Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 and has a very simple and direct purpose – remember nonprofit groups doing outstanding work in your local community.

This is a friendly reminder to all my readers that we have a wealth of outstanding charitable organizations in the Fishers area.  I would ask that you remember them on Giving Tuesday and make a contribution.

I would list all the local nonprofit groups deserving you support this Giving Tuesday, but I would run the danger of leaving-out one or more.  So, I am leaving it up to you.

Think about a local tax exempt organization locally that you know about or have had any dealings with.  Remember that organization Tuesday.

Or, just peruse social media.  There will be plenty of reminders for the many groups running promotions on Giving Tuesday.

I think Giving Tuesday is a great idea.  Now, consider a local group and contribute this year!

Leah McGrath has been a deputy mayor in Fishers since 2015, and will be leaving public service later this month as she assumes a position in the private sector.  She will be heading to Knowledge Services, a firm that will be building its headquarters in Fishers.

McGrath was mentioned as a possible candidate for the 5th District congressional Republican primary next year, but decided not to pursue that office.

As Ms. McGrath departs, speculation is rampant as to who may replace her.  That guessing game may all be for naught.  Mayor Scott Fadness tells LarryInFishers he does not plan to replace Leah McGrath.

There is one more deputy mayor on Fadness’ staff now, Elliott Hultgren.  The mayor is signaling that he may go back to having just one deputy mayor.

There is precedent for reorganizing his staff rather than replace a key top employee.  When Tom Dickey left his post as Community Development Director, Fadness chose not to replace Dickey.  Instead, he reorganized the staff he had on board at the time.

So, look for some shuffling of the mayor’s top staff, but no replacement for the departing Leah McGrath.

With Thanksgiving behind us, I am seeing a lot of comments on social media about the Reynolds Farm Equipment Christmas light display that had been around since about 1991. Reynolds Drive near State Road 37 south 126th Street has been lit-up with Christmas joy for a long time, until this year.

The announcement was made back in July of this year that Reynolds was donating the light display to Conner Prairie.  The lights are now part of the “Merry Prairie Holiday” celebration on the grounds of Conner Prairie.

I have noticed some critical comments about how Conner Prairie is charging for the light display.  The local nonprofit organization does charge a fee of either $16 or $20 (for those above age 2 & dependent on whether you buy your ticket at the gate or in advance).

It is true there is an admission fee, but the Reynolds lights are just one part of the entire event.  I would ask everyone to keep one important fact in mind.

The Christmas light display belonged to Reynolds and it was the family that decided to donate the lights to Conner Prairie.  They wanted the tradition to remain in Fishers.

It should be noted that Reynolds offered the light display free for a number of years.  I believe they have earned the right to decide where the lights go from here.

I have also seen some criticism of the city providing Conner Prairie with $100,000 of funding.  You can have your own opinion about whether that city donation is a good or bad idea, but that $100,000 a year of funding goes back many years to when Fishers was a town.

Our elected officials, either in the previous town council or the current city council, have, to the best of my recollection, unanimously voted to provide this funding every year.

The Fishers City Council created a Nonprofit Committee a few years ago to determine which local nonprofit organizations will receive funding from the city.  The panel’s recommendation passed the Finance Committee and received unanimous approval from council members at the meeting this month.

In addition to the $100,000 approved for Conner Prairie, the council included the following funding for local nonprofit groups as part of the 2020 city budget:

Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program – $65,250
Youth Mentoring Initiative – $64,707
Janus Development Services – $15,043
Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation – $10,000

So, everyone is entitled to your own opinion on the move by Reynolds to donate the Christmas light to Conner Prairie and whether the city should be financially supporting Conner Prairie.  Just be aware of a few key facts.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern dropped a 53-45 game to Hilliard Bradley (Ohio) on Saturday as part of the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic in Mason, Ohio.

The Royals led 10-5 after the first quarter, but Bradley cut that lead to 19-18 by halftime. Southeastern moved back ahead 35-31 after the third quarter, with Sam Jacobs scoring six points in that period.

The game was tied with a minute to go, but Bradley scored and the Royals had to foul.
Alex Totton scored 10 points for the Royals, including two 3-pointers. John McCall added nine points.

