As any local motorist knows, road construction is continuing in and around Fishers.  Also, you may have seen paving and other work going on along the Nickel Plate Trail.

Below is the full listing of the road construction projects, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Aaron Sorkin has a number of film, stage and television successes on his resume.  In this film, he recreates one of the most famous trials in American 20th Century history, “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”  The 1969 trial was about incitement of riot charges brought against the 7 related to violence near the 1968 Democratic National Convention held in Chicago.

Did Sorkin once again come up with a hit this time?  Here is my review.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

A $96.7 million county general fund budget was adopted Monday morning by the Hamilton County Council. The budget is for the 2021 calendar year, and will require a slightly smaller property tax rate than was levied this year.

County employees will receive raises according to a scale that takes into account job responsibility, longevity and performance. County Auditor Robin Mills said there is no overall percentage of increase.

The budget can be funded with a lower tax rate largely because of the ever-growing tax base, up more than $1.3 billion this year. The budget includes funding for county law enforcement, the courts, health department and numerous other services and administrative offices.

Thirteen non-profit organizations that provide various social services will receive nearly $4 million in assistance from the county next year as part of the budget, including some that are mandated by statute or annual contractual agreement.

The organizations are as follows: Aspire (mental health) $2.3 million, Janus (sheltered workshop) $775,000, Humane Society $140,419, and Cherish Center $67,000.

Also, Good Samaritan $50,000, Heart and Soul Free Clinic $15,000, Hope Family Care Center $15,000, Indiana Center for Youth Abuse $30,000, and Meals on Wheels $10,000.

And, Prime Life Enrichment $225,000, Prevail $180,000, Shepherd Center $40,000, and Trinity Free Clinic $15,000.

With the exception of the state-mandated funds, these amounts are granted to organizations that perform community services that might otherwise fall to local government to fund entirely.

If you wanted to vote early in Hamilton County up to now, there were two locations to cast your ballot – the Judicial Center in downtown Noblesville or the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.

Beginning October 21st, more early voting sites are opening.  In 2020, Fishers City Hall will no longer host early voting, but two park buildings will pick up the slack.  The shelter houses at Holland Park and Billericay Park will be the early voting locations in Fishers.

Below is the schedule for when you can vote early at one of those Fishers locations:

Wednesday and Thursday, October 21 & 22 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, October 23 & 24 from 10 am to 3 pm
Wednesday and Thursday, October 28 & 29 from 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday and Saturday, October 30 & 31 from 10 am to 3 pm

It was a few weeks ago when I was contacted by a local realtor, Cameron Geesaman.  She has started a video series of interviews featuring people in and around Fishers.  I was honored to be invited as a guest on one of the videos.

This video is a little more than one hour, so be forewarned before you begin watching.  It was recorded in early September.

Cameron does these videos as a service to people in Fishers.  My thanks to her for spending some time with me talking about my news blog and Fishers, Indiana.  The video link is below.

INCOG BioPharma has its local economic development incentives in hand as the firm seeks to finalize a location for its new Fishers facility, projected to employ 150 people in 2024 and 260 by 2026.  City spokesperson Ashley Elrod says no land parcel has been finalized as a location for the new enterprise, but the owners are eyeing the area around the Exit 5 office park, east of I-69 near downtown.

The average wage for INCOG workers was set at $83,000 per year, not including benefits and bonuses.

The city is providing tax incentives for INCOG, allowing 13 years abating property taxes and a 2-year abatement of real property tax levies.  A waiver of sewer fees is a part of the package.

In other city council actions:

–The Maple Del Development, an apartment community planned just west of the Chatham Tap restaurant on 116th Street, received final approval for the economic development agreement with the city.  Several residents of the Charleston Crossing neighborhood near the development complained to council members during the community comment period at the end of the meeting that their neighborhood was not notified of the development and many residents there strongly oppose the plan.

–Final approval was given to the 2021 city budget.

–Changes in the city animal ordinance were given second reading approval.  The final vote will come at third reading.

–Council members approved a proposal to refinance bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates.

A fiery crash early Saturday morning in Fishers took the life of a Carmel woman.  It happened at 1:30am at the intersection of 116th Street and Belle Plaine Blvd, just east of Hoosier Road.  Fishers Police have not yet released the name of the 57 year-old fatality.

Under arrest in connection with the crash is Dario Chagollan, 26, of Fishers.  He faces a felony charge of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death.  He received medical treatment following the crash and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail.

Police responded to the crash early Saturday involving a blue Mercedes passenger car and a white Toyota passenger car. Officers say they observed both vehicles in the eastbound lanes of 116^th Street. The Toyota was fully engulfed in flames. The driver of the Mercedes suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital by Paramedics from the Fishers Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The driver of the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators say the crash occurred when the Mercedes struck the rear of the Toyota.

It was the late 1960s, during my high school years, I was in a class.  I do not remember which class, but I do clearly remember a discussion about what love means.

