Imitation firearm found in student’s backpack at Fishers Junior High, police say

A 13-year-old Fishers Junior High student was arrested Tuesday after a school resource officer and school administrators found an imitation firearm in his backpack, the Fishers Police Department said.

The department’s School Resource Unit was made aware of the situation Tuesday, Aug. 25, after Fishers Junior High staff learned the student might have an imitation firearm at school, according to a release from FPD. The school’s SRO and administrative staff began an investigation and located the item in the student’s backpack. It was collected as evidence.

The student, whom police did not identify because of his age, is charged with possession of an imitation firearm on school property or on a school bus, a Class B misdemeanor. Any school discipline will be handled by Fishers Junior High, police said.

Police said the situation was resolved quickly and without incident.

“We appreciate our relationship with Hamilton Southeastern Schools,” the department said in its release. “HSE and FPD are committed to keeping our students, staff, and families safe. We are grateful that this situation was handled very quickly and without incident.”

A new state law, in its first school year

The charge stems from a law that is new to Indiana classrooms this fall.

House Enrolled Act 1343, signed into law as Public Law 94-2026, took effect July 1 and makes it a Class B misdemeanor to knowingly or intentionally possess an imitation firearm in or on school property or on a school bus. The 2026-27 school year, which began for HSE students on Aug. 5, is the first full school year the law has been in effect.

The term generally covers realistic-looking replicas that are not actual firearms — airsoft and BB or pellet guns, replica handguns and rifles, and toy guns designed to closely resemble the real thing. The law includes an exemption for an imitation firearm that is lawfully possessed and properly secured inside a locked vehicle.

For an adult, a Class B misdemeanor in Indiana carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Cases involving a 13-year-old, however, are generally handled through the juvenile system in Hamilton County rather than adult criminal court, where the matter would be treated as an act of delinquency and the adult sentencing range would not apply directly.

What police did not say

The FPD release did not describe what kind of imitation firearm was recovered, how staff first learned of it, or whether the student was accused of showing it to anyone or making any threat. No students or staff were reported hurt.

Parents and students who become aware of a safety concern at school are urged to tell a teacher, an administrator or a school resource officer.

The flood-damaged bridge could cost nearly $10 million, although officials are pursuing federal emergency funding.

Hamilton County hopes to complete a replacement for the flood-destroyed Hazel Dell Parkway bridge during 2027, county officials announced Monday.

The county-owned bridge carries Hazel Dell Parkway over Blue Woods Creek between 96th and 106th streets in Carmel, on a heavily traveled north-south route near Fishers. County Commissioner Christine Altman said during an Aug. 24 flood update that the structure is a total loss.

Engineers expect the design process to take approximately 60 days. While that work proceeds, the county will seek bids to demolish and remove the portions of the bridge that remain.

Officials hope to hire the replacement contractor by Thanksgiving, leaving the remainder of 2026 and much of 2027 for construction.

“We believe we can get it done next year,” Altman said.

The county hopes to keep the cost below $10 million, but several variables remain. Floodwaters substantially enlarged and rerouted the Blue Woods Creek channel into the Martin Marietta quarry. Engineers must determine how to reconstruct the channel toward the White River before completing the bridge design.

The project also will require coordination and permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Hamilton County may qualify for a Federal Highway Administration emergency program that could cover 80% of the project, leaving the county responsible for 20%. Altman emphasized that the federal funding has not been approved and that officials do not know whether sufficient money is available.

Hazel Dell Parkway is one of the main north-south connectors on the Fishers-Carmel line, and the closure south of 106th Street has pushed traffic onto Allisonville Road and Keystone Parkway. An end-of-2027 completion still means roughly a year and a half of detours — but it is meaningfully better than the two-year-plus outlook that seemed likely two weeks ago.

Drivers should not expect any change in the near term. The site remains closed to the public, and the demolition phase will keep it that way.

The county also released updated residential damage figures. Emergency officials said they assessed 912 residences and identified 434 as affected by the flooding.

