Fishers Police made an arrest connected to a fatal crash early Saturday morning, near the intersection of 126th Street and Winding Creek Lane, between Allisonville Road and Lantern Road.

Hunter Monts, 24, from Fishers, faces charges of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and Operating While Intoxicated Causing Catastrophic Injury, both felonies.

Richard Wentzel, 66, from Fishers, died in the accident.

Here is how Fishers Police describe what happened.

“At approximately 4:30am, Fishers police officers responded to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of 126^th Street and Winding Creek Lane. Upon arrival, officers observed a red 2010 Ford F150 truck and a red 2013 Chevrolet Malibu passenger car in the roadway. Both drivers and a passenger in the Malibu were transported to the hospital. The driver of the Malibu did not survive his injuries and was declared deceased at the hospital.”

Investigators say both vehicles were traveling eastbound on 126th Street when the Ford struck the Chevrolet.

The Indianapolis Star reported Monday morning that Hamilton County Prosecutor Greg Garrison suffered a heart attack last week and is currently hospitalized at Community Hospital North.  Use this link to read the Star story

As most people in Fishers know by now, there was a fatal shooting in the parking lot of the Speedway gas station on 116th Street, just east of Allisonville Road, Wednesday afternoon.  Kaylah Farmer, who died in the shooting, left behind three children.

A Go Fund Me page has been established allowing people to contribute for the benefit of the children.  You can access the Go Fund Me page at this link.

Beginning my career in radio broadcasting, I remember the general manager of the FM station where I worked complaining in 1970 about a piece of legislation that had just passed Congress and became law.  The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) had lobbied to require carmakers to install FM radios in their vehicles, but that provision was stripped from the final version of the measure.

He complained that the stripping away of that law provision would stunt the growth of all FM stations for many years.  There was some truth in that.

I thought about those comment in 1970 while watching the current kerfuffle over announcements by some car manufacturers of plans to eliminate AM radios in new cars.

Tesla says the static created by their engines is too much.  BMW, Mazda and Volkswagen announced they will eliminate AM radios in their new electric vehicles.  Ford had announced it would remove AM radios from all new vehicles, then reversed that decision.

Why are so many people worked up about AM radio?  In recent years, AM radio has mostly been home to political talk radio, news, sports, foreign language and religious programming.

What are the major differences between AM & FM radio?

First, Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio was the first form of broadcasting in the United States.  It has the capability of beaming a signal a long way,  That’s why clear channel stations in places like Chicago, Cincinnati and even New Orleans can often be heard at night in central Indiana.

AM radio is important for emergency messages, particularly in rural areas not served by FM stations and with little or no access to the Internet.

But AM radio has some major drawbacks,  First, the quality of the sound cannot come close to matching FM.  Also, if there is a thunderstorm in your area, there is a lot of static on your AM radio, often making it difficult or impossible to listen.

Then there is Frequency Modulation (FM) radio, where the signal does not reach nearly as far as AM, but the sound quality is much better.  It is best suited to broadcast almost any kind of music.  FM radio exploded in popularity in the 1970s.

When carmakers started the discussion of ditching AM radios in new cars, particularly electric ones for technical interference reasons, it started a new conversation about the future of AM radio.

Many politicians on the left and right of the political spectrum are saying AM radio must be saved.  I am not so sure that is a good idea.

The argument that hard-to-reach rural areas without FM radio or much access to the Internet do need access to emergency messages is valid today.  However, recently enacted legislation will begin to fund programs providing Internet access to remote rural areas.  That argument will only last a few years.

I had broadcast engineers tell me in the early 1970s that AM radio would, at some point in the future, be abolished in favor of FM.  That trend has continued, with most of the radio audience on FM, based on all the data I have seen.

The only 50,000 watt AM station in Indianapolis, WIBC (Later WFAN after switching to a sports format) had an offer for their transmitter site that was so good the owners had no choice but take it.  Without a suitable and affordable alternative to place the towers and transmitter, 1070 AM is still off the air.

The impact of the Internet and cell phones cannot be ignored.  Music, news, sports and the latest iteration of podcasts are all available through your cell phone and Blue Tooth in your car.   Fewer people are listening to radio overall these days.

AM radio will be around a few more years, but once Internet is more universally available, the emergency message argument will no longer be valid.  Also, carmakers will eventually take them out of newly manufactured vehicles.

That part of the radio spectrum could be used for other purposes. Just look at how much money the federal government has reeled-in during recent radio spectrum auctions.  The cell phone firms and other communications companies would bid for that spectrum once AM radio is gone.

So, with technology moving on, I see a bleak future for AM radio.  The broadcast engineers that prophesied the end of AM radio may have been a little premature, but in the long-run, I believe they will be proven correct.

My General Manager boss in 1970 was livid that FM radio would not be in new cars.  Interesting that more than 50 years later, the shoe is on the other foot.

