As we enter the month of June, fireworks will become more popular in neighborhoods in and around Fishers.  If you want to set-off fireworks within the Fishers city limits, police want to remind you of what the local ordinance says.

In Fishers, the local ordinance provides the rules on what specific types of fireworks are allowed, as well as the dates and times in which fireworks can be displayed.

Here is the language of the Fishers fireworks ordinance:

Continue reading Fireworks In Fishers – Know The Law →

I have attended the Fishers Memorial Day ceremony for several years now, and the event has been blessed with perfect weather in recent times.  2019 was no exception with a bright, sunny sky and temperatures in the comfortable mid-70s.

Navy Vet El Ahlwardt once again handled the master of ceremonies duty.  Every year I have covered this event, the crowd appears to be larger that the previous year.

The most moving part of the ceremony was Guest Speaker Kevin Rankel and his talk about his son John, who gave his life serving in Afghanistan.

Mr. Rankel often wondered, “…why did this happen to us?”

“As the years passed, I found the realization that John died loving what he loved to do, that was leading men and setting an example of how to live, and quite frankly, how to die,” Rankel told the crowd.  “While I miss my son every single day, I am so very proud of him.”

“Through all this, I have a new appreciation for veterans, for the nation they fought for, and ceremonies like this,” Rankel said.

There was a playing of Taps, and the laying of carnations at the Liberty Plaza Memorial, part of the Fishers Municipal Complex, near 116th Street.
Here are more pictures from the Memorial Day event:

Continue reading Gorgeous, Sunny Day For 2019 Fishers Memorial Day Ceremony →

The City of Fishers has released its weekly up date on road construction in and around the city.  Once again, the list is long.

Below is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers.

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When the Fishers Arts Council sponsors monthly art exhibits at City Hall, there is normally a theme.  June is an exception

The exhibit is planned with an eclectic look, featuring artists in the city and surrounding area.  The artist reception will be part of the Spark!Fishers festivities on June 30th. The artists will be available throughout the day to talk about their work.

Besides the artist reception, there will be a Veterans Hall on the 30th as part of the gallery where veterans can rest, reminisce and share their memories with others. The hall will feature video presentations, along with veteran related paintings, pictures, scrapbooks and other memorabilia.

The free exhibit will run through June 29th and will be open to the public on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays during the Fishers Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon.

Most of you  may now C-Span for its live coverage of the House, Senate and Congressional hearings.  But the organization also sponsors a competition among students producing documentaries.

Two Fishers High School student, Sophie Foley and Laurent Higgenbotham, submitted their short video about the First Amendment and won second place, which includes a $1,500 prize.

The C-Span bus made a stop in Fishers on Friday, the last day of school, and presented Sophie and Lauren their prize.

Their documentary video, “Students Ruin The First Amendment,” is available at this link.

The Fifty Club of Fishers invited public safety officers to the George Kehl Police Headquarters to talk about what the club is doing locally.

The Fifty Club’s main mission is to  support the families of City of Fishers police officers and firefighters in the event of duty-related disability or death.

Learn more about the Fifty Club, including making a donation, at this link.

The City of Fishers started a new system a few years ago, determining what support the city will provide to local nonprofit organizations.  In each year’s budget cycle, a three member City Council committee, made up of council members Brad DeReamer, Pete Peterson and Cecilia Coble, review requests for funding and decide how money budgeted for these nonprofits will be handed out.

The committee is now accepting applications from local nonprofit groups for funding in the 2020 city spending plan.

To review the application guidelines, use this link.

To access the actual application form, use this link.

The Fishers City Council is investigating City Clerk Jennifer Kehl in what the council describes as a “Title VII” probe.  Title VII is a part of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.  The council news release does not specify which part of Title VII is involved in this case.

The council statement says a third party will be contracted to conduct this investigation.

“As of this moment I have not been made aware of any specific allegations brought against me,” Ms. Kehl wrote in a Thursday afternoon e-mail message to LarryInFishers. “I  am confident I will be found innocent of the allegations as that is not who I am. I have not done anything wrong.”

Below is the full statement issued by the city council Thursday afternoon:

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On May 10, Fishers City Council was made aware of several Title VII allegations against City Clerk Jennifer Kehl by current and former employees.  The City Council takes every allegation of discrimination and harassment very seriously and immediately acted to provide workplace accommodations.

The City Council has hired a third-party firm to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations. Although the Office of the Clerk is separate and distinct from the City of Fishers, the City Council has investigatory powers over all officers, departments, and employees of the City.

The City Council respects the order of due process that all parties involve deserve. The City Council will not provide further comment until the investigation is complete. 

With heavy rains in the morning, but sunny skies at the ground-breaking ceremony, the location had to be adjusted a bit Thursday so it wouldn’t be a mud-breaking ceremony.  Flexware Innovations is set to start construction on its new headquarters.  The building will be a part of the Municipal Complex, near the Nickel Plate Amphitheater.

Flexware is planning the $3.5 million project , featuring a 35,000-square foot office building with 12,000 square feet of office space for Flexware and a build-to-suit area in the remaining space. The City of Fishers will construct a 100-space public parking lot which will be free and open to the public after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.

The IT firm says it will be creating 68 new jobs that the city describes as “high-wage.”

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Flexware President Scott Whitlock made remarks at the ground-breaking.  The mayor said the Internet of Things (IoT) is something he learned recently, but he found Flexware has been working on IoT projects for 20 years.

Whitlock presented the city with a donation for the Nickel Plate Trail.

Scott Whitlock, President of Flexware Innovations, along with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and other officials break ground for the new Flexware building

Mayor Scott Fadness gave his annual State of the City address Wednesday and sat down with me for a podcast discussion Thursday.  We talked about a number of issues, including his concept of regionalism, and how that would be paid for.  The mayor also talked about challenges in building a 5G wireless network in Fishers neighborhoods and the summer road construction season.