Fishers Event Center finished the first half of 2026 in the red, and management pointed to a single, unexpected culprit: a broken leg.

Billy Strings’ three sold-out shows, originally booked for April 24-26, were pushed to August after the bluegrass star broke his leg in a backstage skateboarding accident during an encore break at a show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Strings said he “tried to do a trick I’ve done a million times” and landed awkwardly. Moving the Fishers dates lifted three guaranteed sellouts out of the second quarter and dropped them into the third.

That swing accounted for much of the period’s shortfall, Event Center management told the Fishers Town Hall Building Corporation in an update Monday. Event income came in below projections. The venue hosted 65 events in the first six months against a projection of 74, and posted a net loss of just over $334,000.

General Manager Mitch List told the board the gap is largely a matter of timing rather than demand, and that the Strings revenue will show up in the third-quarter numbers.

A crowd that spilled outside

The rescheduled run finally happened Aug. 6-8, and it drew far more people than the 7,500 seats inside could hold. List said Forum Credit Union Plaza, the outdoor space at Fishers District just beyond the arena doors, filled with fans — many of whom had no tickets and simply wanted to be part of the night.

Opening night made national news for the wrong reason. Someone in the crowd threw a lighter that struck Strings in the head during “This Old World.” He was not seriously injured, but he stopped the show and delivered a profanity-laced response to the throw, telling the crowd he had been about to say how happy he was to be there.

List said arena cameras, along with help from fans seated nearby, identified the person who threw the lighter. The individual was escorted out of the building.

Strings turned the incident around the following night, walking onstage in a hockey helmet. He later worked the line “don’t let your lighters fly” into a song before trading the helmet for a ball cap.

A busier second half

Management expects the back half of 2026 to outperform the first, with 16 touring shows on the calendar compared to 10 in the second half of 2025.

The biggest addition isn’t a concert. The inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament comes to Fishers Nov. 20-25, bringing 15 of the conference’s 18 teams to Stockdale Street for a five-round bracket. The winner takes the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.

The Event Center opened Nov. 22, 2024, and is home to the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, pro volleyball’s Indy Ignite and the Fishers Freight indoor football team.

Residents have until Sept. 7 to apply for the free eight-week emergency preparedness course.

Hamilton County Emergency Management is accepting applications for its fall Community Emergency Response Team Basic Course, which teaches residents how to safely assist their communities during emergencies and disasters.

The eight-week Hamilton County CERT training begins Sept. 16 and meets from 7 to 9:30 p.m. each Wednesday through Nov. 4.

Through classroom instruction, hands-on activities and realistic scenarios, participants will learn practical disaster-response skills, including fire safety, light search and rescue, hazard assessment and basic medical operations. The training is intended to help residents provide immediate assistance and support professional first responders when emergency help is not yet available.

Organizers say the program also helps participants improve their personal preparedness while strengthening resilience in neighborhoods, workplaces and community organizations.

The basic course is free and open to the public. Participants must commit to remaining active in the program after completing the course. Graduates become Hamilton County Emergency Management volunteers and can continue developing their skills through monthly meetings, advanced training, drills, exercises, emergency operations and special-event support.

Hamilton County has more than 120 active CERT volunteers, according to the county. Local teams serve communities including Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Sheridan and Westfield.

Applications for the fall course will be accepted through Sept. 7. More information and registration instructions are available on the Hamilton County CERT webpage.

Janet Chandler is beginning a school year unlike any she has experienced in nearly half a century. For the first time in 47 years, she will not be returning to a Hamilton Southeastern classroom.

The recently retired Hamilton Southeastern High School teacher joined me for a LarryInFishers.com podcast conversation about her career, the district’s remarkable growth and the importance of preparing students to become informed citizens.

When Chandler began teaching at HSE in 1979, the high school enrolled about 500 students and much of the surrounding area was rural. Roads such as 116th Street were two lanes, and Chandler recalled driving past cows and horses on her way to school. Finding a nearby gas station was considered a welcome development.

By her final year, HSE High School had grown to nearly 3,500 students, and the district had added a second large high school in Fishers.

