IS IT TRUE February 20, 2015 Updated

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IS IT TRUE we have discovered that the boat referred to by the Fire Chief that we interpreted to be the EFD fire boat was not the EFD fire boat?…we therefore retract and remove the previous paragraph and apologize to Chief Connolly for our misinterpretation of his words?…the CCO has always been a strong supporter of the EFD and the EPD and choose to criticize only for the purpose of stimulating improvements when they are needed?…that was not the case with respect to the Chief’s remarks yesterday?

IS IT TRUE if there is one thing that Mayor Winnecke and his Democrat opponent agree on these days, it is that downtown Evansville is the ideal location for the IU Medical School and that the State of Indiana should be looking at this with some sense of urgency with a willingness to spend more money than has been allocated?…it would be interesting to see if the two of them agree that $57 Million was the right amount of money for the City of Evansville to borrow to contribute to the project when there were two other locations that would have cost the taxpayers of Evansville nothing?…the economic impact to the Evansville region would be the same without regard to whether the IU Medical School landed downtown, on the east side, or in Warrick County?…the price being paid by the taxpayers of Evansville to choose the location of downtown Evansville seems a bit stiff to practical minds so the CCO would like very much to know what points these two disagree on with respect to this project?

IS IT TRUE if the truth emanated from the Civic Center last month (which is a very big if) then we are only one week away from seeing the renderings of the new and devolved stick built version of a downtown convention hotel?…we do remember Mayor Winnecke stating that the plans and the new quote would be available by the end of February in 2015?…it is nearly time to have a one year anniversary of the ground breaking ceremony held last March after the January scheduling was cancelled due to freezing?…we do not have our hopes up on this one as things like this have a way of leaking and we have not seen or heard of any leaks?

IS IT TRUE Mole # 6 tells us that the Evansville Police are investigating an incident that left a man with a stab wound?…this unfortunate victim was found wandering around on Columbia Street and New York Avenue around yesterday just after 5:00 pm?…reports state that the stabbing occurred somewhere on the south side of town which continues to be a hotbed of violence including a record 2014 for shootings?

IS IT TRUE another day has passed without any official disclosure about who the three anonymous boat cleaners who are credited for begin on board when the Inland Marina boat fire started?  …there are unofficial and unfounded reports about who two of them are but even those are not exactly definitive?…of all the mysteries surrounding the boat fire, we believe that the facts how the boat fire was started will soon be made public?

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228 COMMENTS

  1. Uh, Joe, when I read the EFD Chief’s statement in the C&P I understood the reference to “spreading the water widely” and “didn’t have the equipment to regulate flow” was in reference to the MARINA fire boat, not the EFD fire boat. And that would be consistent with the equipment shown in the photograph of the Marina fire boat. I believe that the 1300 gpm flow rate was in reference to the EFD fire boat.

      • We’re all in agreement on this. Connelly was referring to the boat which CCO called an “Inland Marina state-of- the-art Fire Boat”.

        • The boat in the picture was not a “State of the Art” fire boat but I’m not really sure who took the picture and if that’s the Marina’s Fire boat. If it’s an official picture of the fire scene then why is the Fire Chief giving that to the news media before the fire investigation is complete? That’s nothing but political as was the entire news conference. The Chief said nothing new about the fire or the investigation. All he did was brag about how his men saved the entire marina from the fires. He basically said that they did everything perfect and that no one got hurt. Yet one person was treated for Smoke Inhalation at the fire scene that night. That was Brenda Harris who was said to be cleaning Marves House boat at Midnight Feb 14th 2015. Or is that Feb 13th? Friday the 13th. Ironic the timing of the fire huh? We can’t make this stuff up.

          I wish we could take a poll of the CCO’s members and ask everyone if they believe the story being told by the media about three people cleaning the house boat in the middle of a cold winters night.

          I’m not sure how the fire started as I was not there and don’t have access to the fire scene. But I sure don’t think that it’s believable that three people were cleaning the boat at that time of night and it just caught on fire by itself? I guess in time we might find out what caused the fire.

          And as the ET said they sure crucified SBR for recording the SBA exit audit. I guess it’s ok to attack one person in the news papers but not others? But we all know the bias that is exhibited in the EC&P news paper.

          And I personally see the EFD boat as nothing more than a modified John Boat with a water pump on it. Why did it take more than 5 hours to put the fires out? The fire was started some time around 12:30 to 1:am on Feb 14th 2015 and there are photo’s of the fire still burning the next morning. It gets light around 6 am or 7 am these days. So that’s at least 5 hours before the fire was put out. Granted there were several boats on fire. But maybe if the first houseboat had not been cut loose the fires would not have spread to other boats and the other docks. The fire should have been contained at the end of Dock B.

