OCT. 11-17, 2024
Don Tavel was an inventor who created a groundbreaking music synthesizer called the Resynator before dying in a 1988 car crash. Dave Lindquist explains how Tavel’s daughter, Alison, has used the Resynator as a focus point to learn more about the father she lost when she was just 10 weeks old. Also in this week’s issue, the founder and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited discusses the decision to transfer ownership to employees. And the latest issue of IBJ’s Forefront is all about the upcoming election, the candidates and the big issues.
Front PageBack to Top
Why Lilly is pouring billions into LEAP
In recent years, the pharmaceutical manufacturer has seen dizzying growth in its pipeline for a wide range of diseases. And modes of drug delivery are becoming increasingly complex.
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Resurrected ’80s music gear gives filmmaker a view of her late inventor father
Don Tavel, who invented the Resynator synthesizer, died in a 1988 car crash when daughter Alison was just 10 weeks old. She says the nearly forgotten invention helped her to understand her father.
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IU Indianapolis video-game lab gets museum designation
The Media Arts and Science Research Learning Arcade, or MARLA, at Indiana University Indianapolis has an ever-growing collection of some 550 vintage video games and 20 gaming consoles.
Read MoreIndianapolis takes cue from South Bend on infill housing
Indianapolis planners are trying to streamline the process for developers to build multi-unit affordable-housing options on vacant city-owned lots.
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Q&A: Wild Birds Unlimited founder preparing for company’s future
Over the past 43 years, Jim Carpenter turned a single Wild Birds Unlimited store in Broad Ripple into a nationwide company with 360 locations that cater to bird-lovers and nature enthusiasts. Now, with his wife, Nancy, he is preparing for the future by making Wild Birds Unlimited an employee-owned company. The Carpenters spent the past […]
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Derek Schultz: Richardson or bust
In the Colts’ eyes, nothing has changed, nor should it have.
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Made in Indiana: Barbecue sauces by JohnTom’s Barbecue
Products: JohnTom’s barbecue sauces are available in four varieties: Original, Sneaky Hot, Hoosier Heat and Peppered Gold, all made and bottled in Indianapolis. Sauce origins: JohnTom’s is named after John Tom Branson, who grew up in Mississippi and moved to Indiana in the 1940s. Branson became well-known around Muncie for his wood-smoked meats and for his homemade barbecue […]
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Overhaul of Carmel Christkindlmarkt’s board draws community concern
Nearly 20 community members spoke at the beginning of Monday night’s Carmel City Council meeting, with many expressing worries about the Christkindlmarkt’s future and the treatment of former board members.
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Hogsett administration’s 2025 budget passes, but without bipartisan support
Three Democrats joined all six City-County Council Republicans in voting against the $1.65 billion budget plan.
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CIB, bond bank commit to increased support for Indy Arts Council
In 2024, Indy Arts Council distributed grants to 91 arts and culture not-for-profit organizations in Indianapolis.
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Carmel City Council nixes proposal to set 20 mph speed limit at roundabouts
The council’s Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee said installing raised crosswalks and rapid flashing beacons, where necessary, would be more effective than setting a speed limit.
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Brazilian company plans $400M plant in Lafayette
Sustainea and Primient said the plant would be the largest facility of its type in the United States.
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Indianapolis Cultural Trail plans headquarters expansion
The not-for-profit that manages the Indianapolis Cultural Trail has launched a $2 million fundraising campaign to support the acquisition of its headquarters at 132 W. Walnut St. and an adjacent building to accommodate the expansion plan.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
Glut of development creates challenges in finding subcontractors
While contractors have so far been able to keep up, the strain could get worse next year and beyond.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
Editorial: Indianapolis did right thing by increasing funding for arts
But the financial commitment by other cities of similar size shows that Indy still has a long way to go in providing adequate support.
Read MoreNate Feltman: Ricks’ leadership leads to state success
Eli Lilly and Co.’s state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility in Lebanon will help speed the delivery of next-generation medicines and represent the largest single investment in the state to date.
Read MoreDr. Ramesh Adhikari: Here’s one way to address health care worker shortage
The Conrad 30 federal waiver program is a great tool to recruit international physicians to work in underserved areas, but it does not fully address the challenges of retaining physicians in these areas long term.
Read MoreKaren Alter: The evolution and impact of women-owned businesses
In the mid-1980s, women-owned businesses were rare. The 1982 Economic Census notes that only 3.5% of businesses in the United States were women-owned, and Indiana reflected this trend.
