by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Commissioners adopted an ordinance this week which, with certain exceptions, forbids off-duty or out-of-county use of county sheriff’s vehicles by unpaid reserve deputies. This includes driving to and from home.

Legally, Commissioners are custodians of all county property. The use of patrol cars by off-duty reserves has not been a general practice since a car was wrecked last year, but the policy needed to be in ordinance form, according to Commissioner Steve Dillinger.

There are circumstances in which a reserve deputy may use a county car beyond regular patrol duties in the county.

Under the ordinance a sheriff’s department car may be used in performance of law enforcement duties out of the county when authorized by the department.

No passengers shall be allowed to ride in the patrol car unless it is required due to the deputy’s law enforcement duties.

A car may be used when a uniformed reserve officer is authorized to do security duty or traffic control within the county, and a record shall be kept by the department of these activities.

The ordinance also provides that the sheriff shall advise commissioners of the number of cars assigned for use by reserves and identifying information of those vehicles.

The new ordinance took effect upon passage Feb. 12.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern got off to a big start at Pike on Saturday, but the Red Devils chipped away at the lead, and eventually beat the Royals in overtime 64-62.

Class 4A No. 10 Southeastern led 22-10 after the first quarter before Pike came back to within 32-28 at halftime. The Royals built their lead back to 49-40 going into the fourth period, but the Red Devils outscored them 19-10 in that quarter to force overtime.

Nick Bowman had an outstanding game, with 24 points (including five 3-pointers), six assists and four steals. Noah Smith scored 12 points and Aaron Etherington had 10; both also handed out four assists. Mabor Majak had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Royals are 17-6 and finish their regular season Tuesday at Lawrence North.

After all the build-up and hype, the film Black Panther is finally in theaters….does the film live up to all that hype?  Adam, Larry & Justin Mack of the Indianapolis Star have all seen the film and here is the podcast discussing Black Panther…

Hamilton County Reporter

A big third quarter helped Brownsburg send Hamilton Southeastern to a 57-54 loss Friday in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at the Royals’ gym.

The Bulldogs led Class 4A No. 10 Southeastern 17-12 after the first quarter, but the Royals roared back to take a 30-23 lead at halftime. Brownsburg responded, scoring 20 points in the third period; that gave the Bulldogs a 43-41 advantage after three quarters, and they would hang on to win.

Noah Smith scored 16 points to lead HSE, with Chaz Birchfield scoring 11 points. Mabor Majak dominated the boards with 12 rebounds and also blocked two shots.

The Royals finished HCC play with a 4-2 record and are now 17-5 overall. Southeastern will travel to Pike tonight for a 7:30 p.m. game.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers lost a close Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at Zionsville Friday, 59-56.

The Tigers led 12-11 after the first quarter, with Jeremy Szilagyi hitting two 3-pointer for six points. Jordan Jones also had six points in that period. Fishers still led 22-21 at halftime, but the Eagles had the game tied at 41-all by the end of the third quarter, then edged ahead in the fourth.

Four Tigers players reached double figures, led by Szilagyi’s 16 points. Jones and Terry Hicks both added 13 points, while Josiah Matthews scored 10. Szilagyi had four 3s for the game, with Matthews nailing two.

Fishers is 2-4 in HCC play and 10-10 overall. The Tigers will host Kokomo on Tuesday.

There has been much anticipation in advance  of Black Panther, a superhero film with a nearly all-black cast.  Does the film live up to all the hype?  Listen to my review…

The Fishers City Council will be asked to approve an analysis of the fiscal impact of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in the City of Fishers and the Hamilton Southeastern School District.  Mayor Scott Fadness presented a preliminary version of the report, done by the independent firm of Policy Analytics, before a council panel.

Fadness said at the January 15th City Council Finance Committee meeting that he sought an independent analysis to come up with accurate numbers on the fiscal impact of TIF locally.  The mayor said he understands the political debate over whether economic development would have happened without the TIF incentive will not be impacted by this study, but he believes it is good to have reliable, accurate numbers when having that debate.  You can read more about the mayor’s January 15th presentation to the Finance Committee at this link.

The mayor is asking the city council to only endorse the numbers and analysis contained in the Policy Analytics report, not make a statement on TIF more generally.

You can read a copy of the Policy Analytics report up for council vote Monday night at this link.

I must commend the City of Fishers for carving out one evening per year to honor volunteers throughout the local community.  However, I might question their decision on the master of ceremonies for the event (me).

Nonetheless, I was honored to be asked for a second consecutive year to be a part of the awards program.  My thanks to Mayor Scott Fadness, Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot and Dan Domisc, Parks Department Community Engagement & Volunteer Coordinator, for making me feel welcome in my role Thursday night.

Volunteers from all parts of Fishers were honored, and the HSE Schools Teacher of the Year Heidi Stan was recognized.

I want to express special recognition to the winner of the Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year award, Mike Riekhof.  When his daughter tragically died, it was Mike Reikhof that started a foundation in his daughter Peyton’s name to help students struggling with mental illness.  Mayor Fadness used the word “courage” to describe Mike Riekhof’s work with his foundation.  What Mike Riekhof has done has been courageous and effective.

The City of Service Awards ceremony is a special night in Fishers.  It was an honor for me to be a part of it.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board was presented with two school district taglines, one proposed by HSE High School students, the other proposed by a group of students form Fishers High School.  Rather than choosing one, the board sent the two student groups to a conference room to agree on a tagline combining both proposals.

The student groups emerged a few minutes later with a new tagline agreed to by both groups of students.  The new tagline will be:

“Innovative students empowering action and compassion”

The board approved the new tagline.

The new tagline will be incorporated into HSE Schools Web page and other material.

A group of 6th graders in teacher Amy Reiter’s class decided to do something about clean water in the African nation of Sudan.  The Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate class has been raising money to install a water well in a Sudanese Village.

You can learn more about their project at this link.