Correction — In a story about Strikes for Stansfield in the Jan. 26 edition of Current in Carmel, the location of Arrow McLaren SP was incorrect. It is at 6803 Coffman Rd. in Indianapolis.
New police officers — The Carmel Police Dept. welcomed four new officers on Jan. 19 with a swearing-in ceremony at CPD headquarters. The new officers are Jacob DeSchepper, Crystal Froelich, Darby Morris and Christian Wilhite, who all have previous law enforcement experience. They will spend the next several months in orientation and field training.
Suspects sought — The Carmel Police Dept. is seeking assistance locating suspects who allegedly committed thefts from vending machines and an ATM on Dec. 11 inside multiple office buildings along the North Meridian corridor. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. W. Gilbert at 317-571-2500 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
Silver Pen scholarships — The Stratford senior living community has begun accepting applications for its annual Silver Pen Writing Competition, which awards three local high school seniors with scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500. The deadline to apply is Feb. 12. Learn more and enter the competition at silverpen-slc.com.
Night to Shine — Northview Church, 12900 Hazel Dell Pkwy., will host the annual Night to Shine event as a drive-thru experience on Feb. 10 followed by a virtual prom on Feb. 12. Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is a prom night experience for people with special needs age 14 and older. At the drive-thru, participants can prepare for the virtual prom by receiving flowers, a sag bag, crown and dessert to go. Learn more at northviewchurch.us/nighttoshinesignup.
Library set to reopen — Following the lowering of the Hamilton County’s COVID-19 advisory level, the Merchants’ Square Main Library was set to reopen for in-person visits on Feb. 1. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Curbside holds pickup hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Kindergarten registration — Carmel Clay Schools’ kindergarten registration for the 2020-21 school year will be available beginning Jan. 19. Students must be at least five years old by Aug. 1 to start kindergarten in August. When registering children, parents/guardians will need an official birth certificate (not a hospital record) and proof of residency. Registration is encouraged to be complete by March 5. Learn more and register at ccs.k12.in.us.
Poe presentation — The Indiana University Kokomo Library outreach program is celebrating the birthday of writer Edgar Allan Poe, who was born in January 1809, with a free program at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 on Zoom. Dr. Mark Canada, author of the Audible Original “Edgar Allan Poe: Master of Horror” will explore Poe’s strange and fascinating fiction. Register for the event at go.iu.edu/3rBw.
Earth Day Art Contest — Carmel Green Initiative is inviting students in kindergarten through 12th grade to enter the 2021 Earth Day Art Contest. Art entries will be displayed at several community exhibits to give youth a voice, empowering them to inspire the community to live more sustainably. Participants will also receive a free postcard with their artwork. Entries are due Feb. 19. For details, visit CarmelGreen.org.
Board president elected — Mark Heirbrandt has been elected president of the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. He replaces Christine Altman in the role. Steve Dillinger will serve as vice president. Election of officers is an annual practice at the first meeting of each year.
Graduate school scholarships — The Beryl Showers Holland Fellowship will offer a $3,000 first place and $2,000 second place scholarship to graduating seniors at Indiana University who will attend graduate school in the fall. Learn more and apply at trikappa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BSH-Application-2021-Packet-FF-2.pdf.
Uber pickup change — The City of Carmel has collaborated with popular ride-sharing firm Uber to designate a specific location for pick-ups and drop-offs that occur late at night and early in the morning in the Midtown area to reduce traffic and noise for nearby residents. The new location for customers to connect with their rides is on Elm Street, next to Midtown Plaza, directly behind the big video screen. This location will be used between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. The city is also working with Lyft, another ride-share firm, to have them make this change.
Programming competition — Carmel resident Steven Platt was part of a team from Bob Jones University that finished second in the U.S. and 59th in the world at virtual programming competition IEEEXtreme 14.0. The team placed first in the Southeast region. BJU’s second-place national ranking is the best the South Carolina university has performed at that level.
New state troopers — Hamilton County residents Benjamin Beyler and Erin Fillenwarth are among 36 probationary troopers who graduated from the 80th Indiana State Police Academy on Dec. 19, 2020. Beyler and Fillenwarth are assigned to the Indiana State Police Post in Indianapolis. The probationary troopers will undergo a three-month field training period riding with veteran troopers.
