Fishers residents are being urged to remain weather-aware today as forecasters warn of the potential for severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes and heavy rain across central Indiana.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says one round of thunderstorms is expected this afternoon, mainly across the northern two-thirds of the state. Some of those storms could become severe. A second round of storms is expected to move in late this afternoon and continue into the evening, with severe weather considered likely during that period.

Fishers and Hamilton County are included in the area of concern.

The forecast for Fishers calls for showers and thunderstorms through the afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service says some storms tonight could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. New rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible overnight, with higher totals possible in thunderstorms.

Wind will also be a concern even away from thunderstorms. NWS Indianapolis has issued a special weather statement warning that windy conditions will develop this afternoon and may continue into early evening. Gusts around 40 mph are expected, with a few gusts up to 45 mph possible.

Forecasters warn those winds could blow around unsecured objects and make driving more difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Residents may want to secure patio furniture, trash bins and other outdoor items before the strongest winds arrive.

The Storm Prediction Center is also highlighting Illinois and Indiana for the potential of a dangerous severe weather setup today and tonight. The primary threats include damaging straight-line winds, large hail and tornadoes. Heavy rain may also create localized flooding concerns, especially in areas that see repeated storms.

Hamilton County Emergency Management is reminding residents to know where they will go if a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning is issued.

The safest place in a home or business is a small interior room on the lowest level, away from windows. That may be a basement, bathroom, hallway or closet, preferably in a structurally supported part of the building.

If your home does not have a safe place, emergency management officials recommend identifying other buildings in the community that meet those safety criteria and would be accessible if warnings are issued. Residents may also want to make plans to stay with friends or family if they do not have a safe shelter location.

Emergency officials say planning ahead is especially important when severe weather occurs late in the day or overnight. Families should make sure children know where to go and what to do so everyone can move quickly if a warning is issued.

Hamilton County officials recommend keeping a safe-room kit ready. Suggested items include flashlights and extra batteries, a portable phone charger, bottled water, sturdy shoes, medications, basic first aid supplies, helmets for children and adults, a whistle or other noise-making device, blankets or padding, copies of important documents in a waterproof bag, and pet supplies if pets will shelter with the family.

Hamilton County also reminds residents that outdoor warning sirens are intended to alert people who are outdoors. They are not designed to be the primary warning system for people inside homes or businesses. Residents should have multiple ways to receive weather warnings, including cell phone alerts, weather apps, local media and NOAA Weather Radio.

Residents are encouraged to monitor forecasts closely through the day, keep phones charged, avoid unnecessary travel during severe storms, and move to shelter immediately if a warning is issued.

With the candidate filing deadline set for noon Thursday, June 18, the field for the November 3 Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board election is nearly set — and this year’s ballot will look different than any before it.

Three of the four seats on the ballot have drawn two candidates each. The fourth, District 4, has just one candidate filed so far.

The most notable development this week was Michelle Fullhart’s filing to run in District 3. Fullhart is no newcomer to the board — she has previously served two terms, and her entry sets up a contested race against fellow District 3 candidate David Turk.

A first for HSE: party labels on the ballot

This election marks a turning point in how HSE — and school districts across Indiana — choose their board members. For the first time, candidates may run with a party label, or with none at all. In every previous HSE school board election, races were strictly nonpartisan, with no party affiliation attached to any name on the ballot.

The change stems from Senate Enrolled Act 287, signed into law this spring, which made Indiana the 10th state to allow partisan school board races. Candidates may now appear on the ballot as a Republican, a Democrat, or with no party label. Those who choose a party will have that affiliation printed beside their name; those who don’t will appear without one. Notably, the law does not create primaries for school board seats, and the filing window was set earlier than in past cycles to give candidates more time to campaign in front of voters.

The November vote will be among the first real tests statewide of how — or whether — party labels reshape these traditionally low-profile, community-driven races. Roughly 800 school board seats across Indiana are up for election this year under the new rules.

How the districts work

In this round, each candidate runs only within their own district, and voters cast a ballot for a single candidate — the one running in the district where they live. You can view the map of the four HSE districts at this link.

