Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern’s Amaya Hamilton is one of 13 Indiana senior girls basketball players that have been selected for the 2019 IndyStar Indiana Girls All-Stars, it was
announced on Thursday.

Those chosen to the team will play three games in June — one exhibition game against the Indiana Junior All-Stars as well as home-and-home contests against the Kentucky All-Stars.

Hamilton was a four-year varsity player for the Royals, and helped Southeastern to a Class 4A state championship two weeks ago. The 6-2 forward, a Division I commit to Duquesne University, averaged 11.6 points per game this season.

The other 2019 Indiana Girls All-Stars, listed alphabetically, are: Jorie Allen of Bedford North Lawrence, Shaila Beeler of Warren Central, Sydney Freeman of Central Noble, Carissa Garcia of Fort Wayne Concordia, Rikki Harris of North Central, Lilly Hatton of North Harrison, Emma Nolan of Marquette Catholic, Maddie Nolan of Zionsville, Sophia Nolan of Marquette Catholic, Hannah Noveroske of Michigan City, Riley Ott of La Porte and Cameron Tabor of New Castle.

The head coach for the 2019 Girls AllStars will be Debbie Guckenberger of Brownsburg. She will be assisted by Mike McBride of Eastern (Pekin) and Chris Seibert of Crown Point.

The 2019 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball will be announced from within the group of All-Stars listed above at The Star’s Indiana Sports Awards program on May 5 at Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis.

The Junior-Senior exhibition game is set for June 5 at a site to be announced. The first game against Kentucky will be June 7 at Bellarmine University’s Knights Hall in Lousville.

The final game against Kentucky will be June 8 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

All three dates will be doubleheaders with the IndyStar Indiana Boys All-Stars.

The Indiana Junior All-Stars, boys and girls, also will play home-and-home doubleheaders against the Kentucky Junior AllStars. Those games tentatively are set for June 1 at a Kentucky site to be announced and June 3 at an Indiana site to be announced.

The Indiana All-Stars program was founded in 1939 when the Indiana Boys All-Stars played the state champion Frankfort Hot Dogs. The series with Kentucky began in 1940, and the girls portion of the All-Stars was added in 1976. The Junior All-Stars, boys and girls, were added in 1996.

The Indiana portion of the AllStar Games is organized and produced by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

The Indianapolis Star, with its IndyStar brand, is a title sponsor.

Miss Basketball is selected through a balloting process of coaches and media overseen by game organizers from the IBCA. The remainder of the team is finalized by All-Star game director Mike Broughton after observing numerous games and events throughout the season, conferring with coaches, school officials and media across the state and reviewing votes submitted by coaches and media who each could recommend up to 10 players.

As the Spark Fishers summer festival prepares for the second celebration in 2019, the event will have a new presenting sponsor.  First Internet Bank, a financial institution that has seen large growth since moving its headquarters to Fishers, will be the presenting sponsor the the festival, set for June 28th & 29th.

First Internet Bank plans to move its headquarters in December to 116th Street in the Nickel Plate District, near the Municipal Complex, as part of a Browning Investment development.  The firm is currently housed in a building located at 11201 USA Parkway in Fishers.

“First Internet Bank is delighted to sponsor the Spark!Fishers event in celebration of this great community,” said David Becker, President and CEO of First Internet Bank, in  city news release. “Being headquartered in Fishers, we’re incredibly proud to support this favorite summer tradition in our hometown. It’s especially significant to be a part of the event as we connect one milestone—our 20^th anniversary this year—with our future as we break ground on our new headquarters in downtown Fishers.”

The city says Spark Fishers will start Friday, June 28th, with a nationally known musical act to be announced at a later date.  The main festival will be held in the Nickel Plate District of downtown Fishers June 29th

Some of the activities planned include:

• A 5K Walk/Run and Half K Run for Kids, brought to you by the Fishers YMCA and Geist Half Marathon, with a new route for 2019
• The Fishers Farmers’ Market in the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater
• A massive street fair in the Municipal Complex featuring local artisans, food vendors, businesses, and community organizations
• A patriotic evening parade through downtown Fishers
• A firework show to cap off the celebration

Fishers was once a small town with that small-town feel where everyone knew you, your family and most of your life history.  Mayor Scott Fadness grew up in a small North Dakota farming community with a feel much like that – everyone knew your name, your family and most everything about you.

