Erika Malone 0:00

This week on Beyond the Headlines, we take a look at the high school football sports season. Bargersville okay's a two-phase 18% zero rate increase, and Johnson County Irete scores are growing. From the Daily Journal, this is Beyond the Headlines, a local news podcast focused on stories shaping Johnson County. So James, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Not too bad. I guess it's we'll be a week away from the first uh week of football season starts on the 21st and uh got nine games and then playoffs, and then we'll just kind of see who stands at the top as one of the best. Uh if anybody and Creep Kings from Johnson County can have that opportunity. But uh we'll see by the you know this time in November who's uh possible state champion.

Erika Malone 1:13

Yeah, and you guys will you'll be busy.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

We'll be busy, yes.

Erika Malone 1:16

Yeah, lot lots of night games and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, and then we've got to add soccer and volleyball and those other things into it. But yeah, football Friday nights are uh they're huge, they're fun. Uh they're a lot of fun, but there's a lot of work that we have to we have to do with me, Mike Bees, and our correspondents. So we'll be at too many games as we can be uh throughout the season.

Erika Malone 1:34

I bet, yeah. Well, let's go ahead and uh let's go through some of the teams and uh you kind of give me a rundown of uh how the team's looking and uh what what can people expect?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Well, we'll start with Cynergrove, A, because they come first in the alphabet, and B because they've they're a perennial power uh in what they do. Uh the multiple state champion. Um in fact, when uh I mean five, yeah, five state championships, uh the last in 2022. Last year they got a step away uh in semi-state from going back to uh state championship game last year, losing to now back conference for Warren Central. And that's first probably the first thing is that Center Grove is getting back into the Metropolitan Intergalastic Conference. So that's a big thing for them because for the last couple of years they've been an independent, so they've had to find games. So now they're back in the sense where they they they've got back in the conference, so you'll see Warren and Carmel and Carol and Ben Davis and North Central and all the Lawrence Central and all those old rivals, okay. So yeah, the good thing about that is they know where they're at, they don't have to worry about, at least coaching wise, which which affects everything in the travel. That's one of the big things for them. But they're always loaded. So whether they're independent or back of the conference or not, they're gonna be a team that everyone in Flash 6A is looking to uh to say will be one of the best teams around because they're the one of the best teams around. They're always a team that people will say in the championship hunt will be Centergrove.

Erika Malone 3:01

Yeah. Well, and I know a lot of teams around here, they're uh they're always they work hard to try and beat Center Grove too. So just because they're a top contender.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Yeah, and Center Grove, I always say this. Uh they they do a great job at, I mean, that's the goal for every program that they have, whether it be baseball, boys' wrestling, uh, boys-girl soccer, softball, whatever it is, their goal is to try to win a state championship because they get close to it. And, you know, Eric uh Moore has been there for 30 plus years, and or has been a coach for 30 plus years, and uh, you know, uh 265 wins at center row, you know, just a uh a class coach uh and has been leading a class program since he's gotten there.

Erika Malone 3:42

Yeah. Any uh specific players that uh people should watch out for that maybe could um make it big?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Yeah, they're always gonna keep rolling. Just a couple, uh they've got the returning quarterback back Oscar Sloan. One of the most interesting things about them last year was uh uh a lot of the injuries that they had to their running back staff. Uh uh they lost their first three running backs throughout the season. And again, this was a team that still made it to uh you know semi-state last year. So so uh so they're you know they're gonna be back, but uh they're gonna have Ricky Lang and uh uh Jaden Biggers staff helping out the offense. Uh that's gonna be a big thing. Offensive line is gonna be a little bit of a question just because they lose a lot there. Um, but you know, the again it's center girl, so it's just the next man up. So defensively, they also have people like uh uh Kobe Cherry, um and CJ Syfreach and guys like that to help them. So they're gonna have a lot of young kids that are gonna come back. A couple of them will be uh Trayton McNair, Cam Linder, and Keaton Thagness. So those some guys on the defensive line are gonna help uh help bring them through. But it like I said, it's just it's just the next step up with them, they're gonna continue on what they've been doing for the last you know few years.

