Hamilton County Reporter
Leading into Domestic Violence Awareness month, Brittany Winebar (left) of Prevail Inc. presented the Hero of the Month Award for September to Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Rachel Jefferson (right).
A Prevail Hero is someone who goes above and beyond in response to survivors of crime or abuse in our community.
Hamilton County Reporter
This year’s Ryan White Walk at Hamilton Heights High School raised over $2,000 for the Ryan White Scholarship Fund.
One day a year, students pay $1 to miss each period and participate in activities outside such as walking around the track, corn hole and Kan Jam. There is music, food and camaraderie to help raise awareness to continue to preserve Ryan White’s legacy – “Help me beat the odds and together let’s educate and save the children of tomorrow” – while raising funds for the scholarship fund created in his memory in 1991.
“The Ryan White Scholarship began in 1989 when money from all over the country was sent to Heights in Ryan’s memory,” said Kim Kaiser, a business education teacher at Hamilton Heights and the long-term treasurer of the fund. “The school and AIDS Council created The Ryan White Scholarship to award seniors planning to pursue careers in fields that were important to Ryan – education, health and medical. For the past 30 years, Hamilton Heights High School has awarded over $62,000 to 74 students. The Hamilton Heights High School Student Government organization has been hosting the Ryan White Walk fundraiser for the better part of 30 years.”
Ryan White, a 14-year-old boy from Kokomo, was diagnosed with AIDS in December 1984 after contracting the virus from a contaminated hemophilia treatment. He faced intense discrimination from his school and community in a time of fear and misunderstanding about the disease. Ryan and his family moved to Cicero, where he was embraced by Hamilton Heights High School and the community. Ryan lived for over five years after his diagnosis. He lost his battle to the disease in April 1990, one month prior to his high school graduation. His story, which has become an integral part of Hoosier history, still resonates with people around the world and his legacy continues to raise awareness on AIDS.
Junior Katie Cummings said the event was a reminder how one person can change the world. “It also reminds us to be tolerant and supportive of each other and our differences,” added Caitlyn Houser, a junior at Heights.
Hannah Tinch, also a junior, said Heights gave him [Ryan White] a chance to belong and that is something everyone wants and deserves.
“This event is a way we can keep Ryan White’s legacy alive while raising money for scholarships,” said senior Hudson Hochstedler, who has helped with the event since his freshman year.
This year marks the 32nd anniversary of his first year at Hamilton Heights High School. An Indiana historical marker commemorating his contributions was installed during a special dedication at Hamilton Heights Middle School (formerly the high school) on Aug. 30.
Money for the Ryan White Scholarship Fund is generated through the annual Ryan White Scholarship Walk fundraiser and private donations. Donations can be mailed to: The Ryan White Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 379, Arcadia, IN 46030, Attn: Kim Kaiser.
Hamilton County Reporter
Fishers got a bounce-back victory on Friday, taking care of Franklin Central 23-0 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at Clarian Field.
It was a nice win for the Tigers after two straight losses, and also marked their first shutout of the season. Fishers was led defensively by Geoffrey Brown, who made nine tackles (six solo, three assists), with Grant Whetsel next in line with five stops (four solo, one assist). As a team, the Tigers had six tackles for a loss and four sacks.
Fishers’ offense did its job as well, and did it quickly. The Tigers got on the board just 23 seconds into the first quarter, when Marcus Roux threw a pass to Reggie Cook-Graham, who took it 67 yards into the end zone. Jack Phillips made the extra-point kick.
Roux struck again just minutes later, tossing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jeffrey Simmons. Phillips again kicked the extra point, and Fishers had a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
Phillips converted a 35-yard field goal attempt in the second period, putting the Tigers up 17-0 at halftime. Fishers got one more touchdown in the third quarter: Roux threw to Boland for a 14-yard score, giving Roux three touchdown passes for the game.
Roux had an outstanding game, going 18-for-30 and totaling 274 yards. Simmons, Boland and Nick Leath all made four receptions. Dylan Scally led the rushing with 41 yards.
