A Korean firm, List, has broken ground Tuesday on a new $125 million, 110,000 square foot contract manufacturing facility in the Fishers Life Science & Innovation Park.  The Park is located south of 126th Street, west of Cumberland Road.  The 15 -acre site is expected to open by the end of 2023.

“Breaking ground on yet another headquarters at the Life Science & Innovation Park is a humbling moment,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “Our vision to create a hub for biopharma and biotech is becoming a reality and we’re grateful that the teams at Genome and List Bio have entrusted Fishers to be their home, where they will impact lives all around the world.”

List plans to hire 210 employees in Fishers in the areas of biologics manufacturing and quality and regulatory compliance.  The City of Fishers says it has gained $750 million in investment from biotech and biopharma companies since 2020.

I started writing news stories for radio in 1974.  One of the most difficult decisions any journalist makes is how to determine which stories are most important and which are not.

How do I make that decision today?  I do not argue that my decisions are always correct, but I do my best.  Basic journalism, plus my experience of living in Fishers for more than 30 years all is factored-into any decision about what to include and leave out.

Sometimes I think I know what most readers of this blog want to know.  But every now and then, I get it wrong.  A story I think is important doesn’t get much traffic while another story I may not think is as important will draw plenty of eyes.

So, there is no magic formula.  But I learned an important lesson as the morning news anchor and reporter for WCSI Radio in Columbus, Indiana.  I started there in late 1977 and left in late 1982.

I covered plenty of controversial subjects, like school board elections and school closing decisions.  Again, I thought I had a feel for what our listeners wanted to know.

That was until a story came to my attention about White Castle.  Yes, White Castle.  Columbus up until that time had never had a White Castle restaurant.  I caught wind of the fact that White Castle planned to locate in Columbus.  I interviewed a company  spokesman  for confirmation and put the story on the air in the afternoon.  I thought a few people in town would be interested.

Let’s just say I was very wrong.  We had no direct phone line into our newsroom so you had to go through the secretaries in the front office to reach the newsroom during office hours.  The secretaries came back to the newsroom telling me that they had been inundated with phone calls from the public about White Castle’s plans to open a restaurant there.

I was told at least five people visited the station in person to verify the White Castle story.  We were on the second floor of a bank building and there was no elevator at that time.  People walked up several flights of stairs just to be certain White Castle was, in fact, coming to Columbus.

So, I do try to make news judgements about what the public wants and needs to know.  I do not always get it right, but do my best.

Every time I make a decision on what to cover, I think about White Castle in Columbus.

With the number of tragic mass shootings America has seen in the recent weeks, there is a media spotlight on gun violence at the moment.  Lots of opinions are being written and posted on social media everywhere.

It is obvious that we have a problem that every developed nation in the world does not have in the area of gun violence.  If you are expecting me to come up with a specific solution here, let me clue you in – I will not be doing that.  What I will do is point out some very important facts and items we should all consider when deciding for ourselves what should, and should not, be done in the whole issue of firearms in America.

Lots of people refer to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when making any argument about guns in America.  So, just what does the Second Amendment mean today, as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court?

A recent opinion piece in the New York Times sheds some light on this.  It is written by two former SCOTUS law clerks, Kate Shaw and John Bash.  According to the Times, Ms. Shaw is a professor of law at Cardozo Law School and Mr. Bash is an attorney in private practice in Austin, Texas.

They jointly discuss the meaning of the most recent important gun rights case to be decided by the high court, District of Columbia v. Heller.  When that decision was published, Bash was a law clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion, and Shaw was a law clerk for justice John Paul Stevens, the author of the dissent in that case.

In this jointly-signed piece, both are clear they have differing views on what the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution should be.  But both agree that many in America are wrong about what the Heller case actually held.

Here is part of the commentary:

Heller does not totally disable government from passing laws that seek to prevent the kind of atrocities we saw in Uvalde, Texas. And we believe that politicians on both sides of the aisle have (intentionally or not) misconstrued Heller. Some progressives, for example, have blamed the Second Amendment, Heller or the Supreme Court for mass shootings. And some conservatives have justified contested policy positions merely by pointing to Heller, as if the opinion resolved the issues.

