APRIL 29-MAY 5, 2013
This week, thrill to the life story of Bill Shirk, a professional escape artist who built a radio empire in central Indiana – and remains a player in the industry at age 67. Zionsville’s brick-laden retail district is still hanging in there as well, but some key vacancies have economic development officials scrambling for an extensive market study. In Focus, Anthony Schoettle spells out the major upgrades planned for the Brickyard, aka the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which include lights for night racing. And in A&E, Lou Harry breaks down the lineup at Spotlight, a fundraiser featuring a cavalcade of lesser-known but more-than-impressive artists in Indy.
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Escape artist Bill Shirk can’t escape the allure of broadcasting
Escape artist Bill Shirk has retired his straitjacket, but remains active in radio broadcasting. His firm, Hoosier Broadcasting, in recent years bought a handful of radio stations on the Hawaiian islands and Shirk owns and is investing more money in a Boone County radio station.
Read MoreOwnership snarl resolved, Illinois Building on block
An affiliate of locally based HDG Mansur has owned the 10-story building at Illinois and Market streets since the 1980s. It’s sat empty for 10 years, thanks in large part to separate ownership of the building and the land—an arrangement once common among downtown buildings.
Read MoreWork rules split pilots, Republic
Republic Airways Holdings and the union that represents its pilots are so far apart in contract talks that the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., won’t schedule more meetings between the parties. Republic has agreed to higher pay, but the union wants significant changes to work rules that affect quality of life and, the union insists, passenger safety.
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Zionsville’s Main Street aims to boost drawing power, charm
Zionsville’s new economic development plan calls for ramping up commercial activity in the predominantly residential community—just not at the expense of the mom-and-pop shops that give the Boone County town its charm.
Read MoreFeds scrutinize nursing home buying spree
Indiana’s county-owned hospitals have rushed to acquire nursing homes in the past two years, opening a revenue stream for both the hospitals and the long-term-care facilities. But the additional federal revenue that has driven these purchases could come under threat.
Read MoreVenture capital favoring later-stage firms
Getting $50,000—often from friends and relatives—to develop a product and set up a company still is easy enough in Indiana, small-business leaders and venture capitalists say. But once a firm needs a few million dollars to grow into a revenue-generating operation, the area can’t compete with Silicon Valley’s magnetism for venture capital.
Read MoreFair Finance investors still empty-handed as trustee plows on
Many of the defendants pursued by Brian Bash and his team have few, if any, assets. And those that do have the wherewithal to fight litigation for years.
Read MorePacers post solid attendance gains in regular season
Despite the negative noise this year about Pacers home attendance, the team had its second consecutive season increase. Revenue from tickets and sponsorships also rose.
Read MoreMass Ave business owners split over proposed district tax
Opponents of a proposed tax to pay for improvements throughout the cultural district have accused tax advocates of rigging the proposal to ensure its passage.
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New lights only the beginning for Brickyard changes
Everything is on the table for consideration, says new Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles.
Read MoreVisit Indy weaves Speedway into marketing campaign
Greater consistency is expected to pay tourism dividends.
Read MoreSpeedway’s Speed Zone redevelopment project in high gear
Some goals have been realized, while others are moving through the pipeline.
Read MoreDAY: The hidden value of hospitality and tourism
Tourism and hospitality are often described as the invisible industry—the industry “hidden in plain sight.”
Read MoreSan Diego tourism market significantly larger than Indy’s
A side-by-side comparison of the tourism and convention industries in Indianapolis and San Diego.
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EDITORIAL: Cricket flap exposes flaw
Mayor Greg Ballard’s fascination with the cultures of other countries is one of his endearing qualities.
Read MoreMAURER: Reuben didn’t forget when Rivi turned him away
My friend settled an old score with the once-racist swim club, but scars remain more than 50 years later.
Read MoreFEIGENBAUM: Legislative session notable for minimal acrimony
When partisanship did rear its head—Indianapolis Democrats charged a GOP “power grab” in negotiations over changes in Marion County government structure—it was not disruptive.
Read MoreRUSTHOVEN: Praise for one of the good guys
This weekend finds me in D.C. cheering my Reagan White House boss, Fred Fielding, on receiving the National Republican Lawyers Association’s Ed Meese Award for upholding the rule of law in the face of political adversity. No one could be more deserving.
Read MoreBIRGE: Building a state of innovation
Are entrepreneurs born or made? As a corporate finance attorney who spends most of his waking hours with leaders of high-growth businesses, I’ve observed that entrepreneurs have certain shared traits: ambition, dynamism, curiosity and confidence.
Read MoreHicks: Fiscal prudence should be rewarded by tax cuts
Indiana enjoys what economists call a “structural surplus” in state tax revenue. This means the several-hundred-million-dollar surplus is a permanent affair when viewed against current expenditures. It would be astonishing if this did not lead to calls for a tax cut, and so it has.
Read MoreKim: Does the collapse of gold mark the end of an era?
Gold serves as a “fear index,” measuring investors’ level of fear and anxiety. Investors view gold as a store of wealth offering protection from inflation, credit defaults and economic Armageddon. Gold soared from $300 per ounce in September 2001 to $1,900 per ounce in September 2011. That’s no coincidence. September 2001 was marked by the […]
Read MoreRidership won’t cover cost of mass transit
Responding to the [April 15] millennial view Jordan Updike has of transit, I appreciate his passion for mass transit, and I would echo that passion in the negative.
Read MoreTransit should support itself
Who wouldn’t want a transit system that saved them $8,000 while someone else paid the bills [Updike Viewpoint, April 15]?
Read MoreForeign aid is important
In light of the sequestration, it is crucial that the government realizes the importance of foreign aid spending and its impact on the economy.
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Former Deloitte leader joins Krieg DeVault firm
Michael Becher, a longtime managing partner of Deloitte LLP’s Indianapolis office, has joined the Krieg DeVault LLP law firm as an adviser.
Read MoreChannel 8, Channel 13 newscasts get kudos
Channel 8 was honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association for overall excellence and for its website. Channel 13 won the association's “best newscast” for the Feb. 4 newscast last year, shot in the midst of the Super Bowl crowd in Indianapolis.
Read MoreCouncilors poised to ban criminal-history question
Democratic City-County Councilor Vop Osili said he expects to draft a “ban the box” ordinance this spring or summer.
Read MorePROXY CORNER: Kite Realty Group Trust
Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group Trust engages in the development, construction, acquisition, ownership and operation of shopping centers in the United States.
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