JULY 3-9, 2020
Kurt Christian has the latest on the roadwork under way along State Road 37 in Hamilton County, which officials already estimate will go $47 million over budget. The kicker is that local residents will be responsible for picking up the cost of the overruns. Susan Orr reports that Indiana and Ohio have received grants to study and advance the use of semi-autonomous trucks traveling on I-70 between Indianapolis and Columbus. And Anthony Schoettle has a little ditty about the local music instruction company, Piano in a Flash, which recently saw its revenue more than triple practically overnight. You might know Scott Houston from the PBS show "The Piano Guy," but it took a pandemic to push the popularity of his online lessons to new heights.
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I-70 to be testing ground for driverless trucks
It might be many years before fully autonomous vehicles are a common sight on public highways—but transportation officials in Indiana and Ohio are laying the groundwork now for that day.
Read MoreBusinesses, already bruised, pursue virus legal immunity
Businesses and the organizations that represent them fear a wave of coronavirus-related lawsuits as employees return to work and customers return to stores, restaurants and other public places.
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Locals on hook for State Road 37’s cost overruns in Hamilton County
Officials are estimating the corridor improvements will run $47 million over the project’s original $124 million budget.
Read MoreSports Corp. takes over statewide tourism-support association
Team Indiana is meant to give its members—about three dozen tourism and sports organizations across Indiana—better access to resources that will get the attention of sports governing bodies that decide where to play events.
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Online piano tutoring company hits a high note
The pandemic has been a boon for Indianapolis-based Piano in a Flash, which teaches adults how to play the piano using a simplified version of sheet music.
Read MoreQ&A: Doctor dishes on her new company
Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, a pediatrician at Riley Hospital for Children and mother of three, makes a line of stainless steel children’s dishes that have been hyped by chef and television star Rachael Ray.
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FFA cancels national convention in Indy as downtown reels from tourism drought
The agriculture-education group cited lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic for scuttling the four-day event, which last year brought more than 68,000 people downtown.
Read MoreHigh Alpha portfolio company in hiring mode after raising $2M
Pattern89, which uses an artificial intelligence-driven platform to help customers improve results from paid social media programs, has raised a total of $7.5 million in venture and growth capital since its launch.
Read MoreIndiana regulators rule utilities can’t charge consumers for lost revenue during pandemic
Monday’s ruling followed a huge uproar from ratepayers and elected officials, who widely criticized utilities for their request to charge customers for electricity they didn’t use when demand slowed down during health crisis lockdowns.
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Effort to infuse diversity into not-for-profit boards helps, but leaders say there’s more work to do
Four years ago, CICF and the Indianapolis Foundation launched a pilot program to try to diversify local not-for-profit boards. Here’s the impact.
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Editorial: Mayor must step up to lead the rebuilding of downtown
In the first year of his second term, the mayor has an opportunity to make rebuilding downtown in a way that’s economically inclusive his signature achievement in office.
Read MoreNATE FELTMAN: Plenty to muse about on this Independence Day
From the presidential election to the future of downtown, many important decisions lie ahead in this unusual year.
Read MoreSheila Suess Kennedy: Our hyper-partisan politics can be deadly
In today’s highly polarized America, an individual’s self-identification as Republican or Democrat has come to signify a wide range of attitudes and beliefs not necessarily limited to support for a political party. Affiliation with a political party has made Americans’ increasingly tribal social identities most predictive—and most consequential.
Read MoreTanya Bell Mckinzie: Fight systemic racism by leveling field for Black-owned businesses
Creating new businesses and expanding opportunities for existing Black-owned businesses are key ways to invest in the Black community and help us fight for racial equality.
Read MoreMandy Haskett: Three variables will make or break successful return to the office
Culture, we all know, eats strategy for breakfast. And yet, leaders often focus on the tangible, more measurable elements of their strategy they can comfortably see better—ignoring the softer, less visible aspects that make organizations truly healthy.
Read MoreKIM: To understand stocks’ wild swings, think of it as a ‘Spock market’
Much of the time, investors are rational and the stock market is understandable and makes intuitive sense, But when fear or greed takes hold of the steering wheel, anything can happen.
Read MoreBOHANON & CUROTT: The young like their virus odds; old should steer clear of them
One overwhelming statistical fact is that deaths attributable to the COVID-19 virus are age-related.
Read MoreLetter: Masks should join other requirements
You shouldn’t be allowed to emit your saliva into a public space during a pandemic of a disease that is transmissible by aerosol because it’s a public health issue.
Read MoreLetter: Police unions inhibit change
Union collective bargaining agreements are protecting the few bad police officers, to the detriment of all of our safety.
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Children’s Museum, art museum to reopen to general public
The Children’s Museum said it is projecting a loss of $4 million to $7 million in 2020 because of the three-month health crisis closure.
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Summer carnival to occupy Indiana State Fairgrounds for five weeks
The Indiana State Fair has been called off this year, but the fairgrounds will still feature dozens of rides and vendors selling fair food this summer.
Read MoreCity to spend $1M in relief funds on tourism marketing campaign
Called “You’ve Earned It,” the campaign seeks to boost Indianapolis’ tourism industry, which has been deeply hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns.
Read MoreIBJ wins 10 national awards for business coverage
IBJ took top honors from the Alliance of Area Business publications for best coverage of local breaking news, best local coverage of national news, and best specialty e-newsletter.
Read MoreApartments on downtown’s east side to help tenants with developmental disabilities
The $11 million five-story project, called The Passage, would include support services and amenities to help tenants with disabilities get jobs and learn to live independently.
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MARK MONTIETH: Bryant giving back to kids on the playground
Indiana’s oldest living Mr. Basketball, now 86, shares his passion for the game and life lessons at a park not far from the outdoor court where he got his start.
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