Erika Malone 4:48

Yeah. Well, it sounds good. It'll be uh interesting to see uh how they play uh this coming uh school year. So um, but what about uh some of the other schools uh in the county too? Let's uh maybe let's take a look at uh Franklin or something, or um, what do you think?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Well, Franklin Grizzly Clubs again under Chris Cole, the behiston season there. Uh always a group, you know, always a team that's fighting, you know, for sexual championships, for regional championships. Um, and they'll be they'll be doing the same again this year. Uh, you know, uh returning a pretty big uh uh senior class, especially defensively, and that's where they kind of have uh held their hat on the last couple years defensively. Um, you know, they haven't won a sexual title since 1984, but they've been knocking on the door and getting close every year. That's kind of one of those years where Chris Cole kind of feels like after going four and six last year, uh, you know, they they they have the they have what they need to maybe make a run this year.

Erika Malone 5:43

Yeah. And uh I know there uh there's some uh in-county rivalry too, so we'll see some uh some rival games as well, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Well, you always want to go Franklin Whiteland is always a great game to go to. That uh that's one of the classic ones. Uh Franklin, Greenwood's gonna be a great classic, and that's always a great battle this year. We're not going to see Whiteland and Greenwood this year. Uh Whiteland moved up to 6A, and uh Greenwood's moving over to a different conference, and we'll talk about that in just a second. So you won't see that that football game, but you'll see India, Indian Creek, and Greenwood, and they'll fight each other this year. So always great teams uh uh in that sense. Uh those schools don't generally play at Center Grove just because they they they played a little bit higher level and they want to make sure you know they played a little bit different level. So uh the rest of the schools, you know, try to find competition that way. Uh, but yeah, all the local games are always gonna be great uh in that sense, and always a great thing to go to.

Erika Malone 6:37

Yeah. Any uh top players at Franklin uh um you know people should uh look into?

SPEAKER_00 6:42

The best is gonna be Chris or Corey Conte. Uh he's gonna be the starting running back coming back. Um he just had a great year last year. Uh 1,347 yards. He was all state, all conference, all county, of course. Uh so he's gonna be a kid. Uh uh that's gonna get things done. Um but they're like I said, their defense, uh, when you just kind of go through and look at their uh return to defense line, they got Addy Toe, uh uh they got Kellen, uh Kellen Falur, some guys like that that really made an impact last year. They're all coming back. Uh it's a big senior laden group. Uh so this is kind of one of those years that that you know, Franklin Hopes, you know, like I said, this could be the kind of year that we make a run in their own right.

Erika Malone 7:24

For sure. And now you mentioned Greenwood. Um, you know, they're uh they've moved up a little bit too.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

Well, Greenwood's moving over to a different conference. Gotcha. Uh they're moving over to the uh Who's Your Legends, uh, Who's Your Legends Conference. Uh they're gonna get there with Indian Creek. So uh for Greenwood, it was just uh they were in the mid-state conference, they're one of the uh founders, uh, but they're just kind of looking to uh just change the competition level that they're they're having to face. So they feel like uh taking that. And I won't call it a step down or anything like that. It's just a different uh uh, you know, it's just a different uh rum competition for them. So they're excited about that. Like I said, you'll get the now local conference rivalry between Indian Creek and good Greenwood. And you know, Justin Bilzer, he's been there for four, this is his fourth year. And it's always a transition when you get to your fourth year. Their biggest thing last year was they had injuries uh to a lot of people. And as long as they don't have those same injuries, they'll be fine. Uh uh, so they'll have people coming back like Brady Smith. Uh, he he was the quarterback that benefited from the injuries that they had last year. Their big kid's gonna be Benjamin Homo, though, uh top wide receiver. Uh he's a great track athlete, great basketball player, uh, so he can do it all. So they have the tools there uh to overcome the season that they had last year, which was two and eight. But like I said, it was a lot of injuries, and things got better for them as the season went along because some guys got got back, but they just could never get really going the way that they thought they were going to uh from the beginning of the season, um, you know, when those injuries started.

Erika Malone 8:54

Yeah. And now we were talking a little bit uh earlier. Um they also moved to eight-man football.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

So that's Greenwood Christian. Don't worry, I do that a lot myself. You've got Greenwood, Greenwood Christian. So yeah, Greenwood Christian uh because of a lack of uh turnout, uh they're gonna play an eight-man schedule this year. Um uh uh coach Dobson's been out there for you know a couple years now. And it's it, you know, it it's not anything that you want to do uh to have to, you know, go from eleven to eight-man, but at the same time, you don't want to just get rid of the program completely. Right because then you have to build it up. And remember, they've only had uh 11-man football for a couple years uh at Greenwood Christian anyway. So uh they want to make sure that they kept things going. So they're going to eight-man this year, uh, which is a little bit different. Uh but I said Andre Dawson's been out there for five years, so they're gonna keep it going. So they won't be in any of the main competition of the IHSA uh playoffs that way, but they'll still be playing.

