Judge Gail Bardach, Hamilton Superior Court 6, has announced she is seeking re-election in the May 8 Republican primary. Bardach has served as Judge of Superior Court 6 for 11 years. Prior to 2007, she served as Judge of the Carmel City Court for almost 14 years.
“I am looking forward to continuing to serve the people of Hamilton County, as I have for the past 25 years,” Bardach said. “I’ve dedicated my career to serving our community and I’m excited for the opportunity to preside over Superior Court 6 for the next six years.”
Bardach graduated summa cum laude from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree at Indiana University (Bloomington). Prior to becoming a judge, she served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Marion County.
Bardach has been married to her husband Lee for 44 years, and they together have raised three grown children: Jeff, Carey and Evan, who are all pursuing and fulfilling their professional careers in journalism, education and the law.
Westfield’s Sophia Kreag (24) is guarded by Fishers’ Casey Walker during the Tigers-Shamrocks sectional game.
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
The Fishers girls basketball sectional began with a reversal of fortune for the host.
The Tigers dropped a close overtime game to Westfield early in the regular season. On Tuesday, Fishers came out on top, overcoming the Shamrocks 41-36 in the first game of Class 4A Sectional 8. The Tigers advanced to the semi-finals to play Mudsock rival Hamilton Southeastern on Friday.
The two teams were tied at 12-12 after the first quarter, then Fishers edged out to a 24-22 lead by halftime. Skylar Fulton hit two 3-pointers in the second period, while Kenedi London helped out with five in the first quarter. Ashtin DeCraene also scored five points in the first for Westfield.
Meanwhile, free throws were also key: The Shamrocks’ Sophia Kreag went 4-for-4 in the first period, then the Tigers’ Toni Grace made all four of her foul shots in the second. Grace added four straight points for Fishers to close out the third quarter, with a layin and two more free throws.
That run helped the Tigers achieve some separation, as Westfield had gotten to within 27-26 midway through the period. Cierra Tolbert made a free throw, then Grace’s run pushed Fishers ahead 32-26 at the end of the third.
Ryann Bunting opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, and Kreag drained another pair of free throws to get the ‘Rocks within 34-31. But Grace stepped up again, with two more foul shots (sensing a theme here?), and Fishers’ lead never dropped below four points after that.
Tigers coach Lauren Vail believes that experience helped her team get through the fourth quarter. She noted that earlier in the year, Fishers would’ve folded in that situation.
“And quite honestly, against Westfield the first time, we did,” said Vail. “It was a very similar game. We were up late in the fourth and we had some breakaways the first time, and we turned the basketball over. And tonight we found ways to hold on to it.”
The free-throw shooting also was key: The Tigers went 9-of-12 from the line in the fourth period.
“That’s going to win you some ball games if you’re going to hit free throws like that down the stretch,” said Vail.
Grace scored 14 points, including an incredible 12-of-13 performance from the line. Fulton finished with seven points, and London’s six points were accompanied by seven rebounds. Lydia Stullken corralled six rebounds, with Grace and Tamia Perryman both grabbing five.
DeCraene finished with nine points for Westfield, while Kreag scored eight. Bunting made two 3-pointers for six points. Kreag and Annabelle O’Hair both pulled seven rebounds.
“I felt like defensively, we did everything that we had prepared and prepped for,” said Westfield coach Ginny Smith. “Actually, we did an amazing job defensively.” The coach was proud of the fact that her team had just held Fishers – “a really good basketball team – to just 41 points.
“It’s been the same problem we’ve had all year long, just being able to score,” said Smith. “We hit those long spells where we just can’t put it in the hole. In big games against good teams, you’ve got to find a way to consistently score, and we didn’t do that.”
Westfield finished its season with a 14-9 record, while the Tigers are now 13-11. Fishers will now get ready for Mudsock Part 2, with a spot in the sectional championship on the line this time. Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal and members of the Royals team were indeed at the game.
“I don’t know that it could get more exciting than this,” said Vail. “The first time you play them, it’s always a huge game. And Coach Hupp and I talk about that all the time, how anything can happen in a game like that because it’s a rivalry game. It doesn’t matter how good they are, how good we are. Anytime you play each other, that happens.”
Since 1989, The Fishers Freedom Festival has been the local community summer celebration. With the Freedom Festival organization pulling out, the new Spark!Fishers festival is set to launch in 2018.
The new event will be held Friday, June 29th & Saturday, June 30th. All the details are not available, but a group of over 80 people have formed seven committees to begin work on Spark!Fishers.
The Honorary Chairpersons for the new festival read like a Who’s Who of Fishers. They include Mayor Scott Fadness, Hamilton Southeastern School Superintendent Allan Bourff, Conner Prairie CEO Norman Burns and recently-retired HSE Sports Executive Director Lynda Carlino.
