The Fishers City Council held a rare early-morning session Monday in an effort to meet the legal deadlines for issuing $9.5 million in bonds by the end of the year, financing the replacement of two fire stations. The two stations are planned to be demolished and rebuilt at their current locations.
One set for reconstruction is the Fire Department headquarters building next to
City Hall, which also contains a fire station. The other facility is located along Allisonville Road, near 106th Street and adjacent to Metropolitan Airport.
If all goes as planned, the demolition and reconstruction projects will start in 2019.
Mayor Scott Fadness tells LarryInFishers the city is in the process of finding temporary locations for each fire station while the construction is ongoing, within their current districts, to handle response times for fire crews within each fire district.
No one spoke at the public hearing and the council unanimously approved the bonds.
There are four seats up for election on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board November 6th, and there are many people not on the ballot choosing to get involved. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has chosen to endorse candidates in all four district contests. Several members of the Fishers City Council are endorsing candidates and working for those being endorsed.
But the most controversial intervention was by a sitting school board member not up for re-election, Amanda Shera, and she is issuing apologies for a Facebook post that she deleted several hours after posting it.
This past week, Shera, an at-large board member from Delaware Township with 2 years left on her current term, wrote and posted a Facebook message that included several attacks on the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association and a candidate endorsed by the local teacher’s union, Michelle Fullhart. Shera also had strong comments on school policies toward transgender students.
Just a few hours after sharing that post on Facebook, Amanda Shera deleted it.
LarryInFishers had a lengthy telephone conversation with Amanda Shera Saturday morning. She was emotional in saying she regrets posting the Facebook message. When I asked her whether she stands by the comments she made in the Facebook message, she said she does not stand by those comments.
According to Shera, she would have deleted the Facebook post sooner, but wasn’t sure how to do that technically. She had to contact a more tech-savvy friend to explain how to make the deletion.
But even though the post was live for only a few hours, many people took screenshots of the Facebook message and it has been making the rounds on social media around the Hamilton Southeastern School District.
One thing Amanda Shera made clear in her conversation with LarryInFishers is that she realizes the post was “inappropriate.” Shera added she has apologized to all the school board candidates she was able to contact, including Michelle Fullhart.
In addition, Shera said she wants to publicly apologize to the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, which was the main target of her post that was deleted.
Shera said she was emotional and upset about some private messages that had been sent to her, as well as a post on her Facebook page she did not make herself, which led to her posting on Facebook while in that emotional state.
As to her comment about treatment of transgender students in the schools, Shera said she has reached out to parents of transgender students in the HSE school district to better understand their point of view on school policies.
Perhaps there is a lesson here for all of us. Do not post on any social media platform when you are upset or emotional. Amanda Shera learned that lesson the hard way. We all should learn from this.
(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com. This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)
It’s a big mystery: What does the huge early voting mean come Tuesday night when all that record-breaking number of ballots are counted along with an expected record Election Day turnout?
Election watchers are mystified. It could mean another big win for Republicans or it could mean the first inroads for Democrats into Hamilton County’s well-known GOP tradition.
The county elections office has had nearly 35,000 early voters including thousands of walk-ins at the Judicial Center and three satellite locations and more than 7,500 mailed absentee ballots. The numbers should easily exceed any past off-year election.
Voters will fill many important offices headlined by the choosing of a U.S. Senator. That race between incumbent Joe Donnelly and challenger Mike Braun has attracted national attention and is seen as one that could decide control of the Senate.
There is also a race between incumbent Republican Congresswoman Susan Brooks and Democrat Dee Thornton. Both are Carmel residents. Democrats are making a big push for the State Senate District 29 seat occupied by Mike Delph, who is being challenged by Democrat J.D. Ford.
But, other contests have drawn considerable attention clear down the ballot to school board elections in the county’s six school districts. And, for the first time in years Democrats are challenging Republicans for many county and township offices.
County offices at stake in Tuesday’s election include Sheriff, Prosecutor, Clerk, Coroner, County Commissioner, Judge of Superior Courts 1 and 6 and four seats on the county council. The Republican candidates for prosecutor and judges are unopposed.
All the county’s nine township trustees will be elected this year along with their township boards.