Erika Malone 9:50

Okay. I've personally never heard of eight-man football before, so that's an interesting concept.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Well, yeah, if you go to Nebraska, Texas, uh especially Texas, Nebraska, and some smaller states where it's harder for them to uh, you know, where the high schools are maybe 150 people, yeah, you know, things like that, you have to do it that way. So, but you know, it's just a different game. It's a wide open game. You still have the lineman, you still run, uh, it's on a smaller field, but it's still football. You know, it's almost like it's almost it's almost a version of flag football in its own way, but you still attack.

Erika Malone 10:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

When you really when you really think about it. So that's gonna be a great thing for for Greenwich Christian.

Erika Malone 10:24

Yes. Well, and speaking of um schools getting uh football again, Edinburgh.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yep, Jimmy Starks is out there. Uh I'll be talking to him soon. And just the fact that they're gonna have a season is something they're they're they're excited about. Of course, they had some injury problems themselves last year, um, so they had to cancel their season, which is something they know that they never want to do. And you know, Edinburgh's the true rural program that that worries about numbers every year. But uh under uh Jimmy Starks, they said that they probably have 30 or 40 kids out there, which is perfect. That means you can at least do a practice. You'll still have some people going both ways, but you can practice. If you do have some injuries, you can have a kid that can come in and step up and things differently that way. So that's always a good thing for them. So, you know, wins or losses, who knows what that'll be. The fact that they'll be out there every Friday night playing, I think it's the main thing that the the Edinburgh's happy about being Smith, the athletic director. Yeah. That's what they're all happy about, is to have that opportunity to play every Friday.

Erika Malone 11:20

And it's such a tight-knit community, too. So you know those games are gonna be packed.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

I see it about everybody. Everyone, every school has great people, but they have great people down at Edinburgh, and they're just as dedicated as they are at the bigger schools, whether it be Center Grove, Franklin, uh, Warren Central, Bloomington South, whatever school you want to name, Carmel, whatever it is, they are just as dedicated down there at Edinburgh. And I won't say more so, but they because they know the challenges that they've got. Yeah. So for them, really getting out there and playing is the main thing. They just want to get out there and play and compete.

Erika Malone 11:50

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how their season goes.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Yeah.

Erika Malone 11:52

So, but let's uh let's move to Indian Creek. I know uh they're gonna they have they're gonna be facing Greenwood uh in some games. So uh how's their season looking?

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Now Indian Creek is they are another team that is poised uh to do something big with Max Gooden going in in his uh uh third year there. Uh they have 20-something seniors coming back uh off an eight-and-four year, and the potential for them is pretty good. I mean, really it is. They don't want to sit there and say that they've got state championship in their sights, but they're the type of team. If everything goes the right way, a state championship could happen for them. Uh, they've got people like Evan, uh Evan Clark coming back, Drew Pennington coming back. So they've got a lot of their offense coming back, and they've got a great player and uh Alex Burris, uh, who is one of the top kids in the state. He's already being mentioned as an all-state uh potential player. Uh uh, so they've got that back. And then their defense, and when I say this in high school, they only gave up four touchdowns in four games last year, and you go, that's not, you know, that doesn't sound, but this is high school football. You're truly gonna give up about three or four touchdowns every game, just because the way it works, because you're evenly matched, things happen. So uh, you know, Indian Creek's defense was really solid, and they had bring a lot of people back on that side. So when you look at them eight and four last year, uh with the potential with all the seniors, like I said, the 20 seniors coming back, uh and they got that taste of okay, this is what a sexual championship is like because they hadn't won one since 2011. Uh, now they're going for their first regional championship in 2010. So now the taste is there. So, you know, why not try to do it again? So Max has done a great job there at Indy Creek, and you know, they're they're a team that's going to be talked about uh throughout the year as a as a potential team to get to the the three three three A state championship.