Chandler said that growth created more opportunities for students, including additional Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses. What disappeared, she said, was the small-school atmosphere in which nearly everyone knew everyone else.

During her career, Chandler taught French and social studies before moving exclusively to social studies. She also coached HSE’s We the People and Mock Trial teams, helping students research complicated civic questions, defend their conclusions and respond to challenging questions.

“I’m not going to tell you what to think,” Chandler said of her approach to teaching. “I’m not going to tell you what I believe, because that’s not relevant to you. What’s relevant is that I give you the tools so that you can figure out how to do research, how to support your beliefs — or change your beliefs.”

Chandler also served for many years as president of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, representing the district’s teachers. She first became association president during the 1983–84 school year, when HSE teacher salaries ranked near the bottom among Indiana school districts.

She recalled difficult contract negotiations, including years when teachers returned to school without an agreement and one bargaining session that continued from Friday afternoon into Saturday.

Our conversation also covers changes to Indiana’s collective bargaining laws, teacher compensation and retention, and Chandler’s concern that the teaching profession is no longer valued as highly as it should be.

Her advice to new teachers is to expect the first year to feel overwhelming and to establish a work-life balance, while recognizing that much of the preparation and grading cannot be completed during the regular school day.

Chandler is now considering volunteer opportunities and ways to remain involved in the community. She also plans to spend more time reading while remaining open to whatever comes next.

The LarryInFishers podcast series is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen to my full conversation with Janet Chandler at this link or the link below.

Meijer will open a 75,000-square-foot grocery store at 15700 Southeastern Parkway on Sept. 30, the retailer announced Monday.

The location will be the second Meijer Grocery format store in Indiana and the company’s 45th store in the state.

Unlike the sprawling supercenters most shoppers associate with the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based chain, the Meijer Grocery format is built around food and weekly-trip essentials in a smaller footprint. The Fishers store will include full-service bakery, meat, seafood and deli departments, along with fresh produce, a pharmacy, health and beauty products, pet supplies, and a floral and greeting card section.

“We’re excited to open our second Meijer Grocery location in Indiana, continuing to bring this convenient format to more communities to help customers quickly find fresh foods and everyday essentials at consistently low prices,” said Jess Murray, vice president of the Indiana region for Meijer. “These stores are designed to provide customers with a great shopping experience, right in the communities where they live and work each day.”

Fuel station opens first

A Meijer Express fuel station next to the store is scheduled to open Sept. 2, nearly four weeks ahead of the store itself. The station will carry beverages, snacks and prepared food.

Customers enrolled in the company’s free mPerks loyalty program can apply rewards toward groceries or earn up to $1 off per gallon at Meijer Express stations. Sign-up is available at meijer.com/mperks or through the Meijer app.

The store will also offer Shop & Scan, home delivery and curbside pickup, and will carry the retailer’s exclusive Frederik’s by Meijer and True Goodness brands.

Jobs still open

Meijer is still hiring for the Fishers store, with hourly, part-time and full-time positions available. Applications are being accepted at jobs.meijer.com/stores.

The company has operated in Indiana since 1994 and employs more than 13,000 people statewide, including workers at its distribution and manufacturing facilities in Middlebury. Its community partnerships in the state include Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, the 500 Festival, the Indianapolis Colts, and athletic programs at Indiana University, Purdue University and Notre Dame.

Meijer is privately owned and family-operated, with more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations across the Midwest.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools will be one of five Hamilton County districts asking voters to approve an operating referendum Nov. 3, part of a record-setting year for school ballot measures across Indiana, according to reporting by Jake Allen and Marissa Meador of the IndyStar.

Statewide, 37 districts are putting operating referendums before voters — three times as many as any other election in the past decade. School officials told the Star the surge traces largely to Senate Enrolled Act 1, the 2025 property tax overhaul, along with a legislative change limiting which ballots referendums can appear on.

The HSE ask

Unlike Noblesville, whose referendum expires at the end of 2026, HSE is asking voters to replace its existing referendum with one carrying a higher maximum rate. Superintendent Matt Kegley told the IndyStar the district would have been content to continue at the rate voters approved in 2023 if not for SEA 1.

