IS IT TRUE December 10, 2014

132

IS IT TRUE that the grand illusion at the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Walnut Street continues as there is no construction going on to begin the new convention hotel that has been the apple of political eyes for the last 6 and a half years?…now that we know the City of Evansville’s $20 Million portion of the cost is between a rock and a hard place from the perspective of bonding attractiveness, we expect that some tough choices are about to be made?…when competent bond counsel advises a client that things will be tight if things do not go perfectly, that is code for two things?…the first thing that is code for is that the interest rate is going to be higher than previously expected?…the second thing that it means is that some further form of guarantee will be necessary to make the bonds attractive to the investment community?…that guarantee will constitute insuring the bonds which cost more money and backing the bonds with a tax increase if the TIF revenues are insufficient to service the debt?…both of these things are likely to be on the table for the Mayor and the City Council to ponder before going forward with a bond issue of $77 Million to subsidize the downtown convention hotel and the IU Medical Center?

IS IT TRUE we live in a world where the leadership of Evansville has toasted $200,000 on an Earthcare deal that without the financial work of outgoing Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley would have cost the taxpayers $5 Million, a Mayor driven effort to spend over $10 Million on Roberts Park, a $13 Million bike path on North Main, and countless other baubles it is no wonder that the City is up against it’s credit limit?…imagine the surprise if all of those other nonsensical projects had been allowed to happen with borrowed money?…if those thing had moved forward we would not even be having a discussion right now about how high the interest rate may be to subsidize a hotel and medical school?…the city’s credit card would just come back declined?…the people of Evansville need to think long and hard about going all in on a hotel and medical school?…if the $127 Million Ford Center that was advertised by Project Manager John Kish as being cash flow positive from day one is now losing $8 Million per year, what on earth makes our elected leaders think another $77 Million is the magic bullet to return downtown Evansville to the glory days of the 1950’s?…Ford Center did not perform as the consultants said and the hotel will not either?…the only question is whether our leaders will take another trip to Fantasy Land on the way to bankruptcy court?

IS IT TRUE that Shelley Kirk, who we all got to know as our longtime newscaster is going back to her roots?…after 2 years in Mayor Winnecke’s old job of doing PR and marketing for the Evansville branch of Fifth Third Bank, Ms. Kirk has decided to return to the work she loved and head back to the WEHT & WTVW family of stations?…we wish her well as we wish everyone well who is offered the opportunity to go back to a place they love and a job they treasure?…we say “Good Luck Shelly from the CCO”?

IS IT TRUE that MIT economist Jonathan Gruber who is famous now for boasting about hoodwinking the American people and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) into thinking that the ACA (ObamaCare) was not a tax so it could pass gave a mea culpa speech to the United States Congress regarding his regrets?…Gruber was asked some humiliating but patronizing questions like “how much were you paid to lie to us”, “does MIT hire stupid people”, and “are you stupid” by some members of congress in a partisan bash session?…when you cut through the clutter Gruber’s response was pretty much “I am sorry for calling a fool a fool and for embarrassing the Democrat Party”?…the reality of the situation is that Gruber’s boasting was a welcomed moment of honesty that we all should have known in the first place?…you can call Gruber lots of things for his service to the White House, but when it comes to his public declarations he is certainly not a liar?…we do wonder when telling the truth became stupid in American politics?

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

132 COMMENTS

  1. Could it be true that the “Grand Illusion” is just that? We all have seen those grand acts by the famous magicians who have made boats and building disappear! Well lets just believe that the have “perfected” the act where it appears “nothing is there” for all these past few years. Then one day the magician and his camera crew will show up. With camera’s running, a few slights of the hands by that famous magician and presto!

    Then again, could it be true that the mayor through a “executive order” has hired a major studio from Hollywood to set up building props in these areas to simulate a “vibrant downtown” with a “medical mile”? It could be said the mayor has already threw “free” millions of dollars to get them interested and has already sign any rights to these props back to that studio? It could be said that the city did receive one concessions?
    If a show is produced with these props it must be named, “EVANSVILLE RFD”! Could it be true that this city has plenty of people in position that are “over qualified” to play “Goober”!

  2. I’ve heard the Gruber comments and they’re way overblown. He’s basically saying the average person doesn’t understand how insurance works, and that’s 100% accurate. Republicans didn’t vote for aca anyway so what are they trying to prove?

    • We need single payer. ACA is another shit plan that was originally a Republican idea. They only started to oppose it when a half black guy got involved.

