The Noblesville-based nonprofit Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development, known as HAND, has opened six new affordable rental homes in Carmel. It’s the group’s latest effort to ease a housing shortage felt in Carmel, Fishers and across Hamilton County.

HAND held an open house and ribbon cutting Tuesday at Home Place Duets, at the corner of 108th and McPherson streets in Carmel’s Home Place area. The development includes three duplex buildings with six three-bedroom homes, one of which is accessible. Residents are expected to begin moving in this month.

HAND also has a presence in Fishers, where it operates Cumberland Crossing, an affordable housing development at 141st Street and Cumberland Road.

Affordable housing remains in short supply in fast-growing communities like Carmel and Fishers. From January through August, 560 people completed HAND’s online housing interest form asking to be placed on its waiting list.

“At the end of the day, this work is about more than completing a development,” said Andrea Davis, HAND executive director. “It’s about making sure people have the opportunity to live in a quality home and remain part of the communities where they work, raise their families and build their lives.”

Residents of Home Place Duets will be referred through Prevail Inc. and Family Promise of Hamilton County. To qualify, applicants must be experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence. HAND will own and manage the homes, while the two partner organizations will continue providing services to the families they refer.

Each home carries a property-based housing voucher that stays with the unit. Qualified residents will pay 30% of their income toward rent, with utilities included.

“Each organization brings something different to the table, and together we can provide both a quality place to call home and ongoing support,” Davis said.

The $3 million project was funded through a mix of public and private sources, including HOME-ARP funding through the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Hamilton County Community Development Block Grant funds and financing from Lake City Bank. H-E Homes served as custom home builder, Inherent Commercial as owner’s representative and CEC Inc. as engineer.

With the new homes, HAND now owns and manages 163 affordable homes across 12 rental communities in Hamilton, Boone and Tipton counties. The nonprofit was founded in 2003.

More information is available at handincorporated.org.

Fans can meet new Indy Fuel head coach Jesse Messier and get a look behind the scenes at Fishers Event Center during the team’s annual open house Sunday, Oct. 11.

The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at the arena, 11000 Stockdale St., with activities scheduled just five days before the Fuel’s home opener.

The team’s announcement invites fans to meet Messier, explore the facility and pick up giveaway items. Its promotional graphic also lists locker room tours, vendors, a special guest meet-and-greet, a fire sale and a blood drive with Versiti. The Fuel’s online event listing adds food and a jersey reveal to the afternoon’s activities.

Messier is preparing for his first season leading the Fuel. The team announced his hiring Aug. 21, making him the fifth head coach in franchise history.

He most recently served as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison, where his responsibilities included defense, penalty killing and player development. His coaching background also includes the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit, York University and the Kam River Fighting Walleye. As a player, Messier was a member of the Allen Americans’ 2015 Kelly Cup championship team.

The Fuel enter their 13th season in 2026-27 as the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

For Fishers residents who have yet to visit the arena, the open house offers an opportunity to see the team’s home outside a game-night setting. The 7,500-seat Fishers Event Center opened in November 2024 as part of the expanding Fishers District.

The Fuel’s home opener is Friday, Oct. 16, against the Wheeling Nailers, with puck drop at 7:15 p.m. The team lists a pregame fan fest and rally towel giveaway among the opening-night activities.

Winter may not be top of mind just yet, but the City of Fishers is already looking for workers to help clear the way when the snow arrives.

The city is hiring seasonal, on-call snow plow drivers and snow loader/backhoe operators for its Department of Public Works. Snow plow drivers earn $20 per hour, while loader/backhoe operators earn $30 per hour.

Both positions provide extra help during winter weather events.

The hiring is part of the preparation that takes place before winter storms send crews onto local streets. According to the city, Public Works prepares for snow and ice throughout the year, with crews working 12-hour shifts during major storms to keep city-maintained roads accessible.

Fishers follows a priority system when clearing streets. Major roads and routes connecting hospitals, police and fire stations receive attention first, followed by other heavily traveled roads and neighborhood streets. During a major snowfall, crews may need to return to primary roads several times before moving deeper into subdivisions. The city outlines those priorities on its snow and ice control page.

For those interested in earning extra money this winter, the openings offer a chance to help keep the community moving when weather makes travel difficult.

Applicants can review the requirements and apply by using this link.