          • You have got be getting pretty dizzy from all of the spinning you have been doing this week. All of your misdirection changes nothing.
            The CCO is completely wrong today and nothing has been done to correct it. When you make a mistake, own it.
            You still won’t say the IIT is wrong. Why? I guess you want to stand up for your guy just like Connelly wants to stand up for his.
            Anything you say about the fire is pure specualation. You have no way of knowing what would have happened if they left the burning houseboat where it was. Had they left it there and every boat on thay dock burned up, you would be callling them idiots for not cutting the boats loose.
            The only thing political about this whole thing are the CCO attacks on the EFD and EPD in an effort to make Winnecke look bad.
            You only have to watch the banner ads pop up for a minute or two to see who the CCO is in bed with. When you lay with dogs you get fleas.

          • Chief Connelly did what any good leader would do. He defended his men. It’s a shame that he should have to. How many people that have made accusations of ineptitude against EFD have a hour of training in fighting fires? I think the most that the average layperson knows about putting out fires is PASS. Ron writes this big article describing how he had shown discretion by not jumping in on this story, but most of what he wrote was inaccurate conjecture. As more details of the story come out, more holes are shown in CCO’s spin article for the Riecken campaign. The worst thing that could have happened in the wake of this event was to have a supporter go out spreading “facts” that are easily proven to be false. That really makes it look like there is something to hide.

          • Moveon, Here’s what I’ve gotten from yours and other comments on this. From the beginning, we’ve heard the mob calling for the names of the “cleaners”, yet when a picture comes out that shoots a hole in your story you cry about divulging material evidence for an ongoing investigation. So you want all of the info that you can have as long as it does not disprove your theories.

          • This Moveon character keeps calling for transparency, then criticizes the Fire Chief for providing it. Aren’t there medications and therapies that help control such disorders?

          • Wrong Again Phillip:
            I didn’t claim that the picture of the Marina’s fire boat was material evidence in the crime. You said that NOT ME!.

            I said that I doubted the Chief’s statement that he didn’t know about the Marina’s Fire Boat. Yet he has a picture of it to give to the media yesterday during his news conference. And yes everyone in town would expect him to try to defend his actions. Except maybe the owner of the House boat that burned in the fire.

            You can easily navigate to Brenda Harris’s facebook site and to the fire picture in her photo album and see what was said by her and Marve himself. He was not happy with the way the EFD fought the fire from what I saw him saying on Facebook. Nothing like seeing what one of the three people who were on the boat when the fire started say first hand in writing. Did you know that Brenda is claiming that she hurt her bad helping to fight the fire by dragging a fire hose on the scene of the first houseboat fire? Did you know that she suffered smoke inhalation from the fire?
            Do you think that the firemen should have let her anywhere near the burning boat. Do you think that Chief Connelly would approve of her being on the fire scene dragging a fire hose towards that boat? Does anyone really believe what this woman said on her facebook page? We can see what she said but is it true or not. And if she was telling the truth about the fire hose then why did the other firemen stop Mr. Ron Riecken from getting to the marina and helping save property. The Once Scene Fire Commander didn’t want to listen to him and called the police to have them detain the one guy who’s more knowledgeable about the marina than anyone else.

            Maybe you should do some more research about things before you go spouting off about things that you have no clue about. It’s obvious that all you know about is being a political hack for the Mayor and his friends. Go back to Washington DC where you came from.

  2. BEST ANALYSIS OF THE IMMORAL BEHAVIOR OF ELKAYBEE AND MOVEON this week:
    From Inquiring Minds:

    The ONLY reason MoveOn, ELKAYBEE, and SBR over at the Evansville Transparency page want the unpublished names of the cleaning crew members hired to do the boat cleaning is so they can bash these people.

    Elkaybee and Moveon need someone to be the target of their scorn so they don’t have to mention the name Riecken anywhere in their posts.

    Did the cleaning members do anything illegal? Who knows.

    But what is known is that nobody from the cleaning people has been listed as a suspect in a crime, let alone charged with one. That means there names are not public record.

    No matter how many tinhatters stomp there feet and demand the names. The investigation is at a stand still until the boat is brought up from the bottom of the marina.

