Scott Fadness is a mayor always looking to the next thing on his agenda.  Even with that in mind, he appeared to enjoy talking about the many accomplishments he can tout for Fishers in 2025.  At the same time, he did touch on how personnel changes provided his biggest challenge of the year.

The mayor then turned to 2026 and what may be in store for Fishers looking ahead.

Here is Larry’s conversation with Mayor Fadness, recorded in the early afternoon of Wednesday, December 17, at the link below.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools and the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) have reached a tentative one-year contract agreement following mediation, hopefully bringing an end to weeks of negotiations between the district and its teachers.

Under the proposed agreement, teachers in Hamilton Southeastern Schools will receive no pay increase for the current school year. District officials and union leaders said the agreement reflects a shared effort to move the process forward while maintaining stability for students and staff.

“We appreciate the work that went into reaching this tentative agreement and the opportunity to come back together,” said HSE Superintendent Pat Mapes in a statement. “Our focus remains on our students, our staff, and the work ahead.”

Details of the agreement are available at this link. Both the school district and HSEA will now begin their respective ratification processes in the coming days. The agreement must be approved by the HSEA membership and the Hamilton Southeastern School Board before it can take effect.

“HSEA is proud to have accomplished its goal in gaining more funds for our teachers to put towards issues caused by rising insurance increases,” HSEA said in a written statement. “At this time, HSEA remains focused on ratification.”

The school board will hold a 7:30am meeting December 23 to present the terms of the pact to the board and allow a public hearing.  If teachers ratify, the board will vote to ratify at a meeting  December 30, also at 7:30am.

The announcement that Indiana State Senator Kyle Walker will not seek reelection has set the stage for a competitive race to succeed him, creating early political momentum in Senate District 31. Two Fishers Republicans and two Democrats have already signaled their intent to run.

District 31 includes all of the City of Fishers and a large portion of Lawrence Township in Marion County. In the most recent election, Republican Sen. Walker secured a comfortable victory over Democrat Jocelyn Vare, winning by an 11-point margin, 55 percent to 44 percent.

The latest candidate to enter the race is Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal, a Democrat who is term-limited and ineligible to seek another term as sheriff.  He joins Lasima Packett in the Democratic primary race.

On the Republican side, one local officeholders has announced plans to pursue the seat, another has formed an exploratory committee. Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Juanita Albright has announced her plans to run and  and Fishers City Councilor Tiffanie Ditlevson formed the exploratory committee.

While the early field is taking shape, the political maneuvering is just beginning. Candidate filing for the May primary does not officially open until Wednesday, January 7, with a deadline of noon on Friday, February 6.

With the incumbent stepping aside, additional candidates could still emerge — a common occurrence in open-seat races. At this early stage, it is far too soon to predict who will ultimately succeed Walker, but the ability to raise funds and build an effective campaign organization will likely play a decisive role in determining the next state senator for District 31.

A local athlete is receiving national recognition from U.S. Soccer.

U.S. Soccer has announced the nominees for its 2025 Extended National Teams (ENT) Player of the Year awards, and local power soccer standout Jordan Dickey has been named one of three finalists for Power Soccer Player of the Year. The award honors top performers across U.S. Soccer’s extended national team programs and highlights excellence in alternative and adaptive forms of the game.

Dickey, who serves as a co-captain for the U.S. Power National Team, was instrumental in the team’s success during the 2025 season. The Power NT captured the 2025 APFC America’s Cup championship and secured qualification for the 2026 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup, milestones in which Dickey played a central role.

Primarily deployed as the starting goalkeeper, Dickey teamed with Nathan Mayer to help the U.S. post seven consecutive clean sheets at the America’s Cup. In addition to his defensive impact, Dickey contributed offensively with five goals and two assists through his out-court play, underscoring his versatility and leadership on the floor.

Joining Dickey as finalists are fellow co-captain Riley Johnson, a center who led the team with eight goals in 2025, and striker Pete Winslow, who paced the squad with nine assists. Johnson’s seven goals at the America’s Cup were the most in the tournament, including decisive game-winners in the semifinal win over Uruguay and the championship victory against Argentina. Winslow played a key role in the final as well, delivering the assist on the indirect free kick that resulted in the title-clinching goal.

Award winners are determined by a weighted voting process that includes current ENT players, U.S. Soccer leadership, coaches and staff, as well as fans. The voting breakdown includes:

• 45 percent from players who earned an ENT cap in 2025

• 20 percent from ENT players voting in other categories

• 20 percent from the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, Athletes’ Council, and ENT coaches and staff

• 15 percent from a fan vote conducted at ussoccer.com

Fan voting is now open and runs through Friday, December 19, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Winners of the 2025 Extended National Teams Player of the Year awards will be announced in January 2026.