The mayor emphasized community in his speech to the Fishers YMCA annual fundraising campaign breakfast Thursday morning.  He cited the summer Tuesday night concerts that draw 5,000-6,000 local residents each week

“Not one time, not one single time, have we had an issue with a person at those events,” Fadness said.  “I ask you, where else in America can you tell people you have a free concert, feel free to bring whatever you want to drink, have 5,000 people show up consistently every Tuesday night, and never have a single issue with people acting inappropriately? That says something about the character and quality of our community.”

He cited the concerts as one example where local residents can make a human connection and get to know each other.  As Fishers has grown into a large suburban community, finding ways to get to know each other has become more difficult, but the Tuesday concerts serve as one example of how the city is trying to bring local citizens together, trying to build what the mayor described as “a sense of community.”

The mayor told the crowd that the Fishers YMCA is on the front lines of building the city’s sense of community.  He said an organization like the local Y is the difference between “a sterile suburban environment and a true community.”

Danny Brown told the crowd about how the YMCA saved his life.  He was exercising and suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, a medical emergency where only about 5% survive and fully recover.  Due to quick action, the use of AED equipment at the Y and the people on the scene when he collapsed, he became one of the 5% that fully recover from a cardiac arrest.  Mr. Brown became emotional when talking about the people at the Fishers Y that day and how they saved his life.

The Fishers YMCA is best known for the exercise facilities and swimming pools, but there is much more to the organization, including youth summer camps and after-school programs.

The Fishers YMCA never turns anyone down for membership because they cannot afford to pay the membership fee.  About 25% of families receive some sort of help because they lack resources to pay for Y services.

When you contribute to the Fishers YMCA, part of that money is used to help those families unable to afford YMCA membership and programs.  Donating to the Fishers YMCA is easy, just use this link and use the DONATE button at the top of the page.

Thompson Thrift is developing The Yard near IKEA in Fishers, and another project is in their plans next door.  The Stations will have a mixed-use building with office and retail, a commercial building, a hotel, and approximately 50 town-homes on roughly 8.6
acres of land.

The Fishers Plan Commission unanimously approved a favorable recommendation to the Fishers City Council, moving The Stations development forward.  The Fishers planning staff recommended approval of this project, but included this statement in their report:

“Staff would like to clarify some misinformation that was delivered by the media. The Stations at Fishers District PUD (Planned Unit Development) is a separate development from The Yard at Fishers District. The Stations PUD previously existed as a commercial development and this amendment allows for greater connectivity to both the Exit 5 PUD and the Kroger commercial center and the adjacent Yard at Fishers District PUD. The Yard at Fishers District has currently secured 11 restaurants, with 80% of the square footage dedicated to restaurant uses. The Stations at Fishers District will be a separate adjacent development with a mix of office, retail, hotel and residential uses.”

I asked Steve Hardin of Faegre Baker Daniels, the attorney representing Thompson Thrift, about The Stations…here is the video of that conversation:

Brad DeReamer is finishing up his first 4-year term on the Fishers City Council, representing the Northeast District.  Here is my podcast conversation with Brad DeReamer.

Tom Grinslade is a local Fishers businessman.  He builds custom homes.  He is running for Fishers City Council, Northeast District.  Here’s my podcast conversation with Tom Grinslade…

Perhaps it was the best place to present a check to the City of Fishers…..the bay area of the IU Health Emergency Room in Fishers on a cold Tuesday afternoon in March.  IU Health presented a check of $43,680 to support the “paramedicine behavioral response” program.

The money will go to local efforts in providing follow-up and support help for mental health patients.  This serves situations where the police department personnel and hospitals may not quickly identify mental health needs for some people encountered by first responders.

Mayor Scott Fadness pointed out that homicides are rare in Fishers but, sadly, there are many more suicides.  This program will be aimed at helping those suffering from mental health issues at an early stage and provide the help needed.

Mayor Fadness began a mental health initiative as he assumed the office of mayor in 2015 and that program continues.

“This new behavioral response program was identified by the Fishers Mental Health Task Force as an important component of the city’s mental health initiative,” said Alicia Shulhoff, President of the IU Health North Suburban Area in a news release.

This blog is centered on Fishers news, but every now and then, I take a point of personal privilege.  This is one of those times and I have two things to write about on this Sunday evening.

First, for reasons I cannot explain, I was fascinated with radio broadcasting from the time my parents bought my brother Tom & I transistor radios in the early 1960s (hard to believe that was hi-tech at that time).  I listened intently just about every day to nearly all the local stations I could get on my little portable radio.

That interest in radio never waned.  In 1968 I was hired to work in a radio station just to change records and tapes (digital technology did not exist at that time) and to watch over the equipment.  There was no microphone in the studio, everything was prerecorded.

