The Indy Fuel returned to the ice on the road Wednesday night after a brief hiatus caused by a player strike, but came up just short in their first game back, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Cincinnati Cyclones on New Year’s Eve.
The Fuel and Cyclones, division rivals in the ECHL’s Central Division, were tied 3-3 at the end of regulation before Cincinnati’s Ryan Kirwan scored the game-winning goal at 2:57 of overtime on a 4-on-3 power play.
Cincinnati opened the scoring late in the first period after Indy killed off an early slashing penalty to newcomer Mike Van Unen. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine put the Cyclones ahead 1-0, a lead they carried into the first intermission. Cincinnati outshot Indy 11-7 in the opening frame.
The Cyclones doubled their lead just 12 seconds into the second period when John Jaworski scored a shorthanded goal, making it 2-0. Indy responded quickly, as Owen Robinson scored less than three minutes later to cut the deficit in half. Lee Lapid and Matt Petgrave assisted on the goal.
The Fuel continued to build momentum midway through the period. Lapid tied the game at 2-2 at 12:25, with Eric Martin and Jadon Joseph earning assists. Indy then took its first lead of the night when Cody Laskosky scored to make it 3-2, assisted by Christian Berger and Chris Cameron.
Indy controlled much of the second period, outshooting Cincinnati 18-7 and holding a 25-18 edge in shots through two periods.
The third period featured several special teams opportunities for both sides, including a lengthy 5-on-3 power play for Cincinnati, but neither team was able to score until late. With just 1:11 remaining in regulation, Cyclones veteran Justin Vaive scored to tie the game at 3-3 and force overtime.
In the extra session, a boarding penalty to Indy’s Sahil Panwar gave Cincinnati a power play. After a timeout, the Cyclones maintained possession and Kirwan netted the decisive goal.
The Fishers Redevelopment Commission meets at City Hall (Photo from city video)
The Fishers Test Kitchen, launched in February 2020 as an incubator space for aspiring chefs, will soon give way to a new restaurant concept led by a familiar local name.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Fishers Redevelopment Commission voted to terminate the Test Kitchen’s lease in the Fishers District, which had been scheduled to run through November 2026. Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner told commission members the Test Kitchen initiative has been “a learning experience for all of us.”
Baumgartner said discussions with the current Test Kitchen operator ultimately led city officials to conclude the concept was “not able to realize that full potential of what we had hoped for.” As a result, the city decided to part ways with the operator. The commission approved a recommended $10,000 settlement to release the current tenant from remaining lease obligations.
The space will next be occupied by Kelsey Murphy, a Fishers resident who gained national recognition after winning MasterChef: Legends (Season 11) in 2021. Baumgartner said Murphy is enthusiastic about moving into the location. Additional details about Murphy’s plans for the space are expected to be released within the next two weeks.
Commission members approved a three-year lease for the new restaurant, beginning January 1, 2026. The operation is expected to be called Clutch Kitchen. Construction is anticipated to take more than six months, though a firm opening timeline has not yet been established.
The Fishers Test Kitchen opened in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning, limiting its initial operations to carry-out service only. The concept originated from discussions between local food writer Jolene Ketzenberger and Launch Fishers founder John Wechsler, who envisioned a shared kitchen model to help emerging chefs test restaurant ideas.
Baumgartner noted the Test Kitchen went through multiple iterations during its operation but never fully achieved its original vision.
The Indy Fuel will return to action this week following the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), ending the labor stoppage that had put the league’s season on hold.
In a statement released by the league, the ECHL and the PHPA confirmed that both sides have ratified a new agreement, allowing the 2025–26 regular season to resume Tuesday night. The agreement runs for five years, through the 2029–30 season.
“This new agreement ratified by both the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association significantly increases player compensation, improves health and safety and delivers on new initiatives that are responsive to our players’ needs, while supporting our league’s continued growth,” ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said in the league’s statement. He also thanked members of the collective bargaining committees for their work on behalf of the league.
