In the late 1970s, I had just started as the morning news anchor for WCSI Radio in Columbus, Indiana.  I was also tasked with covering any news events scheduled during the day.

I was to cover a meeting of the Indiana State Senate Finance Committee.  The location of that Columbus meeting was a building that I had never entered.

Upon arrival, the front doors were all locked and it appeared there was no one in the building.  I double-checked and found I was at the correct address.

Then the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, John Mutz arrived.  One thing I knew for sure – the meeting wouldn’t start before the chairman arrived.

We were both a few minutes late and could not figure out how to enter this building.  Finally, I found what looked like a fire-escape style ladder on the side of the building.  We went up the ladder, found a large steel door, and found the meeting, waiting for the chairman to arrive.

That was the first time I ever met John Mutz.  He struck me as a good and down-to-earth man as we partnered to find a way into that Columbus building.  As I continued my journalism career, I found Mr. Mutz had a reputation for integrity, even among those not on his political wave length.

John Mutz later became Lieutenant Governor for the State of Indiana, but lost in his bid for governor.  He became a corporate executive as well as a leader in the nonprofit sector, heading up the Lilly Foundation for a time.

The name of John Mutz surfaced in an Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) article published in the September 10th edition.  Reporter Emily Ketterer wrote about Mr. Mutz’s involvement in the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism’s Local News Initiative.

As a former politician, office holder and private sector leader, Mutz saw how the lack of local news was hurting communities.  He wanted to do something about it.  He put his money on that concern.

Data cited in the IBJ article says 200 counties and 1,300 communities throughout the United States have no local news sources as of early 2020.  Indiana has fared a bit better with only two counties without some local news source – Scott and Crawford.

John Mutz donated an initial $250,000 to start the Local News Initiative program in 2017,  then later kicked-in $2 million two years later.  He also arranged for foundation funding to augment the program.

The Medill School is helping news organizations in focusing on how to serve readers.  The online advertising dollars are being scooped-up by the big tech platforms, meaning local news outlets must lean on reader revenue.

The program helps in gathering and interpreting data to develop content relevant to the local community served.

I have been writing about the tragic slow death of local news outlets for years.  Seeing a man like John Mutz supporting a major endeavor aimed to helping these local news outlets is encouraging.  Let us just say I am a bit more hopeful about the future of local news now.

You can read the IBJ story at this link.  (Note: Subscription may be required)

A Friday night crash, shortly before 5:30pm, resulted in the death of a motorcyclist at 96th Street and Olio Road.  James Michael Alexander Douglas, 26, from Indianapolis, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

A statement issued Monday by Fishers Police cites preliminary evidence and witness statements indicating the crash occurred when the Yamaha motorcycle, traveling northbound, collided with a Honda CRV as it was turning southbound from Geist Crossing Road.  The driver of the Honda, Jose Lucas Lugo Padua, 79, from McCordsville, suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Fishers Police continue their investigation into the crash.

I have already written about the Mudsock Football Game Friday night, featuring the local rivalry between our two high schools, Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern.

During halftime, before the Fishers High School band took the field, the district recognized the teachers of the year.

Here is a video of the celebration (my apologies, a big shaky from recording on a cell phone)…..

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was remembered in local places throughout America and the world on September 11, 2021.  Fishers was one of those communities.

City officials here embedded some of the commemoration into already-scheduled events, such as the weekly Farmers Market and Safety Day.  But faith leaders from throughout the city assembled in a special multi-Faith gathering at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater to speak about how their faith got them through the 9/11 attacks.

Fishers Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren spoke at the Multi-Faith event, describing what it was like being a first-year student at the Naval Academy and dealing with 9/11, as well as its aftermath.

Here are a few photos taken at the 9/11 2021 events in Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers remembers 20 years since 9/11 →

There was a football Mudsock Game played in 2020, but the crowd was limited and the atmosphere was nothing like the past.  Over the years, this Friday in September has grown to one of the biggest (some say the biggest) event each year in Fishers.

Thousands of fans cram into one of the local football stadiums, this year Fishers was the home team.  Home field advantage didn’t help the Tigers as the HSE Royals came up with a convincing win, 45-13.

The game is not all of what the Mudsock event entails.  The teachers of the year in buildings throughout the HSE District are honored at halftime.

The weather was perfect and a sellout crowd enjoyed just being at the event after the lockdowns and limited crowds in 2020.

This was our new Superintendent’s first Mudsock Game.  I asked Dr. Yvonne Stokes what she thought of the huge crowd.  Let’s just say she was impressed.

