Valtteri Bottas never took the green flag at Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, a frustrating new setback for the Fishers-based Cadillac Formula 1 team. It came in the same week as reports that the team’s majority owner may be looking to sell.

Bottas qualified 18th and was set to start 17th at Interlagos. Before the lap to the grid, the crew tried to change a tire but could not get the right rear wheel nut off. Team officials later said the nut was cross-threaded. Crew members went at it with a hammer on the grid, but the car was pushed back to the garage and Bottas was out.

“It’s sad that we were unable to start the race today,” Bottas said.

Teammate Sergio Perez started last, in 22nd, after a 30-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit parts. He started on intermediate tires in wet conditions, switched to slicks as the track dried, and went back to intermediates when rain returned with fewer than 10 laps left. He finished 18th, two laps down, after a slow pit stop that he said was a repeat of a problem in Mexico.

“We need to make sure we fix our tools and get everything right,” Perez said.

Team principal Marcin Budkowski called it “a challenging day.” Budkowski took over in August when Graeme Lowdon was removed as team principal.

Cadillac is still without a point in its first F1 season and sits 11th, last, in the constructors’ standings. Reliability has been a theme all year. The team had nine retirements in the first 11 rounds, five of them Bottas’. The Finn also walked away from a heavy crash in Mexico two weeks ago.

The trouble on the track comes as the team’s ownership faces new questions. Sportico reported Nov. 2 that TWG Global, the company of billionaire Mark Walter, is seeking at least $3 billion for its controlling stake. Sportico counted at least seven possible buyers. The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal have named Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, as one of them.

That would reverse TWG’s position from August. Then, amid reports of a federal probe involving Walter’s financial empire, the company said it was not considering a sale of the Cadillac team. TWG has since said a sale is not imminent. FSG declined to comment.

General Motors holds an undisclosed minority stake. It supplies staff and infrastructure and is developing the team’s future power units. Perez, who is signed through 2029, said GM’s involvement gives him confidence and he does not expect day-to-day operations to change.

For Fishers, the stakes are local. The team’s headquarters is a $200 million, 400,000-square-foot building near Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport. The team has said it expects about 300 people to work there, assembling the cars. None of the reports so far suggest the Fishers base would change under a new owner.

Cadillac’s next race is in Las Vegas in two weeks, the team’s third home race this season.

Fishers homeowners and other Hamilton County property owners have until Tuesday, Nov. 10, to pay the fall installment of their 2026 property tax bills.

Indiana law splits each year’s property tax bill into two equal installments, due May 10 and Nov. 10. The spring payment was due May 11 this year because May 10 fell on a Sunday. The fall deadline lands on a weekday, so there is no extra day this time.

The fall payment coupon came with the tax statement the county mailed in the spring. Property owners who have misplaced it can look up their parcel and balance on the county’s tax website, hamiltoncounty.in.gov/taxes.

How to pay

Hamilton County offers several ways to pay:

• Online through the county’s tax website. Convenience fees apply; the county has charged $1 for an e-check and 2.5% for credit and debit cards. Online payments can take two to three business days to show up in county records.
• By mail to the Hamilton County Treasurer, 33 N. Ninth St., Suite 112, Noblesville, IN 46060. Payments must be postmarked by Nov. 10. A postage-meter date does not count.
• In person at the Treasurer’s Office in the Historic Courthouse in Noblesville, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
• By drop box at the Historic Courthouse.
• At participating local banks, with the tax statement in hand, before the deadline.

Late penalties

Missing the deadline costs money. Under state law, a payment made within 30 days after the due date carries a 5% penalty on the unpaid tax, as long as no earlier taxes are delinquent on the property. After 30 days, or if prior taxes are owed, the penalty rises to 10%.

The county has also cautioned that partial payments do not protect a property from penalties, fees or a tax sale.

New credit already on the bill

This is the first year Hoosier homeowners are seeing the relief in Senate Enrolled Act 1, the property tax overhaul lawmakers passed in 2025. Homestead bills now include a credit equal to 10% of the tax owed, up to $300 a year. Qualifying homeowners 65 and older on fixed incomes can receive an additional $150 credit.

