HEPL expands Local Author Fair into weekend of workshops, community event

LarryInFishers.com

The Hamilton East Public Library is expanding its annual Local Author Fair into a full weekend of events this spring, offering opportunities for writers and readers to connect, learn and celebrate storytelling.

The two-day event will begin Saturday, April 18, with writing workshops at the Hamilton East Public Library Noblesville Branch. Library officials say the sessions are designed for writers of all experience levels, from beginners to more seasoned authors. Topics will include creative storytelling, self-publishing and common writing challenges. Participants are encouraged to register in advance through the library’s online calendar.

The weekend continues Sunday, April 19, with the return of the Local Author Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. at a new location, the Hamilton County Fairgrounds Exhibition Center. The free, open house-style event will feature nearly 70 authors and literary organizations from across central Indiana.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet local writers, purchase books and have them signed, while exploring a wide range of genres including children’s books, mystery, romance, science fiction, biography, local history and self-help.

Library officials say the expanded format is intended to broaden community engagement and provide more resources for aspiring writers.

“We’re excited for the return of this annual event showcasing the talent of local authors,” said Allison Kartman, HEPL’s systemwide program coordinator. “This is a unique opportunity to engage directly with authors, learn about their writing process and support local storytelling.”

In addition to meeting authors, visitors can participate in giveaways, including book bundles and other prizes throughout Sunday’s event.

HEPL serves residents in Fishers and Noblesville with programs, services and events aimed at promoting lifelong learning and community connection.

More information about the workshops and author fair, including registration details, is available on the library’s website.

HSE Schools Looks to Expand Use of Cooperative Purchasing

LarryInFishers.com

Hamilton Southeastern Schools administrators are preparing to ask the school board to broaden the district’s use of cooperative purchasing, a procurement method they say could stretch district dollars further on major purchases.

HSE Chief Financial Officer Tim Brown told LarryInFishers the district has used purchasing cooperatives in the past, but administrators now want the board to approve a wider use of what school officials describ as a “special purchase process.” During Thursday morning’s meeting of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee, Brown cited technology equipment as one example of a purchase that could be made through a cooperative, sometimes referred to in Indiana law and practice as a purchasing agent arrangement.

Under Indiana’s public purchasing law, governmental bodies generally must use a formal bidding process for supplies unless another purchasing method is specifically authorized. State guidance also recognizes that a purchasing cooperative may handle the competitive steps a public agency would otherwise have to perform on its own, including advertising, receiving bids, obtaining quotes and securing contracts.

The pitch from administrators is straightforward: if several school districts combine their buying power through a cooperative, they may be able to obtain lower prices than a single district could secure on its own. Indiana law allows special purchases in certain circumstances, including when doing so offers efficiency and economic advantages or when purchases can be made through contracts already available to governmental units.

The matter is expected to come before the full board at its April meeting.

The committee also reviewed other district business items Thursday.

Administrators said the February student count submitted to the state showed HSE Schools enrolling 40 fewer students compared to the February count. Because state tuition support is tied directly to student enrollment, that decline will reduce state support by about $141,000.

Committee members also received an update on construction of a new bus parking lot at Hamilton Southeastern High School. During the work, staff members will need to use alternate parking locations. Access from Olio Road to the parking area will be closed during the summer, with the project expected to be completed in September.

In addition, school officials said they are developing plans for future renovations at Hamilton Southeastern High School. Those plans are expected to include Career and Technical Education, commonly known as CTE, as part of the broader building proposal.

Podcast – Fridays With Larry April 3, 2026

LarryInFishers.com

A major shakeup in Indianapolis television news leads this week’s edition of Fridays with Larry.

In the April 3 podcast, I discuss the firing of nearly the entire news staff at WRTV on the same day new ownership took control of the station. The move has raised questions about the future of local journalism in the Indianapolis market and what viewers can expect going forward.

My guest this week is Chip Graeter, a fourth-generation member of the family behind Graeter’s Ice Cream. The company traces its roots back more than 150 years, and Graeter discusses the history of the business and how its signature ice cream is still made today.

I also offer a thumbs up for the new Museum Experience at Conner Prairie in Fishers, which recently opened as part of a major expansion of the popular local attraction.

The podcast wraps up with a lighter note — an unusual story out of Bolivia, where a proposal to add school days sparked a protest led by clowns.

Fridays With Larry is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

You can watch the video version of the April 3 edition of Fridays with Larry at this link, just listen at this link, or use a link below.