“It’s important to point out that we wouldn’t be having this conversation today if not for the impacts of Senate Enrolled Act 1 on our budget,” Kegley said.

The district estimates SEA 1 will cost it roughly $45 million less than planned over the final six years of the current referendum. HSE projects the median homeowner in the district would see about a $3 per month increase on their 2027 tax bill if the measure passes.

HSE has already made cuts, eliminating nearly 60 positions earlier this year amid declining elementary enrollment. Kegley said the district worked to protect programs through that round, but without new referendum dollars it would have to reevaluate which programs continue, potentially cut more staff, and would find it harder to offer raises that retain teachers. The money would also support school safety measures and student behavioral health services, including therapists in buildings.

Supporters have organized as Advance HSE, a political action committee that drew about 50 people to a July meeting and plans to campaign at football games, the Geist Half Marathon and other community events. “The opportunities our kids get are world class,” chair Laura Cole told the Star. “I want to make sure that we protect that.”

The countywide picture

Neighboring districts face similar math. Noblesville’s expiring referendum generates about $25 million a year; the district says a $350,000 home would pay about $2.30 more per month than under the current rate. Westfield Washington and Carmel Clay are also on the ballot, with Carmel seeking a rate nearly double its current one after folding its expiring safety referendum into a single question.

Opposition is organizing too. Americans for Prosperity’s Indiana chapter, which helped defeat a Northwest Allen County referendum last year, plans to engage in Central Indiana races, and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith — a Hamilton County resident — has publicly criticized the measures.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

You can access the IndyStar story at this link, but will likely need at least an online subscription to access the full story. 

Fishers residents should be ready for several days of unsettled and potentially severe weather, according to the National Weather Service and Hamilton County Emergency Management.

Severe thunderstorms are possible late today into tonight across central Indiana, with damaging wind, heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding listed as the primary threats.

The threat does not end there. The Weather Service says thunderstorms will be possible at times through the week, with the potential for multiple rounds of severe storms through Wednesday night. Damaging winds and heavy rainfall again top the list of concerns.

Two ways to get warned

Hamilton County Emergency Management is using the extended stretch of active weather to remind residents to check how they receive alerts — both outside and inside the home.

Outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn people who are outdoors when severe weather threatens. They are not built to be heard reliably inside a house, especially with windows closed, air conditioning running or a television on.

For indoor alerts, the county recommends an all-hazards weather radio, which sounds an alarm when a warning is issued for your area, even overnight.

Residents are also encouraged to keep more than one way to receive warnings — a weather radio, alerts on a mobile phone and local media coverage — since any single method can fail during a power or network outage.

Before the storms arrive

A few steps worth taking before the first round moves in:

• Charge phones and any backup battery packs.
• Know where you would shelter: a basement, or an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows.
• Bring in or secure patio furniture, trash bins and other loose items that damaging wind could throw.
• Avoid driving through flooded roadways. Water depth is difficult to judge, and the roadbed underneath may be washed out.
• Check on neighbors who may not receive alerts, including older residents and anyone living alone.

Forecasts can change quickly. Residents should keep up with the latest information from the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis and from Hamilton County Emergency Management as the week goes on.

Reports of children with disabilities abruptly losing Medicaid have intensified debate over Indiana’s eligibility reviews, disability assessments and efforts to control costs.

State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat whose House District 32 includes western Fishers, says eligible families are being harmed by processing delays and a new waiver-assessment system. Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, or FSSA, says eligibility standards have not changed and that its process is more accurate and consistent with federal requirements.

A WRTV investigation profiled two Kokomo families with children who have autism. Ruth Hevelone said her son Sammy lost Medicaid after documents submitted May 22 remained unprocessed on an FSSA worker’s task list. The termination disrupted waiver-funded therapy and his father’s income as a full-time caregiver.

Former FSSA employee Will Colteryahn helped resolve the case. WRTV reported that coverage was restored within hours following one email, although the family still lost several months of caregiver income.

Trisha Norfleet said her son was removed because of family income even though parental income generally is disregarded for children receiving the Family Supports Waiver. Indiana’s waiver rules confirm that policy. FSSA said it collects parental income for possible future policy changes but does not currently use it to determine eligibility. Privacy rules prevented the agency from discussing either case.

