A fiery crash early Saturday morning in Fishers took the life of a Carmel woman. It happened at 1:30am at the intersection of 116th Street and Belle Plaine Blvd, just east of Hoosier Road. Fishers Police have not yet released the name of the 57 year-old fatality.
Under arrest in connection with the crash is Dario Chagollan, 26, of Fishers. He faces a felony charge of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death. He received medical treatment following the crash and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail.
Police responded to the crash early Saturday involving a blue Mercedes passenger car and a white Toyota passenger car. Officers say they observed both vehicles in the eastbound lanes of 116th Street. The Toyota was fully engulfed in flames. The driver of the Mercedes suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital by Paramedics from the Fishers Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The driver of the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say the crash occurred when the Mercedes struck the rear of the Toyota.
Jane & I with our grandson Dakota, at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
It was the late 1960s, during my high school years, I was in a class. I do not remember which class, but I do clearly remember a discussion about what love means.
You can love your spouse and you can love the Green Bay Packers. Both are clearly not the same kinds of love. The dictionary has 2 definitions of love: “an intense feeling of deep affection” and “a great interest and pleasure in something.”
The second definition comes under the heading of loving the Green Bay Packers. But I would argue the first definition is much more nuanced. Affection has many different levels.
I love my mom and I love my father even though he left us 26 years ago. I love my siblings. I also have a special kind of love for my extended family like cousins, nephews, nieces, and on and on.
I learned that there is a different level of love one has for a spouse. My love for Jane is special having her as my wife. I never take that for granted.
The love I have for my daughters is another special type of love. It started when they came into the world 26 years years ago and has not changed even as they are adults and are married.
My maternal grandmother Alice Kidwell lived to be 99 years of age and she possessed a wealth of wisdom about life. She once told me that being a parent is a wonderful experience but being a grandparent is something very special.
I lived that observation from my grandmother two months ago when my first grandchild was born, Dakota Mitchell Lewis. He is loved in a very special way I could not understand before he was born.
My daughter Allison, son-in-law Jacob and grandson Dakota (we call him “Kota”) all live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a very nice community of about 180,000 people in southeast corner of the state, near Iowa & Minnesota. It is a very long day’s drive from Fishers.
I just finished my third trip to see all three – Allison, Jacob and Kota. I am living exactly what my grandmother explained to me many years ago, experiencing the love of a grandchild.
Being a grandparent is a special kind of love I could not know or fully understand until Kota was born. It is a joy that is hard to explain to someone not yet a grandparent.
I realize there are many subjects I could be writing about on this October Sunday. Election campaigns and other issues are before us locally. But I just found this to be the best time to write about love.
So, I have found what a grandparent’s love is all about. I cannot wait to see Kota grow as the years go by.
COVID-19 is impacted all of us in so many ways it cannot be counted accurately. Now, a local group is calling for a delay in the registration cycle for part day and school year preschool registration for the 2021/2022 school year.
The Early Learning Alliance Network (ELAN) released a statement in support of a local working group of early childhood leaders collaboratively making the decision to delay.
A work group of preschool leaders convened a discussion about the registration timeline for part day/school year programs during the first weeks of October. Historically, preschool registration for the estimated 16,000 young children in Hamilton County, Indiana begins in the Fall. Registration for part day/school year programs has intense activity over the winter months ultimately expecting all families to register in January for the next academic year.
“This year, given the COVID 19 pandemic and all of its implications for those in the child care and early education community, the leaders in a local working group of early childhood leaders have developed a new approach to registration and a final recommendation for 2021-2022 part day/school year preschool registration,” said Dr. Jody Britten, Founder of the ELAN.
The working group has officially made the recommendation to move preschool registration for part day/school year programs to March of 2021. This recommendation ultimately means that registration for the public/new families will open at preschool programs on Monday, March 15 at the earliest.
“As an organization that is fully committed to children, their families, and our early childhood program leaders and staff in our community, we 100% support this move and applaud the working group for taking this step forward. For years families have asked why we register so early, this year more than ever we need to reconsider practices and think critically about what can help our early childhood leaders, children, and families during these unprecedented times.” said Dr. Britten.