The candidates so far

Here is the candidate list as of Wednesday morning. With the filing deadline still open, additional candidates could yet enter — most notably in District 4, where only one name has been filed.

District 1 (1 seat)

• Faiza Maqsood — No Party
• Greg Wright — Republican

District 2 (1 seat)

• Josh Perry — No Party
• Cyrus Keck — No Party

District 3 (1 seat)

• David Turk — Republican
• Michelle Fullhart — No Party

District 4 (1 seat)

• Stephanie Braden — No Party

This story will be updated as additional filings are confirmed.

The Fishers Freight brought football talk to King Jugg Brewing Tuesday night, launching a series of fan gatherings at the popular Lantern Road spot with head coach Dixie Wooten and two key players.

Anyone who has visited King Jugg on a busy evening knows it is not exactly a quiet room. But through the steady restaurant noise, host Andrew Smith led a conversation with Wooten, quarterback Felix Harper and wide receiver Jordan Davis about one of the biggest wins of the Freight season — Sunday night’s 37-36 road victory over the Arizona Rattlers in Glendale, Arizona.

The win was significant for several reasons. Arizona had not lost at home this season, and the Rattlers entered the game as a strong favorite. The Freight, who had been on the wrong side of several close games in recent weeks, found a way to finish this one and move their record to 6-6.

With four games remaining — two at home and two on the road — Fishers remains very much in the Indoor Football League playoff race. Wooten made it clear Tuesday night that he believes his team can be dangerous if it reaches the postseason.

The coach said what he likes most about this group at this point in the season is the way the players have stayed together through adversity.

“I just like how they stick together, they motivate each other,” Wooten said.

He pointed to a recent practice when players were already working before the coaching staff had even reached the field. To Wooten, that was a sign that the locker room remains invested and focused despite the ups and downs of the season.

He also said he believes Fishers has one of the best teams in the league.

“We’ve just got to figure it out,” Wooten said.

The next test comes Saturday night, when the Iowa Barnstormers visit the Fishers Event Center. The Freight have already defeated Iowa twice this season, but Wooten said there is no room to take any opponent lightly.

“It’s professional football — we’ve got to go in and take everybody seriously,” he said.

Harper is still dealing with a hip injury, but said he is ready to play through it and help lead the Freight into a playoff push. Davis, in his first season of professional football, has already attracted attention around the league for a highlight-reel, one-handed touchdown catch that has made the rounds on video replays.

The Tuesday night appearance at King Jugg was the first in a series of Freight events at the brewery. The team is scheduled to return July 14 and July 21.

The Freight host Iowa Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Fishers Event Center. Tickets remain available.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District is navigating one of the more challenging financial stretches in its recent history — a squeeze rooted in declining enrollment, sweeping changes to Indiana property tax law, and rising costs that are straining budgets across the state.

To make sense of it all, I sat down with HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown for a wide-ranging podcast conversation about where the district stands and what families can expect in the year ahead.

We covered the district’s overall financial picture, including how a drop of more than 400 students last year — and further declines projected for 2026-27 — flows directly through to the bottom line, since Indiana funds schools largely on a per-student basis. That enrollment slide is a big reason the district has moved to trim staffing, with adjustments expected to touch roughly 60 positions, about 4% of the teaching staff.

A central thread of our discussion is Senate Enrolled Act 1, the property tax overhaul state lawmakers passed in 2025. The law lowers bills for homeowners and businesses, but it does so by changing the net assessed value used to calculate property taxes — which means less money flowing to schools and local governments. The Legislative Service Agency projects Indiana’s public schools will lose roughly $744 million over three years beginning in 2026. CFO Brown walks through what that means in concrete terms for HSE.

We also talked about the district’s budget-cutting committee, which helped identify approximately $7.8 million in reductions, and the new fees coming for the 2026-2027 school year — including a proposed “consumables fee” of up to $100 per student to cover one-time-use items like workbooks, culinary-class food, and science lab materials.

