Since a number of us are staying-in-place at home, here are a couple of coronavirus items with a local slant.
First, there has been an ongoing back and forth between the Hamilton County Health Department and the publisher of the Hamilton County Reporter, Jeff Jellison.
It all started with Jellison writing a commentary in his newspaper, urging the Hamilton County Health Department to be more specific about where coronavirus positive tests and deaths are happening within the county. He offered the front page of his paper for health officials to make their case.
The Health Department released a statement that Jellison published on the front page of the Reporter, arguing that health privacy laws would prevent such a disclosure, and could expose the county to litigation if such information was released.
On the front page of the Reporter’s April 7th edition, Jellison openly questioned whether the law is the reason for the lack of transparency or is the Hamilton County Health Department “hiding behind the law” to keep this information private.
I would suspect this discussion is not over.
On another matter, the Hamilton East Library may be physically closed, but both the Noblesville and Fishers Library parking lots will have hotspot WiFi available to anyone needing it. For a map of the spots, use this link.
For more on the online offerings from the Hamilton East Libraries, use this link.
Allow me one piece of good news non-coronavirus related. Congratulations to HSE High School’s Mabor Majak for being named to the Indiana High School All-Star basketball team. A well-deserved honor!
Social media around Fishers has had a number of people wanting to support local businesses, particularly restaurants offering delivery or carry-out service.
The City of Fishers has put together such a listing, and it is available online at this link.
The COVID-19 virus is resulting in more local cancellations. This time, it is the Spark Fishers Festival scheduled for late June that will not be held this year. Also, in this podcast, I talk about how so many of us need sports at this time but it is also canceled for who knows how long. Finally, a look at keeping our local Hamilton County news sources viable through these tough economic times.
Health experts and government leaders, all the way from the White House down to City Hall, have been clear about the need to practice social distancing. How are people doing in Fishers?
I’ve been watching, and have a few thoughts on the matter.
Gorgeous sunset along the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle…what is normally a busy time now has all the beaches closed
My wife Jane & I have done our best to shelter in place, but we had important family business that required us to travel to the Florida Panhandle the last few days. It gave us a look at what is the new normal, at least for the time being. I personally saw wonderful examples of people going out of their way to stay at least six-feet apart. Then, there were a few other examples not as encouraging.
Spending time on Okaloosa Island along the Florida Panhandle, I recalled how normally busy this time of year is, with people and families on spring break filling the area. That is not the case this year. The beaches are closed, which they should be under the current circumstances. In one sense it was peaceful listening to the ocean waves along the shore. However, it was a bit eerie at the same time with no people on the beach other than security personnel patrolling the area enforcing the closure.
I enjoy taking a walk and there were lots of other people walking along the same Florida sidewalk with me. We all kept our distance, even carefully moving closer to the street in order to keep at least six feet between us as we would meet along that sidewalk.
Driving along the Interstate there was a very different situation at the rest stops. There was no staff other than those cleaning. The rest rooms were not busy because the number of motorists traveling is way down.
There was only one rest stop that concerned me, where about 8 men were congregating, telling jokes at close range. I suppose it’s good news that is the only troubling example I could find along the way.
The health experts nationally and locally are telling us to brace for a very tough couple of weeks. The news is mostly bad.
I cannot say any more than has already been said or written about those on the front lines. I have friends and relatives in nursing, teaching and law enforcement. Those are all jobs on the front lines, along with first responders, such as ambulance crews. There are doctors and technicians and a long list of people putting themselves at risk showing up for work in hospitals. They are asking us to stay at home. It’s the least we can do.
I hope local people here in Fishers, once this crisis has subsided, will put on the biggest party and celebration you have ever seen, with all these special people as guests of honor. Let’s start thinking about that now, since we need to think of something positive.
One other development on the coronovirus front. Jeff Jellison, in a recent front page commentary in his newspaper, the Hamilton County Reporter, has called on local officials to provide more specifics on where COVID-19 cases are testing positive, and where those that are dying from this virus are from, more specifically, such as the city in which they live.
The Hamilton County Health Department provided the answer today, and the answer is no. They cite federal health privacy laws and will not say where any person specifically resides in the county when reporting cases and deaths.
That decision will provide plenty of fodder for future discussion.
Just a reminder that the City of Fishers has a COVID-19 hotline staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – 317-595-3211
The largest newspaper in any metropolitan area is always a very important local institution. For the Indianapolis area, and the state of Indiana, the largest newspaper is the Indianapolis Star. Something is happening there and we all must pay attention. I talk about that and more in today’s edition of Larry’s Log.
Ashton Wolf is a name people around Fishers should know. He has been involved in many artistic productions in the area for a number of years.
Ashton and Aaron Henze have been working on a new 30-minute weekly television program focusing on people doing important and creative things in all of Central Indiana.
The TV show (Indy – On The Town) premieres this Sunday. It will air each week Sundays at 11:30am, on WHMB-TV, channel 40, based out of Noblesville.
I spoke with Ashton about his new endeavor, and a few other things, in this podcast.
When dealing with something as serious as a virus rising to pandemic levels around the world, it is good to look at how others view this from a wider lens than most of us.
An Israeli academic, Yuval Noah Harari, has written best selling books on the history of humankind and how we learned to form communities and master the earth. Harari has an interesting perspective on how mankind handles something like a pandemic now versus two centuries ago.
I discuss that, and more, in the April 1st edition of my daily podcast, Larry’s Log. (Photo is of Professor Harari)
When ending my local Fishers news blog, I wrote that commentaries might be on the way. It didn’t take long for me to have something to say, and it should not surprise you that the novel coronavirus is the subject.
Governor Eric Holcomb provided an update Wednesday and it was not good news. Indiana had its deadliest day of COVID-19 with 16 deaths and 400 new positive tests. Let’s remind ourselves that testing kits and equipment remain scarce.
President Trump clearly provided a very different tone in his Tuesday news conference, warning us that April will be a tough month. The numbers in the best case scenario nationally are in the 6 figures and, if we as a nation do not heed the advice of experts, can see deaths exceed one million.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness issued an open letter Wednesday to those living in the city. He told me in a couple of conversations about this issue before I ended the news blog that there is no other place he would rather be than in the mayor’s office. He said essentially the same thing to the IndyStar’s John Tuohy.
The Fadness open letter is a document that reveals much about the man. He admits how this pandemic has impacted him personally in his responsibilities and how being with his sons in the evening is an important respite for the mayor.
For a man building an entrepreneurial spirit throughout his city and developing Fishers in his vision, the mayor likes to be in control. He admits we are not in control of this health crisis, but we are required to deal with it.
As the fourth or fifth largest city in the state, Fadness prepares us for what is to come…Fishers will get its share of fatalities as a result of this pandemic, and holding down that number is up to us and our behavior as individuals.
Scott Fadness is asking all of us living in this city to take the normal human emotions of anger and fear, and direct that energy into helping others as we can under the circumstances. If there ever was a time to look out for your neighbors, this is it.
Here is the end of the mayor’s open letter:
“The next thirty days will test our resiliency and character. Let us commit ourselves to compassionate action that will have us reflect on this unprecedented time with a quiet sense of pride about the true character and resolve of our Fishers community.”
Mayor Fadness and I have differed on a few issues but agree on many others. I could not agree more with the sentiments expressed in his letter. Everyone in Fishers should read the letter and take it to heart. I did.
It’s nice to know I have made it to the second episode of Larry’s Log. In this podcast, I review the latest on COVID-19. There is a new program involving local high school students and opportunities to learn the building trades. There is that and more in this Larry’s Log podcast:
