After weeks of discussion, the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to join the Pursuit Institute.  The Institute is funded by the Hamilton County Commissioners and County Council to establish a Career Technical Education (CTE) program open to all 6 Hamilton County school districts.

HSE is the last of the 6 districts to sign-on to the Pursuit Institute.  The new CTE programs will be available to HSE students in the 2023-2024 school year.

In the past, HSE students took CTE classes internally or at the J. Everett Light Center at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

HSE Schools administrators provided a presentation to the board as to why they recommend joining Pursuit.

When Danielle Fetters Thompson was promoted to Executive Director of
Elementary Education for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, that left an opening at her previous job, Principal at Lantern Road Elementary.  Wednesday night, the school board approved the hiring of Stephane Bordelon as Lantern Elementary’s new principal.

Since 2017, Bordelon has served in Pike Township as a PreK-5 building principal. She is currently leading the work of students and staff at Snacks Crossing Elementary. She also gained experience working in Louisiana as an Academic Specialist for Lafayette Parish Schools.

“Mrs. Bordelon’s experience will enable her to foster a culture of positivity in both her students and her staff at Lantern Road Elementary,” says Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes in a school district news release. “We are excited to leverage her past successes to further academic excellence in HSE Schools.”

Bordelon has some connections to HSE Schools, having  worked as an Assistant Director of
Exceptional Learners, and then moved into a building leadership positions at Sand Creek Elementary and Cumberland Road Elementary Schools.

“I am thrilled to be returning to Hamilton Southeastern Schools, and I look forward to building on the strong foundation in place at Lantern Road and getting to know the LRE staff and families,” said Bordelon.

Bordelon holds two BA degrees from Purdue University and earned her MS in Educational Leadership from Indiana University.  Her official start date is November 2nd.

I was 9 years old in 1960.  I wasn’t totally understanding what was going on at the time, but even at that age, could sense something big, perhaps historic, was about to happen.

Having been born in 1951, I was the first American generation that grew up with a television in the home.  For most families, that box with a video screen was the center of entertainment in households across the nation.

What was creating such a stir was the very first debate between the two major candidates for president to be shown on live television.  Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy appeared in a Chicago television studio for the much-anticipated debate.  It was a very big event for its time, the first of 4 televised debates during that election campaign.

But, can you answer this question…in what year was the next series of televised presidential candidate debates?  It was 1976, 16 years later.  We had a 16-year gap in holding television presidential debates.  Televised presidential candidate debates did not become a regular, expected thing until 1976.

Why do I bring this up?  Because we are in the middle of a very fierce Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board election.  4 of the 7 seats are up for election this year.

In 2016, the year I began my local podcast series, an invitation was extended to all the HSE candidates to appear on a podcast.  All candidates accepted.  I once again produced podcasts and invited all HSE school board candidates in 2018.   All accepted and each appeared on a podcast.

In 2020, my first grandchild was born and my daughter’s family resides in another state.  That took me away from Fishers to the extent I was not able to produce the local school board podcasts.  There were two students that stepped forward and recorded podcasts with all HSE School Board candidates, no small task.

In 2020, after seeing how a student’s perspective would help in posing questions of the candidates, I asked the high school principals of HSE and Fishers to name one student each to handle most of the candidate questioning.  HSE selected senior Kate Lantzer and Fishers named junior Casey Alexander.  Both provided a majority of the questions in the 2022 podcasts, and both did an excellent job.

I have seen lots of online chatter about which candidates chose to appear on my 2022 podcast series and which did not.  Let me offer a few observations.

First, no candidate is required to appear on one of my podcasts.  I extended an invitation to all 10 active candidates for the board over the 4 districts.  5 candidates chose to appear on a podcast.

Candidates make their own decisions on whether to appear on one of my podcasts.  I offer the time as a volunteer news blogger and podcaster, as a public service.  It is the only opportunity for a candidate to sit down and publicly talk about their candidacy for about 30 minutes straight.

So, I make no judgement about any candidate based on whether that candidate does or does not choose to accept my podcast invitation.  Every candidate makes that decision based on their own evaluation.

