Lottery commission appointment – Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed Roger Utzinger, a management consultant from Carmel, to the State Lottery Commission. Utzinger’s term runs through June 30, 2026.
Republican Women’s Club – The Hamilton County Republican Women’s Club will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at Federal Hill Commons, 175 Logan St. in Noblesville, to hear from Jim Ginder of the Hamilton County Health Dept. and Hamilton County Coroner John Chalfin, who will speak about drug issues in the county. The group will meet at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at Hamilton County FOP 103 Lodge, 7201 E. 196th St. in Noblesville, to hear a speaker from Prevail talk about domestic violence. On Oct. 24, the group will host a craft night to make Christmas cards for nursing homes and veterans. The craft night will be at Hamilton County FOP 103 Lodge.
Volunteers needed for water availability study – The Hamilton County Surveyor’s Office is seeking volunteers for the county’s three-year Water Availability Study. The study is being done by INTERA, the engineering firm employed by the county and will monitor aquifer levels throughout the county in order to better understand the groundwater availability within the county. The monitoring system uses next-generation acoustic sensor technology to turn residential, agricultural, industrial and irrigation wells into real-time monitoring networks. The county is looking for volunteers interested in having their well outfitted with a real-time sensor to add their water data to the groundwater network. The installation is free, and the data will contribute valuable information to the study. If interested, reach out to the Hamilton County Surveyor’s Office at 317-776-8495 or email at [email protected].
HCSO launches body-worn camera program – Hamilton County Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush recently announced the launch of a new body-worn camera program. As part of the program, deputies in the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will use Motorola Solutions V300 continuous-operation body-worn cameras on service calls across all shifts. The V300 body-worn cameras are a durable high-definition camera worn on the front of deputies’ uniforms that are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS-enabled. The V300 uploads the video and audio captured to a secure cloud-based site where videos can be reviewed.
‘I Voted’ sticker competition – Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan is encouraging K-12 Hoosier students to use their creativity to help design ‘I Voted’ stickers for Indiana’s upcoming general election. The competition is open to all Indiana students and is divided into three groups based on age level: Kindergarten – third grade, fourth grade – eighth grade, and ninth grade through 12th grade. An overall winner will be selected for each group in addition to recognition for second and third place entries. The winning designs will be printed and used for official “I Voted” stickers, distributed to Indiana county clerks for use on Election Day. Students can download a submission form and email their completed design to [email protected]. Entries must be received by Sept. 18. Learn more at in.gov/sos/2022-i-voted-sticker-design-competition/.
Voting info for college students – The League of Women Voters of Hamilton County is reminding college students to plan ahead to be able to participate in voting on Election Day on Nov. 8. College students living away from home may use absentee ballots to cast their votes, but they should allow time for applying for the ballot and receiving it by mail at their campus location. The deadline to request absentee ballots is Oct. 27, but students are advised to request a ballot as soon as they have their campus mailing address. Students who opt to vote in local races in college towns must change their permanent address on their registration to that of their campus residence. Learn more and request an absentee ballot at IndianaVoters.org and Vote411.org.
State’s cutest dogs – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Destination Development Corp. and Indiana’s First Dog, Henry, are searching for adorable dogs in great locations across the state through the Visit Indiana Cutest Dog Photo Contest. A different winner will be selected every week for one year. Each winning dog will get a note from Indiana’s first dog, an exclusive ‘More To Discover IN Indiana’ dog bandana, a feature as one of the Cutest Dogs IN Indiana on the Visit Indiana social channels. To enter, upload a photo or video of your dog to Instagram, tag @VisitIndiana and use the hashtag #DogsINIndiana. Entries must include the location where the photo was taken.
Golf outing to benefit Indiana Donor Network – ALO Property Group will host the inaugural Brian Bondus Memorial Golf Outing at 11 a.m. Aug. 29 at Prairie View Golf Club, 7000 Longest Dr. in Carmel. A light breakfast, box lunch and beverages will be provided. The event will conclude with a cocktail hour and awards reception beginning at 4:30 p.m. Tickets for the golf outing and reception or the reception alone are available. Proceeds will benefit the Indiana Donor Network in memory of Bondus, an ALO Property Group employee who died in 2021 after a severe reaction to a peanut allergy. Learn more at golfgenius.com/ggid/alobondus22.
Care-oke to benefit United Way program – United Way of Central Indiana is hosting a karaoke competition this fall to benefit its ReadUP childhood literacy program. Registration is open for soloists and musical groups interested in competing for a spot to perform live at Care-oke on Nov. 9 at Old National Centre in Indianapolis. The top 12 fundraisers will automatically qualify for the finale, and the remaining performers will be selected at random. Individual performers commit to raising at least $250, and groups commit to raising $500. The competition is open to singers across the state of all ages. The deadline to register is Oct. 10. Learn more at uwci.org/careoke.