Using federal damage classifications, one residence was destroyed, 180 sustained major damage, 113 sustained minor damage and 116 were affected by water intrusion. Another 24 residences remained inaccessible. Officials cautioned that FEMA’s “minor” classification can still represent significant damage for a homeowner.

A preliminary estimate compiled four days before the news conference placed known damage above $32 million. That figure did not include the Hazel Dell bridge, economic losses at the quarry or an estimated $75 million to $100 million in equipment left at the bottom of the flooded quarry.

Flood-debris collection began Monday in seven zones across Hamilton County. Residents should separate debris by category and place it along the public right of way without blocking roads, utility equipment or fire hydrants. Detailed collection instructions are available from the county.

Officials also extended the prohibition on recreational travel on the White River for another seven days, citing debris and continuing dangerous conditions.

Residents should report flood damage through 211 and retain receipts in case additional federal assistance becomes available. The Hamilton County flood-assistance hotline is 317-645-3261. Additional information is available on the county’s flood resources page.

The Fishers Freight will head into their third season with the same man in charge.

The Indoor Football League franchise announced Monday it has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Head Coach and General Manager Dixie Wooten, keeping him in both roles for the 2027 season.

Wooten has run the Freight’s football operations since before the team ever played a down, building the roster, the staff and the program’s structure from scratch through the franchise’s first two seasons.

“After taking the time to evaluate our first two seasons, we believe Dixie has earned the opportunity to continue what we started together,” Freight President Sean Hallett said in the announcement. “Dixie is passionate about winning, his players believe in him, and there is no question how much he wants to bring a championship to Fishers.”

Hallett was equally direct about what comes next.

“At the same time, we both understand that the expectations are higher in year three,” he said. “We believe this team is capable of competing for a championship, and that is the standard we are setting for ourselves.”

That standard follows a 2026 season that ended about as painfully as a season can end. The Freight finished 8-8 and were eliminated on the final play of the final week, falling 67-63 with the ball on the Pirates’ 17-yard line and one snap to play. The loss handed Orlando the last Eastern Conference playoff spot and sent Fishers home.

It was still a step forward from the inaugural 2025 campaign, when the expansion Freight lost nine in a row before closing the year with five straight wins.

Wooten arrived in Fishers with one of the more decorated résumés in the league — two IFL championships and multiple Coach of the Year honors — and that track record was a central part of how the Freight built their football program from the ground up.

“We’ve built a strong foundation over our first two seasons, but our goal has always been bigger,” Wooten said in the team’s announcement. “We want to win a championship for this organization, our players and our fans, and I’m excited to get back to work.”

Wooten’s first words were about the water, not the contract

Wooten shared his own reaction on social media Monday — but he did not lead with the job.

He opened instead with a message to Indiana communities still digging out from the historic flooding that swamped the central part of the state between Aug. 11 and Aug. 17. More than a foot of rain fell in places east of Indianapolis, the White River set record crests at Anderson and Noblesville that topped marks standing since 1913, and one woman died after driving into floodwaters near Yorktown.

“I chose to wait before speaking,” Wooten wrote. “While the water was still rising, the attention belonged with the first responders and rescue crews pulling families out of it.”

He went on to describe what he had watched over the past two weeks: “Neighbors reaching neighbors by boat. Meals prepared for families no one had ever met. Help offered long before anyone thought to ask. That is the character of this state.”

To families who lost homes, livelihoods or loved ones, he wrote, “The days ahead will be long and heavy, and you will not face them alone.” He signed it, “Your neighbor, your friend, and your coach.”

Only then did he turn to the extension.

“I’m happy to be back with the Fishers Freight Football!” Wooten wrote. “Jim and Sean have given me an opportunity to build this football program and take it to the next level. I’m grateful to have a great front office and the best community in the Indoor Football League. Year 3, the movement starts now. Fans, you are going to be proud!”

What’s next

With Wooten’s status settled, the Freight now turn to assembling the 2027 roster and coaching staff.

“Our first two years were about establishing the Freight,” Hallett said. “Year three is about taking the next step.”

