IS IT TRUE February 18, 2015

168

IS IT TRUE the proposed North Main repaving and bicycle path project is a $14 million bond?…if they bond for engineering and real estate purchases, it will push it to nearly $17 million?…the arena was 122.4 million in bonds in 2010 making the Weinzapfel administration the highest borrowing administration in the City’s history?…all of this borrowing was done for fun and games by the Weinzapfel Administration while they kicked the can down the road for the $800 million in sewer upgrades mandated by the EPA?…the Winnecke administration, not to be outdone has borrowed or agreed to borrow $44 million for Johnson Controls, $57 million for a medical school, $20 million to give to a downtown hotel developer?…the North Main project would give Winnecke the title of biggest borrower and push him to at least $135 million from what is a tie at this point in time?…of course the $44 Million for Johnson Controls was something etched in stone by a last hour signature by former Mayor Weinzapfel right before his speech in Vancouver to champion Smart City Initiatives for Johnson Controls?…it is also a fact that if former Mayor Weinzapfel had been truthful about getting a hotel for free if we build an arena that his successor would not have been thrown into the cluster of nonsense known as the Phantom Hotel?…the reality is that Weinzapfel either borrowed or caused borrowing of nearly $200 Million with his reckless spending?…the real mystery is why the Winnecke Administration has followed that irresponsible lead and kept the debt fest going?

IS IT TRUE the amount of borrowing that has taken place without acknowledging the $800 million we will have to spend on sewers and millions more needed for water lines and road repairs is a classic example of failing to maintain touch with reality?…there is no development plan for the City of Evansville and the North Main project constitutes the last bit of borrowing this city can do without annexation or raising taxes?…it remains to be seen if this City Council will go down in history as the biggest borrow and spend council in the history of Evansville?…that distinction currently belongs to the last council of the Weinzapfel era?

IS IT TRUE with all of the snow and ice that the recent storms have brought to town, the need for infrastructure improvements will be playing itself out graphically in the next few weeks?…there is a high probability for sewer line failures, pot holes the size of cars, and runoff that will cause sewage to flow in the streets?…every year when inclimate weather comes along Evansville is reminded of the legacy of neglect that has made our town a laughing stock without leaving home?

IS IT TRUE in continuing to peel the onion about the comedy of unbelievable errors that happened down at Marina Point last Saturday, it has been learned that just last week the Evansville Building Commission cited Inland Marina for a laundry list of code violations?…we are not sure at this point just what the violations were or if any of the events that started the fire were connected but this is just one more oddity in this most unusual convergence of events?…at this time the identity of the three supposed boat cleaners who allegedly started the fire has not been officially released?…there is one Facebook post that implies who one of the people were but nothing real has come out?…of all of the Keystone Cops events, the secrecy around the three midnight boat cleaners in freezing weather is the most intriguing?…the geography of the place also has the potential for some of the clown car antics to have happened in Kentucky opening up a whole new can of worms that may involve the FBI?

IS IT TRUE the IU Medical School slated for downtown Evansville got a much needed affirmation from a House subcommittee budget proposal?…it really seems like the medical school is going to happen in spite of the fact that it could have been free in another location?…this is one more reason to defer any activities on handing out money to anyone to build a downtown convention hotel?…if Evansville can’t get a private investor to back a downtown hotel with the Ford Center, The Centre, the Victory Theatre, and a Medical School, then A HOTEL IS OBVIOUSLY NOT NEEDED?…the only way to find out is to shelve it until after the medical school opens?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

168 COMMENTS

  1. Do you think that the authorities should release the name of the Cow who kicked over the Kerosene heater in the barn that started the fire in Chicago many years ago? Surely the status of limitations has expired by now! Rumor has it that her name was “Bessy” and she was a member of the Holstein family. The fire is still under investigation and the investigators are holding the cards close to their chest.

    http://www.thechicagofire.com/

      • That “guy” is the Warrick County Democratic party head. I am sure his opinion is unbiased and based on his years of firefighting experience.

        • It’s not whether he has a conflict of interest or not, it is whether or not what he says is accurate. It seems to me that both sides to this story have some truth to them.

          We keep rehashing the SOS. Can we please wait for the investigations?

          • BB, you’re starting to think like a republican. Let the system work, let’s see what the investigation reveals. Glad to see you’ve stopped that Ferguson type liberal democrat thinking. You know let’s burn this….down. But the other side is that you’re trying to do damage control for Gail. Too late, the state house and governor are already on board to make Winnecke look good and comparatively speaking he’s the winner.

          • BRAINS BENTON:

            Wait for the report? Are you nuts?

            The CCO has no intention of doing that…it is important for the CCO to TRASH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT and THE FIRE DEPARTMENT well in advance of the report.

            I’m sure Gail Riecken is just thrilled about that. Just thrilled.

            BrainsB, you’re a smart guy, but you sure look awful stupid this week.

      • The owner of the first houseboat also had some comments about the way EFD fought the fire on one of his friends Facebook Page. I grabbed a screen shot of the FB page. Just not sure how to post it in here. I may have to upload that to a file site and then link to that site.

    • Mr. Marver’s houseboat was being cleaned late at night by 3 people. Can we assume some or all of the cleaners had a cell phone. Can we assume he knew who was cleaning his houseboat. Mr. Marver’s home is in Harbor Estate, next to the marina. Was he at the marina after his houseboat caught on fire?

      • Yes he knew who was cleaning his houseboat that night. Her name is Brenda Harris and she was with her son and another person. I just found out her name today on the ET facebook page. Some guy names Buxton outed her on the ET facebook page.

  2. By the time a child is 3 to 4 years old he/she should be taught about choices. Basic things, like choosing between a cookie and a piece of candy or picking one toy at the store. It seems that part of the upbringing of our last two mayors was overlooked. Sadly, the City Council has been reluctant to teach them what their parents failed to teach. The result is a city that will surely drown in debt and sewage if the CC doesn’t learn to tell the spoiled man-child that is Lloyd Winnecke “NO”, and mean it. It is time for the seven responsible adults on City Council to rescind the bond for the phantom hotel, give North Main a quick facelift, approach the Legislature to propose a site for the Medical School that will cost the taxpayers nothing, concentrate on making the center of the city safer, and fix our infrastructure. Get sane, Evansville.

