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Tracy Donhardt

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North Binford district looks for shot of development: Area hopes to rebound from surprising business slump

There are 22,200 households within a five-minute drive of 71st Street and Binford Boulevard, according to a recent market study. The median income inside those homes tops $53,000, about 16 percent higher than the U.S. median income. Despite those favorable demographics, area retail establishments and businesses have been dwindling. On the southeast corner of 71st and Binford, for example, there once existed a Preston-Safeway grocery store, an Osco drugstore, a Great Clips hair salon, a pizza parlor, a printing shop,…

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Church’s business savvy extends financial ministry: New Life helps members become self-sufficient

Ondalere Helm has struggled to stay on solid financial footing since being laid off about four years ago. The 32-year-old mom got behind on her bills and was living in a governmentassisted apartment building with her 7-year-old daughter. “I had been praying for a home for my daughter,” Helm said. “I tried to buy a house, but my credit wasn’t good enough.” Then about two months ago, the pastor at New Life Worship Center-where Helm and her daughter attend religious…

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Schools push financial literacy: Programs teach students the importance of investments, how Wall Street works

Fourth-graders at Crooked Creek Elementary School recently made $250 by making poinsettia-topped pens and selling them to parents and teachers. Middle school students at Thomas Carr Howe Academy learn the value of putting a few dollars away each week, so the mind-set of compounded savings will be instilled before they grow older. And, last month, a team of high school students from Fort Wayne won a statewide stock-market-simulation contest by growing a hypothetical $100,000 investment 55 percent in 10 weeks….

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There’s more than one way to remove tattoos:

It’s not known when the practice of tattooing began, but Egyptian mummies dating back to 1300 B.C. have shown evidence of blue tattoo marks. Today, for many reasons, people are having tattoos removed. Here’s how: Dermabrasion: A small portion of the tattoo is sprayed with a solution that freezes the area. The tattoo is then sanded with a rotary abrasive instrument, removing the surface and middle layers of skin. Excision: An injection of a local anesthetic is applied to numb…

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Rallying around charity: Local event teaches next generation the value of giving

Woodard’s two eldest children, Taylor and T.J., check in new arrivals as other family members slap vinyl decals on the cars lining up along Bearcat Alley for this year’s Van Riper Woodard Family Foundation charity road rally. Finally, at precisely 8:56 a.m., Woodard waves the green flag for the team from public broadcaster WFYI, which drew the pole position. The other teams depart one by one, every 60 seconds. For the next eight hours, the competitors will make their way…

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At Purdue, student feedback is click away: Professors use radio response devices in class to see if they are getting through

It’s a rare college student who will raise a hand in the classroom and say to the instructor, “Could you please repeat that? I don’t understand.” More common are groups of students who, when asked if they understand material just covered, sit and stare back, neither nodding nor shaking their heads. Faculty members tend to take no response as an affirmative, pass out tests, then find out who actually understood the material only after scoring the tests. And with some…

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Database puts 800 technology researchers in reach: Indiana Information Network hopes to link businesses with industry expertise through extensive online portal

A Web-based melting pot of intellectual resources intended to aid technology transfer to the market boasts 800 researchers in 40 fields that businesses can tap for help. Indiana Innovation Network is an offshoot of Access Technology Across Indiana, or ATAIN, which was formed about 12 years ago as an alliance of universities, research institutions and businesses statewide. The alliance, led by John Schneider, assistant vice president for industry research at Purdue, helps research facilities commercialize their technology. IIN, founded by…

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HVAC specialists see rise in energy-saving interest: Anticipated price spikes spur demand for revamps

Many plant managers consider it a lost cause to combat thermostat wars, factoring it in as a normal cost of doing business. Or they just don’t think about it all. Even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused natural gas prices to soar, an energy price problem was already in full swing. Engineering, construction and energy management firms were already addressing concerns from clients over how to combat rising energy bills. While soaring prices are expected to wreak havoc on residential…

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Banks embrace checking reprieve: Growing program frees potential customers

Banks and credit unions statewide will soon have a larger pool of customers to tap into when a central Indiana program that helps people barred from opening checking accounts expands. Get Checking, a national program that began at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2001, is a way for people who have landed on the ChexSystem register-a list of consumers barred from opening an account-to get off the list. People find themselves in ChexSystem due to bouncing too many checks, failing…

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Web service hungry for business: 46 local restaurants sign up for online takeout ordering

When pharmaceutical rep Andy Knopfmeier needed lunch for a 29-person obstetrics office he was calling on recently, he made it happen without picking up a phone or idling in a drivethrough lane. Instead, Knopfmeier-who provides lunch to doctors as a way to get in the door-went online two days before the meeting and ordered sandwiches, chicken nuggets and waffle fries from a Noblesville Chick-Fil-A. He prepaid the bill with a credit card and entered instructions on when he’d pick up…

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Biz groups join forces: Agencies hope to reach more minority-, women-owned firms

Two organizations that aim to increase business opportunities for minorities and women have formed a united front, hoping to foster even greater diversity among companies. Indiana Business Diversity Council and the National Association of Women Business Owners’local chapter aren’t only sharing knowledge and resources-they’ll also share space when NAWBO moves in with IBDC later this fall. NAWBO hopes the partnership will enhance its networking capabilities. It also will give the all-volunteer organization it first-ever place to call home. For its…

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Libraries book on Plainfield duo’s automation software:

Rob Cullin and Rodd Cutler thought there must be a way to adapt their knowledge of factory-automation technology to libraries, even though the two industries appeared worlds apart. Turns out, automation is automation, Cullin says. By developing the right software, just about anything can be automated and made more efficient. Cullin, who had worked with Cutler for years, was downsized by the company they worked for about five years ago, but wanted to keep his hands in technology. “I had…

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Delivery service takes Web shopping to the next level:

Richard Cherry knows the 30-minute delivery concept isn’t new. Pizzerias have been promising to deliver pies to the door in 30 minutes or less for years. And grocery stores have tried something similar, delivering milk, eggs and bread, but generally promising next-day delivery. Cherry wanted to deliver groceries-and more-in 30 minutes, so he teamed with 30-minute pizzeria guru Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza, and came up with 30MinuteMall. Using delivery employees known as CyberValets, virtual grocery stores and Web…

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Youth, law enforcement pair up to reduce crime: Local companies providing money, rewards and time

One of Marcus Ballance’s cousins is in prison for shooting another man. Another was recently shot after serving a prison term of his own. Ballance, a 12-year-old who attends Margaret McFarland Middle School, lives with his mom, her boyfriend and a baby sister on the city’s east side. He’s been exposed to crime and drugs his entire life. Some would say that means Ballance has a good chance of ending up either a victim of homicide or in prison. But…

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Two Indiana startups chosen to compete nationally:

Two of the eight finalists that will participate in a national competition of bioscience startup companies at Purdue University are from Indiana. Omni Spray and QuadraSpec will compete in the third annual Purdue University Life Sciences Business Plan Competition against companies affiliated with several renowned universities, including Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. The companies will present business plans for bringing their products to market and be judged by a panel of venture capitalists,…

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Planners brace for museum meeting: City to show its culture to influential gathering

The world’s largest museum meeting convenes in Indianapolis next month, and organizers say the gathering could do more than showcase the city’s ever-growing cultural cache. Hosting an estimated 5,000 museum professionals and patrons also will give cultural tourism efforts a boost and dump more than $4 million into the local economy. The stakes are so high that more than 500 volunteers have been rallied to keep activities running smoothly day and night during the May 1-5 event. Evening events are…

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