MARCH 10-16, 2023
Founded 25 years ago, Cunningham Restaurant Group is on the verge of opening its 40th eatery and 16th distinctive restaurant concept, ranging from crowd-pleaser Bru Burger to downtown’s Vida, which is the only central Indiana restaurant to earn AAA’s Four Diamond Award. Dave Lindquist pulls back the curtain on the next phase of its expansion plans. Also in this week’s issue, Peter Blanchard reports that the Indiana Economic Development Corp. has been paying a huge premium for the farmland its buying in Boone County for the LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District. And John Russell explains the debate brewing over how Indiana utilities will pay for transitioning to green energy.
Front PageBack to Top
Cunningham restaurant empire keeps growing
On the verge of opening its 40th restaurant, Indianapolis-based Cunningham Restaurant Group is set to do business in Bloomington for the first time and expand its presence in Plainfield and Greenwood.
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Purdue professor puts high-tech spin on old-time construction staple
Luna Lu and her team at Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering are among a handful of organizations worldwide dabbling in how to commercialize “smart concrete.”
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IEDC paying premium for farmland for Boone County tech district
The quasi-government entity has secured roughly 9,000 acres of land in Boone County for its LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District.
Read MoreMoney debate begins in Statehouse over transition to green energy
A bill advancing through the Legislature would add natural gas to the list of clean-energy projects state utility regulators could consider for a financial incentive known as “construction work in progress,” or CWIP for short.
Read MoreDerek Schultz: Teri Moren’s Hoosiers keep raising the bar for what Indiana Women’s Basketball can be
Added late in the summer of 2014 after the abrupt resignation of Curt Miller, Moren took over as head coach in Bloomington with little fanfare.
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Indianapolis-based Sanctuary Wealth ousts CEO, but won’t say why
Ousted CEO Jim Dickson founded Sanctuary in 2018 after the firm acquired Indianapolis-based David A. Noyes & Co., which in 2020 changed its name to Sanctuary Securities Inc.
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John Mellencamp donates archives and memorabilia to Indiana University
IU also unveiled plans for a sculpture honoring the Hoosier rock star.
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Walgreens says it won’t sell abortion pills in Indiana, even though it remains legal
The decision comes after Attorney General Todd Rokita and 19 other attorneys general threatened legal action if the pharmacy company sells the pills by mail.
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HNI to acquire Kimball International for $485M
Iowa-based HNI said Wednesday that the acquisition of Indiana-based Kimball International will enhance manufacturing capabilities and create a combined company that can better benefit from post-pandemic trends in the markets it serves.
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Cummins reveals Accelera as new brand for its green-tech power biz
The rebranding is an attempt to differentiate what until now had been known as Cummins’ New Power business unit, giving it a separate identity from the rest of the 104-year-old company, which has traditionally been known for its diesel engines.
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In volatile economy, customers clamor for CDs as interest rates rise
The run was precipitated by the Federal Reserve’s boosting its benchmark federal funds rate seven times last year, taking it from near 0% to a range of 4.25% to 4.5% in an effort to reduce inflation.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
Editorial: IEDC’s big spending in Boone County is investment in Indiana’s future
So far, the public criticism of the land purchases is less about price and more about whether the state should be buying the land at all.
Read MoreLesley Weidenbener: Doubt can serve as motivation
Insecurity and humility might just make us better at our jobs.
Read MoreMark Isenberg: Make insurance companies the initial payer of care
Why is the risk of collecting on high-deductible plans sitting squarely on the shoulders of hospitals and physicians?
Read MoreBrian Tabor: Don’t fall for insurance companies’ dishonest word games
Some major insurance companies and their front groups are misleading policymakers at state and federal levels by trying to rebrand long-standing policies as “dishonest billing.”
Read MoreAngie Stocklin: How open-book management helped us successfully pivot
Major company transitions take time, and I won’t pretend this rollout was quick and painless, but open-book management soon became an integral part of our company culture and was an additional layer of activating our core values, such as, “Act like an owner.”
Read MorePete the Planner: Don’t swap out for a tony house. Stay put.
I’m having a hard time getting my head around the logic in buying a new home (with the use of a mortgage) for those people who currently have mortgage rates in the 2% to 3% range.
Read MoreCecil Bohanon and John Horowitz: Here’s why it’s hard to accurately measure inflation
Inflation is when it becomes more expensive to purchase that bundle of goods.
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City-County Council passes measure to restrict retail pet sales
The proposal would prohibit most retail sales of cats, dogs and rabbits in the city, but could be blocked by possible statewide legislation that is under consideration at the Indiana Statehouse.
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Downtown percussion museum to relocate following water damage
The 15,000-square-foot Rhythm! Discovery Center, which opened in November 2009 in the lower level of the Claypool Court building, will remain closed and keep its extensive collection in storage until a new space is found.
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Iconic blues bar Slippery Noodle Inn sold after 60 years in Yeagy family
The new owners of the downtown Indianapolis institution aren’t planning radical changes, but it might sound a bit different on certain nights.
Read MoreIndianapolis to host National Humanities Conference
The conference—originally planned for 2020, but moved because of the pandemic—will include opportunities for local writers, musicians, philosophers and others to connect with industry professionals.
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Jim Shella: Judges should permit cameras in courtrooms
It’s our government. We should be able to see how it operates.
Read MoreSen. Tyler Johnson: Indiana should act to protect Hoosier children
A child cannot understand the weight and permanency of these decisions.
