The HSE High School National Champion Mock Trial Team and Teacher of the Year Mara Kussy were honored at last Wednesday’s Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board Meeting.

Six members of the Mock Trial Team explained how the competition works, with some of the team playing roles as trial witnesses and other performing in the role of defense or prosecution attorneys.  The national competition was held in Chicago during this summer.  The team’s coach is HSE High School teacher Janet Chandler.

Some members of the team have graduated from HSE and are pursuing their college careers.  The entire national championship team includes:

Maria Kussy is among the 30 finalists as Indiana State Teacher of the Year, and talked with the board members about her work, as she is the Teacher of the Year for the HSE School District for the current school year.  She is a Brooks School Elementary media specialist.  Mrs. Kussy was selected from 23 finalists.

The other finalists were:

Todd Niswander, Cumberland Road Elementary

Abby Back, Durbin Elementary

Jean Doss, Fall Creek Elementary

Sara Larkins, Fishers Elementary

Lacy Rose, Geist Elementary

Kristen Morgan, Harrison Parkway Elementary

Katie Norton, Hoosier Road Elementary

Anita Harrison, Lantern Road Elementary

Tanya Cooper, New Britton Elementary

Tiffany Zaleski, Sand Creek Elementary

Jackie Renick, Thorpe Creek Elementary

Seth Zook, Fall Creek Intermediate

Hollie Vessels, Riverside Intermediate

Kirsten Toner, Sand Creek Intermediate

Jen Hill, Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate / Jr. High

Brandon Spidel, Fall Creek Jr. High

Alison Strole, Fishers Jr. High

Will Rogers, Riverside Jr. High

Amanda Howard, Fishers High School

Jennifer Pope, Fishers High School

Josh Gish, Hamilton Southeastern High School

Becky Schroeder, Hamilton Southeastern High School

Hamilton County Reporter

Retired Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department Deputy, David Wyler, 65, Carmel, has been charged with five counts of Possession of Child Pornography.

Wyler

According to reports filed by Carmel Police Department Detective John Piracs, the Hamilton County Child Exploitation Task Force received a CyberTipline report from the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. The report indicated that on March 22 a person had uploaded two images of unclothed children to Pinterest. Information provided by Pinterest indicated the username was “davidwyler1954.” Pinterest also supplied investigators with several IP addresses that had been used to access the Pinterest account.

According to police, some of the IP addresses appeared to geolocate to Hamilton County.  According to Piracs, further investigation showed that there was David Wyler living on Goldfinch Drive in Carmel, and that his year of birth is 1954.

During an interview with police, Wyler admitted to having multiple boards on Pinterest, and some of his boards were named Young Boys, Young Girls, Girls and Boys. Wyler told investigators that he had last viewed images of children with uncovered genitals within the last two weeks.

During a forensic examination of Wyler’s phone, police found multiple images of nude prepubescent children.

Police reports indicate Wyler was arrested at his home and transported to the Hamilton County Jail.

A jury trial has been scheduled for Jan. 7, 2020.

Motorists on the west end of Fishers have been asking when the road construction project widening Allisonville Road to four lanes will be all open and completed.  City officials tells LarryInFishers that, assuming unexpected weather does not cause further delays, that stretch of road should have all the construction crews finished by the end of this month.

The city provided its weekly update on construction projects in and near Fishers.  The update below is for the work week beginning Monday, August 19th:

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When I asked Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart about the CrimeWatch phone app in a recent podcast interview, the chief said there will be a new system in place soon called Relay.  Gebhart’s department announced the rollout of the Relay system Thursday afternoon.

Relay is described as a community engagement and crime prevention app, in a police department news release. It has the same features residents have used to report hundreds of incidents in Fishers with CrimeWatch, but now includes a streamlined user interface, and improved feedback and updates to residents who submit issues. More than 6,000 Fishers residents use the app to report non-emergency crimes to the Fishers Police Department. Relay is free to download via the Apple App and Google Play stores.