Erika Malone 13:42

Yeah, that'll that'll be interesting to see as well. So well, and I think uh we just have Whiteland left. Um Clark, you know, Clark Pleasant. Uh, you know, they've always been uh they're a pretty large school too, so they uh they might uh be a top contender as well.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Well Darren Fisher always does a great job out there at Whiteland. Uh they might be on the opposite side of the sentence because they lost a lot of seniors last year. Uh so uh, you know, you never want to say rebuilding because again, people can come in, step up, and just take the next step. Uh, but at the same time, uh they lost a lot of people last year. So it's just gonna be a matter of uh if guys like Ethan uh uh Stuggill and Brandon Yates and those guys can and Liam Paul, who are some of the guys that played last year, and they get an opportunity to come back. You know, what what what what what what do they do when they get on the field? They got great athletes like Caden Lee out there, uh Carter Walkins, uh Braddon Yates, like I said. So they've got kids that are gonna be coming back. Is nine and three possible? Yes. But it's them, but they're a young team. Yeah. So it's just gonna be see if they can get over, you know, all the pits and falls that a young team has after, you know, graduating a lot of experience like they did.

Erika Malone 14:55

Yeah, that's awesome. You know, being the education reporter, um, I actually interview a lot of athletes too, maybe not in necessarily sports sense, but um, you know, just if they're involved in other extracurriculars, and it's always uh, you know, nice to see when uh when they do talk about all the stuff that they're involved in and uh, you know, just to kind of see uh what the season has in uh in store for them.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

So and that's a good like I said, that's a great thing about everyone. For example, I was talking to Max Gooden for our preview. I was talking doing that today, talking to him, and when we're talking about Alex Burris, a kid that we brought up, uh he's third in his class.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

You know, and a lot of these youth uh athletes are that way. Eleanor Stevenson, who was in track, she had like a 399 GPA, and she was not happy about that. Madison Judge, you know, uh Grayson Gilliard. There's all these athletes that have great GPA. So I've always been amazed how they do match the academics with the athletics because they are student athletes, but that that the students here really pride themselves on on doing well academically, because of course that helps in your future endeavors if you can both be an athlete and and be a mind on campus and be a true student athlete, elite athl athlete that way back in the Roman Romanian and Germanic, you know, Germany or Roman and times that we were thinking about having that being that full type of person where you're artistic and you're athletic all up time, you know. Yeah. The L O beat and the idea of Jack of all trades. Jack of all trades, what a knight is. A knight is both fierce on the field, but a gentleman in or a lady in other places. So that's what a lot of these athletes are. They they fill that dual role well.

Erika Malone 16:28

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, thanks, James, for uh the preview, and uh it'll be nice to see what um what these teams shape into. And uh yeah, we'll probably do some more of these for just some different sports and stuff, but I appreciate you coming on.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Not a problem. Thanks a lot.

Erika Malone 16:42

Want your business to reach our listeners in Johnson County and beyond? Reach out to the Daily Journal by calling 317-736-2730 to ask about our advertising opportunities. Hello everyone and welcome back. I have Howie with me here this time. Uh, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 17:00

I'm doing good. It's uh been a long week. Yes.

Erika Malone 17:04

Yes, absolutely. I uh we've had uh we had James on here earlier talking about high school sports and um how the football season is shaping up, but we have some other news going on um this week too. So and uh, you know, it's been it's been a pretty uh pretty chill but rainy week. Very, very rainy. Um and we're seeing that all across the the state too. Um but uh speaking of water somewhat, um Bargersville sewer rates are increasing.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Oh boy.

Erika Malone 17:34

Yeah. Um, which no one really likes to hear that. No. Um, but this meeting was really interesting. Um, so town council uh unanimously approved a two-phase sewer rate increase despite a notably quiet public hearing. No one uh no residents turned out to, you know, to ask questions about this. But what was interesting is the council took um quite kind of like lengthy pauses between uh during council discussion and before making a decision. Um, which usually, you know, typically in meetings, um they kind of make decisions kind of fast. And this is just my observation, but it um they took quite a few minutes of pausing and it seemed like no one really wanted to make the motion at first. Um, and then so Ruth Ann Moore, one of the council members, she made um a motion after a few minutes. Um, and then uh the president, Andrew Greenwood, ended up second seconding the motion, which typically doesn't happen because of his position and leadership as the pres the council president. So again, it was just a really interesting meeting to kind of be a part of and see like I think it showed like the weight of what that decision would be because again, these rates will rise to a total of 18.8% over the two-phase increase. Um sewer bills will increase by nine percent in um on October 1st and another nine percent January 1st of next year.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

So when you were saying um that it was relatively quiet and no residents went up and spoke, now were there residents at that meeting that just didn't go up to speak, or was this I think from from what I observed, there there were a couple of residents there, but um again, no one spoke during the public hearing. And then just taking it in, yeah, listening.

