September 27, 2022 — Carmel

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Mixed-use projects unveiled at Carmel’s Monon Square, along Pennsylvania Street

By Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

Initial plans have been unveiled for the proposed redevelopment of Monon Square and a mixed-use development on vacant land at Pennsylvania and 111th streets.

CITY NEWS

The 8.7-acre Monon Square site on the northwest corner of Range Line Road and City Center Drive, cur rently home to an aging and vacated shop ping center, will be split into quadrants, with additional redevelopment also planned west of the Monon Greenway in a future phase. Monon Square North encompasses the northern half of the site and includes $100 million in mixed-use redevelopment projects.

A $70 million mixed-use building is pro posed in the northwest quadrant. It is set to include 21,000 square feet of office and retail space, 249 multi-family units and a 390-space public parking garage. Salon01 will relocate from its building on City Center Drive to anchor the retail space.

In the northeast quadrant, a $30 million mixed-use development is planned with 122 multi-family units, restaurant and retail space, for-sale condos and a 79-space park ing garage.

The Carmel Redevelopment Commission and Carmel-based developer J.C. Hart are among those involved in a public-private partnership to complete the project, which is expected to be constructed in 18 months to two years, pending city approvals.

“This transformational redevelopment will bridge the gap between Carmel’s City Center and Midtown redevelopment ar eas,” CRC Director Henry Mestetsky stated. “World-renowned urban planner Jeff Speck, who helped design the original Midtown area, was brought in to incorporate Monon Square into the city’s updated long-term plans.”

John Hart, president and CEO of J.C. Hart, said he began working to assemble a team to redevelop the northern portion of Monon Square a year ago. He isn’t ready to announce tenants besides Salon01 but has been in discussions with several interested in the site.

The $700 million mixed-use development proposed on Pennsylvania Street is set to include 58 forsale townhouses, 912 multi-family units (12.5 percent intended to be workforce housing), 430,000 square feet of office space along Pennsylvania Street, two public parking garages and a public park/plaza to anchor the space. (Image courtesy of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission)

ate at least $135,000 per year for Carmel Clay Schools through its existing referen dums and raise the assessed value of the area from $1 million per acre to $14 million per acre.

Plans and a timeline have not been an nounced for the southern part of the site.

“This is a generational, 15-year redevel opment that will create a walkable, vibrant project,” Mestetsky stated. “This ameni ty-rich project is expected to benefit all neighbors and adjacent office users.”

The views of the columnists, cartoonist and, where applicable, advertisers in Current are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of this newspaper.

“There’s a really unique opportunity for a business to build a 10,000-square-foot office space right on the Monon Trail,” Hart said.

According to Mestetsky, once complete, Monon Square North is expected to gener

The $700 million mixed-use development proposed on Pennsylvania Street is set to include 58 for-sale townhouses, 912 multi-family units (12.5 percent intended to be workforce housing), 430,000 square feet of office space along Pennsylvania Street, two public parking garages and a public park/plaza to anchor the space.

The CRC is partnering with Carmel-based Pedcor, which also developed Carmel City Center, on the project. It is expected to be built in four phases.

Mestetsky said the project should gen erate at least $455,000 per year for CCS through its existing referendums and raise the assessed value of the area from $10,000 per acre to $5.8 million per acre.

The Carmel City Council on Sept. 19 intro duced ordinances issuing tax increment fi nancing bonds for both projects: $18 million for Monon Square North and $76.5 million for the other. The bonds would be develop er-backed, meaning developers would be responsible for covering any shortfalls.

The council’s finance committee will re view the bonds at a future meeting.

The $100 million Monon Square North redevelopment project is proposed to include office and retail space, multi-family units and a public parking garage. (Photo courtesy of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission)

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Community weighs in on proposed charter school

By Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

Community members from Hamilton County and beyond shared their thoughts on the Valor Classical Academy charter school proposed in Carmel at a Sept. 21 public hearing at Holiday Inn in Carmel.

EDUCATION

Nearly 30 speakers provided feedback, with more than half offering support for the school. Those in favor highlighted the benefits of school choice and a smaller campus, while many of those in opposition expressed concerns about its curriculum coming from the Barney Charter School Ini tiative, a program affiliated with the conser vative Christian Hillsdale College, which has provided free curriculum for charter schools across the nation.

Grace Schools Charter Authority, which Valor has asked to serve as the school’s authorizer, organized the meeting, a step required by state law to give the public and officials from the affected school district a chance to weigh in. GSCA is expected to make a decision on whether to authorize Valor, which aims to open for the 2023-24 school year, in early October.

Charter schools are public, meaning they are tuition-free and receive thousands of dollars from the state for each student that enrolls. CCS receives approximately $6,800 per student in state funding and loses the same amount when a pupil enrolls elsewhere.

Holly Wilson, a Valor co-founder, present ed a short overview of the charter school to begin the meeting. She said charter school laws in Indiana aim to give parents — and their tax dollars — more freedom and choice.

“When parents choose Valor, they’re essentially voting directly for Valor, which could be considered the essence of taxation with representation,” Wilson said.

CCS School Board President Katie Brown ing spoke on behalf of the district. She asked GSCA not to authorize the charter school, saying that “the loud few should not drown out the highly satisfied majority” in one of the state’s most successful districts.

“A handful of people have the potential to impact the education of thousands. This charter authorization has real-world conse quences in our classrooms. The reduction of public funding could mean fewer teach

ers or larger class sizes. It could lessen opportunities and reduce extracurriculars,” Browning said. “Also, what amounts to a national chain of charter schools can open a franchise in Carmel, Indiana, and try to duplicate systems that we already have and collect more taxes off the top.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Jackie O’Keefe, a mother of four, said she moved to Carmel for the public schools but that they did not live up to her expectations. She said that some families are unable to pay for private school and that Valor would provide a needed local option for those seeking an affordable alter native to traditional public school.

She, and others, took issue with those who oppose Valor because of its financial impact on CCS.

“My children, they’re not ATM machines,” O’Keefe said.

CCS parent Margaret Tomaska expressed concerns about Valor’s ties to Hillsdale po tentially leading to religion making its way into the charter school’s curriculum.

“(With Valor), I see something that feels like politics,” Tomaska said. “It’s really up setting to me as a parent that we want to divide our community rather than bring it together and start working together on im proving the great things we already have.”

Spencer Giacalone is new to the area and the parent of two children in CCS, and he said it’s been a good experience so far — at least with teachers at the campus level. He noted the district’s accolades as mentioned by CCS officials earlier in the meeting as reasons the district should not feel Valor is a threat.

“If the quality is there, I’m not really sure what you’re worried about, because then no one will go to the charter school,” he said. “People will either vote with their feet or not.”

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Tim Ziebarth, a dean at Grace College, explains the format for the public hearing. (Photo by Ann Marie Shambaugh)

Council considering $63M bond to connect paths, build roundabouts

By Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

The Carmel City Council is considering $63 million in bonds to fund the closing of gaps in the city’s multi-use path system, Monon Square infrastructure improve ments, upgrades to Ditch Road and several new roundabouts throughout town.

city as a pedestrian or bicyclist. He said Carmel has added more than 200 miles of multi-use pathways during his time in of fice, but that connecting them seamlessly is a request he hears often.

CITY NEWS

The council on Sept. 19 introduced an ordinance to issue Carmel Redevelopment Authority lease rental bonds and sent the matter to its finance committee for more detailed review.

City officials do not expect the bonds to lead to an increase in the tax rate, which is 78.77 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Because Carmel’s total assessed val ue rose 14 percent in the last year, the city can fund the bonds through a 5 cent special benefits tax that will leave the total tax rate flat, according to Heidi Amspaugh, a finan cial consultant with Bakery Tilly Municipal Advisors.

“Assessed values and tax rates are in verse of each other, so when AVs go up, tax rates come down,” Amspaugh told the council. “So, there is an opportunity to take advantage of that time and finance projects by levying a debt service tax rate, in this case to keep the city’s total tax rate the same that it’s been over the last five years.”

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said a pri oritized project list included with the or dinance contains more projects than the bonds will realistically fund.

The mayor’s top priority on the project list is to close gaps in the pathway system that can make it difficult to traverse the

Project: Roundabout, multi-use path construction

Location: The intersection of 106th Street and College Avenue is closed for construction of a roundabout. The multi-use path is under construction along 106th Street from Pennsylvania Parkway to College Avenue. 106th Street is not expected to be closed during construction of the path.

Expected completion: November

Project: Range Line Road reconstruction

Location: 116th Street to Carmel Drive. The road is open but lane restrictions are in

“Some of these problem areas we just haven’t dealt with yet,” Brainard said.

The projects to potentially be funded through the bond, in order of priority, are:

• The completion of various multi-use paths along existing roads to fill in gaps in the path system

• Monon Square infrastructure improvements

• Ditch Road improvements between 96th and 116th streets

• Roundabout and related improvements at 116th Street and Hoover Road

• Roundabout and related improvements at 126th Street and River Road

• Roundabout and related improvements at 116th Street and River Road

• Roundabout and related improvements at 106th Street and Hazel Dell Road

• Roundabout and north connection and related improvements at Carmel Drive and AAA Way

• Roundabout and related improvements at 116th Street and AAA Way

• Roundabout and related improvements at Merchants Square Drive and AAA Way

• Roundabout and related improvements at 141st Street and Shelborne Road

• Roundabout and related improvements along Pennsylvania Street

A finance committee meeting date had not been announced as of press time. The full city council will have the final vote on the bonds.

place.

Expected completion: Fall Project: New roundabout Location: E. Main Street and Richland Avenue.  Expected completion: Fall  Project: New roundabout Location: E. Main Street and Lexington Boulevard

Expected completion: Fall

Project: Widening and improvements along Smoky Row Road

Location: Between the Monon Greenway and U.S. 31. The road will be fully closed during the project.

Expected completion: End of year

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Center CEO: Palladium’s aging systems lead to missed opportunities

Carmel city council to review $1.5M request for upgrades

By Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

transformed into a $2.2 million light show on the exterior of the Palladium to be funded by the Carmel Redevelop ment Commission.

electronic signage,” McDermott said.

The council sent the funding request to its finance com mittee for further discussion. A committee meeting date had not been announced as of press time. Councilor Jeff Worrell asked McDermott to be prepared to speak at the committee meeting about why the city should for the up grades, as opposed to using other forms of funding.

