HAMILTON COUNTY Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper www.ReadTheReporter.com REPORTER Facebook.com/HamiltonCountyReporter TodAy’S Weather Thursday, March 25, 2021 Today: Showers and storms likely. Tonight: High wind watch. Arcadia | Atlanta | Cicero | Sheridan Scattered showers and storms. Wind gusts to 30 mph in the Carmel | Fishers | Noblesville | Westfield NEWS GATHERING Like & evening and 50 mph after midnight. PARTNER Follow us! HIGH: 65 LOW: 43 Local officials $200, 2 grams, 1 life await COVID Hamilton County sees first dealer convicted in overdose death relief rules Yeary was arrested in April The REPORTER By FRED SWIFT 2019 in connection with a drug A Hamilton County jury has Prosecution’s opening statement ReadTheReporter.com convicted a Noblesville man, transaction that took place in Justin R. Yeary, of Dealing in a Noblesville in which he sold The REPORTER about two years County and municipal government Controlled Substance drugs to Tyler Hum- Editor’s note: ago, the Defendant officials are awaiting guidelines on how Resulting in Death. phrey, which resulted What follows is the received a text mes- massive COVID relief grants can be According to in Humphrey’s death. opening statement sage about buying spent. The money, which begins coming Hamilton County The statute for made on March 8 to two hundred dollars’ to local entities on May 10, is designed Chief Deputy Prose- Dealing in a Con- prospective jurors worth of the opiate to replace revenue lost because of the na- cutor Andre Miksha, trolled Substance Re- by Hamilton Coun- heroin. The defen- tional pandemic. Yeary was the first sulting in Death was ty Chief Deputy dant had never met Nationwide, about $1.9 trillion will be to be charged and created during the Prosecuting Attor- this other guy before granted to government units, companies convicted of the rel- 2018 legislative ses- ney Andre Miksha that day; actually, Miksha and individuals who suffered losses in the atively new statute sion and signed into in the case of Indi- their lives would past year. that provides police yeary law by the Governor ana v. Justin Ryan Yeary. cross only this once. The buy- Little is yet known about the specific and prosecutors with an addi- Eric Holcomb. Two hundred dollars. Two er, this other guy, was simply a rules of where the funds can be spent. But, tional tool to combat the opioid Dealing in a Controlled grams. One life. friend of an acquaintance. apparently one place it cannot be used is crisis – charging drug dealers Substance Resulting in Death is In this trial you will learn to replace any future local tax sources with the death of the person to that on a Friday afternoon See Miksha . Page 2 such as property tax and local income tax. whom they sold drugs. See Year y . Page 2 Hamilton County government and cit- ies and towns within the county will be getting a total of well over $100 million. The local governments did not suffer the extreme financial hardship that some ar- eas and their populations experienced. County government will be getting $65.5 million, while the City of Nobles- ville is scheduled to receive slightly over $14 million, and Carmel $20.6 million. When guidelines are received, county commissioners and city and town admin- istrations may outline departments, recip- ients or qualifying projects for the funds. The money must then be appropriated by respective councils of the various units. Fishers hires consulting firm for diversity, inclusion By LARRY LANNAN LarryInFishers.com Photo provided The Gathering Place provides healing and support activities through the personal journey of loss and grief in a A consulting firm, Favorite Part of My safe environment. All elementary students who have experienced loss at any level are welcome to attend. The Day, has been selected as the Diversity and group is facilitated by Mary Ann Haymaker (Hamilton Heights Youth Assistance) and Nikki Wert (HHES Counselor). Inclusion consultant for the City of Fishers. Meetings are conducted on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3:10 p.m. at HHES. The city has previously hired the firm for the Fishers Police Department. Favorite Part of My Day will be paid The Gathering Place at Heights Elem. $155,000 for the duration of the one-year contract. According to an attachment to the Fish- serves as a sanctuary for grief support ers Board of Works and Public Safety agen- da, the contractor will be responsible for: The REPORTER selor, Nikki Wert, facilitates tionships with others who share group. Similar programs will • Establishing and publicizing a city In the nearly two months the weekly group. “We know similar experiences. Our hope be added to the middle school committee since The Gathering Place start- that children do not grieve in is to provide a safe place for our after spring break and the high • Business engagement – ensuring eq- ed