The City of Fishers and the local school district, Hamilton Southeastern (HSE), have both been active in mental health, and now the federal government is chipping-in with a large grant of over $5.7 million.  The money comes from the bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

According to a news release from HSE Schools, The School Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) grant will provide funding to recruit, prepare, hire and train highly qualified school-based mental health professionals, which includes school counselors, school psychologists and school social workers over the next 5 years.

“Currently, the ratio of school-based mental health professionals-to-students in Hamilton
Southeastern is high, resulting in barriers for K-12 students to access needed supports and
interventions,” according to Mental Health and School Counseling Coordinator Brooke Lawson.  Lawson, who will help administer the grant, says HSE will focus on adding supports at the secondary level by hiring additional school counselors; primary students will be better served by an increased number of school social workers; and districtwide, extra school psychologists will be added.

“We know students can’t perform to the best of their ability when they are experiencing mental health challenges,” said Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes. “Through this grant, HSE has the opportunity to expand its capacity of diverse service providers to address the unique, individual needs of each student and family we serve.”

HSE will begin seeking qualified candidates for these additional positions in the coming weeks.

The American School Counselor Association recommends 1:250 ratio of school counselors-tostudents. The most recent statewide data shows that Indiana ranks last for the number of school counseling professionals serving young Hoosiers

Steve Dillinger served as President of the Hamilton County Commissioners during 2022, now it is Christine Altman’s turn to take on that responsibility in 2023.  The three commissioners include Dillinger, Altman and Mark Heirbrandt.  The vice president of the commissioners will be Mark Heirbrandt in 2023.

County Commissioners are often described as the mayors of Indiana counties.  In Hamilton County, the three commissioners have a tradition in recent years of rotating the duties of president.

Altman was first elected as a Hamilton County Commissioner in 2003 and represents the area of Carmel and Clay Township.  She previously served as a member of the Hamilton County Council.

While in the midst of watching the coverage of what happened in Cincinnati at the final 2023 regular season Monday night Football game, my thoughts went back to October of 1971.  I had only been working professionally in the radio broadcasting business for a year or two at that juncture.

We kept track of the news via a teletype machine at the radio station.  It was from our wire service that I discovered that an NFL player had died on the field during a game. Chuck Hughes was a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions.  The Chicago Bears were in Detroit for a game on October 24, 1971.

Hughes had collapsed in the locker room after a preseason game in August.  Doctors could not diagnose what went wrong.  Despite being in pain, Hughes insisted on playing again.

After a play late in the game, Hughes collapsed on the field and was taken to the Henry Ford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.  It was later discovered Hughes had a blockage of his arteries which had gone undiagnosed.

That is the only instance where an NFL player died on the field of play, as best we can determine from the records available.

So, when Buffalo Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the Cincinnati playing field Monday night, the players and coaches knew something serious had happened.  The availability of medical help quickly saved Mr. Hamlin’s life, based upon the information from the teams, league and medial professionals treating Damar Hamlin.

As of Sunday evening, January 8, Hamlin is recovering and that is so good to see.  But this incident should remind us all what is happening in the National Football League.

For many years, the players have become bigger, more athletic, quicker and faster.  That means the collisions happening on the field are more likely to injure a player.  Former Defensive End for the great Buffalo Bills teams of the 1990s, Bruce Smith, described every play he was in during a game as one car crash.  In his defensive role, that meant more than 60 crashes in most games.

The NFL and the Players’ Association have made some progress in minimizing injuries in a sport that is violent by its very nature.  I talked to one health professional that treated retired NFL players and the medical issues they live with every day once leaving the game never end.

I do enjoy watching the NFL but not as much as I once did.  It is not easy to watch these players take violent hits on one play after another.

The NFL did the right thing by first suspending, then cancelling, the Bengals-Bills game, even though it has complicated the playoff plans.  That was the right call, the players were in no condition to play that game after seeing Damar Hamlin transported off the field in an ambulance.

It should be noted that on October 24, 1971, the game resumed after Chuck Hughes was taken from the field in an ambulance.  According to media accounts at the time, the game was played before a “stunned and silent crowd.”  The Lions were informed of Hughes’ death once the game was over.

The NFL and its players have been wrestling with the dilemma of providing sufficient safety for the players in a game that is inherently violent.  That is not an easy task.

