Jan. 15
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Audiences weren’t too sure what to make of Robert Altman’s quirky epic, “Nashville,” when it was released in 1975. Now, it is widely considered to be his masterpiece.
Don’t let that intimidate you. “Nashville” is an accessible, tuneful, hilarious and heartbreaking epic. It loosely revolves around the efforts of a third-party political candidate (whom we never see) to wrangle the Nashville elite into a concert/rally. The phrase “never better” applies to just about every performer in the film, including Lily Tomlin, Henry Gibson, Shelley Duvall, Keith Carradine, Keenan Wynn and Ned Beatty.
I’ll proudly be providing the Altman-esque introduction for this rare big-screen showing of one of my favorite films. Hope to see you there. Details here.
 

Jan. 16
Ball State University
Yes, I know, the Colts have some sort of game going on. But if you aren’t inclined to watch the playoffs, consider a road trip to Muncie, where something rare (for Indiana) is happening. A major new musical is being presented in its developmental stage. The property in question is “The Fisher King,” which you may remember from the Terry Gilliam film that starred Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. The musical version has been workshopped in New York and now is getting a staged reading from the talent pool at Ball State so that its creators, who will be on hand, can assess what works and what doesn’t. You can, too. More details here.

 

Herron Gallery presents “Collaborate: Projects for the 21st Century” featuring work by the collaborative groups Academy Records & Chris Vorhees, People Powered, and Ultra Red, Jan. 13 to Feb. 27. Details here.
 
Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular, featuring Presley’s drummer D.J. Fontana, Jan. 15 at Pike Performing Arts Center. Details here.
 
The Phoenix Theatre presents Alan Brody’s play “The Housewives of Mannheim,” Jan. 14 to Feb. 6. Details here.
 

The owner of the Riley Towers apartment complex is preparing to develop a 54-unit extension of the landmark downtown property.

-Big CEC LLC bought the Weston Village Apartments, a 60-unit property at 422 Roosevelt Drive, Greenfield, out of receivership. The price wasn’t disclosed. The complex of one- and two-bedroom flats and three-bedroom townhomes was built in 1967, renovated in 2001 and went into receivership in February 2009. The  receiver, Michael J. Williams of Moynahan Williams Inc., and buyer were represented by Colin M. Atkinson of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services.
 
-Dr. Jeremy Roscoe bought a 6,150-square-foot office building at 401 Camby Court, Greenwood. The price wasn’t disclosed. The seller, Glenn-Gary Investment Corp., was represented by Mark Dietel of Royal Companies Inc. The buyer was represented by Pam Smith of Realty World Harbert Co.

-Baaron Properties LLC bought 5.2 acres of retail land at the corner of State Road 37 and Harding Street. The price wasn’t disclosed. The seller, Forum Credit Union, was represented by Mark Dietel of Royal Companies Inc. The buyer was represented by Phil Aaron of Location Realty.

-Randy Faulkner and Associates bought one acre of commercial land located at 300 S. Polk Ave., Greenwood.  The price wasn’t disclosed. The buyer and the seller, The Kelly Charitable Trust, were represented by Bruce Richardson of Royal Companies Inc.
 

-Gearhead Street Customs leased 15,436 square feet at 5125 Decatur Blvd., Building F, in Ameriplex. The tenant was represented by Ryan C. Kelly of Summit Realty Group. The landlord, Holladay Properties, was represented by Brett Spitzer of NAI Olympia Partners.

-Phoenix Resource Management Inc. leased 9,160 square feet of office flex space in South Park Business Center, 164 South Park Blvd., Greenwood. The tenant was represented by Rick Suja of Summit Realty. The landlord, South Park Group LLC, was represented by Mark Dietel of Royal Companies Inc.

-Recognition Services Inc. leased 5,400 square feet at 8577-8579 Zionsville Road. The tenant was represented by Matt Jackson of Halakar Real Estate. The landlord, Prologis, represented itself.

-SCS Construction Services Inc. leased 3,088 square feet of office flex space in the South Park Business Center, 156 South Park Blvd., Greenwood. The landlord, South Park Group LLC, and tenant were represented by Mark Dietel of Royal Companies Inc.

