Every now and then, it is a good idea to check the COVID-19 numbers.  So, here is the latest as of 8:00pm, Sunday, June 28th.

The World Health Organization (WHO) now says there will soon be 10 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus around the world.  WHO says there have been just under 496,000 world-wide deaths, with nearly 125,000 of those fatalities in the United States.  That means America has about 25% of all the COVID-19 deaths in the world.

In Indiana, the latest numbers from the State Department of Health show nearly 45,000 positive cases of novel coronavirus, and 2,427 deaths.  In Hamilton County, there have been 1,432 positive tests and 97 deaths reported to the state.  Although the new Fishers Health Department has promised to disclose how many Hamilton County deaths have Fishers addresses, so far that number has not been released.

The Fishers Health Department shows 3,553 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, representing 3.78% of the city’s total population.  Of those tests, 66 have come back positive.  Of the 66, 13 were without symptoms.

Indiana has been fortunate.  We have a governor that has hired good people, such as Dr. Kristina Box as state health commissioner, to oversee the response.  But let’s not kid ourselves.  Indiana has had some luck.  We’ll take it, but some of this is just dumb luck.

Remember, the hot-spots of today. like Texas, Florida and Arizona…all thought they were in good shape 2-3 weeks ago.  The fact is, scientific experts are still learning about this virus and they admit there is plenty they still do not understand.

Bottom line, we in Indiana should remain on guard, socially distance, wear masks and wash our hands.

When reading Chris Sikich’s recent story in the Indianapolis Star, it brought back some memories for me.  It was either 1970 or 1971, it’s been so long ago I do not remember the precise year.

I had graduated from high school in 1969, finished my work at a trade school for broadcasters and had my first full-time job in radio working for a suburban station which no longer exists today.

To this day, I do not know why the station manager wanted me to conduct this interview, but he did.  I was to host a live radio interview with a man named William Chaney, at that time, the Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan.

I wasn’t looking forward to this assignment, and certainly knew I had to prepare lots of questions to fill the time.  There was only one question I really wanted to ask Chaney – why had he so publicly supported Unigov?

If Unigov is a term unfamiliar to you, Chris Sikich’s story in the Star goes through that in some depth.  It was the consolidation of some, but not all, of the government entities within Marion County.  (More on that later)

I had interviewed people with the Klan before because it was my job to do so and found them generally combative and not very interesting interviews.  But Chaney had a much different demeanor, almost grandfatherly and respectful.  If you didn’t know he was the Grand Dragon, he would have appeared to be a fairly “regular guy.”

So, after some brief pleasantries, the live interview began.  My first question -why did you, as the Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan, support Unigov?  His answer was immediate and direct – because it would mean there would be no Black mayor in Indianapolis in the foreseeable future.

I was stunned, but thought about it.  Everyone in Marion County would vote in the election of the Indianapolis mayor.  Outside the pre-Unigov city limits at that time, Marion County was very white and Republican.

I was just beginning my media career, and would’t go to college until 1973, but I recall the debate over Unigov in the General Assembly.  The argument for the change was government efficiency and city services becoming available to many rural areas of the county.

The biggest story of Unigov wasn’t what it did, but what it did not do.  There were some “exluded cities” that elected their own mayors and city councils.  The excluded cities were Lawrence, Beech Grove and Southport, with Speedway remaining a town.  Within those municipalities, you went to the polls and voted for the mayor of Indianapolis and also voted for mayor in Lawrence, Beech Grove and Southport, along with the Speedway Town Council.

When you were able to get Republican politicians alone and off the record in those days, they would admit Unigov was really about politics and keeping Republicans in charge of Marion County government, and it worked from its inception in 1970 through 1999, when Democrat Bart Peterson was elected mayor.

The IndyStar story by Sikich explores the racial side of Unigov, which had the impact of freezing-out Democrats, particularly African-Americans, out of the political decision-making in Marion County for a very long time.

I do not believe the GOP enacted Unigov for racial reasons, but they certainly did it for political reasons.  The impact on African American political leaders was large, as Sikich documents in his story, talking to a number of people from both major political parties.

There was a lot left unsettled when Unigov became law in 1970.  For example, the Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) had jurisdiction over the pre-Unigov parts of Indianapolis and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department handled the rest of the county.  That changed in 2005, when the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) was charged with law enforcement in all of Marion County. There remains a Marion County Sheriff, with responsibilities over the jail and security at the City-County building.  It took 35 years to get that done.

The township school corporations within Marion County were never consolidated, and remain separate to this day.

Chris Sikich delves into other aspects of race & politics in Indiana, including how legislative districts are drawn,  He also looks at how women have been rarely respected in their governmental work.