CITY NEWS

The Palladium prides itself in being a “world-class venue,” but its aging technical equipment is causing the 1,600-seat concert hall to miss out on booking key performers and causing other headaches, according to Jeffrey McDermott, president and CEO of the Center for the Performing Arts.

“Ringo Starr has long been on our list to bring to the Palladium. We have tried to get him two times,” McDermott told the Carmel City Council on Sept. 19. “We can offer him his money, but we can not offer him the sound system he requires. Without it, we simply cannot attract him.”

At the meeting, McDermott requested the city add ap proximately $1.5 million in upgrades to the Palladium’s sound and lighting systems and add outdoor digital sig nage to a list of projects eligible to be funded through redevelopment district bonds approved by the council in 2021. Those bonds included $1.5 million for a light show on the Midtown water tower, but that project has since

McDermott said a new sound system will cost between $634,000 and $820,500. He said the existing system has been in place since the building’s original system was reconfigured a few months after the Palladium opened in 2011.

A new lighting system is expected to cost between $615,000 and $765,000. The Palladium’s existing system is original to the building except for a doz en lights added later. Approximately 60 intelligent lights, which can be programmed to swivel, need to be replaced, at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000 each.

“The PA system and lighting system are critical needs. We really are beyond the reasonable life for both of these,” McDermott said. “I don’t think that has been noticeable to our patrons or the public, but it will be soon if we’re not able to update those.”

McDermott is also requesting approximately $150,000 for a 6-by-12-foot digital exterior sign, which would only include the sign itself and not a decorative casing around it. The sign is proposed to be placed north of the Palladium along City Center Drive to alert those passing by about upcoming shows and to promote sponsors.

“To my knowledge, we are one of the very few perform ing arts centers in the country that doesn’t have exterior

McDermott briefly addressed Worrell’s question at the council meeting, saying that the upgrades are a capital expense that should be covered by the building owner, the City of Carmel. He described his organization as a property manager.

“No property manager is going to be paying for the cap ital improvements, adding on a wing or putting in a new HVAC system,” McDermott said. “

If the projects are funded by the city, McDermott said he expects installation to occur in the summer of 2023. Scott Hall, director of communications for the Center of Performing Arts, said other funding sources have not been identified.

“Five members of the council sponsored this resolution, so we are confident it will pass,” Hall said.

Sponsors are councilors Adam Aasen, Laura Campbell, Sue Finkam, Kevin “Woody” Rider and Worrell. Councilors are not required to vote in favor of items they sponsor but typically do.

McDermott

Meet the candidates for school board District 2

Compiled by Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

Incumbent Jennifer Nelson-Williams is facing challenges from Adam Sharp and Lori B. Long for the District 2 seat on the Carmel Clay Schools board of trustees. The district en compasses all of Carmel between Main Street and 116th Street and northwest Carmel west of Ditch Road.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, grad uate course work in mar riage and family therapy and an associate degree in mortuary science

Occupation: CEO and president of Aaron-Ru ben-Nelson Funeral Home in Carmel

Age: 55

Length of time in district: 18 years Immediate family: My partner, Josh Kirsh; son, Ari Williams; daughter, Lindsay Williams; and stepson, Holden Kirsh, who attends Carmel Elementary School Website: Facebook.com/ NelsonWilliamsCCS

Previous political experience: I am a Carmel Clay school board member, serving District 2

Why do you want to run for school board? The schools are an integral part of the success of our community. As a resident, business owner and community supporter, I have a vested interest in the community being welcoming, inclusive and enriching to our future leaders.

What are your qualifications for this office? Vast business knowledge from 32 years as a CEO and president of a fam ily-owned business. Additionally, I have raised two children who attended Carmel schools.

What are the top three issues that your campaign will focus on? School safety, global preparedness for success of our students and increased opportunities for technical and skill specific training in our high school curriculum

What do you see as strengths at Carmel Clay Schools? The vast selection of course work and programs being offered to our students and the dynamic, smart, invested staff and administration that are there ev ery day striving for continued excellence in education

What do you see as areas of improve-

ment at Carmel Clay Schools? Hamilton County Schools have relied too heavily on the JEL Center at North Central. The new countywide partnership will increase the technical and skill-specific curriculum at Carmel, improving the experience for our students.

How do you believe public school dis tricts should address diversity, equity and inclusion matters? Public schools should strive to ensure all students feel safe, welcome and included. Terri Rob erts-Leonard, CCS’s diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator, is doing a tremen dous job. I defer to her experience.

How can public schools help student test scores reach pre-pandemic levels? This pandemic was a once-in-a-lifetime oc currence that this country was ill-prepared to face on many levels. It will take time to make up for the lost learning time. However, we now have improved technology, revised protocols and new innovative tools in place to ensure that all achievement gaps are bridged and eliminated.

How do you feel about Carmel Clay Schools’ efforts to address student safe ty? What changes, if any, would you like to see made? I am extremely impressed with Lt. Adam Miller, David Woodward and the entire safety team. They are engaged, knowledgeable and ahead of the curve on the latest strategies and protocols for keep ing our schools safe.

What nonprofit, social clubs, volunteer groups, PACs or other organizations are you involved with? I am the co-founder of Women4Change Indiana and Ready2Run In diana, two organizations that train, educate and encourage Hoosier women to become more engaged in our democracy.

Has your campaign received any en dorsements? Endorsed by City Councilor Miles Nelson

Something most people don’t know about you? I have a Ural motorcycle with a

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Education: BA Biology (Indiana University), MD (Tel Aviv University)

Occupation: ER physi cian (Retired), entrepreneur

Age: 49

Length of time in dis trict: 17 years

Immediate family: Biana (wife), Samara, Liviya and Elizah (daughters)

Website: ccsboardcandidates.com

Previous political experience: None

Why do you want to run for school board? Carmel has been a wonderful com munity for my family, and I am fortunate to be in a position to have the time to give back. My family moved here because CCS was known for excellence. I would like to ensure this distinction continues.

What are your qualifications for this office? As an ER physician, I am comfort able in a leadership role, assessing multiple data points while making acute decisions. My business and prior board experience includes co-founding two successful com panies. As an entrepreneur, I understand the intricacies of a team environment while making fiscally responsible decisions.

What are the top three issues that your campaign will focus on? Our campaign is focused on three pillars: academic excel lence, parents’ rights and full transparency. Over the last eight years, CCS has seen a decline in academic proficiency. We believe that the foremost responsibility of CCS is to ensure that every child meets their greatest academic potential. If parents want to be involved, we want them to have access to the classrooms and lunchrooms. Parent involvement has always been a cornerstone to academic excellence in CCS. We will also remove any barriers to full transparency around curriculum.

What do you see as strengths at Carmel Clay Schools? Having seen firsthand the dedication of my daughters’ teachers, dance coach and the administrative staff, their commitment knows no bounds. They are the heartbeat of the system, and we owe them our gratitude. Equally important are the families engaged in their children’s education.

What do you see as areas of improve ment at Carmel Clay Schools? It is critical we have a renewed focus on academic achievement.

How do you believe public school dis tricts should address diversity, equity and

Something you want people to know about you? I am the funniest person in my family!

inclusion matters? Diversity of thought and perspective should be our priority. Open and free debate have always been the hallmarks of an exceptional education in a free society. Intimidation and social shaming into silence is never acceptable. I fear that these well-in tentioned initiatives inadvertently lead to the very issues they purport to be addressing and ultimately increase division and friction between our children. We believe in ‘One Car mel’ where all are welcome, and everybody has a voice.

How can public schools help student test scores reach pre-pandemic levels? We must support our teachers and em brace parents, community members and siblings to join in the education effort. We would also like to leverage the expertise of our teachers and assemble an academic excellence task force. Teachers are on the frontlines and can provide valuable insight.

How do you feel about Carmel Clay Schools’ efforts to address student safety? What changes, if any, would you like to see made? The taxpayers of this community voted for a safety referendum which was $40 million over eight years. Having an SRO in every school is a great achievement. But what is concerning is that these funds have also been allocated to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and other programs in the name of “safe ty.” I do not think our citizens necessarily had DEI initiatives in mind when they vot ed to pay higher taxes.

What nonprofit, social clubs, volunteer groups, PACs or other organizations are you involved with? I have enjoyed coaching soccer for Carmel Dads’ Club. My preferred charities are Meals on Wheels and the Pediatric Orthopedic Project. In Israel, I support a charity that provides PTSD care for soldiers through meditation and yoga as well as an innovative EMS organization.

Has your campaign received any en dorsements? I have been endorsed by the Indiana Family Action PAC.

Something most people don’t know about you? I love the outdoors. Hiking is my favorite pastime. I also care deeply about Israel and visit there often.

Something you want people to know about you? My priorities and values came from my immigrant parents. They raised us to value the opportunities that America af fords anybody who works hard.

Adam Sharp

Sharp

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Trinity Internation al University, elementary education

Occupation: Client vice president at Key Benefit Administrator

Age: 46

Length of time in district: 4 years

Immediate family: 1 daughter attending Clay Middle School

Previous political experience: None Website: lorilongforschoolboard22. weebly.com

Why do you want to run for school board? I want to use my years of experience as an educator, instructional coach and school administrator to be an advocate for students, teachers, staff and parents. I will work diligently to protect students and pa rental rights by bringing a focus to support ing all students on their educational journey.

What are your qualifications for this office? As an educator, I taught first, fifth, high school language arts, and was an instructional coach. I have also been a pre school and day care administrator. I have sat on numerous boards supporting non profits. I also worked for EmployIndy, the governor’s workforce development board, as the associate director of the Business Solutions team.

What are the top three issues that your campaign will focus on? Teacher and administration support and accountabil ity; focusing on appropriate age-specific, academically based curriculum, protecting students from exposure to inappropriate agenda-based curriculum; and ensuring stu dent’s future pathways are supported for all students, college-bound or trades-based careers.

What do you see as strengths at Carmel Clay Schools? I see our curriculum as a strength. My daughter has been challenged and improved significantly as a student. We have incredible teachers, administrators and tremendously talented students. Our cultural diversity is also a strength.

What do you see as areas of improve ment at Carmel Clay Schools? I want to dive deeper into how all students are sup ported as individual learners. It is essential to students’ ongoing success and yearly academic growth that they don’t have skill gaps. Additionally, mental health is an in ternational crisis for students. We need to support our students as they navigate not only their academic growth but manage the

stress and expectations as they grow.