Southeastern is 1-1 and plays at Avon Friday to begin Hoosier Crossroads Conference action.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

Don’t be fooled by the final score in Hamilton Southeastern’s Friday afternoon win over Carmel.

The Royals had to fight to get the victory against the Greyhounds, which was played in front of a nice-sized crowd at the Southeastern gym. It was a back-and-forth game for three quarters, but the Class 4A No. 7 Royals pulled away in the fourth period to win 52-36.

“We knew it was going to be a scrappy game,” said Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal. “You’re not going to run away and hide from Carmel. It’s going to be hard to. Coach (Erin) Trimpe does a really good job. They’re a young basketball team. They got a lot of youth over there and we’re starting four seniors.”

The Greyhounds scored first in the game, with Bridget Dunn making a layin. The Royals answered by scoring the next 10 points, which included 3-pointers from Lauren Morris, Bailee Poore and Sydney Parrish.

That got HSE ahead 10-2 and established a pattern that held for most of the game. The Royals would make a run to build a comfortable lead, but Carmel would come right back and get within shouting distance.

“They got some really good players,” said Huppenthal. “Dunn was a real big presence inside in the first half.

The first quarter ended with Southeastern up 12-7. Parrish opened the second with a jumper, and baskets from Makayla Hinshaw and Parrish put the Royals ahead 18-9. Kate Clarke scored on a layup in between.

“The girl can score, she’s a great scorer,” said Huppenthal. “Their other kids, they’re good players.”

Emily Roper’s basket and a 3-pointer from Clarke cut HSE’s lead to 18-14, but Jackie Maulucci’s basket stopped that run. Dunn scored consecutive layins to get Carmel within 20-18.

“We’ve really been pushing her to do that,” said Trimpe. “Her inside presence is great. We’ve been getting on her about being physical inside and finishing through contact. So she’s getting good rebounds, putting herself in a good position. She’s a leader on the floor for us, and we’re just going to keep pushing her to be better.”

Parrish hit a jumper to end the half with the Royals ahead 22-18. As the third quarter began, Riley Pennington had some good minutes for the ‘Hounds, scoring the first basket of the period, then a layin that got Carmel within one point, at 25-24.

But Southeastern answered with a 9-0 run. Parrish scored six of those points, with Ryan Viele also making a 3-pointer. Morris had hit a 3 earlier in the period.

While his seniors have been stepping up like they always do, Huppenthal was pleased with how his younger players are coming along.

“Mikayla Hinshaw just keeps getting better and better,” said Huppenthal. “Lauren Morris is getting better with each game, gaining confidence shooting the ball. Ryan Viele comes off, hits a 3 for us in the second half. We got kids that continue to just grow into their roles and they’re getting better.”

Carmel made one last push late in the third quarter, getting the lead down to 36-32 after Dunn hit a layin. A putback from Parrish pushed Southeastern’s advantage back up to 38-32 at the end of the period.

The Royals’ defense then took over in the fourth, allowing the Greyhounds only four points. After Roper hit two free throws early in the period, the Royals finished the game on a 14-2 run. Morris and Parrish both made 3s; Morris totaled three 3-pointers for the game.

“I thought defensively, we played great,” said Huppenthal.

Parrish scored 31 points, with Morris totaling nine points. Maulucci and Parrish each collected four rebounds and Maulucci dished out four assists.

Dunn was Carmel’s top scorer with 15 points, and also led the rebounds with nine. Clarke collected seven rebounds and handed out four assists, with Hannah Lach also providing four assists.

“They just took us out of rhythm,” said Trimpe. “They were physical. They’re never out of position, they play hard, so that’s a tough team to play against and we have some adjustments to make from it.”

Southeastern is 7-1 and hosts Noblesville Wednesday in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game. Carmel is 3-3 and travels to Lawrence North on Tuesday for a Metropolitan Conference game.

Even though the holiday season is upon us, road construction in and around Fishers continues.

Look for a closure along part of Technology Drive in the coming days for the installation of a water line.  Also, watch for a closure along a part of 131st Street on December 3.

Good news for those impacted by State Road 37 lane restrictions…they should be lifted December 6th.