    • Excellent suggestions. All things that could actually be done and would benefit Evansville. Unfortunately we have a willful lightweight roosting in the mayor’s office and, being a product of the very worst of politics, his agenda is driven by same.

    • The 7 CC members are not the problem. There’s only 7 of them, the problem is the thousands living here in our city that it took to get them there. And that thousand are reproducing.

    • According to one of the ERC members, the downtown TIF generates nearly 6 million in revenue…once the Centre is paid for an additional 1.2 million….diverted sales taxes from the ever shrieking hotel 500k and the property taxes thereon of 350k minus the loss property tax assessment associated with the UI Med School of 200k leaves an estimated income stream of only 7.85 million while the Ford cost 3.8 mil per year…the Ever Shrieking Hotel 1.3 mil and the IU Med 3.3 million in total 8.4 million…Houston, it seems we have a problem…just wonder what it would have been if Winecke World got the 38.5 mil original hotel deal…add another 1.3 million to the yearly tab…and, if anybody that does not believe Vectren will be appealing its property tax assessment like ONB, the Old Henderson Bridge is for sale….Winnecke is like the drunk at the bar demanding more and more drinks and the bartender (City Council) knows he has had enough but keeps on pouring the Scotch, who’s really at fault? Strap a set on and do your job!!!

      • Winnecke said in his traveling road show that the Hotel would generate $7M for the downtown TIF by itself!!!!! It was right there in his Power Point presentation so it has to be true!! I mean all the toadies shook their heads up and down when Winnecke said it(multiple times) and Kelly Coures was pushing the arrow keys so it has to be true!!!!!

  3. WELL…..THANKS A PADLOAD CHET
    Let’s be clear…. :

    The City County Observer is going out of its way to ridicule the Evansville Police Department on behalf of the Gail Riecken for Mayor Campaign by calling the local law enforcement..The Keystone Cops.
    ……….
    (Keystone Cops: were fictional incompetent policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century.)

    • ….so much for denying the CCO isn’t trashing the Evansville Fire Department and the Evansville Police Department. LKB and Moveon….you guys keep digging a deeper and deeper hole for Gail Riecken to win the Mayor’s office. “Let’s make sure all the cops and firemen in the city hate Gail. CCO, can you help us out with that?”

      Well it’s obvious now. Those of you who denied that, please turn the switch on labeled: “Yes, the CCO IS TRASHING the police and firemen. But they are justified in trashing them.”

      ELKAYBEE, so tell me,

      how good is that strategy of yours getting Democrat Councilwoman Connie Robinson to change her endorsement of GOP Mayor Lloyd Winnecke looking now? I think we know who the Evansville Policemen are gonna endorse. I think we know who the Evansville Firemen are gonna endorse. I think we already know who Democrat Councilwoman Connie Robinson has endorsed.

      You getting the help you need from the City County Observer?

      ………………………..

      THESE ARE THE FACTS. AND THEY ARE UNDISPUTED:
      “Vanderburgh County Democratic Vice Chair Connie Robinson endorsed Republican Lloyd Winnecke for Evansville mayor. Robinson supported Winnecke over Democratic candidate for Mayor Rick Davis. Republican Mayor Winnecke defeated Democrat Rick Davis 11,664 to 10,009 to become only the third Republican to serve at the head of city government since 1955.”

      ………………………..

      • You’re pretty much full of it, Weinz-Sham. Btw, I was a firm supporter of Rick Davis, and had nothing to do with any switching of loyalties. You are aware that the Fourth Ward went for Davis, aren’t you?

        • ELKAYBEE……you are full of it. THIS put Winnecke in office:

          “Certainly many within the Democrat “establishment” assisted Winnecke, but one of the most notable pockets of cross over support was from the 4th ward where Lloyd obtained 46% from the 4th ward, a shockingly high number for a Republican. Winnecke’s success was due to the support and endorsement of Democrat City Councilwoman Connie Robinson.”

          • Don’t misunderstand me, Sham. I believe Connie has done a great job for the people of her ward and respect her right to do whatever she thinks is best for their interests.
            You must be miserable. See a doctor. Your CCO obsession is way over the top.

          • LKB,

            That’s inverting things a bit (understatement and satire).

            You know my point. You want to ignore it, because you look directionless, and you know it.

            The City County Observer is riding a horse that goes all the way to a no win for Gail Riecken.

            “Let’s make sure the Evansville Police endorse Winnecke today!”

            “Let’s make sure the Evansville Firemen endorse Winnecke today!”

            “Let’s make sure Democrat Connie Robinson never-ever changes her endorsement of GOP Mayor Winnecke today!”

            The ignorant, uninformed and feckess attacks on the Evansville Police and the Evansville Fire by the City County Observer over the fire at the marina are some of the most hapless editorial crap and totally stupid strategic politics possible. You are part of it…and now are forced to make infantile name-calling your tactic to save face? Get real.

            I can tell you who has more sophistication and political savvy in her painted nails than the City County Observer….and YOU. That’s Connie Robinson.

            You look foolish Elkaybee.

          • You’re right. I live in the 4th Ward and I was personally ask, on 2 occasions by current and former democrat CC members to vote for Winnecke. I voted for Rick, I let the homestead exemption fiasco be my one issue reason for voting against Winnecke. LBK has a short memory or she is awful forgiving, maybe she is indebted to the party for past gifts.

        • The 2011 city election canvass results does confirm this. Always a good source for info.
          What happen in 2011, has no baring on what will happen in 2015.
          No matter how hard one would wish, or keeps repeating.

      • I think that the democratic firemen see who’s stirring this turd. Points a finger at Shem.