-The Rezolve Group leased 2,060 square feet of office space at 8465 Keystone at the Crossing. The landlord, 8465 Keystone LLC, was represented by Matt Jackson and Joe Lonnemann of Halakar Real Estate. The tenant represented itself.

-TAG LLC renewed its lease for 1,774 square feet at 8200 Haverstick Road. The landlord, Shepard & Poorman Investments LLP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc. The tenant represented itself.
 
-CBIZ Medical Management Professionals Inc. renewed its lease for 1,726 square feet at 2629 Waterfront Parkway, East Drive. The landlord, New Boston Jacaranda LP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc. The tenant represented itself.

-Accessible Home Health Care LLC leased 1,402 square feet at 8465 Keystone at the Crossing. The landlord, 8465 Keystone LLC, was represented by Matt Jackson and Joe Lonnemann of Halakar Real Estate. The tenant was represented by Andrew Follman of Meridian Real Estate.
 
-Thomas Pastore PC signed leased 1,098 square feet at 8604 Allisonville Road.  The landlord, New Boston Castle Creek LP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc. The tenant represented itself.
 
-Equalizer renewed its lease for 1,555 square feet at 8606 Allisonville Road.  The landlord, New Boston Castle Creek II LP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc. The tenant represented itself.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the pace of mortgage loan activity fell 22.8 percent for the week ended Dec. 25 and fell another five-tenths of a percent the week ended Jan. 1, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Rates for 30-year loans jumped from 4.92 percent to 5.08 percent the week ended Dec. 25 and to 5.18 percent by Jan. 1. Fifteen-year mortgages increased from 4.34 percent to 4.62 percent over the two-week period.

-Wurster Construction has begun interior demolition of a building previously used as a Masonic Lodge at 1522 W. Morris St. The building, built in 1907, will be refitted with 24,000 square feet of medical office space and expanded by 1,600 square feet. The project, designed by HALSTEAD Architects, will become the new home of HealthNet Southwest Health Center and Southwest OB/GYN Annex. The center, expected to open in summer 2010, will be built with sustainable construction products and serve as a demonstration project for the city of Indianapolis' Office of Sustainability.

-Holladay Construction Group recently completed a 15,000-square-foot office/training/manufacturing facility for Public Agency Training Council at 5235 Decatur Blvd.
 

Health spending is growing slower than it has in 48 years—but that’s better news for businesses and households than it is for governments. Whether health care reform will continue the trend is an open question.

Mike Rinebold, director of government relations for the Indiana State Medical Association, discussed the national health reform effort of 2009 as well as the 2010 session  of the Indiana Legislature that began Jan. 5.

Clarian North Medical Center named Damita Williams, a registered nurse, its chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services. She has been interim chief nursing officer since September. Williams joined Clarian North in 2005 as director of Riley Hospital North and Resource Center.

Dr. Andy Dillingham, has joined St. Vincent Physician Network in Carmel as a family medicine physician. Dillingham, a former pharmacist, earned a pharmacy degree from Butler University and a medical degree from Midwestern University's Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finally defined the "meaningful use" standard for hospitals and doctors to receive subsidies to install electronic health records.

Whew! A contract dispute that almost kicked seven central Indiana hospitals out of the network of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield was averted at the last minute last week. On Dec. 30, Anthem released a “News Flash” saying that its customers no longer would receive negotiated discounts at Hancock Regional, Hendricks Regional, Henry County, Morgan, Riverview, Westview and Witham hospitals, beginning the next day. The hospitals are part of Indianapolis-based Suburban Health Organization. But by 4 p.m. the same day, the two sides came to terms.

What Dow AgroSciences has done with corn, it’s now trying to do with cotton. The Indianapolis-based company has licensed genetically engineered cotton traits from Switzerland-based Syngenta AG. Dow Agro will combine Syngenta's traits with cotton traits it developed. In 2012, Dow Agro expects to launch cotton seeds stacked with the traits to better protect against cotton pests. Dow Agro, a subsidiary of Michigan-based Dow Chemical Co., developed corn seed with eight genetically engineered traits following a licensing deal with St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. Dow Agro and Syngenta did not disclose financial terms of their deal.

