IS IT TRUE December 18, 2013

1. the decision of ONB to put $14 Million into this project if that is really the case is a matter for the shareholders of that public company to deal with?…
   As a lifelong resident of this town and a shareholder in this bank I would rather see my bank involved then my city.

   • I would too…unless I was a shareholder.

     • So you do not think your home town bank should invest here? While our town is not perfect I have chosen to invest here. I am sure you would not buy a home downtown either I own two. My investment decisions have allowed me to retire very well off . How you doin?

       • I have no problem with anyone investing in whatever they like. But investments are business, not charity. It needs to show a return. If ONB shareholders get wind they are taking risks of this magnitude on a sector that everyone from the Wall Street Journal to Forbes has advised against, there could be a sell off. I’d be bearish right now if I owned ONB. Of course, you may disagree. That’s your prerogative.

         • Do we even know if ONB solely invested the $14 million? Seems like someone is trying to get ONB shareholders started on something that may or may not be true; shame on you. After reading your post, I bet ONB is glad you are not a shareholder. Innocent before proven guilty?

         • You’re being irrational, sir. The exact amount of the investment does not change the fact that it’s being thrown at an economic sector that’s been shown to be in decline since 1995.

           You are right in that we don’t know yet how much ONB intends to invest. We do know they pledged to raise $11.5 million. We know that amount seems to have been elevated to $14 million. We also know rumors are circulating that no investors have been enticed into investing. So, does that mean ONB will cover the entire amount? I don’t know. But not knowing the answer is itself cause to be bearish on ONB stock.

           Do you research before buying things as investments?

         • Irrational? Not really. I do agree the amount of the investment is irrelevant. What I do find amazing is that for a guy that does not have a dog in the hunt, you are being very judgmental of the investment. I agree investments must show a return, I just believe that you need to broaden your definition of ROI.

         • At this point, all that’s immaterial. I just read the contract.

           The contract with ONB doesn’t require them to spend over $.01.

           The County just GAVE AWAY naming rights to The Centre for virtually nothing.

   • So ONB couldn’t find the investors willing to invest in the hotel but cut a deal straight from their advertizing department for naming rights to The Centre with the county for $14m which of course they can write off.

     So…then the county can forward the $14m to the city and be co-owners in yet another money losing operation downtown.

     Am I missing something?

     JMHO

2. Not to be splitting hairs, but the two things were not announced on the same day. The groundbreaking announcement was made on Monday. The naming rights for the Centre was on Tuesday.

   • The groundbreaking was ratified by the ERC yesterday morning at 8:30. The fact that someone prematurely leaked it to the press Monday afternoon did not constitute an announcement.

     • True. I stand corrected. My apologies to the editor. I should have known better than to try to split a hair. lol

3. Was not “leaked to the press” … the mayor announced it on Twitter on Monday afternoon, in plain view of everyone.

   https://twitter.com/MayorWinnecke/status/412667183433781248

   • Then the Mayor was the leak. What if ERC didn’t go along with the tweet?

     • So are we to believe that a social media website has become the “official” source for policy statements from the mayor’s office?

       __

       • Actually, Twitter and Facebook are conduits for official releases from several organizations and municipalities. That’s how useful and essential social media has become in our society.

         • Hypocrisy: n. the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.

           The following comment taken from a recent article in which Phyllip says the exact opposite. …and he accuses me of having no consistent philosophical compass. Please.

           https://city-countyobserver.com/2013/10/30/letter-to-the-editor-is-bribery-running-rampant-in-evansville-politics/#comment-862520

           Phyllip Davis says:
           October 31, 2013 at 10:47 am
           I agree with your take on the Facebook thing. Jordan Baer told me Monday that he had tried to reach Chris Cooke via Facebook. Facebook is a personal social media site. It is not the proper forum for a constiuent to reach a public servant. I understand that it can be frustrating when you don’t get a reply and Facebook seems convenient and a sure-fire way of reaching someone, but we need to refrain from that in the same way that we don’t knock on the door to their homes or call their personal phone number.

