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.

Hamilton County Leadership Academy will honor Megan Wiles as its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, recognizing her service to HCLA and her broader impact in Hamilton County.

Wiles is a member of the HCLA Class of 2000 and served as dean of the Class of 2025. She currently serves as Vice President of Foundation and Community Affairs for Riverview Health, where she has worked since March 2015 raising funds to support programs and projects benefiting patients, families and staff.

Her public service also includes her role on the Noblesville Common Council. Wiles began her third term on the council in January 2024 and has served several times as both council president and vice president.

HCLA cited Wiles’ more than 25 years of work in the not-for-profit sector, through both paid and volunteer positions. She currently serves on the Conner Prairie Board of Directors and was a member of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series Class of 2018-2019.

A Noblesville High School graduate, Wiles also graduated from Ball State University.

Hamilton County Leadership Academy will recognize Wiles at its annual Leadership Summit on June 18.

Founded in 1991, HCLA describes itself as Hamilton County’s premier leadership program. The academy provides a 10-month immersive experience designed to help participants take a deeper look at issues facing communities throughout the county.

The Fishers Freight have spent the past several weeks finding themselves on the wrong side of close games.

Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona, they finally found a way to finish one.

Facing an Arizona Rattlers team that had been unbeaten at home and entered the game as an 8.5-point favorite, the Freight battled through a tough, physical Indoor Football League contest and escaped with a 37-36 victory, ending a five-game losing streak and moving their season record to 6-6.

It was the kind of game the Freight had been searching for during their recent slide. Neither team was able to build much separation, and both squads had opportunities to take control. Instead, the game came down to the final seconds.

Arizona kicker Mathew Cook had a chance to win it for the Rattlers, but his 26-yard field goal attempt had the distance and sailed wide right as time ran out. The miss preserved the Fishers win and gave the Freight a badly needed boost in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Both kickers had their struggles during the night, but Freight kicker Calum Sutherland provided an important difference by connecting on two deuces — two-point kicks through the uprights on kickoffs.

Quarterback Felix Harper once again helped keep Fishers in the game with his combination of accurate passing and timely running. His ability to stay composed under pressure proved critical in a back-and-forth contest that featured momentum swings, physical play and key penalties on both sides.

The Freight appeared to come up with a major defensive play when they intercepted a pass in the end zone, but the turnover was wiped out by a penalty. Later, Arizona was threatening near the goal line before a holding call pushed the Rattlers backward and forced the final field goal attempt by Cook.

After the game, Freight Coach Dixie Wooten said his team earned the win because the players “played together.” He also credited Harper for showing poise in difficult situations.

The victory keeps Fishers very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Tulsa and Orlando are both 6-5, while Quad City stands at 5-7. The final two playoff spots in the East are likely to be decided over the closing weeks of the regular season among those teams.

The path will not be easy.

Fishers returns home Saturday to face Iowa at the Fishers Event Center. The Freight then travel to Green Bay for a third meeting this season with the Blizzard, head to Moline to face Quad City, and close the regular season at home against Orlando.

Iowa has only one win this season, but the Freight are not in a position to overlook anyone. If Fishers wants to stay in the playoff hunt, Saturday’s home game against the Barnstormers becomes another critical test.

After weeks of close losses, the Freight finally made the plays needed to win one. Now they must show they can build on it.

The Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s debut season continued Sunday in Barcelona with another lesson in the steep climb required to become competitive at the top level of international motorsports.

Sergio “Checo” Perez brought one of the team’s two cars home in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, finishing 14th overall. It was Cadillac’s best official finishing position so far in its first Formula 1 season, but still outside the points-paying top 10.

Valtteri Bottas, driving the team’s other car, was forced to retire early in the race. Cadillac said Bottas was pulled from the event on Lap 15 as a precaution after what had already been a difficult weekend on his side of the garage.

For Fishers, Cadillac’s progress in Formula 1 has become more than just an international sports story. The team’s North American headquarters is under construction in Fishers, making each race weekend part of a larger local story as the city becomes connected to one of the world’s most watched sports.

Sunday’s race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was not expected to be easy for Cadillac. Barcelona is often viewed as a revealing circuit because its mix of long corners, tire wear and aerodynamic demands can expose a car’s weaknesses. Perez started 19th, Bottas 20th, after both Cadillacs were eliminated in the first round of qualifying Saturday.

The race itself became one of tire strategy and survival. Lewis Hamilton scored his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari, followed by George Russell and Lando Norris. Perez stayed in the race and reached the finish, while Bottas joined a list of seven retirements that also included Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg and Ollie Bearman.

Cadillac Team Principal Graeme Lowdon said after the race the team knew Barcelona would be a difficult measuring stick for where the new operation stands on pace. Still, he noted Perez continued Cadillac’s record of getting at least one car to the finish in every race so far this season.

Perez said the Barcelona weekend gave the team a clear picture of what needs to improve, especially over longer runs. He said the team has updates planned for the next race in Austria, with more development work expected after that.

The Barcelona weekend also included an American milestone for Cadillac. Colton Herta, the American driver now part of the team’s development program, drove in Friday’s first practice session, completing 27 laps in his first official Formula 1 practice outing with Cadillac.

Cadillac remains without a championship point after seven Grand Prix races, but the team has been open from the start that its first season would be about building a foundation. The operation is competing with Ferrari power units for now, with General Motors planning to produce its own F1 power unit later in the decade.

The next test comes in two weeks at the Austrian Grand Prix, followed one week later by the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. For Fishers, the watch continues as the city’s connection to Formula 1 moves from construction site to race results.

When the filing deadline for Indiana’s May primary came and went, no Republican had stepped forward to challenge incumbent Democrat Victoria Garcia Wilburn for the House District 32 seat in the November 3 general election. That may be about to change.

A Republican precinct committee person has shared a message from Hamilton County GOP Chair Mario Massillamany calling a caucus of precinct committeemen and committeewomen for Friday, June 26, to select a Republican candidate for Indiana House District 32. Under Indiana law, when no candidate files in a primary, the county party may fill the ballot vacancy by a caucus vote of its precinct officials — the same process the GOP has used to fill other unexpected openings.

District 32 takes in parts of Fishers, Carmel and a small slice of Indianapolis, spanning portions of both Hamilton and Marion counties.

According to the message, this will be a closed caucus. Only members of the caucus, the caucus board, vote tellers, candidates’ designated watchers, and Hamilton County Republican Party staff and their designees will be permitted inside the meeting.

To qualify, candidates must live within the State Representative District 32 boundaries, have a Republican primary voting history in the last two primaries in which they cast a ballot, and file a notarized Declaration of Candidacy.

Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat first elected in 2022, is seeking a third term. A physical therapist and university faculty member by profession, she serves as the ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee and sits on the Public Health and Employment, Labor and Pensions committees.

There is no word yet on who may seek the Republican nomination at the June 26 caucus.