The Tigers are 3-2 in HCC play, placing them in a tie with Hamilton Southeastern for third place. Fishers is 5-2 overall and plays at Westfield next Friday.
by
Craig Adkins
Hamilton County Reporter
In the 2019 meeting of Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern, it became a game where holding onto the football for lengthy periods of time was going to pave the way to victory. That’s exactly what happened on Friday night
as the host Royals took down the Noblesville Millers 35-7.
The Royals got off to a great start and never looked back, easing their way to another HCC win on what was a “Pink Out” in support of breast cancer awareness night.
On an opening drive of 62 yards that took nine plays and 3:40 off the first quarter clock, Blaine Wertz made his way to the end zone from 22-yards out for an early 7-0 HSE lead.
The Millers were forced to punt after four plays on their first drive and that allowed HSE to get back at it offensively.
This time they marched 80 yards in 4:44, capping the 10-play drive off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Hobson to Tony Myers and just like that, the Royals were out to a two-score 14-0 advantage late in the first.
“Even when we have had our struggles, I’ve always felt like offensively the capability and potential was there,” said Hamilton Southeastern head coach Adam Morris about his offense after Friday night’s win over Noblesville.
“Our coaches on that side of the ball are unbelievable. We have some really good pieces on the perimeter. Up front on the offensive line, I think you’re just seeing them gel each week and get better each week,” said Morris, continuing to compliment his offense and his coaching staff.
The Royals’ third series got all the way down to the Miller 15, but resulted in a 32-yard field goal attempt by placekicker Alex Geroulis just wide of the left upright.
Noblesville punted back to HSE once again and two plays later, Aidan Richardson intercepted a Hobson pass to the Royals’ 37.
The Millers couldn’t even get a drive started, as tailback Shawn Kinslow fumbled and the ball was recovered by defensive tackle Evan Lantz.
This gave Southeastern the ball at its own 31, and the Royals had one thing in mind and that was to score before halftime.
It didn’t take them long and the drive really accelerated when the Royals faced adversity heading to the final minute.
With 49.9 seconds until halftime, it was 4th and 15 at the Miller 37. Hobson threaded a pass down the home sideline for a 31-yard completion to DeAndre Rhodes, who kept both toes inbounds, completing a spectacular catch.
“I think the play right before the half was the most important one of the game,” added Morris on Rhodes’ tight-wire sideline grab.
“Completing that ball down here, getting some more points on the board before halftime really changed the game,” stated Morris on how that fourth down conversion changed the game completely.
John McCall came in a punched it in from three yards away to give Southeastern a 21-0 halftime cushion.
“They did a good job. They speed it up in certain situations and play the tempo of that a little bit. There were third downs where we just couldn’t get off of the field,” said Noblesville head coach Justin Roden on the HSE offense’s ability to control the tempo and simply wear down his defense.
Noblesville would fumble again just a few plays into their first series of the second half. Elijah Butler put the ball on the turf and Evan Lantz pounced on it for the second time of the night.
The Royals wasted no time at all on the following drive and they didn’t need a whole lot of room, starting from the Noblesville 39. Hobson would toss his second touchdown pass on the night, this time to Rhodes for a 15-yard end zone grab, pushing it to a four-score game at 28-0.
Late in the third, McCall would plunge in for a two-yard rushing touchdown that would make it a 35-0 count with 4:01 left in the quarter.
At this point, according to new IHSAA rules, the remainder of the game would involve a running clock, because a particular team leads by 35-plus points.
This would be the point where the game was out of reach for a Noblesville
comeback.
The Millers would substitute Alex Zavac back in at quarterback for the rest of the game. He would complete two of his four pass attempts, including one for 42-yards up the visiting sideline to Jayden Barrett that accounted for the lone Miller score on the night, making the final score a 35-7 win for Hamilton Southeastern.
“We’ve got to go back and improve our response to things,” stated Roden on his team’s reaction to situations that frustrated the Millers.