        The other independents may not even get out to vote. But if they do I hope that they cast a vote fore the Best Candidate and that’s Gail

        The GOP firemen will vote as they always vote. But 9 times out of 10 the Mayor of the city ends up being from the Democratic Party. Which is why some GOP supporters are trying their darnedest to paint a bad picture of Gail and the Democrats. Funny how that never works. No matter how hard they try. To me they look DESPERATE and obsessive. Again points finger towards Shem. <——

      • Obviously, you don’t know many police or firefighters. Police outside of the administration will tell you that morale is at an all time low. Bolin took away beat policing, and is just now recognizing it as an epic fail and putting it back in place. The crime rate has increased in the meantime. Long-term geographic assignments are the nuts and bolts of community policing. The rank and file hate Bolin and cannot wait for a change. Bolin’s latest assignment to management was for them to read a Disney novel- they could pick which one. The EFD is not far behind with its dislike of Connelly. Connelly has been on a mission to grow the EFD administration and do it unfairly. He also likes nice things and has ignored the need to move to smaller vehicles for medical runs while dumping money in the administration building. The EFD rarely runs a shift with 5 firefighters. They are understaffed due to the people who have moved to desk jobs. They aren’t happy with the quartermaster system or how Connelly set up the locations for washers and extractors.
        This low morale doesn’t happen overnight. Gail’s family being involved with an incident will not turn back the tide of dislike for the Winnecke administration among rank and file in both departments. This has been brewing for a long time. It goes back well before Weinzapfel with the EPD having issues in the community with their reputation and performance. The EFD has struggled for just as long with ideas such as closing fire stations and the new one to have firefighters who are not assigned to a station and just float, homeless and without a sense of belonging. These people can’t come up with a good idea to save their lives.
        If Gail talks their language in her legislative agenda, which will happen, she will have their support. She already has support with their bargaining representatives. Her ideas related to both departments will spring from the bottom up and be a breath of fresh air to members.

        • I think it’s pretty fair to say that Winnecke has insulated himself from anyone who delivers a negative thought about his agenda, and has therefore insulated himself from any kind of honesty on the part of those who should be key to success for his administration. I doubt he wants to hear from anyone who doesn’t entertain with tales of rainbows and lollipops.

        • I don’t know about the EFD but the EPD is suffering under Mayor Winnecke and Chief Bolin. Chief Bolin is a very nice guy but a terrible decision maker. In 2011 the EPD wanted any kind of change. Chief Bolin got a lot of support and the benefit of the doubt in the beginning. After 3 years of one bad policy and embarrassment after another its just not there anymore. Mayor Winnecke was approached in 2012-13 about changing the direction of EPD leadership and refused to do it. Mayor Winneckes refusal leaves the EPD little option other than to support Gail Riecken.

        • I can hear the EFD and EPD endorsement conversations with Gail now.
          Reps: “Gail, do you remember the time that we were bashed on a blog for days on end by people attempting to do damage control for you? Do you remember how you kept quiet and let it happen? Do you remeber how we worked hard in a very dangerous situation and saved many, many boats and the majority of your marina? Do you remeber that you never said thank you or showed us any respect? Well, we do.”

          That will be the end of the conversation. I don’t care what political mumbo jumbo she says when it is time to make political promises. Her current silence is the language that will matter.

          • You can’t be serious!!!! Damage control!???????

            What “DAMAGE”? Gail had nothing to do with any of this.

            Try to get that through your head.

            None of this has anything to do with Gail’s policies or attitudes towards the police.

          • BRAINS…you are SO deceptive on this, it is damaging to your hard-earned solid reputation as a source of well-written integrity-driven advocacy here in the comments section of the CCO.

            …..You deny Monday’s IIT was 100% damage control for the Dem candidate, Gail Riecken…deflecting intoxication and obstruction charges against Gail Riecken’s husband and daughter at the Riecken owned Marina?

            And you ask WHAT DAMAGE CONTROL? (…setting aside the CCO Editor is totally inept at trying to pull that off….attacking duty bound cops and firemen)

            WHY is the City County Observer going out of it’s way to disparage and question the professional integrity of the Evansville Police Department and the Evansville Fire Department over their choices and actions in the line of duty at the Inland Marina fire….?

            The City County Observer is GOING OUT OF IT’S WAY to ridicule (…the CCO is calling the Evansville Police the “Keystone Cops” for God’s sake.) trying to exploit professional firefighters and profession police officers to deflect embarrassing events for the Riecken family….

            Brains…..You are so full of crap on this. I apologize for the harsh tone. I think you’re a terrific writer. But you are SO full of crap this week.

          • Jesus, LKB. I just love facile, well prepared arguments like yours here. You just command a world of respect with comments like this. INQUIRING’s comment is excellently presented. Yours is infantile. Live with that.

      • Maybe someone at CCO is working toward a board appointment like the one he lost under Weinzapfel.

        • Weinzapfel. hell, that guys ruined your whole damned town. “Everybody seems to know it.”

  4. EPD is more crooked than the Nixon administration. Bring in the State police or the feds.

    • I think that the Feds are already involved in the Criminal Investigation. I wondered why Channel 14 news said the fire scene was now a crime scene according to the EPA. EPA means Federal. Crossing State lines means FBI. Both are Federal Agencies.

      The balance beam will tilt one way or another in this thing and a lot of it hinges on the three cleaning people and what they say or don’t say to the authorities.

      • Yep. MOVEON…the defender of the little guy.

        “Let’s get these three boat cleaners out here so we can trash the hell of these people.”

        MOVEON… at the ready to rough up the domestic help….wait, I mean “three cleaning people.”

        • Seriously? Do you really believe that story about cleaning a boat at 1 am in February? Are you in the market for an ocean front lot in Evansville. Do you believe in fairy tales?

          • Shem is rambling on as usual. He didn’t take his meds this morning. Come to think of it he may not have been taking them all this past week.

          • I personally don’t buy it either and the people I’ve talked to think it’s suspicious as well.