How do you believe public school dis tricts should address diversity, equity and inclusion matters? As a seasoned educator, this question includes, for me, all student needs. Not focusing on one aspect, but the whole student; gender and sexual orientation and diversity in children and adolescence, understanding ethnic and racial disparities in education, the entirety of the autism spectrum and effective be havioral interventions, as well as insuring that teachers are trained and prepared for all students with special needs in in clusive classrooms; increased training to create truly inclusive classrooms through evidence-based practices and hands-on strategies and be properly equipped to do so effectively at the teacher and para level as we support all learners.

How can public schools help student test scores reach pre-pandemic levels? It is critical to train teachers on how to use student’s test data to drive their instruc tion. If teachers do not clearly understand this process nor how to look at data and modify their instructional strategies as they present mandated curriculum, it will never improve as we all want it to.

How do you feel about Carmel Clay Schools’ efforts to address student safety? What changes, if any, would you like to see made? I am incredibly impressed with the dedication to have officers in all schools. I also am a huge advocate for the STOP IT app. My daughter has used it and the response was immediate.

What nonprofit, social clubs, volunteer groups, PACs or other organizations are you involved with? I have not had the opportunity of joining any since moving to Carmel (because of the pandemic). Now that I can, I’m eager to get involved as much as I can! Previously I’ve been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Central Florida Speech and Hearing, and many others.

Has your campaign received any endorsements? I have not any.

Something most people don’t know about you? I was blessed to be the daugh ter of a career military officer. I lived all over the US and am a fiercely proud supporter of our military and our veterans.

Something you want people to know about you? I’m a single mom of an incredi ble daughter. I am passionately invested in the successful journey of all students. I’m deeply invested in my former students, my daughter’s fellow students as well as her specific future as a citizen of this nation.

Lori Long

Long

Traders Point Christian quarterback improves his accuracy

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

As a Traders Point Christian School fresh man, Cooper Simmons-Little chose not to play football. He regretted it quickly.

“I chose not to play football my freshman year because I strug gled with it through middle school,” said Simmons-Little, who lives in Pittsboro. “After watching my friends playing as brothers on the football field, I missed it and joined my sophomore year.”

The 6-foot-2 Simmons-Little played receiv er his sophomore year but was injured and missed much of the season. The senior now plays quarterback.

Last season, Simmons-Little completed 141 of 315 passes (44.8 percent) for 2,154 yards with 18 touchdowns and 18 intercep tions for the Class A school in Whitestown.

In the first five games this season, he greatly improved his completion percent age by completing 108 of 174 passes (62.1

MEET COOPER SIMMONS-LITTLE

Favorite Subject: Math

Favorite Movie: “Cars 2”

College plans: Play football and major in business

percent) for 1,592 yards with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions.

“My deep ball has improved the most,” Simmons-Little said. “My goal since last year was to be able to throw the ball deeper with more accuracy.”

His receivers deserve credit as well. Senior Phillip Moran had 34 catches for 519 yards and eight TDs in the first five games.

Sophomore Colton Pollard had 26 catches for 446 yards and senior Eli Meals had nine receptions for 325 yards.

“I have solid receivers and our relation

ships have come easy,” said Simmons-Little, who also plays basketball for Traders Point. “We do little things to connect, such as (having) dinner together.”

Traders Point coach Sam Carnes said he is impressed with Simmons-Little’s leader ship during adverse moments.

Carnes, who is in his third year as Knights head coach, said he also is im pressed with Simmons-Little’s footwork in the pocket.

“A lot of kids when there is pressure will just go down or throw a bad pass or just try to go ahead and run,” Carnes said. “Coo per’s footwork has improved to the point where he is always trying to complete the pass. He is going to use his feet to maneu ver in the pocket and complete a pass. He’s thrown three or four touchdowns that way. I’m very impressed with his feet, very im pressed with his attitude.”

Carnes’ brother Ben is the Knights’ offen sive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ben formerly was a Westfield High School assistant coach before joining his brother.

Carnes said some NAIA and smaller college teams are showing an interest in Simmons-Little.

Traders Point Christian senior quarterback Cooper Simmons-Little threw for 1,592 yards in the first five games. (Photo courtesy of Traders Point Christian)

Simmons-Little

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is seeking to identify this man suspected to be involved in vehicle thefts across four counties (Photo provided by Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office)

Suspect sought for theft

By Matthew Kent matthew@youarecurrent.com

ner sticker across the rear window and was last known to have yellow duct tape around the driver’s side mirror, authorities said.

CRIME

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man involved in a rash of vehicle thefts that occurred across four counties.

The sheriff’s office said the thefts oc curred the week of Aug. 24 in Boone, Hamil ton, Madison and Putnam counties with the suspect being described as a white male in his late teens to early 20s. The suspect’s ve hicle is a Honda Element between the years of 2003 and 2006 with a distinctive flag ban

The vehicle was last seen in Loma, Colo., traveling west on I-70 and has a stolen license plate from Anderson. The license plate number is ZIG433.

Anyone with information about the iden tity of the individual is asked to contact detective Greg Lockhart by emailing greg. lockhart@hamiltoncounty.in.gov or call 317-776-2235. The public can also call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-626-8477 to remain anonymous.

Leadership forum expands

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

The event has a new name with an ex panded reach.

ROTARY

The Rotary Club of Carmel will hold its second Leadership Connection forum from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 7, followed by a social hour from 3 to 4 p.m., at 502 East Event Centre in Carmel. The event was called Carmel Leadership Day in 2021. The initiative will also include a volun teer project from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. Oct. 21 at Central Park on the Monon Greenway.

“It’s students and community leaders working hand-in-hand on this,” said Rick Markoff, a Rotary Club of Carmel member who had the idea for the leadership forum. “There will be more than 107 students and 140 total working out on the Monon Trail.”

Leadership Connection is a combined effort of the Rotary Club of Carmel, Ham ilton County Leadership Academy, iTeam (think tank), Carmel firefighters, Carmel Clay Schools and Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation. In 2021, there were 50 students from Carmel High School. This year, there are 107 students from CHS and other area schools.

“There is a more diverse group of stu dents participating,” Markoff said. “This event will not just benefit Carmel, but the central Indiana area. The one thing all these students have in common is they are all seniors in high school.”

Keynote speakers include Bart Peterson, president and chief executive officer of Christel House International, and Stacy Atkinson, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College, Hamilton County. Peterson, a former two-term Indianapolis mayor, will speak at 8:10 a.m. Atkin son, a former U.S. Marine jet techni cian and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, will speak at 2:20 p.m. Their remarks will underscore the event’s theme, “Inspire Today, Impact Tomorrow.”

Markoff said the Leadership Connection has a faculty that provides tremendous speakers and authentic role models de signed to inspire attendees to develop a path in professional and civic leadership.

There are three panel presentations, one by elected or community officials. The second panel is conducted by iTeam, a think tank, that will include presidents and CEOs of businesses talking about their experiences. The third panel will include emerging busi ness and nonprofit leaders.

At lunch, there will be 22 table discus sions led by moderators and four students and four community leaders at each table, discussing core values.

Markoff said no student has to pay to be part of the event.

“We like to get as many students under written as possible, and we’re asking $60 for a student,” Markoff said.

For sponsorship opportunities, visit carmelrotary.com.

OPERATION SCHOOL BELL READY TO ASSIST STUDENTS

Peterson

Remnant Trust to host Pence

By Ann Marie Shambaugh AnnMarie@youarecurrent.com

The Remnant Trust plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding in a big way.

NONPROFIT

The nonprofit, which collects and makes acces sible historic documents and texts related to indi vidual liberty and human dignity, will welcome former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as the keynote speaker at a celebration event set for Oct. 4 at the Columbia Club on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.

Curt Smith, The Remnant Trust program director, said Pence, a Carmel resident, is “very steeped in the literature and thinking of the founding era” and will speak about the importance of the nonprofit’s collection.

The event will also celebrate The Remnant Trust’s return to Indiana. The organization launched in the Hoosier state in 1997, but nearly a decade ago it moved the collection to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. In Jan uary, the historic items returned to Indiana, finding a new home at the Indiana Historical Society. The Remnant Trust maintains office space at the Columbia Club.

Hoosier Brian Bex founded The Remnant Trust after building a personal collection of historic documents and artifacts through out the 1980s and ’90s. Bex is chairman emeritus of the organization, and his son, Kris Bex, is now the nonprofit’s president.

The trust has amassed more than 1,500 items, which includes rare and first edition texts from four continents in 12 languages spanning 2,500 years. Among its artifacts is a Vulgate Bible that dates back to approx

A page in a manuscript of the Magna Carta circa 1350 owned by the Remnant Trust. (Photo courte sy of the Remnant Trust)

imately 1250, a 1350 edition of the Magna Carta and an 1869 edition of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

While many owners of historic and rare documents keep their collections locked away, the trust aims to make its artifacts available to those who want to learn more about them and how they helped shape the U.S.

“The mission of the trust is to take the original works of the great thinkers of Western civilization and put them in the hands of the next generation of citizens,” Smith said.

Tickets for the 25th anniversary celebra tion are $350 per person or $5,000 for a table of 10. Student discounts are available. Purchase tickets and learn more at TheRem nantTrust.com.

DISPATCHES

CPD acquires breaching kits — The Carmel Police Dept. recently equipped its 16 patrol supervisors with breaching kits, tools that officers can use to break down doors or bar riers during a critical incident that requires an immediate response. Officers are trained to respond immediately and directly to the threat during a critical incident. The tools contained in the breaching kits will play a vital role in the ability of CPD officers to enter a secure building during a critical incident. The purchase of these breaching kits was made possible by a donation from The Cohen Family Foundation, Inc.

Princess Program applications — The 500 Festival is accepting applications for the 2023 500 Festival Princess Program. Applications are available at 500Festival. com/Princess. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Jan. 8, 2023. The program pro vides 33 women from Indiana colleges and universities with the opportunity to make an impact during their college years as ambassadors of the 500 Fes tival and its mission to enrich lives and positively impact the community. Each 500 Festival Princess will also receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Independent Living • Assisted Living Memory Care • Skilled Nursing • Rehab 2460 Glebe Street • Carmel, IN 46032 (317) 793-3140 • Stratford-Living.com

Smith

Fletcher Place hits milestone

that when they graduate into the public school system, they are on equal footing with those families that are likely in a more favorable socioeconomic setting.

GIVING BACK

Fletcher Place Community Center in Indi anapolis is celebrating 150 years of serving the community by feed ing the hungry, helping the marginalized, lifting families up and helping them break the cy cle of poverty.

