FEB. 2-8, 2024
You might not recognize the Mile Square once festivities for the NBA’s All-Star Weekend get under way Feb. 15. Real estate brokers are filling vacant retail spaces with corporate parties, personal events and a wide assortment of fan-focused pop-ups, anticipating the largest crowds downtown since the 2012 Super Bowl. John Russell and Mickey Shuey detail the preparations. Also in this issue, Peter Blanchard explains the big fight between beer wholesalers and liquor and wine wholesalers over ready-to-drink cocktails. And Dave Lindquist explores author John Green’s switch in focus from young-adult fiction to an initiative to improve health care in Sierra Leone.
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NBA weekend could be All-Star shot for downtown
Brokers are filling vacant retail spaces with corporate parties, personal events and an assortment of fan-focused pop-ups. They hope the crowds will want to return later for a fun night, a nice dinner or even office or residential space.
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Indiana wholesalers fight over surging ready-to-drink cocktail market
Beer wholesalers want the ability to sell liquor-based ready-to-drink cocktails in Indiana, an increasingly popular line that liquor and wine wholesalers want to keep for themselves.
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Author John Green’s current chapter is focused on a healthier human race
Green’s new journey to becoming a leading advocate for wiping out tuberculosis worldwide has its roots in another of his philanthropic interests: the health of mothers and infants in Sierra Leone.
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New Purdue appointee says university has global role
Named as a fellow to the Daniels School of Business, former World Bank President David Malpass said the “world would benefit from Purdue’s engagement … in terms of its expertise in business, in semiconductors, in climate science, in engineering.”
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Mark Montieth: Sports halls of fame in Indiana built on hopes, money, luck
Making a hall of fame work as a business and/or charitable enterprise is an entirely different matter.
Read MoreMade in Indiana: Roasted duck by Maple Leaf Farms
History: The company was founded in 1958 by Donald Wentzel, who bought a poultry plant in northern Indiana after deciding to leave the feed trade in Chicago, where he had sold duck feed to farmers on Long Island. He saw how inefficient and costly it was to transport feed cross-country from the Midwest. Wentzel thought […]
Read MoreIndiana 250: Julie Roe Lach
Julie Roe Lach is commissioner of the Horizon League, an athletic league made up of 11 universities in six states. She joined the league in 2014 as deputy commissioner. Before that, she founded JRL Consulting, which merged with CCHA Collegiate Consulting, where she serves as of counsel with the firm’s sports law practice. And before […]
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Legislation to regulate huge water withdrawals won’t get a hearing, but farmers could win some protections
Bills inspired to regulate potential plans to withdraw as much as 100 million gallons of water a day from Wabash River aquifers won’t get a hearing in the Indiana House or Senate, but Republican leadership appears open to adding some protections for farmers’ water wells.
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Indiana’s health care and life sciences sector sees VC funding drop 54% in 2023
Thirty-four Indiana companies landed $287 million in venture capital in 2023 to help finance a wide array of technologies, from medical isotopes to stem-cell therapies, according to BioCrossroads, an Indianapolis-based group that promotes and invests in the state’s life sciences sector and tracks the funding.
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Bill that targets Blue Line clears Indiana Senate, casting doubt on planned bus route
Republican Sen. Aaron Freeman said the bill will give a state task force the chance to study the benefits of shared bus-car lanes versus dedicated bus lanes, but opponents say it’s a deliberate attempt to kill the project.
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Menswear store to move to newly purchased downtown building with addition in the works
A couple whose custom menswear shop was looted during the 2020 downtown protests have doubled down on East Washington Street.
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Bill to undo Mile Square property tax passes House with support from Speaker Todd Huston
As an alternative, the House approved a separate measure that would allow the City-County Council to increase the countywide local income tax by .02% to help pay for the operating costs of a homeless shelter and various improvements in the city’s Mile Square.
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Carmel mayor reviewing sister-city agreement with Chinese community
Mayor Sue Finkam’s announcement came after U.S. Rep. Jim Banks called on the city of Carmel to withdraw from a sister-city agreement executed by the former mayor and to refuse trips organized by groups linked to China’s ruling party.
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With its triple-tax benefits, the humble HSA emerges as a retirement savings powerhouse
Increasingly, benefits brokers and personal-finance experts are advising people use cash to pay for health care and investing the HSA funds for decades.
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Editorial: Planners behind All-Star events created an all-state celebration
The NBA, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and their civic partners all are to be commended for helping to give many Hoosiers a chance to be part of the action.
Read MoreMickey Maurer: A lesson in doing your research
My partner Bob Schloss and I were pioneers in the cable television industry in the early ’70s. If a pioneer has opportunities to make mistakes that have never been made before, we were pioneers.
Read MoreTony Knoble: Repeal of EED would threaten downtown’s progress
The EED will ensure that needed services continue by providing an ongoing source of funding to support the Mile Square.
Read MoreKory Wood: A vote for House Bill 1199 is a vote for downtown equity
This intervention by the General Assembly is a step toward ensuring property owners and businesses within the Mile Square are not subject to arbitrary and unlimited taxation.
Read MorePete the Planner: Do your due diligence hiring an adviser. Here’s how.
I often find myself thinking of a trusting client when they first receive the news they were duped. I feel their fear. I feel their shame. I feel their disgust. It makes my skin crawl.
Read MoreMark Caswell: Grit is earned in the hard times, not given
Grit is that ability to persevere through difficult situations.
Read MoreCecil Bohanon and John Horowitz: You’re more likely to cheat for charitable causes
Duke professor and behavioral economist Dan Ariely reports that “people cheat more” in this case.
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West Elm, Simply Amish stores on the move along north-side corridor
After closing its Fashion Mall at Keystone location, West Elm is preparing for Nora Plaza opening in April.
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With rebranding, Indy’s largest private company launching first-ever ad campaign
The “refresh” aims to address a key challenge—public misperception as to what OneAmerica Financial actually does.
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Westfield City Council approves creation of parks department, board
Westfield is the only city in Hamilton County that does not have a standalone parks and recreation department, which has stymied opportunities to obtain state and federal funding.
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IU received $772M in sponsored research awards in 2023
The total marks a $42 million increase over the previous year and includes research funding for health initiatives, drug treatments and efforts to enhance civics education.
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Butler picks next athletic director from 2010, 2011 Final Four teams
A former scholarship player for Brad Stevens, Grant Leiendecker returned to Butler University in 2023 after spending the previous four years in athletic department leadership roles at Marquette University.
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