            I’m sure that the Insurance Investigators will get to the end of this before they pay out any money.

        • Chief Bolin is a representative of Mayor Winnecke. He is nothing more than a talking head for the current Mayor. Chief Bolin’s education and rank is not high enough to warrant him the title of Chief. Unfortunately the majority of EPD officers were ready for any change in 2011 and turned a blind eye to the appointment. After the last few years its obvious this position should not be so political in nature. If Gail Riecken wins I hope she puts an educated, caring and qualified person at the helm of the EPD and not the Democratic equivalent of Chief Bolin.

          • Agreed. The EPD needs to be restructured through a bottom up approach and with lots of input from patrol officers. The new plan needs to be created by and sold to the EPD and FOP before we worry about the public. The EPD should not be punished any longer by bad management. We need to get rank and file members on board to make changes for which the public will benefit.

          • Casually,
            As I said before, Chief Bolin is a very nice guy. I didn’t say officers didn’t like him. There is a difference between being liked and being effective. I have zero desire to be the Chief of Police. My hope is the position becomes less about political connections and more about ability and qualifications. I don’t dispute the support was not there in 2011 but I also know you have not had candid talks with the real men and women in blue recently otherwise you would know the support is just not there anymore.

        • +1!! I don’t know what he thinks he is accomplishing other than making it obvious that he is completely and totally in the tank for Whiney.

          • You are pointing fingers at other people….it’s hilarious. Sad thing is…when Riecken struggles, you will STILL be pointing the finger at other people.

            There HAS BEEN NO HELP FOR RIECKEN this week at the City County Observer. All of it has been damage. All of it….(trashing cops, trashing firemen….Winnecke is getting help this week, that’s for sure). Gail is no doubt wondering what in the hell is going through the minds of the CCO Editor this week after the strategic blunders he’s made. Go ahead…point those fingers and ignore all of the logic RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE.)

          • Thanks “V” for posting the link to Transparency. They say stuff on there that I won’t say in here but still they think a lot like me. :). I think that Laura’s post in that link says it all. They need proof that will hold up in a court of law in order to take a case to trial and have a chance of getting a conviction. I’m sure that the investigators are looking for that so called Kerosene heater on the house boat and the burn patterns and electrical system on the house boat before they release any more details about the investigation. It’s smart to hold those cards close to the vest.

          • @ v: thanks for the Evansville Transparency link, this boat cleaning crew is another ‘instant classic’ ! I seem to recall that after the Kennedy assassination they interviewed 3 hobos who were on the grassy knoll. Is there any chance these hobos are the same people, and now clean boats for the company Anon ?

  5. Sewer line failures? Really? We have less then the equivalent of 3/4″ of rain laying on the ground as snow!
    Unless we get 1 1/2′ rain around Saturday there be no issue!

    How many times has those CSO pumps kicked in this month? Zero! Missing that key ingredient “RAIN”!
    Those peasants in the city are getting “hosed” under the cities false pretense thru their water/sewer bills!
    Those elitist/large property owners inside the city limits are getting their rain water run off subsidies!
    As I have said before, two city blocks side by side. One block has 10 residence with $100 water/sewer bill
    that equates to $1000. The next block a gravel lot, 0 water/sewer bill. Both lots draining the same amount of rain water that creates those CSO issues when it rains heavy enough.

    Property owners should be paying maybe 75% of the EPA mandate, while the water/sewer billings cover the other 25%. We owners outside city limits pay ditch assessments per acre for each legal drainage ditch that takes off our rain runoffs.

    Any line failures will be the contraction of those cast iron water pipes receiving that much colder water running
    inside them.

  6. North Main

    Will the combination sewers be separated during this scope of work? Or will it be torn, to separate later when
    EPA force the city?

    • I’ve been wondering that, too. It would be a good question to have answered ASAP.

    • There is one CSO in Jacobsville. The combined sewers will not be separated. The equivalent of a French well will be dug for storm water to drain naturally bank into the soil. This project will be part of any infrastructure improvements on North Main. I went to one of the 2 or 3 public meetings. It’s not a guarantee to contain all sewage in a major rain event, but it is part of the plan to reduce what is released into the Ohio River.

      • I’m OK with French rains and catch basins but they are not enough. More is needed to capture and hold the rain water and let it out slowly. Let the engineers figure all that out.

      • It sounds like they are going to dump this raw sewage in Bee slew. They are going to make it a holding basin. My question what happens to the raw sewage? I do not think it will just evaporate, at least not for a while. Sounds nasty to me.

        • It is, and won’t do a pass on your CSO problems, That’s just ignorant BS from the normal cronies fueled crew of great pretenders you all keep electing there.

  7. “approach the Legislature to propose a site for the Medical School that will cost the taxpayers nothing, concentrate on making the center of the city safer, and fix our infrastructure. Get sane, Evansville.”

    Looks like a reasonable and responsible plan. Those failed logistical valuations in downtown Evansville just need more work and more funding to make that Medical center any kind of success.

    What’s going into the old combined sewers is not acceptable as it stands today.
    Climate migration is intensifying daily, so like they’ve said the infrastructure of the downtown just will not handle the additional inputs. Bailing out some cronies blunder due the buy in of the __ord center shouldn’t be the only goal in that towns economic recovery .
    IU should look into the other sites pure logistical value wise. The site should be were the infrastructure is ready for it. Period.
    Putting that in the downtown would just be another astronomical bumble. Even worse than the blunder dome fiasco. They need to tear the Owen block building down as well. Throwing money at that rat colony is also plain out right stupid. Most people just don’t want to live around that part of the city anymore. Its unhealthy, unsafe, and everything is logistically useless for the most part.
    An active plan certainly is feasible, however to make that work the infrastructure must work first.

    http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/

  8. The whole fascination with bike lanes in a city that has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, consistently ranks among the most miserable places in the nation, and has “shots fired” reports that rival Chicago and Detroit is the most idiotic thing I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of idiocy. I “get” where the Winnecke “imagineers” are coming from. Biking brings in big bucks in resort cities throughout the country, but this isn’t a “resort city”. It’s time for Winnie and friends to realize this isn’t Disneyworld, and by the time the climate in this area is right for a resort area, Evansville will be a distant memory. Just because the Poop’s People can dream it doesn’t mean it can happen.