For the Indy Fuel, the agreement clears the way for a busy return to the ice. The Fuel travel to Cincinnati for a Wednesday night road game before returning home to Fishers on Friday to face the Bloomington Bison. The team will then host the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday.
As play resumes, the Fuel hold an 11-11-2-1 record, totaling 25 points, and sit in fifth place in the Central Division.
The PHPA said its ECHL membership overwhelmingly approved the new agreement, citing progress on issues identified by players during negotiations. PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay praised the players’ unity throughout the process.
“This agreement reflects the unity, resolve, professionalism and discipline of our members throughout this process,” Ramsay said in a statement. “Meaningful progress was made in several key areas identified as priorities by our members, and this outcome would not have been possible without their engagement and support.”
Ramsay also thanked the PHPA’s bargaining committee and staff, as well as other labor organizations across North America, for their support during negotiations.
With the new contract in place and the season back underway, the Fuel and their fans can now turn their attention back to the Central Division race as the schedule resumes this week at Fishers Event Center.
The City of Fishers has announced the return of the Geist Half Race Series, Indiana’s premier waterfront running event, for its 18th year. The races are scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2026, along Geist Reservoir.
Registration opened today (Tuesday) with special New Year’s pricing available through 11:59 p.m. on January 1. City officials said early registration allows participants to secure the lowest price offered for the 2026 event and begin planning for their fitness goals for the coming year. Registration prices increase January 2.
The Geist Half Race Series offers multiple distances designed for runners and walkers of all experience levels, including a family-friendly 5K, a 10K, and a 13.1-mile half marathon featuring approximately 800 feet of elevation. All courses run along the Geist Reservoir waterfront. Participants receive a race medal, race shirt, and a drink ticket for the post-race celebration.
The 2025 event drew approximately 2,500 participants from 26 states. The race also gained national attention when four former Anderson University cross country and track athletes set a Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon run in a four-person costume, completing the course dressed as a caterpillar.
Several new and returning features are planned for 2026. Youth participants will be able to run or walk in the 5K for a flat $20 registration fee, with that price remaining unchanged throughout the registration period.
The race will again partner with the Fishers Arts Council on a community art contest to design the official race shirt. The contest is open to current high school juniors and seniors, with submissions accepted from January 5 through February 5, 2026. Finalists will be selected through community voting both online and in person at Fishers City Hall and the Fishers Community Center in late February.
The VIP Perks package, which sold out in 2025, will return next year. For an additional $58.99, runners can purchase reserved race-day parking, VIP race gear, access to a post-race recovery zone, VIP gear check, and an extra drink ticket for the post-race party.
Applications are also open for the Geist Half Marathon Ambassador Program. Ambassadors assist with race promotion through social media and at community events in exchange for free race registration and race-related merchandise. Applications are due by January 30.
More information about the Geist Half Race Series, including registration details, is available at GeistHalf.com.
Board President Juanita Albright (center) calls for the vote as Supt. Patrick Mapes (left) and board member Dawn Lang look on
The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Tuesday morning to approve a new one-year contract with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) covering the 2025–26 school year. But while the final vote was 7-0, the meeting itself underscored deep divisions within the community and among board members over the bargaining process and its outcome.
During public comment, HSEA President Tyler Zerbe thanked the union’s bargaining team and expressed appreciation for community support throughout the negotiations.
“HSE Schools parents, students and community — your support for your teachers is truly admirable and remarkable, and you have helped to further show us that standing up for what is right is always worth it,” Zerbe said.
Zerbe also alluded to the difficult nature of the talks as he urged board members to approve the agreement.
“I know what I am about to say is not easy but is the right thing to do,” he said. “Therefore, I would like to request that the board vote yes to ratify the contract, knowing that if it does not pass, it will only make an already difficult situation worse for the 1,300 bargaining unit members.”