Those credits were figured into the 2026 statements for property owners who qualify, so no extra step is needed to claim them when making the fall payment. Homeowners who believe a deduction or credit is missing from their bill should contact the Hamilton County Auditor’s Office.

Questions about a payment or balance can go to the Treasurer’s Office at 317-776-9620.

As a one-person news operation, I had a choice to make on election night. I could make the rounds and talk to candidates, or I could stay put and keep the vote counts current for readers following along at LarryInFishers.com. I chose to stay put.

My thanks to the Hamilton County Election Office. Staff sent me updated counts throughout the evening, and I posted them as they came in. I started with the Hamilton Southeastern Schools referendum and school board races. As more precincts reported, I widened my coverage. There was a lot more going on than I had expected.

By the end of election night, the county had reported results from all 234 precincts. The unofficial tally showed 150,804 ballots cast, or just under 52% of registered voters.

HSE voters approve funding and change the board

The HSE operating referendum passed with 58.33% support. It replaces the operating referendum voters approved in 2023. The district says teacher salaries and benefits account for more than 97% of its 2026 referendum budget. Carmel Clay, Noblesville and Westfield Washington voters also approved their school funding measures.

I’ll be watching Sheridan Community Schools and Tipton Community School Corporation, where voters turned down operating referendums. The next decisions will come at budget meetings, as school leaders sort out what they can keep and where they may need to cut.

Four of the seven HSE School Board seats will change hands in January. None of the incumbents sought reelection to the board. Greg Wright won in District 1, Josh Perry in District 2 and Michelle Fullhart in District 3. Stephanie Braden ran unopposed in District 4. For Fullhart, it’s a return to a board where she previously served two terms.

From Congress to the Statehouse

Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. Ford drew nearly 52% districtwide and just over 55% in Hamilton County. The result stood out because Donald Trump carried the district by nearly 17 percentage points two years earlier. There’s a whole column to be written about that race alone.

The defeat of Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston surprised me. His TV ads caught my attention before Election Day and made me wonder how close the race might be. Democrat Lauren Cole finished 786 votes ahead of Huston in the unofficial count for House District 37. Democrat Stephanie Jo Yocum defeated Republican incumbent Chris Jeter in House District 88. And in Senate District 31, Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal, a Democrat, defeated Republican Juanita Albright for the seat Kyle Walker chose not to seek again.

The changes closer to home

Democrat Charles Hollowell defeated Republican Dustin Dixon for Hamilton County sheriff. Democrats Christopher Daniel, Nathan Bullock and Jason Frank won three of the four County Council seats on the ballot. Republican Mark Hall held his District 3 seat. In the county commissioner race, Republican Christine Altman won another term by just 323 votes over Democrat Ti’Gre McNear in the election-night count.

Democrat Emily Angel Shaw defeated Republican Danica Eyler for Superior Court No. 8. Democrat Alexandra Wilson defeated Republican Beth Sheller for circuit court clerk. That puts Wilson on the three-member County Election Board as its secretary.

The shift reached the township races, too. Democrat Stephanie Hunt unseated Republican Doug Allman as Fall Creek Township trustee, and Democrats won all three seats on the township board. In Delaware Township, Republican Trustee Debbie Driskell ran unopposed, while Democrats won all three township board seats.

The Hamilton County Election Board is scheduled to review provisional ballots and certify the county’s results at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the clerk’s office in Noblesville.

When I moved to Hamilton County in 1991, I would have had a hard time imagining a night when Democrats won the sheriff’s race and three County Council seats on the same ballot. In January, I’ll be watching how that new mix of officeholders works together, starting with the decisions they make about county spending.

Thank you to everyone who followed the returns on the site and took the time to tell me the updates helped. It was a busy night in Hamilton County. I’m glad I stayed put.