Finally, we get to what may be the biggest decision facing local voters this fall: the operating referendum the HSE Board of Trustees voted to place on the November 3 general election ballot. The measure carries a maximum rate of 36 cents per $100 of net assessed value over an eight-year term, though the district plans to start lower — around 22 cents — and step it up over time. District administrators estimate the average property owner would pay roughly $37 more in 2027 than under the current referendum. The funding is aimed at teacher retention, school safety staffing, and student behavioral health services, and HSE leaders say passage would avoid teacher layoffs.

It’s a lot to unpack, and Tim Brown does it candidly. Whether you’re a parent, a taxpayer, or simply trying to understand why your property tax bill and your kids’ school budget are moving in different directions, this conversation is worth your time.

This podcast series is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen to my full conversation with HSE CFO Tim Brown at this link, or the link below.

The Hamilton East Public Library is calling on local businesses to join the third year of its “Show Your Library Card & Save” campaign, an annual effort that pairs National Library Card Sign-Up Month with deals for cardholders at businesses across Hamilton County.

The campaign runs throughout September. During the month, residents are encouraged to sign up for a library card — or dust off one they already have — and present it at participating businesses to claim offers available only to HEPL cardholders.

Businesses that take part create a special offer for cardholders, which can range from discounts and free items with purchase to other promotions of their choosing. In exchange, the library promotes participating businesses through its website, social media, email newsletters and other campaign materials.

“Library Card Sign-Up Month is an opportunity to celebrate one of the most valuable cards in your wallet while also supporting the businesses that help our community thrive,” said Kelsey Sweet, HEPL’s director of marketing and communications. “We’re excited to partner with local businesses to encourage library use, strengthen community connections, and drive residents to explore what Hamilton County has to offer.”

Now in its third year, the program has become a recurring partnership between the library and area merchants.

Businesses interested in joining can learn more and submit an offer at this link.  To appear in the printed Discover Guide, offers must be submitted by June 22. Offers received by August 10 will still be included in the campaign’s digital promotions.

The Hamilton East Public Library serves Fishers and Noblesville, offering story-times, programs and special events alongside community-driven partnerships intended to connect residents of all ages with resources and opportunities.

The Fishers City Council gave final approval Monday night to changes in the city’s impact fees, bringing local rules into line with new requirements imposed by the Indiana General Assembly. The Plan Commission had unanimously endorsed the proposal earlier this month.

The action is required under House Enrolled Act 1001, approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The measure adds new conditions on local governments that levy impact fees — charges assessed on new development to help cover the cost of infrastructure that growth demands, such as roads, drainage and other public facilities. Fast-growing suburbs like Fishers have long relied on the fees to ensure new development pays a share of the costs it creates.

One of the most significant changes concerns the membership of the city’s Impact Fee Advisory Committee. While the mayor will still appoint members, the new law hands statewide industry groups a major say in who serves. The committee must now include members representing a single-family builder, a multifamily builder and a realtor — each selected from recommendations made by the statewide trade association for that industry. State officials have not yet released details on how the appointment process will work.

HEA 1001 also tightens how impact fee zones may be drawn. For fees imposed and collected after June 30, 2026, a zone must bear a functional relationship to the infrastructure it funds, deliver a reasonably uniform benefit throughout the zone, and consist of contiguous areas. The zone must also connect to the new development, tie to specific utility service or distribution lines, or sit within five miles of the road or drainage infrastructure the fees support.

Monday’s ordinance amends the city’s existing impact fee provisions so Fishers can keep collecting the fees under the revised state rules once the June 30 deadline takes effect.

In other business, the council:

• Accepted an annual report, required by law, finding that every business receiving city incentives is in compliance with its commitments.
• Approved amendments to the 2026 Salary Ordinance to reflect comparable job-market rates and evolving job duties. In Engineering, the Infrastructure Inspector and Chief Infrastructure Inspector move to higher salary grades, and a Traffic Signal Technician Level II certification is added to specialty pays. The Health Department adds a new Mental Health Support Specialist position and moves the Vital Records Manager to a higher grade. The Director of the Business Solutions Group also moves to a higher grade, and the Community Center adds a new Health and Fitness Supervisor position.
• Amended the city’s panhandling ordinance to align with state law changes addressing the constitutionality of such provisions.
• Approved a Health Department recommendation raising the fee for sports physicals from $25 to $40 for Fishers residents and to $60 for nonresidents. Travel consultation fees will stay at $60 for residents but rise to $80 for nonresidents.