Wilburn, an occupational therapist and Indiana University associate professor, said the accounts resemble complaints from constituents.

“These are families doing everything right and losing coverage because of state errors,” she said, calling the situation a “manufactured” crisis.

Two separate processes are involved. Routine Medicaid renewals verify financial and household information. A case can close for a “procedural” reason when required information is missing or its review is incomplete. Disability-waiver assessments separately determine whether someone requires an institutional level of care. Losing underlying Medicaid eligibility can also end waiver services.

Preliminary federal data show procedural terminations accounted for 44% to 46% of all Indiana cases due for renewal during October, November and December 2025. In April 2026, 46% of the state’s 87,136 renewal cases were closed for procedural or administrative reasons—the highest reported state rate that month.

A procedural termination does not establish that someone was ineligible. It also does not prove the person remained eligible. The dispute is how often qualified people lose coverage because documents are delayed, lost or misunderstood.

WTHR found that Indiana assessed 15,476 people with new disability-waiver tools during the first six months of 2026. Of those, 772—about 5%—were formally denied, while another 1,721 underwent additional review. Published FSSA figures put the previous denial rate below 1%, although reports cite different historical baselines.

FSSA says the former assessment was insufficiently standardized and poorly suited to children. The agency says trained people—not artificial intelligence—make final decisions and potential denials receive a second review.

Families and disability advocates argue that standardized questions can miss whether a child performs an activity safely, independently and consistently. They also want access to assessment questions and scoring methods, portions of which FSSA says are proprietary.

State officials say tighter reviews protect taxpayers and preserve Medicaid. FSSA projected $465.9 million in state savings over two fiscal years, partly because of declining enrollment after changes to eligibility redeterminations. Its own program-integrity report, however, says an “improper payment” does not necessarily indicate fraud and that many sampled eligibility errors resulted from state employee mistakes.

Wilburn argues that budget control has been placed ahead of continuity of care. FSSA counters that historically low denial rates allowed some recipients to remain on waivers after they no longer met federal standards. Secretary Mitch Roob has rejected lawmakers’ request to pause new denials.

The evidence shows a sharp enrollment decline, unusually high procedural termination rates and more waiver denials. It does not show that every terminated enrollee remained eligible. Unanswered questions include how many denials are reversed, how often timely paperwork goes unprocessed and whether the new assessments accurately measure children’s needs.

Members receiving an adverse notice should follow its appeal instructions immediately. Filing before the effective date may preserve benefits during an appeal. Free assistance is available from Covering Kids & Families of Indiana and Indiana Disability Rights. Wilburn has invited affected District 32 residents to contact her office.

One night after an object thrown from the crowd caught him in the head, Billy Strings walked onto the Fishers Event Center stage Friday wearing an Indy Fuel hockey helmet.

The crowd erupted. Strings gave them a quick, wry smile, said nothing about it, and started playing.

The gag landed as well as it did partly because of where he was standing. The Fuel, the ECHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, are the primary tenant of Fishers Event Center and have played home games there since the $170 million arena opened in November 2024. Strings did not just put on a helmet — he put on the home team’s helmet.

It was a sharp turn from Thursday night. As reported here, Strings was hit in the head by an object thrown from the audience during the first of his three shows at the venue, and he stopped the show to deliver a profanity-laced rebuke to the crowd. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come back,” he told the audience, before asking why anyone would throw something at him and calling for the crowd to identify the person responsible.

The object has never been identified. Fans online have speculated it was a lighter. Strings was not injured.

Neither Strings nor Fishers Event Center has commented publicly on the incident or the helmet.

Because of the language in the Thursday clip, this site again is not linking to fan video from either night.

Not an Isolated Problem

Objects thrown from the crowd have become a recurring hazard at arena shows. Riley Green, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan and Kelsea Ballerini have all been struck mid-performance. Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes suffered a mild concussion after a fan threw a phone at his head.

Strings’ three-night stand in Fishers was itself a makeup engagement. He postponed a spring run, including the original April date at Fishers Event Center, after breaking his leg in a skateboarding accident backstage.

His new album, So Much for Goodbyes, is due out in late August. His tour continues through December.

