A number of issues now moving through the Indiana General Assembly could have a direct impact on Fishers and Hamilton County residents, and they are the focus of this week’s Fridays with Larry podcast.

In the February 20 episode, I provide an update on legislation known as “Hailey’s Law,” named for local crime victim Hailey Buzbee. The proposal contains two key elements — changes designed to enhance Indiana’s Amber Alert system and new restrictions aimed at limiting young people’s access to social media. Lawmakers continue to debate both provisions as the bill advances at the Statehouse.

Another topic drawing attention locally involves efforts to overturn municipal rental caps, including Fishers’ limits on the number of single-family rental homes permitted within certain neighborhoods. The measure has prompted discussion about property rights, neighborhood stability, and the role of local government versus state authority.

My guest this week is Jocelyn Vare of ReCenter Indiana. She discusses a recent study conducted by her organization examining why many young Hoosiers register to vote but ultimately do not cast ballots. The conversation looks at civic engagement trends and what the findings could mean for future elections in Indiana.

I close the podcast with commentary on the proposed effort to bring the Chicago Bears to Hammond, Indiana, and what such a move could mean for the state.

Fridays With Larry is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

You can watch or listen to the February 20 edition of Fridays with Larry at the links below, or use these links for the video and audio versions

The Indy Ignite tightened their grip on first place Thursday night with a road victory over the Dallas Pulse, defeating Dallas in four sets Feb. 19 at Comerica Center.

With the win, the Ignite completed a season sweep of the Pulse and strengthened their position atop the Major League Volleyball standings.

Indy set the tone early, using aggressive serving and disciplined net play to control the first set. Dallas responded in the second, capitalizing on a brief Ignite lull to even the match. But from there, Indy regained momentum.

The Ignite’s balanced attack proved decisive. Multiple hitters reached double figures, and Indy’s defensive effort limited Dallas’ ability to generate extended scoring runs. Strong play at the net and consistent back-row coverage frustrated the Pulse offense throughout the final two sets.

The third set was tightly contested, with neither team able to build more than a two-point advantage for much of the frame. Indy pulled away late behind timely kills and a key service run to take control of the match. In the fourth, the Ignite jumped out to an early lead and never allowed Dallas to mount a serious comeback.

The victory not only extends Indy’s strong road performance this season but also gives the Ignite a clear edge in the head-to-head series against one of their closest challengers in the standings.

Thursday’s win continues a stretch of strong play for the Fishers-based franchise as it pushes toward the second half of the season. With depth across the roster and consistent production from both starters and reserves, the Ignite have shown they can win in multiple ways — including in hostile road environments.

Indy now turns its attention to Atlanta as they travel south to face the Vibe Saturday night.

Fishers, Indiana will observe National Disability Awareness Month in March with a month-long series of events designed to celebrate inclusion, highlight the contributions of residents with disabilities, and promote accessibility across the community.

The celebration, presented by Old National Bank, is organized by the City of Fishers and the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability. Activities throughout the month will include sporting events, art exhibits, educational workshops, and family-friendly programming open to residents of all ages and abilities.

“Fishers has grown and evolved since we first launched our local celebration of March Disability Awareness Month a decade ago,” said Cecilia Coble, co-chair of the advisory committee and a Fishers City Councilor. “Our committee is committed to advocating for disability awareness and inclusion and making a difference in Fishers and beyond.”

The month begins Monday, March 2, with a kick-off event and Accessibility & Inclusion Awards ceremony at the Theater at the Fishers Municipal Center. The free public event will feature Mayor Scott Fadness and guest speaker Jessica Minor of the accessABILITY Center for Independent Living, along with recognition of this year’s Disability and Inclusion Award winners.

Community partners will host programs throughout March, including the Fishers Arts Council, Hamilton East Public Library, Fishers Event Center, and the Fishers Community Center.

Among the featured events:

• On March 13, the Fishers Arts Council will host a Disability Awareness Exhibit during its Second Friday celebration, showcasing visual art created by artists who identify as having a disability.

• On March 19, the Indy Ignite will face the Columbus Fury at the Fishers Event Center in a Deaf & Hard of Hearing Night celebration.

• On March 24, employers and hiring managers are invited to an Opening Doors to Employment Breakfast focused on inclusive hiring practices.

• On March 28, members of the U.S. National Power Soccer Team will participate in a live exhibition and meet-and-greet at the Fishers Community Center.

Families can also take part in a StoryWalk at Brooks School Park throughout the month, featuring the book Monster Hands by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan. New adaptive swim lessons for children ages 5 to 12 are being introduced at the Fishers Community Center, offering semi-private instruction led by certified instructors.