    But that has not stopped these ” great investigators” from repeatedly calling for something they are not entitlted to. The continued hissy fit by LKB and MoveOn is amusing. Just like they have NO IDEA of the correct way to fight a fire, they have NO IDEA how to investigate one.

      • Eatin’ speaks louder’n words…..LKB has lost her reputation for defending the little guy against larger, entrenched interests. That was all a bunch of pure bull.

        Reputation and integrity are easier kept than recovered. LKB has behaved like a hyena this week.

        (Oh, ELKAYBEE’s gonna complain and holler I’m calling her names. Her hyena in arms, MOVEON will do the same. BUT NOTICE…neither will defend their actions. NEITHER will dispute the accusations. NEITHER will make the case that they were right to exploit people they way they have done this week.)

        • The EFD chief stated that he didn’t know that the Marina had a Fire Boat. But the EFD Chief Connelly held a news conference yesterday and gave a photograph showing what was claimed to be the Marina’s Fire Boat. The picture was reportedly given to the media by the Fire Chief or his people. Did the Chief learned of the presence of a fire boat after the fire or before the fire? And why didn’t he know about the Marina’s fire boat(S) before the fire?

          Did the EFD have a pre fire plan for the fire before the fire? And if not why not? Would it not be a good idea to have such a plan? Such plans determine what the potential fire load is and what type of fire fighting equipment might be needed in the future to fight any fires on the property.. The plan helps figure out where fire hydrants are located and how much water they flow. This helps figure out where to place the fire pumpers and how much fire hose might be needed to reach a fire on the property.

          One of the complains given by EFD was the lack of water. But there is a entire harbor full of water within feet of the Houseboat and there was no way to use it right away. Some fire trucks can suction or draft water out of lakes and rivers using hard suction hoses. Does the EFD have such equipment? I guess they are restricted to using fire hydrants in the city. Where is the fire hydrant located at the Marina. Is there enough water to fight any future fires in this area. The LST parks in this area too. Right now might be a good time to plan to fight a fire on the LST boat in the future.

          It takes time to deploy a fire boat into the Ohio River and get it to the fire scene and into operation. The fire spread and caught other boats on fire. Several boats sank and are still on the bottom of the harbor.

          The Fire Chief thinks that they did everything right. He fully stands by his firemen as he should.

          I think that some people would argue that mistakes were made.

          I hope that if there is ever another fire at the Marina that the EFD will learn from the mistakes made this time and not repeat those mistakes.

          • Is the IIT wrong today? Did Connelly say the EFD boat could not regulate water flow or was he talking about the marina boat when he said that? If it is wrong, (and we all already know it is) than the CCO needs to say so. After all, the CCO were VERY quick to call out the Courier & Press less than 24 hours ago for a story they posted about Ed Parker. The CCO has lost their credibility with this clear double standard.

          • Why are you replying about this to me? What does this have to do with LKB and you deciding to exploit three people working on a boat cleaning job?

          • Inquiring Mind. Connelly said that he was not aware of the Marina’s Fire boat yet he produced a photo of the fire boat. So yes mistakes are being made.

            Mistakes like taking over 5 hours to put out the fire and letting the burning house boat loose in the harbor so that it could catch other million dollar boats on fire and cause them to burn and sink. They could have fought the fire better.

            Connelly’s news conference was nothing more than a political ploy to try to protect his ass. You can bet that he will be questioned about this fire. BTW was the Fire Chief Connelly at the fire scene of the Marina Fire and directing the fire fighting efforts and if not then why not?

            Why was foam not used to put out the fires? After all these fires had flammable fuel involved. Does the EFD boat have foam on board to use to fight flammable liquid fires on the water?

            Where was the PreFire Plan and why did it fail?

        • LKB has gotten more bold since the CCO crowned her their most intelligent mole. She actually believes that is true. She claims to have all the credentials for all facets of science, literature and all other endeavors on earth. I wonder how many doctorates she has and who they were awarded by.
          d

          • What is that special state of mind called where the inflicted person has a grossly inflated self-image of superiority and visions of grandeur?

          • Also claims to be a Social Worker. To have the title of Social Worker one must graduate from a CSWE accredited school and receive a BSW/MSW/DSW degree.

  3. ELKAYBEE made this extraordinary statement yesterday:

    “I think EPD should have casually released the names (of the boat cleaners)…..”

    ….validating the Laura has become what you she so often accuses others of….

    She lacks the courage and discipline to present her case, or to advocate her position, without losing her principles. Yesterday was a classic case, ELKAYBEE is wholly willing to exploit the members of the cleaning crew losing site of the rights she day in and day out demands others need to consider. What LKB said yesterday is NO different than “Throw the bastards to the curb!”