But I waited for my chance to work on the air.  I graduated from a trade school that specialized in training radio announcers.  I applied for jobs everywhere.

Finally, I landed my first announcing job.  It was WIFN Radio in Franklin, Indiana.  A man named Ron Douglas was willing to take a chance on a young kid just out of high school to be a part of his announcing staff.

Ron Douglas started me part-time, then later allowed me to join the full-time staff a few months later.  Eventually, Ron promoted me to Program Director, which is essentially the person managing the announcing staff.  Ron also allowed me to live my dream of being a sports play-by-play announcer for high school and small college sports.

Ron was not a natural salesman, but to be a radio station manager in those days, you needed to get out on the street and sell.   A strong work ethic allowed Ron to slowly grow the station’s revenue, even in tough economic times.

Ron and I didn’t agree on everything.  I didn’t like the way he treated some of my friends when they came to work at the station.  But broadcasting has always been a tough business, so that all resulted in growing a thick skin, which helped me later on in my 14-year broadcasting career.

Ronald G. Douglas died on January 7th, 2019, at the age of 74.  I suppose everyone in broadcasting remembers the first person willing to take a chance and hire them.  Ron Douglas took a chance on me.  I will never forget that.

My sincere sympathies to his wife Mary and Ron’s entire family.  I will always remember Ron.

Now, on to the second item, NUVO.

I remember when NUVO hit the local news scene in 1990.  The Pulliam family owned the Indianapols Star and News and maintained the staunchly conservative political stance the newspapers had always exemplified.

NUVO came onto the scene to provide a counter-balance to the Pulliam Press of that time.  It’s politics were decidedly liberal, but the real strength of the weekly paper was the entertainment news.  NUVO was the news source of record for entertainment in the city of Indianapolis.

The late Harrison Ullman was strident in his criticism of the Indiana legislators.  Even as a small paper, it was all over downtown Indianapolis and our Statehouse elected officials never cared for Ullman’s cutting commentaries about their work.

NUVO was a free newspaper you could pick up in most areas of Indianapolis and some suburbs.  It was an early adapter to Internet technology, long before the Star had an online presence.

Basically, NUVO provided an alternative view of the city.

That alternative view is no more.  NUVO is yet another casualty of the print media as it is laying-off most of the staff.  There will be an online news site yet to be established, but there will reportedly be no entertainment news on the new online site, and there will be a monthly charge to subscribe.  I wish them well, but it’s a competitive market out there.

I am a believer that different points of view need to be heard.  If the local newspaper is conservative, you like to see a more liberal counterpart.  If the local paper is liberal, a more conservative view should be available.  The Indianapolis Star just fired its editorial page editor and has drastically cutback editorial commentary in a dramatic fashion.  This is not good.

The loss of NUVO is a very big loss for the entire Indy metro area.  NUVO publisher Kevin McKinney has invested a great deal of his own money into keeping NUVO alive for a very long time.  But in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

My heart goes out to all the staff members that lost their jobs at NUVO, including editor Laura McPhee.  It is a tough time for journalists.  My hope is that all these unemployed writers land on their feet.

by

David Williams

WISH-TV / Hamilton County Reporter

A measure approved by the Indiana Senate would help public schools make sure their environments are safe from radon.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the extremely toxic radioactive gas causes lung cancer. The EPA also says you can’t see the gas, smell it or taste it.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools actively tracks the gas in its facilities.

Bob Rice, who is the energy manager for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, said Friday, “It comes from the ground and it can infiltrate buildings. It’s the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.”

Rice is in charge of testing all HSE schools for radon every five years.

“Most of our schools are on slabs. But, the radon gas can still come in. Since we have brick walls, it can actually build up in our schools,” Rice said. “So, it’s one of those issues where we’re bringing in enough fresh air so we’re pumping the radon out and getting fresh clean air in so we’re not exposing our kids to radioactive elements.”

Cumberland Elementary School was remodeled and tested a couple years ago. The cost to test that school was about $1,200. Rice said it costs more to test its high schools, Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern, which are larger than the elementary schools.

“We’ve never had a school reach over 4 picocuries, which is kind of the baseline,” Rice said. “Most of ours are around 1.3, 1.8, which is the average of Indiana.”

Under a bill from state Sen. Eric Bassler, the state’s Health Department every three years would have to give each public school district a “best practices” manual for indoor air-quality management and radon testing recommendations.

“It will get radon on people’s radar screens,” said the Republican from Washington, Ind. “So, they will be able to start being aware of it. They can then make a decision on how often they would test for it. I believe the EPA recommends a school test every five years.”