“That’s what young and inexperienced teams do when they get put in a corner, they don’t respond like champions do. Champions find a way to overcome that adversity. That’s a really good football team,” Roden continued on how Noblesville needs to find ways to bounce back in the coming weeks.
The Millers will have to figure themselves out quick, as Noblesville (1-6, 1-4 HCC) hosts Brownsburg (5-2, 4-1) next week for Senior Night. The Bulldogs cruised 54-14 over Zionsville at home last night.
Jayden Barrett led the Millers on the ground with 50 yards on 10 rushes and he also caught one pass for 42-yards and a touchdown.
Hamilton Southeastern (4-3, 3-2) gets to stay home next week and host Franklin Central (3-4, 1-4) for the Royals’ Senior Night. The Flashes were blanked on Friday at Fishers, 23-0.
The Royals’ passing attack was highlighted by a 15-for-21 performance for Andrew Hobson for 227 yards and two TD passes while tossing an INT. DeAndre Rhodes caught five of those passes for 100 yards and a score, while Blaine Wertz muscled 53 yards on 17 carries and
a TD. John McCall also scored two times inside the five-yard line.
On September 27th, Fishers City Council President Rich Block released a statement on the results of an investigation into allegations City Clerk Jennifer Kehl had violated federal civil rights laws. The statement was brief, so I submitted a series of questions to city officials about the statement. I received a response October 3rd.
The answers contain the city’s contention that providing even a redacted version of the outside law firm’s report could impact potential actions in another “legal forum” by parties involved.
Fishers City officials also say, in answer to one question, that it is their view that City Clerk Kehl was provided opportunities to respond to the allegations lodged against her and on two occasions, council members explained the report’s conclusions.
The city’s responses also shed light on a previous investigation of Ms. Kehl by an outside law firm hired by the city council, but never made public. The city argues that the reporting circumstances were different in those two probes and that is why they were handled differently.
To provide some background, the city council announced last May 23rd that it was hiring an outside law firm to investigate the civil rights violation allegations against City Clerk Kehl. On September 27th, Council President Block issued the following statement:
The Common Council for the City of Fishers engaged Barnes & Thornburg, LLP to investigate allegations made against the separately elected City Clerk. The investigators concluded that no violations of law occurred; however, several management issues related to the Clerk’s office were brought to the Council’s attention. Accordingly, changes have been implemented which have transferred duties previously assumed by the Clerk (but not legally required to be performed by the Clerk) to current City staff which will streamline the administration of government and maximize efficiencies.
I contacted Ms Kehl when the above statement was released and she claims to have asked for information on the report, but has been told it is confidential and cannot be shared with her. She did the job she was elected to do to the best of her ability, Kehl told LarryInFishers September 27th.
Because the statement was brief and short on specifics, I submitted questions to the city. Here are the questions and responses from city officials:
Q: Why was the report not made public? I understand there are confidentiality issues, but why not release the report and redact the names? Or at least release a redacted executive summary of the report?
A: Although the Council has concluded its internal investigation, the Council is mindful that these allegations are still within the statute of limitations and have the possibility of being presented in another legal forum. For that reason, the Council believes the details of the report should remain confidential in order to protect the rights of the individuals involved.
Q: Jennifer Kehl tells me she has received no information on what the report says. Is this true? If so, why was she not informed in more detail about the allegations made against her & the findings by the outside law firm?
A: No. She was notified by Council twice in writing of allegations made against her which were further expanded upon during her meetings with investigators. During the investigation, she was given the opportunity to address each and every allegation made against her with the investigators. Additionally, on two separate occasions, members of the Council met with Kehl to discuss the conclusions of the investigation and steps moving forward.
Q: The statement issued (September 27th) cites “management issues” as reasons for taking away responsibilities and staff not required by law to be performed by the city clerk. Is it true that the Fishers City Clerk now has only one employee?
A; Yes, the Fishers City Clerk has one Deputy Clerk to assist in statutorily required support duties for the Clerk. Please reference the attached funding memo that was set to the Clerk to outline the changes. (See NOTE below)
Q: How many employees reported to the clerk before this probe and findings?
