The Fishers Police Department is asking for the public’s help in their investigation of a robbery at an ATM machine near 96th & Lantern Road.  Below is the full text of the news release:

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Investigators with the Fishers Police Department are seeking information regarding a strong-arm robbery that occurred on Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Chase Bank located at 9601 Lantern Road (96^th Street and Lantern Rd).
 
Shortly after 9am, this past Saturday, officers from the Fishers Police Department, the Carmel Police Department, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a robbery near the Chase Bank. Officers quickly established a perimeter. An extensive search was conducted, however the suspect remains at large. The victim reported being struck from behind as he walked away from the walk-up ATM. The suspect stole the victim’s wallet and ran away. During the assault the victim sustained minor injuries. He was transported to the hospital for additional medical treatment.  
 
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact Detective Cesar Rodriguez at 317-595-3346.
 
Suspect Description:
 
White male
20-30 years old
Brown hair/Brown eyes
Slender build with a short beard
Wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt and shorts
 
  
Please consider the following ATM safety tips:

1. Always pay close attention to the ATM and your surroundings. Don’t select an ATM at the corner of a building — corners create a blind spot. Use an ATM located near the center of a building. Do your automated banking in a public, well-lighted location that is free of shrubbery and decorative partitions or dividers.
2. Maintain an awareness of your surroundings throughout the entire transaction. Be wary of people trying to help you with ATM transactions. Be aware of anyone sitting in a parked car nearby. When leaving an ATM make sure you are not being followed. If you are, drive immediately to a police or fire station, or to a crowded, well-lighted location or business.
3. Do not use an ATM that appears unusual looking or offers options with which you are not familiar or comfortable.
4. Do not allow people to look over your shoulder as you enter your PIN. Memorize your PIN; never write it on the back of your card. Do not re-enter your PIN if the ATM eats your card — contact a bank official.
5. Do not wear expensive jewelry or take other valuables to the ATM. This is an added incentive to the assailant.
6. Never count cash at the machine or in public. Wait until you are in your car or another secure place.
7. When using a drive-up ATM, keep your engine running, your doors locked and leave enough room to maneuver between your car and the one ahead of you in the drive-up line.
8. Maintain a supply of deposit envelopes at home or in your car. Prepare all transaction paperwork prior to your arrival at the ATM. This will minimize the amount of time spent at the machine.
9. Closely monitor your bank statements, as well as your balances, and immediately report any problems to your bank.
10. If you are involved in a confrontation with an assailant who demands your money, COMPLY.

Source: The Electronic Funds Transfer Association, and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Hamilton Southeastern School Board, the body governing our local schools in the city of Fishers and some of the surrounding areas, makes very important decisions on a regular basis.  The most recent one was to place a ballot initiative in the May 3rd primary election asking for a property tax increase to fund money in a number of areas, such as teacher recruitment & retention, and reduce class size.

But the board has also had many conversations with school administrators about Instructional Assistants (IAs).  These school employees help teachers forced to take on large size classes and in other classroom situations.  IAs are mostly used to help out teachers in special education classrooms.

It is becoming more and more difficult to attract and retain good Instructional Assistants. A complicating factor is the Affordable Care Act and providing a health insurance offering that meets the minimum requirements of the law.

According to administrators, nearby school districts have simply reduced the hours of their IAs to less than 30 hours a week, exempting them from the requirement to offer a health plan.  Assistant Superintendent Jan Combs came to HSE from Lawrence Township and she told the HSE Board cutting back hours made it very, very difficult to recruit and retain IAs in Lawrence.

The HSE Schools are now faced with a situation of cutting back hours or reducing the number of IAs, with neither of those options being popular with board members.  One option is to temporarily cut back IA hours, offer health insurance to those eligible under the law, and begin restoring the hours based on how many IAs choose to use the school’s health care plan.  Many IAs may already be covered by a spouse or are still covered by a parent’s plan if the IA has not yet reached 26 years of age.

In a recent work session, board members talked at length about the IA issue and its impact on the budget.  Every board member offering an opinion made it clear that IAs should be made a priority, their hours should not be cut and the administration should look at budget options to make this work.

As a result, HSE School Superintendent Allen Bourff  told board members he would have an administration recommendation on IAs for their consideration, with their comments addressed.

The HSE School Board has plenty of issues to decide all the time, but the issue of taking care of the district’s Instructional Assistants is clearly a priority for this board.  That makes HSE different from most school boards.

When the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School “We the People” team gathered on Sunday night for their annual dinner, the teams’s coach, Janet Chandler, received a surprise.

Local Indiana State Representative Todd Huston spoke to the crowd on what an important impact Ms. Chandler had on him when he was a student in several of her classes.  He then presented Ms. Chandler with the Sagamore of the Wabash award.

Ms. Chandler joins such Indiana greats as Ryan White, Herman B. Wells, David Letterman and Jeff Gordon as a recipient of this honor.  The governor decides who receives this certificate.

