By

Richie Hall

Hamilton Co

Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor

The early part of the schedule has been busy for the Fishers girls basketball team, but it has also allowed the Tigers to go on a nice win streak.

Fishers won its third consecutive game Wednesday, beating Anderson 57-37 at the Tiger Den. The victory puts Fishers at 3-1 for the season, this after two wins for the Tigers at their own Fishers Classic last weekend.

“I feel like we’re playing pretty well,” said Tigers coach Lauren Vail. “Obviously we’re coming off two good wins over the weekend. We knew Anderson was going to be athletic, we knew they were going to be quick and I felt like after we adjusted to what they were trying to do, that we settled in and played pretty well.”

Fishers began to break away from Anderson late in the first period. The Tigers were helped out by a three-point play from Toni Grace; that was the last basket of the quarter and it gave Fishers a 15-11 lead.

The Tigers then scored nine straight points in the second period to lead 24-13. Balance was the order of that run, with Briana McGee making a layin, Grace converting two free throws, Kenedi London scoring on a layin and Ali Gerka draining a 3-pointer.

The Indians scored five points to end the half, but Fishers still led 24-18 at the break. The Tigers opened the second half with a 7-0 run; Gerka started it with another 3, her third of the game. Grace then stole off a steal and Lydia Stullken made a layin.

“We just talked at halftime about what they were trying to do,” said Vail. “They were really trying to get the ball inside and we talked about how we needed to do a better job of playing our defensive style, and I thought we came out and executed offensively right off the bat, too, to start the quarter, which never hurts anything.”

Another 7-0 run late in the third pushed the Fishers lead to 20 points, 43-23. Tamia Perryman got five of those points, with a 3-pointer and a layin. Grace made another layin as well.

Grace finished the game with 20 points, with Gerka scoring 13 and Perryman 11. Perryman reached double-double status with 14 rebounds.

“It’s great to have balance and I love that the three of them can do it different ways,” said Vail. “Ali was shooting the ball well tonight. Tamia, obviously, is very good in the open court, getting out and going, and Toni can get to the rim and shoot it from the outside. It’s always nice when you have balanced scoring, especially when they can do it in different ways.”

Fishers is back in action this weekend when it travels over to the Hamilton Southeastern Classic. The Tigers will play Lake Central at 1 p.m. and Valparaiso at 6 p.m. The Royals will also play those teams, taking on Valpo at 11 a.m. and Lake Central at 8 p.m.

The Fishers Freedom Festival will cease holding the summer festival, with the 2017 event the final one to be run by the nonprofit organization that has operated the festival since 1989.

In a news release issued by the festival late Wednesday night, the committee said, ” it (is) with great sadness that the Fishers Freedom Festival announces the immediate ceasing of the Fishers Freedom Festival event held annually that celebrates Independence Day.”

The City of Fishers, and the town government before that, had always financially supported the festival.  However, the Fishers City Council formed a committee to take a hard look at city’s financial support of all local tax-exempt organizations.  The Freedom Festival applied for continued cash and in-kind help from the city, but the committee did not include the festival and the full City Council passed a budget for 2018 without support for the Freedom Festival.

“We are very proud of the Fishers Freedom Festival’s positive community impact that contributed to Fishers’ overall quality of life,” said Festival Board President Don Dragoo, in a news release from the festival. “The decision to terminate the Fishers Freedom Festival was made after many considerations, but is unavoidable due to financial circumstances. We want to sincerely thank all of our past sponsors, donors, vendors, residents, city staff and volunteers that have supported us over the past 29 years.”

The festival committee says the city provided $45,000 of in-kind services (police, fire, parks, public works and other departments) during the 2017 festival, and annual cash support was $85,000.  In the release, the festival said it would not be able to fill the financial gap to hold the event in 2018.

According to the news release, it appears the festival committee will continue to support two other events it has been connected with in the past.   The annual Fishers Oktoberfest event will be entirely operated by Saxony with Freedom Festival volunteer support. The Christmas in October Craft Fair will be run by Fishers Freedom Festival volunteers alongside the Fishers High School Riley Dance Marathon Club, who will eventually take over the craft fair.

When the announcement was made in August releasing the list of groups to receive city support, and the Fishers Freedom Festival was not on that list, the City of Fishers released the following statement August 31st.  “If the Fishers Freedom Festival Committee chooses not to host the Festival next year, the City will fill that void. The City remains committed to bringing residents together by carrying on traditions such as the parade and others our residents love.”

Some city officials have expressed interest in holding the event itself, moving most of the activities from Holland Park to the downtown municipal complex.

When Scott May announced he is resigning his job as head football coach Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School after 11 years at the helm, it didn’t take long for the rumor mill to start up and speculate who May’s successor will be.

Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Matt Burke addressed those rumors at the Wednesday night board meeting.

“There is a group of individuals in the community who believe the decision has already been made,” said Burke.  “I think what they are implying from that is they don’t like what they believe that predetermined decision is going to be.  And it’s fair to say a decision has not been made.”

