The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board started the process with 6 candidates for  superintendent, interviewing them all virtually.  According to Board President Janet Pritchett, the board narrowed the list to 3 with second interviews each, all in-person.

The board is now down to two potential new superintendents, Pritchett tells LarryInFishers.  She describes the selection process as “behind schedule,” but is “trying hard” to meet the goal of introducing the new superintendent at the March 24th board meeting, where board members would officially vote to hire the new school district leader.

The consulting firm hired to conduct the search held focus groups with members of the school community, and that data was used in selecting the six finalists.  Pritchett said this process “cast a wide net” of candidates.

Prtichett reaffirmed  a statement made at an earlier board meeting that she is pleased with the quality of the finalists for superintendent.

Board President Pritchett would not comment further on the two finalists for the job of leading the HSE School District.

The current HSE Superintendent, Allen Bourff, has announced his intention to retire at the end of June this year.

The Fishers Health Department has issued its weekly update, with some information already released and other important reminders.

Here is the update, as provided by the city:

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Fishers Metrics Review As cases continue to decline, Fishers has now been downgraded to Risk Level 3, or Orange. This is great news and shows the diligence residents have been taking to mask up, sanitize, and distance. View the full review of metrics. Also, Fishers Health Department’s new public health orders go into effect March 8, and will require approval for any events or gatherings of 50+ people and maintain the mask mandate for ages 5+.
		UPDATE: Ages 50+ Eligible for Vaccines Individuals ages 50 years and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of underlying medical conditions. Vaccination clinic hours are by appointment only and can be made here for eligible individuals only. You are able to schedule your vaccination appointment at the Mass Vaccination Site or at any vaccination site in Indiana. New appointments continue to open up, so check back frequently. Currently, only Indiana residents can get a vaccine from an Indiana vaccine clinic. If you need assistance scheduling, please call the Fishers COVID Hotline at 317-595-3211 or call 2-1-1. Family members may schedule on behalf of eligible individuals. There is no charge for the vaccine. All persons receiving the vaccine will need valid ID or other proof of meeting eligibility criteria.
		Additional Groups Now Eligible for Vaccine Veterans The VA is now offering COVID-19 vaccination to enrolled Veteran patients 18+ at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center. Enrolled Veteran patients can call (317) 988-4899 to schedule their appointment(s). Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA’s eligibility web page to learn more. In partnership with the Federal government’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, educators now have access to vaccinations through three retail pharmacies. Teachers Educators 50+ remain eligible through local health department vaccination sites through ourshot.in.gov or 2-1-1. At this time, educators younger than 50 years of age must register through the retail pharmacy websites, NOT through the ourshot.in.gov website or 2-1-1. Meijer Walmart Kroger Individuals with Medical Conditions Supply of vaccine is limited but will soon be available to those with certain medical conditions that place them more at risk than others of becoming severely ill if infected with COVID-19. You will need to contact your healthcare provider to enter you in the system to sign up for vaccine and to ensure your medications won’t interfere with the vaccine. Initial groups of patients include: Active dialysis patients Sickle cell disease patients Down syndrome Post-solid organ transplant People who are actively in treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) for cancer now or in the last three months, or with active primary lung cancer or active hematologic cancers; lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma
		Travel Precautions Florida is currently the state with the highest amount of the UK/B117 strain circulating. If you are planning any vacation or trips, please use caution, follow safety measures, and consider a revision of any travel/vacation plans. If you have international travel plans, you are advised to quarantine, you may need to symptom monitor, and you will need a test to get back in the country.
		COVID-19 Vaccine Standby List Once you complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Form, eligible individuals will be added to the standby list to receive the vaccine. Non-eligible individuals will continue to receive updates and communication on when you are eligible to receive the vaccine.
		Vaccination Site Volunteers Needed The Fishers Health Department is looking for volunteers to join the effort in vaccinating our community against COVID at our vaccination site. This is a temporary, volunteer position. Learn more and apply.

There is road construction news in Fishers, particularly if you utilize the intersection of 135th Street and State Road 37.   The SR 37 northbound right turn lane is closed and will be as construction continues at the intersection at 131st Street.  See details below.

For the details on the latest road construction areas in and around Fishers, see the listing below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

The Golden Globe Awards have been handed out and we await the mid-March announcement of the Academy Award nominees.  One film that won honors at the Golden Globes was Nomadland and our trio of commentators provide views on that film.  There is also a discussion on how to handle racially insensitive films from the past.  Finally, Adam, Alec & Larry talk about how films may emerge in the post-pandemic America.

Here is the March 5, 2021 edition of the Grade A Movies Podcast, featuring Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs & Larry Lannan.

When the Edge Building’s parking garage was finished, the city began setting aside the east side of the structure for works of art.  A new artist’s work will be featured at that location for the next 12-18 months.  Seasons Nouveau is now on display in the heart of the downtown Fishers Nickel Plate District.