During community comment, speakers urged residents to take part in the local Juneteenth celebration at Conner Prairie. A resident who uses a wheelchair raised concerns about motorized vehicles on trails and the difficulty of getting around downtown Fishers. Another commenter praised the city for clearly marked detours when trails close for construction, and a final speaker addressed how soccer fields are used at city facilities.

The Fishers Health Department’s 2025 annual report shows a local public health agency expanding services, reaching more residents and preparing for future challenges, even as it dealt with a major reduction in public health funding.

Public Health Director and Health Officer Monica Heltz described 2025 as a year of “both progress and challenge,” noting the department continued to advance programs supported through Health First Indiana while navigating a significant cut in state and federal public health funding.

The report says Fishers responded to a 73 percent funding reduction with a financial strategy that allowed the department to maintain staffing, sustain core services and continue expanding programs used by residents.

The Fishers Health Department was established in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after action by the Fishers City Council. It remains one of only three municipal health departments in Indiana.

Among the department’s 2025 numbers:

The department distributed 7,508 birth and death records, completed 1,888 environmental health permits, inspections and testing services, and provided 3,629 clinical services, including immunizations, testing, health services and wellness screenings.

Fishers Health Department also reported 25,030 people reached through 619 health education sessions. Its mental health and social support programs provided 3,893 services to 1,243 residents, while StigmaFree Fishers reached 11,296 users through online resources.

The department also monitored or treated 333 communicable disease cases. The top five reportable conditions in Fishers during 2025 were COVID-19, chlamydia, latent tuberculosis, gonorrhea and animal bites.

Clinical services were a major focus of the year. Fishers Health Department expanded services to include pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection testing, titer testing and a dedicated travel clinic offering consultations, recommended vaccines and preventive medications. The travel clinic logged 141 appointments in its first year.

The clinic served 3,567 patients through testing and vaccinations, with 2,713 patients receiving 2,854 vaccines. The department also reported 290 directly observed therapy medication appointments for treatment of tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection.

One of the department’s featured programs is fall prevention. Working with the Fishers Fire Department and using emergency medical services data, the department increased in-home assessments and education intended to help older adults remain safely in their homes.

The report says the fall prevention program completed 88 in-home assessments in 2025 and has served 157 residents through in-home assessments since the program began in 2024. The department estimates the program has generated about $1.6 million in direct and indirect savings since launch, or about $30 in savings for every dollar invested.

Environmental health work also remained a key responsibility. The department issued 645 food permits, completed 851 inspections and responded to 26 food facility complaints. The report says the percentage of retail food establishments receiving “A” inspection grades increased from 87.8 percent in 2023 to 96.8 percent in 2025.

Fishers Health Department also monitored open water, pools, septic systems and wells. Six open water sites received temporary advisory notices in 2025 following unsatisfactory laboratory results. The department also reported that no Fishers mosquito pools tested positive for West Nile virus in 2025, although activity was detected elsewhere in Hamilton County.

The department emphasized community input in 2025. More than 1,500 residents participated in surveys and focus groups as part of the Community Health Assessment process, helping shape the Community Health Improvement Plan and future strategic direction.

Looking ahead to 2026, Fishers Health Department plans to use that community input and local data to guide its first multi-year strategic plan. The report identifies three major community health pillars: mental health across the lifespan, healthy living and aging well. Two additional priorities are sustainability and community input, along with excellence in core public health services.

The annual report also notes the department’s financial position. Fishers Health Department entered 2025 with approximately $4.2 million in revenue, supported by Health First Indiana, property taxes, grants, clinical services and licensing fees. The department closed the year with an operating surplus of more than $400,000 and about $500,000 remaining in Health First Indiana funds.

The report says Fishers continues to operate with one of the lowest health fund property tax rates in Indiana.