 

Hamilton East Library to Upgrade Catalog System; Temporary Service Changes Set for Early May

LarryInFishers.com

The Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) will begin transitioning to a new catalog system in early May, a move aimed at improving how patrons search for and access materials.

Library officials say the upgrade is designed to make browsing easier for users while also enhancing staff efficiency. However, the transition will bring several temporary service disruptions between April 30 and May 5.

During that period, patrons will not be able to log in to their “My Account” feature, meaning holds cannot be placed, bills cannot be paid, and purchase or interlibrary loan requests will be unavailable.

Despite the outage, library services will continue in a limited capacity. Patrons will still be able to check out physical materials, but they must bring their library card, as staff will not be able to look up accounts in the system.

HEPL will also pause check-ins and renewals during the transition week. To accommodate this, all due dates will be extended until at least May 13. Library officials ask patrons to hold on to borrowed materials until normal operations resume.

Card renewals will also be temporarily unavailable, though any cards set to expire during that week will automatically be extended.

Digital services will remain fully accessible throughout the transition. Patrons can continue to use platforms such as Libby and Hoopla, along with the library’s online databases, without interruption.

When the new system goes live on May 6, patrons will notice one immediate change: account PINs will reset to the four-digit birth year associated with their account, part of an updated security protocol.

Library officials note that transferring user accounts and catalog data is a complex process requiring a temporary pause in some services to ensure accuracy. They also acknowledge there may be a learning curve for both staff and patrons as the new system is rolled out.

HEPL encourages patrons to plan ahead for the brief disruption and says staff will be available to answer questions during and after the transition.

After WRTV shakeup, promises of more local news raise questions

LarryInFishers.com

In the wake of the sudden and sweeping changes at WRTV, the new ownership is now offering its first public explanation—and its first set of promises.

DuJuan McCoy, owner of Circle City Broadcasting and WISH-TV, says the transition of WRTV into his company “will take several months to complete.” In a written statement, McCoy says his company plans to expand local news on WRTV, particularly in morning and weekend time slots he says were “underserved” under the previous ownership.

He also points to the scale of WISH-TV’s current operation—more than 90 hours of live local programming each week—and says WRTV will grow from roughly 23 hours of weekly news to more than 30 hours in the months ahead. That programming, he says, will be “distinct and separate” from WISH-TV content.

On paper, that sounds like an expansion of local news.

But what has unfolded over the past 24 hours raises serious questions about how that goal will be achieved.

As first reported by the Indianapolis Business Journal and supported by numerous public statements from former staff, nearly all of WRTV’s newsroom appears to have been dismissed the day the sale closed. At the same time, WRTV newscasts immediately began airing with on-air personnel from WISH-TV.

That is not a gradual transition. That is a hard reset.

Circle City Broadcasting says more local programming is coming. The key question is whether more programming will actually translate into more journalism.

There is a difference.

Local news programming can be expanded in a number of ways—longer shows, more hours, shared content, or simulcasts with slight variations. But local journalism—the kind that requires reporters in the field, cultivating sources, attending public meetings, and holding institutions accountable—depends on people. It depends on staffing.

And by all appearances, WRTV now has far fewer of those people than it did just days ago.

To be fair, McCoy says the transition will take months. It is possible that new hiring will follow, that a new newsroom will be built, and that WRTV will ultimately emerge with a stronger or at least different local news operation.

That is something worth watching.

But it is also fair to note that WISH-TV—now effectively carrying the load for two stations—has historically operated with a smaller newsroom than some of its competitors in the Indianapolis market. Expanding output while maintaining depth of coverage is a significant challenge even under stable conditions.

Right now, the visible reality is this: a legacy newsroom has been largely wiped out, experienced journalists are suddenly out of work, and one newsroom is supplying content for multiple stations.

Whether that leads to more local journalism—or simply more hours of locally branded programming—remains to be seen.

Circle City Broadcasting says it is committed to “delivering high-quality local news programming.” That commitment will be tested not by the number of hours on the schedule, but by the depth, originality, and independence of the reporting that fills those hours.

For now, this is a story still unfolding.

I will be watching.

Fuel Fall to Walleye 5-4 in Overtime Thriller at Fishers Event Center

LarryInFishers.com

The Indy Fuel pushed a Central Division matchup to the limit Wednesday night but came up short in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Toledo Walleye at Fishers Event Center.

The game, originally scheduled for Dec. 28, featured multiple lead changes and a strong response from Indy throughout the night.