The Fishers High School Marching Tiger Band finished fifth in Open Class A at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Marching Band State Finals on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Avon won Class A for the fourth straight year. Carmel placed second, followed by Castle in third and Brownsburg in fourth. After Fishers, the rest of the top 10 were Center Grove, Homestead, Carroll, Franklin Central and Westfield.

ISSMA does not release point totals for its events.

Class A is the class for the largest schools. To reach state, a band has to get through regional judging and then semi-state, which leaves only 10 finalist spots in each class. Fishers had one of the night’s last slots and took the field at 10 p.m., shortly before the awards ceremony.

Fifth place is a step up from 2024, when Fishers finished sixth. The Marching Tiger Band has been a regular at state in recent years. It placed third in 2021 and 2022 and fourth in 2023.

Hamilton Southeastern’s Royal Command and Guard also competed in Class A this season. HSE qualified for the Open Class semi-state and performed Oct. 24 at Ben Davis High School, but it was not one of the 10 bands that advanced to state.

Elsewhere in Hamilton County, Carmel’s second-place finish led the county’s bands, and Westfield earned the last spot in the Class A top 10.

The Marching Tiger Band’s season isn’t over yet. The band’s schedule has it competing at the Bands of America Grand Nationals Nov. 12-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Further ahead, the band has been chosen to march in the 2028 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

In the other classes, Evansville North repeated as Class B champion, Edgewood won its fourth straight Class C title and Paoli won its 15th Class D state championship. In all, 40 bands competed in the finals.

The Indy Fuel led twice Sunday afternoon, but former Fuel forward Sahil Panwar scored 3:28 into overtime to give the Cincinnati Cyclones a 3-2 win before 3,664 fans at the Fishers Event Center.

Jackson Desouza put Indy ahead at 17:14 of the first period with his first goal of the season. Dean Loukus and Kyler Kupka assisted. Cincinnati outshot the Fuel 15-8 in the opening period, but Indy took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Alexander Burmistrov tied the game at 11:21 of the second period off an assist from Kurtis Henry. Jacob Perreault put the Fuel back ahead on a power play at 14:39 with his sixth goal of the season. Kupka picked up his second assist of the game, and Mitchell Hoelscher also assisted.

Cincinnati drew even again at 11:11 of the third period. With Tommy Budnick and Chase Dafoe serving minor penalties, Nathan Burke scored on a five-on-three power play with assists from Matt Copponi and Panwar. Copponi also set up Panwar’s game-winner in overtime.

Adam Gajan made 27 saves for the Fuel and was named the game’s third star. Kaidan Mbereko stopped 20 shots for Cincinnati, which outshot Indy 30-22. Panwar and Burmistrov were named the first and second stars.

The Indy Fuel snapped a five-game losing streak Friday night in Cincinnati but could not make it two straight Saturday, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Kalamazoo Wings before 5,042 fans at the Fishers Event Center. Indy did earn one point in the standings for the overtime loss.

Ryan Cox ended it 28 seconds into the extra period, with Noah Ellis assisting. That was Kalamazoo’s only shot of overtime. Ellis assisted on all three Wings goals and was named the game’s third star. Cox was the first star.

The first period was scoreless, and each team put six shots on goal. Kalamazoo lived up to its reputation as a defense-minded club.

Chase Dafoe broke the tie at 6:21 of the second period with his third goal of the season, assisted by Cody Laskosky. That was the only goal of the period.

Kalamazoo tied it 2:00 into the third period when Noel Edfeldt scored, assisted by Ellis and Tyler Gratton. Just 35 seconds later, Jadon Joseph scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Dustin Manz, to put the Fuel back in front 2-1. Joseph was named the second star.

Gratton tied the game 2-2 at 7:34 of the third. The goal was confirmed after a video review, and Ryan St. Louis and Ellis had the assists.

The teams were dead even on the stat sheet. Both had 21 shots on goal. Indy goaltender Thomas Gale made 18 saves, and Kalamazoo’s Aku Koskenvuo stopped 19. Neither team scored on the power play: the Fuel went 0-for-3 and the Wings 0-for-1.