    • What the hell rights are you referring to? The fire department shows up at, and puts out, fires all the time. We generally always get a news story detailing the fire and the individuals who were involved, especially if the police were also involved. So the big question is: why are YOU being so protective of the people who were involved in causing the fire?

      • Press. Remember in Watergate is was the Cover UP that caused Nixon all the trouble. People sneaking around in the middle of the night going though doctor’s office files and bugging the Democratic HQ in the Watergate Building. Hush money being paid to the operatives.

      • ….you’re wanting to hang the cleaning crew? You’re dying to get the names of the cleaning people?

        I don’t have the slightest idea WHO they are. They’re cleaning people. Not politicians. Not marina owners. Not arrested. Not charged with anything.

        Why is LKB and Moveon so damned determined to bring the names and lives of cleaning people into the public? It’s not like they should be absolved of responsibility for anything done wrong…but that job is left to the Police and Fire Department……these are private citizens, not public figures, regardless of what two, clearly immoral CCO hacks who demand to invade the private lives of cleaning people think!! What about due process….? ELKAYBEE and Moveon don’t care about that today. They claim to honor Rick Davis, but today….and this week…they look more like a couple of political hyenas on the prowl.

        To answer your question, because, like all of us, we deserve not to be made public figures unless we choose to. They didn’t own the property, they’re not the property owners. They were not arrested. They were not charged. They did not obstruct and/or fight fire and police professionals. They were the people who were on site cleaning. LKB and Moveon are ON THE HUNT to savage anyone not named Riecken down there…and that is not obvious to you? Due process? They could give a crap. They want what they want. It is disgusting.

        • Apparently, one of the “cleaning crew” is a lady named Brenda Harris. Her public Facebook post indicates she is friends with the houseboat owner. It doesn’t look like a professional relationship in that he engaged a company to clean his boat. Either way, it is true that the names of the people on the boat, doing whatever activity, would have normally been released. This woman was posting publicly the next day with Marver commenting on the thread. It’s not exactly investigative journalism here. The point I think some have made, albeit poorly, is that the Courier and TV reporters have not sought out additional information. I’m not sure that is so much a conspiracy as just the state of local media today. They are very young people mostly, who are not from here. The TV reporters are kids who tend to stay no more than 2 years before moving onto other markets. They didn’t learn in school and are not encouraged by their employer to go out and really find the news. Also, the journalism degree doesn’t make them writers or critical thinkers. Most of the people covering local government have no real ability to grasp the details. They need bumper sticker slogans or headlines that grab. It’s really very sad. John Martin is a nice guy but not particularly energetic. Last year’s leaked audit report proved the local deficiencies in reading and understanding complex issues. We only get from the media what they personally understand and from there what a 4th grader could grasp. Every headline anymore should just be “Bad Stuff” or “Good Stuff.”

        • I already know the names. But I am curious as to why the Media is protecting them when they attack others. And why are you trying to divert attention towards people in here who want to know what started the fire. What are you trying to hide? Shem

  4. If Shem can’t afford his meds, I think CCO posters should take up a collection to buy them for him.

    • AND HERE YOU GO….NO DEFENSE FROM ELKAYBEE

      ….right. I forgot to mention she will defend herself by saying anyone who calls her out needs medication.

      • ….at least BrainsBenton, who curiously tries to defend their actions for them, at least he tries to make a defense on their behalf. LKB and MOVEON will not. There is no defense. So, they’ll call those who call them out names and that they’re crazy or need meds. BUT…no defense!!

        • No defense is needed from your lame attacks. Sorry Shem but I don’t have to defend myself from you and neither does Laura or Brains. Your attempt to attack people are falling on deaf ears here and no one else cares what you say. I’m not sure what you are smoking fellow but it’s not helping you think straight.

      • She says that we need meds, but she spent the whole day yesterday calling another poster by my name. I’m not a psychiatrist, but that sounds a little delusional and a lot paranoid to me. Laura, check the writing styles. I have yet to see one person write using the same style as I use. That’s normally the giveaway for Ron’s other pseudonyms.

        • Phillis I’ve seen the crap that you post online and you have no room to talk about anyone else.. Phyllis you are delusional if you think that there are people pretending to be a “Ron”. Is Ron one of your make believe enemies? All I know is that I post as Moveon and no one else. Maybe you should take Laura’s advice and put down the crack pipe.