(Corrected an earlier version of this story that identified Monica Heltz as “Dr.” –  Ms. Heltz is not a physician, but is a nurse)

The economic development agreement between JD North America and the City of Fishers includes a parking arrangement that will give the Fishers Event Center access to roughly 850 spaces at the adjacent office building — now called The Link, but known for years as the Navient building. Under the deal, the event center can use those spaces for dates and times that fall outside the normal office hours of JD’s employees.

In exchange, the city will buy down $6 million of the building’s purchase price. That payment covers two concessions: converting USA Parkway from a private road into a public thoroughfare, and opening the building’s parking lot for use during Fishers Event Center events. Fishers Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner said the arrangement allows the city to sidestep a far more expensive alternative — building a parking garage.

Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren told LarryInFishers that LAZ Parking — the same firm that already manages parking for the Fishers Event Center — will also handle the JD lot when it is used for event nights. Any fees charged are being negotiated with the city. Hultgren said he expects the current Event Center employee parking lot to be relocated to the JD office building’s parking spaces.

The Fishers Event Center, which opened in late 2024 and offers more than 2,000 surface parking spots, sits directly off USA Parkway, making the neighboring 850-space lot a natural overflow option for the venue’s busiest events.

The parking discussion came as part of the Fishers City Council’s approval of the broader economic development agreement bringing JD North America to The Link. The 350,000-square-foot building, formerly the headquarters of student-loan servicer Navient, will become JD’s North America headquarters, housing more than 400 current employees with another 200 jobs expected in the years ahead. The package also includes the new Fishers Fieldhouse, the Indy Ignite practice facility, and the Buckingham residential development — all part of a roughly $169 million expansion of the Fishers District announced at a press conference last week.

Council members praised the plan and approved the agreements unanimously.

Mayor Scott Fadness credited Baumgartner’s work over the past six years for the steady turnaround of the city’s office market.

“In a downturn office market, if you look at the old Marsh headquarters, the old Roche office building, the Wiley building and the Wilco – previously Navient — building, they are all now filled with corporate headquarters and significant reinvestment into those office buildings,” Fadness said.

When I first moved to Fishers in May of 1991, this was a town of around 9,000 people.

If you had a craving for a Dairy Queen, you drove to Noblesville. If you wanted to browse the local library, you drove up the road — to Noblesville. We were in the middle of moving into the new Town Hall on 116th Street, and Hamilton Southeastern High School sat almost alone, with very little built up around it.

Oh, how things have changed.

The old Town Hall is gone. In its place stands a new City Hall and Arts Center complex. The development around Hamilton Southeastern High School is now massive, and somewhere along the way we added a second school, Fishers High School. The town I moved into is, since January 1, 2015, a city — one of the fastest-growing in Indiana. The 7,000-some residents counted in the 1990 census have multiplied many times over.

All of that was crossing my mind last Wednesday as I stood at a press conference announcing what’s coming next: a new corporate headquarters relocating to our city, a first-class fieldhouse that will include a home for the Indy Ignite professional volleyball team, and new residential development — all of it rising on what was a vacant field when my wife Jane and I first arrived. JD Finish Line is moving its North American headquarters here, and the Ignite, Indiana’s only women’s pro volleyball team, will practice and run their operation out of the new Fishers Fieldhouse, part of a major expansion of the Fishers District.

A vacant field. That’s what it was.

When you talk with the people who go back a long way in Fishers — and I mean the 1960s, at least — they’ll tell you the story started with two things: the arrival of I-69 and an upgraded sewer line. Those two pieces of infrastructure opened the door, and the development simply took off from there and never really stopped.

I came to this work by a roundabout path. When I retired in late 2011 from a 28-year career as a federal civil servant, I drew on my pre-government life as a journalist and did the simplest thing I could think of: I showed up at local meetings and wrote down what I saw and heard. I figured a few hundred people might care about local government. I was wrong.

In 2025, this website drew more than 100,000 unique visitors. I have already passed that number in 2026, and we are not yet halfway through the year. My podcasts logged more than 22,000 plays last year.

The bottom line is that there is far more appetite for local news than I ever imagined. People who live in Fishers want to know what’s happening in Fishers. I am not the only local news source in town, and I’m humbled, again and again, by how many people choose to spend their time on what I produce.

