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.

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.

The Indy Fuel wasted no time in announcing its first scheduled home contest following the ECHL player strike will be postponed.  The game had been set for 4pm Sunday at the Fishers Event Center.

If you have tickets for this game, here is what the Fuel posted for you:

• Full Season Ticket Members do not need to do anything. Your tickets will be applicable to the rescheduled game and will reflect as such in your account when those details are decided.
• Non-Full Season Package Holders do not need to do anything. Your tickets will be applicable to the rescheduled game and will reflect as such in your account when those details are decided.
• Single Game Tickets purchased through the Indy Fuel front office do not need to do anything. Your tickets will be applicable to the rescheduled game and will reflect as such in your account when those details are decided.
• Single Game Tickets purchased through a third party vendor (Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, etc.) will be automatically applied to the rescheduled game and will reflect as such in your account when those details are decided OR a refund can be issued from the vendor.
• Tickets purchased at the Fishers Event Center box office must be returned to the box office to receive a refund or applied to a different game.
• Fuel Family Four Packs, Holiday Hat Trick Packs, Kid’s Club Ticket Redemptions will be applicable to the rescheduled game and will reflect as such in your account when those details are decided.
• Group Tickets may be exchanged for a future game. Your Fuel Account Executive will reach out to discuss options.

The ECHL players’ strike has claimed the second Indy Fuel game.  The matchup scheduled Saturday night in Wheeling will not be played.  Friday night’s scheduled game at Fort Wayne was not played.

Still no word on the Fuel’s scheduled 4pm home game Sunday.  If past practice continues, that announcement will likely be made sometime midday Sunday.

Read my most recent story posted Saturday for the latest on the job action

A labor dispute between the ECHL (formerly known at the East Coast Hockey League) and its players is disrupting the league’s schedule and could affect upcoming home games for the Indy Fuel at the Fishers Event Center, beginning with Sunday’s scheduled 4pm matchup against the Toledo Walleye.

The Fishers Event Center opened with the Indy Fuel as its primary tenant. The team typically plays 36 regular-season home games at the venue each season, not including potential playoff games.

As of December 27, 2025, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) has officially begun a midseason strike against the ECHL following months of unsuccessful negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The work stoppage began Friday afternoon and resulted in the postponement of 13 league games scheduled for Friday, December 26.

According to the PHPA, several key issues remain unresolved. The union is seeking a weekly team salary cap of $19,500 for the 2025–26 season, which would average roughly $975 per player per week. Players are also calling for changes related to travel and safety, including a league-wide holiday break from December 24 through 26 and limits on travel for back-to-back games. In addition, the PHPA is seeking guaranteed contracts and offseason health benefits.

The ECHL has disputed the union’s position, stating it issued what it called a “last, best, and final offer” on December 25. The league says that proposal includes a 19.8 percent increase in the salary cap. League officials have also warned that revenue lost from postponed or canceled games could negatively affect future proposals.

While games involving the Fuel and other ECHL teams remain uncertain, some league owners are exploring the use of replacement players to keep the season moving.

Fort Wayne Komets management has confirmed the team is already contacting and evaluating potential replacement players, likely from the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) or the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Some teams are reportedly hoping to ice replacement rosters as early as New Year’s Eve in an effort to minimize financial losses.

League rules require teams to dress a minimum of 13 skaters and two goaltenders to play a scheduled game. If either team in a matchup cannot meet that threshold, the game will be postponed.

Team owners have acknowledged that the use of replacement players could cause long-term damage to relationships with current PHPA-contracted players.

As of this writing Saturday, the ECHL has not announced whether Saturday’s game at Wheeling or Sunday’s Indy Fuel home game in Fishers will be played as scheduled or postponed.

This is the weekend between Christmas and the New Year holiday, so local road construction is not so robust this time of year.  But the weekly update does keep us in touch with ongoing projects, such as the resurfacing happening in the Plantana neighborhood, very dependent on the weather this time of year, of course.

Here is the weekly report on Fishers area road construction, as provided by the City of Fishers, for the work week starting Monday, December 29:

Continue reading Final Fishers Area road construction report for 2025 →