Read MoreTiffany Sauder: The game-changing impact of having mentors
We tend to imagine mentors as these lifelong figures who guide us through every professional and personal decision. But that’s not always the case.
Read MoreCecil Bohanon and John Horowitz: Walmart’s help in disasters isn’t solely a benevolent action
After all, a partnership with Dolly Parton is unlikely to hurt the bottom line.
Read MoreJalene Hahn: The ‘illusion of control’ with legalized sports betting
Sports fans often fall prey to the “illusion of control” by thinking they have an edge because of their perceived knowledge of the leagues, teams and players.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
Swiss Miss collaboration expands Hotel Tango’s ’Shmallow brand
Swiss Miss ’Shmallow, a collaboration between hot cocoa brand Swiss Miss and Hotel Tango Distillery, will be in stores through December. Hotel Tango views the collaboration with the international brand as a “huge opportunity.”
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3rd Shot Pickleball planning indoor facility in Carmel
3rd Shot Pickleball received approval this week from the Carmel Plan Commission’s Residential and Commercial Committee to retrofit a building with 15 courts.
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Proposed $250M Noblesville development calls for 650 homes near Morse Reservoir
Morse Village would have 250 high-end single-family houses, 150 town houses, 250 multifamily residences and 30,000 square feet of commercial space and restaurants.
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Wings exec named as new Indiana Fever GM; Lin Dunn to become adviser
The move comes just two weeks after the team announced longtime executive Kelly Krauskopf would return in the role of president of business and basketball operations.
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Destiny Wells: Attorney general should be champion for what’s right
When leaders play political games, it’s everyday Hoosiers who pay the price.
Read MoreTodd Rokita: Protecting Hoosiers is my most important role
I am proud of the work my office has done in fighting and winning on behalf of Hoosiers.
Read MorePierre Atlas: One year after Oct. 7 and no peace in sight
It was the deadliest attack on Israel since its founding in 1948 and the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Read MoreDana Black: Re-electing Donald Trump is a threat to democracy
Has so much time passed that we no longer look at the character of the person seeking the highest office in the land?
Read MoreJennifer Wagner Chartier: Campaigns: Here’s a guide for winning an election
Voters have to feel like you’ve got their back, that they can trust you to do right by them.
Read MoreAbdul-Hakim Shabazz: For your polling pleasure: Where races stand
Polls are not predictions; they are snapshots in time.
Read MoreBrad Rateike: We must demand our leaders listen, engage
We are not electing a chief debater, we are electing a commander-in-chief.
Read MoreKaren Celestino-Horseman: Your vote matters. Don’t vote by rote this election.
When you vote for statewide or national office, at least believe that the candidate you choose deserves your vote.
Read MoreRep. Ed DeLaney: Republicans have double-faulted education finance
Let us not assume that more is being spent on education in total.
Read MoreJim Shella: What happens to the GOP if Trump loses, wins?
The MAGA crowd will not go softly into that good night.
Read MoreGeorge Hornedo and Cindy Simon Skjodt: A better democracy for Indiana and America
Democracy thrives when everyone makes their voice heard, and our state works best when every Hoosier has a fair chance to participate in the political process.
Read MoreWhitley Yates: Digital democracy: A new public forum for discourse
Algorithms dictate what goes viral and whose voices are heard, raising concerns about fairness in political discourse.
Read MoreGeorge Gemelas: I’m young. I now see why the debt crisis must cease.
Politely put, hitting the U.S. fiscal tipping point would leave no aspect of young people’s lives untouched.
Read MoreClaire Fiddian-Green: Lessons to attract and retain young talent
We must build the type of city where young people want to live, and we must make sure they know about it.
Read MoreDr. Richard Feldman: Should we reduce nicotine in combustible tobacco?
A big question is whether to reduce nicotine to minimal levels abruptly or gradually.
Read MoreShariq Siddiqui: How do Muslim Hoosiers practice zakat?
Muslim Hoosiers are highly diverse, consisting of African Americans, Hispanics, whites, Arabs and Asians—with no one group being a majority.
Read MoreDeborah Daniels: Three judges on Indiana ballot should be retained
What we want above all from our justices is their commitment to the rule of law and their fairness and impartiality in the pursuit of justice.
Read MoreCurt Smith: What we can learn from William Wilberforce
He invested his life, his energy, his fortune and his fervent prayers in resolving a moral contradiction that eluded American leaders, even one as formidable as Lincoln.
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