volunteer activity for me and I do not often promote private businesses because that’s what media people do in the commercial world.  But I do make exceptions when I see a company doing something important for the local community.  For that reason, I wish to draw to your attention a new joint effort to support Prevail.

Tom Wood Volkswagen and the Hamilton County Reporter newspaper are linking-up to support Prevail, a Hamilton County nonprofit organization.  (Full Disclosure:  I have a news-gathering partnership with the Reporter)

Jeff Jellison, publisher of the Reporter, and Mike Bragg, General Manager of the local Tom Wood Volkswagen dealership, announced their new partnership to support Prevail in the December 16th edition of the Reporter.

Bragg said he’s been looking for ways his business could make a difference in the local community.  He looked into Prevail, an organization that advocates for crime and abuse victims.

“That’s what led me to say we are going to donate a portion of our sales in November and December and at the end of the year present them a check,” Bragg said. “But it’s going to go beyond that. Our partnership is continuing in 2019.

Jellison ran a series of articles about Prevail’s work in the Reporter during the month of October.

“I’ve been friends with Mike (Bragg) most of my life,” Jellison said. “He’s a great guy and always has his heart in the right place. I’m very proud to be able to partner with him to help with great work Prevail does in our community.”

Odle the Dog is the ghost-writer of the Prevail articles in the Reporter and you can read the first one at this link.

Learn more about Prevail at this link.

by

Jim Belser

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton Southeastern girls basketball team overcame a slow start against Fishers Saturday night to blitz past the visitors 65-41 at home in the annual Mudsock game between the two schools, extending its record to 14-1.

“When everyone contributes, this team is tough to deal with,” Hamilton Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal said.

Led by Sydney Parrish’s 27 points and big second quarter, the Class 4A No. 2 Royals overwhelmed Fishers on both offense and defense. Seven HSE players scored in the game as the Royals shot 50 percent from the field. Southeastern outscored Fishers 24-9 in the second quarter and led by as many as 27 in the game.

Several Royal players had key moments in the game. Amaya Hamilton, who finished
with 14 for HSE, dropped in a pair of threes in the third quarter to keep the momentum
going for her team. Malea Jackson gave the Royals their first led 9-8 with a jumper in
the first quarter before ending the quarter with a three pointer.

It was a difficult night for Fishers (8-5) on both ends of the court. Audra Emmerson
led the Tigers with 12 points on the night and Katie Burton and Tamia Perryman both
finished with nine points apiece.

“They have a lot of girls who can put it on the floor and drive to the basket and kick
it out for threes, so we were focusing defensively on that. I thought overall we did
a good job of stopping that,” Huppenthal said.

A basketball game wasn’t the only thing on the minds of the Hamilton Southeastern
players, coaching staff, and parents on the night as it was reported that a Royals
player’s grandfather had passed away from a heart attack at the school some time before
the game had started.

Calling his toughest night in 23 years as a coach, HSE’s Huppenthal credited his team and the leadership of Parrish for fighting through the tough circumstances after contemplating canceling the contest.

“I couldn’t be prouder of them,” he said. “They all knew something was going on.
Sydney looked me in the eye and said I got this. When she says she is going to do
something, you can put your faith in her.”

idway through the first quarter the contest swung toward Hamilton
Southeastern. After falling behind 8-4 in the first quarter with Fisher’s Audra Emmerson
knocking down a three pointer, the home team went on an 8-0 run and never looked
back.

Malea Jackson drilled a three pointer at the top of the key with 30 seconds left in the
first quarter to enable the Royals to end the quarter up 12-8.

The Royals accelerated the pace and the lead in the second quarter. Sydney Parrish
took control on offense for HSE, hitting three pointers and scoring on drives to finish
the quarter with 15 of her 20 first half points.

Parrish completed an ‘and one’ after being knocked off balance on a scoring drive
in the second quarter to give her squad a 21-12 lead. A few possessions later Parrish
maneuvered under the basket and delivered an offensive rebound put back following a
Royal missed free throw.

HSE plays New Albany in two weeks at home, while Fishers hosts Delta on Wednesday.

Junior High School has a state championship academic team headed for the national finals.  Coach Mike Fassold is preparing his “We The People” group to compete against the best teams in the nation.  “We The People” is a competition where students prepare a paper on constitutional issues and must answer questions about that paper from judges.

As the students prepare, there is a way you can support these students.  A Go Fund Me page has been established to pay the team’s travel expenses to attend the national meet.  If you would like to donate, use this link.

Fishers motorists have been dealing with the closure of the 131st Street and Allisonville Road intersection for the past few weeks, but there is hopeful news.  An update from the city of Fishers says that intersection should reopen in a matter of days, hopefully during the work week beginning Monday, December 17th.  Weather is the only wild card in determining the exact day and time that area of our city will be open for traffic once again.