A: The Clerk’s office, prior to streamlining the Court customer service experience, included three full time staff plus the City Clerk.
Q: Since the city has taken action to narrow the scope of duties for the clerk, can the council explain in any more detail why these actions have been taken?
A: (NOTE: The city provided a copy of a memo written by Council President Block to Jennifer Kehl, outlining why the city was changing the duties and responsibilities of the City Clerk) The enclosed memo outlines the process changes for the City Court that led to the streamlined experience, while still preserving statutorily-required duties within the purview of the Clerk. By streamlining non-statutorily required duties into our customer service team, we were able to eliminate one position, streamline operations, and provide the necessary customer service support through existing positions. The future funding of the Clerk’s office is directly proportional to the Clerk’s duties and responsibilities under Indiana law, which in general, is to serve as clerk of the legislative body (City Council) and clerk of the City Court. City Council meets once a month, and Court is held part-time, generally in session on Fridays. The work load to serve the Clerk’s required duties does not justify more than 1.5 employees.
Q: What management behavior by the clerk caused this action?
A: Out of respect for the people involved in the allegations, Council is mindful that the comments relating to the specific management behavior could be in conflict with the claimants’ right to address these issues in another legal forum.
Q: Did the funds to pay for this investigation by an outside law firm come from the city council budget or another line item?
A: The funds to pay for this investigation came from the City Administration’s legal budget line item.
Q: I was aware of a previous instance where an outside law firm was used to investigate the city clerk when allegations were made about her. Why did the city council choose to announce this probe before it started, yet did not publicly announce the previous investigation, which, according to my sources, found no wrongdoing?
A: The party directly involved in the initial complaint did not initiate the investigation. Because the complaint was reported by a third party with second hand information, the City Council chose not to announce the probe. This second complaint came directly from the parties involved and the City Council felt it was important to demonstrate the transparency and communicate the seriousness of the complaint. The City of Fishers takes every allegation of discrimination and harassment very serious and will continue to provide an accommodating workplace for its employees.
I have had many questions sent my way on the status of the stop signs at Fishers railroad crossings. After all, most of the rails have been removed, so why do we need stop signs when there is no danger of a train coming by?
The Fishers Police Department issued a statement on its Facebook page recently, saying procedures are underway to remove some of the stop signs. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has the final regulatory say in this.
Only stop signs at railroad crossings that are on the same grade (or level) will be removed. Keep in mind that many railroad stop signs are above grade, meaning they form a small hill at the crossing. Stop signs at above grade crossings (131st Street west of SR 37 comes to mind) will remain until the trail is constructed in that area.
Here is the full statement from the Police Department:
The City of Fishers, after receiving approval to remove the rail, began procedures to remove stop signs from certain intersections. INDOT regulates rail road crossings in Indiana and we are working with them on a process to remove stop signs at all at-grade crossings. Crossings that are above-grade of the existing road will preserve the stop sign until the trail is constructed in that area.
If you are wanting to see a film or take in the latest offering from the Belfry Theatre in Noblesville, check out my Arts&Fishers podcasts at this link.
Joaquin Phoenix stars the the Batman foil, but this is a prequel as to how the Joker became the evil genius he became in the Batman story. Here is my review.
Hamlton County Reporter
On Thursday, Hamilton County Reporter Publisher Jeff Jellison presented a $1,500 donation for the Shop for Kids program to Hamilton County Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush and Shop for Kids program board members.
“This donation was made possible as a result of revenue earned through subscription and advertising sales to local residents and merchants,” Jellison said. “Because of that, we see this as a donation from not only the Reporter, but also from the community. Our children are our future and the Reporter wants to ensure opportunities for positive experiences between law enforcement and local children.”
Shop for Kids matches less fortunate Hamilton County children with a Sheriff’s Office employee during the winter holidays to go on a shopping trip. Kids receive up to $200 to purchase clothes, school supplies and presents to brighten up their holidays.
David George is seeking another term to represent the Southwest District seat on the Fishers City Council. Here is my podcast talk with him