Reporting on the helmet appearance from Consequence and Stereogum.

The City of Fishers has released its weekly construction report, and the biggest impact this weekend is a full closure of the 96th Street and Cyntheanne Road roundabout on Saturday, August 8, while crews mill and pave. Signed detours will route traffic around the intersection, with local access maintained. Weather permitting, the roundabout reopens Monday, August 10.

Also on Saturday, drivers near Launch Fishers should expect temporary restrictions during Hamilton Humane’s Woofstock 5K & Dog Walk. Morning delays are possible.

Several long-term projects continue. The 136th Street Widening Project has moved into Phase 2 between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road, where 136th Street is closed to through traffic. The project will convert the rural two-lane road into a boulevard with raised medians, multi-use paths on both sides, new pavement and curb, and upgraded storm sewers.

At 116th Street and Allisonville Road, outside lanes remain closed with traffic shifted to inside through lanes and turn lanes — a pattern expected to hold through early October. As of August 5, the west leg of Fishers Crossing Boulevard at Allisonville Road closed for roughly three weeks, blocking that entrance to the shopping center. All businesses remain open.

The USA Parkway Widening Project north of 106th Street brings lane restrictions through October, with substantial completion expected in mid-October. Work includes widening, new curbs, trail construction, and resurfacing.

At the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout, lane restrictions begin in early August, including Olio Road reduced to one lane each direction and closure of the roundabout’s “5th leg.”

Utility work continues on Cumberland Road between 106th and 116th streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. AT&T begins fiber installation in Beaver Ridge, Pine Bluff Overlook, Bradford Ridge, Walnut Creek, Delaware Pointe, Summerfield, and Delaware Crossing. Brightspeed starts fiber work in The Boulders, Reserve at Steeplechase, Sanctuary at Steeplechase, and Oakhurst.

Resurfacing crews begin concrete operations in Fawnsbrook the week of August 10, with milling and base repair coming to 96th Street from Carroll to Olio roads and Westmoreland Drive in Somerset.

Regionally, Cumberland Road south of 116th Street has daily lane restrictions through August 21 for bridge work, and I-465 ClearPath closures are scheduled nightly August 10–14.

Full report as provided by the City of Fishers is below:

Continue reading Fishers Weekly Road Construction Update: What Drivers Need to Know →

Bluegrass star Billy Strings was struck in the head by an object thrown from the audience Thursday night during the first of three sold-out shows at Fishers Event Center, and he did not let it pass quietly.

The incident, first reported by WideOpenCountry.com, happened between songs as Strings was talking to the crowd. Video posted to social media by a concertgoer shows an object sail out of the darkness and bounce off the singer’s head about two seconds in. The fan who filmed it said he could not identify what was thrown.

Strings was not injured, but he was visibly angry. He stopped the show and delivered a blistering, profanity-heavy rebuke to the crowd, asking why anyone would throw something at him and noting that he had been about to tell the audience how happy he was to be in Indiana. He closed by asking the crowd to identify whoever did it.

Because of the language, this story does not link to the video.

The Thursday show was a makeup date. Strings postponed a run of spring concerts, including the original Fishers stop in April, after breaking his leg in a skateboarding accident backstage. The August 6 performance was among his first back on stage since the injury.

A Growing Problem at Concerts

Throwing objects at performers has become a recurring hazard at arena and amphitheater shows over the past few years. Riley Green, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan and Kelsea Ballerini have all been hit by items launched from the crowd, in some cases requiring the show to stop.

Theories about the motive vary. Some fans appear to be trying to get an artist’s attention — tossing a phone toward the stage in hopes the performer picks it up and films a clip. Others may simply be angling for a viral moment when someone in the crowd captures the throw and posts it.

Whatever the reason, a hard object thrown from a dark arena at a person under stage lights is a genuine safety risk, both for the artist and for anyone standing nearby.

About the Venue

Fishers Event Center opened in late 2024 and has quickly become a regular stop for national touring acts in the Indianapolis metro area. Strings’ three-night stand is among the venue’s larger bookings of the summer.

Neither Strings’ representatives nor Fishers Event Center had issued a public statement as of Friday.