Suzanne Thomas is finishing-up her first 4-year term on the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board and seeks another term on the board.  She sat down with Larry to talk about her campaign.

The Fishers Freight Indoor Football League team is putting together its coaching team for the initial season, scheduled to start in March of 2025.  Below is a release from the team on the 3 assistants hired for head coach Dixie Wooten’s staff.

Also, there is a link to sign-up for tryouts set for November 2.

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Dixie Wooten III: Offensive Coordinator & Offensive Line Coach

A former Division I Offensive Lineman for the University of Houston, Dixie Wooten III is the son of Freight Head Coach Dixie Wooten. The three-star recruit by ESPN chose Houston over Illinois, Iowa State, and Miami among others to stay close to home. Wooten III was the Offensive Line Coach with the Bay Area Panthers for the past two season, helping lead them to be one of the highest scoring offenses in the Indoor Football League. This will be his first stint with the title of Offensive Coordinator.

Chuck Miller: Defensive Coordinator & Assistant Head Coach

Chuck Miller has seen plenty of IFL football, coaching on both sides of the ball. In 2017 & 2018, Miller was the Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator with the Green Bay Blizzard. The Blizzard finished top 5 in rushing both seasons and they allowed the fewest sacks two years in a row. In 2019, Miller was the Defensive Coordinator for the Iowa Barnstormers, helping lead them to 14 sacks and a league-high 22 interceptions. This will be his second stint with the title Defensive Coordinator & Assistant Head Coach.

Matt Elam: Special Teams Coordinator & Defensive Backs Coach

A former first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, Matt Elam is trading in his cleats for a clipboard. Last season in the IFL, Elam helped lead the Massachusetts Pirates to be the Eastern Conference Champions. Elam has played in the IFL since 2021, including one year under Head Coach Dixie Wooten in Tucson. The former Florida Gators’ Safety was a First-team All-American and First-team All-SEC his Junior year in 2012 under Will Muschamp. This will be Elam’s first stint as a coach at a professional level.

To sign up for the Open Tryouts on November 2 at Hamilton Southeastern High School, please CLICK HERE and fill out this form. Once the form is filled out, you will be registered for the open tryouts.

Hamilton County has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Government Experience Awards, hosted by the Center for Digital Government, for its innovative Parks Finder program. The county’s Information Systems Services (ISS) Department tied for fifth place in the Overall County Government Experience category.

The Parks Finder program, developed collaboratively by Hamilton County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and ISS departments, provides residents with easy access to a comprehensive directory of parks. The platform includes detailed information about city and county parks, highlighting amenities such as playgrounds, shelters, tennis courts, and more. The project was supported by Cultivate Geospatial Solutions and involved input from multiple local parks departments.

Chris Mertens, Director of Information Technology for Hamilton County, expressed pride in the recognition, emphasizing the collaborative effort behind the program. “This award is quite an honor, but it belongs to more than just the IT department. This project was an amazing collaboration between the county, the cities, the towns, and their parks’ departments. And having a single source for park information is ultimately a big win for the entire community,” Mertens said.

The Government Experience Awards recognize achievements in utilizing technology to improve government service delivery and resident engagement.

A pedestrian bridge over 96th Street, connecting the Nickel Plate Trail between Fishers and Indianapolis, is one step closer to reality following action Tuesday morning by the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety.  The city approved an agreement with the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority to pay the Authority $100,000 over a 10-year period and the Authority will “eject” the billboard.  The billboard was constructed based on a 1997 lease agreement between the Port Authority and the billboard firm.  This clears one more hurdle, allowing the pedestrian bridge connecting the Nickel Plate Trail from Fishers to Indianapolis to be constructed.  There was no comment as to when the bridge construction will begin.

In one more board action, the city approved the expenditure of $625,000, paying for equipment needed by two professional sports teams that will call the Fishers Events Center home, the Fishers Freight Indoor Football League team and the Indy Ignite women’s volleyball squad.  $500,00 will go to the Freight for football equipment and $125,00 to Ignite for volleyball equipment.  The funds will come from bond proceeds.

The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department has announced a Fall Break Camp in 2024 available each day, for a full day, October 14-18.

Held at Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve this year, campers will explore the outdoors, play games, complete arts and crafts projects, hear from guest speakers, make new friends, and so much more, all centered around a fall theme!

Dates: October 14-18
Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day
Location: Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve (10410 Hague Road, Fishers)
Ages: 5-10

Also new in 2024, Parks officials are giving families the option to register for the whole week of Fall Break Camp or register for specific days of the camp week (drop-in days). Registration is now open!