Let’s hope once all the medical evaluations are in, something can be done to prevent another Damar Hamlin situation from happening again.

A former mayor of Muncie and current member of the Fishers Redevelopment Commission has filed for a seat on the Fishers City Council.  Dan Canan filed his candidacy at the Hamilton County Election office, vying for the Northeast District council seat.

The Northeast District is currently represented on the council by Brad DeReamer.  Councilor DeReamer has announced he will not seek another term.

Canan will be on the Republican ballot in the May 2nd primary election.

John DeLucia also filed his official paperwork to run for the North Central District council seat.

Pete Peterson, North West Council District incumbent, has filed to run for another term.

Jennifer Kehl, the incumbent City Clerk, has filed to run for another term.

So far, all candidates filing in the May 2nd primary are Republicans.

Bob Hall started drawing comic books in the mid 1970s and became a big name in the industry.  Bob is still busy today and is set to appear at the Hamilton East Library Saturday, January 21st, as part of the Comic Book in a Day event.

In this podcast, Bob talks about his career in comics and other endeavors.

The City of Fishers announced that 141st Street would be a right-in right-out configuration, on an interim basis, allowing only right turns and preventing motorists from crossing State Road 37 using 141st.  The city provided an update Friday, saying the transition to the right-in right-out on 141st Street would begin Wednesday, January 11, as long as weather does not get in the way.

Below is the full statement from the City of Fishers:

=========

A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is anticipated to begin on Wednesday, January 11, weather permitting. During this phase, 141st Street will be transitioned to 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 all 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. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Fall of 2023. View detour routes here.

John DeLucia is a Navy veteran, served 8 years on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, and now wants to serve on the Fishers City Council.

DeLucia announced his candidacy Friday for the North Central District council seat, currently held by Democrat Crystal Neumann.  DeLucia will be running as a Republican in the May 2nd primary election.

“I have long recognized Fishers as a great place to live and work” said DeLucia in a campaign news release. “I chose to settle here with my family and I want to bring that experience to the city council, as well as a vision for the future to encourage others to join our community. I try to serve others in all that I do, and that is just the type of attitude I will carry with me to the Fishers City Council.”

DeLucia says he is running as another way to serve his community.  “I previously served on the school board, and now my goal is to help grow Fishers, while fostering our important existing relationships with our small and medium sized businesses,”  DeLucia said.

Local charitable work and volunteering as a mentor are examples of Mr. Delucia’s local community involvement.

Fishers has had only one mayor since becoming a city in 2015, Scott Fadness.  Thursday, the mayor made it official – he plans to run for another term as mayor.

“Over the last several years, Fishers has experienced transformative growth and investment, and we’ve built a community that is vibrant, thriving, and entrepreneurial all while maintaining best-in-class city services and a solid financial foundation,” Fadness said in a news release from his campaign. “To build on this momentum and accelerate Fishers further into the future, I will continue to embrace innovation, seize opportunities, and lead with bold vision for our city.”

The statement from the Fadness campaign talks about his focus on “growing a sustainable and vibrant economy while building a desirable community with unique and modern amenities.”  The campaign also highlights the city’s accomplishments under his leadership in the areas of public safety, quality of life and fiscal responsibility.

No other candidate has announced an intention to run for Mayor of Fishers, in the Republican or Democratic primary election, set for May 2nd.

Ken Alexander was elected to the Hamilton County council in 2018, and in 2023 he will serve as Council President.  Amy Massillamany will serve as Vice President.

Election of officers is a matter before the council as the calendar year begins.

The Council added two new members following the 2022 election…Mark Hall and Tim Griffin.

Candidates have begun to officially file for the May 2nd Fishers city primary elections.  Wednesday was the first day to file.  Here are the filings as of close of business Wednesday, the first day to file, all in the Republican primary:

–Selina Stoller, the incumbent city council member from the northwest district, filed her paperwork to run for another term

–David Giffel was elected by a party caucus to fill the remainder of David George’s term on the council when Mr. George resigned his seat.  Giffel a officially filed as a candidate in the southwest district.

–Tiffanie Ditlevson has filed for an at-large council seat.  She holds a number of appointed positions, including a seat the Hamilton East Library Board.

–Daniel Henke, the incumbent city judge, has filed to run for another term in that office.

Several other candidates have announced their intention to run, but have until the deadline of February 3rd to make that official.