Fletcher Place started very humbly in 1872 when a group of Methodist ministers began feeding hungry immigrants as they unloaded from train cars in downtown Indianapolis.

That humble beginning has grown con siderably and formalized into a wonderful facility at 1637 Prospect St. in the Fountain Square area, where it impacts thousands of children and families every year. The facility is now primarily focused on children and pre-K education.

Helping children obtain a strong founda tion is critical to their future success, so

The hungry and marginalized, only about one-third of which are homeless, are being fed and nurtured by Fletcher Place a few blocks away. Volunteers serve meals, dis tribute hygiene kits as well as operate the food pantry and thriving thrift store.

Help celebrate 150 years with Fletch er Place from 5 to 10 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Indiana State Museum. Learn more and purchase tickets for the event at fletcherplacecc.org.

OBITUARY

Donald S. Woods Jr., 91, passed away September 10, 2022. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 9, 1931 to Donald S. Woods Sr. and Dorothy (Gettins) Woods. Donald served his country proudly in the Army Chorus after attending Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Soon after, he moved to Vienna to pursue an opera career where he sang for the Vienna Civic Opera. There he met the love of his life, Erika Traussnig. They were married in 1960 and spent a year in Vienna. They then moved to Switzerland where he continued his operatic career for a year before coming back to the U.S. in 1962. They settled in Indianapolis and Donald joined the Indianapolis Opera.

Donald was also a salesman for Aero Draperies in Carmel. He worked there for thirty years. His love of gardening led him to purchase six acres of land where he grew trees and a large vegetable garden. He spent many hours there, grooming and growing many vegetables that were shared with the neighborhood and friends. Away from the garden, he was busy building computers, an addition to the house, and a three car garage. Never idle, he was always reading and learning how to build and fix all kinds of things for his family, all while raising five children with Erika. Donald also loved photography and had a dark room in the basement where he developed many family pictures. He was very active in his church,

from being the lector and cantor to taking part in the renewal programs such as CHRP and Cursillo.

After Donald retired, he remained active by reading books and the newspaper through IRIS (Indiana Reading and Information Services) on WFYI Channel 20. He also worked with Habitat for Humanity for several years and taught computer classes to the seniors in the community.

Donald leaves behind to cherish his memory: His loving wife, Erika; his four sons, Michael Woods, Leslie Woods, Christian Woods, and Thomas Woods; his daughter, Theresa (Mario) Woods-Joven; grandchildren, Carson Cady, Oscar Joven, Sebastian Joven, and Lena Joven.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents, Donald Sr. and Dorothy; and his sisters, Joann Radcliffe and Mary Lou Huffman.

A Celebration of Life was to be held September 23, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, Carmel. Cremation was to follow. Neptune Society was in charge of arrangements.

Memorial donations can be made to Doctors without Borders. https://donate. doctorswithoutborders.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www. neptunesociety.com/location/indianapoliscremation for the Woods family.

Commentary by Randy Sorrell

Randy Sorrell is a Carmel resident and Fletcher Place volunteer and board member.

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Former IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher has watched 7-year-old Reagan Hodges compete in karting and is impressed with her skill.

“Potential is hard to see at that (age). What you do see or don’t see is whether they enjoy themselves or not,” said Fisher, who co-owns the Whiteland Raceway Park with her husband, Andy O’Gara. “That’s the one thing you see about Reagan is (that she) truly has fun with it. You can tell she loves to be there at the track and loves be ing in the kart. That’s the basis for starting a success story. She is on the right track because if you don’t enjoy what you do, you’re not going to be successful at it.”

Reagan, who is a first-grader at Towne Meadow Elementary School in Carmel, has certainly been a success in her first few years of racing.

“I love racing because you get to com pete. Sometimes you can lose, sometimes you can win,” Reagan said. “You can com pete and get medals.”

Her mother, Trish Hodges, comes from a racing family where her father, brother and aunt all raced karts.

Reagan had locked in the KRA Champion ship at New Castle Motorsports Park with four races to go. She won nine of 10 races and has one second-place finish, all in the Kid Kart division.

“So we moved her up a class because she secured the championship in Kid Kart,” said her mother, Trish Hodges.

She placed fourth in her first Cadet Swift race.

Reagan is in first place in her division at Whiteland Raceway Park. Entering the final race Sept. 24, she had three victories and five top-three finishes.

“As she gets older, it will get more chal lenging and challenging, just like anything else,” Fisher said. “I think the basis of having a passion for it and enjoying it, that is going to help see her through those chal lenges. As long as she keeps that, I think we’ll see some good things out of her.”

Reagan has competed in the Southern Indiana Racing Association Series, where she won a Kid Kart race. She placed third in

Carmel first-grader off to fast start in racing career

Speedway in two kid kart classes, finishing in the top five.

Reagan got her first kart when she was 3 years old, and she was able to start racing at Whiteland Raceway Park at age 4.

“Once we started, my dad (Tony Codalata) came out to the track,” Trish said. “Then he bought a kart for my little (half-sister), who is the same age group, and then he bought a kart for my two step-brothers.”

Another sister bought a go kart for her son, who is three months younger than Reagan, and moved from Florida back to the Indianapolis area.

“Now, we all go to the track together,” Trish said.

Reagan, who enjoys racing other family members, has gone as fast as 56 mph.

Reagan plans to take karate lessons this fall.

“If she’s not going to be in the kart, I want her to take other things to help her endurance,” Trish said. “She has a lot of en ergy. She doesn’t sit still, that’s why racing is good for her.”

They also plan for Reagan to race in plac es where it’s warmer in November, such as Charlotte and Atlanta.

ENCOURAGING MORE RACERS

Trish and Dale Hodges’ daughter, Reagan, is the face of a nonprofit, Youth Karting Foundation, the couple founded.

her first cadet race after moving up a class in midseason. She will compete in her last race with that series Oct. 15 in Yorktown. SIRA runs its series races in the streets

and parks of certain cities.

In December 2021 at the beginning of the season, Reagan competed in the World Karting Association Manufacturers Cup on a karting course inside Daytona International Speedway in two kid kart classes, both top 10 finishes.

In March, she competed in the WKA Man ufacturers Cup at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor

“We started it to help kids inter ested in the sport get involved,” Trish said. “It’s mainly to help kids, because it is an expensive sport. We want to teach kids her age the craft. With Reagan being a female in what is a male-dominated sport, we try and teach inclusion and diversity in the sport.”

Reagan’s Facebook page is under Reagan Stella-Ray Racing. Her web site is GoReaganGo.com.

From left, mother Trish Hodges, daughter Reagan Hodges and father Dale Hodges pause at the race track. (Photos courtesy of Trish Hodges)

ON THE COVER: Reagan Hodges gets ready to race in her newest kart. (Photo courtesy of Trish Hodges)

Reagan Hodges gets a good luck wish from her grandfather, Tony Codalata, before a race at New Castle Motorsports Park.

Reagan Hodges pauses before she goes out to qualify in April at New Castle Motorsports Park.

ESSAY

Cost of not knowing

Commentary by Terry Anker

Cocktail menus are often conspicuous ly absent prices. Some food menus are, too. Boutiques routinely keep the MSRP on a need-to-know basis. Consumers, it seems, don’t need to know. One is urged to try it on, fall in love and throw down the credit card. How much we would pay and how much the object is worth to us is not a consideration.

Health care is likewise priceless. Asking cost is almost always met with a look of abject confusion. “Why do you care? How much is your health worth to you?” How can we know the answer to that question unless we know how much we are about to be charged? Shaming and social pressure do the dirty work. It is like middle school all over again, and good decision-making is out the window.

Nonprofits have their own version. An acquaintance reaches out to see if we’re interested in catching up over a meal. In fact, he has an open spot at an event next week. No need to buy tickets, it’s on him. In addition to our talk, we’ll learn something about the cause. It all conceals a modern fundraising tool, the “get-to-know-us” breakfast.

The host is already sold on the project and is “network marketing” to us. For the cost of a continental breakfast, he becomes entitled to arm-twist cash for the cause before we are freed. It is a timeshare presentation for charity. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the device, if we know what we are getting ourselves into. But the Trojan horse of it all is the demand for giving. “Give a lot,” the pledge card directly placed into our hands by the host pressures. “Give every month,” it not-so-politely urges. We find ourselves cajoled into giving to a cause that, while important, is not central to our priorities.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Loving my empty nest

Commentary by Danielle Wilson

My, how times have changed! I re cently attended a birthday party for the soon-to-be 3-year-old of a co-worker. Be sides the grandmother and great-grand mother, I was the oldest person there and the only one without little kids claimable as blood kin. Although this is not a new phenomenon — our young est is 18, after all — the idea that I no longer am beholden to nap schedules and cupcake sugar rushes and bouncy house injuries really hit home. And it was magical.

I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and watching the chaos unfold, able to enter the fray if — and only if — I chose. I was not required to chase down a toddler as she made a break for a neighbor’s jun gle gym, nor did I need to carefully pre pare a dinner plate with nonchokeable, cut-up grapes. I didn’t have to worry about food allergies or skinned knees or the bees wreaking havoc near the baked beans. And when a tense moment erupt ed during the present-opening grand finale — “That’s my Baby Moana!” — I could legitimately just shake my head and giggle.

Lest you think I’m a complete jerk, I did help clear plates and locate juicebox straws, and I occasionally assisted with step navigation. But the point is, I was under no obligation to do so. I was there as a true guest, unencumbered by the responsibilities and expectations of parenthood.

POLICIES

— DALE CARNEGIE

Letters to the editor: Current Publishing will consider verifiable letters of up to 150 words. Letters must be thoroughly vetted prior to submission. Current retains the right to reject or return any letter it deems to carry unsubstantiated content. Current also retains the right to edit letters, but not their intent. Send letters to info@youarecurrent.com. Writers must include a hometown and a daytime phone number for verification. Guest columns: The policy for guest columns is the same as the aforementioned, but the allowable length is 240 words. Guest columns should address the whole of Current’s readership, not simply special-interest groups, and may not in any way contain a commercial message.

The moral of my story is this: Even tually, everyone makes it to the empty nest Promised Land, where backyard barbeques are actually delightful experi ences and other peoples’ children, much like puppies, are unlimited sources of entertainment. My, how times will change.

Peace out.

Danielle Wilson is a contributing columnist. You may email her at info@youarecurrent.com.

Terry Anker is an associate editor of Current Publishing, LLC.

You may email him at terry@ youarecurrent.com.

