MAY 20-26, 2022
Penske Entertainment, the owner of the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, announced in July 2020 that it planned to launch programs to diversify the series’ teams, hire more people of color as contractors and employees at the track and expand the sports fan base. Nearly two years in, experts and advocates say Penske has made significant progress but there’s still much to be done. IBJ’s Mickey Shuey has the story. Also in this week’s issue: As Indiana Republican lawmakers prepare to override Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of a law that would bar transgender girls from participating in girls’ K-12 sports, activist groups on both sides of the issue are ramping up their lobbying efforts. And Daniel Bradley reports that construction is starting on the first piece of a massive mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Noblesville that will add more than 200 apartments units by 2025.
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Penske focuses diversity efforts on hiring, contractors, kids
Penske Entertainment is nearly two years into its formal effort to promote diversity at the Speedway and in open-wheel racing. Experts and advocates say firm has made significant progress, but there’s still much more to do.
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Legislature poised to enact transgender athlete ban
As Indiana Republican lawmakers prepare Tuesday to override Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto and enact a new law that would bar transgender girls from participating in girls’ K-12 sports, activist groups on both sides of the issue are ramping up their lobbying efforts.
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Noblesville project aims to bring more dwellings closer to historic square
Construction is starting to shape the first piece of a massive mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Noblesville that will add more than 200 apartment units by 2025.
Read MoreFire protection firm sweeping across Midwest
Indianapolis-based CertaSite is gobbling up companies quickly to expand its reach.
Read MoreQ&A with Leigh Ann Hirschman: Passion is the thread connecting her career
Hirschman is returning to her roots as a classically trained pianist as the development leader at the American Pianists Association.
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Mark Montieth: Lead-up to 1972 Pacers’ championship was a slog
The Indiana Pacers’ 1972 championship, clinched on May 20 in Uniondale, New York, was the second of the three captured by the franchise in the ABA, bookended by those in 1970 and 1973.
Read MoreIndianapolis-based ed-tech startup XR Technologies to launch teacher licensure program
Indianapolis-based XR Technologies, which hires math teachers with non-traditional backgrounds and places them in classrooms around the state, has received approval to launch a teacher licensure program that the company says will help it scale its reach beyond the state’s borders.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway teams with Caesars on sports betting lounge
The lounge is part of a larger agreement between the gambling company and Indianapolis Motor Speedway that makes Caesars the official sports betting partner of the racetrack and the Indy 500.
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FDA approves Lilly diabetes drug that helps patients lose weight
The drug has been closely watched by medical professionals and is viewed by financial analysts as a possible blockbuster, with potential annual sales in the billions of dollars.
Read MoreACLU of Indiana lawsuit says Boone County blocked resident from Facebook page
The complaint says Boone County blocked a resident from the county’s Facebook page after he wrote his voting plans for the May 3 election.
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Catapult Indiana helps prepare workers for manufacturing jobs
Combining 80 hours of classroom instruction with 80 hours of hands-on training, Catapult addresses entry-level skills that could lead to job opportunities along assembly lines, supply chains and in machine operations.
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Editorial: New federal grant program could ease Indy traffic deaths
The need is tragically apparent, especially in Indianapolis. As The Indianapolis Star reported in a recent series, pedestrian deaths alone have accounted for 148 traffic fatalities in the city over the past five years, nearly double the number reported from 2006 to 2010.
Read MoreNate Feltman: Penske’s passion is good for city, state
Miles, McMillian, Gonzales, Saul and their colleagues are building an even more special product that is accessible to a broader audience.
Read MoreBill Oesterle: Rural Republicans don’t need politicos pandering to them
I have always found rural voters smart. They are practical and discerning. In 2004, Mitch appealed to that practicality when he asked, “Why don’t we start with the problems we all agree on?” They responded overwhelmingly.
Read MoreSarah Riordan: Justice Campus is major investment—without tax hike
Future developments on the 140-acre campus will include a professional building to house the Public Defenders Office and Probation Department, a Youth and Family Services Center, and coroner and forensics facilities.
Read MoreMandy Haskett: How bright people deal with ‘Debbie Downers’
A moniker for our culture’s doomsday dwellers, Debbie Downer is defined (irrespective of gender) as, “a negative or pessimistic person; a person who speaks only of the bad or depressing aspects of something and lessens the enthusiasm or pleasure of others.”
Read MorePete the Planner: Trust is important element in adviser relationship
In a professional setting, a trusted relationship can take an otherwise risky proposition and turn it into an enjoyable experience that helps you achieve your goals more efficiently.
Read MoreCecil Bohanon & Nick Curott: Price gouging proposal isn’t sound economic policy
A federal price gouging law would not lower inflation because it does nothing to address its cause.
Read MoreLetters: Internships can help fill skills gap
I believe that Indiana businesses and schools can partner together to create high school and college internship and apprenticeship programs like the one that started my career.
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Vote fails to declare Carmel City Council member’s seat vacant
Bruce Kimball, who represents Carmel’s Central District, last attended a council meeting in December 2020 before he suffered a stroke.
Read MorePR veteran picked to lead Governor’s Workforce Cabinet
Longtime public relations strategist Whitney Ertel will take the job May 31, succeeding Patrick McGrew.
Read MoreJaworowski to seek recount after House District 32 primary separated by six votes
Election results certified Monday showed Fred Glynn received 1,844 votes to Suzie Jaworowski’s 1,838.
Read MoreHundreds of apartments, townhomes proposed in southeast Indy by S.C.-based firm
The complex at 4822 E. Edgewood Ave. would consist of 280 apartments and 96 townhomes, as well as four commercial outlots. But the nearly 20-acre footprint needs to be rezoned.
Read MoreIndianapolis-based Resultant acquires Texas-based consulting firm
Indianapolis-based technology consulting and analytics firm Resultant has acquired Teknion Data Solutions, which is based in the Dallas metro area. It’s the fourth and largest acquisition Resultant has made in the past three years.
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