  9. For those keeping up with the Marina Fire Story:
    http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/epas-cleanup-efds-investigation-into-marina-fire-b/30494/jQjbFRiT9Ei-8TNPy4tZxA

    The EPA is trying to prevent the oil from getting into the Ohio River and entering the water intake pipe for the city of Evansville’s Water treatment plant which supplies treated river water to city. By treated I mean they chlorinate the water to kill bacteria after passing the water though some huge sand filters. They are also adding activated carbon to the water to try to Absorb and potential harmful chemicals out of the water before they pipe it to the city for use.

    • I’m sorry but how can this statement be valid. “In total, the four boats destroyed by the fire potentially carry 2000 to 3500 gallons of oil.” That’s 500-700 gallons of oil apiece. Awful lot of oil to me!

      • I know I was thinking the same thing about the amount of oil held. And do boat’s use Oil? If they have diesel fuel they would be running Diesel fuel not oil. Oil is not the same as Diesel? Right? But still that’s a lot of fuel for 4 or 5 boats. But several of the boats were pretty huge. One boat was said to be ocean going capable.

    • Sometimes the elemental shows some nasty stuff coming from some marinas. People sometimes dump the bilge and some onboard grey water stuff overboard instead getting tanks emptied right.

      Hell down there there’s enough sewage flopping into the sloughs and river before it even gets to the marina. If I was planning where I’d want to have my water works intakes it sure wouldn’t be downstream from a CSO source or marina.
      Almost like going swimming at a civic pool and the parent next to you is holding kid with a loaded set of pull ups.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPxiXGr9nFM

      • I think that the Water plant was there before the Marina was built upstream from the Water Intake. Maybe the Marina is in the wrong place? That should have been figured out before permits were issued to dig out the Marina. There is also a small creek that flows into the Marina area. I’m not sure where that water comes from. But I read recently that someone shut off a gate to keep water from the Marina from flowing up into the creek or what they called a Wetlands.

    • I believe the City of Evansville will end up with a lawsuit against itself: Evansville EPA v. Evansville Fire Department. Wonder who would win ? My money is on: the lawyers.

  10. So if the House subcommittee budgets for something, it usually a sure thing it will get passed through he rest of the State Legislature, make the new medical school a sure thing, huh?

    As for the location, the one thing I always thought USI had on IU was close proximity of the campus classrooms, which were not so spread out over town like IU allowing a full- time student to spend less money and time each day travelling from class to class. Between classes, a student could simply walk to the library of student union building to study for upcoming exams. This proximity of classes I felt helped make possible for better study time in the busy daily schedule of a student’s life, and consequently, better grades. However, if Evansville wants to put the medical school downtown to further its downtown business interests, I’m sure they’ll find a way to force medical students to attend the Evansville school and spend the additional money and time to tolerating this situation, or not go to medical school in Indiana at all.

    If I was a prospective medical student in Indiana, I’d be wary of this kind of situation, and all the possibly expensive consequences of attending school in downtown Evansville since I think new, accommodating merchants will not be cheap, and instead consider an already established out-of-state medical education.

    • So few of the students will even be “medical students”. The bulk are “health science” students, nursing, X-ray techs, and PT techs. There will be a few Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, too. The whole shebang, when it is up and going will add a projected 200 – 300 bodies to the combined number of health science and med students we now have. Ivy Tech and UE will send their health science students to the new campus, but USI plans to keep theirs on the campus they now have. It is stupid to believe that these students will have an appreciable impact on the Dead Zone, much less “save” it!

      • What !?!

        I thought this was going to contain a viable research facility, and would cause an economic ‘boom’ domino effect similar to the Grand Rapids, MI ‘medical mile’ ???

        Surely the citizens of Evansville aren’t being mislead ? That would be like saying Ford Center would be an immediate draw from major entertainment acts and then not deliver.

        I wonder how much of the other, outstanding costs not covered by the State’s budget will be forced upon Evansville taxpayers so IU can rake in the tuition while shouldering little of the cost ?

        • “I thought this was going to contain a viable research facility, and would cause an economic ‘boom’ domino effect similar to the Grand Rapids, MI ‘medical mile’ ??? ”

          It might if the idiots would put the school on our “Medical Mile”, near Gateway. Grand Rapids put their school in what was already a medical district. Btw, it also established the Main Campus there, not a “satellite” school! I’m not so sure why many researchers would be drawn here when Indianapolis, Louisville, St Louis, and Nashville are so nearby, but I guess we can always dream.
          Here’s the bottom line: If Mike Pence wants a med school in Southwestern Indiana, there will be one. We’re fools if we don’t make him go “all in” to get it, and save our ante.

    • Makes good sense. Not all IU Medical students have money to burn. Maybe they should ask potential new medical students and former medical students what they think about where to put the medical school. After all it’s for them.

      You are right about being able to walk from class to class and to the library to study between classes. Actually that’s the best time to review material that you just heard in the class room. I use to find a quit place to review my notes right after class and that really helped my grades and my retention of the material. The more time I had between classes the better. I rode a bike and carried my books in a back pack around campus if I had to travel all the way across campus. I lived close to campus and could drive my car and park in a commuter parking lot or just ride my bike to classes. I would have hated if my classes were scattered all across town and I would have had to drive across town to attend different classes. Which is why I think that they should have put the School in Warrick County next to Deaconess Gateway Hospital. St Mary’s also has a presence in that area.

      • Yep, when one really gets practical about the Medical school campus all the other RFP sites beat the downtown mess hands down.