The Fuel finish three games in three days when they host the Cincinnati Cyclones at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Fishers Event Center.

Fishers residents can drop off unwanted electronics, household items and household hazardous waste today, Saturday, Nov. 7, during the city’s fall Recycling Day.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Billericay Park, 12690 Promise Road. It is free for Fishers residents, with fees applying to quantities above the limit for certain hazardous materials. Business materials will not be accepted.

Accepted items include computers and monitors, televisions, cell phones, printers, gaming systems and other electronics. Residents may also bring appliances, cardboard, paper, metals, lawnmowers, workout equipment and power tools.

Household hazardous waste accepted includes all paint types, motor oil, antifreeze, pool chemicals, aerosols, medical sharps, fire extinguishers and gas grill-size propane tanks.

Flammable liquids and pesticides or herbicides are accepted free up to 100 pounds or liquid equivalent. Additional quantities cost $1 per pound or liquid equivalent, according to the city.

Paper recycling will be available on-site. Confidential documents will be collected for off-site shredding by Share’s Inc., which the city identifies as a certified confidential document shredding company. Technology Recyclers provides recycling services for the event.

Wood, mattresses, foam containers, foam peanuts, glass, grease, plastic and general trash will not be accepted. Residents must take rejected items back with them.

The city holds Recycling Days in the spring and fall. A complete list of accepted materials and event restrictions is available on the City of Fishers recycling webpage.

A key stretch of 136th Street in Fishers reopened to through traffic Friday night. Drivers still face major detours at the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout, according to the city’s weekly construction update.

The widened section of 136th Street between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road reopened Nov. 6. Crews are still finishing the project, so drivers may run into some lane restrictions.

Fall Recycling Day today

Fishers residents can drop off electronics, appliances, paint, household hazardous waste and other items today, Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Billericay Park. Paper recycling and document shredding will also be offered. The event is for residents only, and fees apply for some materials above set limits.

Olio Road roundabout

Phase 2 of the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout reconstruction is expected to continue through the end of the year. The roundabout connections for north-south travel on Olio Road are closed, and the roundabout’s fifth leg has closed permanently.

Southbound drivers on Olio Road cannot continue south through the roundabout. They are directed west onto Campus Parkway/146th Street. Northbound drivers must detour on 136th Street and use the newly built connection to Southeastern Parkway. Eastbound drivers will use a bypass lane toward IU Health Fishers to reach the 136th Street roundabout. One westbound lane stays open for drivers headed west or north on Olio Road.

City officials say nearby businesses, hospitals and medical offices remain open. They expect significant delays, especially at peak hours. Detour maps are posted at FishersIN.gov/Olio.

Other projects

• 116th Street and Allisonville Road: Milling and paving are done. Lane restrictions will continue while crews finish striping, traffic signal work and sidewalk concrete. Sidewalks in the project area stay closed.
• USA Parkway north of 106th Street: The widening is substantially complete. Lane restrictions are expected through the end of November.
• 131st Street and Brooks School Road: Utilities are being relocated ahead of a new roundabout, and drivers may see periodic lane restrictions.
• Resurfacing: Package 26-1 is substantially complete, with striping still to come. Crews are finishing Package 26-2 work in the Springs of Cambridge neighborhood.

Utility and fiber work

Duke Energy work on Cumberland Road between 106th and 116th streets keeps lanes restricted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

AT&T plans to begin fiber installation this coming week in Beaver Ridge, Pine Bluff Overlook, Bradford Ridge, Walnut Creek, Delaware Pointe, Summerfield and Delaware Crossing. Brightspeed is expected to start this coming week in The Boulders, Reserve at Steeplechase, Sanctuary at Steeplechase and Oakhurst. Residents may notice door hangers and utility flags before work begins.

ClearPath 465

On the Indianapolis side, the ClearPath project has overnight lane closures on 75th Street and Binford Boulevard tonight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Knue Road is closed at the Nickel Plate Trail crossing through late November. The ramp from northbound Binford Boulevard to westbound I-465 is closed long-term.