at Hamilton Heights Ele- the same way as adults. Our students (and staff) to gather, school next year. uitable opportunities for all residents of the mentary (HHES), it has quickly program is designed to help grieve, and grow together, to "Meeting with these chil- City of Fishers and inclusive work environ- evolved into a sanctuary to stay children work through accep- know they are not alone. We dren weekly and seeing their ments connected and feel hope for tance of the loss, the associat- work with students to help them growth and friendships form • Religious institution engagement – those who are grieving. ed pain and emotion involved, express their grief, help calm has been an honor to watch and implementing skills as equity partners “Grieving can disrupt a and learn to move forward in a their fears without minimizing be a part of,” said Haymaker • Programming for resident graduates child’s normal functioning, healthy and functional way.” their emotion, and address their of the program, which now in- of Interrupting Racism, giving them imple- but helping the child work “This year has been hard on questions in a nurturing and cludes 17 students. mentation skills of the information learned through their emotions can fos- all of us, and the grief is pal- supportive way.” This new, confidential, • Equitable opportunities for residents ter emotional healing and res- pable,” Wert continued. “We A grant from the Tony grief support group meets to hold leadership positions in City of Fish- toration of the child’s overall felt were in a unique position Etchison Memorial Founda- weekly on Tuesdays from 2:30 ers (committees, etc.) health,” explained Mary Ann to collectively engage and sup- tion, a fund of the Hamilton to 3:10 p.m. Any student who The consulting firm will report directly Haymaker, Hamilton Heights port them with compassion in County Community Founda- has experienced loss at any lev- to Mayor Scott Fadness. This program is Youth Assistance Coordinator, the grieving process in a safe tion, provided the funding to el is welcomed and encouraged who, along with HHES Coun- place to process and build rela- purchase all materials for the to attend. See Consulting Firm . Page 2 Indiana to open COVID vaccinations to 16 and older Governor’s mask mandate changing to advisory starting April 6 By GREGG MONTGOMERY coverings will remain mandato- a point where we don’t have from the same household. and DEMIE JOHNSON ry in state buildings and facili- masks and face shields and Local governments, private business- WISH-TV | wishtv.com ties, and at coronavirus vaccina- we’re getting really, really run- es, and other entities may institute more tion and testing sites. down at the hospital.” stringent guidelines. Indiana will begin allowing the vacci- The announcement received Also on April 6, local of- Holcomb also noted that 970,000 nation of Hoosiers age 16 and older start- mixed reviews from people; ficials will take control of any Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated ing March 31, the governor said in a live some were excited and others limits on the size of gatherings against COVID-19. address Tuesday. said it will be too soon. at various venues. Customers in The governor will renew the state’s In addition, the state’s mask mandate Kori Garland is a nurse who restaurants, bars, and nightclubs latest health emergency order to continue will become a mask advisory starting April thinks the state is moving too will no longer be required by the through April to allow the state to address 6, Gov. Eric Holcomb said. K-12 schools fast. “It’s really, really frustrat- holcomb state to be seated, and social dis- any change in the severity of the corona- will keep their existing mask requirements ing to see them lift it right now knowing tancing and other spacing of seating will virus and to keep federal funds open for through the end of the school year. Face that we could just as easily go back to still be recommended between parties not the hardest-hit Hoosiers. 2 News Correction A news story in Wednesday’s Re- porter incorrectly identified two mem- bers of the Arcadia Town Council. Those named in the story, Maurice St. Louis and Randy Hill, are no longer members. Current members are Doug Grishaw and Rich Versprille, along with Amanda Engle, who was recently ap- pointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mitch Russell. The Reporter regrets the error. Consulting from Page 1 the next step after the city provided Inter- rupting Racism training to any Fishers resi- dent wishing to take it, free of charge. The city had paid half the salary for the diversity and inclusion officer for HSE Schools, but Fishers decided to take those funds and provide the programs to be de- livered by the consultant, when the amount of work required was too much for the HSE Photo provided by 4th Hawk Consulting Schools employee.