Indefinite city closures — As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, Mayor Jim Brainard has extended the closure of City Hall until further notice. The mayor will continue to closely monitor the situation and determine if City Hall can safely be reopened to the public in the coming months. In the meantime, all city services will continue. and meetings will be held virtually unless specifically noted otherwise. The Household Hazardous Waste Center is also closed indefinitely.
Virtual Holiday Home Tour — The Carmel Clay Historical Society’s Holiday Home Tour’s virtual tour began Dec. 10 and will run through Jan. 30. Four of the homes are in Carmel and one in Madison. For more, visit carmelclayhistory.org.
Feed the Frontlines returns — Carmel is gearing back up its Feed the Frontlines initiative to help provide hot meals from local restaurants to frontline workers at IU Health North and Ascension St. Vincent Carmel Hospitals. Feed the Frontlines Carmel launched in April but was suspended in late May when the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations subsided. The program remains funded through community donations collected in the spring. The City of Carmel is partnering with the Rotary Club of Carmel and Rotary District 6560 Foundation to coordinate the program. Restaurants interested in participating may contact Teresa Lewis at [email protected].
Free math, science homework help — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s free AskRose homework helpline is available to help middle and high school students get a head start on understanding their math and science homework problems through a simple phone call, email or chat session. Rose-Hulman students are available Sunday through Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. during the school year to help youth in grades 6 through 12 review math and science concepts. Connections can be made at 877-275-7673 or AskRose.org.
State Bank honored — State Bank is Indiana’s Small-Business Lender of the Year for 2020. The award was made by Indiana Statewide Certified Development Corporation and is for loans made by State Bank to small-business owners using the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 504 loan program. Ryan Murphy and Kevin Hall were State Bank’s officials making the loans. The Lender of the Year Award is made to the Indiana bank that makes the highest dollar volume of SBA 504 loans with Indiana Statewide CDC as a percentage of the bank’s total deposits.
The Great Dine Out — Hamilton County Tourism, in partnership with locally-owned restaurants, is presenting The Great Dine Out restaurant promotion through Feb. 7. The campaign is designed to help restaurants during the tough winter season when business is typically slower. More than 30 participating Hamilton County restaurants are offering deals and discounts for both dine-in and carryout meals. Customers must use a smartphone to redeem the offers. Visit DineOutHamiltonCounty.com and register to receive the mobile passport. For more, visit DineOutHamiltonCounty.com.
Pierce Aerospace lands Air Force contract — Carmel-based Pierce Aerospace and the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Research Computing was awarded an Agility Prime contract from the U.S. Air Force for “Decentralized Remote ID for Air Vehicles: Optimization of Low Latency, Scalable Data Networks Via Emulation, Modeling, and Simulation.” This award comes on the heels of Pierce Aerospace’s recent advances with Flight Portal ID, a Remote ID and Combat ID technology suite. In addition, Pierce Aerospace recently received a matching grant through Indiana’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program.
Realtor makes Hall of Fame — Shell Barger, a Realtor at RE/MAX Ability Plus in Carmel, was named to the RE/MAX Hall of Fame in December 2020. The honor is given to agents who earn at least $1 million in commissions during their RE/MAX career. Only 34 RE/MAX agents earned the honor in 2020.
Construction scholarship — Old Town Design Group has established the Orchard Project Scholarship to provide tuition assistance to a Hamilton, Boone or Johnson County student preparing for a career in the construction industry. Applications are being accepted through March 19. For more information or to request an application, email [email protected].
Sip + Shop — Carmel City Center will host a Valentine’s Day Sip + Shop & Food Drive from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 13. Visitors can enjoy sipping on white wine and peach lemonade champagne cocktails available at Bath Junkie, Be.You.Tiful NAILS, beauty + grace and Fishman Fine Jewelers as they shop in the center. Several shops will have specials during the event. Visitors are encouraged to bring unopened, non-perishable food products to benefit Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. Food donations will be collected through Feb. 15.
