Corbin Montgomery was sentenced Wednesday afternoon after entering into a plea agreement on charges stemming the the death of Connor Shockley.  Here is the judge’s sentence, from a news release from the Hamilton County Prosecutor:

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Upon accepting the plea agreement, the Court sentenced Mr. Montgomery accordingly and entered judgment of conviction against him. Mr. Montgomery’s sentence is forty-five (45) years, with forty (40) years executed as thirty-eight (38) years in prison followed by two (2) years in work release. The remaining five (5) years will be suspended over him during three (3) years of probation.

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The charges are related to Shockley’s stabbing death in June, 2014.

Fishers Police Chief George Kehl is preparing to retire in September after a long tenure at the helm of local law enforcement, but he told a police promotion ceremony Thursday he will be dealing with an unusual situation over the next 4 months – 2 assistant chiefs.  “That’s going to exciting,” Kehl said, “I’m going to have some fun with this.”

Ed Gebhart was promoted to Assistant Chief during the promotion ceremony.  He will join Mitch Thompson as the other assistant chief over the coming 4 months.  Once Chief Kehl retires in September, Mitch Thompson will take over the job as Fishers Chief of Police.

Others receiving promotions at the Thursday ceremony include:

–Dave Seward – Captain

–Kevin Kobli – Lieutenant

–Ben Colling – Sergeant

–Jason Peasley – Sergeant

Mayor Scott Fadness told the audience these promotions pave the way for “the next generation of leadership for the department.”

When the Edge Building design was underway, the architectural renderings told me one thing – this building will be a little different for Fishers…for lack of a better term, “edgier” than most of the other buildings in the downtown area.

Now that the Edge Building is nearing completion, the city announced a very different type of tenant – The Escape Room.  A little Internet research found that there is currently an Escape Room in downtown Indianapolis on South Meridian Street.

What is the Escape Room?  It appears to be a variety of “adventure challenges” along with a lounge.  Here’s how the city news release describes it…

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The Escape Room Fishers plans to house six different adventure challenges and the Escape Lounge, serving local Indiana beer and wine, on the second and third floors of The Edge. The interactive game is designed for everyone. Participants are locked in a themed room with 60 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles, and discover keys and combinations to escape the room before time is up. 

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The Escape Room plans to lease more than 6,000 square feet in The Edge building.  The new Fishers location expects to hire 20 new employees from management to hourly positions.

The Edge plans to have Community Health Network as its largest tenant. Others leasing space in the structure are The Well, The Borrowed Boutique and Progressive Eye Care.

“The Escape Room is a unique addition to the Nickel Plate District,” said Mayor Scott Fadness in the news release. “The revitalization of the area was done to ensure our residents and visitors have a place to live, work and play in our community. It’s very exciting to see this vision come to life, and welcome the Escape Room to Fishers.”

The Escape Room plans to handle special events and corporate groups as part of its business plan, according to the news release.

Prepare yourself for a new musical production all about the history of Indiana and Hamilton County, as part of the Indiana State Bicentennial.  Local arts impresario Ashton Wolf has assembled a group of people to write and produce “Indiana – The Musical.”  Ashton will be directing the show.  The cast has recently been selected.  The show is currently in rehearsals .

“Indiana – The Musical”  is set to open Saturday, July 16th, at the Fishers Balmoral Golf Club.  The second performance will be Sunday, July 24th, at Fishers’ historic Ambassador House.  Two more shows are scheduled for July, Saturday the 29th and Sunday, the 30th, at the Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy, near 126th Street and Cumberland Road.

The story centers on the filming of a Hollywood musical in Indiana about the state’s history.  Some music will be original, some songs are from familiar Hoosier composers, such as Cole Porter.

Tickets will go on sale soon.

For more information, use this link.

Edra Waterman and Beth Meyer talk about many issues, including their summer reading program, the state bicentennial and how library’s continue to be relevant in today’s world

Keynote Speaker Taylor Downing talks about her father

The weather was gorgeous for the May 30th, 2016 Memorial Day ceremony, with the largest crowd yet for such an event in the  City of Fishers.  But what those in attendance for this commemoration will remember most will not be the weather.  The keynote speech by Taylor Downing is one no one will soon forget.

She talked about her father and how much she treasured the time she did have with him. He died while on duty in Iraq.  Taylor talked in detail about the last time she was with her Dad.  Then she described the day she was told her father had died while serving his country.

I do not know how Taylor Downing was able to complete that speech.  The tears came often and there were a few times emotions overwhelmed her and she paused.  At one point, during one of those pauses. the crowd began to applaud, in recognition of her courage to speak about such a painful experience.

One passage from the speech struck me.  Her father died from a sniper’s bullet.  She is often asked if she wants that sniper to die.  No, she replied, Taylor knows what her father’s death has done to her family.  She knows the sniper that fired the fatal shot has  family too. Taylor wouldn’t wish that pain on any family.

Taylor is a student at Indiana State University working on her degree.

Memorial Day is an important annual holiday in America.  In our part of Indiana, the Indianapolis 500 sometimes overshadows the holiday it is built around.  This year, Fishers experienced a very special Memorial Day ceremony.  It is one I will not soon forget.

Here is a video of the ceremony’s first 20 minutes

The coming week is a short holiday week, but there is no shortage of road and street projects around Fishers.  Below is the listing from the city for the work week beginning Tuesday, May 31st…..

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ALLISONVILLE ROAD

Lane restrictions will be in place along Allisonville Road between 126th Street and 141st Street for paving activities. Restrictions will go into effect the week of May 30 and flaggers will be onsite to help direct traffic.

CURB REPAIRS

A contractor will be repairing curb ramps in Bluff and Links at Grey Eagle through the coming weeks. Please anticipate periodic lane restrictions in those areas.