Read MoreDr. Jamie Stelzer: Bill bans critical care for transgender youth
Gender-affirming care is a multidisciplinary team of providers whose goal is to support the patient’s social, psychological, behavioral and medical needs.
Read MoreCurt Smith: Post-COVID, church attendance, giving fall further
Let us hope such spiritual deficits do not lead to additional deficits in America’s impulse to give.
Read MoreUna Osili: New options provide ways to donate across borders
For new ways of giving to grow, financial institutions are vital in ensuring that digital donations are safe, secure and efficient.
Read MoreShariq Siddiqui: The reality of philanthropy is that it’s complicated
Behind every story of wealth is stories of inequality.
Read MoreBrad Rateike: March Madness is almost here. Let’s celebrate.
Even for the casual fan, March Madness delivers. Bracket challenges are everywhere, and they require no knowledge of basketball to enjoy them.
Read MoreRep. Ed DeLaney: Republicans tread on business community
The right has grown in size and hardened in attitude.
Read MoreKaren Celestino-Horseman: We need to be saved from the Legislature
Young professionals will certainly want to move to Indiana once they understand how our Legislature is so forward-thinking.
Read MoreBrian Schutt: School boards should remain nonpartisan
Polarized races inherently attract the politically extreme and push away moderates.
Read MoreDeborah Daniels: Indiana’s high smoking rate impacts businesses
Any discerning employer will think twice if faced with the choice between Indiana and another state with a lower smoking rate.
Read MoreDr. Richard Feldman: Patients deserve transparency from providers
Confusion is prevalent because disclosure of the type of health professional performing the service is not always clear.
Read MoreJennifer Wagner Chartier: Pay attention: Gen Z is highly engaged in politics
Overlooking or underestimating Gen Z voters would be a critical mistake for any campaign or candidate.
Read MoreWhitley Yates: We must balance being socially aware and self-aware
Both virtue signaling and performative outrage can contribute to a sense of cynicism and apathy toward social issues.
Read MoreMarshawn Wolley: Can Black community reclaim its agency on murder?
While I remain optimistic—we absolutely must do better.
Read MoreClaire Fiddian-Green: We must act quickly on youth mental health crisis
The obvious place to target interventions for young people is K-12 schools, where almost all children and teenagers spend most of their time.
Read MorePierre Atlas: War has been a geopolitical disaster for Putin
In response to Russia’s aggression, NATO will soon have two new members.
Read MoreSpecial SectionsBack to Top
2023 Health Care Heroes: Center fights physician burnout
The center operates with four goals: Reduce and alleviate the stress of practicing medicine, improve work/life balance, bring joy to the practice of medicine and develop, coach and mentor physicians at each stage of their career.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Fetal Center at Riley now performs in-utero surgeries
And last year, the center became the first and only fetal surgery program in the state when it performed the first in-utero surgery in Indiana for a complicated twin pregnancy last November.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Doctor creates tools to measure pain, anxiety
Dr. Kurt Kroenke has developed multiple brief questionnaires for patients to report a range of symptoms and concerns to
their physician.
2023 Health Care Heroes: Doctor volunteers at free clinic
As medical director of the clinic, Dr. Robert Cater spends three Saturdays a month voluntarily treating uninsured and underinsured Pike Township residents.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Physician works toward life-span care for patients
Sickle cell disease lasts a patient’s entire life. Many people end up dying from it. So their care needs to follow their life span, Dr. Andrew O’Brien said.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Doctor focuses on building relationships with patients
Dr. Maria Wilson didn’t grow up dreaming of being a doctor, in part because it never occurred to her to be a doctor. She had never seen a Black female doctor. So she went to college with the intent of becoming a special education teacher.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Fair tragedy leads chaplain to career
In 2021, IU Health Methodist staff cared for more than 4,000 trauma patients; on average, the hospital treated more than 10 trauma patients a day.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Professor studies cognitive decline in older adults
At the Indiana School of Nursing, she’s become a nationally recognized expert in cognitive function who has dedicated her research to improving the quality of life in older adults living with cognitive impairment through positive health, strength-based and family-centered interventions.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Nurse serves moms, babies from Central, South America
Gloria Rivera serves Spanish-speaking women and their families, providing them with counsel, support and guidance on achieving a healthy pregnancy and birth, and keeping babies safe as well as helping them reach critical developmental milestones.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Program helps expectant moms
The program is offered at Community Hospital East and Community Hospital South and in Madison County at Community Hospital Anderson.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Team makes inroads with Burmese community
Through its Community Health Improvement Department, Franciscan Health for years has tried to provide services that help the refugees overcome some of the enormous challenges they face.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Program teaches Mind-Body Medicine model to community
The collaborative offers self-care workshops to anyone facing a high-stress environment, whether that’s professional or personal.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Therapy dogs lift spirits at Ascension hospitals
Paws To Heal is a program of Paws & Think, a not-for-profit that pairs therapy dogs with schools, detention centers, youth agencies and more.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Volunteer feels at home at Simon
Elyse Turula said that, as she has spent more time at the cancer center, more opportunities have opened up.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Former nurse visits hospital with comfort dog
The duo provide comfort largely to hospital staff.
Read More2023 Health Care Heroes: Greeter sets tone at hospital each week
Ellen Mutzl picks up a double volunteer shift each Wednesday, spending eight hours at the hospital.
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