by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The Carmel School Board met Monday night in regular session, but took no action on Superintendent Nick Wahl’s future with the school district. He was placed on administrative leave several weeks ago for what the board called a performance review. Apparently still under review, Wahl continues to draw his $195,000 annual salary. No date has been set by school officials on when he will either return to work or leave his position. The board meets again on Dec. 11.

* * *

The Noblesville Preservation Alliance will hold its exclusive Homes for the Holidays Tour on Saturday, Dec. 9. Four of the city’s historic private residences will be featured on the tour from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets, which are limited in number, may be reserved online at noblesvillepreservation.org. Besides seeing the homes, tour-goers will “enjoy hors d’oeurves, drinks and sounds of the holidays,” according to sponsors of the event.

* * *

Ice skating has become popular in Hamilton County with the opening of public ice rinks at Noblesville’s Federal Hill Commons and Carmel’s City Center. The Noblesville rink was very crowded over the past weekend, according to some observers. Carmel will keep their popular rink all winter. But, the Noblesville rink will close Jan. 8 unless current plans change.

* * *

Home Place residents opposed to annexation by Carmel have given up their court fight waged over the past 12 years. Annexation opponents had until this week to appeal to the state Supreme Court if they wanted to continue the fight. Now the unincorporated area will become part of Carmel on Jan. 1. Residents will receive city police protection and city street maintenance which have been provided by county sheriff and highway departments.

* * *

The Hamilton County Council and County Commissioners will meet in joint session at noon Thursday at the highway department. It will be an important meeting likely deciding the size and extent of jail and judicial center expansions. Both projects, recommended by Commissioners, await funding by the Council. The meeting will be held around one table to foster togetherness among the participants who sometimes hold divergent opinions.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Fishers boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season Tuesday, taking
care of Indianapolis Manual 64-50 in the Tiger Den.

Fishers led 30-27 at halftime, then slowly added to its lead throughout the
second half. It also marked the first victory for new head coach Matt Moore, as well as
his 100th overall win.

“The biggest thing is just, you put in all this work and then you try to do your best
at getting your guys to believe in the process,” said Moore.

Moore said his team “got kicked pretty good” after last week’s opening loss to
Lawrence Central, so the coach was happy that Fishers was able to bounce back over
Manual.

“They’re averaging 95 points a game through their first two games, and to hold
them to 50 points, I thought was outstanding,” said Moore.

Terry Hicks also was outstanding, especially in the second half. The 6-5 junior
forward took over the game, scoring nine points in the third quarter and 10 more in the
fourth. Hicks finished the game with 27 points.

“And that’s what he can do,” said Moore.  “He needs to be aggressive. He took good
shots. He rebounded the ball well. We need him to do that. He’s extremely versatile and
I thought he played a really smart game tonight.”

Willie Jackson, a 5-11 junior, added 10 points for the Tigers. Jordan Jones came off
the bench to score eight points.

Fishers is now 1-1 for the season and hosts Noblesville on Friday to begin Hoosier Crossroads Conference play.

The annual tree lighting ceremony and visit from Santa Clause is back at the Fishers City Hall complex, with a bit of a change this year.  With the area around the Amphitheater under construction for a major renovation project, the Central Green area, between City Hall and 116th Street, will be the hub of activity this Christmas season.

On Thursday night, November 30th, the city kicks off the local Christmas activities.

For more details, see the city news release below:

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

The City of Fishers invites the community to celebrate the start of the holiday season during Fishers’ Winter Wonderland on Thursday, November 30^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The free event, presented by Fishers Parks & Recreation, features family-friendly winter fun on the Central Green, the new home for this year’s annual city light display.

Along with the festive tree lighting and light display, residents and families can step into a Winter Wonderland featuring an ice carving demonstration, live music by Dave and Rae, live reindeer and more. The special night concludes with an appearance by Santa Claus and the tree lighting at 7:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and 5280 Bistro will be on-site for food purchases. The city will also partner with the Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County to host a Toy Drive at the event, and donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted.