The Freight play their home games at the Fishers Event Center.

Canadian rock band Triumph will bring its 50th anniversary tour to Fishers this fall.

The band will perform at the Fishers Event Center on Friday, Nov. 27, as part of the second leg of its Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded Tour. Fellow Canadian rock band April Wine will appear as the special guest.

An artist presale begins Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m., followed by a Citi presale at noon. Additional presales are planned before tickets go on sale to the general public Thursday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Ticket prices and a concert start time were not included in the announcement.

The Fishers concert is among 16 new U.S. shows added after the tour’s first leg. The band’s official tour schedule lists founding members Rik Emmett and Gil Moore alongside touring musicians Phil X, Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns.

Triumph formed in Mississauga, Ontario, in 1975 with Emmett, Moore and Mike Levine. The group became known for arena-rock songs including “Lay It on the Line,” “Magic Power,” “Fight the Good Fight” and “Follow Your Heart.” According to the tour announcement, Triumph has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and received 27 gold and platinum certifications.

The band’s current tour follows the 2025 release of “Magic Power: All-Star Tribute to Triumph,” featuring artists including Slash, Nancy Wilson, Sebastian Bach, Dee Snider and Alex Lifeson.

Organizers said $1 from every ticket sold will support SoundsUnite through Triumph’s partnership with PLUS1. The charity provides music-learning resources, wellness programs and collaboration tools for marginalized and at-risk youth.

The Fishers Health Department has issued a public health advisory after recent testing turned up unsatisfactory E. coli levels at Geist Waterfront Park.

The park was the only location flagged in the results released today. The health department said elevated readings like these frequently follow periods of heavy rainfall, when stormwater carries bacteria from urban and agricultural sources into the watershed.

Fishers sits in the Upper White River Watershed and takes in runoff from both developed neighborhoods and farm ground upstream — a combination the health department has repeatedly pointed to as the reason Geist and White River sampling sites see recurring hits.

What the advisory means for swimmers

E. coli is used as an indicator organism: its presence suggests other disease-causing organisms may be in the water. Swimming or wading in water with elevated levels can lead to gastrointestinal illness, along with skin, ear and eye infections.

In past instances of unsatisfactory results at Geist Waterfront Park, the beach has been closed to swimming until follow-up samples came back clean. Visitors planning a trip should check current beach status with Fishers Parks before heading out, and avoid swallowing water or entering with open cuts.

How the testing program works

The Fishers Health and Water Quality programs sample 40 creek and open water locations across the city. Results for nine of those areas are published monthly during the spring, summer and fall.

Beyond bacteria counts, crews track two other measures that shape water quality:

Water temperature. Bacteria multiply faster in warmer water, and aquatic organisms are more active. When higher temperatures combine with sediment from agricultural waste or leaking septic systems during a rain event, pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli can spike.

Dissolved oxygen. Oxygen in the water column is essential for aquatic life. When large algal blooms or other organic material decompose, microorganisms consume the available oxygen — sometimes leaving low-oxygen (hypoxic) or oxygen-free (anoxic) conditions, particularly near the bottom. Sensitive fish and invertebrates may move away, decline in health or die off. Moving water such as streams generally holds more dissolved oxygen than a lake or pond, and levels naturally rise and fall by season and even by time of day.

The Geist Half Race Series will return Saturday, Sept. 12, with a new 1-mile race, expanded course entertainment and additional vendors at the post-race party.

The 18th annual event includes half marathon, 10K, 5K and 1-mile distances around Geist Reservoir. The three longer races begin at 7:30 a.m.; the timed 1-mile race starts at 9 a.m., allowing some 5K and 10K participants to enter a second event.

All races welcome walkers and strollers, according to the city, although only jogging strollers are permitted on the 10K and half marathon courses.

City sponsorship materials list 2,484 participants in the 2025 event. This year, The Andy Schomburg Band, Glenn Seland and Six o’Clock Strangers are scheduled to perform along the half marathon route. Participants will also vote in a new contest among 10K and half marathon water stations.