Drivers should plan for delays in one of Fishers’ busiest intersections next week. Crews will start milling and paving at 116th Street and Allisonville Road, one of the last major steps in the city’s improvement project there.

The City of Fishers says the work starts Friday, Oct. 9, and runs through Friday, Oct. 16. Crews will pave Allisonville Road during the day. On 116th Street, the work moves to overnight hours to limit the effect on daytime traffic.

Schedule

• Friday, Oct. 9, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Milling and paving of the outside lanes of Allisonville Road. Some access points along the road may close for several hours while crews work through the area. They will reopen when possible.
• Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Milling and paving of the inside lanes of Allisonville Road. Expect lane and turn restrictions.
• Monday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m. to Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 a.m.: Overnight milling along 116th Street. Access points may close for a time as equipment moves through.
• Oct. 13-16, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. nightly: Overnight paving along 116th Street. Access points may close for a time and will reopen as work allows.

Motorists should expect lane restrictions, traffic shifts and delays during the work. City officials say businesses in the area will stay open and reachable, though some individual entrances may be affected for short periods.

About the project

Construction started in April. The city redesigned the project to improve traffic flow and safety at the intersection, which gets heavy rush-hour traffic.

Fishers first planned a roundabout there but switched to a traditional signalized intersection. City Engineering Director Hatem Mekky said a roundabout would have required closing the intersection completely. The current design kept traffic moving, with lane restrictions.

The improvements include:

• Longer left-turn lanes to ease rush-hour backups
• Upgraded traffic signals
• New sidewalks and curbs that meet ADA accessibility standards
• Resurfacing of 116th Street

The project is backed by about $2.6 million in federal funding. Indianapolis-based Rieth-Riley Construction is the contractor.

In August, the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety approved a $345,000 change order to rebuild worn business driveways along the corridor. A field review by the city and the contractor found concrete with broken and cracked edges, asphalt with heavy wear, and drainage problems at those entrances.

The work is part of the city’s broader effort to revitalize the Allisonville Road corridor on the west side of Fishers. City officials have said traffic at the intersection should get lighter once other nearby projects are done. Those include INDOT’s work at Interstates 69 and 465 and the planned rebuilding of the Hazel Dell Bridge in Carmel.

The project is still expected to be finished in late October, weather permitting.

There are about 39 automated license plate reader cameras operated by the Fishers Police Department, most of them supplied by Flock Safety. This week’s edition of “Fridays with Larry” looks at the promise and the risks of that technology.

In my opening commentary, I outline the case for the cameras. Fishers police have described a road rage case in which plate reader data helped officers find and detain an armed suspect within about five minutes. The city keeps the data for 30 days, trains the officers and analysts who use it and says it does not sell the data.

I also look at the Sept. 23 charges filed by Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears against five current and former Indianapolis police officers. They are accused of fraud and official misconduct for running Flock searches with no law enforcement purpose. IMPD now requires every search to be tied to a case number. Chief Tanya Terry said that before, it was optional.

My argument is that the technology itself is neither good nor evil. But Indiana needs clear statewide rules on who can search the data, why, how long it is kept and who checks the logs.

My guest is Walker Lasbury, a Carmel High School graduate and DePauw University junior. He is president and executive director of Eyes Off Indiana, a nonpartisan nonprofit pushing for statewide limits on license plate reader surveillance.

Lasbury said he started the group last November. He began noticing the cameras while driving and learned Indiana has no state law regulating them. Each department now sets its own rules on how long data is kept and who can see it. As a result, he said, a driver’s privacy protections can change from one jurisdiction to the next.

His group supports three measures: a seven-day data retention limit, with a warrant required for older data; a ban on commercial sharing or selling of the data; and basic transparency and audit requirements.

Lasbury said the issue is a rare one that brings together conservatives and progressives. He said at least four efforts are forming in the Indiana General Assembly, and he expects some form of regulation to pass in the 2027 session.

“The question is no longer are we going to regulate,” he said. “The question is to what extent.”

In the closing segment, I discuss the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s May 4 decision to allow athletes to earn money from name, image and likeness. The board approved the change on a 13-5 vote. Starting this school year, athletes may profit from social media endorsements, personal appearances, private lessons and youth camps. Athletes cannot use school names, logos or uniforms. Booster collectives are banned, and every deal must be reported to the athletic director within 48 hours.

For most athletes at Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern, the change may mean little. For a standout athlete, though, it opens a door that was closed for more than 120 years.