School administrators, in answer to a question from board member Terry Tolle about the status of the head football coach opening, said the position was posted Wednesday morning.

This is a chance to support a new organization formed to support local fire and police departments.  The fund raiser is set for Wednesday, November 8th, at Four Day Ray, 5:30-7:30pm.  You can learn more about the 50 club by listening to a podcast recorded in August 29th, at this link

Below is a news release with more details on the 50 Club:

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Fishers Police Department and Fishers Fire Department would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Fishers Fifty Club, which was officially established June 27, 2017.

The primary goal of the Fifty Club is to raise funds to support the families of Fishers firefighters and police officers in the event of a catastrophic injury or line of duty death of an emergency responder.   These funds are raised through drives and events organized by the members of the club and dispersed to the family in a timely fashion for immediate needs.

Fire Chief Steve Orusa expressed his “gratitude for the generosity of these members of our community in the thoughtful, impactful approach to caring for our responder’s families.”

Police Chief Mitch Thompson added, “It is an honor to see our men and women’s professionalism and contribution recognized by our community and an avenue of relief for our responders knowing their family will be cared for in the event of their death in the performance of duties.”

Founding of this chapter of the Fifty Club is James Ratliff, Steven Lutz and Richard Block.  Having set the basis for this chapter, they are now accepting other business and philanthropic members of the community to join them as the founding donors of the organization.

The public is invited to attend a Mix and Mingle fundraising event on November 8 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Four Day Ray Brewing.  FDR is located at 11671 Lantern Rd.

There has been no line of duty police officer deaths in the history of Fishers Police Department and one line of duty Fishers firefighter death of Raymond “Bud” Moulder on October 13, 1967.  Bud left behind a wife and five children while saving the life of another firefighter as his last act in this world.

Teachers in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) school system voted to ratify a new contract bargained with the school administration.  The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) and officials representing the school corporation reached a tentative agreement in October.  Teachers voted on that contract November 1-3.

HSEA President Janet Chandler tells LarryInFishers once teachers votes were counted, the pact was ratified.  The school board will vote on the contract at the regular meeting Wednesday night to put the final seal of approval on the new agreement.

The contract extends for two years. covering the calendar years of 2018 & 2019.  At the October 25th Hamilton Southeastern School Board meeting, Superintendent Allen Bourff outlined the main provisions of the agreement.  The contract includes:

–In 2018, teachers will receive an average pay increase of 2.73%, with salaries ranging from a low of $40,158 up to high of $79,085.

–In 2019, the average salary increase will be 2.66%, with the low $40,158 and the high $79,751.

–There will be a group of teachers not always falling under the increases described above due to what is described as a”reset,” which is an effort to increase the pay of newly hired teachers who suffered pay caps during the tough budget years.

–Health insurance premiums will not increase in 2018, but 2019 premiums will depend on what the school system experiences in health claims, and that data is not known yet.

–Teacher compensation for extracurricular activities will not change in the current 2017-2018 school year, but the school corporation will inject $17,500 into that money pool during the 2018-2019 school year.

–The administration Power Point presentation says this contract will increase teacher compensation by just over $6.4 million during the 2-year duration of the pact.

There will be a large number of Fishers-area Colts fans traveling toward Lucas Oil Stadium November 12th to watch the home team take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Fans are asked to bring along any used or unused cell phones, which will be used for domestic violence victims.

The Verizon Wireless Hopeline program allows individuals to donate no-longer-used wireless phones and accessories that directly benefit their local communities. Verizon turns these devices into support for local domestic violence organizations and programs.

Wireless phones and accessories – in any shape and from any carrier – can be donated on game day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside Lucas Oil Stadium entrance gates where up to 30 volunteers will be assisting in the collection.

The fan donations will directly benefit survivors of domestic violence who live in transitional housing at Coburn Place in Indianapolis. Since opening in 1996, Coburn Place – which serves residents throughout Indiana – has provided 564,907 days and nights of housing to 708 adults and 1,148 children.

“Coburn Place wouldn’t exist to offer safe and secure housing with access to meaningful resources without donations like these,” said Julia Kathary, president and executive director of Coburn Place.

(Note:  Previous versions of this story said the collection was for unused cell phones…in fact they will accept any cell phone, no matter how used)

When it was announced that the city would sink $7 million into revamping the area of the Municipal Complex between the Amphitheater and City Hall, it was clear the construction timeline would be tight.  City officials want the area completed by mid-May 2018.

City spokeswoman Casey Cawthon says work on the Amphitheater upgrade could begin as early as this week.  So, if you are around the City Hall, you will soon see crews beginning to work around that area.

This project includes a redesign of the parking configuration for Amphitheater events.  Also included are plans to move the stage further out to allow for more arts events, such as plays and space for an orchestra. The Amphitheater roof will be aligned consistent with these changes.

Ratio Architects is designing the plans for remodeling the Amphitheater.

I am in the middle of a project, traveling the state of Indiana instructing the Indiana University Tax Practitioner Institutes.  But I have kept my eye on the unveiling of the House Republican leadership tax proposal, released just days ago.