        Like the farmer that tried to stretch the farms resources and finally butchered his once champion bull. Thought it was time, the younger bulls were producing the best calves anyway. Now, the farmers wife was an excellent asset in the kitchen and she picked out one of the best steaks , aged it a tad, then put the cut on a good hot searing surface and made the thing up just like the farmer loved’um.
        The farmer tore into it along with some potatoes and green beans with a fresh roll. Soon the farmers wife noticed he’d cleaned the plate of everything but the steak. Then ask him if it wasn’t fixed right, he said no dear its the bulls last revenge that cut is just to darn tough, once I started chewing the first bite the bigger it got. He then took the steak out to his hound, the hound chewed a bit and just buried the darn thing. 😉

        “Like building on logistically failed infrastructure, the more one cuts digs the bigger it gets.”

  11. The $14 million paving and bike path plan for North Main is lunacy. The City that can’t reopen Mesker Amphitheater for lack of funds for basic repairs, wants to spend $14 million on North Main for a bike path? Hello, it’s North Main. This is putting deficit spending lipstick on a pig.

        • Wait. Instead of bike lanes, let’s call them what they really will be on N Main St., DUI scooter lanes. Now, who wants to spend $14 million on DUI scooter lanes.

        • To bad its not a scratch and sniff. Those old combined sewers most likely have nearly the same barnyard bouquet. Didn’t a old stock yard sit a couple of blocks from there back in the day.
          A standing olfactory social economic environmental blast from the past when those old north main sewers belch CSO.

          Defintion 2. is spot on.

          bouquet
          [ bōˈkā, bo͞o- ]
          NOUN
          r/1. an attractively arranged bunch of flowers, especially one presented as a gift or carried at a ceremony.
          synonyms: bunch of flowers · posy · nosegay · spray · corsage ·
          r/2. a characteristic scent, especially that of a bovine and swine infusion of a perfumed feed lot:
          “the aperitif has a faint bouquet of beef on the hoof, or a hog in the farrowing house headed too the old Evansville north main stock yards”
          synonyms: aroma · nose · smell · fragrance · perfume · scent · odor

    • funny stuff there and there may be some truth to what they say. Perhaps those that lost money and boats don’t think any of that is funny. But then again I doubt that those that lost their beloved boats don’t want to find the culprits and get reimbursed and made whole again.

      Some how the Fire up in Indy where a house exploded and caught several other houses on fire just popped into my mind. I think that fire was started to collect on insurance money but the people who started the fire were not aware of how powerful a house full of gas can be when gas/oxygen and a spark or heat source come together under the right conditions.

      • Did you see that they’re letting the woman go with no jail time? Of course the two men involved are going down for it. That’s your USA sexist justice system.

        • I didn’t know that. She probably squealed on the two guys so got off with a slap on the wrist.

  13. The names of the three people on the boat where the fire was started please, immediately! What conceivable reason is the EPD giving for not announcing the names? This is beginning to look like everyone is getting ample time to put their stories together. Lets stop the BS, now before it goes any farther, and come clean about what was going on.

      • They didn’t hesitate to release the names of the others that they had arrested. Who are these mysterious midnight boat cleaners.

          • No. They are being interviewed by Authorities on Tuesday last I heard. But the name of the women cleaner is out now. Brenda Harris and her son and another person. One mystery solved for now. She admitted to being at the scene of the fire and helping to pull on a firehouse before she hurt her back. She also said she suffered smoke inhalation problems due to the fire. She had to go home and soak a tub with Epsom salt. She claims to be an EMT and may work for St Mary’s in Warrick County.

            • Are EMTs paid so poorly that they clean houseboats in February at midnight? Her story makes no sense at all.

      • I don’t think so. I think these people are not their “buddies.” If there are other law enforcement agencies involved, EPD is probably just trying not to screw up and embarrass themselves. Sometimes its best not to tip your hand too soon.

        • She’s talking in Hypothetical and won’t have to eat any words. So Casually obstructing tell us what the True Investigation has so far? smart ass.

        • Casually Obstructing did you lose your panties. I think I saw then downtown on the Flag Pole at the Civic Center. They had loony toons written on the bottom. Is that you? 🙂

  14. It looks like the machine is running this operation. Like they run everything else in this city.

    • The longer they wait, the more it stinks. With million$ at steak the insurance investigators will want to know everything. I wonder how much help they are receiving from the police and fire departments.

        • Must be because my stomach is growling. Make that stake. And while we are at it, which local news source will be the first to announce the mystery houseboat cleaners?

          • Dutch that post by Brian Buxton was just added on Evansville Transparency’s facebook page a little while ago. Brian claims that the names were released at the very beginning of this event. I know that I searched the local news stories and read all that I could and not once did any of them id the people who were cleaning the boat. So I’d like to know who reported the names? Not until I read your post (dutch’s post in here) did I go back and check that post (Brian’s on ET FB page) which lead me to the facebook page of Brenda Harris. She claims to have hurt her back helping the firemen somehow and is a friend of the owner of the boat Mr. Marve. That answers several questions that I had. She (Brenda Harris) evidently is the one that was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. She also is claiming that a fireman directed her to pull a firehouse when she hurt her back? Where did you first read that about the names of the cleaning people because I’d like to confirm that the names were released earlier. Anyone else see the names? Can you share a link to the news story? Unless it’s one of the EC&P’s storys that changed and also is now hidden behind the subscription requirement I don’t think there were any stories that released the names. I’m pretty sure I would remember that.

          • Cowboy care to provide a link to the press release that you are talking about. No such announcement was made by the local media from what I’ve seen. So give us a link to prove what you said existed several days ago. The names were never released until today and we have to find them though other means. ET broke the names of the people though one of their posters.

      • You know Press that’s a great question. I’d bet that normally the insurance inspectors get pretty good corporation with the Police and Fire Investigators as long as they don’t make the information public. That’s probably considered Confidential Information by the Insurance Companies until it’s revealed in a court of law. So we might not find out the information until this goes to court if it goes to court. Or unless someone else is arrested and charged with a crime.

