The Indy Fuel delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over the Toledo Walleye in a rare Wednesday morning game. After a back-and-forth start, the Fuel dominated the third period to secure the win on the road.

The game’s opening moments belonged to Toledo, as they outshot Indy 6-1 in the first five minutes. Bryan Lemos of the Fuel took the game’s first penalty for tripping at 5:27, and Toledo quickly took advantage. Trenton Bliss capitalized on the power play with a goal at 5:45, marking the 50th of his career. The Fuel faced another early setback when they incurred a bench minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but they killed off the penalty to keep the Walleye’s lead to one.

Late in the first period, the Fuel saw an opportunity to change the tide as former teammate Anthony Firriolo took an interference penalty at 15:17. When Chaz Reddekopp joined Firriolo in the box for cross-checking, Indy found themselves with a 5-on-3 power-play advantage. The Fuel seized the moment, and at 17:12, Kyle Maksimovich netted a power-play goal, tying the game at 1-1 with assists from Nathan Burke and Colin Bilek.

Both teams fought hard in the second period, though neither could break the tie. The Walleye were unable to capitalize on an early power play, and a too-many-men penalty late in the period kept the Fuel’s momentum alive.

Indy came out strong in the third period, with Kevin Lombardi scoring his first goal of the season—and his first professional goal—at 5:10, giving the Fuel a 2-1 lead. They soon extended their advantage when Cam Hausinger scored on a power play, bringing the score to 3-1.

With three minutes left in the game, Toledo pulled their goaltender in a final push to close the gap. However, Kevin Lombardi took advantage of the empty net, scoring his second goal of the game at 17:26 to seal the victory. The Walleye’s final power play in the last minute was not enough to rally, and the Fuel skated away with a 4-1 win, outshooting Toledo 26 to 22.

Check out artwork and wares from local artists and artisans at the inaugural Winter Art Sale from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14 at the Fishers Art Center. The free event is an opportunity to find one-of-a-kind gifts, including paintings, jewelry, textiles, ceramics and more.

“When you buy gifts made by local artists, you’re really giving to the artist and the recipient, so you’ll feel twice as good,” said Shannon Bennett, vice president of events and exhibitions.

What:                   Winter Art Sale

When:                  Noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14

Where:                 Fishers Art Center, 1 Municipal Dr., Fishers

Cost:                     Free admission; artwork and festive refreshments for sale

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a fire broke out in the Lake Stonebridge neighborhood, prompting a swift response from the Fishers Fire Department. At approximately 4:00 a.m., firefighters arrived to find heavy flames and smoke engulfing a home near 116th Street and Hoosier Road.

The homeowners, along with their pet, had already evacuated safely by the time emergency crews arrived, averting any injuries. The fire reportedly began in the garage and spread quickly into the attic space of the main living area, requiring an immediate and multi-faceted response from the firefighters on scene.

Firefighters initially launched an aggressive interior attack to control the flames. However, due to the fire’s rapid spread, they quickly transitioned to a defensive approach before resuming an offensive strategy to bring the blaze under control. Their coordinated efforts prevented the flames from reaching nearby homes, successfully containing the damage to the affected property.

The Fishers Fire Department expressed gratitude to its crew for their hard work in protecting the neighborhood, as well as to the community for their vigilance. Fire investigators are currently on scene working to determine the cause of the fire.

In a statement, the department also reminded residents to remain alert and reach out with any fire safety questions.

I wrote yesterday in this space that the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) posted on social media that Monday’s bargaining session with representatives of Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools did not go well, from HSEA’s point of view.  Teachers are being encouraged to attend the Wednesday night school board meeting wearing black to show support for the HSEA bargaining team.

HSEA is also urging teachers to speak at a public hearing slated for the Wednesday board session on the proposed charter school, that would be run by Opportunity Education.  HSEA is opposing the charter.

Tuesday evening, HSEA posted on social media a 3-page letter sent to each HSE School Board member raising concerns about the proposed charter school.  The exclusive bargaining unit for HSE teaching staff raise issues in the letter, such are loss of state funding for the up to 500 students that would eventually attend this school, whether money provided by the recent referendum would be funneled to the charter, and a long list of other issues.

You can read the entire letter sent to each school board member below:

Continue reading HSEA letter to HSE School Board members about proposed charter school →

Whenever the topic of local road work comes up, the ongoing construction at 146th Street and Allisonville Road is front and center.  It has reconfigured traffic temporarily and motorists find lane closures on a regular basis.

The Hamilton County Highway Department urges drivers to observe the 35 miles-per-hour speed limit in the construction zone.  Officials say the next change in the traffic pattern will come in December.

Construction vehicles will continue coming and going from the area, so please be alert when driving in the zone.

