HBO has offered-up three documentary films on contemporary issues that looked quite promising to me.  The first deals with the impact of COVID on American sports.  The second looks into the fascination many Americans have with a thing called Q-anon.  Finally a cruise ship is the first one hit with a COVID outbreak early in the pandemic and the film uses amateur phone videos to tell the story.

Sadly, only one of the three would be recommended by me.  Here is the review podcast.

The Fishers Health Department is issuing a new Public Health order effective once the current document expires April 6, “strongly advising” mask wearing, but no longer mandating it.  The new Public Health Order can be accessed at this link.

Here is what the Fishers Health Department strongly advises as of April 6:

• Continued mask-wearing
• Distancing from those outside your household
• Sanitizing high-touch surfaces
• Getting vaccinated when eligible

The city is also challenging  all adults to sign-up for a COVID vaccine appointment, now that anyone 16 years of age and older is eligible for the shot.  The Health Department wants 85% of those eligible to be vaccinated.  Vaccination rates for Fishers will be  tracked and reported by the health department during the week of April 5th.

The order contains the expiration of the mask mandate and social gathering restrictions , along with ending limits on capacity for restaurants and other businesses.

For previous Orders, visit this link.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Charles (Chuck) Kiphart, longtime Director of the Hamilton County Planning Department, will retire on April 16. No successor has yet been named. Applications for the position are currently being received.

Kiphart has served as director for 32 years. He is a native of Frankfort, Ind., and a resident of Indianapolis. Following retirement, Kiphart plans to continue his pottery-making avocation.

County Planning has planning and zoning authority over unincorporated areas of the county outside the jurisdictions of cities and towns. Department offices are located in the county Government and Judicial Center.

The county’s comprehensive master plan has recently been updated with the final step of approval by county commissioners upcoming soon.

When I started this local news blog in January, 2012, it was largely because I had found a dearth of news reporting about Fishers, the place I had lived since 1991.  That was about the time The Indianapolis Star no longer assigned a reporter to cover Fishers.

I was critical of the Star in several commentaries written in the early years of my blogging history.  Those blog posts normally came after another round of journalist layoffs by Gannett, the owner of the Star.

My attitude toward the Star has changed over the years.  What is happening at the Star is indicative  of what is happening at local newspapers throughout the nation.  The Star is just one example.

I have also praised the Star for doing award-winning investigative reports.  That is what separates a run-of-the-mill newspaper from a great newspaper.  For that, I give the Star much credit.

In recent years, I have seen more attention to Fishers from the Star.  John Tuohy covers Noblesville and Fishers and has been spending a lot of his time on Fishers stories lately.

But I must give great credit to Star education reporter MJ Slaby.  She has attended Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting in person lately.  I know because I have been at the same meetings and see her there.

Ms. Slaby and her editors have focused on Fishers recently.  There was extensive coverage of the HSE Racial Justice Town Hall.  There was also a profile of the new HSE Equity & Inclusion Officer for HSE, Nataki Pettigrew.

Her latest story as of this writing is all about HSE’s plan to offer virtual learning to families wanting that learning paradigm for their children in the 2021-2022 school year.

If you want access to the stories written by reporters like John Tuohy and MJ Slaby, you need to subscribe to the Indianapolis Star.  Yes, I know the print edition subscription cost has risen dramatically.  Jane and I take the print edition two days a seek and I read the e-edition of the Star, which is the print edition online, every day.  The cost isn’t that much, at least for me.

We once took local news for granted.  People subscribed to the daily newspaper and advertisers knew that was the best way to market their products.  The Internet, social media companies and more choices for marketers have spelled trouble for local newspaper business models and many dailies have closed up shop entirely in less-populated areas.

The Indianapolis Star can only provide news about Fishers, and the investigative journalism, if local people subscribe to the newspaper, in print, online or a combination of both.

Let me also put in a plug for the Indianapolis Business Journal, a locally-owned weekly that does a great job of covering the business and political beats.  North of 96th reporter Kurt Christian has done a good job, including a well-researched story on the cost of constructing the upgraded State Road 37.