        • I suspect what WE, the public, will be getting will be mostly disinformation from a variety of anonymous sources who may be attorneys, or used car salesmen for all we know.

          • Funny you should say that, this Buxton fella is in fact a used car salesman. He’s also an outspoken Winnecke supporter.

      • Now Brian Buxton is claming in ET that the names were released already in an early story somewhere. He said that he found the names in an earlier news story. But his wife and the lady who claims on her facebook page that she was at the fire pulling on a fire hose and hurting her back are facebook friends. One of them claims that the other is family on FB. So they are close and it’s easy to see how Brian Buxton would know who the mystery cleaning people are. Also on Harris’s FB page there is a comment from the boat owners which questions the actions of EFD that night. That’s Mr Marve comment on Brenda Harris’s FB page.

        • Correction. The lady is not Brian Buston’s wife but instead a relative of Brenda Harris and her name is not Buxton but Burton. So she is not Brian’s wife at all. I got that wrong. Sorry.

          • V competent cops would have done that already. This is EPD Barney Fife cops we’re talking about here. Maybe they’ve done that but I don’t know if I’d bet on it.

          • Ghost: Cops or the insurance actuaries due the pay outs.
            Wonder the exact cost the ESWD is smacked with per the mess.
            What ever it is that’ll be on your next grossly over valued water and sewer bills , next in.

          • Casual. Everyone makes a mistake once in a while. At least I admit it when I make a mistake. Your comment was expected.

          • Brenda Harris seems to be claiming that the EFD asked her to carry the fire hose and she hurt her back doing so. Were they having plain old citizens haul the fire hose while they were cuffing the 71 year old who was licensed to drive the fire boat. This woman’s story makes no sense at all.

          • I did. Classy, very classy.
            I wonder if the story about dragging a hose and being yelled at by a fireman when it got caught isn’t an “embellishment”. It does sound like someone suffering from smoke inhalation should not have been enlisted to help out. If they’d have a civilian who’d breathed too much smoke drag a hose, why couldn’t Ed and Katie, or at least Ron help bring out better equipment? If they let one civilian get hurt helping(btw, I don’t believe they did), then why didn’t they gamble on people with useful knowledge of the situation?

          • @Bloodhound: I think there may be more than one “tall tale” being told by the “cleaning crew.”

          • I just talked to a friend who is a fireman. I’m told that not even a firefighter who wasn’t in proper gear would have been allowed to drag a hose. Keep that screenshot, Moveon. I expect the post to disappear any minute now.

          • Lara: I know. I’m trying to figure out how to save it to photobucket in a format that will preserve the content and be able to be posted in here and other sites. But Facebooks not coorporating with the text part. But I’ve saved it by going to the page itself and copying it to my buffer and then pasting it to my Wordpad. It would not paste well into notepad. Now if I can just figure out how to get a photo of the text itself which is formatted in FB to display just to the right of the photo in it’s own little box. That’s what I can’t figure out how to post that part of the screen grab. This is wearing me out. Between feeding the birds in the back yard without feeding flocks of nasty blackbirds and working on the computer I’m worn out today.

          • I’m glad that other’s are seeing Brenda Harris’s photo and text so that I’m not the only one seeing it before it’s deleted or make private. Please do a screen capture of the text and photo and save it on your computers. Go to the picture and press the Prnt screen button on your computer. Navigate to the all programs-accessories- wordpad program and use paste command to paste the contents of the computer’s buffer into wordpad and then save the file on your computer where you can find it again.

          • I think she works at St Mary’s or Warrick St Mary’s Hosptial as she is an EMT and said something about the nurses a here work in a photo comments section on her facebook page. She also stated that she is/was a flight attendant. She’s a boat cleaner and a fireman’s assistant also. 🙂 Otherwise she looks like a nice lady.

            After the Marina fire she soaked in a tub full of hot water and Epsom salt. Epsom Salt is good stuff for sore muscles. She picture of St Mary’s Hospital Main entrance in her photo section.

          • @Moveon: I expect she is a CNA at St. Mary’s, as it says she “studied EMT” at Ivy Tech, not that she is an EMT. I think the “flight attendant” is BS, too. If you notice, it says “at rebuilding” since nearly 40 years ago. A lot of people put goofy things like that up on Facebook.

        • Moveon, can you post links to the facebook? I’m not on any of that, but would like to see what those at the scene are posting. It seems strange a cleaner would be asked to help the firemen and then the owners are prevented from helping the firemen. Lots of questions here. Thank you.

          • I have a screen shot of the facebook page picture with text. I can’t figure out how to get the text from my computer to this web site. The Picture next to the text was grabbed with my computers Print Screen button and pasted into Wordpad. But it’s in a format that won’t upload right to photobucket. PNG or something. I can’t figure out how to get the text to post in here. I tried but all I got was an empty post. I’m still trying to figure out a work flow that will allow me to post the text in here. If you look up above and find the facebook links to Brenda’s facebook page.

            Heck here is the link to here facebook page. Go to the photo’s and look for the photo of the fire. Check out the text next to the photo and see for yourself.

  15. Off point, but in case you missed it in the Courier & Pravda, SIS (didn’t use the “I” since Obama said they are not Islamic) is now harvesting human organs to help financially support ISIS’s jihad against infidels, meaning you, me, Christians, Jews, and everyone else not butchering others for the Prophet. Hopefully the Presidents of Egypt and Jordan will continue to lead the fight against this barbaric scourge.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2958220/UN-urged-investigate-ISIS-s-bloody-trade-human-organs-Iraqi-ambassador-reveals-doctors-executed-not-harvesting-body-parts.html

    • I’d bet that there are many more firefighters and policemen just like you. God Bless you.

  18. At first, neither did the Watergate break in.

    This story stinks to high heaven

    • In reply to:

      Bloodhound
      Feb 18, 2015 at 7:28 pm

      Are EMTs paid so poorly that they clean houseboats in February at midnight? Her story makes no sense at all.