Former Hamilton East Public Library Board member Ray Maddalone spoke in support of the contract, the board and the superintendent, but sharply criticized teachers’ unions.
“I’m glad that the superintendent and the board stopped letting the union treat Fishers taxpayers as their personal piggy bank,” Maddalone said. “Teacher unions continue to ask the public to fund teacher raises without any direct personal accountability for their performance in the classroom.”
Board member Latricia Schooley appeared to respond directly to those comments.
“I feel it is ethically necessary to tell certain audience members who come up and make negative comments about teachers: if you cannot say something that is positive, that is going to help bring the community together, maybe you need to look inside yourself before you speak,” Schooley said.
Former HSE School Board member Michelle Fullhart outlined alternative cost-cutting measures she said could have preserved teachers’ take-home pay without reducing compensation or increasing class sizes. Her suggestions included renegotiating the district’s grounds maintenance contract with the City of Fishers, ending the professional development contract with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, reducing administrative positions, and cutting the number of teacher development specialists in half while offering those individuals classroom teaching positions.
During board discussion, member Sarah Parks-Reese pushed back on public claims that the contract makes HSE the highest-paying district in Hamilton County.
“That is only true for teachers with no experience or just one to three years in the classroom,” Parks-Reese said. “This continues to be my biggest issue with the contract.”
Board member Ben Orr countered by citing a contract provision allowing salaries up to $93,200. “In theory, anyone joining HSE can make up to $93,200,” Orr said.
Parks-Reese responded that the higher salary cap applies only to “hard-to-fill” positions, not to “any” teachers.
Schooley said the bargaining process itself needs to change going forward.
“This should have been resolved before we had to be in the news, before it was sent to mediation,” she said. “It needs to be handled differently in the future.”
When the roll-call vote was taken, Parks-Reese described her vote as “a reluctant yes.” Orr, before casting his vote, read a lengthy statement saying he “cannot overlook how certain agenda-driven voices have influenced the narrative around this process.”
Following the meeting, HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told LarryInFishers that teachers may choose from three levels of health insurance coverage, with Option 1 offering the most comprehensive — and most expensive — plan. Brown said that if all teachers keep their current health insurance selections, they will see a reduction in take-home pay under the new contract. However, teachers who move from Option 1 to Option 2 or 3 would see savings in premium costs.
Brown also emphasized that all teachers have access to the district’s health clinic, which treats many common medical issues and provides basic prescription services.
With Tuesday’s vote, teacher contract bargaining is complete for the 2025–26 school year. However, the agreement lasts only one year, and negotiations will resume in September 2026.
Those talks will occur against a changing political backdrop. Four of the seven HSE School Board seats will be on the ballot in fall 2026 under new rules passed by the Indiana General Assembly. The changes allow school board candidates to declare a political party affiliation or run as nonpartisan, though races will not be decided through the primary election process.
Josh Kocher, who had been serving as deputy county prosecutor for Hamilton County, has been named the county’s new prosecutor following the resignation of Prosecutor Greg Garrison.
Garrison stepped down from the elected position earlier this month, citing health reasons. Kocher assumed leadership of the office on an interim basis while the process to select a permanent replacement moved forward.
Under Indiana law, when a vacancy occurs in an elected office such as county prosecutor, the political party that held the office conducts a caucus of precinct officials to appoint a successor. It remains unclear whether Republican precinct officials met and achieved a quorum to conduct that vote or whether the appointment was made directly by the county Republican Party chair.
Regardless of the procedure used, Hamilton County officials confirmed Kocher’s appointment in a social media post, formally naming him Hamilton County Prosecutor. Kocher will serve in that role through the end of 2026.
The prosecutor’s seat will be on the ballot in 2026 for a new four-year term. Kocher has previously announced his intention to seek election to the office at that time.
As 2025 draws to a close, it is worth taking a look back at another busy year in Fishers — a fast-growing suburban city that expects to reach a population of roughly 110,000 in 2026.