      • Ghost, I believe both parties have been involved with this for the past 25 years. Quick check on the history from “wiki” of the ACA shows ideals (from the past) from both sides incorporated! The big rub was that Demo’s had the majority of votes to do as pleased! Today, we are faced with the “same” super majority in our own state that has done things that would not had happen with a balance of both parties!

        Majority of one party or another makes bad policy!

      • True. How true. Mitt liked it and then he didn’t like it. Take about Flip Flopping. <—- to coin a saying from the Right Side of the Aisle

      • We absolutely need a subsidized Medicare buy-in option for everyone and the inadequate private policies to be made illegal.
        Is it true that much ado is being made about Gruber’s statements in order to draw attention away from the fact that the “death spiral” for ACA that Republicans were so gleefully awaiting did not materialize?

        • It takes several years for a death spiral to manifest itself so it remains to be seen. It is based on the premise that it takes several years for claims to fully effect the plan. It also relies on the ability of the individual to move to a different insurance pool which may not be available in this case. The bottom line is that any other good or bad aspects of the ACA are yet to be determined.

        • The ado is that Gruber has put a face and voice on the true attitude of the far left elitist. I recently enrolled in the ACA and because of my income, being self employed, I was eligible for a ridiculous high subsidy with an equally ridiculously low monthly payment and deductible. The ACA did not make my insurance more affordable, it shifted my premiums to other tax payers. But what choice do I have? On the other hand the premiums and deductible for my two adult children were so high that it is more feasible for them to pay the fine…err, I mean “tax.” It’s a screwed up mess and single payer is not going to make it better. The ACA is over the cliff. We can’t back out of it now and may as well enjoy the scenery on the way down while listening to Gruber on talk radio saying “stupid, stupid, stupid.”

        • An inadequate policy may be deemed so in the absence of birth control, even when the insured is post menopausal.

        • The GOP likes to use smoke and mirrors. The Affordable Health Care Act is a success and they can’t handle that.

    • Ghost. If you actually did see Gruber’s comments and came to your stated conclusion, Gruber was more right than even he knew.

      • I’m willing to admit there are tons of stupid people out there. He basically said if you explain how insurance works, people will oppose it.

        • Actually he said if the CBO opines that the penalties constitute a new tax, people will oppose it. The whole “tortured” language concocted was to deceive the congressional budget office. It worked and then the bastards argued before the Supreme Court that it was a tax, lest it would have been shot down for unconstitutionality. The lies told were to break the constitution.

          • You’re so right Ellen. Torturing all those guys and holding them indefinitely with no charges is very unconstitutional.

            • Please refresh us all on the part of the constitution that addresses what should be done with foreign terrorists who are enemies of the United States.

        • With the Republican wars on education and birth control, the downward spiral will continue. Add in conservatives buying up media outlets and spreading unabashed lies, and the future is quite alarming.

          • Some people aren’t worth arguing with, Ghost. They don’t have what it takes to make a good argument or realize when they’ve lost.

          • Ghost as usual your dramatics and false propaganda ring untrue. How do your 3 unconnected rants tie into the topic at hand? None of them say a thing about the criminally instituted ACA program. As usual you start slinging mud, but have nothing to back up your delusional beliefs.

          • But, alas, Common Core will mold those brains of mush into properly compliant sheep. All is well………

        • Ghost, He was talking about people like you. (sorry) Spin it how you want, but Gruber meant if they told the truth people would not be stupid enough to support the ACA. You are like a mule with a blind right eye. You are afraid of everything to the right of you and see nothing except what is to the left of you. It’s a shame because I think you could actually be an intelligent person of you could have a broader vision and wasn’t so afraid of church steeples.

          • Nope. Here’s what wasn’t working: the status quo. The only way to make a knock down drag out for profit system work effectively is to tell people to just die, which we were doing except when they showed up at the emergency room. To make it affordable, we would’ve had to start letting them die on the ER doorstep. I’m not comfortable with that. Sarah Palin’s death panels? We already had/have them. They’re called insurance companies.

          • And somehow you actually believe the government cares if you live or die more than a corporation? Say hello to Gruber.

          • NO, I don’t think it could be worse. The government is the only entity that holds the sword. They, with the might of the military, can force you to obey their will. A corporation can not force you to obey their will at the threat of your death. The proper role of government is to regulate commerce, corporations. When I have a grievance against a corporation, I can can take it to court, government. To whom will I appeal when I have a grievance against government? We have already seen how the court cut new cloth when it ruled the ACA penalties for not buying a product a tax rather than a fine.