Barnes values all CCS parents, stakeholders as ‘one team’

Editor,

We are two years past the “racial reckon ing” and pandemic shutdown of 2020, and life is returning to a new normal — aside from the continuing strife, contention and polarization in our community over our city’s most valuable asset: Carmel Clay Schools.

I love my city! I love my neighbors! I love my parks! I love my property value! Our schools? I keep hearing they are the best in the state, yet I have a deep hesitancy about entrusting my most valuable assets, my children, to these top-rated schools.

I’ve talked to neighbors who describe a longstanding history of bullying and harassment in our school district, and the way adults in our community conduct them selves on social media, it’s no wonder. I’ve watched other neighbors being told their voices and opinions don’t matter — if they

don’t like the way things are, “Carmel isn’t the place for them.” That’s not very neigh borly, is it?

We have now had two years of “you’re either with us, or you’re a racist, a bigot, pedophile or groomer.” Enough already! Why must we choose between two extremes?

As I look at the platforms of the candi dates running for school board, they all tout their support for academic excellence and parental involvement. Sheldon Barnes, a District 1 candidate, supports academic excellence and parental involvement, just like the others, but he is the only candidate with “one team” in his platform — a team that includes all parents and all stakehold ers of the community.

“One team” is my choice! Vote Sheldon Barnes for District 1.

Aryca Woodson, Carmel

Don’t fall for school board candidates’ tricks

Editor,

It’s not Halloween yet, but nasty tricks are being played already on the Carmel Clay Schools.

School board candidates (Greg) Brown, (Jenny) Brake and (Adam) Sharp have put on costumes labeled “liberty” and “transpar ency” to conceal several dastardly tricks. These candidates hope Carmel voters will not see that their campaigns are funded by national money and aligned with Moms for Liberty, that the “liberty” they offer is nothing less than the imposition of their own personal beliefs and ideologies, and

that “transparency” is a smoke screen that hides the candidates’ unwillingness to work with the current school board and school leaders. These candidates also conceal their intention to fire the school superintendent and impose ideological mandates where rig orous teaching and learning for all students ought to be.

Carmel voters should not fall for these tricks. Candidates Brown, Brake and Sharp have no business serving on the school board.

Jeff Swensson, Carmel

Disappointed, disheartened by cover

Editor,

I am an eighth-grade student at Creekside Middle School. I am disappointed and disheartened by the front page of the Sept. 20 Current in Carmel. On the front page you portrayed the next mayor of Car mel, using the stereotypical silhouette of a

masculine or male figure. I am disappointed that your paper is making the assumption and reinforcing the idea that the next mayor will be male. We are in a day and age when anyone could be our next mayor.

Virginia McTurnan, Carmel

An

Commentary by Dick Wolfsie

cuddly capon on camera.

My wife and I didn’t go to the Indiana State Fair this year, the first one we missed (other than the two years affected by COVID-19 closures) since we moved to Indiana in 1982. Mary Ellen’s favorite thing is going to the poultry barn to see the baby chicks. I love to get a grilled you-know-what on a stick. We don’t talk much about our favorite things on the way home.

HUMOR

Menards sells mag azines called Chick ens and Poul try World — both dedicated to the proper care and breeding of our feath ered friends. On the cover, the editor is seen holding his buddy, a handsome Springer Spaniel. I guess he has learned he’ll attract more chicks holding an adorable puppy than cuddling a rooster.

Inside these magazines, let the puns begin. There are puns I am sure have made their way into every edition through the years. Let’s face it, there are only so many chicken plays-on-words you can come up with to name various sections of the periodicals.

Eggciting recipes: During Easter, we see this wordplay in every newspaper a hun dred times. Enough, already. It’s, well, you know … eggasperating.

Online eggstras and eggsclusives: The plays-on-words here cover the spectrum from horrible to somewhat clever. Mary Ellen and I only eat cage-free eggs, and we want the jokes to have free range, as well. Cracking up: Their joke page, of course. A chicken in every shot: Don’t have an adorable cat to feature in YouTube videos? Here’s some advice on how to capture your

Chicken scratch: Gifts and gadgets for chicken lovers with the subtitle, “Everything Our Readers Are Crowing About.” You buy an app that figures how many eggs annually to expect from your flock. Yes, it’s called a cluck-u-lator.

Get the shell out: Ensuring the maximum daily egg production from each breed. This pun is also used in Turtle Monthly Digest in articles encouraging pet owners to exercise their aquatic friends with a daily walk.

Fowl language: A glossary of import ant terminology for bird lovers. Actually, I like that pun. But once or twice is enough.OK, three times.

– DICK WOLFSIE

There were also questions in a feature called “Chicken Chat.” A better title would be, “Can We Squawk?” I know nothing about chickens, but I would like to take a stab at some of the answers.

Q: My chicken seems bored. Her head is down, and she is all fluffed up. What does that mean?

A: It is definitely a chicken.

Q: I raise quail. Recently, I found one run ning around my yard with half of its head missing. What should I do?

A: It’s too late.

Q: I am considering hatching chickens myself for the first time. Any suggestions?

A: No, but if you are successful, we’d like to interview you for this magazine.

Dick Wolfsie is an author, columnist and speaker. Contact him at wolfsie@aol.com.

Mary Ellen’s favorite thing is going to the poultry barn to see the baby chicks. I love to get a grilled you-know-what on a stick.

Monkeypox dashboard launches

By Matthew Kent matthew@youarecurrent.com

said Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer with IDOH.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The Indiana Dept. of Health has launched a new data dashboard showing the prev alence of monkeypox cases in the state broken down by age group, gender, ethnicity, race and public health district.

Since mid-June, Indiana has re ported 153 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox. The dashboard does not include two previously reported pediatric cases because follow-up inves tigations determined those to have been false positives.

As of Sept. 21, there were 143 cases of probable or confirmed monkeypox cases in District 5, which covers Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Mor gan and Shelby counties, according to the dashboard.

“Our goal with any dashboard is to pro vide accurate, up-to-date information on the status of an outbreak or important public health issue to keep Hoosiers informed,”

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. The illness typically be gins with fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and exhaustion about five to 21 days after exposure.

Person-to-person transmission is possible through skin-to-skin con tact with body fluids, monkeypox sores or contaminated items, such as bedding or clothing, or through exposure to respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact, according to the IDOH.

Within one to three days, or sometimes longer after the appearance of fever, an in dividual develops a rash. The illness typical ly lasts two to four weeks, and people are considered infectious until all scabs from the rash have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed, according to the IDOH.

The dashboard, which is available at monkeypox.health.in.gov, will be updated Monday through Friday by 5 p.m. to reflect cases identified as of 5 p.m. the day before.

DISPATCHES

500 Mile Challenge — Registration is open for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Challenge, an online fitness program that encourages par ticipants to complete 500 miles of physical activity, the same mileage drivers complete during the Indianapolis 500. Participants also have the option to complete 250 miles of physical activity in the Gasoline Alley 250 Mile Challenge. The challenges run through Oct. 31. Register for either challenge at IndyMini.com/500Miles.

Hospice volunteers needed – Anew Hos pice is seeking volunteers to spend time with hospice patients throughout the Indianapolis area. Volunteers visit hospice patients to provide companionship through music, reading, doing puzzles, life review or just being a hand to hold. To learn more, call 317-300-2292 or email ashtondriscoll@ anewhosp.com.

Walking for arthritis – Walking is so benefi cial in fighting arthritis pain that it’s consid ered a natural medicine. Painful, stiff joints make it hard to get moving but moving is exactly what is needed for pain relief. For maximum benefits, you should try to walk at a moderate pace for at least 30 minutes

every day. If 30 minutes is too much, start with less time and work up gradually.

Source: American Journal of Public Health

Fiber to fight diabetes – New research shows that people who are willing to more than double the fiber in their diets from 16 to 37 grams per day can better control diabetes. It needs to be a high amount of diverse types of fibers. Getting nearly 40 grams may sound like a tall order, but it’s actually not that hard and it could make a radical difference in your blood sugar level.

Source: BottomLineHealth.com

Helping loved ones recover – When a loved one is ill, you can help their recovery even if you have no medical training. When you talk to them, get an update and be sympathetic, but quickly shift to a positive, upbeat tone. Don’t talk about your own illnesses. Let the person know that you are looking forward to meeting for lunch, or some other outing, in the near future. Have a funny story or wonderful reminiscence to share. Laughter is a great healer, and it can make the recov ering person’s day.

Source: BottomLineHealth.com

Welcome, Samer Kawak, MD

Hamilton Surgical Associates is pleased to welcome Dr. Samer Kawak to the team. Dr. Kawak attended Indiana University School of Medicine and is board-certified in general surgery and fellowship-trained in colon and rectal surgery. Dr. Kawak prides himself on creating a safe space for patients where they feel comfortable discussing their problems and needs. Dr. Kawak has extensive training in robotic surgery, and is committed to providing the most up-to-date treatment to patients when appropriate.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy cooking, hiking and playing basketball.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kawak, call 317.776.8748 or visit riverview.org.

Weaver

Union Brewing finds new space

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Union Brewing Company owner Nathan Doyle is sad to leave the Monon Square Shopping Center, but he is taking a piece of the bar with him to the new location.

RELOCATION

On the business’ final day Sept. 18, a brass band followed a group of 20 Union Brewing regulars carrying the bar top south along the Monon Greenway. Doyle said he believes the bar top weighs more than 500 pounds.

Now, it will be featured in the new loca tion at 202 Gradle Dr., which Doyle said he hopes will open in early November.

“It’s important to me that the new spot has a lot of very familiar things, so that was something I thought we could take with us no matter where we end up,” Doyle said. “We’ve got some regulars that have been with us for 10 years, and one of them is in the band called Pork and Beans Brass Band. It seemed fitting to have a brass band do a New Orleans procession. Some people said there is no way you are going to be able to do it, but I knew our regulars could take it a half-mile down to the new spot.”

Doyle said the timing is unfortunate because September is typically the best month for the brewery. The Monon Square shopping center will soon be demolished to make way for a mixed-use development.

The new building is across from the Monon Trail, near the Carmel Fire Dept. and Carmel Police Dept.

“Being on the trail was crucial for us,” Doyle said.

Doyle, whose business opened in the Monon Square shopping center 10 years ago, said he was informed about the availability of the new space by Carmel Redevelopment Commission Director Henry Mestetsky.

“The outside space is a little smaller and the inside space is quite a bit bigger,” Doyle said. “We are hoping to get more of a bal ance over the 12 months. Right now, we do about a third of our normal business in the winter, and we would like to increase that.”