The new festival will have a 5K run, parade and fireworks display. Spark!Fishers will also include a June 29th concert featuring a yet-to-be-named an act with a national profile.
On Monday, January 29th, I recorded a podcast with all the honorary co-chairs for Spark!Fishers.
The City of Fishers is preparing to welcome a new vendor providing medical services to municipal employees. During the month of March, a company named OurHealth will be moving into the space for the city employee clinic in the Meyer Najem building downtown.
The Fishers facility will be the seventh OurHealth clinic in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
“We were attracted by the innovative approach OurHealth takes to customize its healthcare service for individual clients and for their proven record of positively impacting patient health,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a news release. “The OurHealth team has an entrepreneurial drive, and we see them as the latest innovator to join our community.”
OurHealh says its clinics rely heavily on technology and individual employee attention to specific health issues.
The firm claims its customers see an average savings of 20 percent on healthcare costs, mostly in the form of reduced emergency room visits, savings on specialty referrals, and reduced lab and medication costs. Its client list includes OneAmerica, Genesys (formerly Interactive Intelligence), Ice Miller LLP, the Indianapolis Airport Authority, the City of Indianapolis, and the City of Charlotte.
During 2017, the company says its patients lost a combined 33,000 pounds, 76,000 points of bad cholesterol and 2,000 points on A1c levels (the leading indicator for diabetes).
In late November, the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety terminated the city’s contract with QuadMed, the firm that had handled the city employee health clinic since 2008. Mayor Scott Fadness said that contract was ending due to “performance issues.”
The Fishers Athletic Booster Club, TigerOne, is preparing for its big fund-raising event, Tee It Up with TigerOne, at TopGolf March 18th. There are only 200 spots available for this adults-only event.
Here are some of the details:
4:00 – 7:00 pm
$100 per ticket includes Backyard BBQ buffet and golf
Limited to 200 spots – adults only event with cash bar
Watch 2nd Round NCAA basketball games
Silent Auction (items donated by FHS athletic teams and local businesses)
Raffle prizes (you do not need to be present to win!)
Attire: Red and White Golf Casual
TigerONE has donated just under $100,000 to the Fishers High School (FHS) Athletic Department, FHS athletic teams and FHS student athletes over the past five years. The organization raised these funds with the help of local businesses and individual donors.
To reserve your spot for Tee It Up with TigerOne, use this link.
Every now and then, one must think back to past comments and admit, “Hey, I was wrong!” That was the thought that crossed my mind as I watched the sentencing of Larry Nassar in recent days.
It was the comment of the prosecuting attorney that struck me.
“We, as a society, need investigative journalists more than ever,” Michigan Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis said Wednesday at Nassar’s sentencing. “What finally started this reckoning and ended this decades-long cycle of abuse was investigative reporting. Without that first Indianapolis Star story in August 2016; without the story where Rachael (Denhollander) came forward publicly shortly thereafter — he would still be practicing medicine, treating athletes and abusing kids.”
Yes, the prosecuting attorney in the Nassar sexual abuse case credited the Indianapolis Star with its work exposing the facts in the case. A trio of Star reporters, Marisa Kwiatkowski, Tim Evans and Mark Alesia, worked as a team on the U.S.A. Gymnastics series.
For a number of years, after Gannett bought the Star from the Pulliam family, many waves of editorial layoffs were happening. The reporting staff began to dwindle.
When the state’s largest newspaper began shedding large numbers of reporters, editors and photographers, a news junkie like myself started to worry. What will this mean?
I started blogging in January of 2012. When the Star layoffs were in progress, I was critical of Gannett for reducing the journalists at the Star. I will admit, many times I was very, very tough on the Star.
However, with revenue down, all news organizations, particularly newspapers, had to find a way to remain viable. That’s what the Star management was doing at the time.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that I knew some of the reporters put out of a job in those layoffs and some were very good at their craft. It hurts to see talented people shown the door.
But then the Star came up with a series of reports about U.S.A. Gymnastics, headquartered in Indianapolis. That sort of reporting is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It takes the support of management to pull off a series like the one that helped lead to the conviction of Larry Nassar.
There may be fewer reporters and editors at the Indy Star, but the management has chosen to use those resources well. I applaud the Indianapolis Star for all the plaudits it has been receiving about their work. They are all very deserving.
If you care about good journalism, there is something you can do. Subscribe to your local newspaper. It can be a print subscription, an online one, or a combination of both. I subscribe to two local publications, the Star and the Indianapolis Business Journal. I subscribe to the e-mail updates of the Hamilton County Reporter (ReadTheReporter.com)
Wherever you may be reading this commentary, subscribe to your local publications, if you do not do so already. That is the best way to promote good local news coverage in your area.
