The Fishers Event Center is inviting the community to come together and support families in need by donating winter wear during an upcoming coat drive. The event, part of the center’s local impact initiative, will take place on Tuesday, September 16, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Donations of gently used, clean coats, hats, and gloves in all sizes—from infant to adult—are welcome. Collection bins will be set up outside the Community Health Network Entrance at the Fishers Event Center (11000 Stockdale St., Fishers), with signage directing donors to the drop-off location.

The drive will benefit Kids Coats Hamilton County, a nonprofit organization that provides winter coats free of charge to families throughout the county. Unlike many distribution efforts, Kids Coats brings its collections directly to neighborhoods by partnering with local churches. Central Indiana organizations also join in, helping connect families with additional low- or no-cost services.

Families in need of coats can sign up online for Kids Coats’ November giveaways each year. Registration for this year’s events closes on October 15. For those who miss the deadline or cannot attend the scheduled events, coats remain available throughout the winter at the Merciful HELP Center, with appointments required. Adults age 20 and older may also receive coats during designated walk-in times or at the Merciful HELP Center after children have shopped.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, joined by Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren, sat down with me for a wide-ranging podcast conversation on the proposed 2026 city budget and other key issues facing the community. The mayor said he will recommend a 3% pay increase for all city employees, with no increase in health insurance premiums. His budget request also includes funding for three additional firefighter positions, two school resource officers, two part-time school support officers, and a manager for the AgriPark store. Both Fadness and Hultgren shared more details about the budget in our discussion.

The mayor also touched on several other topics:

• He does not support moving city elections to align with presidential election years.

• He has not yet decided whether he will seek another term as mayor in 2027.

• The city scrapped plans for a roundabout at 116th Street and Allisonville Road a few months ago on the recommendation of Engineering Director Hatem Mekky.

• Fadness also highlighted the work of the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority (CIRDA), which he chairs.

Listen to the podcast at the link below.

State Reps. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) and Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers), co-chairs of the Indiana Future Caucus, issued a joint statement Thursday condemning the murder of conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus.

“The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy, and political violence is never okay,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “Taking someone’s life is never an acceptable way to settle differences of opinion.”

The Indiana Future Caucus is a bipartisan group that brings together state lawmakers age 45 and under. Both Baird and Garcia Wilburn stressed that the organization remains committed to rejecting violence and promoting civility in public life.

Earlier this year, the caucus also denounced the killing of a Democratic Minnesota state legislator and her husband. In Thursday’s statement, the co-chairs said the same principle applies regardless of ideology.

“As a nation, we must move beyond this horrifying trend of harming or killing those you disagree with and return to a culture of spirited debate and respect for different viewpoints,” they said. “The Indiana Future Caucus represents the bright tomorrow we can create for Hoosiers — and political violence should not exist in that future.”

The lawmakers also extended condolences to Kirk’s family.
“Our prayers are with Charlie’s wife Erika, his children, and all who loved him during this heartbreaking time,” the statement said.

The Indiana Future Caucus includes 32 millennial members of the General Assembly. The group focuses on bipartisan solutions to issues facing younger generations of Hoosiers.

Bargaining is underway between the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District and the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), with union leaders cautioning that this year’s talks may prove especially difficult.

HSEA President Tyler Zerbe briefed teachers ahead of Wednesday night’s school board meeting, saying he is “cautiously optimistic” about how discussions have started.

“This will be a very difficult bargaining year for all of us,” Zerbe said, citing actions taken by the Indiana General Assembly during its most recent budget session. He described the union as being “up against a huge mountain” due to state-level changes in school funding.

Despite the challenges, Zerbe said the early tone of talks with district administrators has been more positive than in 2024. “It seems we are starting off on a better foot this year with central office than we did last year. We are hoping that continues,” he noted.

Union leaders have emphasized their desire for a more collaborative process in this round of bargaining.

The district and HSEA are expected to negotiate a one-year contract once again. Full-day bargaining sessions are scheduled to begin September 23.

Fall Creek Junior High eighth-grader Gabby Jefferson is earning national recognition both inside and outside the classroom. Jefferson is the reigning America’s Ideal Miss Jr. Teen, a title that will take her to New York Fashion Week this year and to Paris, France, in 2026.

Her pageant achievements also include the 2025 Ideal Miss Service Award, the Gold IDEAL Service Award, and multiple Best Interview honors.

Beyond the stage, Jefferson has built an impressive record of community service. Over the past three years, she has logged more than 500 volunteer hours, collected more than 5,000 books for local schools, donated 500 holiday gifts to families at Coburn Place, raised and contributed more than $10,000 to Gleaners Food Bank, and organized 12,000 back-to-school items for students in need.

Within Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Jefferson is active in academics and extracurriculars. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, has served as a student representative for Envision Day and “We the People,” and performs with both the Fall Creek Junior High Symphonic Band and the HSE High School Marching Band.

School officials described Jefferson as an outstanding student whose leadership, service, and achievements exemplify the values of Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  She was honored at Wednesday night’s school board meeting.

In other items before the board:

–Lindsey Rondeau was named HSE HS Girls Freshman Basketball Coach.

–The board approved the purchase and installation of 2 new chillers, the cooling tower and pump at Fall Creek Junior High School.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Board of Trustees voted Wednesday evening to extend Superintendent Patrick Mapes’ contract for three more years, approving a provision that allows for largely automatic renewals.

The board voted 5-2 in favor of the extension. Trustees Latrica Schooley and Sarah Parks-Reese opposed the measure, both citing concerns about the “evergreen” renewal clause.