         • You are a freaking moron. Even the most dim-witted individual knows the difference between a personal account and an official account. I am so tired of your trivial and juvenile games.

         • Since you obviously don’t know the difference, let me point it out to you. You call office phones, not personal phone numbers. You visit offices, not personal homes. You interact with officially sanctioned social media, not people’s personal accounts. Do you understand the difference? Obviously not since you call Lamasco last week and tried to trick the bartender into giving you Amy’s cell number by saying that you are a friend of hers. Lamasco is her business, her cell phone is personal. You’re unbelievable.

         • Last week? Dude, I’m in the UK. Have been since Nov. 20th. Ironically, i dont need Amy’s number. I have her on Facebook, and email. What are you smoking?

         • I guess it was another Brad Linzy that left the message last week, the night that I went there to speak with her.

         • Guess so. I didn’t call there. In fact, I don’t have international phone service right now, and I certainly wouldn’t use it to call an effin’ bar.

           Either you’re completely full of it or someone is messing with you.

     • Editor,Joe,research EDCs before fretting about the ERC and the timing of that announcement.

       Cart before the horse maybe,

       Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals,environmental stuff again,if your down there when they do flip some dirt at some of those projected sites there,just be careful and don’t throw caution to the wind,stand upwind.

       (Susan C Nagel PHD. “University of Missouri School of Medicine”) has some interesting research with EDCs and female hormones and reproductive organs/systems,and that science going on. Also the male organs,golly, right to the gonads, from what I read.

       I guess that sometimes a socially classed in location of ones home maybe could some day affect a bodies genetic profile somewhat? Heck, that’s another whole area of study!
       They are researching that stuff in concern to Fracking and Clean Water supplies around the country.
       Basically why I studied The Doctors research publications in the first place,The 2012 clean water act response and for system needs in sustainable innovations/solutions,globally.
       However when anybody observes how Wikipedia.org. defines the listed Endocrinology chemical classifications(EDCs),good grief,big list,and pretty easily identifiable stuff, per suspect location.
       Worth a study especially where old and new industrial areas are present to the combined sewers overflows.

       Interesting about the results on infants with the intake of contaminated dust in ones very home,per in compared to the parent.

       Lifes a learning pathway I suppose, and we are starting to crack the door and begin too look in. “so to speak” .

   • Well if Mayor’s can just make announcements like this without the oversight commission’s okay, why are these commissions needed. This reminds me of this Mayor jumping the gun and giving money to Earthcare before even telling the City Council. I guess old dog Lloyd learned nothing from his past mistakes. Go you chicken fat go!

     • It’s clear the Mayor is desperate to build up his political carriculum vitae, but it is resulting in a series of embarrassing blunders. I have him credit when he supposedly found $11.5 million in private financing for the hotel. I rooted for and supported him in that endeavor. The fact that money is still a pie in the sky is becoming worrying.

       • Seems like Winnecke is working from the Obama playbook………

4. Keep moving those goal posts, fellas.

5. Is the Obamacare Estate Recovery really an unintended consequence?

   • You’d think they’d be all for those “entitlement deadbeats” having to pay back what society has helped them with. I’m getting mixed messages here.

   • No, you are correct in pointing out it is not unintended. It is obviously a way to smack down the middle class, who keep voting in those pesky conservatives.

     • The way I see it:
       1. The poor (who will default) into Medicaid have no estate, or not enough to rob.
       2. The rich are smart enough and have the means to leagally protect their estate. I don’t have an issue with that.
       3. That leaves the middle class…who’s screwed!