“The Fishers Police Department continues to make investments in technology to better serve our residents,” remarked Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart. “These investments are already paying off as our officers in the field receive timely detailed information that allow them to investigate matters more efficiently.”

The re-launch of the app comes on the heels of last month’s announcement by Fishers Police Department and HSE Schools for a new app-based tips program which replaced the former Text-a-Tip program. Residents can access the Fishers PD Crime Tips app via the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Fishers residents now have several ways to report crime and suspicious activity directly to the Fishers Police Department:

1. Call or text 9-1-1 for all emergencies
2. Relay all non-emergency crimes and suspicious activity via the Relay app (former Fishers CrimeWatch app)
3. General crime tips or tips on criminal or disruptive behavior at HSE Schools can be submitted through the Fishers PD Crime Tips app.

For more information, visit relayapp.com

The bid has been accepted, the governments are acting and the removal of the railroad tracks along the Nickel Plate is beginning.  Even with all that, two organizations are trying their best to sway public opinion to their way of thinking.

Two organizations, Save The Nickel Plate and Indiana Trails, are arguing that Noblesville and Fishers should not pull the rails out of the ground, but pursue a program of keeping the rails and building the trail around them.

I spoke with Logan Day and Tom Williams about what their organizations are asserting.

Metronet my now go back to digging in Fishers, but city officials will be watching the firm closely.  After another series of gas line breaches last week, city and state authorities ordered the firm to stop digging to lay fiber optic cables in Fishers neighborhoods.

The city says Metronet will be subject to “probationary procedures.”

Below is the text of the entire statement issued by the City of Fishers:

“After meeting with Metronet, the City of Fishers has lifted the no-dig order under probationary procedures. Probationary procedures include: regular monitoring by City inspectors and required hydrovac-only digging for gas lines (a no-contact digging procedure to prevent utility strikes). The City will continue to explore all options to ensure accountability and safety by Metronet and other utilities and their contractors. As an IURC regulated utility, Metronet has the authority to install within the public right of way but must abide by local permitting and ordinance regulations. Residents can submit comments to the IURC online at iurc.in.gov. The City will provide further updates as they become available.”

by 

Adam Aasen

(Editor’s Note: Adam  Aasen has been my podcasting partner in our movies podcast series, but he also is a small business owner and city-councilman-elect in Carmel.  One of his charitable causes is Restored Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping victims of human trafficking.  Adam wrote this piece, published by my news-gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter)

Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire who was accused of abusing and trafficking young women and girls for decades, died on Aug. 10. And his death doesn’t really close the book on his story.

Not only do investigators want to find out more about what happened, but the healing process is not over for the victims in this case. These victims of human trafficking will not get to see Epstein face his accusers in a court of law. And often the road for restoration is a long one for such victims.

Young boys and girls who are victims of human trafficking often deal with the psychological scars for years.

According to the May-June 2019 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, new research details the process that human traffickers use to force a psychological bond on their child victims.

This study looked at victims from 1990 to 2017 and found that victims of human trafficking will see disruptions in their social and emotional development. Some conditions that are often seen include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-destructive behavior, chronic stress and more. These victims have a hard time maintaining relationships, obtaining an education or keeping employment.

In the state of Indiana – including Hamilton County – young people have become victims of human trafficking. Since 2007, there have been over 1,700 calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline regarding Indiana victims.

One local organization is helping these become whole again after surviving their abusers.

Restored, Inc. is a nonprofit that serves victims of sex trafficking in Indiana through active recovery, compassionate relief and the hope of restoration. Some of their programs include trauma counseling, emergency housing referrals, legal services, food/clothing and medical help.

I’ve personally visited Restored’s office in Indianapolis and they do great work.

For the second year in a row, I’ve decided to host a fundraiser for Restored Inc. at Donatello’s Italian Restaurant in Carmel.

The event will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Guests will sample seven different wines while enjoying assorted heavy appetizers. There will also be a silent auction where guests can bid on items to raise funds for Restored, Inc.