But my memory goes back to 1970 or 1971, with  me looking William Chaney in the eye, asking him why he supported Unigov.  I know Republican politicians at that time were very uncomfortable with being on the side of the Indiana Klan on this issue.

Marion County has a much different demographic make-up today compared to 1970.  The biggest question is, what will the future bring?

It is always good to be reminded how good journalism is at the center of a healthy democratic republic like the United States.  We will never know whether Dr. Larry Nassar would have faced criminal charges without the energetic and professional journalists at the Indianapolis Star, but we know journalism played a major role in bringing allegations to light that resulted in accountability not only for Nassar, but major institutions such as USA Gymnastics (headquartered in Indianapolis) and Michigan State University.

Here is my review of a very important Netlflix documentary film – Athlete A.

Hamilton County Reporter

Property taxes were due for residents in the State of Indiana on Monday, May 11. However, an executive order issued by Governor Eric Holcomb gave folks who needed extra time in making those payments an extra 60 days without penalty.

The deadline for that payment is Friday, July 10.

The executive order issued March 19 asks counties to waive penalties for delinquent non-escrow property taxes – both real and personal – paid for up to 60 days.

Templeton

“Property taxes are more critical now more than ever,” Hamilton County Treasurer Jennifer Templeton said. “These taxes are distributed to our police and fire departments, schools, and trustees – services that are critical to our COVID-19 recovery efforts. Paying your property taxes ensures no disruption to these services.”

Taxpayers have several options for making their payments including the following:

• Pay online at this link. Online payment fees do apply; e-Checks are $1 and credit cards are 2.5 percent.
• Drop off payments at the antique drop box outside the east door of the Old Courthouse.
• Drop off payments at the Treasurer’s Office in the Old Courthouse in Noblesville.

If you have any questions about property taxes, please call the Treasurer’s Office at (317) 776-9620 and select Option 7.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness welcomed another family member into the world, one more boy.  His name is Jackson.  He was born at 11:11pm, Wednesday, June 24th.

I extend my congratulations to Scott, Aunna and Jackson’s big brothers.

I have said to many people in this recent set of challenges we face, why don’t we think about what our children and grandchildren will think of us once they discover what we have said and done during this time

Scott Fadness appears to have given this a great deal of thought.  He has already written a letter to his newly-born son Jackson and posted that letter on his social media accounts.

I reprint that letter below for your consideration

Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff has spoken about regular collaboration among the school districts and other schools within Hamilton County as recently as the Wednesday night regular school board meeting.  On Thursday, the schools of Hamilton County issued a joint statement about plans to reopen their buildings for the coming school year.

Below is the text of that statement:

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Hamilton County schools would like to thank our communities for their support as we continue to work through the challenges of COVID-19. We are pleased to announce we will be welcoming students back for a new school year beginning later this summer, and have come together to share important information regarding this return to school.

The safety of our students, staff and families is our top priority and our return to school decisions are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), Fishers Health Department and the Hamilton County Health Department.

All Hamilton County schools are following our previously scheduled calendars and will start on our regularly scheduled start date.

We will also be:

● Providing flexible options to meet individual student needs, including both online and face-to-face learning.

● Implementing daily screening/self-screening procedures for COVID-19 symptoms.

● Asking students and staff to wear masks, at times.

● Maximizing facility space with respect to social distancing, including lunch tables spaced out to the greatest extent possible.

● Closing water fountains and maintaining water bottle fill stations.

● Requiring students and staff to stay home when ill and creating separate spaces in school health clinics to address COVID-19 symptoms.

● Transporting students with precautionary safety measures in place.

● Enhancing student hygiene practices and building cleaning procedures.

● Restricting visitors.

● Training staff and students on COVID-19 safety measures.

Each school district will be sharing additional, specific details with our families in the coming weeks.

As always, thank you for your patience and support as we work together to safely bring students back to school.

Carmel Clay Schools

Hamilton Heights School Corporation

Hamilton Southeastern Schools

Noblesville Schools

Options Charter Schools

Sheridan Community Schools

St. Theodore Guerin High School

Westfield Washington Schools

Janie Ulmer, currently Administrator at Hamilton Southeastern-Fishers Academy, has been named the new principal of Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School.  The HSE School Board approved the appointment Wednesday night.

The Hamilton Southeastern-Fishers Academy is a program Ms. Ulmer helped launch in 2017.   The academy has since served more than 300 students and maintained a graduation rate of 90 percent. Before coming to HSE Schools, Ulmer was the Director of Virtual Learning for La Porte Community Schools for students in grades 6-12.