Another full slate of road construction is on tap for the first week of July.  Here are the details, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street.

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. 

The ramp from I-69 North to 82nd Street and the ramp from 82nd Street to I-69 North is currently closed through late 2023. For detour routes and additional project information, visit clearpath465.com 

To learn more about the Nickel Plate Trail, view the Capital Project Dashboard here.

NICKEL PLATE TRAIL
The City of Fishers is working on the completion of the Fishers portion of the Nickel Plate Trail. The remaining paving work from 96th Street to 106th Street is underway.

There are daily lane closures currently on Cumberland Road, just south of 126th Street for sanitary and water line work. The northbound right turn lane and the southbound passing blister will be closed.

Phase 2A traffic restrictions are currently in place. These restrictions will eliminate left turn movements from 146th Street onto Allisonville Road and reopen to two through lanes on eastbound and westbound 146th Street. Sowers Dr., Wellington Ct., and Kensington Dr. will be closed at 146th Street during this phase. 

Increased utility relocation activity is expected along Allisonville Rd. south of 146th Street. Flaggers will be present when lane or shoulder restrictions are necessary.

Construction crews will be working to complete the connection of Sowers Dr. to Allisonville Road. Saville Road will be closed at 146th Street for construction crews to construct the new frontage road and Saville Road access at 146th Street. Waterway MOT will be installed along the White River to allow crews to begin working on the White River bridges. 

The worksite speed limit will be 35 mph. Please exercise caution while driving through this construction zone.

For additional project information, visit Hamilton County website here. 

There is a sanitary sewer project currently taking place at Metro Airport at 106th Street & Allisonville Road. There are times where lane restrictions may be in place on Allisonville Road. Please use caution in this area.

In a letter to the Fishers community, Police Chief Ed Gebhart identified the victim in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in the Speedway gas station parking lot, on 116th Street just west of Allisonville Road.

The victim is identified as Kaylah Ann Farmer.  She was  the mother of three children.

“We want to extend our sincere condolences to Kaylah’s family and friends,” said Chief Gebhart.  “Our agency will continue to advocate for Kaylah and work closely with the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is served for her.”

According to Gebhart, his department will focus on bringing “resolution and justice to Kaylah’s family.”

A person of interest in the shooting death, Joshua Alexander Farmer, was taken into custody Thursday.

The “person of interest” in the fatal shooting Wednesday afternoon in a Fishers gas station parking lot is now in custody, per television station WTHR.  For more details, use this link.

Fishers Police are looking for a “person of interest” in connection with a late Wednesday afternoon fatal shooting.  Joshua Alexander Farmer, 32, from Noblesville, is that person of interest.

Fishers Police were called to the Speedway gas station on 116th Street just west of Allisonville Road at 5pm yesterday and found a woman dead from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.  Investigators say this appears to stem from an ongoing domestic situation.

Anyone with information regarding Joshua Alexander Farmer should call 317-595-3254. Farmer was last seen driving a 2020 maroon Kia Soul with Indiana license plate 392CDM. Police warn the public not to approach Farmer as he is wanted on several warrants from Hamilton County, and he should be considered armed and dangerous.

As you drive down 116th Street eastbound just past Municipal Drive in downtown Fishers, you have a clear view of the new mural.  In the near future, you will only be able to view roughly the top half of that mural when driving that same route.

That’s because a new Cafe Patachou is coming to that site, along with a plaza. The Nickel Plate Review Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the project in the special downtown district.

The Nickel Plate Review Committee considers proposed projects within the district required to meet a certain threshold for size, intensity or density as detailed by the Nickel Plate Code.

The Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request by Hieu Van Le to convert his residential single-family home to a short-term rental property.  The vote was 5-0.

According to the Fishers Planning Department staff, the State of Indiana does not allow municipalities to limit short-term rentals when it relates to home-occupation, meaning the property owner must live at the residence. This does not meet the City of Fishers’ home-occupation standards, and therefore requires this special zoning exception to allow short-term rentals.  Assistant Planning & Zoning Director Ross Hilleary told the board this is the first such situation he has seen in his 6 years with Fishers.

Mr. Le did not attend the meeting, but had his property manager make the case that his experience with a long-term  renter with a one-year lease was not positive, and believes changing to short-term rentals would allow cleaning staff to check the property between short-term tenantes. His neighbors on Dawson Drive, near Holland Park, strongly disagreed and all spoke against the proposal.

In other BZA actions Wednesday:

–Bryan Harris was denied his request for a large accessory structure next to his home on 97th Street.

–Burn Boot Camp received unanimous approval from the board to occupy space at The Link at Fishers District Building (fomerly known as Navient).

— Chris Schulhof will be able to expand his Geist-area home with a unanimous yes vote from the board.