St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers has sued three OrthoIndy physicians over the group's new $20 million outpatient surgery center scheduled to open in Greenwood next year. The complaint alleges the new facility breaches an earlier partnership between the two health care providers. According to St. Francis’ civil complaint, filed Dec. 18 in Hamilton County Superior Court, St. Francis and an OrthoIndy affiliate agreed in 2001 to become equal partners in another facility—the Indiana Orthopaedic Surgery Center at 5255 E. Stop 11 Road on the St. Francis campus on the south side. But in December 2008, OrthoIndy announced it had purchased property four miles from the Indiana Orthopaedic Surgery Center and planned to construct a competing facility there. An attorney for the OrthoIndy physicians said St. Francis’ lawsuit has no merit.

When production at Tippecanoe Laboratories in Lafayette started today at 9:30 a.m., it officially launched a new era for the drugmaking plant. Germany-based Evonik Industries AG is now operating the plant after acquiring it from Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. Lilly sold the plant as part of $1 billion in operating cuts it wants to achieve by the end of 2011. Lilly signed a nine-year contract for Evonik to supply it with the materials made at the Lafayette plant. Gov. Mitch Daniels attended the start of production this morning.

Community Health Network’s philanthropic foundation received $1 million in cash from John W. “Jack” Heiney, a retired president and CEO of Evansville-based Indiana Gas Co. Heiney’s gift, made in honor of his late wife Betty, will be used to fund outreach, wellness and prevention programs, as well as improve Community’s facilities and employees.

Jan. 7-10
Indiana Repertory Theatre
The weather outside may be frightful, but inside it should be carnival hot. Dance Kaleidoscope offers “Play Mas,” celebrating the carnivals of Trinidad and Brazil, and “Food of Love,” featuring music from such far-ranging places as Argentina, Pakistan and Africa. Prior to the Friday through Sunday programs, you can show up to the theater a half-hour early for “Dance Talk with David,” featuring DK artistic director and choreographer David Hochoy. Details here.

 

Jan. 9

Through Feb. 7 Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre It’s January, and that means the musicians at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre get to take a break while the stage is turned over to a song-less comedy. This time, it’s Larry Shue’s oft-staged “The Foreigner,” a 1983 hit about a shy man whose pal tells others that he doesn’t speak English. Jeff Stockberger, no stranger to door-slamming silliness after appearing in B&B’s “Don’t Dress for Dinner” and “Run for Your Wife,” leads a cast that includes Sarah Hund of “Smoke on the Mountain” and Indy’s favorite Santa, Ty Stover. Details here.

The town of Zionsville is considering buying the 2.4-acre site of a former Citgo gasoline station that it considers a gateway to the Zionsville village retail area.

KLC Realty LLC bought the Colby Shoppes, a multi-tenant retail center at 954 N. State Road 135, Greenwood. The 17,739-square-foot property sold for $1.3 million. The buyer was represented by Brian T. Southworth and Nathan D. Whalen of the Indianapolis office of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services. Southworth and Whalen also represented the seller, First Merchants Bank.

-Shamrock Builders-Commercial recently finished a 4,000-square-foot office for Glanders Orthodontics at 8451 S. Emerson Ave.
 
-Shamrock Builders-Commercial recently finished a 2,500-square-foot office build-out for Stevenson Dental at 6905 E. 96th St.

Because of the holiday, there is no mortgage interest rate survey this week.

-Capin & Crouse leased 10,000 square feet in the Emerson Office Parke Building One, Greenwood.  Greg Allen and John Cunningham of Allen Commercial Group represented the landlord. The tenant represented itself.

-Little Mexico restaurant leased 4,587 square feet in the Emerson Pointe Retail Shopping Center, Greenwood.  Greg Allen and John Cunningham of Allen Commercial Group represented the landlord. The tenant represented itself.

-Health Management Systems Inc. leased 1,290 square feet of office space at Landmark Center, 10th and Meridian streets. Matt Waggoner of Summit Realty Group represented the tenant. The landlord, Landmark Ventures LLC, was represented by John Vandenbark of CB Richard Ellis.

-Sports Clips leased 1,240 square feet of retail space at Brookshire Village Shoppes at 126th Street and Gray Road, Carmel. Jeff Hubley of Midland Atlantic represented the tenant. The landlord, O’Malia Investment Co. LLC, was represented by Barrett & Stokely Inc.

