Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs & Larry Lannan again get together on Zoom for the latest film reviews in the latest edition of the Grade A Movies Podcast

When I think of nomads, I do not normally think of most Americans.  But there are more nomads in America than you may think.  It is a hard life, but also a sort of freedom as well.

The film Nomadland is based on a nonfiction book about how the American economy has created this new group of nomads.  This fiction film incorporates stories told in the nonfiction book.

So, did Director Choe Zhao succeed in capturing the life of the new American nomad?  Here is my review.

Hamilton County, along with the cities of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and Westfield, will pay its respects to those who have lost their lives this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic at a vigil on Saturday, March 13th.

Dubbed a “Night of Reflection,” city and county officials will meet on the steps of the Old Courthouse in downtown Noblesville to pay their respects for and light a luminaria in honor of every Hamilton County resident who has passed away from the virus since its arrival last year. That total now stands at 375.

Fire, police, and EMS vehicles from around the county will also line the square downtown for a ceremonial lighting of the lights to honor all the healthcare professionals and first responders who have fought a valiant fight on the frontlines of the virus.

The ceremony can be viewed live on Hamilton County Television. The public is strongly discouraged from attending. Instead, organizers are asking residents to place candles in their windows at 7:00 p.m. that evening to show their support. Free battery-operated candles will be available for residents to pick up the week of the event.

Be on the lookout for lane restrictions at 106th Street and Hague Road beginning Monday.  that is one of the road construction project listings in the latest update from the city.

Here is the listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Fishers is continuing a tradition of honoring volunteers and those contributing to the local community.  There will be a virtual City of Service Awards this year during the month of April.  There will be an expansion of the program in 2021.  New award categories and a month-long celebration during National Volunteer Month will replace the one-night event.

This year, the City of Service Awards will feature three community-nominated awards:

Community Servant of the Year: The purpose of this award is to honor a Fishers resident who may not be affiliated with a group or organizations, but regularly conducted acts of kindness to serve their community and neighbors during the year of 2020.

Non-Profit Staffer of the Year: The purpose of this award is to honor a local non-profit staff member who went above and beyond his/her non-profit staff duties and has had a significant impact on community at large in the year 2020.

Essential Worker of the Year: Awarded to individuals, deemed as Essential Workers, that have performed exceptional service to the Fishers community during the COVID-19 crisis in the year 2020.

Nominations are now open through March 8 at www.ThisIsFishers.com/CityofService. Winners will be selected by the Fishers City Council through a blind process and will be recognized during the April celebration.

As I talk with people associated with Fishers city government, one name pops up regularly – Molly Connolly.  She is the Director of Employee and Customer Success at the City of Fishers.  Before joining the city staff, Molly worked with Olympic Diving and had the opportunity to travel internationally.

She wanted to add the following after the podcast recording session:

3 Municipal is currently closed for city service payments due to COVID, so payments can be made online.

Our 1 call number is 317-595-2111 for any non-COVID related questions. We’ll direct your call to the appropriate department.

Fishers Connect App is where residents can go to report an issue, ask a questions, share a concern or make a suggestion.

I talk about that and more with Molly in this podcast discussion.

For the past several years, the City of Fishers and a number of organizations have partnered with the local Disabilities Advisory Committee for Disability Awareness Month.  In 2021, the activities are still there, but many are being done virtually.

Here is my discussion with Cecilia Coble and Kelly Hartman about what is planned this year.

It was about one year ago today that I wrote about Rush Limbaugh when he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  I wished him the best at that time.  I watched my father battle lung cancer for years and it took him away from us nearly 27 years ago.

I learned today that Rush Limbaugh has died.  I have so many thoughts about that, allow me to spare you and will just share a few here.

I hosted many radio talk shows during a broadcasting career that spanned about 14 years.  I know the work that goes into preparing for, and performing before, a radio audience.  It is not easy.

Limbaugh provided a different perspective, a very conservative one.  In the radio business, you don’t need a majority of the available audience, just enough of a slice to keep advertisers interested in your product, the radio program.

Sometimes I agreed with Limbaugh, often I did not.  What concerned me the most about him was playing fast and loose with the facts.  You do not need to do that in order to express a conservative viewpoint.

But commercial radio is not about persuading or educating your audience, it is mostly about entertaining them.  And Rush Limbaugh knew how to do that.

My sympathies go to his family and friends.  Rush Limbaugh carved-out his own part of the radio landscape and made the best of it.  May he rest in peace.

Fishers remains in Level 4, or Red, the highest on the COVID transmission rating scale, but the numbers have been headed in the right direction. In her weekly video update, Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz says even though Fishers is still in Red, the city is “so close to orange (the next category down).”