I already tried to retire from this blog once, then COVID hit and caused me to re-evaluate.  I am still reporting on Fishers because I am the only one doing what I do.

I could go back to just being a retired guy and retire this blog if other newsrooms would concentrate more on Fishers.  What I have seen in the Star lately is very encouraging and I hope it continues.

In the meantime, I will continue my partnership with the Hamilton County Reporter.  I also spent some years writing commentaries for Current in Fishers.  Both those publications are still alive and have, so far, survived the economic tailwinds of COVID.

So, I continue to blog about Fishers, encouraged that there are news operations spending more of their reporting effort on Fishers.  This is good to see.

When major news breaks, there are times it brings back memories from the past.  That happened to me recently.

I recalled the time spent with my Aunt Cecilia many, many years ago.  She was a special person in so many ways.  When around her, you always felt positive vibes.  She was an upbeat person and brought that mood everywhere she went.  My Aunt Cecilia was always helping others.

She met my uncle while he was assigned to Japan serving in the military.  Cecilia and my uncle eventually married.  She moved with him to Loogootee and managed the Dairy Master restaurant.  My aunt Cecilia did something I have never done, she became fluent in two languages – her native Japanese and English.

I have so many fond and wonderful memories of my aunt Cecilia there is no way to list them all here.  In the mid-1970s I visited Cecilia and my uncle after they have moved to Phoenix, Arizona, my first foray west.

Eventually, she and my uncle divorced.  But I did speak to Cecilia one last time, 27 years ago, when my father was ill and near death.  Cecilia called my parents’ home to check on my dad and I answered the phone.  It was a difficult time, but I look back on that phone conversation with Cecilia with some fondness now because it was the last time we spoke.

Cecilia Lannan-Emery passed away on March 11, 2014.  She died in Arizona so I was unable to attend the funeral.

Why have I thought about my aunt Cecilia lately?  On March 16, 8 people died in a series of mass shootings in the Atlanta, Georgia area.  Six of the dead were Asian women.

Police have not identified a motive for the shootings, but the incident has resulted in more awareness of discrimination in America against Asians in general and Asian women in particular.

I just thought about how horrible it would have been for anyone to treat my aunt Cecilia in a discriminatory way.  If she ever experienced such treatment she never told me.  But, with her attitude toward life, she may have chosen just not to talk about it.  I will never know.

The purpose of this commentary is to very simply express that discrimination against any group is horrible, but when it hits close to home, possibly to someone you care about, it puts everything in the proper perspective.

Her son, my cousin, is half Asian but his appearance would lead one to believe is is fully Asian.  He has served honorably in the Armed Forces and is as loyal an American as one can find anywhere.  I cannot tolerate the thought that anyone would treat him differently because of his partial Asian heritage.

My main point is this.  Discrimination is America’s original sin.  We are paying for it now and sadly will for some time to come.  America’s history with Asian immigrants is not a proud one.

Fighting discrimination anywhere it is found is our responsibility, in my view.  Asians, as with any other group in America, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  Let’s all work on doing just that.

It was about four years ago when supporters of the Hamilton County Humane Society packed the Fishers City Council meeting.  They were asking the council member to approve a rezoning allowing the society to move from its quarters in Noblesville to a remodeled facility near 106th Street and Hague Road.  There were a few people at the meeting opposing the project or asking that it be adjusted for sound barriers.  But council members easily provided the authority for the Humane Society to have the needed rezoning, clearing the way for the move.

According to my news gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, the Humane Society for Hamilton County (HSHC) will complete the last step of its relocation to its state-of-the-art facility located in Fishers on Wednesday, March 31, with a police escorted parade of shelter pets.

Dozens of volunteers and staff members will transport all of the shelter’s current canine and feline residents leaving the Noblesville location at 1721 Pleasant St. at noon. Due to the construction on State Road 37, the caravan will now head west on Pleasant Street to 10th Street, then south on Allisonville Road, on to the pets’ forever home located at 10501 Hague Road, Fishers.

Over 40 vehicles are expected to participate in the transport led by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, including the shelter’s official moving partner Two Men and a Truck, who will bring along the last load of items as the Humane Society ends its 36-year residency in Noblesville.