          • Wow Someone just looked at themselves in the mirror and is talking about what he just saw.

        • He basically said the American voters are stupid, meaning people who voted for Obama. Basically he said democrats are stupid voters. Nothing new there, just look at Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, St. Louis, L.A., NY and the list goes on. The 4 musketeers of the democrat party is the overused defense mechanisms of denial, rationalization, projection and minimization and I watch you and EBK wears them out.

          • The problem with the GOP supporters is that they think themselves smarter than their opponents… Thus lies the rub…. They could have not been more wrong and the funny thing is that they have not figured that out yet.

    • The word for the day is “Sisyphean” – perhaps if you got a little more sleep, you could complete a sentence without the word “Republican” in it.

  3. Is it true when this poster had seen Shelly Kirk’s name being mention about her getting back to her roots, and with her having held the same position that groomed the present mayor, that she was that “mystery candidate” mention for next year’s mayor race?

    Seriously, it will be good to see Shelly Kirk back doing what she likes best!

  4. “EVANSVILLE CAN’T BREATHE”
    The forearm of debt; tight across her windpipe

    More forced dysfunctional growth will only speed the demise of this once great City.
    The relentless repetitive picking of her fruit and thoughtless stripping of her leaves has left survival itself, … unsure. The time has come to trim away all gangley diseased branches, (political boondoggles) and to deadhead all tired, sad flowers (bright shiny downtown money losers).

    We must amend our soil, (infrastructure) cultivate our people, (jobs) and nurture the spirit
    (vigor and will to thrive) of our beloved Hometown. …

    • The death has really accelerated since Robert Stadium was “pretend” to be inefficient for those massive speakers of those “pretend” music groups that would not come (and still don’t come). The pretend problems of that stadium was from lack of maintenance (similar to Mesker Park Amphitheater) that was not allowed. I feel the “skyboxes for the elite” was the driving force to Robert Stadium demise!

      • Those sky boxes in the sky were not that great. I’ve been up there more than a few times and it’s like watching tiny ants (basketball players) from up there. One needs a good pair of binoculars to see the faces of the players and a safety harness to keep you from falling out of the press box as you lean over the edge so that you can see the floor below. Plus you have to take the anti nausea pills before making the climb up there. I use to run around up there in the early days of the Stadium. You might say we had friends in HIGH PLACES. LOL

          • Skyboxes–Nothing but Party rooms,– written off on taxes as a “business expense”.

          • And built with no real ROI of those skyboxes! Just think all of those extra (empty) seating that was lost to put those elites in comfort and away from us peasants!

      • Armstronges,–I too believe “skyboxes for the Elitists” was a driving force for “The John”.
        There never was a public disclosure on the leasing of those skyboxes, other than we, the people were only told they had all been leased. Nothing about the offering, terms, lease prices, etc. ever saw the light of day.

        Another Trust issue: We can suspect that this administration’s “robbing of Peter to pay Paul” of Pension funds and Health insurance funds to cover payroll is the tip of the iceberg, and related to the need to cover up–exactly what?
        I know of no criminality, and have no evidence of criminality,–but I do believe something smells in Evansville, –and it’s not Bee Slough.

        • If my memory serves, I believe the Kunkel Group has a skybox at Fraud for the residents of their “Market Street Living” fiasco. It was advertised on the website as one of the amenities that go along with paying a few thousand dollars a month for living in a shoe box sized room and eating “chef prepared meals”. No wonder they are not getting many takers.

        • Yes, the robbing of the pension/insurance funds that belongs to the “working class” of this city workers “IS” a issue that needs to be investigated!

          • Agreed, but that’s the problem with pensions. They work for the union hall and city hall but are a risk for working people.

          • @IE:

            I think you’re about 180 degrees off target here, IE. You have a lot more control over your private 401k, or whatever plan you have, than union members and public employees have. You control the investments and you are the only person who can raid it.
            I understand that you don’t get any employer contributions to your retirement, but you can keep it from being stolen if you exercise good judgment. Not so much for your despised unions, though.

          • @ LKB. (Gets a little confusing when we have to start using the @ sign to keep the conversation in order.) My point is that a 401k is better than a pension. Pension plans are getting raided and lost more and more by union, corporations, or cities. I think we agree. My point to Arms is that the pension should be paid since the city agreed to it.