Fishers Parks & Recreation is also offering the following free holiday events:

Santa’s Mailbox – Children are encouraged to bring their letters to Santa to drop in the city’s Santa’s Mailbox during the Winter Wonderland event. A Fishers tradition, Santa’s Mailboxes are located at City Hall (1 Municipal Dr., Fishers, IN 46038) and at the Fishers Parks & Recreation Office (11565 Brooks School Rd., Fishers, IN 46037) now through December 11^th. By including a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their letter, children will receive a reply in the mail from Santa before Christmas Eve.

City Light Display – The city’s colorful holiday lights will be displayed through January 1^st. Special thanks to the Fishers Department of Public Works for their hard work on the annual display.

Pictures with Santa – Fishers Parks & Recreation is also excited to host the free annual Pictures with Santa event at City Hall on Tuesday, December 6^th and Wednesday, December 7^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This year, a Sensory Friendly Hour will be offered for children with special needs on Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m.

To learn more about this year’s holiday events presented by Fishers Parks & Recreation visit www.fishers.in.us/winterwonderland and follow Fishers Parks & Recreation on Facebook and Twitter. Also, download the free Nickel Plate District App for iPhone and Android for additional event updates and Nickel Plate District news.

The health clinic for Fishers city employees has been run by a company called QuadMed since 2008, but the city has chosen to terminate the contract and bring in a new health provider.  The transition to a new firm named Our Health is now underway.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the city sought to terminate the contract with QuadMed due to “performance issues.”  The Fishers City Board of Public Works and Safety approved the contract termination arrangement.

In other matters brought before the Board of Works:

–An agreement between Fishers and the Indiana Department of Transportation was extended for the project along 96th Street to add lanes, including bridge work.  The extension was approved.  The extension is needed for environmental work and land acquisition.

–The bids for steel needed for the winter overhaul work on the Amphitheater and new pavilion came in over budget, so the board authorized negotiations to reduce the steel cost and allow the project to move forward.

It has been a while since the Indianapolis Star had a front-page story about Fishers, but I was a bit surprised at the lead in John Tuohy’s piece in the November 27th edition.  The lead to the story wasn’t about city finances or economic development.  It was about “fun.”  Yes, “fun.”  Here are the first four sentences:

First, the Fair Train was grounded. Then, the Freedom Fest was skedaddled. Finally, a plan for a skating rink was put on ice.

Has Fishers become a fun-free zone?

What is interesting about reporter Tuohy’s story is that I asked Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness  a question similar to what the Star is addressing nearly two years ago in my first full podcast – many long-time Fishers residents complain about the rapid changes in the community, and I asked the mayor how he answers those people.

His answer was simple – cities are either moving forward or backward.  Fadness believes just keeping things the way they are is not an option.  Given those two choices, the mayor opts to keep moving the city forward.

You can listen to the entire podcast at this link.

Tuohy’s piece explores the fact that Fishers may have lost some “fun” things we have enjoyed in the past, but the city is replacing most of them with something else.  You can argue about whether the new amenities  are better than the old, but change is coming – the only question is how things will be changing.

When the Fishers Freedom Festival Board of Directors issued the news release announcing it will no longer host the annual summer event, the mayor took exception to the assertion that the “festival partnership does not fall within their city’s vision.”  The mayor was emphatic with me that festivals are within his vision and that the city will continue a summer festival, which Mr. Tuohy’s article does address.

I have never found a measurement of fun for a community that makes any sense.  When I moved to Fishers in 1991, the Town of Fishers was one kind of place, a quiet suburb of about 10,000 people.  The City of Fishers is a much different place with a population of nearly 90,000.  I suppose fun for a small town and a growing city are two different things.

When I began the LarryInFishers.com news blog nearly 6 years ago, I did so because news outlets like the Star were paying only occasional attention to our community.  The Star is paying more attention to Fishers now, but if you want more updates on the fun measurement, you will have to go to the Star for that story.  I still don’t know how to measure fun.