The working group shared the potential benefits for children, families, and preschool providers. Among others, the working group highlighted, that a change in registration timeline:
Allows children more time to learn and develop before placement decisions are made.
Reduces demand on preschool administrators and office staff during the fall and holiday time period.
Minimizes contact with those outside the program during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
Provides more time to evaluate and respond to the on-going pandemic, possible school closures, and any additional national, state and local guidance.
Allows family/teacher conferences to occur closer to registration.
Aligns more closely with public school Early Childhood evaluations and placement recommendations.
Defers the financial impact of registration fees on families until after the holidays.
“Based on the collaboration of the preschool leaders and the many potential benefits, we encourage area preschools to adopt the recommendation and operationalize a revised registration timeline and process for the 2021-2022 school year. The Early Learning Alliance Network fully supports the recommendation and registration move to March.Families should plan for later registration and notification,” shared Sara Mills Henderson.
Parents should look for upcoming news from local preschools and watch the #MoveToMarch hashtag on social media. “This is really an important opportunity for our community, and has the potential to really help so many families. We encourage all families to take this extra time to learn about available programs and take the time to truly consider the best possible placement for their children in the year ahead,” shared Angela Loser who serves as the Disabilities Advocate for the ELAN.
Former Hamilton County Superior Court 5 Judge Wayne Sturdevant died on Friday, Oct. 16.
Sturdevant served as judge for 20 years prior to his retirement in 2017.
Prior to his position as a judge, Sturdevant served as Hamilton County Chief Deputy Prosecutor from 1985 to 1996 and as a deputy prosecutor from 1980 to 1985.
Zionsville pulled away from visiting Fishers on Friday, with the Eagles scoring 24 second-half points to beat the Tigers 38-7 in their regular-season and Hoosier Crossroads Conference finale.
The game started out “very competitive,” said Fishers coach Curt Funk, with both defenses playing strong. But Zionsville’s Colin Price broke out for a 65-yard run to score the game’s first touchdown.
The Eagles added a second touchdown with less than a minute to go in the second quarter on a short pass. Still, the Tigers were only down 14-0 at halftime.
“But unfortunately, our first drive stalled and we were playing catch up the rest of the night,” said Funk.
Zionsville scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to go up 28-0 before Fishers got on the board. Lucas Prewitt and Landon Morris teamed up for a 39-yard pass play score, with Justin Sharkey kicking the extra point. The Eagles finished the fourth quarter with a 13-yard passing touchdown and a field goal.
Prewitt had another solid game, going 16-of-32 for 161 yards. Jeffrey Simmons made seven catches, while Morris totaled three. Carson Dunn led the rushing with 52 yards. Grady Stanley led the Tigers’ defense with eight tackles, followed by Seth Dunnuck with six stops.
“We just got to eliminate our penalties and keep working to improve every day and we have two weeks to regroup and refocus and start a new beginning in the playoffs,” said Funk.
Fishers finished 2-5 in HCC play and 2-7 overall. The Tigers are off until Oct. 30, when it hosts Hamilton Southeastern in the semi-finals of Class 6A Sectional 4.
Members of the Fishers City Council will vote on an economic development package for INCOG BioPharma. The firm plans to construct a 50,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Fishers by investing $60 million.
Along with incentives from the State of Indiana, the city is offering a 13-year personal
property and 1-year real property tax abatement, if the council approves at its Monday night meeting.
INCOG says it will hire about 150 new full-time employees by 2024, and a total of 260 full-time workers by 2029 at an average annual salary of $83,200, according to the city council action form.
The announcement was made Thursday morning about INCOG BioPharma’s Fishers plans.
Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board members were presented with a 2021 spending plan totaling $259.25 million dollars, a 3.37% increase over the 2020 budget. Chief Financial Officer Cecilie Nunn told the board the student population number is down about 400 this school year, mostly at the kindergarten level. Nunn attributes the decline to COVID.
