We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way.
IS IT TRUE that the die is cast for the 2019 election for Mayor of Evansville and for the first time in most people’s lifetime there are not candidates from the two major parties?…Mayor Lloyd Winnecke for all practical purposes is running unopposed when it comes to campaign war chests?…there are two other candidates for Mayor and neither is going to have even 10% of the cash available to spend on campaign ads as Winnecke already has?…the reality is that one of the two third party candidates may well expose things that will not be flattering to Winnecke but it would take a very heinous discovery to keep him from being sworn in for his 3rd term?
IS IT TRUE according to  WRDB TV in Louisville, Ky.slots gaming play is a $5.3 billion in wagers has produced about $80 million in taxes, of which about $51 million has gone to horse industry-related funds and programs, leaving a disappointing $29 million in general tax revenue for the State of Kentucky?
IS IT TRUE according to WRDB TV, Louisville, the Kentucky Supreme Court will weigh in for the second time in a long-running case challenging the legality of the nearly 3,000 slot-like “Historical Horse Racing” machines that have been installed at racetrack-owned venues around the state since 2011.
IS IT TRUE we hope that the new owners of Ellis Park will show their patrons how to use the additional option of betting on past horse races from tracks all over America? …we are told that this feature is available on every “Historical Horse Racing” machine in the State Of Kentucky but is rarely used? Â …in fact this is seemly the best kept secret in Casino gaming in the State of Kentucky?…when you visit a Casino located in the State of Kentucky and play their “Historical Horse Racing” machines please ask their staff members to explain how can you bet on past horse races on their gaming machines?
IS IT TRUE that Palm Springs, CA is about to get a new hockey rink and not one dime of taxpayer money will be spent on the construction?…the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have announced a partnership with Live Nation to bring a 10,000 seat arena with an adjacent practice rink and entertainment area similar to Louisville’s 4th Street Live to downtown Palm Springs?…the arena is slated to open in the Fall of 2021 which will be a record time to compete a $250 million project?…the arena will be on the Agua Caliente reservation so there will be no State of California regulations, litanies of lawsuits, or insane local rules to hamper the construction?…as the reservation is a sovereign nation it is also not subject to the deal killing Davis Bacon laws that were passed in 1931?…if the arena is a big financial winner the Agua Caliente will reap the profits and if it is not they will absorb the losses?…this is how arena’s should be financed?
IS IT TRUE that Palm Springs, California has been chosen by the Seattle National Hockey League franchise as the home of a newly created AHL farm team?…the deal for the team seems to have been sealed by the announcement by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians that they have entered a private partnership that will build a 10,000 seat sports arena on tribal land?…the entire financial package will be born by private investment and will not place the taxpayers at risk period?…this deal may become a model for other locations where politicians fantasize about impossible scenarios to justify building monuments to themselves with public dollars?
IS IT TRUE over the last 15 plus years the CCO has published around 250 “IS IT TRUE” columns per year? Â …each column had an average of seven (7) “IS IT TRUE” statements posted in it? Â …our guesstimate is that the City-County Observer has written and posted around 26,250 “IS IT TRUE” statements over the last 15 plus years?
IS IT TRUE that for more than 15 plus years this column has served the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County as the place to go to learn things that are going on in local government that other media is reluctant to cover?…much good has come from things posted in “IS IT TRUE” and the comment section has for the most part made the City-County Observer the go-to place for open constructive dialog?
IS IT TRUE that in recent history two posters going by the names of Joe Biden and Ronald Reagan have dominated the comment section to push their own private narratives about national politics?…this has diminished the dialog about local topics published in the CCO?…for that reason we decided to launch the “Left Jab And Right Jab” forum where these two and others can argue to their hearts desire about any national subject they like?…we have respectfully asked them to keep their big arguments on the other site?…they are both valued as readers and are welcome to opine on “IS IT TRUE” on the topics addressed in “IS IT TRUE”?
IS IT TRUE that over the years the “IS IT TRUE” column has served the financial health of the taxpayers of Evansville well and we are proud to have done so?…as a reminder one of the earliest breaking stories that the CCO profiled was when a former Mayor and his associates conspired secretly to eliminate the Homestead Tax Credit?…the CCO was alerted to this by one of our most trusted “MOLES” and we exposed this “SNEGAL” (Sneaky but Legal) meeting and the amount of money that the taxpayers of Vanderburgh County were about to be fleeced out of?…that number was $5 million per year which by now has amounted to $50 million that the CCO’s exposure of this sneaky dirty trick saved the taxpayers of Evansville and Vanderburgh County?
IS IT TRUE that once upon a time the recently acquired Vectren Corporation was poised to stick the ratepayers of Southwest Indiana with roughly $30 million for a dense pack upgrade?…between the CCO, Occupy Evansville, and the mobilization effort to bring a meeting of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to Evansville and when push came to shove, Vectren’s best-laid plans were thwarted and the dense pack technology was not passed on to the ratepayers?
IS IT TRUE that from drug addict needles in public playgrounds to potholes and from decrepit sewers to antiquated water pipes, the CCO has been the watchdog for the people against ignorant and malignant local government actions?…the ballfields that should never have been built were cost reduced by roughly $4 million and the CCO lead the charge?…the $50 million mis-gilded “Smart Water Meter” project that were snuck through by the Weinzapfel Administration in its last weeks was opposed and exposed by the CCO and our willingness to do this saved everyone some money?…the CCO outed the Executive Inn debacle and the McCurdy funding nonsense?
IS IT TRUE our finest hour was when we exposed the Earthcare Energy project as a scam and saved an oblivious city council from handing $4 million to a project team that didn’t even have a patent they claimed to have?…through all of this we taught Evansville the meaning of the term VETTING?…we hope this is a lesson that is never forgotten?
Todays “Readers Poll†question is: Do you feel that the newly approved “Sports Book” betting in Indiana are going to hurt the Kentucky Casinos?
We are pleased to provide obituaries from eight (8) area funeral homes at no costs.  Please scroll down our paper and you shall see a listing of them.
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com
FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.”READERS FORUM”Â
Speaking of horse racing… Had a friend go to Ellis Park on Sunday and while the first live day racing meet was enjoyable the ability to leave the facility left much to be desired. With Weinbach closed for high water, 41 was the only escape and the construction coupled with no traffic control (ie temporary lights or human/police assistance) meant sitting for over an hour trying to leave. Hopefully this is being addressed as the ability to get in and out of the business efficiently will greatly impact the bottom line.
I was there as well. Took less than 5 minutes to leave at 5pm. There was a person guiding traffic on the Ellis Park property and 41 has an acceleration / merging lane heading North. It’s for people to utilize – to not sit at the entrance to 41 but to drive, get up to speed and merge with traffic flow. Cars headed south can go around the gas station and turn right onto 41 heading south. Construction isn’t helping but should be finished soon. A light on a major US Highway is not what is needed in that area. I thought exit times were great. Esp with the # of people there. Did you attend or is your post not first hand info?
Launching “Left Jab and Right Jab” was indeed a brilliant move. The two posters mentioned dominated the Comment section for so long, I stopped reading the Comments section in total. Thank you
Comments are closed.