Neither is fair. Rather, we think it’s clear that every member of the court on which we clerked joined an opinion, either majority or dissent, that agreed that the Constitution leaves elected officials an array of policy options when it comes to gun regulation.

You are welcome to read the rest of the opinion piece for more details, but it is striking that two former clerks on the Supreme Court, with varying views on gun rights, agree completely on what the court has said about gun rights in Heller (at least, until there is another Supreme Court edict on this issue).

Next, I read a very interesting piece in Axios written by reporter Lachlan Markay.  It highlights a growing divide among gun rights groups.  The NRA, Gun Owners of America and the American Firearms Association are on one side, and the gun industry is taking a different approach.  The gun manufacturers appear to be open to some action by the United States Senate, fearing more restrictive laws could come later cutting into their gun sales.

Finally, I covered a Fishers event sponsored by Moms Demand Action.  It was their Wear Orange annual event that is aimed at remembering victims of gun violence.  What I found interesting is that this group does not utter the phrase “gun control.”  Instead, they talk about “gun safety.”  I have conversed with a number of people expert in the business of messaging and they have always said to me the term “gun control” has a negative connotation and is not good messaging.  The Moms group have apparently received that message.

Those are three specific developments related to the debate about guns in America.  I will not offer any solutions or advocate for any specific steps forward.  All I would ask you to do is listen to all sides in this discussion and make up your own mind.

Thanks for reading.

The Fishers Arts Council has sponsored monthly displays of artwork for a very long time at Fishers City Hall.  With City Hall months away from the wrecking ball, making way for a new Arts Center and Municipal Complex, the local arts group is moving its monthly arts displays to a new location on Technology Drive.

Below is a news release issued by the Fishers Arts Council.  Also, I have included two works of art as provided by the Arts Council.

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Fishers Arts Council (FAC) announces its partnership with Hamilton County Community Foundation (HCCF) to provide a new art experience at the Collaboration Hub (Hub), 11810 Technology Drive, Fishers, IN when the Art Gallery at the Hub offers its first exhibit of the season.

“We chose two amazing artists to open the gallery with our inaugural Second Friday free public reception from 6-8pm at the Hub on Friday, June 10th,” according to FAC Vice President, Tom Rich. The artists are Critt Hunter and Ali (Koral) Mutlu. This public reception will also feature live music by Crossing Bridges, adult beverages sponsored by SunKing Brewing, and refreshments.

Tom Kilian, HCCF President, says, “We are thrilled to work alongside FAC as we promote the arts in Hamilton County. We know art brings people together and it is important for our community to have that opportunity.” The exhibit will be open from June 6 through June 29th. Jeena Siela, Community Leadership Officer adds, “Each month, the FAC Cultural Alliance Committee will offer a new exhibit that features the local talent of the region while growing the impact we share.” Les Reinhardt, FAC Executive Director adds that, “With the upcoming demolition of the Art Gallery at City Hall, we looked for a partner that had a great space as well as a vision of inclusion and opportunity. We found all of that and more with HCCF. I could not be more excited for the future of our partnership.”

Critt Hunter is a relatively new artist as he shares, “My life until the age 50 focused on my family, my education career, and my community. That half century was spent in my hometown of Hartford, Kentucky. Graduating from

the local high school, I moved to Lexington, KY to begin my college studies. Marrying at 19, we moved closer to home, transferring to Western Kentucky University. My college degrees span a few years and include a BS in Art Education, a Master’s Degree in Art Education, and an EdS, Specialist in School administration.”

It wasn’t until five years after he moved to Indianapolis and retired from employment with Nora Elementary that he began to focus on his art. “Forty-three years was enough,” says Critt. “This was a first for me. Painting subjects that I found interesting, entering exhibits, being accepted into art fairs, and selling my art presented a validation that I never dreamt possible. Who knew old age could be so much fun?” he added.

Critt’s exhibited works consist of oil, acrylic, and mixed media art. He likes to show the variances between colors and often will exaggerate expected colors and draw attention to complementary colors.

