MARCH 17-23, 2014
In this week's issue, Chris O'Malley provides a rare window into a fight between Toyota dealers in the Indianapolis area. Ed Martin Toyota has been given the green light to move from Anderson to Fishers, which has set horns blaring at nearby Butler Toyota (as well as at two other Indy dealers). Also, Greg Andrews examines the decline of Washington Square Mall, an unusual dud in the Simon Property Group portfolio. And in A&E, Lou Harry pays a visit to Rockstone Pizzeria & Pub in Fishers, which lives up to its name.
Front PageBack to Top
Toyota dealers trying to stop Ed Martin’s relocation
Butler Auto Group has been selling Toyotas in Indianapolis since 1966. Ed Martin Auto Group has been selling Toyotas in Anderson since the 1980s. So when Toyota Motor Sales USA recently allowed Martin to move its dealership 20 miles west, to Noblesville, Rob Butler started seeing red.
Read MorePalladium construction lawsuits costing panel millions
The cash-strapped Carmel Redevelopment Commission has spent more than $6 million since 2009 “responding to, defending and settling” legal claims from contractors involved in construction of the city’s Palladium concert hall.
Read MoreUniversity Loft’s founder now building electric cars
The founder of University Loft Co., one of the nation’s biggest suppliers of college dorm room and military base furniture, is now venturing into the world of alternative transportation.
Read MoreTop StoriesBack to Top
WTHR last of local affiliates to roll out robotic cameras
Several production staffers at WTHR-TV Channel 13 could wind up looking for work in the months ahead as the NBC affiliate becomes the last of the local stations to extensively automate studio functions.
Read MoreLawmakers create an exit plan for takeover schools
A bill passed by the Indiana General Assembly this year could help bring takeover schools out of their status as islands and reconnect them to larger school systems.
Read MoreWashington Square’s woes leave it at bottom of heap
The east-side mall's occupancy has fallen to 43.8 percent, down from was 86.6 percent in 2011 and 77.2 percent in 2012.
Read MoreAnthem, Franciscan sign accountable care contract
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has signed a new kind of contract with the Franciscan Alliance hospital system that allows Franciscan to make more money only if it saves money for Anthem.
Read MoreVillage of West Clay developer suspending operations
Brenwick Development Co. claims a switch in lenders has halted about $7 million in land sales in the mammoth mixed-use community in Carmel. The firm has filed suit against the banks.
Read MoreTiming looks right for Biomet IPO
After private equity firms paid $11.4 billion for Biomet Inc. just months before the onset of a prolonged downturn, they are now trying to take the company public when U.S. consumer sentiment is on the upswing.
Read MoreRed Cross rethinking downtown HQ design, delaying land swap
Re-examination of the scope of the not-for-profit group’s project has stalled progress on a three-way property exchange that would clear the way for a massive apartment project on Massachusetts Avenue.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
Gaffes to avoid while doing global business
From baring the sole of one’s shoe to giving a time piece and chilling the wine, opportunities to offend abound.
Read MoreForeign trade zone status easier to come by
Shielding items from customs duties has become cheaper, quicker.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
MAURER: Turning Hoosiers into leaders
Tobias Center’s Hoosier Fellows experiential leadership program offers unmatched opportunities.
Read MoreRUSTHOVEN: Donnelly wisely bucks his president
On March 5, Joe Donnelly joined six other Senate Democrats and all Republicans, including Dan Coats, in rejecting President Obama’s nomination of Debo Adegbile to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Hoosier senators did the right thing.
Read MoreGUY: Don’t run education like a business
Disagreements about education reform result from conflicting models: the business model and the social model. Governors such as Daniels and Pence, reflecting their backgrounds and support structures, tend toward the business model. Superintendent Ritz, with almost 35 years as a teacher/communications coordinator in elementary schools, is more aligned with the social model.
Read MoreFEIGENBAUM: Budget concerns push big ideas into next year
Amazing how deadlines—particularly pushing them forward—can ensure compromise in the General Assembly’s conference committee process.
Read MoreHicks: Local government should track job growth, too
Before we get down to evaluating economic development incentives, we ought to understand just what it means to “create a job” and how we can honestly evaluate tax incentive policies.
Read MoreKim: Investors must play to win to reach long-term goals
Whether an athletic contest or the “game” of investing, many factors determining whether we win or lose are beyond our control. However, we can control how we approach the game and respond as events unfold, which can be just as important.
Read MoreThink twice before deregulating utilities
For decades, our state has enjoyed low, stable electricity prices due in large measure to using Indiana’s abundant natural resource—coal. However, federal environmental mandates have eroded that advantage as our electric utilities have had to make expensive investments to comply with stricter rules.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
More hiring coming to Indiana?
At first blush, a poll that suggests 40 percent of Hoosier businesses plan to invest money into their business this year sounds promising.
Read MoreFormer Bloomington official charged in scheme
The U.S. attorney's office in Indianapolis said Wednesday that 43-year-old Justin Wykoff faces 24 counts of embezzlement for allegedly approving fraudulent invoices, often for concrete work that was never done.
Read MoreNoble of Indiana buffs up image
Noble of Indiana has launched a rebranding initiative, signaling a renewed emphasis on the not-for-profit’s mission to support individuals with developmental disabilities.
Read MoreDeveloper to break ground on Fort Ben project
The 36,000-square-foot building will house 27,000 square feet of office suites. The remainder will be retail, with the local Jockamo's Pizza chain slated to open a restaurant in the largest space.
Read MoreRokita takes on FAA medical rule
General aviation pilots abhor the Federal Aviation Authority’s third-class medical certificate, which requires them to get a physical from an FAA-approved doctor every two years, but the industry has yet to take down that bureaucratic hurdle.
Read MorePROXY CORNER: Lakeland Financial Corp.
Warsaw-based Lakeland Financial Corp. is a holding company for Lake City Bank, which has about $3.2 billion in assets. Lakeland has a regional headquarters at 96th and Meridian streets in Indianapolis.
Read More