To read John Touhy’s full story, use this link.

There has been a lot going on in Fishers lately.  There are squabbles about the school calendar at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, a popular pizza restaurant in the heart of downtown Fishers has closed abruptly & unexpectedly…and the Fishers Freedom Festival is in the process of winding down the nonprofit group that has run the event since 1989.  That’s a lot of news in just a few weeks time.

On top of all that, I have a contract to travel the state this time of year as an instructor for Indiana University.  That means it is a bit more difficult for me to track local developments.

I have been wanting to write about this issue, but just now have reserved the time to do so.  I respectfully ask that you read what I have to say.

I am writing this to give you all a warning that this local news blog, and my podcasts, could all be history if one federal agency conducts a vote in December and the outcome is the one all observers are expecting.

If Net Neutrality rules, first established in 2005 by the George W. Bush administration and strengthened during the administration of Barack Obama, are repealed or greatly relaxed, my news blog and podcast series could be a thing of the past.

Am I being alarmist about this?  I do not think so.  I will explain why.

If the Net Neutrality rules are changed as expected by the Federal Communications Commission, you may soon find it difficult or impossible to access LarryInFishers.com.  I am just a locally-focused, small blog.  I have no commercial sponsors.  I am just a volunteer trying to serve my community during a period of time when news coverage is lacking here due to the economic changes in the news business.

If the big providers of Internet service (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon etc.) decide LarryInFishers is not that important to them economically, they could block my content in favor of other sites willing and able to pay them.  If not blocking, these firms could “throttle” my blog and podcasts, meaning it would take so long to load onto your computer or phone that you would likely give up on it.

For the “small fish” on the Internet, such as LarryInFishers.com, it is conceivable that we would disappear from sight on what is now a neutral Internet playing field.  The large Internet Service Providers would have complete freedom and discretion to do just that.

You may have seen the statements from companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon.  They all claim they will not block or slow down any “lawful” sites on the Web.  That’s what they say now.  That could change in the future.  That’s what has many of us worried.

After writing here recently that I was contemplating ending this blog after nearly 6 years of providing this service, I was deluged with wonderful comments asking me to continue, so I have.  But this change in the Net Neutrality regulatory framework is the biggest threat to Internet offerings such as mine.

If you do care about LarryInFishers.com and want it to continue, I would urge you to contact Congresswoman Susan Brooks and our two senators, Joe Donnelly and Todd Young.  Since the Federal Communications Commission vote will likely change the Net Neutrality rules, there will almost certainly be litigation on this issue.

As the litigation delays implementation, Congress has the right to intervene at any time.  I would urge all citizens of Fishers to contact your two senators and member of the House.  That is the only way Net Neutrality has a chance of being preserved.

In a new world without Net Neutrality, LarryInFishers.com and my podcasts have a very uncertain future.

Contact information for Congresswoman Susan Brooks is available at this link.

Contact information for Senator Todd Young is available at this ink.

Contact Senator Joe Donnelly at this link.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers scored a tough win at New Castle Saturday, beating the Trojans
50-47.

It was a back-and-forth game throughout; the Tigers jumped out to
a 10-5 lead after the first quarter, but New Castle came back to go up 20-17 at halftime. Fishers reclaimed the lead by the end of the third period and held on for the win.

Toni Grace scored 25 points for the Tigers and also had five rebounds. Kenedi
London added 12 points, and Tamia Perryman grabbed eight rebounds. Lydia
Stullken made two blocks.

Fishers is now 7-2 and hosts Mooresville on Wednesday.

Adam & I review the film Lady Bird.  My nephew Connor Glass talks about being a production assistant in the film industry..

In a posting on his personal Facebook page late Friday night, Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board Vice President John DeLucia wrote that he “made a mistake” Monday night in voting on the school calendar issue. “I apologize for that mistake and am looking forward to the opportunity to fix it next Wednesday night,” wrote DeLucia.