Erika Malone 19:22

Um, you know, just kind of seeing what that was about. Um, but yeah, I think just seeing the pauses of the council members again just kind of showed the weight of that decision.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Yeah, they really needed to think about it before they sell anything.

Erika Malone 19:35

It's a very, very interesting meeting.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Yeah, and I think that those pauses show that they they care, they want to make the best decision. Yeah. Um, but how will this decision uh impact residents and ratepayers?

Erika Malone 19:46

So let's take a look at a household that's using about 4,000 gallons per month. They will see um their sewer bill rise from $54.81 to $65 and 12 cents after the second phase. Yes. So this is an increase of about ten dollars and thirty-one cents per month, um, which is uh quite a quite a jump. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

What's the what's the reason for that rate increase?

Erika Malone 20:09

Yeah, so um there's uh a couple of things. The rate adjustment is primarily tied to Bargersville's uh $6.4 million purchase of the Waverly wastewater treatment plant, uh, which once belonged to Morgan County. The town also um has to cover approximately $420,000 annually in bond payments beginning in 2027 to satisfy to satisfy the state revolving funds financial requirements that require revenues to exceed debt obligations. So the Waverly plant already had a bond in place. So pretty much they're taking on uh Morgan County's debt um that's associated with the plant. Yeah. Um, so but inflation are is also played a role in this as well. Uh officials said the increase accounts for roughly three years of inflation, which has added an estimated 10 to 12 percent in costs since the last rate adjustment took effect in 2023. Yeah. Um, the acquisition of the plant is designed to support long-term sewer capacity needs and future development along the I-69 corridor in both Johnson and Morgan counties. And um, the Waverly uh facility currently handles about 60,000 gallons uh per day and serves existing homes in and the Waverly Elementary School. Um, but future development is gonna require an expansion. Um, so a proposed upgrade that's in their Subarmaster plan could increase the capacity to 600,000 gallons per day, though the estimated cost for that project is around 21 um and uh 21.5 uh 55 million over the next five years. So a large, a large cost. Yeah. Um current rate increases cover the existing bonds and uh budget needs, but any future plan expansion would have to go uh would have. To undergo uh a separate financial analysis and could lead to additional rate discussions as well. So, but even with this increase, they're still uh their their typical sewer rate still falls between Franklin and Greenwoods as well.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

So I can see now why they took uh a while to make that decision. That is quite the increase.

Erika Malone 22:19

It it's quite the increase. So residents are gonna see a jump in their sewer bills. Um, but yeah, so uh that was a decision that they made.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

All right. So uh what stories up next?

Erika Malone 22:30

Yeah. Um, so i read scores also were released as well. So Indiana's third grade literacy rate climbed to 88.7 percent on the 2025-26 iRead assessment of one and a half, yeah, up one and a half percentage points from last year and seven and a half points since 2021. So this is surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Oh, good.

Erika Malone 22:52

Yeah. Um, so the state's goal is still um to get a 95% reading proficiency by 2027 uh statewide. Uh this year, 511 elementary schools, which is about 40% statewide, already met that benchmark, which is more than double um the number in 2023. So we are seeing it grow. Um, Johnson County schools are largely keeping pace with the statewide gains and with all but one local district posting year over year improvements.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Well, that's awesome that they're making their way towards that goal. Yeah. Uh that's a great goal to have. Um, uh, what are the highlights from uh the scores that you saw?

Erika Malone 23:30

Yeah, so um kind of going uh district by district, uh Centergrove led the county with 95.4% proficiency, exceeding the state goal for the second consecutive year.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Good job, Center Grove.

Erika Malone 23:42

Yeah. Um and Wheland Elementary, they reached uh 95.9% proficiency while the district overall improved 91.7%. Yeah. Um Greenwood Community Schools rose 93.6%, with Westwood Elementary posting an impressive 98.7% proficiency rate. And Franklin Community Schools increased to 91.6%, continuing a strong upward trend from 83.82 years ago. Um, Union Elementary in Flank Franklin achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate and the only school in Johnson County to do so. Yeah, which is very impressive. So congrats to those, yeah, congrats to those third graders at Union Elementary um for all of their hard work for sure.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

I remember those that testing week was never easy.

