The Humane Society for Hamilton County will again partner with local philanthropist Steve Cage to host the fifth annual Furry Fracas pickleball tournament, set for Jan. 29 through Feb. 1 at The Picklr in Noblesville.

The four-day event raises money and awareness for HSHC and is part of the national Victory Pickleball Series, an amateur-only tour that combines competitive play with charitable giving. Organizers expect more than 700 players, volunteers, vendors and spectators to attend this year’s tournament.

Cage, a longtime supporter of HSHC, contributed $4 million to the organization’s capital campaign, helping make possible the Steven J. Cage Foundation Animal Wellness Center in Fishers. His involvement later expanded into ongoing operational support through pickleball fundraising events, leading to the creation of the Furry Fracas.

The tournament has grown steadily since its launch and is now considered one of the top pickleball events in Indiana. According to organizers, the Victory Pickleball Series averages about 450 players per tournament nationwide and has provided more than 45,000 meals for people in need and more than $100,000 in support for shelter pets.

“In five short years, we’ve grown the Furry Fracas into one of the top two tournaments in the state of Indiana,” said Kevin Huff, president of the Victory Pickleball Series. He said the event was created to generate critical awareness and financial support for HSHC.

In 2025, the Furry Fracas raised more than $30,000 in three days to support animal care and lifesaving programs at the shelter. This year’s event includes a partnership with title sponsor Tom Wood Porsche, with a goal of exceeding previous fundraising totals.

Rebecca Stevens, president and CEO of HSHC, said the tournament reflects Cage’s commitment to shelter animals and the community. She said the event benefits not only Hamilton County but also the broader communities reached by the Victory Pickleball Series.

The Furry Fracas is open to players of all ages and skill levels and will feature competition on 19 indoor courts at The Picklr over the course of the tournament.

Two long-time and well-known Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools staff members will retire at the end of the 2025–26 school year, bringing decades of service to the district to a close.  Their retirements were formally approved by a vote of the HSE School Board Wednesday night.

James “Jim” Brown, athletic director at Fishers High School, and Janet Chandler, a longtime teacher and former local teachers union president, will both conclude careers that had a significant impact on students, colleagues, and the broader HSE community.

Jim Brown: Two Decades Leading Fishers High School Athletics

Jim Brown has served as athletic director at Fishers High School since its early years, overseeing the growth of the Tigers’ athletic programs into one of the most visible and competitive in central Indiana. His career in education and athletic administration spans more than four decades.

Before coming to Fishers, Brown spent more than 20 years as athletic director at Triton Central High School. At Fishers High School, he guided the athletic department through rapid enrollment growth, conference realignment, facility expansion, and the increasing complexity of high school athletics.

Colleagues and coaches have credited Brown with emphasizing sportsmanship, student development, and academic balance, while supporting dozens of athletic programs and hundreds of student-athletes each year. Under his leadership, Fishers teams have competed in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference and regularly advanced in sectional, regional, and state tournament play across multiple sports.

Brown has also been active in state-level athletic organizations and has received professional recognition from coaching and athletic administrator groups during his career. His steady presence has made him one of the most familiar and respected figures in Fishers High School athletics.

Janet Chandler: Educator, Advocate, and Union Leader

Janet Chandler’s retirement marks the end of a long career at Hamilton Southeastern High School, where she taught social studies and was deeply involved in academic enrichment programs such as We the People and Mock Trial. Former students and colleagues often point to her passion for civic education and student engagement.

In addition to her classroom work, Chandler served as president of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), the district’s teachers union. In that role, she represented educators in contract negotiations, professional concerns, and discussions with district administrators and the school board. She became a familiar voice in public meetings, advocating for teachers while emphasizing collaboration and respect for the profession.

Chandler has received multiple honors during her career, including recognition from the Indiana State Teachers Association and a Sagamore of the Wabash award, reflecting her contributions to education and public service in Indiana.

Her dual roles as both educator and union leader made her a key figure in district conversations about teaching conditions, student needs, and the future of public education.

A Lasting Impact

Together, Brown and Chandler represent two very different but equally influential paths of service within Hamilton Southeastern Schools — one in athletics administration and the other in classroom teaching and professional advocacy. Their retirements will mark the end of an era for Fishers High School and HSE.

Sahil Panwar scored a late power-play goal to break a third-period tie and lift the Indy Fuel to a 3–2 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday night, the teams’ first meeting of the 2026 calendar year.

The Fuel built a 2–0 lead before Fort Wayne rallied early in the third period to even the score, but Indy capitalized on a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage late to secure the regulation win.