But, because early voting has already started, and election day is November 8, I have put all the 2022 podcasts I have into one post.  The links to those podcasts are below.

Remember, in this round of balloting, you vote only on the school board candidates running within your district

DISTRICT 1

DISTRICT 2

DISTRICT 3

DISTRICT 4

The men and women working in the Fishers Department of Public Works have received the third straight year of accreditation from the national association.

Below is the Fishers City news release:

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“I’m extremely proud of the men and women of our public works team who work tirelessly 24-7 to keep our community running,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “With accreditation comes industry acknowledgement of their hard work, and frankly, innovative approaches to making sure our roadways are clear and maintained, our parks remain well-kept, and sewer and storm water are appropriately processed. This is a department who can oftentimes be taken for granted but without their dedication, Fishers wouldn’t be the community we all know and love.”

When Verizon is granted a permit to construct a 5G tower, Indiana law gives Verizon (or any other 5G provider) 2 years to begin construction.  If not, the right-of-way permits approved by the local government will expire.

In the case of Fishers, 11 right-of-way permits were granted by the city to Verizon for construction of 5G towers 2 years ago.  At Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Fishers Board of Works & Public Safety, the board voted to revoke those right-of way permits granted by the city October 15, 2020.

The 5G towers impacted are the following:

–9821 Hamilton Hills Lane in Hamilton Hills

–14137 Calming Waters in Oaks of Kraus Square

–7526 Easy Street in Wintercove

–12714 Mojave Drive in Sandstone Crossing

–11148 Desert Glen Drive in Sandstone Knoll

–11469 Appalachian Way in Sandstone Village

–12396 Sanderling Trace in Audubon Trace

–11365 Hawthorn Ridge in Heather Pointe

–12324 Calluna Court in Heather Pointe

–11055 Wintercove Way in Wintercove

–11025 Fishers Pointe Blvd. in Heritage Meadows

Jason Taylor, Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers, told the board Verizon has been notified of this action, but he has not had any conversations with Verizon about this issue.

In other issues before the Board of Works Tuesday:

–Mayor Scott Fadness raised the possibility of improving Florida Road in Fishers, with all the development that is happening along this roadway, by offering developers road impact fee credits.  Hatem Mekky, Assistant Director of Engineering, presented a right-of-way dedication for a section of Florida Road and Milford Park Road, which the board approved.

Mayor Fadness expressed concern about what would happen if 82% of Florida Road ended up with improvements due to development but the remainder is not improved.  Mekky said the city may wait until the construction in the area is completed before working on any improvements.  Florida Road is a Hamilton County road.

“If there is a road impact fee credit agreement we need to do (it) sooner rather than later,” Fadness said.  “I think a lot of people out there (around Florida Road) would be excited to hear that entire stretch of road is getting redone because it’s in bad shape.”

–The board approved a $250,000 grant agreement with the State of Indiana, providing a licensed clinical social worker for the Health Department and Fire Department to add to the Community Paramedicine program already in place.  This will provide additional mental health support for the program serving local residents

A Halloween tradition in Fishers, Boo Bash is back for another year.  Here are more details, as provided by the Fishers Parks & Recreation Department:

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Come out to the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, October 29, to celebrate Halloween with Fishers Parks and the Fishers community. Your kiddos can walk the trick-or-treat trail to get free candy and prizes from more than 60 local businesses, organizations, and city departments, enjoy food trucks, music, and more! This event is free, and no registration is required. All are welcome, and costumes are encouraged!

Stop by City of Fishers department booths to see themed decor and costumes. Keep an eye out for our photo opportunities, and share your costumes with us on social media by tagging #FishersParks on Facebook and Instagram.

Fishers Parks will also be hosting more than 40 Teal Pumpkin Project booths, offering alternative prize items for those with dietary restrictions. See a list of all participating vendors, including Teal Pumpkin Project booths, here.

When I saw that Fishers City Councilor Jocelyn Vare was running against Kyle Walker in the newly-drawn State Senate District 31, I knew it would be a race receiving state-wide attention and it has done just that.