Doyle said the lease is for two years and possibly up to four years.

“It’s definitely sad. We had a lot of memo ries that were created in that space,” Doyle said. “We have 10 employees, and we’re go ing to try to keep every one of them.”

Story Cottage coming to WestClay

By Sammy Bredar news@currentincarmel.com

Story Cottage is an exclusive memory care option with facilities in Indianapolis and Carmel. The facility is opening a third loca tion in WestClay in Oc tober at 1840 W. Main St., Carmel. The other Carmel location is on the southeast corner of Carey Road and Beech Drive in the Maple Acres neighborhood.

to know and understand each resident’s story, (such as) where they were born, what their career looked like and how many chil dren they had.

“This allows our caregivers to draw from those stories to create moments.”

HEALTH CARE

Story Cottage also aims to offer unpar alleled comfort for its residents, according to Cash.

Story Cottage Vice President Carrie Cash said Story Cottage is unlike other memory care options.

“Our mission with Story Cottage is to create flourishing moments for those with memory loss,” Cash said. “With the small number of residents and caregiver-to-resi dents ratios not found anywhere else with in the industry, it is easy for our care team

“What sets Story Cottage apart is the fact that we have built homes within neigh borhoods,” Cash said. “For one client in particular, when caring for his wife became too difficult, he was able to move her to Story Cottage within his own neighborhood and can drop by daily to share a meal or to walk with her throughout the neighborhood that they have called their own for nearly 30 years.”

Visit storycottageliving.com/ to learn more about Story Cottage.

FEDERAL

TAKE

Union Brewing Company regulars carry the bar top from Monon Square to the new location on Gradle Drive. (Photo by Ann Marie Shambaugh)

Student designs phone cases

By Chris Bavender news@currentincarmel.com

Clay Middle School student Ellie Wang has always been enthusiastic about becoming a teen entrepreneur. In June, she chan neled that enthusi asm into starting her own company: Bliss Cases.

ENTREPRENEUR

“I have always enjoyed watching ‘Shark Tank.’ I noticed that a lot of people use plain or boring cases just for protective pur poses, and some don’t even have a phone case,” the seventh-grader said. “So, I decid ed I wanted to make phone cases that were both cute and trendy, as well as protective, that people can afford. We have more than 200 designs.”

Wang makes the phone cases, and her mom, Lisa, helps the 13-year-old manage the business. To help market her products, she has a website and social media presence and plans to post flyers in stores and along the Monon Trail. She is also hoping to get the word out to her classmates.

“So far, not many of them know my busi ness except for several friends who ordered phone cases from me,” Wang said. “They were all satisfied with their phone cases, but I hope more people will know about it.”

Wang tested the waters last year selling exotic snacks from around the world to fel low students.

“Since now I have a website, I wanted to expand my exotic snacks business as well so people can have multiple shopping expe riences from one website,” she said.

The teen is already thinking about her future business plans.

“In the future, if my online business goes well, I want to expand into retail stores like Walmart and Target,” Wang said. “I’m thinking in the future I want to add my phone cases to vending machines like at the airport.”

She would also like to add “cute and cus tom-designed tote bags and more accesso ries for the phone such as a card holder.”

“I also want to have a manufacturer so we can take our current phone cases to an even more protective level,” Wang said. “We currently provide AirPod cases, phone cas es, pop sockets, and we plan to add phone charms, too.”

Wang has more than 10,000 followers on TikTok and her goal is to get to 100,000 in the near future.

To learn more about Bliss Cases or to place an order, visit blisscases.com or @ officialblisscases on TikTok and Instagram. courtesy of Ellie Wang)

DISPATCHES

Prevent catalytic converter theft –Jiffy Lube of Indiana and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept. have part nered to launch the Catalytic Converter Identification Initiative to combat a trend of catalytic converter thefts and support vehicle safety. Through this initiative, Hoosiers that visit a Jiffy Lube store in central Indiana can opt to have their technician engrave the last 8 dig its of the vehicle’s VIN on the catalytic converter and add a stripe of high-temp paint, which adds an extra layer of pro tection to any vehicle at no additional cost (and no purchase necessary). Ser vices will remain in effect indefinitely.

Winter seasonal hiring events – INDOT will host winter seasonal hiring events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 28 at 13 locations across the state. Winter seasonal positions run between Nov. 1 and April 1. Pay starts at $20 per hour for full-time operations and $14 per hour for snowplow-only operations. Job duties include performing general highway maintenance, traffic maintenance, snow and ice removal and other duties related to win ter operations. A valid CDL is required to be considered for a seasonal role. Registration is not required to attend. For a list of hiring fair locations, visit bit.ly/INDOTHiring. Inter ested candidates may text INDOT Careers to 468311 to receive additional job postings.

Civic director has emotional ties to ‘Rent’

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Civic Theatre Executive Artistic Director Michael Lasley has a special connection to “Rent.”

The musical centers on struggling artists in Lower Manhattan’s East Village. Two of the char acters are HIV positive and another has AIDS.

Lasley is directing the rock musical, “Rent,” and his wife Marni Lemons is the assistant director. Civic’s production is set for Oct. 7-22 at The Tarkington at the Center for the Per forming Arts in Carmel.

“It’s a seminal piece of theater for peo ple of a certain age,” Lasley said. “COVID brought up other epidemics in my mind, and the AIDS epidemic has been going on since the early 1980s. While we’ve made a lot of progress, it still exists. There are thousands of people who die from AIDS every year. It’s far more treatable if you are in a situation where you can seek out treatment. It’s still a serious health issue in the world. Many of the characters are HIV positive.”

Being in the artistic world, Lasley said he and his wife lost many friends because of the AIDS epidemic in the early and mid-1990s.

“It seemed like we were going to more funerals than our parents and grandpar ents because it was taking so many peo ple from the theatrical and artistic world,” Lasley said.

Lasley said the musical, which debuted in 1996, ran 13 years on Broadway. The composer, Jonathan Larson, died at age 35 of an aortic dissection on the night of the off-Broadway opening for “Rent.”

Lasley said Civic Theatre presented a concert version of it in 2010.

“It was a bigger cast, but less staging,” Lasley said. “We mostly concentrate on the music.”

Olivia Broadwater, a 2020 Zionsville Community High School graduate, plays Maureen Johnson.

“She is a powerful, bisexual woman who

is a performer and protester,” Broadwater said. “It’s a role that is pushing me outside of my comfort zone, artistically, and finding the confidence to do some of these awe some, crazy things on stage (is challenging).

Vocally, it’s a very good challenge for me. I’ve had a blast playing her. She is just so power ful and it’s awesome to get to play.”

Broadwater said she has been watching the musical for years.

“This is definitely the closest to a rock musical I’ve done,” she said. “But I’m clas sic rock girl. I like all the oldies. One of my goals is to be in ‘Rock of Ages’ because that is one of my favorites.”

Broadwater loves the fact that the production is almost all singing, like ‘Les Miserables.”

“There isn’t much plain dialogue,” Broad water said.

Broadwater was first runner-up June 18 in the Miss Indiana competition. Auditions for “Rent” were two days later. She told her mother she wasn’t going to go at first.

“I was nervous and didn’t feel prepared on the audition day, and my mom said, ‘Just go do it, it will be fun,’” she said. “It wasn’t one of the most fun auditions I’ve ever had. I was glad I ended up going.”

Broadwater, a Ball State University mu sical theater major, is traveling from Mu nich for rehearsals. So is fellow Ball State junior Julia Ammons, a 2020 Carmel High School graduate who plays Alexi Darling, among other ensemble roles, and is one of the two dance captains.

“I saw it once with the national tour and once with a smaller production,” Ammons said. “I loved both times I saw it and could envision myself being part of it someday.”

Ammons has performed in Civic’s Young Artists Program in the past. Her last pro duction at Civic was “Elf” in 2019.

“This show has more maturity and inti macy work that we do with our intimacy coordinator, which is stuff I’ve worked with before but not in this depth,” Am mons said.

Ammons said she is used to performing in more traditional musicals, not rock musicals.

“Alexi talks really fast, and she is pretty annoying,” Ammons said. “She says a lot of phone numbers really fast, so there was a lot of memorization. But it came pretty easily once I started working on it.” For more, visit civictheatre.org.

‘ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE’

“Escape to Margaritaville” runs through Oct. 2 at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indi anapolis. For more, visit beefandboards.com.

’THE CURIOUS SAVAGE’

Main Street Productions of “The Curious Sav age” will be presented from Sept. 29 through Oct. 9 at the Basile Westfield Playhouse. For more, visit westfieldplayhouse.org.

‘REHEARSAL FOR MURDER’

The Belfry Theatre will present “Rehearsal for Murder,” a murder mystery, through Oct. 2 at the Ivy Tech Auditorium in Noblesville. For more, visit thebelfrytheatre.com.

WHAM

Live at the Center presents WHAM (We Have All Music), a Carmel-based nonprofit group, as part of the Live at the Center series at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Tickets are $5 or register for the free lives tream at the centerpresents.org.

JOSHUA BELL

Violinist Joshua Bell will be accompanied by pianist Peter Dugan in concert at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Palladium in Carmel. For more, visit the centerpresents.org.

TOWER OF POWER

Tower of Power will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Palladium in Carmel. For more, visit the centerpresents.org.

DISPATCH

Men sought for choral group – VOCE, Voic es of Choral Excellence, is looking for male vocalists with tenor, baritone and bass ranges. Singers with music degrees or cho ral experience and excellent music-reading skills are encouraged to apply. VOCE is a small semi-professional vocal ensemble based in Carmel. It meets twice a month on the second and fourth Sundays from 2-4 p.m. at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 1402 W. Main St, Carmel. For more or to schedule an audition, contact Brenda Iacoc ca at bmiacocca@gmail.com or 317.946.2056, or visit voceindy.org.

MUSICAL

Olivia Broadwater, left, and Miata McMichel appear in Civic Theatre’s production of “Rent.” (Photo courtesy off Joshua Hasty Photography)

Ammons

Heartland’s festival has state ties

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Films from the Heartland International Film Festival and Indy Shorts International Festival captured 33 Academy Awards nomi nations and won seven Oscars in 2022.

FILM

Heartland Film Artistic Director Greg Sorvig is convinced there will be several Academy Awards contenders among the more than 115 films in the 2022 Heartland Film Festival, set for Oct. 6-16.