“Fridays with Larry” is sponsored by Citizens State Bank, with a Fishers branch in the Thomas A. Weaver Municipal Complex.

Watch the video on YouTube at this link, listen to the audio on SoundCloud using this link, or utilize the links below.

Fourteen students from Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern high schools were honored at an Oct. 1 breakfast for being named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to HSE Schools.

Nine students attend Fishers High School and five attend Hamilton Southeastern High School. The recognition gives them an opportunity to continue competing for college scholarships.

The program identifies semifinalists based on qualifying PSAT scores, with the highest-scoring entrants in each state earning the designation, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The district identified the local honorees as:

Fishers High School: Asher Burgoyne, Cooper Chapple, Sashi Ganapaneni, Owen Jerrell, Abeer Khan, Abiola Olutayo, Allison Svilenov, Seth Tennekoon and Ben Wu.

Hamilton Southeastern High School: Thomas Bezza, Liam Kenyon, Tyler Orris, William Pence and Hojin Shin.

Svilenov credited teachers with helping shape her academic experience.

“Having teachers that genuinely cared about their students and were passionate about teaching had a tremendous impact on the type of student I am today,” she said in the district’s news release.

Jason Urban, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said preparation for academic achievement begins long before high school.

“One of the things that really prepares students well is to have a challenging, rigorous, relevant curriculum throughout their journey,” Urban said.

According to the district, freshmen and sophomores take practice exams that help families, teachers and counselors identify students’ strengths and areas for improvement. That information helps guide course selections, including Advanced Placement and dual credit classes.

Bezza described the semifinalist recognition as an accomplishment shared with those who supported him.

“Being named a semifinalist feels less like validation and more like a shared achievement with my school. It reminds me how fortunate I am to be surrounded by passionate HSE educators, my thoughtful friends and my supportive family,” he said.

Perfect fall weather and a packed parking lot greeted families Wednesday evening as the Fishers Police Department opened its doors for the 2026 FPD Open House.

The free event ran from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at police headquarters, 4 Municipal Drive, and gave residents a close look at the officers who patrol one of Indiana’s fastest-growing cities. Ascension St. Vincent presented the event under the theme “Serving Together. Caring Together.”

Children and parents moved between stations featuring equipment demonstrations, police vehicles and members of the department’s specialty units. Kids lined up for face painting, Kona Ice and cotton candy, and the department served a hot dog dinner to everyone who came.

One of the most popular stops was the dunk tank. It gave young residents the rare chance to send a school resource officer into the water. Fishers police SROs work every day in Hamilton Southeastern Schools buildings, and the open house let many students see them in a different setting.

“Our Cops. Our Kids. Our City.” was the department’s slogan for the evening. The night was built around informal conversation, with no speeches or formal program, and officers spent the two hours answering questions, posing for photos and letting children climb into patrol cars.

The open house used to be part of National Night Out, which is held nationally in early August. Last year the department moved it to the end of September to draw more families, and the larger crowds that followed brought it back to the same date this year. Ascension St. Vincent Fishers sponsored the event again in 2026.

Community events like this one are part of the department’s wider outreach effort, which also includes its citizens police academy and school programs. As Fishers has grown to more than 100,000 residents, the department has put a priority on keeping that neighborhood connection.

Judging by Wednesday’s crowd, many Fishers families plan to keep coming back.

Here are some photos from Wednesday evening:

Continue reading Families Pack Fishers Police Headquarters for Annual Open House →

Nearly 100 volunteers will gather at Holland Park on Friday, Oct. 2, to build the walls of a future Habitat for Humanity home. The event marks the fourth year the City of Fishers has partnered with Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity on the annual Fishers Community Panel Build.

Volunteers and local partners will build the interior and exterior wall panels for a home that will give a family in the Greater Indianapolis area a chance at affordable homeownership. Holland Park is at 1 Park Drive.

Mayor Scott Fadness and community partners will hold a board-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m.

“This event shows what can happen when our community comes together around a shared purpose,” Fadness said. “Through our partnership with Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity and the support of local businesses and volunteers, we’re helping create an opportunity for a family to build a more stable future while strengthening connections across our community.”

Volunteers work in teams to put together individual wall panels. The finished panels are then brought together to show the layout of the future home.

Jim Morris, president and CEO of Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity, said the Fishers build shows what residents, businesses and local leaders can do together.