Ali (Koral) Mutlu is new to the art scene here in the county. A native of Turkey, Koral moved to the United States in 2016. He is a graphic designer and illustrator with an amazing eye for detail. He works with ink and pencil, as well as watercolors. His piece entitled, “Rabia,” is a black and white illustration of his grandmother. It is very detailed. With “Balerina,” a watercolor piece, the dancer seems to be floating in mid-air. In all, this exhibit has 30 pieces of art, most of which are for sale. We hope you will join us on June 10th at the Collaboration Hub from 6-8 pm to see these amazing works of art and talk to the artists.

Moms Demand Action is a national organization that argues for gun safety.  June 3rd is the normal time of year for their gatherings, but recent mass shootings have put an emphasis on their work.

At Fishers City Hall, the group gathered Friday night for one of the events happening throughout the state and nation.  It is always tricky to estimate, but I would guess there were 50-60 supporters of Moms Demand Action on hand to support the orange shirts.

During the speeches, it was noted that Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook both issued proclamations in support of Wear Orange.  Although Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness did not issue a proclamation or similar statement, the speakers noted that the city allowed the Wear Orange group to gather at Fishers City Hall.

I recorded a brief video with Wear Orange spokesperson Patricia Rettig, and she explained why the color orange has so much meaning for Moms Demand Action.  View the video at the link below.

The City of Fishers has released its weekly road construction update.  There are a number of projects already announced and several ongoing construction work  listed this week.

Note that 116th Street between Brooks School and Olio Roads will have westbound lanes closed starting Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. and is expected to reopen Wednesday, June 8 at 6 p.m., allowing for for concrete joint repair work by DPW.

Below is the complete listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Summer weather is here and road construction season is in full gear.  Some major news is coming up on the biggest, longest-running road improvement project in Fishers – State Road 37.  However, one segment of that project yet to be started may have hit some complications.

The interchange at 126th Street and SR 37 has been open for some time, with SR 37 north-south traffic traveling unobstructed with an underpass at 126th Street.  126th Street features an overpass roundabout for handling east-west traffic.  So far, that improvement appears to be getting high marks from Fishers motorists.

There are two major construction projects that continue and are expected to open after the summer season.

131st Street & SR 37 is expected to be completed and open for traffic in September or October this year, according to Hatem Mekky, Assistant Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers.  The design is similar to the 126th Street interchange.  Once that is completed, 135th Street, which currently uses a traffic signal to control traffic at SR 37, will become a right-in right-out design.

SR 37 and 146th Street is also scheduled to be completed at about the same time as 131st Street, according to Mekky.  This is a much different design, featuring a north-south underpass for SR 37 vehicles, but will not have a roundabout on the east-west overpass, as in 126th & 131st Streets.  This design will feature traffic signals on 146th Street, much like the interchange of Allisonville Road and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis, just south of Fishers.

As of the fall of 2022, only one Fishers SR 37 interchange will be left to complete – 141st Street.  In a podcast interview recorded and posted May 6th, Jason Taylor, Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers, said the bids have been opened for the work at 141st & SR 37, and they were way above the estimates.  The bids came in so much higher than expected that Taylor said his staff will be sifting through the bids to find a path forward.

Once Taylor’s Department recommends where to go from here on 141st Street & SR 37, he will report to both the Fishers City Council and Hamilton County elected officials (the SR 37 project is a joint effort including city, county and state funding).

So, two major parts of the SR 37 plan will see completion later this year and the final project is on hold due to bids submitted much higher than estimates.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

With all the media attention on how the police in Uvalde Texas did (and perhaps did not) handle the deadly elementary school shooting there, Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart was clear.

“The first man or woman on scene must go in and is required a solo response,” Gebhart told Mayor Scott Fadness in a Wednesday night Webinar.  After the Columbine High School shooting, police departments planned a mass response, but according the the Chief, experience in mass shootings of all types has resulted in the assumption that a Fishers officer on the scene will respond at the scene.

Mayor Fadness scheduled the school safety Webinar to update the local community on how local law enforcement constantly trains for situations such as school shootings.