Also, 116th Street between Municipal Drive and Lantern Road will see lane restrictions Monday, December 17th.  Road crews will show some mercy during the rush hours, with the work scheduled to begin at 9am and end at 3pm.

Finally, large vehicles will be using the construction entrance on Lantern Road, between 126th Street and 131st Street, and may cause some short delays as drainage work continues on the State Road 37 reconstruction. There are no scheduled lane restrictions or closures along SR 37 at this time.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The number of Hamilton County deaths from dangerous opioid drug overdose continues to rise despite efforts by police to get dealers off the street. County Coroner John Chalfin said this week that 41 individuals have suffered fatal drug overdoses so far this year.

Toxicology reports are pending on three more suspected cases. The drug fatality count for all of 2017 was 36.

While few if any of those deaths have resulted in conviction of a dealer who supplied a fatal dose of drugs, Prosecutor Lee Buckingham says a new law that became effective in July does provide for new and more severe sentences for a person who is responsible for providing drugs that kill.

In the meantime, police seem to be counting on the Hamilton-Boone County Drug Task Force to lead the effort against drug dealers. The task force of eight detectives headed by Dwight Frost has had success in arresting a large number of suppliers. In 2017 there were 170 arrests.

The suspects might be local residents or from neighboring counties. The task force authority is not limited to county boundaries. “We target only dealers,” Frost said. Users may be charged by police agencies, but dealers are considered the bigger problem.

Another problem is the fact that 54 percent of arrests involve repeat offenders. While convictions are frequent through plea agreements, sentences are often not severe. Offenders are often placed in work release or on probation, thanks to changes in the state criminal code in recent years.

Local officials including Sheriff Mark Bowen feel many of the dangerous drugs in Hamilton County are purchased by local residents who go into Indianapolis to do their buying. A few years ago meth was being produced at so-called ‘meth labs’ in many outlying areas. But, Frost says users can now get the product, probably in Indy, “courtesy of the Mexican cartels.”

The most dangerous and often lethal drug is a combination of heroin and fentanyl which the coroner often finds as the cause of local drug deaths. Also becoming more common now among hard drug users is a mixture of cocaine and meth, Frost observes.

Officials don’t predict any certain end in sight for the drug crisis which is national in scope. It often drops off the front pages because cases are becoming so frequent. Individual drug-related deaths locally are often unknown to all but immediate family or close friends of a victim. This is partially due to privacy laws or family embarrassment.

Coroner Chalfin finds that most deaths in the county involve younger people in their 20s and 30s, generally more males than females. They seem to have enough money to feed their hard drug habit, although Sheriff Bowen points out that it is not uncommon for some to resort to burglary or robbery to finance their purchases.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor 

Hamilton County Reporter

When a big game is on the line, no one will remember how you win. Just as long as you win.

The Fishers boys basketball team will remember its Friday game for a long time to
come. The Tigers claimed their first Mudsock trophy in four years by holding off
Class 4A No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern 45-44 in the Tiger Den. The last time Fishers
had beaten the Royals in boys basketball was Dec. 19, 2014.

“They’re undefeated. I’ve never had this win before,” said senior Josiah Matthews. Southeastern had won its first six games of the season before Friday night, and came close in this one. But the Tigers were able to hold their rivals off in the end.

Neither team scored in the final minute of the game, although both teams did make some key rebounds and steals. The biggest rebound of them all came in the final few seconds, when Fishers senior Terry Hicks grabbed the ball after an HSE 3-point shot just missed. It was the final big play of a game that saw Southeastern lead by 10 midway through the second quarter, after which the Tigers came back to lead by nine early in the fourth.

“It’s the toughness,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “I thought our guys showed a
lot of resolve, being down 10 early in the game. And I thought you saw that same
resolve when we started chipping away, got it to two at halftime, and then took our lead
early in the third.

“There’s nothing real shiny and polished up about us,” said Moore. “We’re going to
be gritty. We’re going to do it as a team and I’m going to coach guys hard because there’s
a lot of expectation that I have for them and they met that expectation tonight.”

Southeastern led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter, with Chris Grubbs scoring five points for the Royals. The junior started the game with a free throw, then made two jump
shots in the middle of the quarter.

Grubbs also made a big play in the second, when he stole the ball and took it in for a dunk. That gave HSE a 25-15 lead.

Aaron Etherington started the second quarter with two 3-pointers, then Noah Smith added
six points.

But the Tigers began to make their run in the second half of the period. Senior Willie Jackson made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 3:17 of the half, the major part of a 10-2 run that got Fishers within 27-25 at halftime. Alex Szilagyi scored the other two points off a steal.