Toledo struck first midway through the opening period when Cam Hausinger scored against former teammate Mitchell Weeks. Indy answered less than three minutes later as Cody Laskosky found the net, assisted by Jordan Martin, to even the score at 1-1. The teams finished the period tied, with shots even at nine apiece.

The second period brought a flurry of offense. Toledo regained the lead early on a goal by Mitch Lewandowski, but the Fuel responded on the power play when newcomer Marcus Joughin scored at 11:35. Just 19 seconds later, Martin gave Indy its first lead of the night, 3-2.

That advantage was short-lived, as Brendon Michaelian tied the game again at 3-3. Despite being outshot 26-18 through two periods, the Fuel stayed even heading into the third.

Laskosky delivered again early in the third, scoring his second goal of the game at 2:53 to put Indy ahead 4-3. After a successful penalty kill midway through the period, Toledo answered once more when Dylan Moulton tied the game at 4-4.

Neither team could break the deadlock in regulation, though Toledo held a decisive 46-23 edge in shots.

In overtime, the Walleye needed just two shots to seal the win. Tanner Dickinson scored the game-winner at 2:04, handing Indy a hard-fought loss.

Despite the result, the Fuel showed resilience in forcing overtime against one of the top teams in the division.

Plan Commission Backs ICC Floors Rezone for Former Kittle’s Building Near I-69

LarryInFishers.com
ICC Floors proposed view from I-69 traveling north (rendering provided)

The Fishers Plan Commission has unanimously recommended approval of a rezoning request that would allow a major renovation and reuse of the former Kittle’s Furniture building along Interstate 69.

At its Wednesday night meeting, the commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the Fishers City Council for a proposal by ICC Floors Plus involving the 62,000-square-foot building at 9810 Carney Drive.

Under the request, ICC Floors plans to reconfigure the interior space to support a mix of uses. The proposal calls for 40 percent of the building to be used for warehouse operations, with the remaining space divided evenly among gallery, fabrication, and office functions.

The project also includes a series of exterior and site improvements. Plans call for additional truck docks, upgraded landscaping, parking enhancements, and updates to the building façade. Those improvements will require both an Improvement Location Permit and a Commercial Building Permit.

Because the structure exceeds 25,000 square feet, the project must also receive approval for a Commercial Change of Use permit, identified as CUP-26-3. That request is currently under review by the City Council,

City planning staff recommended approval of the rezoning with one condition: prohibiting outdoor storage on the site.

The proposal is expected to move to the Fishers City Council for final consideration at its April 20 meeting, where both the rezoning and the change-of-use request will be reviewed together.

New Indiana laws aimed at protecting children signed following Fishers teen’s death

LarryInFishers.com
Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn
Todd Huston

Legislation designed to strengthen protections for children and teens in Indiana has been signed into law, prompted in part by the death of a Fishers teenager and the advocacy of her family.

Governor Mike Braun ceremonially signed House Enrolled Act 1303 and House Enrolled Act 1408, measures intended to improve responses to children believed to be in danger, crack down on child sexual abuse, and expand protections for minors on social media.

The laws were drafted following the death of Fishers teen Hailey Buzbee, who disappeared and was later found dead in Ohio. Her parents, Beau and Ronya Buzbee, have since advocated for stronger safeguards to protect young people.

They joined the governor, legislators and other state officials for the ceremonial bill signing.

State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, a Democrat representing Fishers, said the legislation is a step toward preventing similar tragedies.

“I am thankful that we were able to honor Hailey by getting this legislation to protect Hoosier kids across the finish line,” Garcia Wilburn said in a statement. “Law enforcement needs as many tools in the toolbox as possible to stop child predators.”

Garcia Wilburn added that conversations will continue with constituents about additional safeguards, particularly involving social media, and further steps the legislature could take to improve child safety.

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican from Fishers, also pointed to the impact of the Buzbee family’s advocacy.

“The Fishers community is still grieving the loss of Hailey, and her parents’ courage in speaking out to protect other young Hoosiers has been incredibly moving,” Huston said.

Huston said the new laws include enhancements to Indiana’s alert system, allowing law enforcement to respond more quickly when a child may be in danger. The legislation also establishes new social media safeguards, including requirements for parental consent for minors and expanded tools for parents to monitor their children’s online activity.

State leaders say the measures are part of a broader effort to strengthen protections for children across Indiana, with additional policy discussions expected in future legislative sessions.