There is a reason the number of posts on my blog the past week have not been as frequent.  Here’s why.

My wife Jane and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary May 11th of this year.  We wanted to return to Las Vegas where we traveled after our wedding day.

The problem in May was this – Vegas was just beginning to reopen.  Many shows were closed and restaurants were just beginning to reopen.

So, we decided to wait.  That led to our anniversary trip postponement to last week.  Let’s say it was well worth the wait.

We saw shows, visited restaurants and just soaked up the fast paced atmosphere of the Las Vegas Strip.

Jane and I are back in Fishers now.  It may have taken a few months to finish our 30th wedding anniversary, but we enjoyed this trip together.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools are preparing for bringing a new elementary school online and need to redraw some elementary student boundary lines, but don’t call it redistricting.  School officials are labeling the project as “redefining boundary lines.”

Administrators Kim Lippe and Katy Dowling told the school board Wednesday night that the redrawing of student attendance lines will impact as few students as possible, and only in the area near the under-construction Deer Creek Elementary building in Wayne Township, to the extent possible.  Lippe and Dowling said the term “redistricting” might be construed as a district-wide plan, where HSE plans to minimize the number of students impacted and will strive to keep neighborhoods together to the extent possible.

Deer Creek will replace Durbin Elementary, which cannot be expanded at the current location due to the lack of suitable utility hookups, such as water and sewer.  The school corporation has said in the past that it plans to keep the Durbin building for uses other than an elementary school.

Durbin has about 350 students and Deer Creek will have a capacity of roughly 750 students.  Lippe and Dowling say Deer Creek will be at 80% capacity at the opening, allowing for expected growth in the Wayne Township area.  Deer Creek is projected to welcome the first elementary students and staff in the fall of 2022.

Southeastern Elementary has exceeded expected student population, with portable classrooms in use.  Dowling told the board one goal is to avoid portable classrooms.

Administrators provided a timeline and other information on the formulation of new boundaries, and can be seen at this link.

Dowling added that there will be meetings scheduled with people in the school buildings impacted before the board considers the administration proposal in November, but those meeting dates have not been finalized.

HSE Schools Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said that families have asked about an option to remain in their current elementary building.  That is possible, Dr. Stokes said, but it will depend on all the building capacity numbers.  Dr. Stokes added that the goal is to keep Deer Creek at no more than 600 students in the first school year.

Per the schedule presented, the board will have a final proposal on the new boundaries in December.

In other school board news from the September 22 session:

–Dowling presented a budget timeline for the board.  The budget will be publicly advertised on October 1, and available on the schools Web site (hseschools.org) along with other platforms.  A public hearing will be held at the October 13 board meeting, with a final board vote on the 2022 spending plan expected October 27.  The legal deadline to enact a budget is November 1.

–The board gave final approval to board policies on gifts and technology.  Suzanne Thomas was the only no vote on the technology section, citing concerns about parental notification on student data collection.

–Dr. Stokes informed the board that the transportation department is fully staffed, but could still use 10-15 more school bus drivers to even out more routes.  There are roughly 15 job openings in food services.

–Dillon O’Rourke, a freshman at HSE High School, was featured in Snapshots of Success.  Dillon started his own business,  D1 Customs.  With time on his hands during the pandemic, Dillon started researching artists and shoe customizers.  He has now turned this into his own business.  He has created over 40 unique, customized shoes for local business owners, HSE staff and students, as well as a professional athlete, and plans to continue with the enterprise.

We may be more than a month away from Halloween, but the Fishers Police Department is wasting no time in announcing Trick or Treat hours for the city.  On Sunday, October 31, 2021, the Fishers Halloween Trick or Treat hours will be 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Police Chief Ed Gebhart shares the following tips with local residents, per a department news release:

·         Give and accept pre-packaged candy only. Homemade treats should not be handed out or consumed.

·         Only go to houses that you know the owner.

·         Have children bring treats home for adult inspection before they are eaten.

·         A parent or adult should accompany children when they are trick-or-treating.

·         Carry a flashlight.