“We have an amazing slate of inde pendent films which makes up the lion’s share of our lineup,” said Sorvig, a Carmel resident. “We have become an Oscar stop. Distributors see something special with our festival. If it plays in Indiana, it will play anywhere.”

The opening and closing nights have Indi ana ties. “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” will open the festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at The Toby at Newfields in Indianapolis. Sorvig pointed out Armstrong’s recording career began in Indiana when he recorded “Chimes Blues” with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in 1923.

“We all know Louis Armstrong but there is more behind the man,” Sorvig said. “The director really brings Louis to life. (Arm strong) kept these super-detailed journals, so you get to see those journals come to life with some great narrators.”

The festival’s closing night begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at The Toby with “The Whale” with Indianapolis native Brendan Fraser. The actor visited the festival in 2019 on the 20th anniversary screening of his film “The Mummy.”

“The Brenaissance started a couple years ago when he returned here,” Sorvig said of the welcome Fraser received at the festival. “We loved Brendan before it was cool. ‘The Whale’ is the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who intends to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.”

Fraser should be an Oscar contender, Sorvig said.

For more, visit heartlandfilm.org

Sorvig

Brazilian performer to join CSO

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

them,” Assad said. “It not, ‘Let’s just do Latin music.’ It’s, ‘Let’s celebrate music for what it is.’”

MUSIC

Carmel Symphony Orchestra Music Direc tor Janna Hymes watched Brazilian pianist and vocalist Clarice Assad perform a set of pieces in a concert in Maine.

Hymes liked what she saw and invited her to perform with the CSO.

“I was with musicians who just got together to perform that one concert (in Maine),” Assad said. “The music was a varied combination of world music, Brazilian music, classical music and jazz. It was me on keyboards and singing arrangements that I had written for the group that I performed. (Hymes) said she loved the music and felt it could really work with her orchestra.”

Assad will make her CSO debut with the concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. The concert celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

“I’m also performing some Bach with

Assad, who was born in Brazil and is based in Chicago, will be joined by India napolis-based band Pavel & Direct Contact. Assad said she watched Pavel Palanco-Safadit in online performances.

“He’s incredible,” said Assad, who said this will be her first appear ance in the Indianapolis area.

Assad came to the U.S. to attend college. She studied at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Hymes said it will be an upbeat and thrill ing program.

Hymes has not worked with either per former before, but said she feels like she has.

“The reason I say that is that we have been in communication for over a year, and I have a strong grasp of their musical lan guage and performance skills,” Hymes said. “Both of these artists are extraordinary.”

Tickets are $40 per person or $75 per cou ple. For more, visit CarmelSymphony.org.

BEHIND SIGNATURE MARGARITA

Assad

Hiatus blanco, Grand Marnier, lime over crushed ice, created by Kiya. To see a video of this drink being mixed, scan this QR code.

PORCHFEST ROCKS ON IN DOWNTOWN CARMEL

(Above) Crowds line 2nd Ave. NW to listen to live music as 18 porches in the Carmel Arts & Design District transformed into stages for 53 bands Sept. 18 for the annual PorchFest event. (Left) Tay Bronson of Tay Bronson & the Tackle Box per forms. (Below) Indianapolis-based band Roughouse performs blues and rock.   (Photos by Ann Marie Shambaugh)

‘Curious Savage’ set to open

By Mark Ambrogi mark@youarecurrent.com

Nancy Lafferty and her association with “The Curious Savage” goes back many years. As a high school junior in Uniontown, Ohio, she played the role of Mrs. Savage, a woman in her 60s, and she then played the role of Mrs. Savage in 2004 at the Belfry Theatre.

PLAY

“I’ve directed the show at two different high schools in Florida and Georgia,” said Lafferty, a McCordsville resident. “This is the first time I’ve directed with adults.”

Lafferty will direct Main Street Produc tions’ “The Curious Savage,” which runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 9 at the Basile West field Playhouse.

“It’s a solid old chestnut,” Lafferty said. “It’s a sweet, sweet story and has one of the most beautiful endings. It is a beautiful theme that is timeless.”

Lafferty said legendary actress Lillian Gish, who got her start in silent films, played Mrs. Savage in the play’s Broadway debut in 1950.

Lafferty recommended to Carmel resident Tanya Haas that she audition for the role of Mrs. Savage. Haas was not familiar with the play previously.

“It’s about a wealthy widow whose step children have her committed to his home (for the mentally ill) because she is basically giving away all their money to give people their dreams in memory of her husband,” Haas said. “They want the money for them selves, and she has hidden it somewhere and nobody knows where.”

Haas said the residents of the home are kind and embrace Mrs. Savage.

“Where her family members try to claim that she is insane,” Haas said.

Haas, who is playing a character approx imately 10 years older, said this is the first time she has played a character who is old editorial@youarecurrent.com

The cast of “The Curious Savage,” front, from left, Phoebe Aldridge (Fairy Mae), Tonya Haas (Mrs. Savage), Jennifer Poynter (Florence); Back, from left, Rachel Pope (Miss Wilhelmina), Tom Riddle (Dr. Emmett), Lisa Warner (Mrs. Paddy), Thom Johnson (Hannibal), Steven Marsh (Titus), Ian A. Montgomery (Samuel), Jan Boercherding (Lily Belle). (Photo by Mark Ambrogi)

er than herself.

“She has a very gentle personality, and I feel I also have a gentle personality, which is part of what Nancy saw in me to play the part,” Haas said.

Haas said the challenge is she has many more lines than anyone in the cast.

“Other than the first couple of scenes, I am on the stage for the rest of the play,” Haas said. “I have lines throughout all those scenes.”

Haas has dyed her hair to silvery blue.

“She is the oldest of the residents and she takes on a motherly role,” Haas said. “She loves them and appreciates them. She doesn’t want her freedoms taken away be cause she is trying to be a good person and help others.”

Lafferty said the role is demanding and would be hard for a woman in her late 60s or 70s to play.

“I saw this part in Tonya,” Lafferty said. “She had the right characteristics of Mrs. Savage — the tenderness, nurturing, a little bit of sarcasm. All the characteristics I was looking for, she had it.”

For more, visit westfieldplayhouse.org.

Actress offers auditioning tips

classes to local artists. Twenty-five percent of class participants are sponsored at-risk youth and BIPOC artists.

CLASS

Sierra Boggess, the Broadway star of Dis ney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” will teach two in-person auditioning classes Oct. 15 for Discovering Broad way Inc. at Grace Church, 5504 146th St., Noblesville. The nonprofit incubates Broad way-bound musicals and offers master

“For our young artists, learning from Sier ra Boggess is a dream come true,” Discover ing Broadway founder Joel Kirk stated. “I am thrilled for the attending students to have the opportunity to experience the expertise and acquire knowledge from one of Broad way’s most beloved leading ladies.”

Where’s Amy?

Amy Pauszek is a photographer, award winning film producer and scouting and casting associate for Talent Fusion Agency in Indianapolis. She can be reached at Amy@ youarecurrent.com. To see more of her photos, visit currentnightandday.com.

From left, Angie and Randy Ernst (Carmel), Jeanne Merry (Carmel), Pete Emigh (Westfield), Shari and Jeff Worrell (Carmel) and Kim and Randy Sorrell (Indianapolis) attend the Center Celebration Sept. 16 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel for the annual arts gala. Manhattan Transfer, Straight No Chaser and the Lennon sisters were inducted into the Songbook Hall of Fame. Guests enjoyed a lovely dinner, fabulous auction and a great concert featuring Michael Feinstein with the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre performers and Straight No Chaser. The gala raised money for pro gramming for kids and young adults to be a part of great music programs. Guests were dressed to the nines celebrating and supporting the arts. Through table reservations, auction sales, partner ships and donations, the gala, presented by Krieg DeVault, raised more than $689,000 in support of the Center’s arts and educational programming. (Photo by Amy Pauszek)

From left, Bill and Nancy Palmer (Carmel), filmmakers Laura and Jeffrey Graham (Carmel/Los Angeles), Linda Maurer (Carmel) and Carol and Brian Urbanski (Carmel) at tended the Sept. 14 Heartland VIPs and Sips announcement party at Daniel’s Vineyard in McCordsville. The 31st Annual Heartland International Film Festival revealed more than 100 independent films for viewing from Oct. 6-16. For more, visit Heartlandfilm.org. (Right) Brianna and Ronnie Saunders (West field). (Photos by Amy Pauszek)

Making the most of bathroom space

Commentary by Bill Bernard

The existing bathroom in this project, like many homes of this age, had dark-stained cabinets and trim, cultured marble countertops, integral sinks, a very large, cultured marble tub, and a relatively small fiberglass shower. Among other things, the homeowners wanted to enlarge the size of the shower and reduce the tub’s footprint.

REMODELING

The solution to the owners’ aesthetic concerns was to remove all the existing fixtures, finishes and trim and install updated finishes. The solution to their spatial concerns was to replace the overly large tub with a drop-in corner tub and to extend the shower into the primary space.

The vanity was replaced with a new, painted vanity with a layout allowing for much more versatile drawer storage. The vanity is capped with a new quartz countertop and undermount porcelain sinks. New circular-framed mirrors and decorative light fixtures complete the design of the vanity area.

The new shower has a custom tile pan finished with marble mosaic tiles.

The walls of the shower are finished with a coordinating marble tile. The fixtures are finished in bright chrome. The shower is now big enough to in corporate a bench and two showerheads (one fixed and one handheld). The shower is enclosed by a frameless glass door and wall panels.

Stay home, be moved.

Bill Bernard works for SURROUNDINGS by NatureWorks+. He has more than 30 years of experience. For more, email aaron@choosesurroundings.com.

The homeowner’s bathroom prior to the remodel. (Photos courtesy of Bill Bernard)

Homeowner’s expanded bathroom space after the remodel.

Legend of Plymouth Rock

Commentary by Don Knebel

Last week, we visited Provincetown, Mass., where the Pilgrims first came ashore in the New World. Today, as we return from Cape Cod, we visit Plymouth, Mass., and its famous rock.