Indy opened the scoring at 7:18 of the first period when defenseman Matt Petgrave finished a backhanded shot in front of the net. Nick Grima picked up the assist on the goal. Goaltender Mitchell Weeks helped preserve the lead with several early stops, including a behind-the-back save on a Komets breakaway.

The Fuel held a 1–0 advantage after one period despite being outshot 12–7, and they successfully killed multiple Fort Wayne power plays in the opening frame.

After a scoreless second period for most of the frame, Indy doubled its lead with 39 seconds remaining. Tyler Paquette found the net to make it 2–0, with Jadon Joseph recording the assist. Fort Wayne controlled much of the play through two periods, outshooting the Fuel 26–14.

The Komets broke through early in the third period when Dustyn McFaul scored at 2:19 to cut the deficit to 2–1. Fort Wayne tied the game at 7:29 as Austin Magera beat Weeks to make it 2–2.

The decisive moment came late in regulation. After Fort Wayne was assessed two penalties, giving Indy a 5-on-3 power play, Panwar scored to restore the Fuel’s lead at 3–2. Fort Wayne pulled its goaltender for an extra skater in the final minutes and briefly gained a two-man advantage, but the Fuel held on to close out the win.

The Fishers Arts Council is inviting artists from Central Indiana and surrounding areas to submit work for three upcoming exhibits at the Art Gallery inside Fishers City Hall, scheduled for February, March and April 2026.

Calls for art are open to individuals ages 16 and older who meet the requirements of each exhibit theme. Full details and submission links are available at this link.

The February exhibit, Embracing Black Culture, will feature a collaboration with eighth-grade students from Fall Creek Junior High. Students will create artwork inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’ concept of Double Consciousness and the artistic style of Everlyn Nicodemus. Their work will be displayed alongside pieces from community artists. Participating artists may either follow the same prompt as the students or submit work they feel embraces Black culture. The submission deadline for this exhibit has been extended to January 20.

In March, the Arts Council will again partner with the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability for March Disability Awareness, an annual exhibit that has been held since 2017. The exhibit is open to visual and performing artists who identify as having a disability, as well as organizations that support individuals with disabilities. Performing artists selected for the exhibit will have the opportunity to perform at the Second Friday reception on March 13. The application deadline is February 16.

April will introduce a new exhibit titled Spring Blooms with Poetry – Tiny Art. The show will focus on small-scale 2D and 3D artworks no larger than 8 inches by 8 inches by 8 inches, paired with poetry. The Fishers Arts Council will print and frame accepted poems. Submissions are encouraged to celebrate art, nature, poetry and beauty, though any all-ages-appropriate subject matter will be considered. The deadline to apply is March 16.

In addition to visual art opportunities, the Fishers Arts Council is also seeking musicians for its 2026 Season of Art. The program offers paid performance opportunities for solo artists, duets and trios in Arts Council gallery spaces and those of Gallery Hop partners. At least 28 performance slots are available, with scheduling information and an interest form posted on the Arts Council website.

The Fishers Arts Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting and cultivating visual and performing arts that enhance the quality of life in Fishers. Its gallery space is located inside the Fishers Municipal Center.

Several years ago, The Athletic burst onto the sports media scene as an ambitious startup, quickly earning a reputation for deep reporting and top-tier writers. I was an early subscriber and, like many readers, grew attached to the voices and insights of journalists who treated sports seriously and intelligently. Over time, however, layoffs thinned that roster of writers, including several I particularly enjoyed, and I eventually let my subscription lapse.

Not long after, the New York Times made a major strategic shift of its own. The paper eliminated its standalone sports section, reassigned many of its sports reporters to other beats, and purchased The Athletic to serve as its primary sports platform. In effect, The Athletic became the New York Times sports section — with all the reach, credibility and global audience that comes with it.

That context matters, especially for Fishers.

For some time now, both here on this site and on my podcasts, I have been talking about how significant it would be for Fishers to become the headquarters of the Cadillac Formula One team. This is not just another corporate relocation or economic development announcement. Formula One is a truly global sport, followed by hundreds of millions of fans around the world. Having a team — especially one backed by General Motors — based in Fishers places our community on an international stage in a way few developments ever could.

This week, The New York Times/The Athletic published a story detailing General Motors’ commitment of substantial financial resources to the new Cadillac Formula One effort. Tucked into that national and international coverage was a brief mention of Fishers.