All construction schedules depend on the weather and may change.

The full city report follows:

Continue reading 136th Street Reopens; Olio Road Roundabout Detours Continue →

Hamilton Southeastern’s football season ended Friday night as host Carmel held on for a 17-14 win in the Class 6A Sectional 3 championship game at Greyhound Stadium.

The Greyhounds, now 7-4, take the sectional title and advance to next Friday’s regional. They will play at No. 8 Fort Wayne Carroll, which routed Homestead 56-0 in the Sectional 4 final. The Royals finish the season 5-6.

HSE’s defense held Carmel to its lowest point total of the season. The Greyhounds had put up 48 points a week earlier against Westfield. The three-point final was also much closer than most pregame forecasts. Indiana Football Digest had picked Carmel to win 30-13.

Still, the loss was the Royals’ third straight against Carmel, according to MaxPreps.

HSE reached the title game by beating Fishers 23-14 on Oct. 30 in the latest Mudsock game. Carter Reed ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns in that win. Bennett Foster caught a touchdown pass, and Tristan and Zachary Christopherson each had an interception.

Carmel got to the final with one of the biggest upsets of the postseason, outlasting then-No. 3 Westfield 48-45. Chris Harris had 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in that game. The win moved the Greyhounds up to No. 6 in a statewide Top 25 published by Yahoo Sports. HSE was No. 20.

This was the first year of the IHSAA’s new sectional alignment, which puts four Hamilton County programs, Carmel, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern and Westfield, in the same 6A sectional. The draw guaranteed that only one county team would move on.

Michael Kelly just finished his seventh season as HSE’s coach. Before the game, he said his team would need “a complete team effort” to win the sectional. Kevin Wright is in his seventh season at Carmel.

Carmel also won the last postseason meeting between the two schools, beating HSE 28-14 in a 2019 sectional semifinal.

The Indy Fuel let a three-goal lead get away in the third period Friday night, then won it late. Jacob Perreault scored on the power play with 2:44 left to give the Fuel a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones at Heritage Bank Center.

Perreault scored twice and was named the game’s first star. Both of his goals came with the man advantage, and they were his fourth and fifth of the season.

The Fuel controlled the first 40 minutes. Owen Robinson scored the only goal of the first period at 12:11, his second of the season, even though Cincinnati outshot Indy 13-9 in the period.

Anthony Petruzzelli made it 2-0 at 2:27 of the second period, with assists from Jadon Joseph and Jackson Desouza. Late in the period, Perreault scored on the power play at 18:41 to make it 3-0. Mitchell Hoelscher and Paul Ludwinski assisted.

The Cyclones came back in the third with three goals in 3 minutes, 50 seconds. Nathan Burke scored at 7:57. Max Smolinski followed 56 seconds later with his first goal of the season. Adam Kydd tied it 3-3 at 11:47, assisted by Burke and Mitchell Wolfe.

The Fuel went back on top after Cincinnati’s R. Mitton was called for boarding at 15:23. Perreault converted at 17:16, with assists from Kyler Kupka and Hoelscher. Dustin Manz finished it with an empty-net goal at 19:22.

Indy went 2-for-2 on the power play. Cincinnati went 0-for-3.

Hoelscher had two assists and finished plus-2. For Cincinnati, Burke had a goal and an assist and Matt Anderson had two assists. They were the second and third stars.

Fuel goalie Adam Gajan made 23 saves on 26 shots and got the win. Cincinnati’s Kaidan Mbereko stopped 32 of 36 and took the loss. Indy outshot the Cyclones 37-26, including 28-13 over the last two periods.

The game included a fight 59 seconds into the second period between Indy’s C. Dafoe and Cincinnati’s K. Henry. Both got fighting majors.

The announced crowd was 3,955.

The Fuel play the Kalamazoo Wings Saturday at Fishers Event Center for Military Night.  Puck drops at 7pm