Every time I need to be out of town, there is always a truck load of news going on in Fishers.  I spent most of the previous week in Evansville instructing for Indiana University.

Fishers had a lot going on during that time.  The first story deals with a dog,

Police K-9 Harlej was memorialized with a gathering at Fishers High School.  Police K-9 dogs become a part of the police family, so when one dies in the line of duty, it is very hard on the entire Fishers Police force.

Harlej wasn’t just known throughout police headquarters, he made many visits to local schools.  A number of youngsters felt connected to Harlej, which contributed to the community-wide sadness expressed at the memorial service.

Harlej was Officer Jarred Koopman’s K-9, and he spoke with the media Friday about his time with the dog.  I had to miss that as well while out of town.

There was plenty of other news in and around Fishers this past week.

–Local School Superintendent Allen Bourff conducted a community meeting asking for public comments on a proposal to “flip” start times, so secondary students would start classes later and elementary grades would start earlier.  Thanks to my lovely wife Jane, I received a summary of what was said at that session.

Let’s just say the comments were varied, but a majority of those speaking asked school officials to consider the financial and family hardships connected with this proposed change.  There were speakers supporting the change, allowing high school age students to sleep longer before heading to school.  Medical research indicates this would help older students be more productive at school when reporting later.

My wife Jane was impressed that despite varied opinions being expressed at this meeting, everyone was respectful of differing opinions and all comments were well-thought-out.

–The City of Fishers announced a California firm, PerceptIn, would be coming to Fishers.  This is a company specializing in autonomous vehicle technology (self driving cars).  A pilot program is planned during mid-day, shuttling workers from the Launch Fishers – IOT Lab area on Technology Drive to and from downtown Fishers for lunch breaks.

–It was announced this past week that the City of Fishers will be losing two key city employees.  Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath is going to become Vice President of Public Affairs for Knowledge Services, which is building a new headquarters building near I-69 and the Navient building.  Lindsey Bennett has been the Assistant City Attorney in Fishers, and is leaving that post to become City Attorney for the incoming mayor of Noblesville, Chris Jensen.

–I’m just starting to sort this out, but it appears there has been a petition filed for a Geist Lake Conservancy District.  The lake is deteriorating and experts say the lake could go toxic at some point in the years to come if nothing is done.

On that point, many Geist residents agree, but there is much controversy surrounding the proposal by the Geist Lake Coalition.  The Coalition believes homeowners in the neighborhoods adjoining the lake should be paying for the clean-up. Groups such as “Make Geist Great Again” argue that only property owners on the lake itself should be paying the bills, along with a few other stake holders.

This is just the beginning of a long process, which I will be reporting on in the months, possibly years, to come.  The future of Geist Lake is a major issue for this entire area, including three counties that border the reservoir (Hamilton, Marion & Hanckock).

–Another story that may have local implications is the announcement by Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma that he plans to step down after the coming legislative session.  The next speaker is expected to be selected before the next session begins, and reporter Lindsey Erdody, who covers politics and the General Assembly for the Indianapolis Business Journal, is reporting local House member Todd Huston is the likely front-runner to succeed Bosma.

It’s all speculation so far, but if the Speaker of the Indiana House is from Fishers, this will be a very important development and would be a very good news for Fishers.

Let’s all relax and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family.  I am certain there will be more news about Fishers before the year is out.