-Show-Me’s leased 7,329 square feet of the former Damon’s Grill at 4530 Southport Crossing Drive. The landlord, Daniel and Judy Pedersen Living Trust, was represented by Michael Cranfill of Sitehawk Retail Real Estate. The tenant was represented by Tim Murray and Greg Smith of Resource Commercial Real Estate.

-El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant leased 2,160 square feet at a former Pizza Hut at 11420 E Washington St. The landlord, La Raza Pizza Inc., was represented by Michael Cranfill of Sitehawk Retail Real Estate. The tenant was represented by Eric Hillenbrand of Sitehawk Retail Real Estate.

-The Loving Care Agency Inc. renewed its lease for 3,191 square lease at 2647 Waterfront Parkway East Drive.  The tenant was represented by Brooke Augustin of NAI Olympia Partners.  The landlord, New Boston Jacaranda LP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc.

-Bennett Mauk & Higgs Insurance renewed its lease for 1,028 square feet at 8606 Allisonville Road. The landlord, New Boston Castle Creek II LP, was represented by Gus Sevastianos of Citimark Management Co. Inc. The tenant represented itself. 
 

Indianapolis health care heavyweights are among those spending $635 million, employing 166 former aides to key congressional leaders and committees in health reform process.

Specialists lose, primary docs win in new Medicare payment rates. All hope Congress acts to avert a scheduled 21-percent cut for everyone.

It’s tough being a most-favored nation. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., got a tongue lashing from that state’s attorney general for the “most-favored nation” clauses it inserts in its contacts with hospitals. The clauses insist the hospitals give no other insurance plan a discount larger than that given to Anthem. The clauses are preventing some of Connecticut’s hospitals from signing up for a new state-run insurance plan for the uninsured, called Charter Oak. It pays rates lower than those negotiated by Anthem, and many hospitals have refused to join for fear Anthem would insist that the hospitals allow Anthem to lower its payment rates to equal those of Charter Oak. Connecticut Attorney general Richard Blumenthal wrote a letter this month to Anthem asking it to promise not to insist on receiving discounts equal to Charter Oak. “I call on Anthem to break its death grip on hospitals and encourage them to join in this critical health insurance program,” Blumenthal said in a statement. Most-favored nation clauses were banned in Indiana by the General Assembly in 2007.

Even though Wall Street likes the Senate health reform bill, that doesn’t mean rank-and-file insurance professionals do. But in the Christmas spirit, Susan Rider,  president-elect of the Indianapolis Association of Health Underwriters found some positives in the latest version of health reform. She likes that there will be no government-run health plan or an expansion of the Medicare program—although she still does not like the proposed expansion of Medicaid. She likes that a cap on flexible-spending accounts of $2,500 will now rise in line with inflation. She likes that the federal Department of Health and Human Services will not set broker commissions in the newly created insurance exchanges. But she does not like much of the meat of the bill. She thinks the requirement for insurance plans to spend at least 85 percent of premiums on care (80 percent for individual policies) needs to be reduced, likewise the $6.7 billion in annual taxes assessed on for-profit health insurers and the 40-percent tax assessed on insurance policies costing $23,000 or more. Rider said the fines used to enforce the mandate that all individuals buy health insurance will be “completely ineffective” because they will allow Americans to pop in and out of insurance pools only when they need health care services.

This can’t be good for business—especially for a human resources business. Indianapolis-based consultant HR Solutions Inc. was sued in federal court last month for allegedly failing to pay commissions earned by a saleswoman and then firing her the day after she got out of the hospital after a pancreatitis attack. The saleswoman, Candi Marsch of Evansville, wants HR Solutions to shell out back pay, punitive damages and legal fees.

<p><strong>Debi Lee</strong>, a registered nurse, has been named chief nursing officer at Westview Hospital in Indianapolis.
                     Lee has served                      as interim chief nursing officer for the past six months. Prior to Westview, Lee was a
                     respiratory therapist                      at Indiana University Hospital                      and Westview Hospital, a staff
                     nurse on Westview Hospital's medical surgical                      nursing unit, and a school nurse at Van Buren Elementary
                     School in Plainfield.</p>