You can love your spouse and you can love the Green Bay Packers.  Both are clearly not the same kinds of love.  The dictionary has 2 definitions of love:  “an intense feeling of deep affection” and “a great interest and pleasure in something.”

The second definition comes under the heading of loving the Green Bay Packers.  But I would argue the first definition is much more nuanced.  Affection has many different levels.

I love my mom and I love my father even though he left us 26 years ago.  I love my siblings.  I also have a special kind of love for my extended family like cousins, nephews, nieces, and on and on.

I learned that there is a different level of love one has for a spouse.  My love for Jane is special having her as my wife.  I never take that for granted.

The love I have for my daughters is another special type of love.  It started when they came into the world 26 years years ago and has not changed even as they are adults and are married.

My maternal grandmother Alice Kidwell lived to be 99 years of age and she possessed a wealth of wisdom about life.  She once told me that being a parent is a wonderful experience but being a grandparent is something very special.

I lived that observation from my grandmother two months ago when my first grandchild was born, Dakota Mitchell Lewis.  He is loved in a very special way I could not understand before he was born.

My daughter Allison, son-in-law Jacob and grandson Dakota (we call him “Kota”) all live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a very nice community of about 180,000 people in southeast corner of the state, near Iowa & Minnesota.  It is a very long day’s drive from Fishers.

I just finished my third trip to see all three – Allison, Jacob and Kota.  I am living exactly what my grandmother explained to me many years ago, experiencing the love of a grandchild.

Being a grandparent is a special kind of love I could not know or fully understand until Kota was born.  It is a joy that is hard to explain to someone not yet a grandparent.

I realize there are many subjects I could be writing about on this October Sunday.  Election campaigns and other issues are before us locally.  But I just found this to be the best time to write about love.

So, I have found what a grandparent’s love is all about.  I cannot wait to see Kota grow as the years go by.

COVID-19 is impacted all of us in so many ways it cannot be counted accurately.  Now, a local group is calling for a delay in the registration cycle for part day and school year preschool registration for the 2021/2022 school year.

The Early Learning Alliance Network (ELAN) released a statement in support of a local working group of  early childhood leaders collaboratively making the decision to delay.

A work group of preschool leaders convened a discussion about the registration timeline for part day/school year programs during the first weeks of October. Historically, preschool registration for the estimated 16,000 young children in Hamilton County, Indiana begins in the Fall. Registration for part day/school year programs has intense activity over the winter months ultimately expecting all families to register in January for the next academic year.

“This year, given the COVID 19 pandemic and all of its implications for those in the child care and early education community, the leaders in a local working group of early childhood leaders have developed a new approach to registration and a final recommendation for 2021-2022 part day/school year preschool registration,” said Dr. Jody Britten, Founder of the ELAN.

The working group has officially made the recommendation to move preschool registration for part day/school year programs to March of 2021. This recommendation ultimately means that registration for the public/new families will open at preschool programs on Monday, March 15 at the earliest.

“As an organization that is fully committed to children, their families, and our early childhood program leaders and staff in our community, we 100% support this move and applaud the working group for taking this step forward. For years families have asked why we register so early, this year more than ever we need to reconsider practices and think critically about what can help our early childhood leaders, children, and families during these unprecedented times.” said Dr. Britten.

The working group shared the potential benefits for children, families, and preschool providers. Among others, the working group highlighted, that a change in registration timeline:

• Allows children more time to learn and develop before placement decisions are made.
• Reduces demand on preschool administrators and office staff during the fall and holiday time period.
• Minimizes contact with those outside the program during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
• Provides more time to evaluate and respond to the on-going pandemic, possible school closures, and any additional national, state and local guidance.
• Allows family/teacher conferences to occur closer to registration.
• Aligns more closely with public school Early Childhood evaluations and placement recommendations.
• Defers the financial impact of registration fees on families until after the holidays.

“Based on the collaboration of the preschool leaders and the many potential benefits, we encourage area preschools to adopt the recommendation and operationalize a revised registration timeline and process for the 2021-2022 school year. The Early Learning Alliance Network fully supports the recommendation and registration move to March. Families should plan for later registration and notification,” shared Sara Mills Henderson.

Parents should look for upcoming news from local preschools and watch the #MoveToMarch hashtag on social media. “This is really an important opportunity for our community, and has the potential to really help so many families. We encourage all families to take this extra time to learn about available programs and take the time to truly consider the best possible placement for their children in the year ahead,” shared Angela Loser who serves as the Disabilities Advocate for the ELAN.

Former Hamilton County Superior Court 5 Judge Wayne Sturdevant died on Friday, Oct. 16.

Sturdevant served as judge for 20 years prior to his retirement in 2017.

Prior to his position as a judge, Sturdevant served as Hamilton County Chief Deputy Prosecutor from 1985 to 1996 and as a deputy prosecutor from 1980 to 1985.