The half marathon will again feature the Mental Health Mile at Mile 5, supporting the Fishers Health Department’s Stigma Free Fishers initiative. The Gold Star Mile at Mile 10 will honor Indiana service members who died while serving and their families.

Each participant will receive a shirt, finisher medal, timing bib and drink ticket for the post-race party. The city said recent Fishers High School graduate McKenzie Bowen created this year’s shirt through a student design contest held with the Fishers Arts Council.

Post-race vendors are scheduled to include MashCraft Brewing, Athletic Brewing, Java House, Pure Green, Eiffel Waffle Creamery and Ghost Mobile Kitchen.

Online registration remains open until 6 p.m. Sept. 11, with in-person registration available at packet pickup until 8 p.m. Prices increase Aug. 26.

Olio Road is scheduled to close from 4 a.m. to noon on race day. Additional road closure information and course maps are available on the race website. Volunteer opportunities are also available.

Hamilton County officials met Sunday with residents displaced by flooding to outline a growing list of flood assistance resources covering temporary housing, home cleanup and long-term recovery.

The meeting at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds brought together the county’s Emergency Management Agency and representatives from Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

Getting displaced residents into safe housing is the most immediate priority. The county will continue paying for hotel rooms for residents already receiving assistance until state-funded housing vouchers become available. Those vouchers are expected to cover up to $150 per day toward a hotel or rental property for at least six months.

Residents who need temporary housing must register with Indiana 211 and check the “temporary housing” box on the questionnaire. Those who registered earlier should confirm they indicated housing assistance is needed. Disaster-response teams will use that information to contact eligible households as resources open up.

Teams from Southern Baptist Disaster Relief are expected in Hamilton County Monday and Tuesday to begin “mucking out” flooded homes at no cost to homeowners. Crews can remove damaged materials, including drywall, and are equipped to perform mold remediation.

“It’s critical that those who suffered severe water damage, not stay in their homes,” said Jane Crady, coordinator of disaster preparedness and response for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Indianapolis. “I’ve been doing this work for more than 20 years and I’ve seen people die from mold. If your home was flooded go to a hotel and call us for help.”

As the county shifts toward long-term recovery, disaster case managers will be assigned to affected households to help residents navigate paperwork, identify available assistance and work through rebuilding in the months ahead.

Hamilton County is still awaiting a federal disaster designation from FEMA. State officials are working to expedite the request, but local officials cautioned that federal declarations can take time. They said they hope to know more within the next week or two.

The response comes as communities across Indiana deal with widespread damage from flooding and severe storms. Officials said 54 Indiana counties are currently managing disasters, and more than 20,000 people have registered for assistance through 211.

Residents with immediate housing needs should call 211 or Hamilton County’s 24/7 flood hotline at 317-645-3261. Online registration is available at https://in211.communityos.org/.

The numbers from the past ten days are hard to absorb. More than 11 inches of rain east of Indianapolis in a matter of days. The White River cresting at 23.96 feet at the Noblesville gauge, breaking a record that had stood since the Great Flood of 1913. More than 60 roads closed across Hamilton County. Families evacuated from Wapahani Drive, Luxhaven, Riverwood and beyond.

But the number I keep coming back to is 1,300. That is roughly how many people registered to volunteer through Noblesville Serve within days of the water rising. In a moment when it would have been understandable to stay home and count our own blessings, our neighbors lined up to help.

I recorded a special edition of my podcast with Mayor Scott Fadness, Fire Chief Ky Ragsdale and Police Chief Ed Gebhart, and later with Police Major Mike Janes and Fire Battalion Chief Chad Abel. What struck me in those conversations was not just the professionalism — though it was everywhere — but the humility. These are people who conducted dangerous water rescues, evacuated residents and their pets from rising water, and coordinated a response unlike anything in this city’s history, and they spent much of our conversation crediting everyone else.

So let me do some crediting of my own.