The Fishers cheerleading program is back in the winner’s circle.
The Tigers won the Indiana Cheer Championship, which
took place Saturday night at New Castle High School. Fishers won the
Varsity A competition for the fourth time; the Tigers had won three in a row in
2013-14-15.
Noblesville, the two-time defending state champion, finished in second place,
marking the third year in a row that the Millers had finished in the top two.
Eight schools competed in the Varsity A division, with teams from Carmel
and Hamilton Southeastern also competing in Varsity A.
The Indiana Cheer Championship is conducted by the Indiana Association of School Principals. The tournament has taken place since 1991.
Fishers got its season started on Saturday with two wins at the
Ben Davis Classic.
In their first game, the Tigers cruised past Southport 65-38.
Katie Burton led Fishers with 18 points, with Skylar
Fulton and Lydia Stullekn each scoring 10; Stullken pulled 10
rebounds for a double-double.
Tamia Perryman had nine points and eight rebounds. Burton also made
four steals.
The Tigers came back to beat Ben Davis 63-55 in their second game. Fishers coach
Lauren Vail said her team “used a total team effort on defense and offense to come back
from seven in the third quarter.”
Burton poured in 27 points, including three 3-pointers, also getting five rebounds
and four steals. Audra Emmerson added 15 points, with Perryman scoring 11 and
pulling nine rebounds.
The Tigers are 2-0 and next play on Wednesday at Anderson.
Royals sweep at Ben Davis Classic
The Hamilton Southeastern girls basketball team picked up two wins at the Ben Davis
Classic to open its season on Saturday.
The Class 4A No. 4 Royals beat the host Giants 47-42 and Southport 95-18.
Southeastern is 2-0 and plays two games next Saturday at the Fishers Tip-Off Classic.
The No Shave Movember promotion (yes, Movember is spelled correctly) is back for another year, as a way to promote men’s health and aimed at preventing suicide.
I have known John DeLucia for many years through his work as a local school board member and many civic projects, and John has a reputation for being a bit (Ok, maybe more than a bit) hyperbolic when promoting just about anything.
John wants men throughout Fishers to gather at the Sun King brewery on 96th Street, November 5th, at 7pm, for the “LARGEST No Shave Movember ‘pre-picture’ EVER (3rd times a charm?) in the history of the world.” You see what I mean?
The idea is to snap a picture of all the men planning to participate in the No Shave Movember. A picture will be taken again at the end of the month. John explains how the November promotion works for those wanting to be a part of it:
1) If you haven’t already, shave clean and let it go!
2) **** if you have a strong attachment to your existing facial hair, it’s fine to keep it, but DON’T shave the rest of the month
3) Come out Monday night to participate for the big picture
The city of Fishers issued information on two events with plenty of advance time. The first is the Small Business Saturday event following Thanksgiving. The second is about the Spark Fishers summer festival.
First, Small Business Saturday is set for November 24th and the city announced several local merchants plan to offer shoppers deals. But first, the winter Farmers Market will open at 9am that Saturday, with the first 50 market shoppers receiving $5 in Market Bucks to be redeemed at any market vendors, and several vendors are offering specials of their own. The market is open until noon at the Holland Park shelter house.
For those shopping in the downtown Fishers area, a “Shop Fishers Music Hall” will be setup. Hot cocoa and cookies will be offered, accompanied by live music from the local performing arts organization, Fishers Music Works. Carolers, soloists, a jazz band, and other musicians and entertainers will take to the City Hall stage to perform their holiday favorites and seasonal tunes. The “Shop Fishers Music Hall” is made possible through a special community arts grant by Nickel Plate Arts and will also include an art exhibit, presented by Fishers Arts Council. Much of the exhibited artwork will be available if you are looking for a special Christmas gift.
For more information on Small Business Saturday in Fishers, use this link.
Now, about the SparkFishers Festival. It is a long way off, June 28 & 29 to be exact. But it is not too early to plan your participation for the 2019 second annual event. If you or your group wish to be street fair vendors and artisans, entertainers and performers, parade participants, volunteers, and sponsors….start thinking about sending in your application. The deadline is January 31, 2019.
