Fishers residents ages 12-17 may now request an appointment for a novel coronavirus test as of today (Saturday), plus we have the latest COVID-19 numbers for Fishers.

The City of Fishers wanted to begin testing its residents and provide testing to local businesses and their employees early in the crisis.  Mayor Scott Fadness and the city council quickly established a city health department, which began testing local residents April 7, long before these tests were widely available elsewhere in Hamilton County.  Fadness also moved to make testing available to all Fishers businesses and their employees at at time when testing was hard to find.

Residents of Fishers could request a test for free, even without symptoms.  Businesses located in the city could have their employees tested for a fee.

Now, as of today, Fishers residents ages 12-17 may now make appointments for a COVID-19 test, even without symptoms.  Arranging a test begins with an assessment, which you can find at this link.

The latest number provided by the State of Indiana shows 97 novel coronavirus deaths in Hamilton County.  Fishers has not yet released how many of those fatalities are from Fishers.

The city health department, as of late Friday, shows 3,110 tests administered, reflecting 3.33% of the total Fishers population.  From those test results,  49 came back positive.  Of the 49 positive tests, 8 of those patients were without symptoms

Fishers-Firefighters were called to 8253 North by Northeast Blvd, Studio 6 Motel near 96th Street & I-69, for a report of a fire.  At about 5pm Friday, firefighters found an exterior fire that had burnt up the side of the structure and extended into the first floor.  It took firefighters an hour to extinguish the flames, displacing dozens of tenants.

There will be no fireworks display at Geist this 4th of July.  The City of Fishers announced the cancellation Friday.  Coronavirus and public health concerns were cited by city officials as the reason for the cancellation.

The final results from the vote count in Hamilton County’s primary election.  No change in the winners, but for those interested, the numbers are now available at this link.

I have posted a Larry’s Log podcast 5 nights a week most days for about 12 weeks.  I had audience goals I was meeting in the first few weeks, and since then there ave been some episodes that have surpassed by goals.  But in recent weeks, the number of listeners top this podcast series has not been up to my minimum goals.  I very much thank those loyal listeners to this podcast series, but there were just not enough of you to keep it going.

School board members and local administrators were on the edges of their seats Wednesday….what would Governor Eric Holcomb do about grades K-12 education spending for the coming school year?  They have their answer, and it was all smiles.

Hamilton County Reporter

A fire at the Hamilton County Jail on Tuesday evening is being blamed on a malfunctioning solar panel located on the jail roof.

Noblesville fire officials did not provide an estimate of the cost of the damage, but said the fire was limited to the roof’s rubber membrane and two solar panels.

The fire was first reported to 911 dispatch by passing drivers who could see smoke coming from the roof of the jail.

The solar panels, installed in September 2018, are part of an $8 million project which features 9,346 solar panels on building roofs at the Correctional Campus on Cumberland Road and three acres of county property near the main public safety radio tower on the east side of State Road 37.

The history of Fishers and support of nonprofit organizations is an interesting one.  When I began covering the Fishers Town Council in 2012, I recall Conner Prairie asking the council in 2013 to up the city’s contribution to the nonprofit from $30,000 a year to $40,000, and the council approved it.  The other nonprofit group the city financially supported at that time was the Fishers Freedom Festival.

In a podcast interview recorded in 2017, City Councilman Brad DeReamer said he was the one that pushed for the creation of a city council nonprofit committee and the end of city subsidies for the Fishers Freedom Festival, which was an independent nonprofit organization at that time.  The nonprofit committee chose to fund other local nonprofit groups, but not the Freedom Festival.  The city later created the Spark Fishers Festival at the same time of the summer as the Freedom Festival had been held.

Since 2017, the council’s nonprofit committee has approved how much each organization will receive from the next year’s city budget.  There have been years when last-minute adjustments to the annual spending plan would require a reduction in the amount available to the nonprofit panel.

For example, in 2019, the nonprofit committee doled out $255,000 in city grants.

With all that in mind, the city is now accepting applications for nonprofit grants as part of the city’s 2021 budget.  According to a city news release, criteria for selection includes:

• Whether the Organization is located in Fishers and if not located in Fishers, the potential impact of the grant and the benefit from the project or event on the Fishers community.
• The commitment, capacity, and ability of the applicant to carry out the program or project and to give an accounting of how the money was spent.
• The applicant’s fiscal responsibility and management qualifications.
• The number of matching dollars that the applicant has and is willing to contribute.
• Grant project funding may not exceed 50% of the total cost of the project or event. If the funding from Fishers and the portion provided for by the receiving applicant is not sufficient to complete the project, then the receiving applicant is responsible for raising the difference. The intent of this grant is not to completely fund projects, but to assist with as many projects and events as possible throughout the community.

For more on the work of the nonprofit committee, use this link.

In order to submit an application for a grant, use this link.   The application window is open now through July 17, 4:30pm.

Fishers Police found a 71-year-old man dead near his kayak floating on Geist Reservoir, at about 1:00am Wednesday morning.  Authorities are saying this 71-year-old man appeared to be a drowning victim

Indianapolis officers notified Fishers of a missing person at 11:00pm Tuesday night.

The identity of the man will be released by the Hamilton County Coroner’s office.

One of the toughest jobs in America the past few weeks has been editing a sports section of any newspaper, national or local.  Richie Hall has been writing feature stories for the Hamilton County Reporter.  We talk about those challenges, plus how the pandemic may or may not impact high school sports in the coming months, in this podcast.