AUGUST 11-18, 2014
The cost of the Marion County's new criminal justice center could provoke sticker shock, but the novel way that Mayor Greg Ballard wants to finance it could put voters at ease. Kathleen McLaughlin examines the all-inclusive model that would boil down costs down to a single annual fee. Also in this week's issue, Andrea Davis tells the story of a Zionsville family that turned a summer project into a peanut-butter manufacturing business. And in A&E Etc., Mike Lopresti swaps baseball stories with Indianapolis Indians icon Max Schumacher.
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$500M Indy justice center relies on novel funding
The city will pay an annual fee to a private-sector consortium that will design, build, finance, maintain and operate the facility. According to the Ballard administration, the project won’t require a tax hike.
Read MoreSteak n Shake bringing menu fixtures to the freezer aisle
Officials of the 80-year-old chain believe selling steakburgers in groceries will further extend the Steak n Shake brand.
Read MoreIndy startup has rare disease in its sights
Founders of Chondrial Therapeutics believe that if further testing validates their treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia, it could be a blockbuster with annual sales topping $1 billion.
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Building spree reshaping Broad Ripple Village
A rush of new office, residential and retail projects suggest real estate developers in Broad Ripple Village remain optimistic in the midst of high-profile incidents of crime.
Read MoreWill a new app disrupt snow, lawn-care businesses?
Starting this month, Indianapolis area residents and business owners can order up lawn mowing and snow plowing services through an app.
Read MoreFamily peanut-butter venture sees sales take off
B. Happy Peanut Butter is a hit at the summer market—and then some. Available at more than a dozen retail outlets in central Indiana, its seven varieties of hand-packed PB could produce sales of $100,000 this year.
Read MoreNew Simon VC arm making bets on retail technology
The newly formed Simon Venture Group is betting millions of dollars on nascent technology companies that hope to reshape retailing.
Read MoreTen-acre parcel near Colts stadium hits the market
The vacant property west of Lucas Oil Stadium could get a boost from redevelopment efforts at the former GM stamping plant site just across White River.
Read MoreVan Rooy converting more units to market rate
The local apartment owner and manager will spend $2.5 million to upgrade Ransom Place near the IUPUI campus from Section 8 housing. It’s the second time the company has undertaken such a project in the neighborhood the past few years.
Read MoreIndiana health startups have raised $100M this year
Investors seem to have rediscovered the Midwest this year, pouring a record $777 million into 139 companies, according to BioEnterprise. In the first half of 2013, Midwest companies raised $351 million.
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New judicial center would set off an office exodus downtown
New justice center would clear swaths of offices, raising vacancy rates at a time when the market is struggling.
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EDITORIAL: Covanta deal raises red flags
It doesn’t take an expert in recycling technology to raise at least a few concerns with the city’s newly approved contract with New Jersey-based Covanta.
Read MoreMORRIS: Ignore 55+ demo? Big mistake! Big! Huge!
People in prime spending years are getting cold shoulder from media buyers.
Read MoreKENNEDY: Indianapolis needs a commuter tax
No matter how nostalgically we think of Indiana as a patchwork of small, quaint towns and family farms, those days are gone. Indiana’s workforce and population are increasingly metropolitan, and our growth will continue to be in our urban centers.
Read MoreJOSEPH: Small businesses must grow up
Many businesses that were started in the recession are growing up. And while those businesses are probably tougher and nimbler than their competition, they are still a lot younger than they look.
Read MoreSkarbeck: Pension funds rethinking zeal for hedge fund bets
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the largest public pension fund in the United States, recently announced it would reduce its hedge fund investments by a dramatic 40 percent.
Read MoreLet corporations influence laws governing them
Corporations are among our oldest institutions. Something like a joint stock company probably triggered the earliest formal written communication—the accounting ledger.
Read MorePraise for dedication
Thank you for working hard to make a difference [Parent Viewpoint, Aug. 4].
Read MoreIMS should change to accommodate its fans
As a transplant to Indy, I don’t have the history with attending races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway [Aug. 4]. I have been to my fair share of races (and was even a Yellow Shirt volunteer for a couple years), but I am not a diehard attendee.
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ITT Educational CEO signals resignation amid stock freefall, federal scrutiny
Carmel-based ITT Educational Services Inc. announced late Monday afternoon that CEO Kevin Modany planned to resign within six months. The struggling for-profit education firm has drawn scrutiny from government officials for its marketing and lending practices.
Read MoreUPDATE: City board approves recycling deal with Covanta
Despite heavy lobbying from opponents, the Indianapolis Board of Public Works on Wednesday voted 4-1 in favor of a contract extension with incinerator operator Covanta that will make the company the city’s main household recycling provider for the next 14 years.
Read MoreTwo Indianapolis-based tabloids up for sale
Long-time local publisher Ted Fleischaker recently put his two print publications—The Word and Up Downtown—on the market. He says he's a motivated seller.
Read MoreAmazon extends same-day delivery service to Indy
Beginning Wednesday, local customers who subscribe to Amazon’s Prime service can order items as late as noon and receive them by 9 p.m. the same day for a flat service charge.
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