The Hamilton East Public Library’s Fishers branch will present a series of workshops, including Autism 101, a Dementia Friend session, art classes, and a neurodivergent teen hangout.

Kelly Hartman, advisory committee co-chair and president and CEO of KQuad Consulting, said the goal is to bring the community together. “Through this month-long celebration, we aim to highlight inclusive opportunities and reinforce our commitment to creating spaces, programs, and events where everyone feels welcome.”

A full schedule and registration details are available at FishersIN.gov/DisabilityAwareness.

Fishers residents should prepare for a potentially active weather day Thursday, with forecasters calling for storms to develop and strengthen after 1 p.m., following a morning of fog and scattered showers.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis reports that scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are likely this afternoon into the evening across central Indiana. Damaging winds are expected to be the primary threat, with the possibility of an isolated tornado. Forecasters also note that a few storms earlier in the day could produce small hail.

For Fishers and Hamilton County, the main window for stronger storms appears to be mid-afternoon through the evening hours, roughly 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. That timing could overlap with school dismissal, the evening commute and after-school activities.

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center has placed much of Indiana, including the Fishers area, under a Slight Risk, or Level 2 of 5, for severe weather. That designation indicates scattered severe storms are possible, though not everyone will experience severe conditions.

If stronger storms develop, residents could see wind gusts strong enough to bring down tree limbs and power lines, leading to scattered outages. Heavy downpours may also reduce visibility for drivers and create brief travel hazards. Outdoor activities and athletic practices may need to move indoors quickly if warnings are issued.

Forecasters urge residents to monitor weather conditions closely throughout the day and to have multiple ways to receive warnings, including NOAA Weather Radio and wireless emergency alerts on mobile phones. With storms expected into the evening hours, having a plan in place before they arrive could make a difference if conditions deteriorate quickly.

Hamilton County officials are warning local veterans about a text message scam circulating across Indiana that falsely claims to come from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Several veterans have reported receiving text messages urging them to “update their information.” The messages include a link to what appears to be a legitimate website and prompt recipients to enter sensitive personal details. County officials say the messages are fraudulent.

“This is a scam, plain and simple,” said Tom Logan, Hamilton County’s Veteran Service Officer. “The VA may send text reminders about appointments or benefits, but they will not ask you to update personal information or provide sensitive details through a random text link. If you get a message like that, do not click it.”

Officials stress that while the VA does send legitimate text messages related to benefits, resources and appointment reminders, veterans should be cautious of any message requesting personal information, financial details or immediate payment.

Hamilton County veterans who receive suspicious texts or emails are encouraged to report them to the appropriate agency:

• VA health-related scams (Veterans Health Administration): (866) 842-4357
• VA benefits scams (Veterans Benefits Administration): (833) 388-7233
• Non-VA scams: Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357 or online at reportfraud.ftc.gov

“These scams are getting more sophisticated and can look very convincing,” Logan said. “If something doesn’t feel right, call our office first. We are here to help veterans navigate their benefits safely.”

Veterans are advised to block, delete and report suspicious messages — and most importantly, not click any links contained in them.

Veterans with questions or concerns may contact the Hamilton County Veteran Services Office for assistance.

Black History Month is a time to honor achievement and resilience — but it is also a chance to ask what history means right here at home. In this episode, I sit down with two prominent African American residents of Fishers, Howard Stevenson and Eddie Rivers, for a wide-ranging conversation about local experiences, community progress, and the often-overlooked threads of Black history in Hamilton County.

Stevenson is a Fishers civic leader and attorney who serves as president of the Fishers Plan Commission and vice president of the Fishers Board of Zoning Appeals. He previously served on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board. He is also a founder and partner at Stevenson Legal Group and has served as an adjunct law professor.

Rivers is a West Point graduate and longtime business and civic leader. His background includes an Army career and corporate leadership, along with deep community involvement focused on mentorship and opportunity. He is also connected to local business leadership through Rivers Business Solutions (RBS), a certified diverse supplier founded in 2005.

Together, they reflect on what Black History Month should mean in a fast-growing community like Fishers — and why local conversations about history, inclusion, and civic life still matter.

The LarryInFishers.com Podcast series is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen at this link or the link below.

A Fishers-based technology firm says it is redefining how organizations connect with customers through personalized video.

Spokenote announced the launch of what it describes as the first platform designed to allow organizations to scale authentic, short-form video interactions without manual editing or AI-generated impersonations. Company leaders say the new capability combines human connection with the speed and efficiency of modern automation.

According to the company, the platform enables organizations to create dynamic video experiences that adapt to individual viewers. Using modular video components assembled based on audience segmentation and interests, each message is customized for the recipient while maintaining what the company calls a “human” feel rather than a mass-produced look.