Since state funding is largely tied to the number of students enrolled, there will be a deficit in the education fund provided by the state. Nunn says a budget study task force would be formed, essentially the same group used in previous years to close budget deficits. Nunn did not indicate how large she expects the shortfall in the education fund to be.
The school district will receive more than $22 million in 2021 from a referendum, passed in 2016 and enacted in 2017, that will expire at the end of calendar year 2023. Nunn says the board will need to begin the process of deciding whether to ask the voters to renew the current referendum rate or ask for another amount. The referendum money goes to pay staff salaries and benefits.
The 2021 school property tax rate is projected to decline one-half of one percent compared to 2020….at 1.245. The drop is due to an increase in property valuations, according to Nunn.
The board was reminded that the state legislature will be enacting a two-year state budget in the 2021 session and the money for education will not likely be known until April next year.
No one chose to speak at the budget public hearing, as no one spoke at the public hearings for two bonds funding renovation and maintenance projects for school buildings.
The board is slated to enact the 2021 budget at the October 28 meeting.
I recall interviewing Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness as 2020 was beginning. Of course, neither of us could envision the challenges of the COVID-19 virus at that time. But the mayor seemed to indicate 2020 would be a quiet year on the local economic development front.
After all, the massive development reshaping downtown Fishers was well underway and would be under construction during 2020. The Nickel Plate Trail and the underground tunnel beneath 116th Street was moving along. The Geist Waterfront Park continues to acquire the needed permits and move through other legal hoops as that plan moves along.
I thought in the back of my mind that Scott Fadness was not likely to stay in place for long. Thursday morning, that hunch was confirmed.
INCOG BioPharma Services will be constructing a manufacturing facility in Fishers. By 2024, 150 new jobs will be part of the operation, and will be “high-wage,” according to a news release from the State of Indiana and the City of Fishers. The biopharmaceutical firm plans a $60 million investment in the Fishers project. Ground breaking is expected late this year, with an opening date projected for the first half of 2022.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) is offering INCOG BioPharma Services up to $2.5 million in conditional tax credits based on its creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired. The IEDC will also provide up to $200,000 from the Industrial Development Grant Fund to support on-site infrastructure improvements. The city of Fishers will consider additional incentives at Monday night’s city council session, and Duke Energy incentives will offset a portion of the project’s energy costs.
Greg Andrews of the Indianapolis Business Journal reports the the two founders of INCOG, Cory Lewis and Tedd Green, are ex-executives for the Cook Group in Bloomington.
Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff painted a bleak COVID-19 picture for the school board Wednesday night, but the board followed his recommendation to bring grades 5 and 6 100% for in-person classes November 2, with the caveat that the decision could change if COVID-19 numbers increase.
Here are the numbers Dr. Bourff presented to the board:
–Monday through Wednesday this week, 125 students had close contact with students testing positive – 115 students had COVID symptoms – there were 12 positive student tests, with a total of 252 affected.
–All of last week, 250 students were affected by COVID.
–The district has seen an uptick in staff members impacted – 23 affected as close contact, 8 with symptoms and two positive test results.
Hamilton Southeastern Education Association President Janet Chandler presented survey results showing high levels of stress among the teaching staff.
But Dr. Bourff says the school corporation has some good news – the systems in place are reacting quickly when responding to the virus.
The HSE Royals varsity football game with Brownsburg has been cancelled this week. In a message sent to families with students at HSE High School, parents were advised there was at least one positive test for a football player, with many others identified as in close contact with at least one player testing positive for the virus. Due to the number of players in close contact, the decision was made to cancel this week’s game, according to the message.
The board voted unanimously to bring grades 5 & 6 in-person into classrooms 100% November 2, however, Dr. Bourff told board members the week following fall break will allow school officials to evaluate health data before following-through with the grades 5 & 6 decision.
Bourff also recommended providing the virtual option for parents choosing that method of instruction through the end of the second semester. The board approved that proposal on a 6-1 vote, with Sylvia Shepler saying her “no” vote was due to the lack of specificity on how virtual will work moving forward.