The senator said less than roughly 5 percent of Indiana public schools have tested for radon in the last five to 10 years.

“If we ever got to the point where we were going to require schools to do that testing,” Bassler said, “I’d want to provide them with funding to help to the testing.”

Bassler’s bill was referred to the House on Wednesday for consideration.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

Winning a boys basketball sectional championship is never as easy as it looks.

Just ask Carmel, which successfully defended its home gym Saturday night by winning the Class 4A Sectional 8 title at the Eric Clark Activity Center. The No. 1-ranked Greyhounds had to fight for the entire game against old rival Hamilton Southeastern, but found a way to a 45-39 victory. This is the fifth straight sectional championship for Carmel and qualifies the ‘Hounds for the Logansport regional, where they will play Fort Wayne Northrop in the first game, at 10 a.m. next Saturday.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and you got to give those guys credit,” said Carmel coach Ryan Osborn. “They fought. It was one of the most back-and-forth games that I’ve been a part of. I was happy the most with our guys responding. It’s not like they got punched in the mouth and they took it, they sat back and took it. They came back and they battled. I thought they were tough.”

The Greyhounds never trailed in the game, and were only tied once: Carmel’s Andrew Owens opened the contest with a 3-pointer, but the Royals’ Vinny Buccilla answered that with a three-point play.

Karsten Windlan’s jumper got the ‘Hounds ahead 5-3. Seconds later, Windlan and Owens made back-to-back 3s, putting Carmel up 11-4.

The Greyhounds led 13-9 after the first quarter, and quickly extended the lead to 15-9 after John Michael Mulloy made a layin and Windlan converted two free throws. Southeastern’s Kole Hornbuckle nearly brought the Royals all the way back, draining a 3, then scoring off a steal. Mulloy got the lead back to five with a layin, but Chris Grubbs nailed a triple, and got HSE within 19-17.

The Royals were without injured starting guard Noah Smith, so several players stepped up for Southeastern. Osborn praised the Royals on their effort after the game, calling them “a good, talented team.”

“They’re really good as far as keeping guys off the boards and limiting extra possessions,” said Osborn. “Against a team like that, they go 7-2, 6-7, 6-6, 6-6 to start the game. And they’re flying in there. I think the first seven possessions they get five offensive rebounds.

“Our guys battled. Andrew comes out with a lip cut and bleeding everywhere, and he gets it fixed and he’s right back in there, and he battles for the rest of the game.”

Grubbs would later make 3 of 4 foul shots with under 12 seconds left in the second quarter (on separate fouls), cutting Carmel’s lead to 21-20. But Greyhounds freshman Pete Suder put in a layin with time running out in the half, giving Carmel a 23-20 halftime lead.
“Before the game, we always tell each other, ‘There’s going to be some runs, but we got to stick together and play as a team,’” said Windlan. “We really bought into that.”

The third quarter was a defensive one, as both teams scored eight points. Southeastern got within one point twice, including at 27-26 when Landon Morris hit a jump shot. Mulloy made two foul shots, then Suder scored again to get the lead back to 31-26.

The Royals had the last word of the period, as Aaron Etherington’s floater kept the Royals within 31-28. But Carmel got going in the fourth, beginning the quarter with an 8-0 run. Windlan started the run with a free throw, Suder made a layin, then Mulloy converted a three-point play to give the ‘Hounds their biggest lead, 37-28. Windlan scored soon after, and Carmel was up 39-28.

“The great thing is, we can say we’ve been here before,” said Mulloy. “And it was awesome just to know that we were able to focus in on things. We have a freshman (Suder) starting. He’s learning and it’s a great time to lead and just show the younger kids what to do and to step up and that’s what they’re doing.”

Southeastern made one last push with under two minutes left: Grubbs drained two free throws, then Etherington dunked a rebound, keeping HSE within 41-36 with 1:17 left. But the clock was on Carmel’s side by now. Owens made a layin with under a minute to go, then Mulloy made two free throws with 15 seconds left.

Mulloy scored 19 points and Windlan added 10; both collected eight rebounds. Owens also scored 10 points.

Grubbs scored 12 points and pulled seven rebounds for Southeastern, which finished the season 16-9. Morris and Mabor Majak each grabbed six rebounds, and Etherington dished out four assists.

Carmel’s win marked the boys basketball program’s 29th sectional championship, and the third time that the Greyhounds have won five in a row. Carmel won nine consecutive titles between 1966 and 1974, then collected five straight championships between 1976 and 1980.