Indiana has no elections in the year following a presidential election, so 2025 brought little in the way of traditional campaign politics. Still, there were a number of stories with clear political and policy implications that shaped the year.
Each year since this local news website was launched in 2012, I have compiled a list of what I consider the top 10 stories of the year. The rankings are based on my reporting and judgment, and deciding what to include — and in what order — is never easy. That was certainly true again in 2025.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 news stories in Fishers for 2025, as I see them:
10. Eric Pethtel dies
Eric Pethtel led the Fishers Department of Public Works dating back to the days when Fishers was still a town, before its transition to a city in 2015. He developed the snow-removal plan that remains in place today and continues to evolve. His funeral was truly a celebration of a life well lived. Eric Pethtel played an important role in shaping the Fishers we know today.
9. Two local nonprofit organizations merge
Youth Mentoring Initiative and the Fishers Youth Assistance Program merged in 2025 to form the Fishers Youth Initiative. The new organization combines mentoring services with direct assistance for students and families in need.
8. HSE student and football standout Mason Alexander dies in car crash
A tragic March 1 crash at 113th Street and Florida Road claimed the life of Mason Alexander, 18. Alexander had already been recruited to play football at the University of Pittsburgh, a member of the ACC. On March 3, thousands gathered at the Hamilton Southeastern football stadium for a balloon release in his honor.
7. HSE Schools and the teachers’ union
Negotiations between HSE Schools and the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association were contentious. Teachers rejected the initial contract offer, talks moved into mediation, and a revised agreement was eventually ratified. The contract includes no pay raises or step increases and higher health-insurance premiums, deeply dividing the community.
6. Growth of professional sports in the first full year of the Fishers Event Center
Fishers has long supported high school athletics, but the opening of the Fishers Event Center ushered in a new era. Three professional teams now call Fishers home: the Indy Fuel hockey team, the Fishers Freight of the Indoor Football League, and the Indy Ignite women’s volleyball team. Mayor Scott Fadness also delivered his State of the City address at the venue, marking his 10th year as mayor.
5. Fishers expands local amenities
Two long-anticipated projects opened in 2025: the Fishers Community Center and Fishers White River Park. Both had been years in the making and added significantly to the city’s growing list of recreational and quality-of-life amenities.
4. Life sciences industry continues to grow
INCOG helped establish Fishers as a life sciences hub and announced plans to expand from about 400 employees to roughly 1,000 by 2030. The city approved economic incentives to support that growth. Italian life-sciences firm Stevanato Group also continues life science operations in Fishers.
3. Cadillac Formula One team to call Fishers home
For the first time in decades, Formula One will have a U.S.-based team. Cadillac is building a headquarters at the airport complex just north of 96th Street in Fishers. The move places Fishers on the international stage as the team prepares to field two cars in the 2026 season.
2. Hamilton County Election Board rejects voting centers
Indiana allows voters to cast ballots at any early-voting location, but Election Day voting remains precinct-based. Voting centers would have allowed voters to use any polling site in the county on Election Day. Approval required a unanimous vote, but the Hamilton County Election Board split 2–1. Republican appointee Ray Adler cast the dissenting vote.
1. Fishers approves a 10% rental-home cap per neighborhood
Fishers became the first city in Indiana to adopt a cap limiting rental homes to no more than 10% of residences within a neighborhood. The proposal, introduced by Mayor Scott Fadness and approved by the City Council, includes lengthy transition rules and takes effect in 2026. The measure sparked intense debate and could still draw attention from state lawmakers.
And there it is. Several notable stories were left on the cutting-room floor, but this list reflects the best assessment I can make based on my reporting over the past 14 years — and particularly in 2025.
Here’s hoping 2026 brings plenty of good news for Fishers.
