The Fishers YMCA Wishbone 5K is now in its 12th year, a fundraiser for the local Y with all the proceeds going to those unable to afford a YMCA membership in Fishers.  Jennifer Mealy of the Fishers Y talks about this year’s Wishbone 5K and much more in this podcast.

The Fishers City Council gave second reading approval to an ordinance authorizing the city health department to issue grades and be displayed in Fishers restaurants.  The grade will indicate the cleanliness status, and adherence to health standards, based on a recent city inspection.

Public Health Director Monica Heltz told council members there were some minor changes to the code since the first reading vote.  Restaurant inspections will begin in January of 2023, but the grades will not be required to be displayed in the restaurants until September of 2023.  This will allow the health department to make the inspections and not begin to display the grades until all restaurants have an inspection grade.

According to the Fishers Health Department, this new system will provide minimum standards “for the prevention and suppression of disease and health risks associated with the preparation and distribution of food through food service operations within the City, and to otherwise promote the mission of the food protection program to protect the health of all persons in the City.”

Although the grades will not be posted in restaurants until September, the inspection reports with the grading system will be available online next year.  The Health Department is in the process of setting up the online system.

The Fishers Board of Health has already approved this ordinance and restaurant owners & operators have been invited to two Webinars about the grading system.

The council voted unanimously to approve second reading of the ordinance..

The Fishers City Council began its Monday meeting with special recognition for Britton Falls resident George Stavropoulos.  The Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame recently inducted Mr. Stavropoulos into its collection of those honored for their military service.

He has been active in veterans activities in Fishers for years.  Mr. Stavropoulos is a member of the recently-formed Fishers Armed Services Commission.  El Ahlwardt, President of that Commission, was on hand for the council meeting.

George Stavropoulos had a storied military career, including four Purple Hearts.  He continues to feel the impact of those injuries sustained during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Stavropoulos was instrumental in raising funds to construct the Gold Star Family Memorial.  City Hall may have been demolished, but the Gold Star Family Memorial still stands south of where the new City Hall will be constructed.

The World Cup soccer tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the world.  Yet, FIFA, the organization that organizes the event every four years, has a tangled web of finances leading to allegations of corruption.  Here is my review of a Netflix docu-series all about FIFA’s finances – FIFA Uncovered.

The dust is settling on the local 2022 election.  There are two races in the local area for seats in the Indiana General Assembly that are worth noting.

First, in what had been considered by many local pundits to be a very competitive Senate District 31 election, Republican Kyle Walker won a convincing victory over Democrat Jocelyn Vare.  Walker received over 55% of the votes.

Walker benefitted from a much larger campaign war chest compared to Democrat Vare.  The Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Walker raised more than $1.5 million.

District 31 was created in the redistricting following the 2020 census.  It contains Fishers and a part of Lawrence Township in Marion County.

Going to the House, Democrat Victoria Wilburn won a very narrow election over Republican Fred Glynn.  The margin was a mere 231 votes…12,477 for Wilburn & 12,246 for Glynn.  District 32 includes Clay and Delaware Townships in Hamilton County, then dips into Marion County.

Glynn chose not to run for another term on the Hamilton County Council so he could run for the seat in the Indiana Legislature.  Glynn barely won the Republican primary over Suzie Jaworowski.

The results state-wide show super-majorities continue for Republicans in the House and the Senate, so it is expected that Todd Huston, from Fishers, will remain the Speaker of the Indiana House.

And, think about this….in just a few months, candidates will be filing their paperwork to become candidates for municipal offices in the May primary.  That includes all elective offices in the City of Fishers, including mayor, clerk, city judge, and all 9 council seats.

There are so many ways to commemorate a day like Veterans Day.  On Veterans Day 2022, the City of Fishers chose a new venue and the keynote address told the incredible story of one member of the Armed Forces.

The new venue was Knowledge Services, located in what was once the headquarters for the Marsh Grocery Company.  With City Hall demolished to make way for a new Arts & City Hall complex, the Knowledge Services facility has a nice auditorium that served well as the place to hold the annual Fishers Veterans Day ceremony.

The main speaker was retired Major General Richard Chegar and he told the story of a man he described as “the best soldier I ever served with.”  That was Command Sergeant Major Arno Childs.

As a young man, Childs got into a bit of trouble and was given a choice by an Indiana judge – go to jail or the military.  The next day he was in the Army recruiting office.

General Chegar described Childs career, which included more honors and decorations one could count.  His heroism in the Vietnam battlefield was described in detail.

Although haunted by PTSD later in life, Cheagar described how finding religious faith helped Childs shake the PTSD demons later in life.  Childs has been gone for about 10 years but his two daughters were in attendance for General Chegar’s address.

Mayor Scott Fadness passed out service pins to all veterans at the event choosing to receive one.  The mayor also introduced his son Lincoln, who was born on Veterans
Day 8 years ago.  The crowd couldn’t resist breaking out into the Happy Birthday song for Lincoln.

El Ahwardt did his usual outstanding job as master of ceremonies.  Retired Commander Ahlwardt also chairs the Fishers Armed Forces Commission, which handled most of the planning for this Veterans Day celebration.

When I think about Veterans Day, I think about my dad, uncles, cousins and nephews that have served in the military.  There are so many, I would likely leave someone out if trying to list them all.  Let’s just say I’m thinking about all of you every Veterans Day.

Look for a few lane restrictions around Fishers in the coming weeks, including 141st west of SR 37 and on areas of 116th Street.

Here is the full report, as issued by the City of Fishers:

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Lane restrictions are currently in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday, November 11 on westbound and eastbound 146th Street and the northbound and southbound median lanes of SR 37 for the cleaning of drainage structures and to finish repair work. 

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

116TH STREET
During the week of November 14, there will be lane restrictions on 116th Street near Municipal Drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as Duke Energy is performing utility work. 

Road Resurfacing has been completed. Restoration and final close-out items continue to take place in neighborhoods.

The City of Fishers has been proud of the AAA debt rating from Standard & Poor (S&P) it has maintained for many years.  The rating is provided when a local government issues bonds.

Controller Lisa Bradford told City Council Finance Committee members Wednesday that S&P once again bestowed the City of Fishers with the AAA rating, the highest available, when the bonds for the new Arts & City Hall complex were recently issued.

Bradford said Hamilton County government has a AAA debt rating, but she is not aware of another city in Indiana with the AAA rating.

The AAA rating allows the city to receive a lower interest rate when borrowing.  Bradford said the interest rate on the Arts & City Hall complex came in at just below 4.8%

When Michelle Brittain-Watts presented a list of proposed high school courses, included were classes in literature, poetry, African-American studies and computing.  But the one course that created the most comments from the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board was the one in sports officiating, a one-semester credit class for high school juniors and seniors.

Many board members expressed how a lack of officials put pressure on youth athletic programs throughout the local area.

You can view the entire list of proposed high school courses at the link.

In other board items from the Wednesday meeting:

–School Board work sessions will now be live streamed online after final approval of updates to school policies.

–A contract was awarded to architectural firm CSO to design work on Fishers Elementary School.

–November 11 will be an e-learning day for students as teachers have a professional development day.

Executive Director for the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation joked about filling the room during the Wednesday meeting by having teachers on hand that were awarded grants by the foundation in the latest round.

Below you can find a listing of the grants and there is a video shown at the school board meeting.