“Affordable homeownership strengthens families and helps build more vibrant, connected communities,” Morris said. “The support of the City of Fishers and its sponsors not only raises awareness of the need for affordable homeownership, but also creates a meaningful opportunity for the community to be part of a solution that changes lives.”

The panel build supports Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build strength, stability and independence through homeownership.

This year’s sponsors are CRG Residential, Fishers Freight, GBC Bank, Indy Fuel, Indy Ignite, Inherent, Meyer Najem Carrington Homes, Republic Services, Main Event Merchandise Group, BJ’s Wholesale Group and White’s Ace Hardware and Garden Center. These businesses are providing both financial support and volunteers.

More information is available at FishersIN.gov/Habitat.

Meijer opened its new Meijer Grocery store at 15700 Southeastern Parkway on Wednesday. It is the first Meijer store inside the Fishers city limits.

The 75,000-square-foot store is the retailer’s sixth Meijer Grocery location in the Midwest. It is the second in Indiana, after the Noblesville store that opened in 2024.

Store Director Janice Thongvanh and her team greeted the first customers with a round of applause when the doors opened Wednesday morning. A ribbon cutting followed.

“This new Meijer Grocery location will bring convenience to customers in Fishers and added value closer to home,” Executive Chairman Hank Meijer said. “We know that value is more important now than ever before, so our team will continue working diligently to ensure customers find quality items at the best possible prices.”

At the opening, Meijer gave $15,000 donations to two local nonprofits. The Fishers Youth Initiative serves young people and families in the Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern community through mentoring, meal assistance and connections to community resources. Good Samaritan Network helps Hamilton County residents who are underserved, at risk or in crisis get critical resources and support.

The store’s first food pantry partner is Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank. It will receive donations from the retailer’s holiday campaign, which runs through Dec. 26.

“Supporting the communities we serve is one of our highest priorities, and that commitment starts well before a new store opens its doors,” Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said.

The store has produce, fresh meat cut daily, a bakery with in-store cake decorators, a full-service deli, a pharmacy, and health and beauty, baby, pet, party and floral departments. A “Local Favorites” display features Indiana-made products, including Copper Moon Coffee, Triple XXX Root Beer and Just Pop In Popcorn. Shoppers will also find the store brands Frederik’s by Meijer and True Goodness.

Customers can earn rewards through the mPerks program and use them for in-store coupons or fuel discounts at Meijer Express stations. The store also offers home delivery, pickup and Shop & Scan, which lets shoppers scan and bag items as they shop.

For accessibility, the family restrooms have larger, height-adjustable changing tables. The store also offers free access to Aira, an app that gives blind and low-vision customers live navigation help through their smartphone cameras.

Meijer is privately owned and family-operated. It runs more than 500 stores across the Midwest and gives at least 6% of its net profit to community organizations each year.

Thongvanh talked about the new store on the Sept. 11 edition of “Fridays with Larry.”

Equality PAC has endorsed Indiana State Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, in his campaign for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District seat, which includes Fishers and most of Hamilton County.

Democrat Ford is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz. If elected, Ford would become the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Indiana in Congress.

“J.D. Ford knows what it takes to win in tough places,” the PAC said in a statement. “He flipped a long-held Republican state Senate seat by putting people first, listening to his community, and building a campaign that reaches voters where they are.”

The organization said it is working to “expand the map” and compete in districts where LGBTQ candidates have not traditionally run well.

“I’m honored and grateful to receive this endorsement,” Ford said. “Representation and visibility matter, and I’m running to make sure that we continue to have a seat at the table in Congress so our voices are part of every decision.”

Ford said he wants to “make life easier for every Hoosier” and pledged to listen to 5th District residents if elected.

According to the PAC, Ford grew up in a working-class family. His father was a union truck driver and his mother was an assisted living administrator. In the Indiana Senate, Ford has focused on lowering prescription drug costs and supporting public education.

Equality PAC was founded in 2014 by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano of California and Jared Polis, then a congressman and now governor of Colorado. Its goal is to elect LGBTQ candidates and allies to Congress. The group says it raised and spent $23.4 million during the 2023-24 election cycle and has already passed that total for the 2025-26 cycle.

The PAC has also endorsed Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 11th District, and congressional candidates in Arizona, California and New York.

Spartz, a Noblesville Republican, was first elected to the 5th District seat in 2020.