·         Stay within your neighborhood; only visit homes where the porch lights are on, indicating a home that is handing out treats.

·         Choose costumes that are flame retardant.

·         Wear light-colored clothing, short enough to prevent tripping.  Add reflective tape to dark colored costumes.

·         Watch for vehicle traffic and use caution when crossing the street.

Police cars will be patrolling the neighborhoods to help ensure everyone’s safety.  If you see or find anything suspicious, please immediately call 911.

After a spring and summer season in-person, the Fishers Farmers Market will go online for the fall season.  The first online market will be  October 2 and the last one will be December 7.

Orders will be accepted through noon on Wednesdays for free Friday home delivery.  You can place orders at this link.

Here is the list of vendors planning to participate in the online Fishers Farmers Market:

Continue reading Fall Fishers Farmers Market goes online →

Monica Heltz, Public Health Director for the Fishers Health Department, could not attend Monday night’s city council meeting, but provided information showing roughly 80% of eligible Fishers residents have received at least one COVID vaccine shot.  She also says positive COVID cases in Fishers remain high, but have been declining over the past 2 weeks.  With final FDA approval expected soon involving booster COVID vaccinations for those over 65 and those with specific medical conditions, the health department is already gearing-up for that vaccination campaign.

In other business, council members gave final approval to the bonds financing the city’s acquisition of HSE Utilities sewer operations within the city of Fishers.  The $90 million transaction is before state regulators and city officials say they hope to take over those utility assets by January 1, 2022.

Finally, Police Chief Ed Gebhart recognized a member of his department for long-time service.  Todd Crowder was honored for 30 years with the department.  Also, civilian police department volunteer Art Hennig was recognized as the recipient of the Golden Hoosier Award from the office of Lieutenant Governor.

Keep Fishers Beautiful is a spring and fall endeavor, with a few programs ongoing year-round.

The city of Fishers has announced several fall programs, including the always-popular Recycling Day.

Here is an update on Keep Fishers Beautiful, as provided by the city of Fishers:

============

The designation of a school as Blue Ribbon is a very special national honor.  Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education for the United States. has announced Thorpe Creek Elementary, a part of Hamilton Southeastern Schools, is receiving the Blue Ribbon School honor.

“This year’s cohort of honorees demonstrates what is possible when committed educators and school leaders create vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school cultures where rich teaching and learning can flourish,” said Secretary Cardona in a news release. “I commend all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools and communities so that we can truly build back better.”

The Blue Ribbon School honor is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Thorpe Creek Elementary principal Sara Curran credits the school’s universal belief among staff and parents that all students are unique and capable. “This shared mindset drives high expectations and responsive instruction for each learner at TCE,” Curran said.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools produced a video on Thorpe Creek receiving the Blue Ribbon School honor.  See the video at the link below.

At the risk of showing my age once again, I was a student in a political science class in the mid 1970s.  The professor gave us a class project.  We were divided into groups, given census data and were tasked with drawing congressional boundaries.

The first thing that happened was one or two members of each group ended up doing most of the work, mainly because it was too difficult and cumbersome for a group of people to redistrict.  It is a numbers-oriented and detailed task.

When the class reassembled, the professor said he wanted to show us how redistricting is generally done…a small group of people do the number crunching.  Certain leaders instruct those drawing the maps what they want, but the final maps are drawn based on the work of a few people.  The availability of computerized data has created a science out of drawing these districts in recent years.

The Indiana General Assembly has released the proposed maps for the U.S. House of Representatives and Indiana legislative House members using 2020 census numbers.  House Speaker Todd Huston has represented most of Fishers the past ten years.  His district has been redone, District 37, where he plans to run for re-election.  His new district takes in part of east Fishers but also moves up to the northern and eastern parts of Hamilton County.

To be honest, the maps are a little confusing but Fishers will be represented by more than one member of the Indiana House in the 2022 legislative elections.  The map is not final, subject to a vote by lawmakers, but it is generally assumed the Indiana House maps will be approved as released.

As of this writing, state lawmakers had not released districts for the Indiana Senate.