FALL CREEK TRAIL

Fall Creek Trail reconstruction work continues; the pedestrian bridges and section of sidewalk along the trail have been removed. Pedestrians should not use the trail within the sections that have been removed. In addition, there will be periodic lane closures along the project throughout the week of May 30th. Please travel with caution, construction barrels have reduced the existing northbound lane width.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Lane closures may recur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.ugove or 1-855-463-6848.

I-69 TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

INDOT is overseeing an overnight closure on multiple traffic lanes on I-69 overnight this week to continue demolition of the 106th Street overpass bridge. Weather permitting, lane closures and rolling slowdowns of traffic will begin after 9 p.m. and are expected to end before 6 a.m. the next day. Construction schedules and traffic restrictions are subject to change, and questions should be directed to INDOT at indot.carsporgram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone.

PAVING

A contractor will be paving streets on Lantern Road from 131st Street to Harrison Parkway and Conner Knoll throughout the coming weeks. Please anticipate periodic lane restrictions in those areas.

STATE ROAD 37

Various geotechnical work has begun along the State Road 37 corridor. Work will take place starting at the 126th Street intersection. Learn more atwww.Fishers.in.us/SR37.

96th STREET AND CUMBERLAND ROAD

The Hamilton County Highway Department has closed 96th Street and Cumberland Road for 100 calendar days in order to construct a roundabout at this intersection. Anyone with concerns about this project should call 773-7770. Please visit www.Fishers.in.us/DriveFishers to view a detour map. The tentative completion date for this project is June 30, 2016.

96th STREET AND LANTERN ROAD

Contractors will begin clearing the right-of-way around the intersection of 96th Street and Lantern Road. Lane restrictions are only expected for eastbound 96th Street, east of Lantern Road at this time, but please drive carefully through the entire work area.

106th STREET INTERCHANGE

INDOT has begun work on the 106th Street interchange. A lane shift is currently in place on I-69 and 106th Street is closed as construction continues. Additional details about this project will be released through INDOT and shared on the weekly construction update. Please be advised the speed limit from 82nd Street to 116th Street has been reduced to 55 mph and there are lane shifts on I-69. Please travel with caution and pay close attention to signage in the area.

116th STREET

There may be short-term lane restrictions on eastbound 116th Street between USA Parkway and Exit Five Parkway while utility work is being completed.

126th STREET

• Continuing the week of May 30th, there will be intermittent lane restrictions for westbound traffic just west of Promise Road. These restrictions will allow the contractor to construct the entrance into Granite Ridge subdivision. Advance warning signs will be in place including a directional arrow board, as needed.
• Temporary lane restrictions will be in place on 126th Street between Cyntheanne Road and Atlantic Road in order for should work to be completed. Please drive with caution in the area.
• Please drive with caution around 126th Street and Reynolds Drive. Contractors will be working off of the road, lane restrictions not expected.

Have a golf cart and want to drive it around your Fishers neighborhood?  Before you do, check out the city ordinance governing golf carts on city streets.

Your specific neighborhood must meet ordinance conditions and receive approval before golf carts may be used in your subdivision streets.

The only Fishers Neighborhoods with this approval are Britton Falls, Thorpe Creek, and Graystone.

For more details, see the statement below from the Fishers Police Department:

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The Fishers Police Department would like to remind residents of the city’s local ordinance concerning the use and operation of golf carts. Fishers’ City Ordinance No. 090214D authorizes the use of golf carts on some neighborhood streets if the following conditions have been met:

Students in the Hamilton Southeastern Schools will see a 10 cent increase in the price of school lunches in the 2016-2017 school year, based on action taken by the school board Wednesday night.  Administrators briefed the board on the complex federal government rules on the pricing of the lunches.  Failure to approve the increase would jeopardize the local school system’s federal reimbursement for lunch expenses.  Board member Sylvia Shepler voted no because she did not like the federal mandate.  For Grades kindergarten through 6th, lunch prices will rise from $2.40 to $2.50 per lunch….in grades 7-12, the cost will go up from $2.55 to $2.65 per lunch.

November 8th, 2016 will be election day, and it will also  be a teacher personal development day with no students in the school buildings that day.  Eleven school building in the HSE system will be hosting polling places November 8th.  The calendar change was done by moving two other half-day teacher personal development days to one full day  November 8.  You can view the revised 2016-2017 school calendar at this link.

The school corporation had a massive response of 8,149 families to a survey on school calendar and class start time issues.  Bottom line, there is no consensus to change any of it.  You can review the details of the survey results at this link.

The board approved an action to lease 35 new school buses as part of a lease/purchase agreement.  The bus replacement plan is available at this link.

Superintendent Allen Bourff announced at the board meeting that 15 schools in the HSE System have been named 4-star schools.  That means HSE has the most number of schools achieving this designation in the state.  To earn this honor, a school building must score in the top 25 percentile in a number of specific measures, such as test results.

Fall Creek Elementary and Riverside Intermediate schools were honored by the board for a special accomplishment.   The Indiana Association of School Principals Department of Student Programs has recognized schools that finished in the Top 10 of their enrollment class in all three  of its elementary division academic contests: Academic Spell Bowl, Science Bowl, and M.A.T.H. Bowl.  Fall Creek and Riverside finished in the top ten in all three categories.

A new technological development from Fishers Police is getting out to a fast start.  1,100 people in Fishers have registered for the CrimeWatch cell phone app just announced last week.  App developer Aurie Rahimzadeh says citizens are already using the app to alert police to suspicious activity.

You can download the app for free at the iPhone or Android play store.  Just search for FishersCrimeWatch.  Once downloaded, there is a registration process.

Aurie was at the “Coffee With a Cop” event held at Panera Bread on 96th Street, Wednesday morning.  Local police officers were on hand to talk with area citizens.