          • IE&LBK In the construction trade, the pension plan is funded by the workers, and not the employer. The pension is the part of the hourly wage package that is not taxed up front. It gets tax when we start drawing it out at retirement. This original concept was similar to what business and the higher earners did years ago to reduce the higher income tax percentage rate. Over these past 30-35 years or so, those higher tax rates had been beaten down to a point were there is almost no penalty to acquire a “retarded amount” of money per year!

            IE I’m glad you feel those city workers deserve their remaining “agreed on” pay be put in that pension where it belongs! It is same as “theft” when the city dose not!

  5. “IF”

    IF – Eric Williams sought the Mayor’s office, he would win it.
    IF – Eric would follow his basic good nature and wholesome upbringing we would be fortunate.

    IF – Eric lays down with dogs he will arise with fleas.
    IF – Eric falls under the magic spell and control of THE POLITICAL MACHINE, we will be in BIG TROUBLE.

    The moral responsibility contained in leadership cannot be overstated. …

    • “If Eric Williams moves first”!

      He has “burned” his bridge with county government!

    • “IF – Eric falls under the magic spell and control of THE POLITICAL MACHINE, we will be in BIG TROUBLE.”
      That ship sailed already when he took the job at Old National Bank, and then proved his allegiance to the machine by being treasurer to Dave Wedding’s smear campaign.

      • Everyone [rightly] jumped on Wedding for dumping on Byram, Williams did the same thing to Goedde after his election. Such actions show how shallow , and worthless local politics are. All the W’s should be toast…. Weinsapple, Wieneke, Williams, & Wedding.

      • “BUBBADAMUS WRITES”

        He who accepts unearned wealth and power
        Will by the nature of its acquisition
        Create a karmic void
        That will fill with obligation

        • A key to the city, an accidental win
          Went to the treasury the money was slim
          Back to the wife blazer of tan
          I need to spend if I possibly can
          Bond boys said no it’s all been plucked
          Weinz exhausted the line and now you’re ____
          Wife said go away you’re bothering me
          Can’t you see I’m planning a tea?
          What’s a chickendancer to do faced with slim pickins
          Hunker down and fight like the dickens?
          I promised a hotel and continue to hope
          Waiting for Bob Jones to toss me a rope
          Roll the machinery in but can’t turn the key
          Flop the first line here and get Winnecke.
          There it’ll sit looking so grand
          The very same lot where I’ve turned so much sand

      • I think “Eric”(D) was/is under the “political machine”, when he partner with the former county commissioner/current mayor(R) on the city take over of county assets! that failed He had abandon that same government entity that he was employed by! He is toast as far as a county government elected position!

    • Exactly! Eric would need a round of Advantix treatment and a good bath, just to be accepted in everyday society.

    • Eric Williams is not planning to run for Mayor. ONB already owns Evansville, so why would they use a valuable pawn on it? They are certain that their man in the Mayor’s office will hold on to it. Williams may be used by his employer to run for a higher office in the future, I think.

    • Eric admitted to supporting LW over RD, nothing else I can say about that scumbag. Wedding supported LW over RD nothing more I can say about that scumbag. Eric is already under the control of the machine. Just look at what’s come out of that sheriff’s office over the past 25 years, Thieves, child molesters, liars and Brad Ellsworth. The only person to ever escape from the old jail escaped under the lazy watch of Eric Williams. We are just now starting to really understand why the local unions and democrats fought so hard to defeat RD, nothing like an honest man to scare the ever living—–out of the local democrats. The fact that the unions had to vote Republican during the last election is still chapping their rear. Observe the union leaders when they are in the same room as LW, if looks could kill LW would have been buried a couple of years ago. The die is cast, the hotel will be built, as will the IU medical center. The city will bankrupt and a 2% property tax will be initiated.

  6. I am baffled about this Convention Hotel. If EVV is already the selected site for the IU Med School, why can’t we do that IU project and let the Hotel await private capital ? It bothers me that snake oil politicos still are beating the drum that a Hotel makes EVV a better IU Med site–but wait, that horse has already left the barn ! We’re in !

    City Council wants “credit” for saving $ 17 Million vs. LW’s bloated $ 37 Million Hotel request. OK great, you got it. Now, we will blame you Councilors for giving away $ 20 Million , now that the Med School decision has already been made. Council needs to pull back that $ 20 Million post haste. There is no public reason for subsidizing a downtrending convention industry.

    • That would be the smart thing to do. When you go out to buy a new 70″ 4K TV and find that your bank account will not have enough left to pay the electric bill next month you start to rethink the size of the TV and may want to hold off and just use your old TV a bit longer.

