With Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) classes set to begin Wednesday, August 6, two key roundabout construction projects in Fishers are approaching completion.

According to City of Fishers spokesperson Ashley Elrod, the roundabout at 131st Street and Howe Road is scheduled to be completed by Monday, August 11, just a few days after the start of the school year. Meanwhile, the roundabout at 121st Street and Hoosier Road is expected to be finished by the first day of school, August 6.

Elrod emphasized that both timelines are weather-dependent and could be delayed if adverse conditions arise.

The city has communicated these updates to HSE Schools to ensure school officials are aware of any potential impacts on bus transportation routes.

Students report to school Wednesday, August 6, in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District, and Superintendent Patrick Mapes is leading HSE in preparing for the 2025-2026 school year.

I invited Superintendent Mapes to appear on my podcast series to discuss the start of school.  We talked about much more, including the financial situation at HSE, the coming redistricting process, ILEARN results and comments he made at a school board meeting in June of last year.

Listen to the podcast at the link below.

Fishers Parks and Recreation Director Marissa Deckert faced an unusual challenge in 2019—finding farmers to help bring the city’s new AgriPark to life. It wasn’t a common job posting, but Deckert tackled that and many other obstacles as the city developed the AgriPark on Florida Road, located in the far eastern part of Fishers.

On Wednesday morning, Deckert joined Mayor Scott Fadness and other city officials to cut the ribbon on a brand-new building at the AgriPark complex. For Mayor Fadness, who grew up on a farm in North Dakota, the occasion carried personal significance.

“This is a passion of mine,” Fadness told the crowd. “I am astounded by the sheer number of people that come here every day.” According to city officials, the AgriPark welcomes an average of 500 visitors daily.

The new building brings a much-needed amenity to the site: permanent, modern restrooms. Until now, only portable facilities were available to guests.

The mayor also announced more enhancements on the horizon, including a country store, and noted that a playground was added earlier this year.

“This is the evolution of a concept that’s really found its mark here in the City of Fishers,” said Fadness. “We’re excited to see it continue to grow.”

The city has extended the park’s impact beyond Fishers through a new partnership with the Indianapolis Zoo. A farm-to-zoo pilot program now provides freshly harvested vegetables grown at the AgriPark to feed animals such as chimpanzees, giraffes, and more. The weekly deliveries supply thousands of pounds of produce annually, promoting both sustainable agriculture and improved animal nutrition.

The Fishers AgriPark is now open year-round, offering increased access to outdoor amenities and seasonal programs. Summer hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The park is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Upcoming Events at the Fishers AgriPark:

• Fall Festival
  October 3–5
  A weekend of autumn-themed activities, including pumpkins, inflatables, a scarecrow trail, food vendors, and more. Additional details coming soon.

• AgriPark Campout
  October 10–11
  Enjoy a unique overnight camping experience on the farm. More information to be announced.

Here some additional photos from the Wednesday ceremony:

Continue reading Fishers AgriPark Unveils New Building, Highlights Continued Growth and Innovation →

The Fishers City Council has approved an ordinance giving the Board of Public Works & Safety authority to designate specific streets requiring residential parking permits. At its July meeting, the Council empowered the board to make those determinations, and the board took action Tuesday morning to implement the program in two areas along Lantern Road.

Permit Zones Near AlHuda Mosque and King Jugg

One permit area is located north of 116th Street near the AlHuda Mosque. The other is near King Jugg, a bar and grill just off Lantern Road. In both cases, residents have raised concerns about on-street parking congestion during peak hours.

Streets near the AlHuda Mosque that will require parking permits include:

• Sunblest Blvd

• Torberg Pl

• Turkel Dr

• Turkel Pl

• Turkel Ct

• Farley Dr

• Farley Pl

• Turin Ct

• Traverse Pl

• Tanner Dr

• Trumball Ct

• Torrance Pl

• Trophy Dr

• Trophy Drive

• Tynan Way

• Tito Court

Parking on these streets will be restricted to residents with valid permits on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., and during Ramadan from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. In 2026, Ramadan is to be observed from February 17 through March 18.

In the area near King Jugg, on Lantern Road south of 116th Street, the following streets will be affected:

• Fishers Pointe Blvd

• Pioneer Trl

• Founders Pl

• Legacy Ct

• Manship Dr

• Settlers Ct

• Autumn Harvest Dr

• Traders Ct

• Trappers Ct

• Fountain View Ln

• Spring Blossom Ln

• Blacksmith Ct

• Salatheal Ct

• Anvil Ct

• Meadows Dr

• Royal Dr

• Frances St

• Morgan Dr

Parking permits will be required on these streets Thursday through Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart told the board that the list of streets under permit regulation will be reviewed regularly. Streets may be added or removed based on updated data and feedback.

