HAMILTON COUNTY Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper www.ReadTheReporter.com REPORTER Facebook.com/HamiltonCountyReporter TodAy’S Weather Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 Today: Mostly to partly cloudy. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Arcadia | Atlanta | Cicero | Sheridan Carmel | Fishers | Noblesville | Westfield NEWS GATHERING Like & PARTNER Follow us! HIGH: 38 LOW: 28 Reporter’s top stories of 2020 Most engaged posts on ReadTheReporter.com 10. Mrs. Cicero, now Mrs. Indiana American 9. Noblesville Stands Together says Spartz protects guns rights of school shooter 8. Letter: Noblesville resident wants answers on new city logo 7. Westfield announces preferred State Road 32 route 6. Who’s on your Primary Election ballot? 5. Noblesville’s Scott Baldwin running for State Senate 4. HSE school board candidates make their case in virtual forum 3. Frankton resident who tested positive for COVID-19 dies in Hamilton County 2. An open letter from Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen Reporter photo by Kent Graham 1. County now ranks second The Noblesville girls soccer team defended its Class 3A state championship on Oct. 31 at Reynolds in number of COVID-19 deaths Tigers Stadium in Fishers. The Millers beat Guerin Catholic 3-0 and finished their season 17-0-1. By FRED SWIFT point to getting an increas- ReadTheReporter.com ing percentage of the vote, in raw numbers Republican Rarely in our time has candidates won by huge there been an event that has margins except at the top of affected every person in our the ticket where President county as has the current Donald Trump's vote total COVID-19 epidemic. About was only 14,000 ahead of 275 lives have been lost to challenger Joe Biden. the invisible enemy. The fourth story involves Schools, churches and the sudden surge in plans for most businesses have cur- downtown Noblesville rede- tailed activities. Many velopment as the city moves sports programs, Fourth of to catch up with neighbor- July activities, organization- ing cities. Plans for three al meetings and large gath- new mixed-use projects and erings have been suspended a three-level parking garage in an attempt to stem the were unveiled, and at year's spread of the virus. end another earlier project, At year's end, there is The Levinson, is nearing hope that the newly intro- completion. duced vaccine will enable Early in the year, allega- the community to return to tions of favoritism for some some degree of normalcy taxpayers led to a lengthy during the new year. State Police investigation in Second on our list of the County Treasurer's of- Reporter photos by Jeff Jellison top stories for 2020 was the fice. Police found no illegal Following the death of George Floyd, peaceful protestors took to the streets of Hamilton County’s social unrest following the practices but civil lawsuits cities this past summer, as they did in Carmel on June 1. death of George Floyd that followed. A former employ- sues its current plans. And, in basketball, de- Inc. announced plans to dig $40 million were announced spilled over into Hamilton ee, Susan Byer, made the High school sports, al- fending state champion a gravel pit along Allison- in November. Work will County with several pro- allegations of wrongdoing, ways popular in our county, Carmel won a sixth straight ville Road south of Potters continue as Fishers city gov- tests conducted in Carmel, then ran and won the office continued to make history sectional before the state Bridge. Residents of near- ernment and county officials Noblesville, Fishers and in the November election. during the year. The Carmel tourney was suspended due by subdivisions protested vowed to take the project to Westfield. Unlike other pro- Late in the year, a girls swim team won a na- to health concerns. vigorously, and after a plan completion. tests conducted throughout still-unresolved spat devel- tional record 34 consecutive The county's taxable as- commission tie vote on the And, last but not least, the nation, all in Hamilton oped between Noblesville state championships. sessed valuation surged this gravel proposal, Beaver Clay Township officials County were peaceful. city leaders and officials of The Noblesville girls year by $1.3 billion mostly withdrew its request for unveiled a huge $60 mil- Election 2020 is our Industrial Dielectrics Inc. soccer team won a second due to record new construc- rezoning. It can reapply lion Community Impact third story of the year. Lo- (IDI) The city's planned consecutive state