      I wonder if the Mayor runs his own affairs like he runs the city’s? Seriously does his budge run into the red like he does with the city’s?

    • One of the reasons the committee offered for picking downtown for the site is that it is going to have the fairy tale hotel. That was a sign of great urban renewal to the group of toadies that did the Governor’s bidding.
      Evansville had viable sites to offer, the Mayor just picked his own neighborhood ( raising property values, you know) and ignored the ones that would not push our bonding capacity.

    • UFO, you bring common sense into play.
      This is Evansville politics.
      There is no room for common sense.

  7. The McCurdy luxury condos may be completed before construction starts on the downtown hotel

    • Yes, CCO left out the taxpayer money that has disappeared down the rat hole known as the McCurdy hotel project in the grand total, along with the annual hemorrhaging pf 3/4 of a million dollars at the “Old National Events Plaza”.

      I have changed my mind about the McCurdy. I now believe that Evansville would be better served to tear it down and clear the site for new development. If the former Jackson House property could receive the same treatment, so much the better. That is prime riverfront real estate and putting in some half-assed projects in either one of these buildings will only prolong the pain. You can not have a viable downtown with eye sores like those right on the river front.

  8. Off topic but I didn’t want to wait for the weekend open thing.

    David James who’s been on local TV for 40 something years is going to retire from WFIE in Jan.

    David has been a staple on Channel 14 for as long as I can remember. I wish him well in his retirement. He was a class act and we need more people like him in this city.

    • I’ve always liked David, but his talent was reading what was placed in front of him and acting that he knew what it meant.

      • Whatever. He always deliver the news in a professional manner.
        And dealing with Ann Komis for so many years & not choking her? He deserves a key to the city.

  9. I think we really need a hard hitting piece of journalism about the Ford Center. Something like:

    “Ford center found to be losing $8 million a year; Courier & Press management hardest hit”

    Would the CCO editors interview the C&P editors ON THE RECORD and publish their answers?

  10. I hope they repeal the ACA. We’ll immediately have thousands of new stories for commercials of somebody dying that was previously insured by aca that had never had insurance before. Oh, anybody check out the new republican spending bill that allows wall st crooks to gamble with FDIC insured money?

    • Ghost, you have a link to this? Would not surprise me, the representatives that we elect have lost touch with us many years ago. It may be time now that we have to hire a lobbyist to compete with the other lobbyist to get the ear of our elected, whose ear we should had in the first place!

  11. Winnecke = Waste Management on a good day…..Bankruptcy = Winnecke…..Crony Capitlaism = Winnecke…and of course the sidekick, Scheafer = infidelity…..simple math made easy? So, when the public discovers that the hotel is over budget by 18 MILLION us folk better be praying that our ol’ buddies (HCW) have deep pockets…

    • Hotel is over budget by $ 18 Million ? Can’t we just change the 20 Million subsidy to $ 38 Million, float a bond and move on down the road ?

      Wow, Winnecke really knows the numbers . . . he wanted $ 37.5 Million public subsidy . . . .and that is, in fact, what it will take ! Brilliant !

      • ” over budget by $ 18 Million ” surprised that’s all, considering the crap infrastructure updating required there . First in on the location, or, its just not viable moving forward, same goes for the IU medical campus. You can look for overruns with that, as well as event transfer, to the sectioned balances on the old combined systems that will not see funding or any said improvements.
        The north main street fluff project does absolutely nothing forward with the whole entirety of the old towns infrastructure based viability, either. Bad stuff and a waste of available project funding for the Jacobsville livability balance.

        Your metro sorely needs logistical improvements for commercial viability. The I-69 gateway area should be the leading concern there. Jacking up old downtown Evansville by itself won’t solve anything for the metro populations ability to prosper.

        Now back to the climate data: That as one should notice continues to migrate to the more chaotic, daily. The super low climate bomb passing along the north seas Greenland approaches is a good demonstration of that. By theory its incursion further advances glacial exposure. Which now sends long stored and stabilized, by glacial conditions greenhouse gas elements straight to the atmospheric balance. Purely predictable, just like the growing cost burden building or maintaining anything perceived to be located on a poorly kept utility , and logistics infrastructure today.
        Needless to say things must be planned as viable for the expected climate change migration. Your old Evansville downtown section is a prime example of what is not.

        “Ædificate Climatico”*

        • The elites wanted new sky boxes, and no rubbing elbows with the peasants! Add the supports for those pretend huge speakers from those pretend music groups that still do not bother to play here!