Update on Traffic Signal for 116th Street

In other business, Engineering Director Hatem Mekky informed the board that more time is needed to finalize a recommendation for a new traffic signal along 116th Street, between Cumberland and Hoosier Roads. The city had previously told residents of the Spyglass neighborhood that a recommended location would be shared in July.

Mekky said his team and an outside traffic consultant are still reviewing recently collected data and now expect to present a final recommendation by the second Board of Works meeting in August.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has noticed a curious trend: major announcements in Fishers tend to come with a dramatic shift in the weather. When the Indy Ignite volleyball team revealed the Fishers Event Center as its home, the unveiling took place in biting cold. On Tuesday morning, as news broke of a significant new addition to the city, attendees sweltered under extreme heat—prompting another wry comment from the mayor.

The latest headline is the arrival of a high-end steakhouse in the Crossings development at Fishers District, just steps from the Event Center. While the restaurant’s name remains under wraps, it will be operated by the same team behind Prime 47 in Carmel, promising an upscale dining experience for the area.

Dustin Frye, President of BW Construction, shared that the two new buildings breaking ground at the site are intended to do more than house businesses. “We want to create places that bring people together,” Frye said.

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Mayor Fadness described the upcoming steakhouse as “a catalyst for other development” and hinted at future announcements featuring a mix of local and nationally recognized tenants.

The $30 million investment from BW Development will bring over 33,000 square feet of leasable restaurant space to Fishers, further transforming the area into a culinary and entertainment destination.

Ed Gebhart is preparing to handle a parking permit system in two specific Fishers neighborhoods at specific days and times.  The chief talks about that and much more in this podcast.  He discusses police bodycams, the crime lab and much more in the podcast linked below.

Four Ascension St. Vincent hospitals in Indiana have earned national recognition as 2025-2026 Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, a distinction awarded to only 160 hospitals across 49 states and 95 metro areas.

Recognized for demonstrating superior outcomes in at least one specialty, the honored Ascension St. Vincent facilities include:

• Ascension St. Vincent Hospital (Indianapolis)

• Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center (Indianapolis)

• Ascension St. Vincent Evansville (Evansville)

• Ascension St. Vincent Carmel (Carmel)

Although not included in this year’s rankings, Ascension St. Vincent also operates a hospital in Fishers, continuing to provide local residents with access to comprehensive care and medical services.

“What sets Ascension St. Vincent hospitals apart is our unwavering commitment to our Mission and the relentless dedication of our physicians and caregivers to provide compassionate, high-quality care to every patient we serve,” said Stephan Masconcup, JD, Chief Strategy Officer for Ascension St. Vincent. “We are extremely proud of our associates and honored to be recognized among the nation’s ‘Best Hospitals,’ a reflection of the healing ministry we live out each day.”

This year, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,400 hospitals nationwide across 15 adult specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. Only about 13% of those hospitals earned a Best Hospitals designation. The rankings are based on objective performance measures including risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications, and nursing care levels, drawing from over 800 million records of patient care.

Ascension St. Vincent operates 19 hospitals across Indiana and a broad network of affiliated medical practices, clinics, and joint ventures. The health system employs more than 13,000 associates statewide. In Fiscal Year 2024, Ascension St. Vincent contributed over $357 million in community benefit programs and care for people living in poverty throughout Indiana.

Ascension St. Vincent is part of Ascension, one of the nation’s largest non-profit Catholic health systems, with 140 hospitals in 18 states and the District of Columbia. In Fiscal Year 2023, Ascension provided $2.2 billion in care for the poor and other community programs.

For more information, visit www.ascension.org.

It had been a long time since I last covered football, so when news broke in October 2023 that the ownership group behind the Indy Fuel hockey team would launch a franchise in the Indoor Football League (IFL), I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Like many sports fans, my exposure to indoor football was limited. I remembered the Arena Football League’s struggles with bankruptcy and attempts at revival, but the IFL was largely new territory for me.

To get up to speed, I began watching 2024 IFL games—available for free on YouTube at the time—and quickly found myself drawn in. While visiting family in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I attended a game in person during the 2024 season. It was fast-paced, exciting, and featured a wide range of fan engagement activities. The experience sold me.

When the new team unveiled its name—Fishers Freight—my interest grew even more. Unlike the Indy Fuel and the Ignite volleyball team, both of which also call the new Fishers Event Center home, the Freight became the only professional sports team to carry the Fishers name.