(NOTE:  The Fishers Arts Council sent a corrected news release, and the story has been re-written to reflect the changes)

On Friday evening, September 13, 2024, the Fishers Municipal Center came alive with creativity as the Fishers Arts Council (FAC) hosted its fifth annual Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists awards ceremony. The event, which took place in the center’s bright, open gallery, honored local artists whose work continues to enrich the cultural fabric of Hamilton County and its surrounding areas.

For the fifth consecutive year, Jiffy Lube of Indiana stood as the title sponsor of the art competition. CEO Steve Sanner was on hand to welcome both artists and guests, underscoring the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting the arts in the community.

This year marked a new partnership with Noblesville Creates, which took on the role of People’s Choice award sponsor. Executive Director Ailithir McGill presented the coveted award, adding a fresh layer of community involvement to the event.

A notable change in this year’s competition was the extension of the boundary for participating artists. For the first time, artists residing within a mile beyond the Hamilton County line, but who consider the county their home, were eligible to participate. This change brought a diverse range of talent into the spotlight, reflecting the broader community’s artistic spirit.

The top honor, “Best in Show,” was awarded to Carmel resident Jerry Mannell for his evocative painting titled “Harbinger.” Mannell received a $1,000 prize, along with the promise of a solo exhibit in 2025. Judge Dan Annarino praised the piece for its depth and dynamic composition, stating, “Anyone looking at this painting for the first time needs to think about it. ‘What’s it all about?’ Might the viewer see a bird—a Cardinal, perhaps—and a mailbox? There are so many ways to look at this painting because it has so much depth. The subtle colors work well. The composition/balance is very good because the painting itself is so active. There is lots of movement in this kinetic presentation.”

Other top awards included:

• Best Landscape: Karissa Rumsey of Fishers for “Pemaquid Lighthouse,” sponsored by Wasson Nursery.
• Best Floral/Other: Casey Williams of McCordsville for “Garden Goddess.”
• Best Portrait/Figurative: Deborah Smith of Noblesville for her oil painting “A Midsummer Day’s Dream.”
• Best Abstract: Caroline Hays of Noblesville for “Nature’s Layers,” a mixed media piece.

Each of these category winners received $600 in recognition of their outstanding work.

Two merit awards were also presented.  These honors went to Brinton Farrand of Cicero and Craig Mullins of Indianapolis, highlighting the depth of talent present at the exhibit.

The Noblesville Creates People’s Choice award, determined by both online and in-person voting, was awarded to Fishers resident Stephanie Carignan for her impasto work “Weathered & Woven Grassland.” Carignan’s piece garnered the most votes overall, earning her a $250 cash prize.

All award-winning works, along with nearly all other pieces on display, are available for purchase through September 28, offering art lovers a chance to bring a piece of local talent into their homes.

The Fishers Arts Council invites all residents of Hamilton County and beyond to visit the Art Gallery at City Hall in the Fishers Municipal Center, located at 1 Municipal Drive. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a special viewing opportunity on September 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Additionally, the juried exhibit can be viewed online through the Fishers Arts Council’s Facebook page at this link.

I started this Fishers local news blog in January of 2012.  It has been hard work as a volunteer activity but is worth it to me when I am told it has allowed more local people to be engaged in their local issues and government.

I must make a major change in how this blog works.  I have been considering this for some time, and have reached a decision.  I will no longer allow comments on my blog posts.

Let me say at the outset that most comments are fine, an expression of one’s views and done in a respectful manner.  This action is not aimed at any of you.

Perhaps it is a reflection on the tone of the current political environment.  As a one-man-band volunteer operation, I do not have the time and cannot devote the effort to fact-check and use a fine-tooth-comb to review every comment, especially when a particular story elicits a long list comments.

I do this reluctantly, but, after much thought and reflection, must take this action.

Obviously, if you wish to cut-and-paste a link to one of my news stories and place it on your own social media platform, that is fine.  I am only saying on this blog the comments will end.

Past comments remain, I do not have the time to review every single comment posted on this blog.

So, thank you for reading.  I appreciate each and every reader of this news blog.

The coming of the fall season has not had much impact on road construction in and around Fishers.  Below is the latest update, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Continue reading Fishers-area road construction – work week beginning Monday, September 23 →

Ever since Greg Lannan filed to be a candidate for Hamilton Southeastern School Board, the most often asked question of me is – am I related to Greg Lannan?  Greg & I discuss that and his campaign for school board in this podcast at the link below.

Sarah Parks-Reese is seeking her second 4-year term in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board.  Larry sat down with her to recording the podcast linked below.