He was one of the yes votes in a 4-3 HSE Board vote to add 2 days to the start of the next two school years and add 2 days off at Thanksgiving, providing a week-long Thanksgiving break.  If DeLucia switches his vote, and all other 6 board members vote the same, the outcome would be different, with the school calendar in the coming two years remaining roughly the same as the current school year.

In that Facebook posting, DeLucia goes into some detail to explain why he cast his vote on Monday night.  He points out that, with arguments about the scientific value of the survey conducted by school administrators aside, 33% voted to support the recommendation from Superintendent Allen Bourff to keep the calendar about the way it stands now, but 30% voted for the week-long Thanksgiving break and earlier school start date in August.

Delucia argues none of the 5 options had a majority, and the community was closely split on the options receiving the top two votes.  He wrote that the vote also clearly shows there is not much support for a balanced school calendar in the HSE school community.

The decision to support the calendar option that passed Monday night was a move to enact a calendar at that time, DeLucia wrote, and that a compromise was required to pass any calendar Monday night.  His vote was an attempt to reach that compromise, which DeLucia now describes as a mistake on his part.

“I have learned a great deal about how significant these 2 days are for many of our teachers, students and families” DeLucia wrote. “A full week the first week of school for the early grades is really long and burdensome. Finding childcare 2 more days during Thanksgiving week is a burden for working families. Starting on Wednesday allows for teachers to start on Monday. Starting on Monday makes teachers start the week prior. Some of these points were brought up Monday night. Again, I leaned on it only being 2 days AND the desire to make a decision. I thought if we delayed, we’d wait another month, irritate even more people, and end up the same place we were. Let’s bite the bullet and make a decision. 2 days. Again, I was wrong.”

The board vice president, as part of his Facebook post, reflected on the state of discourse when members of the community disagree with a board decision.

“Maybe before you hop on social media with a venomous post, learn a little more about what has gone on,” according to DeLucia . “How about coming to a meeting and speaking on an agenda item? How about a phone call? I can’t say I’ve replied to every email I’ve received, but I try to. I have returned every phone call I’ve received related to school matters.”

HSE School Board President Matt Burke has called a special meeting for Wednesday, November 29th, 7pm, at the school administration building on Cumberland Road.  The only item on the agenda is reconsideration of the school calendar vote.  With John DeLucia’s Facebook post, it is very possible this vote will end in a different result.

You can read John DeLucia’s entire Facebook post at this link.

In a podcast interview with me recorded November 23rd, 2016, John DeLucia said he definitely would not seek a third term on the school board.  You can listen to that entire podcast at this link.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

George Kristo, a familiar face to countless Hamilton County young people and a veritable “fixture” at the Government and Judicial Center, is retiring as director of the Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs. For 22 years Kristo has headed the group with the simple, but difficult mission of “reducing and preventing consumption of alcohol and the use of illegal drugs” by county youth.

Kristo says he will retire in early January. Although approaching his 80th birthday,

Kristo seems younger in appearance and attitude, probably because of his association with much younger people. His is a one-man operation which supports the North Suburban Alcoholics Anonymous Club, the DARE program, Hamilton County Drug Court, the local schools’ Red Ribbon program, Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and arranges for the County Youth Service Award, which grants an annual scholarship to a local high school graduate.

For many years George and his late wife, Dr. Linda Kristo, hosted an alcohol-free New Years Eve party for county teenagers. But, the party will not be held this year due to Kristo’s retirement and various timing problems.

George and his wife came to the area in 1990 from Toledo, Ohio, following his 32-year career with insurance giant Blue Cross. Since arriving in Noblesville, he has been involved with various community activities including the County Historical Society, Noblesville Main Street and as a member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.

In retirement George plans to remain in Noblesville and continue his volunteer work at a local nursing home. His successor as council director will be selected by the council board of directors chaired by Superior Court Judge Steve Nation.