The work on Lantern Road and 96th Street continues.

Here is the full road construction list, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 
Lane restrictions continue on southbound SR37 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Lane restrictions are expected to be lifted by December 6. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

Adam Aasen and I have been keeping ourselves busy in recent months, but we both decided to take some time from our busy lives to record another film podcast.  We review The Irishman and a number of other films.

I will begin my tenth year of writing this blog in January and I have written a Thanksgiving Day commentary each year.  I have so much to be thankful for on a personal level I will not list them all.  Suffice it to say that in so many ways, I am a fortunate and blessed individual.

But the subject of this piece is all about you.  Yes, I am writing directly about you.

When I began this blog in 2012, I had no idea whether anyone would have any interest in reading the blog.  After all, there is so much material available on the Web, why would anyone bother to read a local news blog centered on Fishers, Indiana?

The only reason I started this volunteer project upon my retirement from the civil service was to find my volunteer niche with more time on my hands.  So I began attending town council and school board meetings locally.

Within a few weeks, people began approaching me because they had been reading the blog.  There were at least a few people reading, which told me something important – people want to know what is happening in and around their local community.

I just reviewed my analytics for this year, and the numbers are incredible.  This year, this site has over 103,00 views (number of times any person accessed my site) and more than 51,000 unique visitors (individual people accessing my site at least once during the year).  And the year is not over yet.

For a small volunteer operation that does a minimal amount of marketing, those numbers are special for me.  And that’s why I am writing this Thanksgiving message for 2019.

I want to thank you.  Whomever you are, you have done something special for me.  You think enough of my material that you have given me the honor of writing for you, and you have been kind enough to read what I am writing.

My thanks this Thanksgiving Day goes out to you for taking the time our of your busy existence to read my blog posts.  You are the only reason I have made this endeavor my retirement volunteer activity.

I love all the messages I receive from my readers, even when you complain about something I wrote or you are correcting me.  You are reading, and I am honored by the fact that you choose to read my blog.

While I’m at it, let’s talk about my podcasts.  They began in February of 2016 and continue to this day.  They consist of local interviews and discussions, along with the Arts&Fishers series of film and other arts event reviews.  I still produce an occasional film podcast with Adam Aasen in Carmel, Hamilton County Goes To The Movies.

I looked at my data on the podcasts, and over the past year, there have been more than 15,600 times when someone listened to most of all of one of my podcasts.  I had to look twice and verify that number but it is correct.  A very special thanks to my many podcast listeners.  If you don’t mind, take a moment some time and comment on my podcast on iTunes or whichever platform you use to access my podcasts.

So, this one’s for you.  My readers and listeners are special to me, even if you want to disagree with me.  After all, this is America and we are allowed to respectfully look at things differently.

I celebrated my 68th birthday a few months ago,  and honestly do not know how much longer I can write this blog and produce my podcasts. At least for now, my health and stamina are such that I plan to continue the blog and podcasts into 2020.

The only reason I continue to do all this volunteer work is because you read and listen.  And I thank each and every one of you.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Fourteen non-profit social service organizations will share nearly $4.4 million in county funds approved Monday by Hamilton County Commissioners. The annual allocations, payable after Jan. 1, are granted to agencies that perform services for the public.

The money supplements budgets of private groups whose work might otherwise have to be undertaken by local government. The County Council appropriated the funds to agencies that request assistance. Good Samaritan, which provides food and clothing to the needy, will receive $50,000. The Hope Family Care Center will get $15,000. Chauice’s Place, $30,000; Meals on Wheels, $10,000; Prevail, $180,000; Prime Life Enrichment, $240,000; The Shepherd Center, $40,000; Trinity Free Clinic, $74,000; and The Youth Mentoring Initiative, $10,000.

Organizations with county contractual agreements include Cherish Center getting $30,000 and Hamilton County Humane Society, granted $122,000.

Matching grants were approved for Janus Development’s Hamilton County Express public bus system operations fund for $386,095 and the Hamilton County Express capital fund for $33,720.

Aspire mental health service was allocated $2,284,432, which is mandated by state law, and Janus $775,000, also a statutory amount for handicapped development.