  19. $14 million for the North Main Street renovations? Drawings (Bid Documents, Plans and Specifications) authorized. And who is preparing these documents you should ask? Why Hafer and Associates and Mike Shoulders (formerly of VPS Architects). Based upon their collective track record this should be a cluster-f**k in a short period of time. It will probably start with a “Design-by-Addendum” package of Plans and Specs. Armstronges can elaborate on the expertise of these firms and individuals with reference to getting reliable documents on the street.

  20. Riverfront Shem
    Feb 18, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    Jesus, LKB. I just love facile, well prepared arguments like yours here. You just command a world of respect with comments like this. INQUIRING’s comment is excellently presented. Yours is infantile. Live with that.
    =============================================================================

    “Facile arguments” you mean like conflating a 2011 endorsement with a 2015 endorsement?
    Those kind of facile arguments?

  21. 8:04 p.m. Post on the C & P web page (not currently hidden behind the paywall). “Chief defends actions at Inland Marina blaze”. Includes three (3) photos including what appears to be a jet impeller attached to a boat outboard motor/engine (Inland Marina fire boat?) and what I’m guessing is the EFD Fire Boat; no texts or captions with the photos.

    Interesting references to the Inland Marina fire boat by Chief Connelly in the article.

    • I too noticed the disparity in the quality of the equipment shown in the pictures. But I was reading that the Marina had two fire boats. Which one of these two fire boats did the EC&P choose to show a picture of? I’d bet it was the one that looked the worst and I wonder if that was done on purpose? The contrast is stark. But the article is one sided in that it’s the EFD defending themselves with no other people interviewed for the story.

    • I noticed that EFD Chief said he was not aware of the fact the marina had a fire boat. But the owner of the Marina works for EFD and the Chief should have been aware of any Pre Fire Plan on such a major facility or at least someone (inspectors or District Chiefs) should have been aware of any Pre Fire plans for fighting a fire at the Marina. Maybe they don’t have a Pre fire plan for the Marina. I wonder if they have one for the Casino Boat?

    • According to the EC&P News Paper online edition the photo of the Marina’s Fire boat engine pump was shared with them by the EFD Chief reportedly.

      • That boat looks like the SS Minnow of Gilligan’s Island Fame. 🙂 That can’t be the State of the Art Fire boat that people were talking about. Surely not!

        • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqDHTo-1f1A

          Now this IS a FIRE BOAT. Compare this Fireboat owned by the Chicago FD and the little john boat that EFD uses. They both make the SS Minnow look bad but the Chicago Boat makes the EFD Fire Boat look like a john boat used to fish for Asian carp on the Ohio River.

  22. EFD Chief Connelly Speaks and defends the EFD. As reported on the Evansville Courier and Press tonight complete with photographs. It’s been said that the Marina has two fire boats. The EC&P shows three photos. Two of the EFD boat and one more (uncredited photographer) which proports to show the Marina’s fire boat. If that’s really the Marina’s best fire boat then it would not have really helped fight the fire much having been deployed well after the fire started. I don’t know who took the ugly picture of the outboard motor on an old pontoon type boat with a rigged up attachment on the lower end of the motor. There appears to be a red/pink plastic schroud on the lower unit of the boat which is attached to a metal welded box like intake mechanism which is located where a propeller would normally be on the lower unit of the motor.

    Connelly states that they saved over 3 million dollars of property and that the did a good job of fighting the fire. He didn’t really address letting the boat float around freely inside the harbor or emphasis the destruction that did occur. He emphasis the number of boats that were at the Marina. Most were not even near the fire though and he takes credit for saving those boats. I guess a case could be made for EFD saving the day.

    He says that EFD deployed their fire boat soon after the fire was reported at the Marina and that it can spray over 1000 gallons per minute. The paper showed a picture taken by John Buckman III at the marina fire showing the EFD boat spraying water that night from what appears to the end of the dock at the far NW corner dock. I’m guessing that the EFD boat was up against the dock to hold it in place as the back pressure from spraying that much water would push the fire boat backwards if it were not under power and not held in place. Every action has an equal and opposite action. The photo is a still and not a movie so that limits one’s ability to see what’s going on over time. I’d love to see a better picture of the Marina’s other so called State of the Art Fire Boat. Because the photo of their boat is not a pretty picture. I’m guessing that it was meant to appear that way by the EC&P photo editors.

    See for yourself before they lock it and you have to pay to read the article.

    http://www.courierpress.com/news/local-news/fire-chief-defends-department-over-inland-marina-blaze-firefighter-suspended-for-actions-at-blaze_53672633

  23. The EFD would not let a fellow fireman use a fire boat to put out a fire on a houseboat. Crazy as Moveon is, he may be on to something,

    • He was drunk, according to reports, and if the fire department employee in command at the time allowed a drunken person to become part of the working detail, then the employee in command could also be fired. Parker took himself out of the game by being drunk.

      • But his father in law was not drunk and he was detained and not allowed to help at all. And this was not like they were some innocent by standers. After all they built and ran that Marina and had knowledge that even the EFD Chief didn’t know. I guess the Chief failed to plan to fight this fire before it happened and didn’t even know that they have a fire boat at the Marina. So the Chief ordered their tiny John Boat with a pump and nozzle on it into the water and into the harbor after the houses were out of the barn. Which is why the fire was still burning after sun came up the next day.

        One guy said that foam was needed to put out a flammable liquid fire. I’m wondering if the pump that put out 1300 gpm on the EFD john boat was capable of spraying foam in it’s current configuration as shown in the Photo’s shown by John Buckman III. Wet water (soap in the water) is not the same as foam and won’t cover the flammable liquid on the surface like foam would. And there was zero evidence of any large scale foam on the water in the harbor which would have been there if foam were being used to fight the fire on the houseboat and other boats. Four boats would not have been destroyed and sitting on the bottom of the River now if they had put out the fires before letting the burning boat loose inside the harbor. I wonder what the Scope of the Criminal Investigation Covers?

Comments are closed.