       • No doubt HC. I think the rich will be protected to a certain limit, but middle class Joe is screwed. An intended move to redistribute the wealth. At this point, BHO has no integrity(if he ever did have any)It is truly a shame that the ACA is turning out the way it is. Might be a good reason to read before passing…………

6. We all know who the contractor would be for the downtown IU med center…. $$ go to $$ givers. Skanska will build it (even though they are BY FAR the most expensive contractor within the tri-state region… old habits die hard

   • They along with other local contractors got practality no work from the FC, do you think this project will be different?

   • The most likely scenario:

     1. A. Braun (thru an associate company) will be the developer of record (assuming that he is still on the ONB board).
     2. ICI will be the contractor of record.
     3. The architect of record will be a company from Indy (name escapes me at the moment) that does a lot of work for IU in Indy & Bloomington.
     4. Hafer & Assoc. will be listed as an associate architect (conflict of interest here??).
     5. A local money management firm (with a tie-in to the ERC) will in some way, shape or form will have something with bond sale or handle investments in the project.

     • Forgot to stipulate, this would “probably” be the case assuming the City would be the winner of the impending “auction” (goes to whoever brings the most money to the table) for the school.

       • You do know Braun does not own Skanska don’t you? They are international and could care less about local agendas. They will place a competitive bid like everyone else. The days for back room deals are gone.

         • Of course I know that but he is still a “consultant” to ICI-Skanska and could surely “influence”.

7. Attacking the ACA is the RW/Libertarians favorite hobby. It doesn’t even matter if its true or not, any pretext or excuse will do. Poltifact accumluted so many pants on fire lies about the ACA that they felt compelled to write a whole article about the most egregious and of coure the public nor the media cared a whit.

   Of course change is hard and difficult and its impossible to move forward without adversly affecting some people even it’s only temporary.

   Attacking, whining, carping, complaining while offering zero alternatives is cheap, easy, fun, and nearly risk free. I guess its the human condition. Sigh!!

   Maybe I should start a blog that only mentions positive stories about the ACA. How lame would that be? How much credibility would I have? Even if only 0.5% of the public ends up being positively impacted by the ACA, that still leaves me with a whopping 1.5M Americans I can put forth as anecdotal evidence that the ACA is a huge success!!

   • Isn’t the Obama administration already using that .05% to rove ACA is a huge success?

     You will have to base your lies on some different anecdotes. Sigh!!

   • Everyone is going to have a last day on this earth.

     When that time comes, the disaffected against Obamacare, which finally gives the disadvantaged an advantage when it comes to health care, will finally be affected by whatever is there, (if at all anything is there.)

     Good Luck

     • No luck needed. That is all I can respond to because the rest of your post is unintelligible gibberish.

8. I hope the city has learned from past mistakes and writes into this hotel contract a provision for a post construction independent audit of the financials. This should always be done on multimillion dollar publicly funded or public/private projects.

   John Friend should demand that this be done in order to assure taxpayer confidence in the project.

   __

9. Lets see. Marsha resends vote to award German American Bank county tax collections for two years. She then gave the $90 million deposit of county tax collections to Old National Bank. Old National Bank turns around and gave the county $14 million dollars for Center naming rights. My question is does this deal have anything with back room politics?

   • L.W. is the king of behind closed door deals, so you know that ONB is going to get a healthy return on their $14M somehow. Otherwise, why would they invest in this hotel when it is sure to not make money?

   • Has “taxpayer” discovered that both Republicans and Democrats are on the County Commission. There must be a conspiracy afoot for that super sleuth to unravel.

10. If that funding doesn’t gel, the planned picture of our mayor and his shovel (isn’t there something about at some point quit digging?) will be a proud gallery-mate to the picture of him and Haney and his EarthCare crew. I’m sure there are more to come, but they become tiresome and no substitution for substance.

    http://imageshack.us/a/img4/7521/ehnv.jpg

    • Bandana: I hope for some, the four rounds in the AAA gun on the LST are dud’s,as well. only kidding, just an observation there….thats some funny stuff,like it.

      A little humor shouldn’t hurt.