The Hamilton County Leadership Academy, Conner Prairie and Invest Hamilton County economic development project submitted applications but were not granted funds.

In other action Monday, Commissioners revealed they have received six responses to a Request for Proposals for a new parking garage in Noblesville planned along Clinton Street between 8th and 9th streets. The proposals will be reviewed with possible awarding at their next meeting.

The multi-level garage is part of a major city-county downtown redevelopment project announced earlier. It includes selling the county’s current parking lot south of Conner Street for a major mixed-use development. The deal includes the city paying the county $4.5 million for the Conner Street lot and giving the so-called Armory Lot on the north side of Logan Street to the county.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton released his findings Wednesday regarding the Indiana State Police’s investigation into the Hamilton County Treasurer’s Office.

Eaton

“After a thorough investigation, we found insufficient evidence to prove that Hamilton County Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Good’s parents were improperly permitted to make late property tax payments without paying late fees as required by law for those transactions,” said Eaton. “We did find that if any waiver of any late fee was granted over the years to anyone that it would not be a crime under Indiana Law.”

The report goes on to state that recordkeeping in the Hamilton County Treasurer’s Office is insufficient to determine if late fees were waived for property tax payments that were received after the due date. Eaton did conclude that as a result of the incomplete recordkeeping, it is possible that a payment could be received after the deadline and still be processed as an on-time payment.

“Simply put, even if there were a violation of the law, there is no provision in Indiana criminal law that makes this specific conduct a crime. Therefore, no criminal action can be taken to rectify the matter or hold anyone criminally accountable under the law,” said Eaton. “I reviewed every resource I could to determine if this action was criminal, and given the evidence, the answer is no.”

Eaton was appointed as Special Prosecutor in April by Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Paul Felix at the request of Hamilton County Prosecutor D. Lee Buckingham II. Eaton was tasked with reviewing the Indiana State Police’s investigation into the Treasurer’s Office to determine if there was criminal activity taking place in the management of the Hamilton County Treasurer’s Office.

Indiana Code 6-1.1-37-10 states that if property taxes are not completely paid on or before the due date, a penalty shall be added to the unpaid portion in the year of the initial delinquency. Under the law, Indiana Code 6-1.1-37-15 allows the Treasurer to waive, negotiate or settle penalties if a formal policy is presented to and approved by the Hamilton County Council. According to Eaton, there is no evidence that such policy for waiver exists, which means any waiver for Good’s parents or anyone else were unlawful.

According to the report, the scope of this investigation was limited to the processing of payments by the Treasurer’s Office, the records of those payments, any direct criminal act committed by any employee of the Treasurer’s office against any other employee of the Treasurer’s office during or because of employment with the Treasurer’s office, and truthfulness and honesty with investigators. It did not consider any other avenue of investigation of the office or personnel beyond those listed as it would have exceeded what was believed to be the jurisdictional scope allowed by the Judge’s order assigning a Special Prosecutor.

The report also concluded that there is no evidence that any employee of the Hamilton County Treasurer’s Office was intimidated, harassed, or otherwise the victim of a criminal act. There is insufficient evidence to make a finding of criminal acts committed by employees of the Treasurer’s Office during or because of their employment with the Treasurer’s Office. The failure to maintain the records of when payments were actually received is not a crime that can be prosecuted under the law as it exists in Indiana.

Stoesz: Lack of crime doesn’t mean lack of wrongdoing

The criminal investigation that focused on the Hamilton County Treasurer’s Office began after former county employee Susan Byer filed a lawsuit stating she was unjustly fired after making allegations of late property tax payment penalties not being charged to family members of Treasurer’s Office employees.

Stoesz

Byer is represented by Westfield-based attorney Tim Stoesz.

Stoesz issued the following statement on Wednesday after Special Prosecutor Brent Eaton released the findings in his investigation:

“Special Prosecutor Brent Eaton did a very good job. The report vindicates Susan’s allegation that the property tax payments of Kim Good’s parents were processed late, and not designated as late, allowing the late penalty to be waived. Just because a crime wasn’t committed doesn’t mean wrongdoing did not happen. We look forward to reading the Indiana State Police Investigation Report.”