The case incidence rate  keeps Fishers in the Red rating, which now stands at 29.38.  That is down 7 points from the previous week, but must be under 25 to escape Red.

The percent positivity rate (individuals tested) is at 8.7% (orange), down 3% compared to last week’s number of 11.2%.

Testing availability remains strong in Fishers.  You can get an appointment for a test and receive the results in 1-2 days.  The city health department is also doing well in contact tracing.

Since the pandemic began about a year ago, 95 Fishers residents have died of COVID.  City staff has conducted 55,000 COVID tests. There have been 9,500 positive tests among the Fishers population, which is roughly 10% of the city’s population.

The demand on the health care system remains high, but hospital bed availability in our geographic area is at 40%, the highest number in some time.

Fishers continues to provide COVID vaccinations at the mass site on 116th Street, just east of Brooks School Road, with an allocation of 1,000 doses per week from the state.  “We sure hope that those allocations increase as more vaccine becomes available,” said Heltz.

Most Fishers vaccination appointments are for the second dose.  Going into March, the department expects more first-time shots.  The Fishers Health Department has provided  4,583 COVID vaccinations through February 16.

Long term care facilities in Fishers should be getting their second COVID vaccination doses by the end of next week. The department will continue with home bound vaccinations.

The additional strains of COVID are being monitored, with the most concerning being the UK strain.  This strain appears to be much more infectious.

“Florida is the place in the country with the highest amount of circulating identified new strain from the UK,” Heltz said.  “If you are planning any vacation or trips, please use caution, please continue to use distancing, sanitizing and hand washing.  If you haven’t been fully vaccinated, or even if you have, you could still be taking that and spreading it to someone, including your loved ones.”

Heltz cautioned families planning spring break trips to Florida to review plans and be extra cautious.

15,000 calls have been placed to the Fishers COVID hotline at 317-595-3211.

You may watch the entire video from Monica Heltz at this link.

I am in my tenth year of covering local Fishers news as a volunteer blogger.  Most of the time, when an important vote is coming up, I have a good idea how the public body will act.

On the evening of February 15, I had no idea how the Fishers City Council would vote on a rezone, allowing the local nonprofit HAND to construct 11 cottage-style homes, named Cumberland Cottages, near 141st Street and Cumberland Road.  The 8-1 vote for an unfavorable recommendation from the Fishers Advisory Plan Commission was not a good sign.

An even worse sign came from three sitting Fishers City Council members on the Plan Commission, all voting for the unfavorable recommendation.  Pete Peterson,
Todd Zimmerman and Selina Stoller would almost certainly not be supportive of the rezone when the matter would come up for action on the council.

However, there are nine members of the Fishers City Council.  How would the other six members view the HAND proposal to bring affordable housing for 11 Fishers families?

HAND Executive Director Andrea Davis provided a rundown on the proposal before council members Monday night and tried her best to address questions and concerns raised by the Plan Commission and neighbors.  Then the council members began discussing their views on the rezone request before them.

The three councilors on the Plan Commission, as expected, opposed the rezone, but appeared to be open to some other location for the housing project.  Councilman John Weingardt described this as a “close call” but in the end voted no.

The two Democrats on the council, Jocelyn Vare and Samantha DeLong, voiced their support.  Cecilia Coble, a long-time  advocate for the disabled in Fishers, voiced her support for the project and the work HAND has done locally.  Brad DeReamer expressed his support, citing the need for affordable housing in Fishers.

It all came down to David George.  Councilman George is the longest-serving elected member of a Fishers governing body, having served for years on the town council before Fishers became a city, and has  served on the city council ever since.

David George is an engineer by trade and I always appreciate the way engineers approach an issue.  He had a number of questions about the technical details.  He then explained how he had driven around and looked at HAND projects constructed many years ago.  He found them all well-maintained and in very good shape.

But Mr. George did not say how his vote would go.  Because the meeting was virtual, there was a roll call vote, and it was only then that we learned David George would be a yes vote and the HAND rezoning request would be approved by the narrowest of margins, 5-4.

I live in a community adjacent to the HAND project.  I realize many of my neighbors and my Homeowners Association (HOA) are not on board with the housing plan.  I would hope they would listen to David George’s comments on how well HAND maintains its properties.  Those housing projects have stood the test of time or Councilman George would not have voted in favor of this plan.

There is much yet to be done and more hurdles to climb before construction can begin.  Executive Director Davis promised to do everything possible and find the funding or other ways to upgrade the planned car ports into full garages.

As a 30-year resident of Fishers, I am proud of my city council.  There will be eleven families allowed to have a decent place to live near the place where they work in Fishers as a result of the council’s action.  I believe that is a good thing.