For Dickey, the nomination represents both personal recognition and a spotlight on the continued growth of power soccer and adaptive athletics at the national level.

Drivers traveling through the busy intersection of 146th Street and Allisonville Road should be prepared for temporary traffic impacts later this week.

Beginning Tuesday, December 16, the project contractor plans to implement periodic lane restrictions and ramp closures as crews install incidental construction items within the pavement areas. The work is part of the ongoing improvement project at the intersection.

According to project officials, the lane restrictions and ramp closures are expected to occur during normal daytime working hours and will continue through Friday, December 19. Motorists may experience delays, particularly during peak travel times.

Drivers are encouraged to plan extra travel time, remain alert, and follow posted signage and directions from construction crews while traveling through the work zone. Officials are also reminding motorists to use extreme caution to help ensure the safety of both workers and the traveling public.

Traffic patterns are expected to return to normal once the work is completed.

The Fishers Community Center has now reopened as of noon today (Tuesday).  Originally, the closure Monday morning was blamed on a power outage.  Later in the day, it was revealed that a mechanical issue with the heating system was the cause.

The Action Zone Child Care is open starting at 4pm today (Tuesday).

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School girls soccer team capped a historic 2025 season with a perfect record and a state championship, and the achievement was recognized Monday night by the Fishers City Council.

The Royals finished the season with 22 wins, no losses, and one tie, earning a state title and a place in the school’s record books. Head coach Greg Davidson and team members were honored by the council for their outstanding season.

In other business Monday night, council members removed the proposed Story Cottage memory care facility rezoning from the meeting agenda. Council President Pete Peterson said the petitioner plans to resubmit the proposal at a later date. The project had previously received a favorable 6–1 recommendation vote from the Fishers Plan Commission. However, several residents living near 10990 Brooks School Road spoke in opposition during the public hearing. With the withdrawal, the rezoning request will restart the approval process when it is resubmitted.

The council also approved several routine items, including fund transfers, an appropriation to support city health department programs using Health First Indiana funds, lease financing for equipment used by the Wastewater Department, and revisions to two positions in the 2026 city salary ordinance.

The Fishers City Council will begin 2026 with new leadership following unanimous votes taken Monday night.

Council members selected John DeLucia to serve as council president, succeeding current president Pete Peterson. Councilor Tiffanie Ditlevson was also unanimously approved to serve as vice president for the coming year.

In addition to electing new officers, the council adopted the Rules Committee’s recommendations for board and commission appointments in 2026.

Ditlevson will represent the City Council on the Fishers Plan Commission, replacing Brad DeReamer. Pete Peterson and Selina Stoller will continue to serve as the other council representatives on the commission.

Peterson will also continue his role on the Planned Unit Development (PUD) Committee. Members of the Riverplace PUD Committee will include Councilor John Weingardt, along with Shawn Curran and Drew Bender.

The council voted to reappoint Dan Canan and Brad Johnson as its representatives on the Fishers Redevelopment Commission.

Appointments to the Fishers YMCA Board include Naureen Ahmed, Brendan Murphy, and Josh Palmer.

Rich Bassett was approved for a two-year appointment to the Fall Creek Board of Zoning Appeals.

Fishers-based life sciences firm INCOG is planning a major expansion that could more than double its local workforce over the next several years.

INCOG CEO Cory Lewis told the Fishers City Council Monday night that the company expects to grow from its current workforce of about 400 employees to roughly 1,000 workers by 2030.

The City Council unanimously approved an economic development package to support the expansion. Fishers Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner said INCOG has fully complied with the terms of its first two economic development agreements with the city and is now seeking approval for a third phase.

The new agreement includes a 10-year real property tax abatement and city assistance with improvements to an adjacent pond area, which will be redeveloped to provide additional parking for the company’s growing workforce.

Baumgartner described INCOG as an “incredible” partner with the city.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the company has played a key role in promoting Fishers as a destination for life sciences firms. He noted that INCOG helped attract Italian-based company Stevanato Group to locate in Fishers.

INCOG is a contract development and manufacturing organization that specializes in the production and packaging of sterile injectable biopharmaceuticals.

It appears there is more than a power outage going on at the Fishers Community Center.  A late afternoon Monday update from the Center says “mechanical issues’ are impacting the heating system.  The latest information says the Center is “hopeful” to be open once again at noon on Tuesday.