Janet Chandler also coaches the Mock Trial team at HSE High School, and serves as President of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association.

This year’s HSE “We the People” team finished second in the state, just behind Indiana Champion Fishers High.

What does it mean to conduct an independent study?  A recent look into ISTEP was supposed to be independent –  but was it?

http://www.indianaforefront.com/independence-istep-credibility/

(Note: This podcast will be taking a few days off & will return on February 29th)

There was food, music, step dancing and strolling.  That was the celebration of African American Heritage Night at Fishers High School Thursday evening.  The Step Dance Club did their routine.  Alexandria Murphy was the event MC.  The strolling came from the Pi Lambda AKA of DePauw University.  Jaylene St. Hilaire along with Brianna and Toni Grace provided the singing.  Kendra Perkins talked about growing up in Hamilton County as an African American.  There was a pitch for providing water to Flint, Michigan from Kimacke Randall representing the Indy Flintstones Organization.

Indianapolis City-County Council Member La Keisha Jackson was the keynote speaker. She spoke of many things.  She expressed her pride in being the first person in her family to graduate from college.  She spoke of the great African American role models and how important it is to find mentors outside your family.  She talked about the importance of voting.

Fishers High School Principal Jason Urban talked about the plans for the first Black History Month event at the school 8 years ago.  The celebration has grown with an overflow crowd on hand for this event.

If you review the data, two things are clear:  heart disease is the number one cause of death around the world, and CPR can save lives.  The Fishers Fire Department and Forum Credit Union are joining forces to provide CPR training on Friday, February 19th, 9-11am, at the Forum headquarters building in Fishers.

For more details, see the news release below from the Fishers Fire Department:

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Fishers Fire Department and Forum Credit Union have partnered to provide a Family and Friends CPR class for some of the employees of the Forum Credit Union Headquarters Office.  In the spirit of Valentines, FFD and Forum Credit Union have joined forces to increase the number of people in Fishers who can provide life-saving CPR when someone goes into cardiac arrest.

On February 19^th, Fishers Fire is beta testing this partnered approach to teaching CPR.  In continued efforts to Protect the Heart of Fishers, 25 employees at the Forum Corporate Headquarters will take this 2 hour, non-certified course that will provide the techniques and skills for CPR and AED usage.

On the heels of an earlier announcement by St. Vincent Hospital to provide funding for 11 new AED’s for city parks, firefighters want to assure there are trained individuals throughout the community that are prepared and willing to take life-saving steps for others.

The department is excited about this approach to community education and looks forward to other opportunities to work with business leaders and innovators throughout the City of Fishers.

According to the American Heart Association:

o   326,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually

o   Many victims appear healthy with no known disease or risk factors

o   Effective bystander CPR can up to triple a victims survival

o   Only 32% of cardiac arrests receive CPR prior to emergency services

o   Only 11% of cardiac arrest victim survive

o   Of those receiving CPR and AED intervention, that raises to 31% survival rate.

o   Heart Disease remains the #1 global cause of death.

Class will be held:

2/19/16  9am-11am

Forum Credit Union Headquarters

11313 USA Parkway,

Fishers, In 46038

If you are 13 years of age or older and are enrolled in junior high or high school in Fishers, the police department plans a teen academy June 20-24.  It’s a way for teens to better understand what police officers do.  If you want in, act now.  There are only 40 spots available.

Below is the text of the news release from the Fishers Police Department:

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The 15th annual Fishers Police Department Teen Academy will be held June 20^th – 24^thin conjunction with the Fishers YMCA.  This year’s academy will be held at Riverside Intermediate in Fishers.  The academy is one week of law enforcement type training that will allow teens to better understand how law enforcement works.  The academy will also allow teens to get to know several officers through a variety of social activities. 
 
Each day will begin at 9:00am. The teens will start each day with physical exercise.  The students will then attend classroom training followed by practical hands on skills to reinforce the lesson of the day. Each day will conclude with a social activity between officers and students. Parents can pick up their teen at 3:30pm.
 
“The children in our community are very important to us and with the success of Teen Academy, we are excited to work with the kids again this year.” – Chief George Kehl. 
 
            The purpose of the academy is to allow teens to better understand police officers and to strengthen the relationship between the police department and the community.  Officers will teach blocks of instruction on various topics such as making traffic stops, meeting our K-9 units and learning how they work with police, learning about the Fishers Dive Team, meeting our Crime Scene Investigators, learning about Internet Safety and much more. Students will have classroom instruction as well as practical “role play” training each day.
 
            The academy is open to any applicant 13 years of age or older.  Applicants must be enrolled in a junior high or high school in Fishers.  Each applicant is subject to a screening process and therefore walk-ins will not be allowed. We only have 40 spots available for this year’s academy!  If you are interested, please contact Officer Cory Robinson at robinsonc@fishers.in.us to begin the screening process.