A Fishers Police Officer has been placed on paid administrative leave as the Indiana State Police conduct an investigation into allegations of ghost employment.

To access the story from the WRTV Web site, use this link.

The film started a short theatrical run, then moved to Netflix.  Wherever you see it, the new Martin Scorsese film “The Irishman” has plenty of star power, with Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in the starring roles.

Here is my review.

Fishers firefighters responded to the report of a blaze at the Fishers Wendy’s restaurant on 96th street.  The call came at 2:47am Monday.  No one was in the building at the time, so there were no injuries.

According to officials, the fire appears to have originated in the kitchen area. The interior of the building suffered extensive smoke and fire damage.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.  It is not yet known how much damage was done to the building and investigators have not estimated a dollar amount.

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.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern picked up its third straight win on Saturday, beating Fort Wayne Carroll 57-40 at the Royals’ gym.

Class 4A No. 7 Southeastern slowly built up its lead over the Chargers. The Royals were ahead 15-11 after the first quarter and 31-22 at halftime. Southeastern outscored Carroll in each period.

Sydney Parrish had another dominant performance, scoring 26 points (including three 3-pointers), collecting seven rebounds and handing out five assists.

Jackie Maulucci added 14 points and pulled five rebounds. Bailee Poore had a strong defensive game with six rebounds and four steals, while Makayla Hinshaw dished out four assists.

Southeastern is 4-1 and travels to 4A No. 9 Brownsburg on Tuesday for a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Leadership Academy (HCLA) Board has named Andrea Marley to serve as Interim Executive Director and Corby Thompson to serve as Chief Experience Officer for the Class of 2020.

Marley

Marley takes over from John Robbins, who is leaving the Executive Director role after two years. Marley has been HCLA’s Program Coordinator since 2018.

“Andrea knows HCLA inside and out. We are excited for Andrea to take the lead. Her HCLA knowledge, relationships and passion will continue moving our organization forward,” said HCLA Board President Rachael Coverdale.

In her previous role, Marley managed the 10-month program that engages a cohort of nearly 40 distinguished professionals and leaders in Hamilton County. Outside of work, Marley is an active community volunteer: She is the Secretary of the Carmel Education Foundation’s Board of Directors and is a Japanese translator for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.

Thompson, a 1995 HCLA graduate, Distinguished Alumni Award winner and two-time HCLA dean, will be serving side-by-side with current dean Sam Mishelow to ensure that the current cohort has an outstanding leadership experience.

Thompson owns Boomerang LLC, a Fishers real estate development firm. Mishelow, a 2005 HCLA graduate, is Chief Strategy Officer for Fishers-based Meyer Najem Construction.

The Board is currently planning and will soon implement the search for a permanent Executive Director.

The Hamilton County Leadership Academy helps leaders connect to their communities. Everything the organization does is tied to one of their three pillars: Learn, connect and lead. The core program and related curriculum helps participants gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Hamilton County. Its 29-year history in the community and more than 700 alumni provide meaningful connections throughout the county. A commitment to leading in the community challenges participants and alumni to seek out issues, causes and projects that will help to make Hamilton County a better place to live, work and play.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

For motorists using Noblesville’s Logan Street Bridge, it may have seemed that the reconstruction of the structure would never be done. But, after nearly a year, there is light at the end of the bridge.

Official dedication and ribbon-cutting has been set for Jan. 6. The multimillion-dollar project involves widening the span over White River to accommodate sidewalks on both sides and a new deck.

Total cost is slightly over $4.2 million, according to County Highway Director Brad Davis. This includes an “overlook” on the southside, lighting and other aesthetics. The city of Noblesville is paying for these extra improvements which amounts to upwards of a third of the total cost.

Since it is a major bridge, county government is responsible under state law and therefore the project’s lead agency even though the bridge is within Noblesville city limits.

The project is designed to give safer access across the river especially for pedestrians going to and from the new Federal Hill Commons on State Road 19 between Logan and Conner streets.

Davis said the delay in completion was mostly due to the rainy spring weather which caused a high river level. Originally completion had been scheduled for summer or fall of this year.

December will see a blend of two different types of art in Fishers…music and paintings.  It all happens at City Hall December 13th, 6-9pm, with a reception with light hors d’oeuvres from 6-7:15 pm followed by a Fishers Community Choir concert at 7:15 pm.

There are two art exhibits. The first entitled, “Winter Wonderland,” runs from December 4th thru December 28th and includes art work reflective of the winter season. Featured artists are Margot Bogue, Krista Darrow, Jacque Hammonds, Angie Jones, Antonio Menendez, Trudy Rister, Brenda Stewart, Marie Williams and Angee Walberry.

The second exhibit opens our new Alcove Gallery and features serigraphs by David O’Dell. This is first extended exhibit in The Art Gallery at City Hall, running from November 1st through the end of the year. It is an homage to David’s father.

David is a master printmaker who creates limited editions of various subjects. Serigraphs are prints created from fabric, stencils and ink. His goal is “to create art that makes you stop and look at things from a new and different perspective that is fun and entertaining.”

Sam DeLong has been spending time sleeping and being around her family since election day.  After Thanksgiving, Sam plans on beginning her preparations for serving on the Fishers City Council.  Here is my post-election discussion with Sam DeLong.

Fishers got an early jump on the Hoosier Crossroads Conference race, as the
Tigers beat county opponent Westfield 59-42 Friday night at The Rock.

The game was close through the first half. The Shamrocks were ahead by one
point, 10-9 after the first quarter, with Fishers edging ahead 20-19 by halftime.

But the Class 4A No. 6 Tigers took control in the third period, pouring in 26 points while allowing Westfield just nine.

“We just kept telling our kids to keep doing what they were doing defensively,”
said Fishers coach Lauren Votaw. “We’re very deep and we have a lot of players
that we can run in and out. We kept defending. And then when you hit shots, it
loosens everything up a little bit, too.”

Burton scored 11 points in the third quarter, while Kaitlynn Feagan nailed three 3-pointers in that period. Feagan added another 3 in the fourth quarter, giving her four for the game.
Burton finished with 15 points, while Feagan scored 13. Freshman Hailey Smith contributed 12 points.

“We’re very deep, we’re well-balanced and these guys are playing unselfish basketball right now, and that’s about all I can ask for,” said Votaw.

Lydia Stullken led the Fishers rebounding with eight, while Tamia Perryman blocked two shots.

Ashtin DeCraene scored 12 points for the Shamrocks, including three 3-pointers. Alyssa Crockett and Ava Henson both collected four rebounds, with Crockett blocking two shots.

“They came out with a lot of energy,” said Westfield coach Ginny Smith. “We
just got lost on defense a few times, momentum shifted and they capitalized on
it.”

The win keeps Fishers unbeaten at 7-0, and the Tigers return home Tuesday for another HCC game against Zionsville.

Westfield is 3-2 and is also back in action on Tuesday, traveling to McCutcheon.