With HSE school buildings not in use due to all-virtual classes, the school board voted to pay the support staff, such as bus drivers and food service workers.  The board voted Wednesday night to continue paying those workers at least through January 15.  The board is expected to decide January 13 whether to continue virtual learning or return some students to the classrooms.

The vote to continue paying the school district’s support staff was 5-2, with Brad Boyer and Amanda Shera voting no.  Boyer expressed concern for paying these employees into 2021 with the board facing budget cuts of $5 million in the next school year.

The recount in the Delaware Township HSE School Board election could be completed Thursday.  Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Williams tells LarryInFishers.com that as of late Wednesday afternoon, the recount process was about two-thirds completed.

“It has gone really well in my opinion,” Williams said.  The Hamilton County Election office had 3 teams of 2 doing the counting Wednesday.  As of late Wednesday afternoon, there were no changes to the vote totals, according to Clerk Williams.

Williams expects the count will be done Thursday morning, then attorneys representing the candidates will discuss any disputes they may have before the recount commission.

The final election results show Sarah Donsbach as the winner of the at-large HSE School Board election in Delaware Township by 20 votes.  Incumbent Amanda Shera finished second and filed for the recount.

Our two local high schools finished first and second in the state finals competition of We The People.  HSE High School finished first in the state with Fishers High School placing second.  HSE will be competing in the national finals, which will be held virtually this school year, April 23-26, 2021.

HSE has 24 students as team members competing.  “Our team is grateful to assistant coach Alana Kane as well as all of the unit mentors,” said HSE We The People coach Janet Chandler.

We The People is a competition based on civic knowledge.  A team of students present a paper to a panel of judges on an issue of American government issues and history, then defend the paper by fielding questions from the panel.

I try to watch the weekly video updates from the Fishers Health Department, hoping for some glimmer of hope on the status of COVID-19 in our city.  Sadly, the December 8 numbers are grim.

“I would not be surprised if (Hamilton) County went to red in the next one to two weeks based on the state’s metrics,” said Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz in a video posting.  Red is the highest risk category for coronavirus.

Ms. Heltz listed plenty of numbers in the December 8th update.  Here is one – November shows 2,100 COVID cases in Fishers (more case reports for November are coming-in).  That is triple the number of cases compared to October.

Another statistic of concern centers on hospital capacity, which continues to decline, according to Heltz.  Intensive Care Units were at 23% availability last week….that number is 20% this week.

In the past week, Fishers has recorded 565 COVID cases and one death.

There are many more numbers.  To hear about them all, you can watch the nearly 6-minute video by Ms. Heltz at this link.

The recount in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board 2020 election begins in earnest Wednesday morning.  The Delaware Township election results show Sarah Donsbach winning that school board seat by 20 votes, about one-half of one-per-cent (.05%) of all votes cast.

This was an at-large election, with all voters in Delaware, Fall Creek and Wayne Townships casting ballots in the race.  That means the recount will encompass all precincts in all three townships.

Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Williams says the recount will begin Wednesday at 8am.  Absentee ballots will be tallied first.

The Recount Commission met Tuesday afternoon, setting the procedures for the vote recount.

It is expected the recount should be completed in a matter of days.

It is possible the great gravel pit controversy in Noblesville may be over.  Here is the latest from my news gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter...

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A little less than one month ago, my quarantine period for coronavirus ended.  After a positive test, I felt fully recovered.  I was one of the lucky ones.

What felt at first like just a bout with the flu ended up as a COVID-19 situation.  The flu symptoms went away, followed by several days of all the energy being drained from my body.  It wasn’t pleasant, but I was still fortunate to be able to breath normally and not be placed in the hospital for treatment.

It is still unclear what long-term issues I will have post-COVID, but am thankful for every day of good health bestowed upon me.

With time to reflect, having been through COVID-19, I have a new perspective on how we are handling this crisis.  This may be the most serious situation America has ever faced.

Why do I say that?  Again, perspective is important.  1,525 Indiana residents’ names are placed on the Vietnam memorial in Indianapolis as dead or missing in action during that conflict.  Indiana is soon to reach 6,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus.

Fishers, a city with a population at or near 100,000, has 43 people listed as dead due to COVID-19. Hamilton County lists 298 deaths as “probable” COVID-19.

The latest data available to local public health experts show a large number of novel coronavirus transmissions are happening in home or private social settings.  I am sure that is true, but something else is happening and we need to pay attention.

Stephanie Ruhle is an MSNBC news anchor and NBC News correspondent.  She announced December 7th that she is returning to work after dealing with COVID-19.  Her husband and two young children also tested positive.

She and her husband, she says, are lucky to have mild symptoms and are recovering.  Her two young ones are asymptomatic.

Ms. Ruhle says she and her husband are fortunate because they are in a financial position to stay home and recover.  She wonders how many people cannot survive financially without reporting to work, even if they are sick.  Most of those workers will not let their employers know if they have symptoms, will not likely want to be tested and will continue reporting for work.

That is a danger to all of us.  Many of those people will not respond to contract tracers.

I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I would hope those in a position of authority would at least start asking the right questions

When I see all the numbers released by the national, state and local health agencies, I look at them differently now opposed to before I dealt with COVID-19.  The numbers represent genuine personal pain by individuals and families.  I know no good way to properly measure that.

I do believe that Stephanie Ruhle’s take on all this is worth reading.  You may do so at this link.

In the meantime, my advice is to wear a mask outside your home when among others and distance as best you can. Some of our political and government leaders have reacted well to this crisis, others not so well.  That means we all need to look into our own souls and decide how to behave.  Just be kind and be safe.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Some folks have noticed that the courthouse clock has not been operating the past few weeks. But, not to worry, repairs are on the way.

Steve Wood, the buildings and grounds director for Hamilton County, says parts are hard to get but have been located and will be coming before long.

The clock and its huge cast iron bell designed to strike every hour are 140 years old. So, it’s not hard to understand that parts are hard to find.

But the clock, an iconic piece of local history, will definitely be back in service.

Thanks, Steve.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern got a victory at McCutcheon on Saturday, finishing a
four-game road trip by beating the Mavericks 56-33.

The Class 4A No. 4 Royals took control of the game early, leading 18-6 after
the first quarter. Southeastern extended its lead to 32-13 at halftime and was in front
39-22 after three periods. HSE scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to finish the
game.

Ryan Viele threw in four 3-pointers on her way to 18 points, one of three Royals
players to reach double figures. Makayla Hinshaw added 15 points, including a
pair of triples, while Lydia Self scored 10 points. Self had a great all-around game,
with seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Southeastern is 5-2 and returns home on Tuesday to host Pendleton Heights.

Local film critic Christopher Lloyd joins the regular Grade A Movies Podcast crew of Adam Aasen, Alec Toombs and Larry Lannan.  We review the films Mank and Hillbilly Elegy, along with a few other films.  Christopher Lloyd talks about the best films he has seen so far this year.  We also talk about the future of the film theater in light of a recent decision by Warner Brothers studios.