“I’m excited to see the progress that we’ve made in arts and culture in our community,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “We still have a long way to go, but actions like this reaffirm our commitment to making Fishers a dynamic and vibrant place to live.”

Indianapolis-based artist Tasha Beckwith, a graduate of Herron School of Art and Design, was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, the work of Czech painter Alphonese Mucha, and Fishers Arts & Culture Master Plan when creating this one-of-a-kind series for the city.

“When proposing this specific design for Fishers, I looked at the master plan for Arts & Culture and I noticed that they had core values, specifically the core value of inclusiveness,” said Seasons Nouveau artist Tasha Beckwith. “I decided that it would be important to present a design that tackled inclusivity and diversity.”

Seasons Nouveau was funded by Fishers Arts & Culture Commission.

“It is important to the Fishers Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Fishers to be diverse and give the people that live and work here representation,” said David Decker, Chair of the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission.

The city produced a video about the project, which can be viewed at this link.

The Fishers Plan Commission has had the same president for about 30 years, Warren “Butch” Harling.  But Mr. Harling died this week.  So, the question was, who would replace Warren Harling with the Plan Commission gavel?

Commission members made more history with that selection, local attorney Howard Stevenson was voted unanimously as the commission’s new president, the first African-American to hold that post.

“I want to thank my colleagues on the board for the confidence they have in me,” Stevenson wrote in a Twitter message following the meeting. “I also want to thank my predecessor, the late great Warren Harling. There’s no way I can fill Warren’s shoes, but I’ll walk the path he paved to make our great city even better.”

The commission members had a moment of silence in memory of their long-time president, Warren Harling.

Stevenson was appointed to fill out a term on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, but narrowly lost election to Mike Bottorff in 2016.  Mr. Bottorff resigned his school board seat before his term ended.

Stevenson was voted to remain on the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals.  Fishers City Councilman Pete Peterson was elected Plan Commission Vice President.

The commission voted a favorable recommendation on two projects Wednesday night.

Mann properties is proposing a senior living project located on the east side of Parkside Drive, between 126th and 131st streets, at 12915 Parkside Drive.  Mann is asking a text amendment to the Planned unit Developed, amending the parking requirements and minimum unit square footage. Mann is also requesting an amendment to the landscaping requirements that apply to the entire development.

The Marina Village development near the Geist Waterfront Park requests a text amendment, allowing for a future restaurant, and other site improvements, including the relocation of the existing entrance to align with the City’s Geist Waterfront Park on Olio Road.  Commission members asked petitioner Gordon Byers to address parking, fencing and potential noise issues with the city planning staff before the request is considered by the Fishers City Council.

After many months at the Level 4, or red, the highest COVID community risk level, Fishers is now lowered to Level 3, or orange, based on an announcement Tuesday evening by the Fishers Health Department (FHD).

“It’s definitely been a long winter where we saw huge spikes in (COVID) cases, case incidence rate and other metrics,” said FHD Epidemiologist Joshua Robinson in a video update posted late Tuesday evening.  “Thankfully, rates have been declining over the last few weeks, and this is definitely due in part to your continued support following public health mitigation strategies.”

Robinson urges Fishers residents to continue the mitigation strategies of wearing masks, social distancing and hand washing.  He says the major metrics have been going down over the past few weeks.

Over the past 14 days, 133 new COVID cases have been reported in Fishers.  Testing remains available within a day, with test results coming back in less than two days.

The health care capacity numbers continue to be favorable, according to Robinson, with hospital bed usage in our geographic area declining.

You can view the entire video message at this link.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Janus Developmental Services has named Yolanda Kincaid as its new Chief Executive Officer. The Janus board of directors made the announcement, which is effective March 15.

Kincaid

Ms. Kincaid, a Noblesville resident, replaces Christina Sorensen who announced her retirement in December. Kincaid comes to Janus from Carey Services, a job placement firm which, among their services, specializes in finding positions for handicapped individuals.

Janus is Hamilton County’s sheltered workshop for adult individuals with disabilities. The non-profit corporation also operates Hamilton County Express, the county’s public transportation service.

Kincaid, who holds a degree from Notre Dame, served as Chief Operations Officer for Carey Services.

Janus operates from facilities at 1555 Westfield Road, Noblesville, and serves clients from throughout Hamilton and Tipton counties. The organization is in the process of planning an expansion of its facilities.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

CARMEL – Basketball fans found some familiar and welcome sights at Carmel’s Eric Clark Activity Center Tuesday night as play began in the Class 4A Sectional 8 tournament.

There was a nice-sized crowd. Student sections were back. And the games were exciting, too. The first contest saw Hamilton Southeastern tough out a 44-40 victory over rival Fishers. In the second game, Westfield put on a blistering long-range shooting performance to beat Zionsville 61-47. Both teams advanced to the Friday semi-finals, where the Royals will play host Carmel and the Shamrocks will take on Noblesville.