Spokenote says its system differs from traditional content marketing platforms and personalization engines by focusing on translating data into what it describes as one-to-one human experiences. The videos can be integrated into existing customer relationship management systems and deployed through SMS, email or direct mail campaigns.

“The world is saturated with automated, soulless noise. People don’t want more information; they want more connection,” said Spokenote Founder and CEO John Wechsler in a statement. “Spokenote is the first and only platform that allows a brand to look a thousand different customers in the eye and deliver a unique, authentic message in seconds.”

The company says the technology is designed for high-impact communications where trust plays a critical role, including student recruitment, donor engagement and customer appreciation efforts.

Users upload or record short video clips, connect audience data and generate personalized video experiences at scale. The platform also provides performance analytics so organizations can measure engagement and track results across the customer journey.

Spokenote is headquartered in Fishers and serves organizations seeking more direct, personalized engagement strategies in an increasingly crowded digital marketplace.

I was born on September 3, 1951. On this Presidents Day, I found myself wondering: who were the five best presidents to serve during my lifetime?

I did not want to judge them based on my own political leanings. Instead, I wanted to see how historians and scholars rank them. So I turned to academic research — most notably the Siena College Research Institute’s U.S. Presidents Study (2022) and the Presidential Greatness Project (2024).

The Siena study is based on an ongoing survey of historians, political scientists and presidential scholars. The Presidential Greatness Project draws on the views of more than 200 presidential scholars. While no ranking is definitive, these surveys offer a broad, research-based look at how experts assess presidential performance over time.

So, according to those scholars, who were the top five presidents of my lifetime?

Number 5: John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy consistently receives strong marks for public leadership and his handling of Cold War crises. Historians continue to debate how much of his reputation reflects accomplishments versus the promise of a presidency cut short, but he regularly appears near the top in expert surveys.

Number 4: Barack Obama.
Scholars often cite Obama’s management of major economic and international challenges, along with policy initiatives that have had lasting impact. In recent rankings, he frequently lands in or near the top 10 among modern presidents.

Number 3: Lyndon B. Johnson.
Johnson’s sweeping domestic achievements — particularly civil rights legislation and Great Society programs — drive his high placement in many surveys. His escalation of the Vietnam War tempers that assessment for some historians, but his legislative record remains significant.

Number 2: Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower is praised for steady leadership, administrative competence and a measured approach to Cold War tensions. Historians often reward his stability and governance style in retrospective evaluations.

Number 1: Harry S. Truman.
Truman is frequently credited with pivotal post–World War II decisions and institution-building that shaped America’s modern global role. Scholars often highlight his decisiveness during moments of extraordinary pressure.

I am sure this list will spark debate. Some readers will disagree with who made the top five; others will argue that certain presidents were left out. I was far too young to remember Truman and recall only glimpses of Eisenhower. From John F. Kennedy forward, however, I have vivid memories of the presidents who have served during my lifetime.

Who would make your top five from 1951 to the present? My guess is there are as many lists as there are readers.

Happy Presidents Day.

The Indy Fuel closed out their three-games-in-three-days weekend on a high note, defeating the Cincinnati Cyclones 3-1 on the road to halt a stretch of tough losses.

The game opened with fireworks just six seconds in, as Jesse Tucker and Rhett Parsons dropped the gloves and were each assessed five-minute fighting majors.

The Fuel struck first midway through the opening period. At 11:41, Brandon Schultz capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to give Indy a 1-0 lead. The goal was Schultz’s first with the team this season, with Tucker earning the lone assist. Despite a cross-checking minor assessed to Will Ennis earlier in the period, the Cyclones were unable to convert on the power play. Indy carried a 1-0 advantage into the first intermission, outshooting Cincinnati 13-11.

In the second period, Tucker added to the Fuel lead at 7:21, finishing a play set up by Brett Moravec with a secondary assist credited to Lee Lapid. The goal gave Indy a 2-0 cushion and completed Tucker’s Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist and a fight — the first by a Fuel player this season.

Cincinnati answered at 9:43 when Ryan Kirwin found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Fuel penalty kill remained strong later in the period after Matt Petgrave was whistled for tripping at 16:42.

Indy regained control in the third. Eric Martin extended the lead to 3-1 at 8:15 with a slapshot, assisted by Tyler Paquette and Petgrave. The Cyclones pulled their goaltender in the final minute, but the Fuel defense held firm to secure the win.

Indy outshot Cincinnati 26-16 in a dominant road performance that provided a strong finish to the demanding weekend.  The Fuel travel to Kalamazoo for a Friday-Saturday set of contests in Michigan this coming weekend.