champi- tion. The big increase in as- later, but there has been no Program, likely the largest cally, Democrats mounted route of the Pleasant Street onship while Westfield's sessed value enabled taxing indication if or when that township building program their greatest effort in a cen- Bypass takes out a portion football team, rapidly be- units to hold tax rates to ex- might be. in the state. It includes new tury to break the Republi- of the IDI parking lot. It's a coming a state power, be- isting, or in some cases low- Work got underway fire department facilities, cans hold on public offices. move that the longtime busi- came state runner-up in the er levels. this year on the State Road park upgrades, a histori- But, in the end, the GOP ness strongly opposes and "big" school Class 6A. They A community contro- 37 conversion to a free- cal society museum and a won out. has indicated it will leave won the state in 5A a few versy developed in Octo- way-style highway, but ma- fieldhouse for the Carmel Although Democrats Noblesville if the city pur- years ago. ber when Beaver Materials jor cost overruns of at least Dads Club. Larry Lannan’s analysis of biggest stories affecting Fishers By LARRY LANNAN take long to see the impact conduct in-person classes. long before with the inter- hit and I felt a responsibil- LarryInFishers.com on all of us as the days When the pandemic first Floyd’s death. change at 126th ity to cover news a bit lon- rolled along in March and hit in the spring, all class- • HSE School Street complete. ger with so much important During the final days April. es went all-virtual. Later, Superintendent The cost of the news breaking almost daily. of December, I have been I recall my last in-person a plan was developed to Allen Bourff an- project rose from Then I contracted the novel mulling the question of how podcast with Fishers Mayor allow grades K-4 to have nounced his in- the initial esti- coronavirus, testing positive to handle the top Fishers Scott Fadness, asking him in-person classes, set up tention to retire mates, but May- in late October. When you news stories for the year what the experts he consults a 50 percent in and out of at the end of June or Fadness says have no energy to do much of 2020. In the past, I have were telling him in April in-person classes and virtu- 2021. He and his the extra money of anything because the ranked the top 20 stories, about just how bad the coro- al for grades 5-8. wife plan to re- can be borrowed virus sucks all the energy from number 20 or 25 up to navirus crisis would be. The Then, the coronavirus main residents of Bourff with no impact from your body, you have the top news story at num- mayor pulled no punches in numbers spiked in Octo- Fishers. on the city's prop- lots of time to think. I made ber one. saying this will be bad and ber and November. Substi- • The HSE erty tax rate. The a decision to continue with In 2020, that just doesn't it is up to all of us to behave tute teachers were in short School Board Hamilton County the Fishers local news blog work because we have in a way that will limit the supply and the in-person will swear in Council voted to because it is the right thing never had a news year that spread of the virus. classroom sessions could three new board provide its share for me to do at this time. So, compares in any way. The Sadly, many of us have not be staffed. Classes went members in of the extra cost. I am still writing. novel coronavirus has up- not behaved so well. all-virtual again. January. Sarah • Cecilia Co- On a personal note, ended the lives of most peo- So, what stories in Fish- A new school board will Donsbach, Sarah ble was elect- 2020 had its high point for ple in the world, and Fishers ers were related to COVID? take office in January (more Parks-Reese and ed President of me. I became a grandfather is part of that world. The start was the decision on that later) and will need Suzanne Thomas the Fishers City for the first time on Aug. 11, COVID-19 is so perva- by Mayor Fadness to create to decide what to do about will take office Coble Council. She is 2020. My grandson Dako- sive in most of the news sto- a city Health Department. the virtual classes now in at the first board meeting in the first woman to assume ta is a tremendous gift and ries in 2020 I cannot do the He did so after discovering place through Jan. 15. 2021, scheduled for Jan. 13. that post. I love every moment spent normal ranking. So, here is that county health officials That's just an overview; • The City of Fishers • The Fishers Test with him.