WORKING FOR IT

Southeastern led for most of the opening game, but the Tigers made their district-mates work for it. The two teams traded the lead four times during the first quarter, which began with baskets by the Royals’ Dalton Retzner and Vinny Buccilla for a 4-0 advantage.

“We talked about two things,” said Southeastern coach Brian Satterfield. “One was getting off to a great start and I thought we did that, just being locked in. At the defensive end, I thought we did a pretty good job of that for the most part tonight.”

Jeffrey Simmons got Fishers on the board with a 3-pointer, then Myles Stringer’s rebound basket put the Tigers in front 5-4. The back-and-forth continued for the entire quarter: Southeastern scored four straight points, including a 3 by Isaac Bowman, and Fishers answered that with four consecutive points; Bryce Williams’ layin put the Tigers ahead 9-8.

Matt Brewer’s two free throws gave the Tigers an 11-9 lead with 54.6 seconds left in the period. But the Royals would begin a 7-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. The first period finished with a basket by Loudon Sundling to tie the game, then John McCall’s free throw finished the quarter. Southeastern led 12-11 and would never trail again.

Sam Jacobs started the second quarter by scoring four consecutive points. Later, the Royals’ Dalton Retzner made a layin to give HSE its biggest lead of the game at 21-14, then a Jacobs basket put Southeastern ahead 23-16.

The first half finished with two free throws by Charlie Smith, getting the Tigers within 24-20 at the break. The two teams traded baskets for the first part of the quarter, with a McCall floater giving the Royals a 30-24 lead. Simmons and Smith made layins to cut the lead to 30-28, which Retzner answered with two free throws.

A Williams basket was the last score of the period, which finished with Southeastern up 32-30. Williams scored again to open the fourth quarter, and the score was now tied at 32-32. Buccilla got the Royals back in front with a floater, and the Royals would stay in the lead until the final buzzer. Fishers got within 36-35 during the middle part of the period, but a 6-0 run put the Royals up 42-35, matching their largest lead of the game. McCall made two baskets and Buccilla hit a layin.

“We’ve got guys that have been in there and put in all the time and the effort,” said Satterfield. “It’s a special group and the season’s been a little up and down with a lot of things that have gone on. We were able to find a way tonight.”

The Tigers made one last push, getting to within 42-40 with 7.5 seconds remaining. But Fishers had to foul, and Alex Totton clinched the game by making two free throws.

Retzner finished the game with 13 points, while Buccilla and McCall both scored 10. Retzner and McCall both collected five rebounds. The Royals, now 12-10 for the season, assisted 14 of their 15 baskets, with Buccilla dishing out five and McCall handing out four.

Williams led the Tigers with 12 points, followed by Simmons with 11 and Smith with 10. Smith also had six rebounds and five steals, while Simmons pulled five rebounds.

Fishers finished its regular season 14-6. The Tigers were relatively young, with two returning starters and a handful of players with varsity experience, and had to learn a new system without the benefit of summer practices. First-year coach Garrett Winegar said he thought “this group was really resilient in what we were able to do.

“We ended the regular season 14-6 and had a really nice run there, winning 10 of our last 12 games after being quarantined twice,” said Winegar. “I’m proud of those guys for how they worked and how we defended. I think we defended well most of the season. Just got to find a way to score a little more.”

March 2nd was sunny with a temperature in the mid 30s and a brisk breeze.  A typical early March day in Fishers, Indiana.

This was not a typical day for me.  It marked the day I received my first COVID-19 vaccination.

I had visited the former Marsh grocery location in 116th Street, just east of Brooks School Road, at the opening day January 25th.  I am still amazed at the work done by city crews to remodel the space for this large vaccination facility.

Walking up to the building, there are many large signs reminding those entering you must have an appointment to receive your shot in the arm.  I walked-in, was immediately greeted by a smiling gentleman verifying that I do, indeed, have an appointment.

Then there were a series of screeners, all smiles, checking my body temperature and asking a number of necessary health-related questions. Registration was short and simple with another smiling face.

Once that was done, I was ushered into a cubicle with a lady preparing to provide the injection of the Moderna vaccine.  She verified my data, and before I knew it, the needle was in my arm and it was over just like that.

I was then directed to an area where I could sit for 15 minutes, ensuring there were no immediate reactions to the vaccine.  I had none.

I have an appointment in early April to receive my second dose of Moderna vaccine.  Once that is done, I wait for the full impact of the treatment to sink-in.

My thanks to the Fishers Health Department for providing such a seamless experience.  If you are at or near the time for your vaccination, do not fear.  The process is simple and, hopefully, there will be no adverse reactions.

For me, there were no problems.  Once eligible, get your appointment and get the vaccine!