TRAVEL

On Nov. 11, 1620, the Mayflower landed near Provincetown. After 41 male passen gers signed the “Mayflower Compact” while still onboard, the passengers disembarked. Because of the harsh winter conditions, most of them went back onto the ship. After three expeditions identified a suitable site for a farming settlement, the Mayflower sailed across Cape Cod Bay, arriving near what is now Plymouth on Dec. 18, 1620. During the following winter, the passen gers lived on the ship, finally going ashore in March 1621. None of the writings of the Mayflower passengers made any reference to going ashore on or near a rock, let alone a specific rock. However, 120 years later, a local resident proclaimed that a 10-ton boulder identified during construction of a

NOTICE

STATE OF INDIANA, COUNTY OF HAMILTON: SS

I, Kathy Kreag Williams, Clerk of the Hamilton County Circuit Court, pursuant to IC 3-11-13-22 and 3-11-14.5-1 do hereby publish notice of a test of the voting systems to be used in the General Election held November 8, 2022 to ascertain that the system will correctly count the votes cast for all selections. The test will be conducted in the Hamilton County Election Office at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center, One Hamilton County Square, Noblesville, Indiana on the 7th day of October, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.

Witness my hand and seal this 13th day of September, 2022.

Kathy Kreag Williams Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk

wharf in Plymouth Harbor was a literal step ping-stone as the Pilgrims walked ashore. Despite its implausibility, Plymouth resi dents promoted the story and the legend that “the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock” was born.

In the years since 1741, Plymouth Rock has been broken, moved around town and cemented back together. So much of the original boulder has been chipped away for souvenirs that only about a third remains. Today, the rock, with “1620” carved into it, lies higher than where it originally lay under a stone portico erected in 1920. Nearby is the Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that sailed from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Mass., in 1957 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Plym outh, with a population of about 60,000, is a pleasant coastal town about 40 miles southeast of Boston, offering some of the best whale watching, shopping and restau rants in the area.

The Mayflower II in Plymouth, Mass., is a replica of the original Mayflower. (Photo by Don Knebel)

Don Knebel is a local resident. For the full column visit donknebel.com. You may contact him at editorial@ youarecurrent.com.

Portico over Plymouth Rock.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION

Docket Number: PZ-2022-00169 DP/ADLS: Chick-Fil-A – US 421

Notice is hereby given that the Carmel Plan Commission meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 6:00 p.m in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1 Civic Square, 2nd Flr, Carmel, Indiana 46032 will hold a Public Hearing upon a/an DP/ ADLS in order to:

The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a new restaurant with drive thru on 1.97 acres. The site is located at 9965 N. Michigan Road (previous location of Red Robin), part of West Carmel Marketplace, Block F. It is zoned B-2 and is within the US 421 Overlay District. Filed by Joe Vavrina of HR Green, on behalf of Chick-fil-A.

The application is identified as Docket No. PZ2022-00169 DP/ADLS: Chick-Fil-A – US 421

The real estate affected by said application is described as follows:

Parcel Number: 17-13-07-00-24-010.000

All interested persons desiring to present their views on the above application, either in writing or verbally, will be given an opportunity to be heard at the above mentioned time and place.

Petitioner: Chick-fil-A

LIFESTYLE

Dawn of zombie noun apocalypse-ation?

Commentary by Curtis Honeycutt

Is it too early to talk about zombies?

Halloween is still about a month away, but Home Depot is selling creepy inflatable lawn creatures. In addition, Starbucks has its pumpkin spice latte (the McRib of hot drinks) back on the menu. Surely, it’s zombie season.

GRAMMAR GUY

I love a good rebranding effort, and that’s pretty much what writer Helen Sword did with nominalizations. A nominalization is a noun made from other parts of speech. Picture the leg of a verb or the neck of an adjective sewn onto a suffix like “-ism,”

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

Docket No. PZ-2022-00179 A

Notice is hereby given that the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on the 24th day of October, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers (1 Civic Square, 2nd Floor, Carmel, IN 46032) will hold a Public Hearing upon an Appeal application to: Appeal of the Determination Letter from Michael P. Hollibaugh, Director, Department of Community Services, City of Carmel, dated August 5, 2022, denying as untimely the application of Hari and Saranya Nagireddy to the Carmel Department of Community Services requesting an appeal in front of the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals on the issuance of a building permit for an assisted living facility on the property located at 2080 W. 106th Street to be known as Willow Haven Senior Homes.

With the property being known as: 2080 W. 106th Street, Carmel, Indiana 46032.

The application is identified as Docket No. PZ-2022-00179 A.

The real estate affected by said application is described as follows: Parcel Number: 17-13-04-03-04018.000; State Parcel Number: 29-13-04-304-018.000-018

Lot Numbered 1 in 1800 106th Street Subdivision as per plat thereof recorded September 20, 2016 as Instrument No. 2016048921, in the Office of the Recorder of Hamilton County, Indiana

The petition may be examined on the City’s website, through Public Documents - Laserfiche.

All interested persons desiring to present their views on the above application, either in writing or verbally, will be given an opportunity to be heard at the above-mentioned time and place.

PETITIONERS – Hari and Saranya Nagireddy,by counsel, John P. Higgins of Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION

Docket Number: PZ-2022-00194 CA

Notice is hereby given that the Carmel Plan Commission, at their October 18, 2022 regular meeting at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 1 Civic Square, Carmel, Indiana 46032, will hold a Public Hearing upon a petition to amend the Statement of Commitments made in connection with rezone ordinance Z-628-17, for property at the NE corner of 111th Street and Pennsylvania Street, pursuant to the application on file with the Department of Community Services, as follows:

An Amendment to Exhibit B of Ordinance Z-628-17, the Statement of Commitments Concerning the Use or Development of Real Estate for the property at 110 E 111th Street, Carmel, IN 46280, further identified below:

Parcel 1: 17-13-02-00-00-014.000

Section 2, Township 17, Range 3 6.35 acres

Parcel 2: 17-13-02-00-00-014.001

Section 2, Township 17, Range 3 28.86 acres

The Petitioner is the City of Carmel, Michael P. Hollibaugh, Director, Department of Community Services

The application is identified as Docket No. PZ-2022-00194 CA the 111th and Penn C-2 Commitment Amendment. The file for this proposal may be viewed Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM in the office of the Department of Community Services, 1 Civic Square, Carmel, Indiana 46032. The materials may also be examined on the City’s website, at the Public Documents page via Laserfiche.

Any written comments to the proposal should be filed with the Secretary of the Plan Commission not later than 12:00 PM on October 18th, 2022, the date of the Public Hearing. All written comments will be presented to the Commission. Any oral comments concerning the proposal will be heard by the Commission at the hearing according to its Rules of Procedure.

Joe Shestak, Administrator Carmel Plan Commission (317) 571-2417

Dated: September 16, 2022

“-ity” or “-tion.” What you end up with is a new noun. Sword calls nominalizations “zombie words” because, as she writes, “they consume the living, they cannibalize active verbs, they suck the lifeblood from adjectives, and they substitute abstract entities for human beings.”

So, what are some examples of zom bie nouns, and are they lurking in your basement, waiting to eat your kids? Tune in tonight at 10 p.m. after the seven-day forecast.

I’m kidding, of course. These words make sentences obscure and hard to understand. Take the word “negotiation,” for example. This word, a noun, was formed from the verb “negotiate” and the suffix “-tion.” “The two parties engaged in a negotiation” is much more abstract than “The two parties negotiated.” Do you see the differentiation?

“Writers who tend to overload their sen tences with nominalizations tend to sound pompous and abstract,” writes Sword, who has the coolest last name since Danny Machete. OK, I made up Danny Machete, but you could bet both authors write some sharp prose.

Zombie nouns have taken over the souls of well-meaning words, leaving us with bloated terms including causation, annoy

ance, collusion, formulate and implementa tion. When these words are used sparingly and intentionally, they can stand out; how ever, the amalgamation and confluence of these integrated synchronizations result in the obfuscation and overutilization of un necessary, annoying utterances. Plus, you sound like a snooty jerk.

In my opinion, the two quickest ways to suck the life out of writing are to 1) use the passive voice and 2) unleash an entire horde of zombie nouns into your work. While I do aim for a specific word count in each of my essays, I also keep Ernest Hemingway’s advice in mind:

“A writer’s style should be direct and personal, his imagery rich and earthy, and his words simple and vigorous. The greatest writers have the gift of brilliant brevity, are hard workers, diligent scholars and compe tent stylists.”

In other words: Be brief, and then be done. Look out for zombies.

Curtis Honeycutt is a national award-winning, syndicated humor writer. Connect with him on Twitter (@curtishoneycutt) or at curtishoneycutt.com.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE CITY OF CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION Docket No. PZ-2022-00172 PUD

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Carmel Plan Commission will conduct a meeting on the 18th day of October, 2022 at 6:00 o’clock p.m., at the Carmel City Hall, Council Chambers, One Civic Square, 2nd Floor, Carmel, IN 46032, to hold a Public Hearing regarding an application identified by Docket Number PZ-2022-00172 PUD (the “Request”). The subject real estate consists of approximately 277 acres, is located at the southeast corner of 146th Street and River Road and includes the following parcels that are identified by the Auditor of Hamilton County as Tax Parcel Identification Numbers 17-10-24-00-00-001.000; 17-10-23-00-00-001.000; 17-10-23-00-00-001.002; and, 17-10-24-00-00-001.001 (collectively, the “Real Estate”).

The Real Estate is zoned S-1/Residence and the Request filed by Conner Prairie Museum Inc., an Indiana non-profit corporation, seeks to rezone the Real Estate to the “Conner Prairie Site Master Plan Planned Unit Development District Ordinance” to allow for the development of: (i) a Food, Farm and Energy Experience District; (ii) a Land, Water and Energy Innovation District; and, (iii) a Hospitality District.

The Request and the associated plans and exhibits may be examined on the City’s website, through Public Documents – Laser Fische.

This Plan Commission meeting can be viewed online via the City’s website or on Carmel TV. Further, all interested persons desiring to present their views on the above Request are encouraged to submit written comments, up to 4:00 p.m., the day of the meeting, via email to Joe Shestak administrative assistant: jshestak@carmel.in.gov and/or present their comments in-person by attending at this Plan Commission meeting. The Public Hearing may be continued from time to time as may be found necessary.

City of Carmel, Indiana:

Joe Shestak, Secretary, City of Carmel Plan Commission

Carmel City Hall

One Civic Square Carmel, IN 46032

Phone: (317) 571-2417

Email: jshestak@carmel.in.gov

Attorney for Applicant Conner Prairie Museum Inc., an Indiana non-profit corporation: Jim Shinaver, Attorney

Jon Dobosiewicz, Professional Land Planner Nelson & Frankenberger, LLC 550 Congressional Blvd., Suite 210 Carmel, IN 46032

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS FOR SKILLED CARPENTERS!

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For immediate consideration, call Gary Simpson at 317.703.9575.

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