Gebhart emphasized that the responding officer must be trained and equipped to handle an emergency such as a school shooting.  Fadness had witnessed such training and said it was “an impressive thing to see.”

The mayor also asked about how police evaluate threats and Gebhart said all threats are evaluated and the response is tied to the level of that threat.  His officers, the Chief said, have been known to awaken parents at 2am if there is sufficient cause to look at a potential school threat.

Gebhart reminded the community that all School Resource Officers (SROs) are sworn officers, part of the Fishers Police Department.  Officers in his department compete for SRO position openings.  There are also patrol officers in the area of school buildings prepared to respond quickly if needed.

Fishers Police have two leaders on the scene of any incident to support the officers responding.  Gebhart said he has expectations of leadership among his uniformed staff and officers.

The mayor provided a hypothetical situation where an employer is planning to fire an employee and there is some concern that the worker being let go may have a violent response.  Gebhart replied that his department is notified of such situations all the time and arrange for what is needed based on the level of possible threat.  It could just mean an officer is parked in the business parking lot while the firing happens.

Fadness emphasized that police officers are fathers and mothers as well and are being expected to go into a potentially dangerous situation if they are the first on the scene of a school shooting and must go in.  Gebhart replied that all officers understand the risks of the job.

Both Mayor Fadness and Chief Gebhart emphasized that the community plays a role in alerting authorities if there is a threat.  The city offers a High Threat Response program where businesses, churches and other parts of the community may receive training on responding to emergency situations.  To learn more about the program, use this link.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness takes on his second job as a talk show host Wednesday night, June 1, at 8PM.  The mayor plans to discuss school security with Police Chief Ed Gebhart.

It is sad that a horrifying incident like the one in Uvalde, Texas brings our attention to safety in our school buildings.  But the mayor intends to talk about how our local uniformed officers train for the worst and establish protocols for handling a situation such as a school shooter.

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that there was a school shooting in nearby Noblesville.

The Town Hall will be held online.  You can pre-register at this link

You may also send your questions in anytime before the Town Hall at this link

While attending the Fishers Memorial Day observance Monday, noting that it is always a somber ceremony for good reason, the perfect weather brought to mind how people living in this city are looking forward to the season.

After all, the last summer like this was 2019.  We have all been dealing with COVID every summer since.  Last year was much better, but for some reason, the anticipation for summer 2022 is very high.

It should be noted COVID is not over and the Fishers Health Department recently upped the local COVID-19 community level from low to medium.  Fortunately, the Omicron variant version spreading locally is not resulting in serious illnesses overall, based on the last Health Department update.  The high level of local COVID vaccinations may be playing a part in this as well.

With that aside, there is plenty to foresee in this Fishers summer.  There will be free Amphitheater concerts on Tuesdays and some ticketed concerts on Fridays and other times ($20-$25 is a cheap ticket in this day and age).  I expect Fishers parks to be as busy as ever.  The swimming pool in my condo community opened on Memorial Day to a packed crowd.

The Spark Fishers Festival is coming later in June.  The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department (view the calendar of events at this link) has plenty of activities all summer long.

On Sunday, June 19th, join two high school clubs in celebration of Juneteenth at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater.  The Fishers High School’s Future Black Leaders Club joins forces with the Hamilton Southeastern High School’s Black Student Union for an event that will feature food trucks, bounce houses, face painters, entertainment and more.  Join the festivities 2pm-6pm.

By the way, this will be the last summer for the building we know as Fishers City Hall.  The structure is sinking into the ground and engineers have told the city the building cannot be saved and will require a lot of money just to keep it above ground.  Therefore, our City Hall will be subject to the wrecking ball this fall, with a new Arts Center & Municipal Complex to be constructed on that site.

This is just a small sampling of summer in the city for Fishers in 2022.  I will be writing about more as we get closer to the actual events.

We all have been through a lot since early 2020.  COVID-19 has been a stress on all of us.  Let’s give ourselves a break, take some time to enjoy a summer in Fishers with plenty of enjoyable things to do.

Thanks for reading.