September 5th, 2019
Goodbye to Summer …  
Now that we’ve dutifully stored all our white accessories (to avoid post-Labor Day shaming), we can concentrate on the news of the day. Beyond updates on Hurricane Dorian and a new Colts QB, yes, there is news that actually impacts you and your business. Read on.
Testy About the Test . Certainly providing our future workforce with a solid educational foundation is a priority to OneZone and its members. Yesterday’s news regarding the results of the new state standardized test called ILEARN ( Indiana Learning Evaluation Readiness Network) was a bit of a gut punch as nearly two-thirds of all Indiana students in grades three through eight did not pass , and only 45 of more than 17,000 schools saw test scores increase. In Hamilton County, Carmel Clay Schools students are fourth in the overall state “pass” rate on both the English and math portions of the exam. Meanwhile, both the Governor and the Indiana Superintendent of Schools are asking legislators for a pass in terms of funding tied to test scores. Clearly this wasn't the desired outcome. Hopefully the test authors over at the Indiana Department of Education can work with educators and legislators around the state to reach the ultimate goal: Preparing Indiana students for the workforce tomorrow. 
Hey, Hold It Down Over There! In the evolving saga of the epic neighborhood riff, Carmel City Court Judge Brian Poindexter ruled the Carmel noise ordinance unconstitutional as applied to a lawsuit filed against two Lucas estate workers. (NOTE: The lawsuit filed against the estate regarding violating the zoning ordinance was not affected by this recent Carmel prosecutor ruling.) If you’ve not been keeping up, neighbors to the 116 th estate complained in 2017 of excessive noise and traffic from a newly expanded event center on the Lucas (formerly Hilbert) estate. Since then, the city requested a zoning variance be filed to allow parties (many of which are charitable in nature), which Lucas begrudgingly did only to be denied. That resulted in the fore-mentioned lawsuit as well as an injunction request with Hamilton Superior Court to prevent more events at the estate. Both sides have filed counterclaims and await a ruling. Meanwhile, party like it’s 1999 at the Irsay Pavilion. 
Tune in to One-on-OneZone . In our on-going video series, this week Rep. Jerry Torr sits down with OneZone President Mo Merhoff for a redux of the good, bad and ugly of last legislative session and what’s ahead for the 2020 Indiana General Assembly. Check it out here and consider subscribing to our YouTube channel for timely video updates throughout the year. 
Plus One: ESPN Recognizes Unified Sports at Carmel and Fishers High Schools . Lest you think today’s teens are a selfish lot, check this out: Earlier this spring, ESPN (in partnership with Special Olympics) identified 137 schools nationwide for meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect through Special Olympics’ Unified Champion Schools and Champion Together program – among them Carmel High School and Fishers High School. This week, ESPN announced that Carmel High School is among 34 schools in the Special Olympics Unified Champions Schools National Recognition Program. ESPN’s Kenny Mayne fills us in on the deets . And Congrats ‘Hounds AND Tigers (and 650 schools across Indiana) for your participation in the #InclusionRevolution!