Public comment was split. Ray Maddalone spoke in support of Mapes, praising his performance as superintendent, while Stephanie Hunt voiced opposition, pointing to two unresolved Unfair Labor Practice cases involving the local teachers’ union.

Under the agreement, Mapes’ annual salary will remain $215,270. The board reserves the right to make future adjustments within established limits.

You can read the entire contract extension language at this link.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Board of Trustees President Juanita Albright has appointed Michael Zahm to the Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) Board of Trustees, based on a news release issued Wednesday morning by the HSE school district.

Zahm fills the HSE-designated seat on the seven-member board, which oversees the Noblesville and Fishers library branches. He succeeds Andre Miksha, whose term ran from September 29, 2022, through August 26, 2025. The board expressed appreciation to Miksha for his service.  Miksha had indicated he would serve another term if reappointed.

“Michael Zahm is a lifelong educator and community-minded leader whose experience aligns with HEPL’s mission to be a welcoming, literacy-focused resource for every resident,” Albright said in a statement. “His track record in HSE classrooms and buildings, as well as his continued service in our community, make him an excellent choice to represent HSE Schools in this capacity.”

Zahm brings more than 30 years of experience in education and leadership. A Ball State University graduate, he earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and curriculum design from the University of Oregon and completed graduate work at Butler University for his principal’s license. He served as an elementary school principal in HSE Schools from 1998 to 2014 before moving into the private sector as a financial advisor.

He and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters, Sarah and Abby, both graduates of Fishers High School.

“I am honored to serve and to give back to the Fishers community that has given so much to me,” Zahm said. “I look forward to supporting the library’s staff and board as we continue to strengthen literacy and learning across our community.”

The annual Mudsock football game is set for this Friday, September 12, but it’s not too early for fans to start planning ahead for the basketball edition of the rivalry. Tickets for the Mudsock Rivalry Basketball Game go on sale the same day at 10 a.m.

This year’s basketball showdown between Fishers High School and Hamilton Southeastern High School will be played Friday, December 19, at the Fishers Event Center. The girls game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 8 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.

The Mudsock rivalry began in 2006-2007, when Fishers High School opened, and has since become one of the most anticipated dates on the local sports calendar. Hamilton Southeastern currently leads both all-time series: the Royals boys are ahead 10-7, while the HSE girls lead 11-6. This season, Fishers will serve as the home team in the girls game, while Hamilton Southeastern will be home for the boys matchup.

Tickets will be available at FishersEventCenter.com beginning Friday morning. Prices are $10 for general admission, $30 for reserved loge seating, $35 for Legacy Club, and $40 for reserved courtside seats. Purchases are limited to eight tickets per order. Children age 5 and under are admitted free with an accompanying adult ticket.

The “Mudsock” nickname traces its roots to the late 1800s and early 1900s, when swampy ground in the area left residents and their horses ankle-deep in mud that resembled brown socks. The nickname stuck, and today it represents one of the area’s most spirited traditions.

The Hamilton East Library (HEPL) serves Noblesville and Fishers, and is establishing a new foundation to support its work.  Also, all Indiana libraries are sorting through new rules on funding from the Indiana General Assembly.

To talk about that, and much more, I spoke with HEPL Director Melissa Loisell and HEPL Foundation Director Lisa Longo in the podcast linked below.

Whenever I read about the intersection of 96th Street and Allisonville Road, two years immediately come to mind—1991 and 2012.

I moved to Fishers in May 1991 and often drove through 96th and Allisonville, especially during rush hour. Even back then, it was a busy spot where Indianapolis met the growing Town of Fishers.

Fast forward to 2012, the year I launched this news blog. Around that time, the Fishers Town Council was rolling out public-relations efforts to explain a traffic change few Hoosiers had ever seen: the “Michigan Left.” Instead of turning left at the light, drivers would first turn right, then make a U-turn.

Let’s just say the public wasn’t impressed. Social media and local media hammered the plan, and the Michigan Left quickly earned a reputation as a bad idea.

Not everyone agreed, though. My wife Jane, who worked at the Precedent office park near Keystone at the Crossing, used Michigan Lefts regularly and thought it saved time compared to long waits for a left-turn arrow. But public opinion carried the day, and engineers went back to the drawing board.

Studies eventually recommended a roundabout as the best long-term fix for 96th and Allisonville. Construction was painful, as expected, but the project was finished and the new roundabout opened.

Now, more than a decade later, the 96th and Allisonville roundabout is back in the news—and not always in a positive light. Some drivers say it’s just as frustrating as the Michigan Left that came before.

I’m not a traffic engineer, and I try to trust the experts on these matters. Still, I’ve always believed roundabouts are an improvement over four-way stops. When it comes to major intersections, though, I have my doubts. From what I’ve seen at 96th and Allisonville, many of the problems stem less from design and more from drivers who don’t know how to use a roundabout properly. Since Indianapolis doesn’t have nearly as many roundabouts as Fishers or Carmel, it may simply be a matter of unfamiliarity.

That brings me to a recent decision about another busy crossing—116th Street and Allisonville. Fishers officials announced that plans for a roundabout there have been scrapped. A new traffic study suggested that extending left-turn lanes would be a better way to relieve backups, particularly during rush hour.

Carmel may be the roundabout capital of Indiana, perhaps even the nation, and Fishers has been catching up. But the latest move shows that while roundabouts can be valuable, they aren’t always the best answer everywhere.