According to a Fishers city news release, the festival will kick off on Friday evening, June 28, and continue with a daylong celebration on Saturday, June 29, 2019. The event will take place in the heart of Fishers’ Nickel Plate District and Municipal Complex. The Independence Day festival will focus on honoring freedom while celebrating the Fishers community.
You can submit your application to be a part of the 2019 summer festival online at this link.
Noblesville lost a great one when Howard Kenley passed away Tuesday at the age of 99.
He was a member of what is aptly known as the Greatest Generation. He not only experienced the Great Depression and fought valiantly in World War II, but came home to build a thriving grocery business, persevere through the loss of his first wife, raise a family that eventually included eight children who became productive citizens, and contribute greatly to his community.
Howard was physically active from his days as a high school athlete to the age of 95 when he was still playing golf. All the while he maintained a steady, low key demeanor, assisting where he could without seeking the spotlight.
The community should not be unduly saddened, but rather grateful for Howard’s long and productive life here. He represented the best of what many local folks like to refer to as ‘the old Noblesville.’
Fishers quarterback Marcus Roux threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass during the Tigers’ Sectional 5 championship game with North Central Friday at Reynolds Tigers Stadium. (Kirk Green)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
Fishers’ football season came to an end on Friday, as the Tigers lost the Class 6A Sectional 5 championship game to North Central 42-7 at Reynolds Tigers Stadium.
The Panthers are ranked No. 4 in 6A, and they played like a top-level team in winning their first sectional title since 1993. North Central is now 9-2 for the season and hosts No. 1 Warren Central next week for the Regional championship.
“They’ve had a great year and they were a lot better than we were tonight,” said Fishers coach Rick Wimmer. “I was a little disappointed we didn’t play a little better, but you got to give them a lot of that credit.”
The Panthers wasted no time in getting on the board: Quarterback Liam Thompson threw a pass to Richard Hamilton on the second play of the game, and Hamilton took it in to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown reception. That gave North Central a 7-0 lead just 59 seconds into the game.
The Tigers held NC to a three-and-out in its next possession, and then recovered a fumble late in the first quarter. That gave Fishers excellent field position, and they took the ball to the five-yard line. Fishers attempted a field goal, but the Panthers blocked the kick, and North Central’s Michael Brown scooped it up and took it 75 yards for a touchdown.
“They busted out a kickoff return on us, then got it going pretty quickly offensively,” said Wimmer. “Then we missed a scoring opportunity, had a chance to tie it up or at least get to 7-3, and they turn it around and make it a 14-point game pretty quick. That was a tough part right there.”
The Panthers led 28-0 at halftime, after Thompson made two more long touchdown passes in the second quarter. In the third period, Thompson ran in for an eight-yard TD with 5:08 left in the quarter, then Daniel Smith scored on a 20-yard touchdown run early in the fourth period. Scott Hoeg made all six extra point kicks.
Fishers got on the board midway through the fourth quarter, when Collin Statz caught a 22-yard touchdowns pass from Marcus Roux. Jack Phillips made the extra point kick. North Central took over and ran the ball and the clock out from there.
Roux finished the game completing 10 of 24 passes for 83 yards, with Statz collecting six receptions for 49 yards and the score. North Central’s defense held Fishers to 71 yards rushing; Roux had the most yardage, 24 in eight carries.
The Tigers finished the season 4-6, but still performed admirably despite dealing with injuries throughout the season.
“I was proud of the way our kids hung together,” said Wimmer.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has entered Hamilton Southeastern School Board politics by announcing candidate endorsements Friday evening and adding one Sunday. Fadness is endorsing four school board hopefuls in the 2018 general election.
Mayor Fadness endorsed the following four candidates:
District 1 – Josh Richardson
District 2 – Frank Whelan
District 3 – Michelle Fullhart
District 4 – Brad Banks
In this election cycle, voters choose from the candidates within their geographic district only based on where the voter lives within the Hamilton Southeastern School District. There are 4 board seats up for election this year.
Fadness originally did not endorse any candidate in District 1, but added his backing of Josh Richardson Sunday.
The mayor made the announcement on social media posts.
I recorded podcasts with all ten candidates for school board. For that and more, use this link.