          • Move, I notice you have changed Phillips name to Phillis. You seem to do that a lot. Have you always had trouble telling the difference between men and women ?

          • Moveon, reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I did not say that you are Ron. I do not believe that you are. I do know that Ron posts under other names because I can recognize his style of writing. Neither Ron nor Joe are my enemies. As I’ve said before, we have very cordial relationships. I believe that we share a mutual respect. We don’t always agree, but my ego does not require that everyone agrees with me. I enjoy engaging in intelligent debate, which is something that you can’t offer. That’s why you resort to childish and immature measures of calling me by the feminine version of my name and making other childish jokes. Then again, what should we expect from an anonymous internet troll? As for the “crack pipe” comment…I’m way too fat to be on crack.

        • You agreed to physically spar with someone on here earlier this week. I saw where it was his/her offer, but you accepted it. How old are you? What example are you setting by repeatedly posting your willingness to hit someone? I’m not sure that’s a medication issue, but you really should put the keyboard down when angry. Your issues seem to stem from compulsion or impulsivity.

          • I was not angry at all, but I am not a coward. I will always fight for good, literally or figuratively. I never get angry with people on here because my intentions are never to change the mind of the malcontents. My goal is to share common sense facts in the face of hare-brained conspiracies. It’s for the benefit of the intelligent people that may come across this site. They may not engage with you, but I don’t mind getting my hands dirty and playing in the mud with you folks. I find most of the stuff on here to be laughable, not anger inducing. Calling me fat? I’ve heard that for 40 years. Never bothered me. Calling me Phyllis? It’s not original, but I haven’t heard it since grade school. I find it funny that you take issue with me accepting the challenge and not with the person making the threat of it to me. That’s just the typical hypocrisy that I’ve learned to expect from the CCO mob. Anyone that proves your crap to be wrong becomes the target of the mob. No worries for me, I can handle juvenile antics.

          • Davis talks openly about his past fighting experiences on his face book pages. He really has no clue as to what is going on. The more he posts in here trying to act like he is god almighty the worse it looks for him. He claims in the past he was a fighter and that now he’s changed due to god I guess. But in reality he is the same person that he was in his younger days. Hypocrites don’t change. You can’t change your self Phillis. You are a product of your past and don’t ever forget it.

          • I’ve never spoken about any fight that I’ve been in. If you have proof otherwise, please share. Then again, facts aren’t your strong suit. Also, a person’s past is not indicative of anything in their future. Most people grow and mature. We change on a daily basis, but a person that goes online and calls people names would not understand the maturation process of normal human mind.

    • Laura
      Shem is squealing like a stuck hog. … This means one thing. You and whomever he/she/it …
      cries and whines about … is striking a nerve … and getting to the truth. Keep up the good work.
      … Passion and persistence are virtues. …
      .

      • …the disclosure of their names, and it will eventually come, should be part of due process. Hey, it is what it is…I could care less if the cleaning crew is negligent. If they are, then the law is the law.

        BUT….Laura K. Blackburn is advocating to throw due process to the curb and get these people’s identities out without due process. It is a PURE exploitation move, so she can move in and try to destroy three people hired as part of a cleaning crew. LKB will apparently do anything to get what she wants. WHAT a champion of the little guy that ELKAYBEE is….it is despicable.

        Like I said, reputation and integrity are easier kept than recovered. LKB is behaving with real evil this week.

        • Yeah, yeah…I’m calling ELKAYBEE out.

          She deserves to be treated harshly after her actions this week.

          …But instead of whining about how harsh I am being,

          …instead of calling me names,

          …instead of saying ignorant petty crap about being crazy or needing medication,

          TELL ME HOW ELKAYBEE IS RIGHT to exploit these people and due process.

          You can’t…LKB has no defense. She won’t even offer one HERSELF!

        • Asking questions about the fire will not ruin my integrity and neither will Riverfront Shem’s comments.

          I do want to know who the people are and I found out. I personally don’t by the story about cleaning the boat. It’s just not believable. I think a lot of people think the same thing. And I’d bet that they will be looked at closely and if the investigation can get evidence as to what actually happened they will use that evidence to make things right as best they can. But there is no exploitation going on. It is what it is.

          I see no problem with asking questions about what happened. I’m sure that other’s are curious as to what really happened that night.

          This fire did a lot of damage and someone’s going to pay for the damages. I think that there is more to the story than is being told right now.

