The Fishers Events Center has announced the first three shows to be offered at the new venue, currently under construction.

“We are joining the ranks of the amazing entertainment options in this market with something different to offer, having a unique opportunity to bring in great shows that are selling out arenas elsewhere in the country,” says Mitch List, Fishers Events Center General Manager. “We look forward to seeing the Fishers Event Center become a catalyst for so much growth as it fills a void for this community. We’re just getting started, and there’s a lot to come with much more to be announced in the coming weeks and months ahead.”

Here are the first three acts, with descriptions provided by the Events Center:

• Turnpike Troubadours with Trampled by Turtles and Tyler Halverson – Friday, November 22, 2024 (Tickets on sale this Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. ET)
  Turnpike Troubadours formed in 2005, assembling a lineup that eventually included frontman Evan Felker, lead guitarist Ryan Engleman, fiddle player Kyle Nix, bassist R.C. Edwards, drummer Gabe Pearson, and steel guitar and accordion player Hank Early. Their debut album, Bossier City, was released in 2007 and the first of five studio albums the group would release. Their self-titled 2015 album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and inside the Top 5 of U.S. Country, Folk, Rock and Indie charts. 2017’s A Long Way from Your Heart would peak at number 3 on the Billboard Top Country chart. In 2019, the band announced their indefinite hiatus. Two years later, in November 2021, the band teased their return and shortly after started announcing new shows starting in 2022, including two sold out dates at Red Rocks and an appearance at Bonnaroo.
• Leanne Morgan – Saturday, November 30, 2024 (Tickets on sale this Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. ET)
  Leanne Morgan has taken the world by storm and her national headlining tour is, “Just Getting Started!”  Following the breakout ratings success of her critically acclaimed Netflix special, I’m Every Woman, Morgan has sold out over 100 theater and arena shows across the United States – with often second, third, fourth and fifth shows added in major markets.  In an effort for more of her fans to have the chance to experience her hit show, Morgan is extending her theatre and arena tour into 2024 by adding shows in new markets across the United States.
• AEW – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 (Tickets will go on sale at a later date TBA)
  History will be made when All Elite Wrestling’s wildly popular professional wrestling shows, “AEW: Dynamite” and “AEW: Rampage,” make their Fishers Event Center debut for a thrilling night of high-flying action! AEW’s roster includes headliners such as Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Adam Copeland, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Christian Cage, The Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Hangman Adam Page, Toni Storm, Mercedes Mone, Saraya, Adam Cole, FTR, Dr. Britt Baker, Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, Jay White, Claudio Castagnoli, Malakai Black, Will Hobbs, The Acclaimed, The Lucha Bros., Mark Briscoe, Samoa Joe, and many more. For additional information, visit AllEliteWrestling.com or @AEW across socials.

The 7,500-seat capacity center is situated on a 53-acre plot expanding upon the popular 18-acre development Fishers District, and will host everything from concerts, entertainment acts to basketball games while serving as a community-focused venue for local athletes to compete, graduation ceremonies and more.

“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to build an unmatched venue that brings top-level talent to one of the most dynamic parts of our community,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “These opening events at the Fishers Event Center will mark an incredible milestone for our city and there’s even more to come.”

For tickets and more information about the Fishers Events Center, use this link.

When it became clear that there had been an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, my mind went back to November, 1963.  I was 12 years old, in elementary school, when it was announced on the loudspeakers that President John Kennedy had been shot and we later learned had died.

When I was 17 years old, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were both assassinated in 1968. There were assassination attempts on President Gerald Ford.  President Ronald Reagan barely survived an attempt on his life.

Political violence goes way back in our history.  The young nation put down the Whiskey Rebellion during the 1790s.  Of course, there was the Civil War, ending in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  In 1881, President James Garfield was gunned down at a train station.  William McKinley was shot and killed when shaking hands in Buffalo, New York.  There were unsuccessful assassination attempts on the lives of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

If you want to widen the definition of political violence, go back to the Red Summer of 1919 or the racial violence of the 1960s.  You can add the Rodney King violence in Los Angeles.

It breaks my heart to think about all this, but we in America have a violent history, including our treatment of the native tribes.  We need to understand our history, including the parts we don’t like to think about.

Many commentators have called the attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump un-American.  It was un-American when measured against our laws and constitution and the overall good in American society.  I would go one step further.  This act of violence was evil.

It will take time to sort-out the story behind the alleged shooter and what his motive might have been.  Let’s not jump to conclusions, something far too easy in our interconnected world.

My prayers and sympathies go to those lost and badly injured in this attack.

Be aware that the west side of State Road 37 and 141st Street will close July 22nd for the remainder of this year.  That is just one of a long list of road construction updates in the weekly report.

Below is the full road construction listing for the Fishers area, as provided by the City of Fishers,  for the week starting Monday, July 15:

Continue reading Fishers road construction update for the work week beginning Monday, July 15 →

The Mudsock Office Building at Billericay park is considered a top candidate for a solar panel grant.  This work would need to be completed by the end of 2024 to qualify. The original roof is still on the building and has only about 2 years left on its expected useful life.  The roof must be replaced in order to qualify for the grant.  The Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety voted to award a bid of just over $60,000 to replace the roof.  The solar panels would provide electricity to that building alone.

In one other matter before the board Thursday morning. a transfer of $400,000 was approved providing a 96th Street Facade program.  This is aimed at helping older business buildings along that corridor spruce up their locations and will include setting-up outdoor areas.  The funds are expected to provide “improved exterior aesthetics” for businesses along 96th Street, the Fishers border with the City of Indianapolis.