“We will certainly miss our Noblesville neighbors,” said Rebecca Stevens, president and CEO of the Humane Society. “But I can tell you our team is looking forward to the desperately needed space and resources that will now be available in this remarkable facility that is undoubtedly one of the best in the country.”

The Humane Society for Hamilton County launched its Building a Brighter Future for Hamilton County & Hoosier Animals Capital Campaign in November 2018, raising the $12 million needed to build the 40,000 square-foot facility in Fishers within one year – thanks to lead gifts from the Steven J. Cage Foundation, Samerian Foundation, the Hamilton County Commissioners and County Council, and Dr. Mark and Vanessa Roth. The facility, which was designed by Curran Architecture with the construction managed by Meyer Najem, will bear the name of both the Humane Society for Hamilton County and The Steven J. Cage Animal Wellness Center.

The Humane Society will close for adoptions as it settles into its new surroundings through Wednesday, April 7, and will open to the public for adoptions on Thursday, April 8. However, the facility will continue accepting Hamilton County’s stray and unwanted animals throughout the entire transition.

With spring here and temperatures heading up, look for road construction to increase in and around the Fishers area.  The list of projects is already growing.

Below is the latest road construction update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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The City of Fishers announced Friday that the 7-day closure of 146th Street at State Road 37 will begin April 9th.  Previously, the closure was to start April 5th.  State Road 37 will be open to north-south traffic during this work.

For more details, see this statement issued by the city:

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The State Road 37 Improvement Project ramps up its spring construction efforts with a 7-day road closure of 146th St. at the east and west approaches of State Road 37. Northbound and southbound State Road 37 will remain open. This closure is necessary as the contractor transitions traffic patterns for the next phase of construction at this interchange. Local businesses and the community are asked to follow the published detour route, utilizing Allisonville and Cumberland roads to 141st St. during this 7-day time period.  All construction updates are posted to the project’s communication site 37thrives.com and via Twitter at @DriveFishers. Businesses and the community are encouraged to sign-up for email at 37thrives.com and for text alerts by texting 37THRIVES to 8-1411 (standard messaging rates apply). Both of these tools provide real-time updates on all construction efforts within the corridor. As with all road construction projects, this closure schedule is weather-dependent.
 
WHAT:  State Road 37 Improvement Project 7-Day Road Closure

WHEN:  Beginning Friday, April 9, 2021

WHERE: 146th St. at the east and west approaches of State Road 37

Bob Rice, Energy Management Director for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, provided some good news at the Wednesday school board meetings.  The school district has been saving money through managing energy costs.

In 2020, energy spending was reduced $985,995 compared to the previous year.  One reason cited by Rice is the reduced use of school buildings due to COVID restrictions.  But the savings were also due to changing staff behavior and better managing the school corporation’s equipment.

Also, solar arrays were installed at some schools and contributed to the savings.  During 2020, the solar schools sold back more than $10,000 in electric power to Duke Energy.

There will be a solar cooking event on Saturday, April 17th, at Sand Creek Elementary Schools, according to Rice.

Junior High School students in Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools will be on a 4-day in-person class schedule beginning Monday, April 12, following a unanimous vote by the school board supporting the action recommended by Superintendent Allen Bourff.  Monday through Thursdays will be in-person, with Fridays set aside as e-learning days.

Bourff cited junior high school family survey results, with 75% of parents submitting responses.  82% of the responses favored in-person learning and 70% were in favor of the 4-day in-person schedule, compared to the hybrid method.

School administrators will watch for any surge in positive COVID cases following spring break.  Dr. Bourff cited revised numbers showing 19 positive cases in the schools last week, compared to 70-plus such cases during school weeks in January.  School officials say they will close individual buildings if there are COVID outbreaks on or after April 12.

The E-Fridays are allowing teachers to take individual time with students needing extra help and help with teacher stress.  Hamilton Southeastern Education Association President Janet Chandler told board members how difficult it has been for the teaching staff to handle in-person and virtual students at the same time.

“We cannot do another year like this,” Chandler told the board.  “Something has to give.”

HSE Schools are planning a regular classroom schedule for the 2021-2022 school year, according to Dr. Bourff.