There is a lot to digest there and I won’t put you all to sleep by going over all or most of it.  But I do want to comment on one part of this plan that could have a major impact in charitable organizations, nation-wide and locally.

In order to take a deduction for charitable contributions, you must be able to itemize your deductions.  That means your Schedule A total deductions, part of your individual federal income Form 1040, must be higher than your standard deduction in order to enjoy the benefit of taking a tax deduction for charitable giving on your income tax return.

The House Republican tax legislation would double the standard deduction.  This would be a major tax benefit for those regularly taking the standard deduction because they don’t have enough Schedule A deductions available.

However, the Tax Policy Institute estimates that under this tax proposal, 84% of those currently itemizing their deductions would switch to taking the higher standard deduction.  With fewer taxpayers itemizing, fewer returns would glean any tax benefit from contributing to eligible charitable organizations.

That would be a major challenge to tax exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code.  Fewer of their donors would benefit from a tax deduction as a result of their donations.

According to a story broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR), Una Osili, of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, estimates this change would lead to a reduction of up to $13 billion a year in charitable giving, with 28 million fewer Americans itemizing their returns. Osili says it doesn’t mean these people would stop giving, just that they’re likely to give less.

It is very important to note that this is just the opening proposal in a long legislative process.  This measure must be marked-up (meaning, details written) in the House Ways and Means Committee.  It must go through the House Rules Committee which will decide how many, if any, amendments will be considered once the legislation is considered on the House floor.

There are reports that members of the Senate Finance Committee are already working on a major re-write of any measure coming from the House.  So we are a long way from any actual final tax bill.

However, where the plan starts is also very important, so we all need to pay close attention to this.  Anyone involved in a local Fishers-area charitable organization needs to know that this part of the tax proposal, if part of a final bill (assuming there is one in the end), contains this doubling of the standard deduction without any changes in the charitable giving deduction rules, it would have a major impact on your fund-raising.

By the way, I recorded a podcast with my colleagues working with me on the IU Tax Practitioner Institute.  It was recorded before the House tax proposal was released.  You can listen to that podcast at this link.

Hamilton County Reporter

Saturday was a busy basketball day at  Fishers, as the Tigers hosted the Fishers Classic.

The event featured a whole slate of varsity and junior varsity games. The
Tigers and Hamilton Southeastern both took on teams from Ben Davis and
Southport, and both programs’ varsity teams went 2-0 on the day.

In their first game, the Tigers cruised past Southport 66-39.  Fishers led 19-8 after
the first quarter, then 30-24 at halftime.

“I thought the kids played really well,” said Tigers coach Lauren Vail. “We
came out against Southport and played really well early and then had a little bit of
a lull in the second quarter.”

But any hope of a Cardinals comeback was squelched when the Tigers scored 22
points in the third period. Vail said that her team came out “and really played the way
that I know we’re capable of doing” after halftime.

Kenedi London led Fishers with 20 points, followed by Toni Grace with 18 and
Ali Gerka with 11.

In their second game of the day, the Tigers took care of Ben Davis 54-41. Fishers
led 13-7 after the first period, then ran away with the second quarter, leading 37-17 at
halftime.

It was Grace’s turn to score 20 points in this game, which she did, including a 9-of-
12 effort from the free throw line. Tamia Perryman added 10 points.

Vail said her team “came out and really rebounded the basketball well early, which
helped us to get out and run in transition.  Ben Davis put a lot of pressure on us in the
second half. We were able to hold on and secure that win, so that was nice.”

Southeastern played Ben Davis first, and used a big third quarter to get a 60-57 victory
in its first game of the season. The Giants led 27-24 at halftime, but the Class 4A No.
4 Royals powered through the third quarter, scoring 21 points to take a 45-38 lead.
Southeastern then held off the expected BD comeback in the fourth period.

Sydney Parrish opened her sophomore season with a double-double, scoring 21
points and grabbing 11 rebounds, in addition to four steals. Amaya Hamilton had 10
points and seven boards. Molly Walton yanked eight rebounds and handed out four
assists.

The Royals sailed past Southport 65-30 to run their record to 2-0 for the day, and
their season. A big second quarter turned a 16-8 lead after one period into a 35-12
advantage at halftime.

Parrish scored 16 points, while Tayah Irvin added 12. Walton pulled 13 rebounds,
followed by Parrish with eight, Irvin with six and Erikka Ededuwa had five. Walton
also made five steals.

“I thought defensively we were pretty solid throughout the whole game,” said HSE
coach Chris Huppenthal. “It’s a good way to start the season, playing a fast team like Ben
Davis, and then coming back against Southport. We saw some good things, some
things that we’re going to look at on film and then try and get better through the week and
get ready to play next weekend.”

Adam & I review the film Lucky, the final performance for the late actor Harry Dean Stanton.  Our guest this week is Hannah West, director and producer of a short film on the local opioid epidemic, “Not in Vain.”  You can view her film at this link.