The hiring of Dixie Wooten as head coach and general manager further underscored the franchise’s commitment to winning. Wooten brought a strong track record and high energy, and in an early video interview I conducted with him, he made it clear he was ready to build this team from the ground up.

While I had to miss the home opener in April due to a prior family trip, I caught the game on video. After that, I didn’t miss another home game all season, covering each one with media credentials. I also tuned in to the road games online.

Ahead of the season, I interviewed IFL Commissioner Todd Tryon, who discussed the league’s decision to move from free YouTube broadcasts to a paid streaming model, the IFL Network. In April, the league announced it had already reached 15,000 subscribers—a number that, I am certain, exceeded expectations.

On the field, the Freight got off to a thrilling start, opening the season with a road win over Northern Arizona followed by a home victory against Tulsa. As the IFL’s only expansion franchise, Fishers made an early splash with a 2-0 record.

But the momentum didn’t last.

Injuries and instability at quarterback led to a rash of turnovers and penalties, sparking a nine-game losing streak that ultimately dashed any playoff hopes. Yet even during the downturn, the Freight never lost their fight—or their fans.

The season took a hopeful turn late, thanks to the emergence of quarterback Felix Harper, who helped the team close the year with five straight wins. Harper’s leadership gave the team new life, and during a video message to fans at the final home game, Coach Wooten declared, “The best is yet to come.”

Following the season finale, reporter Eva Hallman spoke with Coach Wooten, who acknowledged the adversity but emphasized the team’s potential.  He praised his team for persevering during the 9-game losing streak.

“We have the best ownership, best front office—and at the end of the day, we have the best city as well,.” said Coach Wooten

Indeed, fan support has been one of the biggest success stories of the season. The Freight drew 5,600 fans on opening night, and even during the height of the losing streak, attendance remained strong, based on my observations, not dropping below 3,800. The final home game, despite having no playoff implications, drew more than 5,000 fans—a testament to the community’s enthusiasm.

As the offseason begins, Coach Wooten and his staff will get to work building a roster capable of contending in 2026. Based on what I’ve seen, the IFL offers a high-energy, professional product that’s both entertaining and accessible. Covering the Fishers Freight in their inaugural season has been a joy—and I can’t wait to see what next year brings.

If you’re a relatively new resident of Fishers, you may not be familiar with the long-running controversy surrounding one of the city’s oldest structures—the Kincaid House. Also known as the Flanagan-Kincaid House, and sometimes referred to as the Morris-Flanagan-Kincaid House, this historic home dates back to 1861 and stands as a testament to Fishers’ agricultural roots.

The house originally stood near 106th Street and Lantern Road, but as development surged in the area, the historic structure was threatened with demolition. Thanks to the efforts of local preservationists, the Kincaid House was saved—at least for a time. In 2018, it was painstakingly relocated to a site visible from I-69, south of 116th Street.

At the time, I asked those involved in the relocation what the long-term plans were for the house. No one had a clear answer. One proposal even considered moving the house again to the center of a city roundabout, but the logistics never worked out. Since then, the house has sat at its current site without access to utilities or a proper access road. It has slowly deteriorated, largely untouched and increasingly neglected.

On July 22, the City of Fishers announced that the Kincaid House will be “deconstructed.” In other words, the structure will be dismantled, with materials such as its original clay bricks to be “repurposed” for a future project at the Fishers Agripark—though that project has yet to take shape.

Randy Kincaid, speaking on behalf of the family, expressed mixed emotions in a city news release: “We are sad to see it go. We are pleased it can continue in another form to honor the farming heritage of Fishers.”

(You can listen to a podcast with Gail & Randy Kincaid, along with Ashley Elrod from the City of Fishers, about the Kincaid House & Fishers history, recorded in August of 2022, at this link.)

When the house was moved in 2018, there was an expectation that it would become part of a privately operated park. That never materialized.

In the days since the city’s announcement, social media has lit up with criticism directed at city leaders, including Mayor Scott Fadness, for allowing this outcome. But having followed this saga for years, I believe the situation is more complex.

Yes, the city committed to maintaining the house when it took over from the organization then known as Nickel Plate Arts. But preserving the Kincaid House was always a shared responsibility. Since the relocation, no corporations doing business in Fishers—despite benefiting from the area’s growth—stepped up to fund preservation. No nonprofit took ownership of the effort, financially or otherwise. The community at large failed to rally around the cause.

The loss of the Kincaid House in its original form is not just a failure of municipal leadership. It’s a collective failure—a missed opportunity for us all. Before pointing fingers, perhaps we should each take a moment to reflect and ask: What could I have done to help preserve this piece of Fishers history?