“We thank all the individuals who were candidates for this position; they came with a variety of strengths,” said HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff. “Ultimately, we selected Ms. Ulmer based on her ability to bring people around challenges and build programs to address student needs,” said Dr. Allen Bourff, Superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools.”

Ulmer will officially begin her duties as principal next month.

Dealing with the novel coronavirus shutdown has been difficult for just about everyone, but it has been particularly hard for librarians.  I spoke with Edra Waterman & Katie Lorton about how the Fishers and Noblesville libraries handled the shutdown and how both libraries are opening-up once again.

You have probably seen the long-vacant office building in Fishers along I-69.  It was originally a bank call center then was occupied by Roche Diagnostics , which moved out in 2017.  The building has been vacant since then, but will now have a new tenant, Round Room, moving its headquarters from Carmel to Fishers.

Below is the news release issued by Round Room announcing the move:

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 Round Room Holdings, Inc., the privately held company owning several businesses in the wireless retail space and ancillary markets, announces today it is relocating its Carmel corporate headquarters to Fishers. The company acquired the former Roche campus building at the corner of Interstate 69 and 106th Street, and will renovate the two-story, 190,000-square-foot property before moving in by Q1 2021. Round Room will occupy 120,000 square feet of the owner-occupied property with plans to lease the remainder of the development to tenants. Advisors to the transaction included KSM Location Advisors, Cushman & Wakefield, Weybright Management, Inc. and more.

Round Room’s flagship company TCC, the nation’s largest Verizon Authorized Retailer operates nearly 900 Verizon locations in 39 states, including 79 in Indiana. The move enables Round Room to consolidate more than 200 employees from its portfolio of companies, including TCC, TCC Gives, Round Room Gives, Redux and Culture of Good, under one roof. The company’s Connecticut-based office, and home of Wireless Zone, the nation’s only Verizon Authorized Retailer operating as a franchise, will remain open.

“Moving our headquarters to Fishers enables us to attract and retain top talent from across the Hoosier state, accommodate future growth plans for Round Room and its subsidiaries, and enhance our corporate culture,” said Scott Moorehead, CEO of Round Room. “As a family-owned business that has grown up in Indiana, we’re excited to continue to invest in local resources to support our home state. The City of Fishers has been a great partner in our decision to relocate, and we’re excited to be a part of such a vibrant and entrepreneurial-minded business environment.”

Round Room’s new headquarters will include a state-of-the-art training center for up to 450 employees in its 40,000 square-foot common area as well as a full cafe, fitness center, social amenities and more to enhance the way companies are using office space now. Round Room will make continued investments to advance the property, working with local contractors and developers whenever possible.

“Scott and his team at Round Room have grown this company from the ground up in a true display of entrepreneurial spirit,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “Fishers is happy to be part of the next chapter for Round Room’s future growth and we welcome them to the Fishers community as part of the vibrant I-69 business corridor.”

Round Room is a Culture of Good Inc. company that makes ongoing investments in the local communities where it operates. TCC Gives, a private foundation of TCC operated under Round Room Gives, provides grants to 501(c)(3) organizations across the nation and recently surpassed $2 million in donations to nonprofits.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, TCC Gives donated $160,000 to 80 nonprofits serving those most affected by the pandemic. TCC Gives is continuing to focus on emergent situations, dedicating $150,000 to nonprofits focusing on social justice across the nation this quarter.

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About Round Room LLC

Based in Carmel, Indiana, Round Room leads and invests in companies serving the wireless industry. With 1,241 TCC and Wireless Zone stores across 43 states, Round Room is the largest Verizon Authorized Retailer in the U.S. Its portfolio of companies also share a deep commitment to improving the communities they serve nationwide. To learn more about Round Room, visit www.RoundRoom.com.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools plan to start the school year on-time, in person, with an option for e-learning.   HSE Spokesperson Emily Abbotts points to a Skylert issued June 19th by Superintendent Allen Bourff.

“Our underlying goal is for students to report to their respective schools on August 5 as scheduled,” Bourff wrote in the Skylert message. “Provisions will be made for students who are unable to attend under current circumstances.”

Any school reopening plan will be reviewed by the health department and will be the subject of talks with the local teachers association before it is final.

A committee has been working on the details of plans to reopen HSE Schools in August.

Dr. Bourff is expected to provide an update on the status of the committee’s work at Wednesday night’s regular school board meeting.

The high school graduation ceremonies are still scheduled at the respective high school football fields.  Fishers High School is scheduled to stage graduation July 10, HSE High School July 11.  This assumes Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will go to Stage 5 in the reopening plans by then….if the governor does not implement Stage 5 by the time of the graduations dates, the ceremonies will be cancelled.