It is a little difficult to sift out all the districts in detail based on the maps released so far.  But we do know U.S. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz will be running in a district without part of Marion County, and will run for re-election as a candidate to represent Fishers in 2022.

You may have seen a term lately in the news – “gerrymandering.”  That is a process imagined by a man named Elbridge Gerry.  As governor of Massachusetts in 1812, Mr. Gerry signed a bill that created a district many described as in the shape of a mythical salamander.  In other words, he invented the American version of drawing districts into whatever shape provides political advantage to the party in power.

Both Republicans and Democrats have been skillful in drawing gerrymandered districts when in power.  But there is a very big downside to gerrymandering districts – it creates voter apathy.  After all, why vote in a general election when one candidate has such a huge advantage over an opponent of the opposite party?

Indiana has very low voter turnout numbers compared to what is seen in most other sates.  A number of political scientists point to Indiana’s gerrymandered districts is a major reason for this.

Indiana State Senator Fady Qaddoura, a member of the State Senate Elections Committee, and representing a part of Fishers, argues in an opinion piece published in the Hamilton County Reporter, that Indiana suffers economically when districts are gerrymandered.  

“Indiana has plenty of advantages when attracting new businesses,” writes Senator Qaddoura. “However, recent studies show that Indiana underinvests in workforce development, K-12 education, healthcare and the environment. If we are to address these issues successfully, we need fair districts that elect more moderate legislators focused on problem solving and working together to address chronic challenges facing Indiana.”

The state senator urges the business community to get behind fair district lines as a way to develop Indiana by electing representatives from both parties that are more moderate.  He argues, as many political scientists do, that gerrymandered districts often produce more radical nominees for the general election, that may not be in tune with many voters in the district turned off by the gerrymandered districts.

I do not know whether that is true, but I do know our districts are contributing to a lack of interest in general election contests.  That is not good for our body politic.

I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I know we have a problem in Indiana.  We will wait and see what, if anything, happens next.

The Fishers Health Department has seen a slight increase in the Fishers testing site positive rate and a decrease in case incidence rate, in the latest update posted Friday. This is the second week that local health officials have seen a decrease in cases in Fishers, which may indicate that Fishers is in a position of flattening a bit. Overall, we are seeing that unvaccinated case rates are 7.5 times higher than in vaccinated cases.

Fishers is at COVID community risk Level 3 on a scale of 5, with 5 being the highest risk.

Although local hospital capacity is generally available at the moment, health officials say capacity continues to decrease and the number of people hospitalized is increasing.

See below for information just posted by the Fishers Health Department:

Vaccine Walk-In’s & Appointments Available for Ages 12+
Walk-in or schedule an appointment for your free COVID vaccine at the Fishers Mass Vaccination Site. Register in advance at ourshot.in.gov, by calling 2-1-1 or the Fishers COVID Hotline at 317-595-3211. Children ages 12 – 17 require parental consent to receive the vaccine. No insurance is required.

After reviewing even more data about the first COVID-19 vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, the FDA has issued full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. Join the millions who have already gotten a safe, effective, and free COVID-19 vaccine.

Fishers Mass Vaccination Site Walk-In Hours:

• Saturday: 10 – 11.45 a.m. & at the Fishers Farmers’ Market from 8.30 a.m. – noon
• Sunday: Closed

Beginning Monday, September 20:

• Monday: 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
• Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
• Thursday: 11 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.
• Friday: 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. & at the Fishers Farmers’ Market from 8.30 a.m. – noon
• Sunday: Closed

Rapid COVID Tests Available

• Monday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Tuesday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Thursday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Saturday: Closed
• Sunday: Closed

Due to the current volume of requests, we are prioritizing tests ages 5 -18 years old. Other requests are processed in the order in which they are received, and may take up to 24 hours for scheduling. Scheduling may be an additional 24 hours or more due to high demand. We currently have SAME DAY or NEXT DAY self-scheduling options for PCR tests. Schedule here.

Be aware of road closures on 116th Street, particularly between Brooks School and Olio Roads, starting September 23.

Below is the full listing of road construction in and around Fishers, as provided by the city:

===========