With the cancellation of a contract with Panorama to conduct a survey for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools over one year ago, administrators are working on a replacement survey. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Matt Kegley told the school board Wellness Committee Thursday that there was a meeting just this week on that subject among top officials of the district. Kegley says any new survey needs to be tied into the program creating the “Portrait of a Graduate.”  Kegley also says feedback from building principals will be part of putting together a new survey. The HSE School Board will have a p ..read more

The City of Fishers is offering a series of educational opportunities for its youth to gain insights into local government and potential career paths through three upcoming programs: the Mayor’s Youth Academy, the Fishers Police Department Teen Academy, and the Fishers Health Department Teen Public Health Academy. These initiatives are free for participants and aim to provide students with hands-on experiences and insights into public service. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness emphasized the importance of engaging and educating young people in the community. “Investing in the education and engageme ..read more

Christi Thomas, watching the HSE School Board meeting Wednesday Christi Thomas has spent the past 11 years serving as the Geist Elementary School Principal, but will be moving into a new position when the current school year ends.  Ms. Thomas will join the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Central Office as the new Director of Student Services. Ms. Thomas has a total of 25 years experience as an educator. This announcement is a part of the Central Office staff restructuring since the current school board majority assumed office in January of 2023. “I am extremely excited to take my K-12 ..read more

The red areas on this map are to be resurfaced this summer Fishers plans to resurface roads this summer in a number of neighborhoods, particularly Sunblest.  Two main throughfares are to be resurfaced – both 126th Street and Promise road, in the area of Fishers High School.  The $2.9 million bid was under the engineer’s estimate.  The funding will come from the Indiana Community Crossing Matching Grant of $1.4 million, with the wheel tax and other local sources rounding out the funding.  The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the bid acceptance at its Tuesday morning ..read more

Commission President Jamie Nieves (right) and new member Maggie Sadler Jamie Nieves will continue to serve as President of the Fishers Economic Development Commission following a commission vote Monday afternoon.  Maggie Sadler has been named a new member of the commission.  There is an opening for a third appointment to the commission that is currently vacant until the mayor makes the appointment.  Sadler will serve as commission secretary in 2024. The commission approved an economic development project agreement, including a $16 million bond for construction planned in the Gra ..read more

Oseye Boyd I have written countless times on this blog about how Fishers, Hamilton County and Indiana all have abysmal numbers when it comes to election voter turnout.  Oseye Boyd has impressive credentials as a journalist, having served as editor of the Indianapolis Recorder, Public engagement Editor for the Indianapolis Star and now Editor-In-Chief at the Indy Mirror, a relatively new online local news outlet. Ms. Boyd has written a piece for the nonprofit local news operation Capital Chronicle, providing her perspective on why Indiana’s voter turnout is so low.  She cites the 2023 ..read more

Saturday, April 20, was the day the Forum Conference Center in Fishers featured the Author Fair, sponsored by the Hamilton East Library.  Local authors are special in my view and I wandered the Forum Center, taking advantage of the opportunity to record brief interviews with many of them Allow me to apologize to a few authors.  I tried to record my conversations with them but discovered later I had a technical glitch.  To those authors, I send my sincere apologies. Below is the link to my discussions with 13 authors.  Below that, I have photos of each author I interviewed ..read more

Reflecting Pool at the Oklahoma City Memorial It was 29 years ago, the morning of April 19, 1995.  It was a normal day at the federal government agency where I worked at the time.  My duties kept me at my desk, but around 9:30am I noticed a lot of activity around me, with managers wheeling television sets into their offices. It was later that my manager let me know that the federal building in Oklahoma City had just been bombed and half the building was gone.  It was a wake-up call for us.  We understood that federal buildings in large cities such as New York, Los Angeles a ..read more

Best in Show artwork (painting) “Oasis” by Hannah Gao, HSE High School Senior Fishers Arts Council celebrated the artistic achievements of local high school seniors with the 15th Annual Senior Showcase, sponsored by STAR Bank. The event, held at the Hub Gallery of the Hamilton County Community Foundation, honored 23 students with scholarships totaling $4,000. The showcase featured 173 pieces of art and nine poetry-based submissions from 83 students across Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern high schools. The awards ceremony took place on Friday, April 12th, with Fishers Arts Council President R ..read more

Allisonville Road remains closed at 146th Street as construction continues on that site.  Look for upcoming lane restrictions on 146th Street in the coming days. Here is the update, from the Hamilton County Highway Department: ====== Beginning on or after the dates listed below, between the hours of 9AM and 3PM, our contractor will utilize a lane restriction for the delivery of materials in the work area. The lane restriction will take place in the left-hand westbound lane of 146th Street. Upcoming Lane Restriction Dates: Saturday, April 20th Tuesday, April 23rd Saturday, April 27th Thur ..read more