Until recently, the website and the podcasts were strictly a volunteer endeavor. In the past few months I’ve chosen to accept advertising. I use a national system to place ads on the site, and Citizens State Bank has been a great partner in sponsoring the podcasts. I make very little money after expenses. The sponsorships essentially cover the cost of producing all of this — costs that, until now, came out of my own pocket.

Some people have urged me to switch to a paid model: subscriptions, or a Substack account. I’ve considered it, and decided against it. My main goal is to offer this content free of charge, and that hasn’t changed.

I’ll turn 75 in a few months. My health is reasonably good, so as long as I’m able, I plan to keep going.

The main reason I plan to continue? You. All of you.

I’ve tried to quit this local news gig twice over the past 15 years. Both times, it was you — the readers of this website, the people listening to and watching the podcasts — who urged me to stay. So I stayed.

When Alison Gatz, publisher of Fishers Magazine, asked me to write a piece for new residents in her annual relocation guide, I wrote about the quality of this community. I ended it with a thought I’ll repeat here: Jane and I have chosen to stay in Fishers for 35 years largely because the people who live here are, by and large, good people.

That’s why LarryInFishers continues. The good people of Fishers have asked me to stay.

Here I am.

Fishers High School students will host the 7th annual Juneteenth Jubilee on Friday, June 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Conner Prairie. The free, public celebration is organized by the school’s Fishers Black Leaders Club (FBL) with support from the Fishers Arts Council and Conner Prairie.

Now in its fourth year at Conner Prairie, the Jubilee has grown into one of the area’s signature summer events. Last year more than 2,000 people attended with their families. The student-managed celebration spotlights Black-owned businesses, visual and culinary artists, community resources and live performances. MIBOR Realtor Association is title sponsor.

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States, and for the students behind the event, the day carries personal meaning. “Juneteenth marks the celebration of freedom for many African American people,” said student organizer Gianna Fowler. “It celebrates liberty and independence.” Fellow organizer Sondos Mertami pointed to the event’s role in the community: “Juneteenth is important to the Fishers community because it brings people together and raises awareness of the holiday allowing people to learn about the history behind it.”

The evening opens with a live performance of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, sung by Abigail Ngene at 5:20 p.m. With support from entertainment sponsors Accent Coatings and Mays Chemical, the stage will feature national touring artist B.I.G.S.T.E.V.E 513, local recording artist Skypp and spoken word artist Angela Barnes, along with returning Jubilee favorites Erick Oneal Fisher and Deezy Not Nice. DJ Mr. Kinetik serves as emcee.

The Jubilee offers something for every age. Free activities include an interactive drum circle with Joyful Noyze, face painting, bounce houses and yard games, while Conner Prairie provides semi-guided tours to select areas during the event. Vendors will sell jewelry, baked goods, bodycare products, clothing, art and more. “There’s a little bit of everything,” Fowler said, “and this is a great opportunity for the community to come together.” Community resources and nonprofits on hand include the Fishers Health Department, Hamilton East Public Library, Fishers PRIDE and the Institute for Quality Education.

Students from FBL have created and run the Jubilee since 2020, handling everything from vendor and entertainment coordination to educational materials, business partnerships and fundraising.

“Conner Prairie is proud to work alongside of the Fishers High School Fishers Black Leaders and the Fishers Arts Council for another exciting Juneteenth Jubilee,” said Ryan Spencer, Vice President and Chief Programs Officer at Conner Prairie. “Uplifting talented students in our community while celebrating Juneteenth with our African-American community is a privilege and joy.”

Les Reinhardt, Executive Director of the Fishers Arts Council, has worked with the FBL students since the council was first invited to help in 2022. “Having the opportunity to work for these incredible student leaders is an inspiration,” she said. “They decide what will be offered, coordinate with the vendors and entertainment, create educational materials, partner with businesses and fundraise. It’s truly amazing to see the power of what our youth can make happen in Fishers.”

The 7th Juneteenth Jubilee is free and open to the public, Friday, June 19, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Conner Prairie.