It may only be a line or two in a long article, but it carries outsized significance. When a global publication like the New York Times mentions Fishers in the context of Formula One and General Motors, it signals that our city is no longer just a fast-growing suburb. It is becoming part of a worldwide conversation — exactly the kind of visibility that can shape Fishers’ future for decades to come.

You can read The Athletic article published on the New York Times Web site at this link.  The article is gifted, so there is no paywall.

Revenue generated by the Fishers Event Center is meeting all projected targets needed to pay off the bonds used to construct the facility, city officials reported Monday.

Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren told the Town Hall Building Corporation that revenue performance is on track and, in some categories, slightly exceeding original forecasts.

Following the meeting, LarryInFishers asked Hultgren about one potential revenue stream not discussed during the presentation: naming rights for the Event Center. Hultgren said there is nothing new to report. Responsibility for securing a naming-rights agreement rests with the Hallett Company, owner of both the Indy Fuel and the Fishers Freight.

Event Center General Manager Mitch List also provided an update on attendance for the Indy Fuel hockey season. List noted that the schedule has included a higher number of Wednesday night games, which traditionally draw smaller crowds than weekend dates. Despite those challenges, List reported strong results for other events. Two Professional Bull Riding events held last weekend both sold out.

The Fishers Event Center has also received national recognition from Pollstar, a leading events industry publication. The venue has been nominated for Pollstar’s New Concert Venue of the Year award, one of six venues nationwide to earn the distinction.

Other nominees include Channel 24 in Sacramento, California; Coca-Cola Amphitheater in Birmingham, Alabama; Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Ontario; The Dome in Virginia Beach, Virginia; and The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee. The winner will be announced April 15.

In other business before the Town Hall Building Corporation, the board approved an economic development incentive plan for INCOG, a local life sciences firm. The Fishers City Council has already voted in favor of the agreement.

The board also confirmed its officers for 2026, with Jay Bangert continuing as president, Ben Jefferis as vice president, and Joe Eaton as secretary.

Indiana football fans will have a chance to come together for a historic night when the Fishers Event Center hosts a free watch party for the College Football National Championship game on Monday, January 19.

With Indiana stepping onto the national stage, organizers say watching the game at home simply doesn’t do the moment justice. Instead, fans are invited to experience the championship on the largest screen in Fishers, surrounded by fellow Hoosiers who understand the significance of the occasion.

Doors at the Fishers Event Center will open at 7 p.m., with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but a ticket is required for entry. Free parking will be available, and concessions will be open throughout the evening.

The event is designed as a community celebration of Indiana football, giving fans a shared space to cheer, react and take in what many are calling a once-in-a-generation moment for the program. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, the watch party aims to capture the atmosphere of a big-game environment without leaving Fishers.

Organizers encourage fans to arrive early to secure seating and soak in the energy leading up to kickoff. With a national championship on the line, the night is being billed as more than just a game—it’s a chapter in Indiana football history.

The Indiana Football Watch Party will take place at the Fishers Event Center on January 19. Tickets are free and required, and additional details are available through the venue’s official channels.  Get your tickets at this link.

The Indy Fuel avoided a series sweep Sunday night, closing out a three-games-in-three-days set with a 2–1 victory over the Rapid City Rush.

After dropping the first two games of the weekend, Indy responded with a strong performance, controlling play for much of the contest and outshooting Rapid City 57–31.

The Rush struck quickly to open the scoring, as Connor Joyce netted the game’s first goal just 32 seconds into the opening period. Indy answered with sustained pressure, dominating possession and generating numerous scoring chances.

Tempers flared midway through the first period when Fuel captain Chris Cameron and Rush forward Garrett Klotz dropped the gloves at the 8:05 mark. Both players received five-minute fighting majors.

Indy appeared to tie the game late in the period when Terry Broadhurst and Sahil Panwar connected on a scoring chance, but after video review the call on the ice of no goal stood. The Fuel finally broke through at 16:14, when Matt Petgrave scored to even the contest. Jesse Tucker and Cody Laskosky earned assists on the play.

The Fuel carried a 25–10 shot advantage into the first intermission.

Indy took its first lead of the series early in the second period. Owen Robinson scored at 7:06, finishing a setup from Lee Lapid to make it 2–1. The Fuel continued to press but were unable to add to the lead despite several quality opportunities.

Special teams played a key role as Indy killed off Rapid City’s lone power play of the night and held firm during a late third-period push. The Rush pulled their goaltender with under two minutes remaining, but the Fuel defense and goaltending stood strong to preserve the one-goal victory.

The win allowed Indy to close the weekend on a positive note after a demanding stretch of three games in three days.