To the nonprofits: Noblesville Serve mobilized an army of volunteers almost overnight. The Hamilton County Community Foundation opened the door for financial contributions to flood relief. The Good Samaritan Network coordinated donated supplies so they reached the people who needed them. This is what a mature nonprofit community looks like — not scrambling, but executing.

To the faith community: churches across Fishers and Hamilton County collected and coordinated donations, opened their doors and did what congregations do best — showed up quietly, without needing recognition. They have it here anyway.

To the volunteers of the Fishers Fire Corps, who kept first responders fed and supplied through long hours so police officers, firefighters and rescue crews could stay focused on protecting lives: you were the support beam nobody saw and everybody needed.

And a special thanks to the Fishers Department of Public Works. Public works crews rarely make the highlight reel. But while rescues were underway, DPW employees were out in the same dangerous conditions — closing and barricading flooded roads, clearing debris, and keeping the city’s infrastructure functioning so emergency crews could do their jobs. When the mayor and chiefs talked about the teamwork behind this response, public works was named alongside police and fire, and deservedly so. When the water recedes, they are the ones still out there putting our city back together.

Fishers crews rescued residents from dozens of homes, brought 27 adults, five children and 20 pets to safety, and then — this is the part that gets me — traveled to Pendleton and Anderson to conduct rescues and delivered supplies to Pendleton and Tipton. In the middle of our own record-setting emergency, this community exported help.

The road ahead is long. Homes suffered extensive damage, and some neighbors face months of recovery. The test of this community will not end when the news cameras leave. But if the past ten days told us anything, it is this: when the water rose to historic levels, so did we.

Formula 1 came back from its summer break Sunday with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, and for the Cadillac Formula 1 team — soon to call Fishers home once its headquarters under construction is completed — the weekend was a reminder of how steep the climb remains in the team’s first season.

Sergio Perez brought his Cadillac home 15th, two laps down, after starting the race from the pit lane. Teammate Valtteri Bottas retired late in the race, adding another did-not-finish to a season that has been defined by reliability trouble. Through 15 rounds, neither Cadillac driver has scored a championship point — the only team on the grid that can say that.

The weekend was uphill from the start. Zandvoort ran F1’s sprint format, and Perez’s car suffered a hydraulic problem Saturday morning that the crew scrambled to repair before the sprint race, where he finished 21st. Bottas took 19th. In qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix, Bottas managed only 21st and Perez 22nd, last on the grid.

That prompted a roll of the dice. Cadillac changed the suspension setup on Perez’s car overnight — a breach of F1’s parc fermé rules that meant he had to start from the pit lane — betting the change would pay off in the mixed conditions expected Sunday. He was one of 15 classified finishers in a chaotic race that saw home favorite Max Verstappen crash out on the opening lap on a damp track, bringing out red flags, with Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman also failing to finish. McLaren’s Lando Norris won ahead of Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in what is scheduled to be the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Cadillac’s team leadership has been frank about where the first-year outfit stands. “The pace we showed is representative of where we are at this stage,” chief racing officer Marc Hynes said after Saturday’s sessions, noting the team ran different approaches on the two cars to gather information.

The result extends a rough stretch for the American team, which suffered double retirements in both Austria and Hungary before the break, several of them tied to a recurring brake-cooling problem. Perez came closest to points back in Monaco, where he provisionally finished 10th before a procedural penalty dropped him out of the top 10.

Why does any of this matter in Hamilton County? Because this team’s long-term home is rising right here in Fishers. The headquarters remains under construction, and the team has signaled the facility will become increasingly central to its operations: United Kingdom-based employees have been told to relocate to Indiana by January 2027, and the team has said it plans to employ roughly 300 people at the Fishers campus, complementing operations in Silverstone, England; Concord, North Carolina; and Warren, Michigan. The team also shook up its leadership this summer, with Marcin Budkowski taking over from Graeme Lowdon as team principal.

Growing pains on the track, in other words, are part of a much larger project — one whose center of gravity is steadily shifting toward Fishers. Nine races remain in the 2026 season, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza up next on Sept. 6.