    • Frameable art. LOL

      • Yeah… “Frameabilities” and “Snegalabilities”…Your areas project focus “terminologies” it sometimes seems as observed from the outside.
        Not really a good projection for your local sustainabilities. Just my take this morning.
        Regional weather observations for practical sustainability,would be, make sure the rain gutters on the north side shaded (winter seasonal) of your place are clear of last weeks ice,overflows possible,challenges ones building foundation,and roof structures,as well.

11. That $ 14 Million Naming Rights Deal by ONB to support The Centre will fund the $ 700,000 annual operating loss of the Centre for exactly 20 YEARS !

    Thank you ONB–cancel the wrecking ball (suckers !).

    • Has ONB did the ‘double switch’ ? Reading WFIE on-line, it sounds like the “private hotel money” enables ONB to get the naming rights to the CENTRE for nothing (i.e., there will NOT be a fresh $ 14 Million from ONB to help bail out the operating losses of The Centre) ?????

    • Hey Einstein. The Centre naming rights went to ONB for 30 years, not 20 years……….Now do the math.

      • Come on, comeon; you do the math. The $ 14 MM divided by $ 700,000 equals 20 years of losses absorbed by the naming rights. The fact that the term is 30 years means nothing.

        However, it now appears that this $ 14 MM is merely the ONB “investment” in the Hotel, and the County has basically given away the naming rights for another facility (The Centre)for $ 0.

        The money can’t be used twice: it’s either for the Hotel, or it will absorb The Centre’s operating losses.

        Pick one.

12. OMG–Kiefer states ‘The Centre couldn’t keep operating without this support’ . . . and then you read a little further and find out that the only inflow will be ‘hotel investment’, not ‘Centre bailout’ !

    What the hell, Kiefer ???

    Councilman Friend: better turn on your Vet-O-Matic and do a little blending, ‘eh comrade ?

13. Naming rights to the Centre is a great idea. My only hang up is that the name is waaaaaayyyy too long. Old National Bank Events Plaza reminds me of the team Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. No one is going to remember that name.

    Once again, I find it ironic the mayor told me and a few others that he would look into naming rights to the gates, plazas, and concourses at Roberts all the while not even lifting a finger. He even said in his history of marketing he knew they would be worth nothing.

    Even John Friend looked into naming rights back in 95…

    http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=827491

    Although he looked into renaming the whole building, naming rights to gates and concourses can be just as valuable as they allow sponsors to place their items in the entry ways where most patrons pass through.

    Lucas Oil Stadium has a really sharp Sprint Gate area in their stadium.

14. The ACA is just another attempt by Democrats to take your property via theft.

15. For those who didn’t catch this the first time:

    Drudge Report

    Monday, November 25, 2013

    Sign up for ObamaCare and lose your Estate

    [Medicaid + ACA + Estate Recovery = a mechanism whereby a large number of people in the lower income brackets may be just about to find ourselves paying hugely disproportionate sums for the privilege of being covered by Medicaid, even briefly or intermittently.

    Affordable Care Act of 2010. Estate recovery will be forced on millions of people who might have otherwise gone without insurance. Why? Because the plan is that millions more Americans have health insurance.

    That would be accomplished by expanding Medicaid and implementing premium assistance (subsidies).

    When a person is found to be eligible for Medicaid, they will be automatically enrolled into their state’s Medicaid program. Those forced into Medicaid will, due to the federal law, also be forced into estate recovery. Their estates will be partly or fully taken over by the federal or state government when they die.]

    * * * * * *

    I can see this taking off in unintended directions, or maybe not so unintended directions. It does not take much thought to imagine this same line of government thinking spilling over into other SSA areas in the future.

    ___

16. I will just leave this here for people with open minds.
    Good day to be an American (except for Phil, that dynasty is over!.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/health/patients-pour-successful-state-insurance-exchanges-2D11770338#patients-pour-successful-state-insurance-exchanges-2D11770338

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