The City of Fishers has recently established an Armed Services Commission, and that newly-formed group will sponsor a special program commemorating National Vietnam War Veterans Day.  The outdoor event is free at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater near City Hall.

This is to help Fishers recognize veterans and their families who served during the Vietnam War period.  The program is set from 10am to 11am, Tuesday, March 29.

Indiana State Senator John Crane is scheduled to be the guest speaker.  The program will also include a Vietnam Veteran’s lapel pin presentation.

In the event of severe weather, the event will be moved indoors to the Fishers YMCA (9012 E. 126th St.). Registration for the event is not required, but attendees can fill out this form to be notified if there is a change of location.

The City of Fishers is a proud Commemorative Partner of the Vietnam War Commemoration. To learn more about the Commemoration, please visit www.vietnamwar50th.com. Learn more about the event and the Fishers Honors initiative at fishers.in.us/FishersHonors.

Fishers is a busy place most of the time, but the spring season is when the city gears-up for activities, many outdoors.

The Fishers Parks & Recreation Department released a listing of activities planned through the end of May.

Below is the full list, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Busy spring season on tap in Fishers →

The Fishers Board of Health voted March 11th to switch to metrics provided in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  That’s the word from Fishers Health Department Assistant Director Josh Robinson in his most recent video update.

The new measures are based on the past 7 day total of COVID cases per 100,000 population (the population of the City of Fishers is roughly 100,000) and uses that same metrics to measure the burden COVID is having on the local health care system.

As of March 15, the 7-day measure of COVID cases in Fishers is at 25.3.  Hospital admissions per 100,000 stands at 4.9 for our area.  The number of staffed hospital beds 7-day COVID average is 3.5%. That means Fishers is at a CDC COVID community level of low, the lowest rating, which is good news.

FHD will update Web sites reflecting this new CDC guidance.

Because CDC releases data Thursday nights, the FHD video updates will be posted every other Friday, with the first scheduled April 1.

Robinson reminds area residents that the Fishers testing and vaccination sites remain open.  The testing site is open Monday through Saturday with the vaccination center open Tuesday through Saturday.  Both sites are scheduled to close for the same two days…Friday, April 1 & Saturday, April 2.

The video from Josh Robinson is available for viewing at the link below.

Keep Fishers Beautiful is a program many years old, but in recent years has grown to a month-long April activity.

There is a long list of activities and volunteer opportunities in 2022.

See the listing below, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Keep Fishers Beautiful is back for 2022 →

The Hamilton County Clerk’s office has absentee ballots in the mail for those qualifying.

According to county officials, Indiana state law allows an absentee ballot to be cast in the following situations:

• If they are confined to their residence, hospital, or nursing home due to illness
• If they are caring for someone who is confined
• If they are 65 years of age or older
• If they are absent from the county on election day during the entire 12 hours the polls are open
• If they are a voter with disabilities
• If they have official election duties outside of their voting precinct
• If they are scheduled to work the entire 12 hours that the polls are open
• If they are observing a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire 12 hours the polls are open
• If they do not have transportation to the polls
• If they are a member of the IN National Guard deployed or on assignment in Indiana or a public safety officer

“If you’re planning to request an absentee ballot, please do so as early as possible,” says Beth Sheller, Hamilton County Election Administrator, in a county news release. “It’s as easy as submitting an application online or downloading a form and returning it to our office.”

If you plan to vote absentee, submit an application by midnight, Thursday, April 21st. The application can be downloaded at www.indianavoters.com. You can also call 317-776-8476 and make a request for an application over the phone.

Once you have voted, submit your ballot by mail or return it in person. All mailed-in ballots must be received by the Election Office on or before 6:00 p.m. on Election Day. You can also drop off your ballot in person at the Clerk’s Office in Noblesville.

Being a journalist in a war zone is always dangerous, but most dangerous the photographers, be they still photographers or videographers.  They need to be close to the action in order to capture the photos and videos.

Brent Renoud was an award-winning journalist and worked for a number of American national news outlets, including the New York Times, HBO, NBC News and Vice News.  Renoud was working on a project for Time magazine documenting the plight of refugees when he was shot and killed in the fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian forces.

His assistant was injured and told journalists they were in a vehicle when it came under fire.  Renaud was shooting video with refugees, telling the story of the hardships they encountered in this horrible and devastating war.

We also have learned that Benjamin Hall, a British-born veteran war correspondent, was injured while reporting outside of Kyiv for Fox News.  

Renaud was not the first journalist killed in the Ukraine fighting.  According to Poynter.com.   The Committee to Protect Journalists previously wrote that Russian military forces bombed a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1, five were killed, including camera operator Yevhenii Sakun.

When war breaks out, it is so important to have independent reporters out in the field just looking for facts and truth, both generally hard to come by in a war zone.

There are a number of journalists working in Ukraine now.  I hope they all take the proper precautions but still find a way to do their jobs.  It is so difficult to do both well.

My thanks to the many brave reporters working in Ukraine.  Without them, we would not know what is going on.  This war is particularly brutal for civilians.  Documenting all that is so important for America, and the world.

The City of Fishers has announced the second ticketed Amphitheater concert for the 2022 summer season with Waxahatchee coming Friday, August 5th.  Tickets go on sale March 18th at this link.   Advance tickets are $20, with admission costing $25 on the day of the show.

A city news release describes Waxahatchee as an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, previously a member of P.S. Eliot.  For more on the band, use this link.

Saturday morning was my first visit to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s headquarters complex in Noblesville.  Hamilton County Emergency Management Executive Director Shane Booker was there to greet me at the front door.

I got the grand tour of the 911 call center along with the Emergency Operations Center just down the hall.  It is a very impressive and well-equipped operation.  The County Commissioners and County Council members have made quite an investment in local emergency operations.

When the tour was over, I sat down with Mr. Booker for a podcast interview.  That podcast is available at the link below.

The weekly road construction update shows lane restrictions coming to the intersection of Southeastern Parkway and Cyntheanne Road, in preparation for the construction of a new roundabout at that location.  Look for those restrictions 9am-3pm.  The walking path on Southeastern Parkway will be closed for this construction.

Also, one-way traffic is now in place for the construction of new pavement along the inside lane of Technology Drive.

Here are the details of this week’s report, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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Here is the video version of my podcast discussion with State Senator Fady Qaddoura.