Each year as we wind down at the end of December, I review my work over the past 12 months and come up with the top ten news stories that happened in Fishers. For 2025, I invited Fishers Magazine Publisher Alison Gatz to join me in a podcast to review all ten stories in this podcast. You can listen at this link or the link below.
The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is scheduled to take a ratification vote Tuesday morning on a new teacher contract with the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), a move that would formally finalize the agreement.
HSEA members have ratified the one-year contract after rejecting an earlier version of a tentative agreement.
The agreement includes no base salary increases and no step increases tied to years of service. During last Tuesday’s public hearing, HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown said teachers’ take-home pay will vary depending on which of the district’s three health insurance plans they choose.
Former HSE School Board member Michelle Fullhart criticized the agreement during the public hearing, saying teachers “feel disrespected, voiceless and defeated.”
“Other districts have found a way to give their teachers a raise, or at the very least, a step increase, while also dealing with the same issues with state funding,” Fullhart said. “This is the first contract in the history of HSE where teachers will not get raises and many will take home less pay.”
Board member Dawn Lang offered a different perspective, emphasizing the district’s long-term financial stability. She cited rising operational costs, relatively low per-student funding under the state’s funding formula, and a slightly declining student population as significant budgetary pressures facing the district.
Comparisons with nearby school districts show a wide range of outcomes in recent teacher contracts, although complete details are not always publicly available, here is what I was able to find from various sources.
Noblesville Schools approved a contract with no base salary increase, but teachers will receive step increases and benefit costs will remain unchanged. Lawrence Township’s agreement provides a 2 percent salary increase, though teachers will see a 9.5 percent increase in health insurance premiums.
Hamilton Heights approved a contract that includes a minimum 5 percent salary increase, with an average increase of 7.66 percent across all staff positions. Teachers in the Mount Vernon Community School District in Hancock County are in the second year of a two-year contract providing an average raise of approximately $2,235 per teacher, or about a 3.75 percent increase.
Carmel Clay Schools’ 2025–26 agreement includes an approximate 2 percent base salary increase, along with standard step increases based on experience. Westfield Washington Schools approved a contract with no base salary increase, but teachers will continue to receive step increases.
Fullhart said HSE, one of the largest school districts in Indiana, could have identified $1.7 million—about one-half of one percent of the district’s annual budget—to offset rising health insurance costs and prevent reductions in teachers’ take-home pay. Lang maintains the agreement reflects responsible planning to protect the district’s financial health over the long term.
That’s where we are at this point in the Hamilton Southeastern School District, encompassing all of Delaware, Fall Creek and Wayne Townships, including the entire City of Fishers.
A tentative labor agreement between the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and its players could bring an end to the midseason strike that has disrupted the league’s schedule and placed Indy Fuel home games at the Fishers Event Center in doubt.
In a statement issued Saturday night, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) announced that it has reached a tentative deal with the ECHL on a new collective bargaining agreement.
“The Professional Hockey Players’ Association and the ECHL announced today that a tentative deal has been reached on a new collective bargaining agreement,” the statement said. “The tentative agreement remains subject to ratification by the PHPA’s ECHL membership and approval by the ECHL Board of Governors.”
The PHPA added that players will report to their teams “in good faith and prepare to return to play,” pending ratification and league approval. No specific terms of the agreement were released, and the union said additional details will be shared at a later time.
The strike, which began Friday afternoon after months of stalled negotiations, resulted in multiple game postponements across the league and raised questions about the status of upcoming Indy Fuel games. The Fuel are the primary tenant of the Fishers Event Center and typically play 36 regular-season home games at the venue each season, not including potential playoff contests.
If the agreement is ratified by players and approved by the ECHL’s Board of Governors, league play could resume quickly, potentially allowing scheduled home games in Fishers to proceed as planned.
As of Saturday night, the ECHL had not announced a revised schedule or confirmed the status of upcoming games. So far, Fuel games at Fort Wayne, Wheeling and a home game Sunday with Toledo have been postponed.