There was a major glitch in the second half of the game.  The scoreboard no longer worked, so game time was handled by the officials on the field, leading to a little confusion at times but it had no impact of the outcome of the contest.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is looking at some options on how to redistrict building boundary lines and a committee is looking at all the choices board members will have.  This will be needed when the new Deer Creek Elementary School opens, replacing Durbin Elementary school, but Deer Creek will have a much larger capacity for students.

A district-wide redistricting plan could be considered, or just looking at the district lines in the Deer Creek and Southeastern Elementary school areas could be changed, aimed at  preventing overcrowding, with residential home growth continuing in that area.  How the end of the pandemic will impact home values will be part of the equation.

“If we were to do a complete redistrict, what are the odds that we’re going to have to turn around and do it again if there is a stabilization that takes place in two years?,” HSE Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling told board members.  The board needs to consider how often students and parents will need to undergo a redistricting process, according to Dowling.

Dowling says the committee has no recommendation to present to the board as of Wednesday night’s meeting.  However, it is hoped that a final vote on a redistricting plan could be approved by the board sometime during the month of December, allowing families enough notice to know where there children will be attending school in the upcoming school year.

In other school board items from the September 9th session:

–First reading was given to changes in school policies.  Five people spoke on this issue, making various suggestions on changes to the policies.  All but one policy will return at the next meeting for final approval.

–Superintendent Yvonne Stokes praised a mental health program funded by a grant helping some students adjust to in-person learning after a school year with mostly virtual classes.  Also, HSE Schools received a $50,000 safety grant that will be utilized to partially fund salary and benefits for the School Resource Officers from the Fishers Police Department.

–The start of formal bargaining between the local teachers’ union and the school corporation means a public hearing must be held by the board as those talks begin, but no member of the public chose to speak.

–Fishers High School Senior Alex Horan was recognized by the board as a Snapshot of Success.  Alex is the recipient of the Judge John Price Scholarship for the Outstanding Eagle Scout of the Year.  For his Eagle Scout project, he redid his charter organization’s (The American Legion Post 470) deck.

The Fishers One organization issued a statement Thursday claiming Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools are not adhering to its own policy and state law in notifying parents of surveys being taken by their students.  HSE Schools say they are adhering to their policy and state law.

“Fishers One has received reports from parents that HSES has not requested parental
consent for to have their children participate in the recent Panorama Surveys for quite
some time,” according to the statement.  The group wants the school district to give notice and parental consent for “any personal analysis, evaluation or survey given to students not directly related to academic instruction.”

Fishers One also cites the Indiana Code, allowing parents access to educational materials used in the classroom.

The school district says it is following state law and providing parental notifications.

“HSE is acting in accordance with Indiana Code,” says HSE Spokesperson Emily Abbotts. “No students were/have been required to participate in the Panorama survey (which has been administered since spring 2019). Parents have been alerted via Skylert each year, a few weeks prior to the survey window, and offered an opportunity to opt their child out of the survey.”

School officials say the Panorama survey provides data leading to a safer and more supportive learning environment where students can see success in academics.  They add that the Panorama survey results are shared with families upon request.

The HSE District is offering the community an opportunity to review curriculum and continues to build on the data available at this link.

Some people just cannot afford housing on the amount of money they earn, and that is sadly too often the case in places like Fishers and Hamilton County.

Andrea Davis is Executive Director of HAND Inc., a nonprofit headquartered in Noblesville that works to bring attainable housing to the local area.

I spoke with Andrea in this podcast about the Cumberland Cottage housing development, the first for HAND in Fishers, as well as a number of other housing-related issues.

Since Andrea is a former journalist at the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ), I could not resist asking about her reaction to the IBJ’s acquisition of Inside Indiana Business.

Food insecurity is found in nearly every community throughout the nation, and Fishers has food insecure people.  A new community fund, Food For Thought, is being established locally.  The Youth Assistance Program and the HSE Schools Foundation have teamed up for the Turnover Hunger drive through September 10th.

For more details, see the information provided below:

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In past years, Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation has facilitated PastaBowl, a food drive where local students donated pasta that was distributed to local food pantries the same week as the Mudsock football game. This year, partnering with Fishers Youth Assistance Program, HSEF is excited to announce the new Turnover Hunger program.

From September 7-10, HSE students can bring in food donations to help stock local food pantries and assist with local programs that support food insecurity. There will be collection bins ready for donations at each school location!

• Grades PreK-4: boxed oatmeal or mac and cheese cups
• Grades 5-8: granola bars, peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers
• Grades 9-12: boxes of pasta

To donate, use this link.

In my opinion, there is no better place in the world to see live theater than New York City’s Broadway.  Director Oren Jacoby looks at how Broadway always finds a way to bring itself up once it is down.