Walker was selected by a Republican caucus to fill the remainder of State Senator Jim Merritt’s term, so he is facing general election voters for the first time.  According to a story written by Pete Blanchard of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ), Vare has raised over $120,000 for her campaign, not bad for an Indiana Democrat.

However, Blanchard also reports that Walker has raised more than $1.5 million.  If you watch any television, or spend time on platforms that feature video ads, you have likely seen Walker’s ad blitz.

Some of Walker’s ads are positive, some are not.  Vare has decided to issue a lengthy news release to respond to the charges in Walker TV ads.  Here are some of her assertions:

–Vare denies voting against funding police, she had only wanted to fund new gun racks using other money available.

–She was criticized for not making a contribution to the Gold Star Families but says she supported the monument as a city councilor, and also supported the creation of the Fishers Armed Services Commission.

— One Walker ad criticizes Vare for contributing money to the Joe Biden presidential campaign in 2020.  Vare says she did donate $225 to the Biden campaign, but points to Walker’s contributions to the Trump campaign she says totaled $5,400.

–Vare says Walker argues she is part of the problem on inflation and national deficits, but she argues city councilors have virtually no impact on the national budget.  She points out she was the only no vote on implementing a 1% food & beverage tax in Fishers

I am sure the Walker campaign will have retorts to all this.  What this tells me is this – this State Senate seat election must be very close.  All the more reason for you to vote, no matter which candidate you support.

Below are links to recent TV ads from both campaigns (note:  The Walker ad starts with the tail end of another commercial).

Kyle Walker TV ad

Jocelyn Vare TV ad

Early voting has already started in Hamilton County, and the local League of Women Voters will be offering help for the voting public.

A Web site is devoted to that help – Vote411.org.  It is as easy is typing- in your address, then seeing your voting site, nearest early voting location and a look at your election ballot in advance.

“Our goal with Vote411.org is to empower all citizens,” said LVWHC president Lisa Dick in a news release. “The personalized voter guide shows you more than a name on your ballot. It gives you the candidate’s position on various issues in their own words.”

League members have sought information from all candidates running in the upcoming
election. They are contributing this information so that Hamilton County users can see who is running in their areas and learn more about their platforms.

A man has died after a late afternoon crash Sunday at 116th Street and Olio Road.  Police identify the victim as Nathaniel Stewart, 20, from McCordsville.

Just after 4pm. Fishers officers were called to the scene and found a Jeep and motorcycle had apparently collided.  The driver of the Jeep, Isabella Makara, 18, from Fortville, remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. Stewart was the driver of the motorcycle, and was transported to a local hospital where he died.

Based on the investigation so far, Fishers Police say the Jeep was traveling northbound on Olio Road and the Yamaha was southbound on Olio at the time of the crash.  Police, at this time, do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in this accident.

The crash remains under police investigation

It was 1991, I had just married Jane, just moved to Fishers, and a new building was under construction downtown, the new Fishers Town Hall.  Town staff moved from an old house south and a little west of the current municipal complex into the brand new Town Hall.

It was the 1990s when a Masters Degree student began serving an internship with the Town of Fishers.  That intern was named Scott Fadness.  He became a town employee, worked his way up to Assistant Town Manager, then Town Manager.  When Fishers voted to become a city in a 2012 referendum, Fadness was voted the City of Fishers’ first (and so far, only) mayor in 2014 and has won every election since.

So, it was a special day when Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and his staff decided to walk around the old City Hall as the demolition crew prepared to begin work Monday morning.

I had the honor of accompanying the group as they walked around, talked about many fond memories of what had happened there.  Big decisions, difficult decisions and good times were shared.  There was a tear or two as reality set-in that this would be their final time in the hall.

Police and Fire Department personnel had been using old City Hall for training exercises, and there was evidence galore with some walls smashed and glass on the floors.

Fishers is preparing to move on to a new Arts & City Hall complex, and as the mayor often says, change is always happening in our city.  Crews told the mayor the old City Hall should be flattened by Wednesday.

Below is a brief video I recorded with the mayor on the morning of the demolition:

Here are a few more photos from Monday morning:

Continue reading Fishers says goodbye to the old City Hall →