If there is any good news, the latest projection from Hamilton County says construction should all be completed by August 1, 2025.  Once finished, there will be an overpass on 146th Street over Allisonville Road and there will be a roundabout controlling traffic on ground level at Allisonville.

The completion percentages for the categories of construction are listed below.

There was a chill in the air Tuesday morning outside Fishers City Hall as the routine meeting of the Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety got underway.  Mayor Scott Fadness reassured those at the session loud noises around City Hall, heard in the meeting room, were workers starting to install the Christmas decorations.  This is the first holiday season for the new Fishers City Hall/Arts Center.

The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for $50,000 in the 2025 city budget providing “experiential” learning by Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) students at Ritchey Woods (1st Grade), AgriPark (2nd Grade), City Hall (3rd Grade), and the Maker Playground (5th Grade).  The school board will vote on approving the MOU Wednesday.

“I think it is impressive that this is above and beyond our half-million dollar Innovation Grant,” Mayor Fadness said.  “It shows strong support for the schools.”

The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), representing teachers in the school district, says a bargaining session with Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) administration Monday left HSEA “disheartened” by the lack of progress on a new contract.

“At this time, we are fighting for fair wages and benefits, as well as protecting language we have worked to build into our contract that protects teacher wages, benefits and voice,” wrote the HSEA bargaining team in a Monday afternoon social media post.

HSEA is urging teachers to attend the Wednesday evening school board meeting wearing black.  The local teachers’ union is asking teaching staff to attend the board meeting in support of the bargaining team, and to speak at a public hearing in opposition to a proposed charter school.

On October 29, HSE Schools administrators issued a statement on the ongoing bargaining.  Read more about that at this link.

Doug Melville tells the story of his family, which includes battling racism and how his family members became the Invisible Generals, leading to the publishing of a book.

Melville was the featured speaker at the 2024 Fishers City Veterans Day event, the first held in the new City Hall theater.  El Ahlwardt, President of the Fishers Armed Services Commission, handled the duties as master of ceremonies, and called the celebration a ”’Fishersesque’ thank you offered to our veterans.”

Melville’s book, Invisible Generals, tells the tale of Benjamin Davis and Benjamin Davis Junior.  Melville went back as far as documenting the elder Davis’ grandfather, Louis Davis, babysitter for the children of President U.S. Grant.  Ben Senior joined the Buffalo Soldiers of 1901.  His son, Ben Junior, wanted to be a pilot, but faced horrible racism, overcoming it and graduating from West Point.

Ben, Senior and Junior, at the outbreak of World War II, were the only black officers in the military, out of 335,000 members of the armed forces.  Ben junior ended up organizing the famed Tuskegee Airmen.

Author Melville urged those in the audience to document their family history.  Once people age and die, their stories die with them and are lost.

Author Melville provided copies of his book Invisible Generals to those at the Fishers Veterans Day celebration and signed copies as well.

The game Friday night between Fishers and HSE High Schools will go down in the annals of IHSAA competition as one of the best games ever.  HSE had the lead with roughly 2 minutes left and the Tigers executed the classic 2-minute drill to perfection, winning 44-41.

The Royals and Tigers sometimes meet in the state tourney after their regular season Mudsock contest which fills the stands every year.  The game last Saturday decided which local high school would move on to 6A regional competition.

HSE had a very good season and last Friday’s game was hard fought.  The Royals should be proud of their 2024 season.

Now, Westfield comes to Fishers High School Friday night to determine the Regional champion and a chance to move one step closer to a state finals date at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Indy Fuel capped off their weekend series in Reading with a commanding 3-0 victory over the Royals Sunday, thanks to a stellar performance by goaltender Peyton Jones, who recorded his second shutout of the season. A scoreless deadlock was finally broken in the third period when the Fuel found their scoring touch, sealing their win and securing the sweep.

The first period was a cautious affair, marked by solid defensive play from both teams. Each side had a power-play opportunity, but neither could capitalize. The Royals edged out the Fuel in shots on goal 8-4, but Jones and Reading’s Parker GaHagen held firm in their respective nets.

The second period offered more of the same, as both teams struggled to generate offense and avoid the penalty box altogether. While the Fuel managed to outshoot the Royals 9-8, both goalies continued to impress, keeping the score tied heading into the final period.

The breakthrough finally came 8:42 into the third when Ty Farmer powered through Reading’s defense and delivered a slick backhanded shot to put the Fuel up 1-0 with his first goal of the season. The Fuel quickly built on that momentum, with Cam Hausinger scoring on a power play at 12:05 to extend the lead to 2-0. Brandon Saigeon then iced the game with an empty-net goal at 18:15, closing out a three-point night for him, with two assists and a goal.

Jones stopped all 23 of Reading’s shots, securing his second shutout of the season and helping the Fuel finish their road series on a high note. The Royals narrowly outshot the Fuel 23-20, but Indy’s disciplined play and timely scoring made the difference.