I will admit it. I was wrong about the Star. I will be reading. They just announced a new series of stories about commercial sexual exploitation of children. I will be reading. You should too.
Fishers fell to Lawrence North in a Saturday game, 77-68 in overtime on the
road.
The Tigers trailed 13-9 after the first quarter and 31-22 at halftime. Fishers
began to battle back in the third period, outscoring the Wildcats 24-17, and
finally catching up to them by the end of regulation at 61-all. But Lawrence North outscored the Tigers 16-7 in the extra period.
Four Fishers players reached double figures. Terry Hicks led the way with 20
points, while Jeremy Szilagyi threw in four 3-pointers on his way to 16 points. Josiah
Matthews added 15 and Willie Jackson scored 10.
The Tigers are 7-8 for the season and host Westfield on Thursday in a Hoosier
Crossroads Conference game.
Indiana has had 107 flu deaths this season, exceeding the 2016-17 tally, state health authorities announced Friday.
The State Department of Health recorded 103 flu deaths in the 2016-2017 season, which ended in May. The department’s 2017-2018 tally grew in a week by 28 deaths, a slight drop compared to the number of deaths in the past two weeks.
The department’s report listed counties with more than five flu deaths this season. Marion County has recorded nine flu deaths, more than any other county. Hamilton County followed with eight deaths. Allen County (Fort Wayne) and Shelby County each recorded six deaths while St. Joseph County (South Bend) had five.
The state tally includes 83 people who were 65 or older. That number grew from 58 a week earlier.
Fifteen of this season’s deaths were people ages 50 to 64. The other deaths involved seven people ages 25 to 49. The state’s first flu death of the season was a victim in the age 5 to 24 grouping, but another victim age 5 to 24 died in the latest tally.
Hospitals in Indianapolis and other parts of central Indiana have implemented restrictions on visitors since the start of the year due to the spread of the flu virus.
The federal government doesn’t track every flu case but comes up with estimates. It estimated, across the United States last week, 1 in 15 doctor visits were for symptoms of the flu. That’s the highest level since the swine flu pandemic in 2009. Also, hospitalization rates for people 50 to 64 – Baby Boomers, mostly – have been unusually high, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Prevention tips
“It’s important to go to primary care office or even urgent care facility over the emergency department if you do suspect you have the flu. The reason for that in emergency medicine there is a lot of overcrowding,” IU Health Primary Care Doctor Arnold Henry said earlier this month.
According to Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department, anyone is at risk; healthy and sick. She offered these tips to avoid the flu:
Prevent the spread of germs. Washing hands frequently and coughing in your sleeve are examples.
Take antiviral medications. If your doctor approves, medications like Tamiflu can shorten the duration of your illness.
Get a flu vaccine. There is still plenty of time. Flu season doesn’t end until March, and sometimes as late as May.
(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com. This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)
Officials in Hamilton County local governments: City, town, township and county, are currently considering how to fairly assess the cost of operating the very important Hamilton County 911 communications system. At the present time county government along with the larger municipalities are paying all the cost. County officials have asked the smaller units of government to start paying their share beginning next year. That’s understandable.
The 911 system of calling for help in case of a fire, crime or a health emergency is of utmost importance to all of our citizens. This is one area where we should spare no expense in having a state-of-the-art system for all areas of the county.
So, here’s a simple idea for a fair method of financing that system. Since all property owners pay for their county government operations why not include in the county budget a line item for 911 communications?
Tell the cities of Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield and Fishers that they no longer have to contribute, but advise them and the rest of the county that we’re all going to pay equally just as we do for county health, courts, parks and everything else of a countywide nature.
Some may argue that a small unit like White River Township should not pay nearly as much as Noblesville, Carmel or Fishers. But, since residents of a small township pay a much smaller share of the total property tax, there would be nothing unfair if everyone paid an equal amount for 911 just as they do for other countywide services.
The one possible problem, a political problem, is that county budget-makers would have to include the full amount for 911 communications in the county budget thus giving the appearance of taxing more. But, the fact is that for the individual taxpayer’s bottom line tax bill there would be no difference whether they pay a countywide rate or whether cities, towns and townships tax for the service and then pay into the county 911 account.
It would seem this simple method would avoid a lot of negotiations and possibly an annual reconsideration of interlocal agreements with each of the dozen county units of local government which provide emergency services.
Is that fair and simple or does it make too much sense?
This week, Adam & Larry review the film Phantom Thread and review the Oscar nominations. Local filmmakers Mike James & Wilson Mack are this week’s guests.