Erika Malone 24:33

No, it was not. Um in Creek uh was the Lone District to see a small decline. Um they dropped slightly to 95.4 percent, uh to 93.6 percent, though it has maintained one of the county's strongest long-term literacy records.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

I mean, that's still good.

Erika Malone 24:50

And it's still good, yeah. Um, Edinburgh uh improved as well to 88.9% proficiency and has increased literacy rates by more than 10% over the past two years, which is a crazy jump. It's it's amazing to see.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

Yeah. So what are some uh trends that you noticed?

Erika Malone 25:07

Yeah, so a lot of the districts credited the science of reading um based instruction, um, you know, something that a lot of districts are uh are using to kind of help literacy coaching as well, those are big helps to students. Um, and also targeting intervate interventions for success for those students that have individual needs and have different learning, you know, uh learning structures, things like that.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

So they're just meeting with them to help them.

Erika Malone 25:33

It's very individualized targeting, you know, students uh that way. Uh, you know, and for students that might have uh might not be good test takers or uh no I would yeah or you know they need help with more reading comprehension or things like that or uh phonics, things like that. Um several districts also reported strong improvements uh among students with special needs as well, including uh Greenwood and Franklin and Edinburgh. Um this includes but are but is not limited to students with IEPs. So um what's an IEP? Yeah, so um for those that don't know what an IEP is, it's a kind of a legal written plan uh designed for students uh who qualify for special education services. So a lot of students with um ABHD or autism or just um need that extra help uh in learning different things. Um those are what IEPs can be used for. Um and then I also noticed Center Grove, Clark Pleasant, and Indian Creek, they saw slight declines in uh special education student pass rates, um, which a lot of this um could be contributed to the cohort um increasing as well, the stu um the special education student population increasing. Um so which leads to a higher rate of students needing to perform. Um so yeah, they're just can uh it's kind of highlighting that area of for continued focus.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

So well, that's something to work on for this next year. Yeah. Um I guess it's current year.

Erika Malone 27:04

Yeah. All overall, great scores. Um, I know uh, you know, all the teachers and administrators put in a lot of hard work and the students, they put in a lot of hard work um to get those scores, and that like we said, testing is not easy. No, it's not.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

Yeah. It looks like their efforts have all paid off. So let's hope they can just continue to raise those scores.

Erika Malone 27:26

Yeah. Um, we're gonna take a quick break and be right back. Like listening to this podcast, you can help support it. Subscribe to the Daily Journal and at subscribe.dailyjournal.net to support your local newspaper and this podcast. Your support helps make everything we do possible. And we're back with our round table, and uh, we got some uh some businesses opening up too. So Howie, uh, why don't you take it away?

SPEAKER_02 27:52

Yeah, so a new steakhouse uh has opened for business in Franklin. 1926 Chop House has officially opened at a Hillview Country Club in Franklin, uh taking over the space previously occupied by Big Woods. Uh I had a chance to go and visit the restaurant. Uh I didn't get a chance to try any food yet. They weren't open. Um, but it's the restaurant just looks amazing. It looks very cozy. You're up against this beautiful backdrop of the of the golf course. It's just it's a viewable.

Erika Malone 28:20

I've seen your pictures and it looks it looks pretty cool. So I bet the food is um just as cool as well.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

Yeah, I need uh plan time to come over for lunch.

Erika Malone 28:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

So they opened on August 4th. Uh they're located at 1800 King Street. Uh East King Street, I should say. Um, although it's located inside the country club, uh the restaurant is open to the public, not just club members. That's something that the owners want me to emphasize. Um, because it is kind of back there.

Erika Malone 28:47

Yeah. Um so you don't have to be a um a membership of you don't have to be a member of the country club to get their key.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

Anybody can donate there. Awesome. The concept was created by Hillview owners Pete and Dana Grimer after Bigwoods chose not to renew lease earlier this year. Um, so instead of bringing in another outside restaurant brand, uh, because they had Scotty's uh but there before they also had Big Woods, uh, the Grimmers just decided to develop and operate their own steakhouse um with the help of restaurant industry consultants. Yep. Um so the restaurant's name honors the year that Hillview Country Club was founded, so it's kind of comes full circle, it's the centennial.