Jackson made back-to-back layins to start the second half, and that put the Tigers
up 29-27, a lead they would keep for the remainder of the game. Matthews hit a 3,
then freshman Jeffrey Simmons scored on a putback. Fishers allowed HSE only four
points in the third quarter, which ended with a Hicks 3-pointer and the Tigers up 41-32.

“Sometimes you just need a win,” said Jackson. “Sometimes you need a tough
game to understand that you can hang in these games. You can hang with the best.

“It’s not about who gets the most points, it’s not about who plays the best, it’s about winning,” said Jackson. “When you win as a team, people start noticing.”

Etherington made a pair of foul shots to begin the fourth quarter, but Justin Long’s
layin pushed the lead back up to nine, 43-34. The Royals ended the game on a 10-2 run,
with Bradley Beemon hitting a 3, then Etherington adding four more points, including
a dunk. Hicks scored on a rebound with around two minutes left, and Fishers’ defense did the rest.

“Get a stop and come together,” said Matthews. “Most important thing we had to do. Get a stop and come together.”

Jackson led all scorers with 16 points, while Simmons and Hicks both had nine.
Hicks grabbed nine rebounds, Simmons had eight and Jackson collected five. Hicks
handed out four assists, while Simmons blocked two shots.

Etherington led the Royals with 14 points, while Grubbs cleared 10 rebounds to
go with nine points and four steals. Smith also scored nine and dished out four assists.
Landon Morris blocked two shots.

Fishers is 4-3, and 2-0 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. Next for the Tigers
is a game at Lafayette Jefferson on Thursday.

The Royals are 6-1, 1-1 in the HCC. Southeastern’s next game is next Friday at
Pendleton Heights.

After attending a number of Mudsock games, I have found they all provide a special brand of excitement.  The 2018 boys basketball contest did not disappoint.  Fishers High School picked up a narrow win over the HSE Royals at the Tiger Den, 45-44.

But the game wasn’t the only excitement Friday night.  HSE School Board President Matt Burke presented the board president’s award to fellow school board member John DeLucia, honoring Mr. DeLucia for a long list of volunteer work accomplished throughout the local community.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers got a road victory Thursday at Pendleton Heights by the score of 48-43.
The Tigers trailed 11-6 after the first quarter and 23-16 at halftime, but got a strong second half after a great defensive effort. Fishers poured in 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Katie Burton led Fishers with 16 points, while Tamia Perryman added 14 points and collected eight rebounds. Lydia Stullken scored eight points.

The Tigers will play Saturday at Hamilton Southeastern in the Mudsock game.

When long-time Fishers Police Chief George Kehl  retired in September of 2016, the new police headquarters building was in the early planning stages.  Mayor Scott Fadness said then the new structure would be named after George Kehl.

The shiny new home for the police department now sports the name of the retired leader of local law enforcement.  When you visit Municipal Drive, take a look at the new name shown on the building – George Kehl Station.

The Fishers Police Department is investigating a vehicle accident Monday night on Olio Road that included one care catching fire.  Officers suspect alcohol may be involved and are waiting test results before moving forward.

Below is the entire news release from the Fishers Police Department:

===========================

Fishers police continue to investigate following a serious motor vehicle crash that occurred on Monday evening in the 12100 block of Olio Road.

Shortly after 7pm, this past Monday, officers responded to a motor vehicle crash involving three vehicles. As officers arrived, they discovered one of the vehicles, a 2008 blue Saturn Vue, was on fire and three Good Samaritans had rescued the semi-unconscious driver prior to the Saturn becoming engulfed in flames.

According to witness information and evidence at the scene it appears the 2008 Saturn was traveling southbound, on Olio Road, and struck the Pedestrian Crosswalk Traffic Signal dividing the southbound and northbound traffic lanes. After striking the traffic signal, the Saturn traveled into the northbound lanes and struck a 2014 black, Toyota Rav4 and a 2004 silver Jeep Liberty. The driver of the Saturn and the driver of the Toyota were transported to area hospitals by Fishers Department of Fire and Emergency Services for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Jeep received medical treatment at the scene and was released.

During the investigation, officers developed information leading them to believe the driver of the Saturn, later identified as Clairin Filippelli, was possibly intoxicated. Ms. Filippelli submitted to a toxicology test. The results of that test are pending. Upon the conclusion of the investigation this case may be presented to the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review.

This crash continues to be an active investigation. Additional information may be provided as it becomes available.

Driver #1       Clairin Filippelli

                        27 years old

                        Camby, Indiana

Driver #2       Morgan Flanary

                        27 years old

                        Indianapolis, Indiana

Driver #3       Helena Shortridge

                        21 years old

                        McCordsville, Indiana