Trade invasive species for trees – Via a trade-in program, Hamilton County property owners can show proof of removal of an invasive species on their Hamilton County property and receive up to three, three-gallon native trees or shrubs for free. Landscape plantings of callery pear species, burning bush, Japanese barberry and Norway maple are the preferred species for removal, but any from the Official Indiana Invasive Species Council Invasive Plant List is acceptable. Trades are limited to one per address. Learn more and apply at hcinvasives.org.
Same as U Golf Tournament – The second Same as U Golf Tournament is set for 11 a.m. Sept. 23 at Pebble Brook Golf Club, 3110 Westfield Rd. in Noblesville. Check in begins at 10 a.m. A box lunch will be provided by Divvy’s, and dinner will be from Big DOg’s SMokehouse BBQ. Learn more and register at sameasu.org/golf-outing-2022.
Sidewalk Repair Grant funds available – In 2020, the Carmel City Council established a Sidewalk Repair Grant program to help keep residential sidewalks across the city in good shape and safe. This program was initially funded by a $50,000, non-reverting fund and there are still funds available for property owners to apply for assistance with sidewalk repairs. The fund assists residents who own and occupy their homes with the expense of repair/replacement of sidewalks and for removal of trees located on their private property that are affecting sidewalks by reimbursing up to 50 percent of the project cost, up to $3,000. Learn more and apply at carmel.in.gov/government/departments-services/community-services/sidewalk-repair-grant.
Squirrel stampede fun run – In 1822, a great squirrel emigration swept across Central Indiana. Carmel Clay Historical Society has partnered with Hamilton County Tourism to commemorate that event with a fun run called the Great Squirrel Stampede. The event, which features a 1K and 3K race, is on Sept. 17 at Coxhall Gardens. Proceeds will help fund construction of the new Carmel Clay History Museum, scheduled to break ground near Midtown this year. Tickets are $30 per individual or $50 per family. Visit carmelclayhistory.org for more information.
Arts & Culture digital passport – The recently launched Indiana Arts & Culture digital passport encourages visitors to discover new places and enjoy some of Indiana’s creative spaces. Sign up online for the passport and receive custom prizes for visiting multiple destinations across the state. Visitors need to check-in from a smartphone at one of the designated passport locations. Participants earn more by visiting more locations. For more information, visit VisitIndiana.com/arts or follow Visit Indiana on social media at @VisitIndiana on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Hamilton County Democratic Women meetings— The Hamilton County Democratic Women meet every third Saturday of the month at the Delaware Township Trustee Building 9090 E. 131st, Fishers. Conversations begin at 9:30 a.m., the meeting is from 10 a.m. to 11. All Hamilton County women are welcome.
Weed Wrangles clear invasive species – The organizations of the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership are inviting volunteers to help clear local parks of invasive species by participating in Weed Wrangles. During the Weed Wrangle, teams of volunteers, supervised by guides, will locate and uproot unwelcome plants such as bush honeysuckle, garlic mustard, autumn olive, English ivy and winter creeper. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at hcinvasives.org.
Monthly beekeepers meeting – The North Central Beekeepers Club meets the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Cool Creek Nature Center, 2000 E. 151st St. in Westfield. Meetings are free to attend by all levels of beekeepers located centrally north of Indianapolis. Those interested in becoming beekeepers are welcome. For more information, visit facebook.com/ncbclub.
Doctor joins Franciscan – Dr. Kathryn Keefer has joined Franciscan Physician Network Carmel Family Medicine. She is part of a team of physicians that provides a wide range of services to patients of all ages. Their offices are at Suite 280, 12188-B N. Meridian St. Carmel. Keefer most recently completed family medicine residency training at the Franciscan Health Family Medicine Residency program in Indianapolis and is board-certified in family medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and received her undergraduate degrees in neurobiology and physiology from Purdue University where she was an honors graduate.
Alzheimer’s Association donation – Carmel-based CNO Financial Group and Bankers Life have contributed $426,395 to the Alzheimer’s Association for Alzheimer care, education and research programs. This is the 20th year CNO and Bankers Life have supported the Alzheimer’s Association through the national Forget Me Not Days fundraiser. CNO and Bankers Life recognized the Alzheimer’s Association with a $200,000 corporate donation to support its mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia. Funds also support the charity’s “Managing Money: A Caregiver’s Guide to Finances” education series and local Walk to End Alzheimer’s events in Chicago and Indianapolis, where the company has corporate offices. Learn more at ForgetMeNotDays.com.
500 Mile Challenge – Registration is open for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Challenge, an online fitness program that encourages participants 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, which benefit the 500 Festival, kicked off June 13 and run through Oct. 31. Registration is $65 and includes a shirt, finisher medal, hat and more. Register for either challenge at IndyMini.com/500Miles.
Hospice volunteers needed – Anew Hospice 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 [email protected].