Cost is $55 per person, not including tax/tip. All tickets include a donation made to Restored, Inc.

Reservations can be made in person, over the phone at (317) 564-4790 or online at restoreddonatellos.eventbrite.com.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School board has authorized Superintendent Allen Bourff to negotiate a recommended deal for the board to buy land for a new Durbin Elementary School.  The board voted 7-0 Wednesday evening allowing the school administration to negotiate on the board’s behalf.

The board was told at the previous meeting that extending utilities to the current Durbin location would cost at least $5 million.  Attorney David Day said Wednesday that local land owners would be involved along the utility extension route, with negotiations or condemnation proceedings, which would take time.  CFO Mike Reuter said his financial analysis boils down to acquiring the 20 acres required for a new elementary building and holding onto the current Durbin property, with that land value likely to rise over time.

The board was told there are 228 more students in HSE Schools, compared to this same time last school year, but the number is not yet final.  Brooks School, New Britton, Sand Creek, Southeastern and Thorpe Creek Elementary schools are either at or over capacity.  The building most over capacity is New Britton, by nearly 70 students.  Bourff says that means the future of Durbin impacts the student population numbers for these schools.

With authority to negotiate, Bourff told board members he may have a Durbin recommendation by the next board meeting August 28th.

In other school board news from Wednesday’s session:

–The school calendars for the coming school years (2020-2021 & 2021-2022) were discussed and the board spent time talking about the proposed 2020-2021 calendar.  It calls for the first day of school to be Wednesday, August 5th.  There was a lively discussion on how that date could be moved back, but no consensus was reached.  The calendars will be on the August 28th board agenda for approval.  You can review the proposed 2020-2021 school calendar at this link.  The proposed 2021-2022 draft calendar can be found at this link.

–Dr. Bourff says the administration is researching the possibility of having later start times for high school students.  He plans on having discussions with high school students and will bring this before the board at a later date.

–Dr. Bourff announced plans to establish a Purdue Polytechnic High School at the Hub and Spoke facility now under construction near 106th Street and I-69.  Bourfff says this program is consistent with the HSE Schools’ HSE21 concept.

–Board member Amanda Shera voted “no” on the consent agenda, normally a routine item at each board meeting.  She said after the meeting that her vote related to objections she had over the custodial contract.

–Stephanie Madison was introduced to the board as the new Director of Business for HSE Schools.  She replaces Cecilie Nunn, who will take over the Chief Financial Officer duties for the retiring Mike Reuter beginning in 2020.  Madison previously worked for the Charles A. Beard School Corporation in Trafalgar, Indiana.

–This meeting began at 4:30pm, the only instance where this reporter has attended a board session at that hour.  The earlier start time allowed board members to attend parent-teacher night activities at their respective children’s schools.

Tom Britt is a busy man.  He just moved his headquarters from the Geist area to downtown Fishers.  He is involved with the 37 Thrives program, along with a number of other issues in and around Fishers.  Here is my podcast with Tom Britt.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness provided the first glimpses of his administration’s spending proposals for 2020 before the City Council Finance Committee Monday evening.  He says the city tax rate should remain about the same as last year, unless council members decide to issue a short-term 1-year bond, which would be financed through a one-year-only rate hike of 1-2 cents, in order to pay for needed street repairs in some older neighborhoods.

Fadness is proposing a 2 per cent increase in pay for city workers next year, while increasing the city match for employee contributions to the city’s retirement plan by $500 a year per employee.  The city is proposing no increase in the employee’s share of health insurance premium costs in 2020.

The city projects $2.2 million will be collected in 2020 from the Wheel Tax on vehicles registered to Fishers residents.  The mayor also told the committee the General Fund will have $16.4 million in the bank, as cash reserves, heading into the start of 2020.

The Finance Committee plans more meetings as the budget details take shape.  A public hearing will be held by the City Council on the budget in September, with the final vote on next year’s city spending to be held in October.