  12. If the person I hear is considering running does it, Evansville is going to be thrown a strong lifeline. I just hope the voters have the sense to grab it. We need somebody who isn’t tainted with ties to banks, Vectren, and the real estate movers and shakers, but understands government and good public policy. It isn’t going to be easy to turn the city around, but we may be lucky enough to have somebody who is willing to do the work and has the experience. Keep your fingers crossed!

        • Is it IE? I can see him campaigning on a jar of “Grey Poupon” for every household platform!!!!!!!!

          • I’m hurt, I always felt you respected m intelligence enough to know that I am to smart to run for office. No Shades Grey Poupon for you Arms.

          • “V” would mention something about us wanting a lot of the same things, which we would have to publicly deny to protect our reputations. Gets a kick out of our posting one another. Something about dilapidated downtown infrastructure. Then on to some climate models A few definitions of words. A few links to climate readings and lastly a smiley face or two Did I miss anything “V”?

    • Thanks, Laura, but I’ve decided to pursue a more satisfying job that will accomplish more, but still be in the same category of work: septic tank cleaner.

      • Hey, I’d probably back you if this person doesn’t run and you decide you’d rather dig in figurative crap than the real thing.

    • I hope you mean James Raben but I doubt he’d move into city limits. He’s fiscally strong, level headed & cannot be pushed around.

        • Laura
          Hope you’re right, but anyone who won’t play ball AND play it with a smile will suffer the wrath of this very powerful organization. Remember the fates of so many good people who stood up for the best interests of the commoners. They are long gone and far far away. …

  13. Sobering realities are being brought to light in recent CCO IIT editorials regarding past and future financial projects by the city.

    I have long thought that much of the financial windfall that local government has promised from these projects is grandiose and unsupported by thorough marketing research and objective analytical due diligence.

    I think that the only entity that will make out on the new medical school will be Indiana University, and that other cities have been smart enough to realize this which is why they did not compete harder for this opportunity.

    Also, I’m not sure why local government thinks that Evansville would be such a sought after destination for conventions when that demand does not already exist. Are the already existing local hotels operating at or near capacity ?

    They seem to think “If we build it, they will come”, but isn’t it sounder to build only to satisfy an already existing, yet unfulfilled demand ? Are they trying to make Evansville into something it cannot, or perhaps really doesn’t want to be ?

    These are the kinds of mistakes that can happen when you have a local government that disregards the wishes of the common people in favor of a few when making such decisions, and a local media controlled by these few which shuts out the voices of the common people.

  14. Hope the folks realize that the city will NOT have any ownership in the IU Med school. There will be only 100 new students. Cost to taxpayers= 57 mil. And the capital cronies again score big

    • I might not be entirely correct in saying that Indiana University will be the only one who makes out with the new medical school.

      There may be some other capitalists and business people that do well, but I do not think it will stimulate the local economy as promised.

    • Liquored,

      Only $ 5.7 Million per new student ? That seems like a real bargain !

      Cost to taxpayers = $57 Million ? I know about the $ 20 Million subsidy. What is the other $ 37 Million ?

      • Disregard Liquored Up, I am confusing projects. $ 20 Million is Hotel; $ 57 Million is IU Med.

        On the IU Med: seriously, 100 new students ? How could Council approve $ 57 Million for 100 new students ?

        • The estimated student and faculty population would amount to an initial increase of around 200 people, as most are already here, on the three campuses where the program already exists. Over nearly a decade, I have heard estimates of 300 to 500 students, but there is no way to predict which of them are already local residents.

  16. There is good news! It appears that the Democrats will put a stop to the House passage of the spending bill in its current form. Both Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren have spoken out against the most onerous parts of the bill, and it looks like the Weeper of the House will not get the Democrat votes he has to have to pass it.

    • I hope you are right. Too many concessions were given in that poorly written bill. It’s not a compromise IMHO. it’s a giveaway.

    • Bohner and Pelosi are Horse’s asses, and it seems everybody knows it except their constituents,
      America will be a better place when they both are relegated to the dust bin of History,
      and Yes, it is a crappy bill.

      • I’m going to get a bowl of popcorn, a blanket, and watch this unfold. I expect we’ll wind up with them kicking the can down the road with another CR, but in the meantime, there will be some great political theatre.

  17. Just received a letter from William J. Fluty Jr. from the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s office.
    Land assessment went up 13% from last year assessment!

Comments are closed.