The Youth Mentoring Initiative (YMI) has set the date for its annual fund-raising event, the Mayor’s Breakfast, with a new location.  The 9th annual Breakfast will be held this year in the new City Hall Auditorium, Thursday, August 29, with breakfast at 7:00am.

YMI is a local nonprofit organization providing mentoring services for about 300 students in Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  This Breakfast normally draws a Who’s Who of local movers and shakers.

You can register to be at the Mayor’s Breakfast at this link.

Candidate for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board, Greg Lannan, announced his chair and treasurer for the upcoming campaign.

John DeLucia, current Fishers City Councilor and former HSE School Board member, will serve as campaign chair.  Fishers High School teacher Liz Paternoster will be campaign treasurer.

Lannan is running in Delaware Township in the upcoming school board election.  There is one other Delaware Township candidate, Latrica Schooley.

(NOTE:  Greg Lannan and I share the same last names and are distant cousins)

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted to extend the contract with Community Health to provide nursing services in school buildings and sports medicine.  Attorney Chris Greisl told the board the extended pact is similar to the current contract.

In other items before the board Wednesday evening:

–In the past, high school graduation ceremonies were held on Saturday, with one school in the morning and the other in the afternoon.  In 2025, with the first graduation to be held at the Fishers Events Center, the format will change, with two evening graduation events.  On Wednesday, June 4, Fishers High School will have its graduation.  On the following evening, Thursday, June 5, the Hamilton Southeastern High School will hold its graduation ceremony.

–The board required no action on the price of school meals because they will not be increased in the coming school year.

–The board approved the science curriculum for grades K-6.

–Steve Loser, Director of K-12 Initiatives for HSE Schools, provided an update on the “journey of a Student” program, formerly known as “Portrait of a Graduate.”  See his PowerPoint presentation at this link.

–Superintendent Patrick Mapes reminded the board of the “Ring The Bell” event kicking off the start of the school year, coming August 1, 5:30-7:30, at the Fishers Nickel Plate Amphitheater.  The first day for students to be in class is Wednesday,  August 7.

The Fishers Plan Commission voted unanimously Wednesday evening to send an unfavorable recommendation to the City Council on a text amendment allowing a gas station and convenience store to be placed in the Fishers Marketplace area, near 135th Street and the east side of State Road 37.

The Plan commission is an advisory body and sends recommendations to the Council.  The Fishers City Council is scheduled to vote on the text amendment Monday.

Fishers City Councilor Selina Stoller, also a member of the Plan Commission, said it is her view that there are plenty of gas stations along the State Road 37 corridor already, and due to the right-in right-out nature of that exit, a gas station at that location may not be the best use of that land.

The only public comment came from representatives of Woods of Britton, just north of the proposed project.  They voiced concerns about noise from speakers at the gas pumps and lighting impacting nearby homes.  Attorney Joe Calderon, representing the company, said there would be no speakers at the pumps and the lighting issue can be handled.

The Wednesday session was the first by the Plan Commission in the new City Hall auditorium.

if there was any hope the Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) filed by the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) would be settled soon, there appears to be little hope of that, at least for now.  HSEA President Abby Taylor alleges in the ULP filing Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Brian Murphy created a “hostile work environment.”

HSE Schools originally faced a deadline of July 2nd to respond to the teacher’s union ULP filing, but was granted an extension to July 19.  On July 23rd, HSE & HSEA attorneys and officials are scheduled to meet with the state education employment relations board to schedule a hearing date on the dispute.

HSEA President Taylor spoke to teachers gathered near the school administration building prior to the 6pm Wednesday board session, addressing comments by Superintendent Patrick Mapes at the last board meeting tying test scores with teacher job satisfaction.  “We know that our students are  more than a test score,” Taylor said.

Taylor said she would love to reveal e-mail and voice messages, but will wait until ISTA attorneys say it can be revealed without damaging their ULP legal case.  She describes those messages to teachers as “appalling.”

Taylor then spoke before the board during public comment, one of three speakers supporting teachers.  Taylor pointed to an agenda item approving additional legal expenses, which Taylor attributed to dealing with the ULP filed by HSEA.  She accused HSE Schools of not working collaboratively to solve any differences between the parties.  According to Taylor, this is not the fiscal responsibility the board majority campaigned on during the 2022 school board election.

No HSE School officials commented on the ULP during Wednesday’s board session.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted to approve changes to the student handbook, but split 4-3 over provisions related to the athletic appeals process.

Board member Suzanne Tomas first asked that the measure approving the handbook changes be split into two votes, with the athletic appeals having its own vote.  That motion lost on a 4-3 vote.  Thomas then asked to amend the measure to delete the entire athletic appeals section when voting on the changes.  That also lost on a 4-3 vote.

The handbook changes, including the part on athletic appeals, passed 4-3, with Ben Orr, Tiffany Pascoe, Dawn Lange and Juanita Albright voting yes….Suzanne Thomas, Sarah Donsbach and Sarah Parks-Rees voting no.

Thomas argued the board did not receive the athletic appeals language in the handbook until just a few hours before the board meeting Wednesday night.

Cell phone handbook language was changed to be consistent with state law, but Administrator Danielle Thompson told the board HSE Schools policy is very close to the state law changes.

You can review all the handbook changes enacted by the board at this link.