DECEMBER 11-17, 2017
When downtown’s upscale Cerulean stops serving on Dec. 31, it will mark the end of a brutal year for the local restaurant industry marked by an unusually high number of closings. Scott Olson links the local situation to the national restaurant recession. Also in this issue, Lindsey Erdody reports that Westfield is moving forward with a proposal from the mayor’s nephew to construct a baseball training facility at Grand Park Sports Campus. The curve ball: A local baseball training academy says it pitched a similar plan to the mayor before the city decided to seek proposals. And in A&E Etc., Lou Harry reviews two new breakfast spots in Carmel and Irvington.
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Couple who pitched Westfield baseball center bristle over potential deal with mayor’s nephew
Sue and Chris Estep, owners of RoundTripper Baseball Academy in Westfield, say they met with Mayor Andy Cook to discuss the possibility of relocating to Grand Park.
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Economy is good, but many restaurants closed in 2017
When downtown’s upscale Cerulean stops serving on Dec. 31, it will mark the end of a brutal year for the local restaurant industry marked by an unusually high number of closings.
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All eyes on Anthem after CVS megadeal
Pressure is building on the insurer to drop its conservative, bread-and-butter approach after one of its biggest rivals, Aetna Inc., agreed to be bought by drugstore chain CVS Health for $69 billion.
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Is marijuana debate at a tipping point?
A fight over whether Indiana should legalize medical marijuana seems all but inevitable now.
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Auto industry bracing for slight sales declines this year and next
Following seven years of growth in new-vehicle sales, U.S. consumers appear to be tapping the brakes—but the auto industry says the slowdown is not causing them concern.
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Known for malls, Simon turns to apartments, hotels
The company said it hasn’t lost faith in brick-and-mortar retail but now is broadening its development focus in a quest to continue increasing the value of its real estate holdings.
Read MoreIBJ moving to Friday delivery, expanding ‘Book of Lists’
IBJ is changing the issue date of the newspaper from Monday to Friday, effective with the last issue of 2017.
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Brown’s biotech startup to hire 225, invest $16M in HQ
A company founded a year ago by prominent local tech entrepreneur Don Brown expects to pay average salaries of $156,000 a year in new space at the IU Emerging Technology Center.
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Symphony reports record ticket sales, balanced budget
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra experienced its fifth straight year of record ticket sales during the 2016-17 season while meeting budget projections for the fourth time in five years.
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Miller finally comments on his City-County Council status
Indianapolis City-County Council member Jeff Miller has finally explained his reasons for remaining on the council—more than two weeks after he was charged with three felony counts of child molesting.
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How to fill 300,000 square feet of fresh retail space
Big downtown real estate projects are expected to add that much room to the retail inventory, and advocacy group Downtown Indy is jumping in to help drum up interest.
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Indianapolis author Green sells film rights to latest novel
John Green is once again teaming with movie studio Fox 2000 Pictures to produce what could be the third straight novel from the Indianapolis author to reach the big screen.
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Holcomb, lawmakers try to crack the code on a convoluted workforce system
Gov. Eric Holcomb says his workforce plan won’t just replace existing bureaucracy with new bureaucracy. He said he wants to “make sure we’re getting folks at the local level not just around the table, but that they have both the flexibility and the funding” to make necessary changes.
Read MoreExpected hot topics in the 2018 General Assembly
Lawmakers returning to the Statehouse in January for their 2018 session will face questions about alcohol, autonomous vehicles, hate crimes and more.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: Instill common sense into alcohol laws
Lawmakers have an obligation to listen to their constituents and develop a system for selling alcohol that serves and protects Hoosiers’ interests first and foremost.
Read MoreFELTMAN: Why an avid IBJ reader became an owner
To ensure IBJ’s future, you will see us take chances and go in new directions in the coming months and years.
Read MoreZWIRN: Tax bills betray GOP principles
The Republican tax bills stand among the most backward-thinking pieces of tax legislation since the 1920s.
Read MoreGIGERICH: Make changes to venture capital tax credit
By making the tax credit refundable or transferable, investments in Indiana companies would become more attractive to investors at a time our 20 percent tax credit value is lower than that of many “best in class” entrepreneurial states.
Read MoreSKARBECK: Some new ETF products are downright wacky
ETFs can be designed to track any index or concept you can dream up. Today, a degree of silliness is showing up in many of the new ETF product offerings.
Read MoreBOHANON & CUROTT: Make licensing requirements more flexible
The movement to modify licensing requirements for public schoolteachers is coming to Indiana. It’s about time.
Read MoreLETTER: Downtown Indy tax needs more scrutiny
Commercial property owners, responsible for covering more than 95 percent of the proposed EID’s cost, must ask precisely what its tangible benefits will be.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
FedEx plans $385M upgrade for Indy hub, seeks $29.2M tax break
The investment in new equipment would ramp up the speed of sorting and handling at the 2.4 million-square-foot hub, as well as create about 125 full-time jobs and 450 part-time positions.
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Indianapolis-based CraftMark Bakery plans $56 million expansion
The industrial bakery is seeking local tax breaks in connection with the project, which is expected to create 118 jobs over the next three years.
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Chicago-based chain acquires most of Butler Auto Group’s dealerships
Butler is keeping its Butler Toyota dealership, but has sold off its Kia, Hyundai, Fiat, Maserati and Alfa Romeo dealerships to a major regional chain that has rebranded the locations.
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Serial entrepreneurs opening low-key, eclectic nightspot on Mass Ave
The longtime collaborators responsible for Wild Beaver Saloon are melding live performance with a love of facial hair in the three-story Burnside Inn.
Read MoreLee & Associates lands real estate veteran
Rebecca Wells arrives from JLL to boost the firm’s capital markets team in the Midwest.
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