Erika Malone 29:25

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 29:26

So uh lunch offerings include burgers, tender tenderloins, French dip sandwiches, uh, while dinner features steaks and pork chops from Fisher Farms.

Erika Malone 29:35

That sounds good.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Um, ribs, seafood, chicken dishes, and pasta selection. So there's a lot of variety.

Erika Malone 29:41

Yeah, that sounds amazing. I'm hungry already.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

Uh guests can also enjoy signature cocktails, uh, wine by the glass or bottle, and a full bar menu. And they were telling me uh one of their um specialty drinks is something called a Choppuccino.

Erika Malone 29:56

Choppuccino?

SPEAKER_02 29:57

I love that name. Yeah, I didn't get a chance to include that in the story, but that is just such a cool name.

Erika Malone 30:02

Yeah. What is it, like an espresso like martini or cappuccino or something? So okay. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 30:08

Um, also Lou's Den, um, Hillview's separate casual dining area near the golf course and pool. That's still remaining open for breakfast and lunch.

Erika Malone 30:18

Um, so really you can You can have like your whole uh you know, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

You can spend the whole day there. Uh so both Pete and Dana Grimmer, uh, they have personal ties to Hillview. Pete grew up in Franklin and worked in at the club as a light guard as a kid, uh while Dana spent much of her childhood at the club as a member.

Erika Malone 30:40

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

Um so the couple have spent years investing in the property and they previously bought brought in popular restaurants, like I mentioned, Scotty's Brew House and Big Woods. Um, and those partnerships helped introduce more people to Hillview and establish it as a dining destination. Because like I said, it's ki it is kind of back there.

Erika Malone 30:57

So um well it's not and it's not too far from the interstate, uh, if I recall where its location is at. So yeah, it could definitely be a good dining destination for people.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

Yeah. So the former brewery style restaurant underwent a six-month transformation into an upscale yet welcoming steakhouse, and I say it succeeded in that. Yeah. Um Dana Grimmer drew inspiration from uh for her designs from high-end restaurants across Indian and South Florida, which is where they spend half the year. Oh, nice. I could also spend half the year in Florida, I would. I don't like Pulseweather. Um, but the goal is to create a restaurant that feels elevated while remaining comfortable and accessible for families, members, and the public. And they do have kids' menus too, so it it is family-friendly.

Erika Malone 31:40

Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

Yeah. Uh the restaurant celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting attended by uh Franklin Mayor C. Farnett, Franklin Chamber of Commerce representatives, and Congressman Jefferson Shreve. Oh, nice. And Dana was saying that that was uh quite the surprise, and then didn't didn't expect uh Jefferson Shreve to be there.

Erika Malone 31:56

He he might he loves steak just as the rest of us, probably.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

So they also had a soft opening for country club members um that preceded the public launch. So they had a few weeks to uh test the waters, I guess you could say yeah. Um, but early feedback on both the food and the atmosphere has been overwhelmingly positive. Yeah.

Erika Malone 32:15

Well, it sounds great. I I hope I have the opportunity to try it soon, um, because it sounds amazing. So yep. Well, uh, and some other news. Uh we have some news of our own. Yes, uh, best of the south side nominations are open, and we're on the lookout for the best of local. Uh, and we want to know the best of local companies, not big box stores or chains. This is all local businesses. Um, for businesses to be approved for the ballot, it must either be a business in or be located on the south side of Indianapolis. Nominations are open until August 27th, and voting will be held from September 2nd through the 27th.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

So you still got time to get those nominations.

Erika Malone 32:56

Yes. Uh winners will be announced November 28th in a special publication in the Daily Journal and an online directory at dailyjournal.net. To nominate, you can visit dailyjournal.net slash best of southside, all one word. Um, and you can select a section of categories from the menu, then start nominating your favorites in almost 220 categories. Yeah. Each business uh needs only one nomination to move on to the voting round. So this is a fun little thing that we do each year, and it's uh people get into it. So it's it's awesome to see. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Yeah. So get those nominations in and we'll see who comes out victorious.

Erika Malone 33:34

Yeah. Um, well, thank you all so much for tuning in to this episode of Beyond the Headlines and let us know what you'd like to hear by submitting your thoughts to news tips at dailyjournal.net and follow us wherever you get podcasts and leave a review. We hope you tune in next time.

SPEAKER_02 33:47

Yep. See you then.