          • This has not been about asking questions. This has been about who you and some others on here who want to attack people. That is why you posted links to their facebook pages and Laura jumped in and began telling people to look at specific post on their pages.
            Many cleaning companies operate their businesses at night. That is because they can’t be there when the business they are cleaning is open. If these people do cleaning work as a profession, than it makes perfect since that they work during those hours. But you have made no effort to see any other possible senario besides your own. And in doing so, you have repeatedly implied that something criminal was going on and that these names MUST be made public right away.
            Guess what, knowing their names right now does not change anything. It does not change what happened. It does not tell you the cause of the fire. It does not change the outcome of the fire. It does not change the fact that two drunk people showed up and got arrested for their bad behavior. Knowing these names only gives the people on here someone to hate on.
            If I am one of these people and I felt like the investigators threw me to to internet wolves even though I was not accused of a crime, I would not answer another one of their questions. I have a feeling the investigators know that already and are doing all of the right things to preserve the investigation.
            At the end of the day, the people who do investigations as a profession are far better trained than the CCO folks who do it as a hobby. Case in point, the inability of the CCO to get the facts straight following the public statement from the EFD.

          • No that’s what you are trying to make the converstation about. But you failed. I’m going to continue to talk and ask questions about the fire.

            Who started the fire and why?

            Who cleans a houseboat at midnight in sub freezing weather in the middle of the winter.

            When will the investigators get to the bottom of what started this fire?

            Why did EFD cut the burning boat loose and let is drift with the wind into other boats causing those expensive boats to burn and sink?

            Did the EFD use foam on the fire? And if not why not?

            Did EFD Chief Connelly really think his news conference would end all the questions about the fire

            Do you idiots really think you can divert the conservation away from the fire and the problems with the city?

            You and shem need to put down the crack pipe.

          • Inquiring minds, I only take issue with one of your conclusions.
            These folks at CCO are not investigating as a hobby. They are getting paid for what they write. Make no mistake about it, they are paid well and in USD for all this conjecture and political assassination.

          • yea snarski that would be true about journalist being paid well for political character assassinations if you were talking about the EC&P news paper.

        • Shem:

          Due process’ butt. Any newspaper, obviously with the exception of the EVV C&P, would have included the names of the people responsible for starting the fire. It happens all the time here in Evansville, EXCEPT when it might reflect poorly on a member of the local ruling class.

          _________

          A man walks into a bar. He sees a beautiful, well dressed woman sitting on a bar stool alone. He walks up to her and says, “Hi there, how’s it going tonight?” She turns to him, looks him straight in the eyes and says, “I’ll screw anybody at any time, any where, your place or my place, it doesn’t matter to me.” The guy raises his eyebrows and says, ” Really? What law firm do you work for?”

          • Well Pressanykey…..Jesus. You’ve become a take no prisoners political hack too. I take you’ve checked the same box ELKAYBEE and MOVEON have checked.

            ___ “Not interested in due process. Get the cleaning crew out here. We need fresh meat.”

          • There is no “due process” protecting those people from having their names made available to the public, especially if those names appear in a police report on the incident. In the past C&P has taken legal action when EPD had been reluctant to give up the report. Where are they now?

            They way some of the hired guns on here are circling the wagons, it sure looks as if someone has opened their wallet wide.

        • Despicable? Hitler was despicable. Segregation, also despicable. Someone not agreeing with you on a website? Probably not despicable.
          Also, what you are saying is not true about due process. There are countless examples in local media stories where events, including criminal charges, are reported with witnesses disclosed long before the criminal/civil case or relevant process is concluded.
          There’s a story reported this week about a local attorney posing as a Prosecutor to get out of a speeding ticket. The story ran before his first court date and listed the officer who pulled him over and statements from the officer. It also had a quote from the local prosecutor confirming that he used to work for them, so 7 or 8 years ago.
          The Marina story theoretically would have listed the witnesses and their statements out of the box. It was several days before it was deemed a criminal investigation. The media would have had no reason to stay away from their identity or statements when the story broke. The media reported the number of people, what they were allegedly doing, that they admitted knocking over a kerosene heater and that one was treated for smoke inhalation. I would have thought, if I was a reporter, that interviewing those people, the ones were not minors, would be a good follow up. It didn’t happen, and it didn’t happen long before the authorities decided to investigate further. I think it’s legitimate that the media seemed preoccupied with the identity of those arrested and their relationship to a particular candidate. Why? Because it sells newspapers and drives page clicks. Adding more personalities to the story would have diluted the public’s drive for more information about the candidate’s family.

          • Well Said “r”. Well said.

            Something is fishy here. Often the prosecutors and officals will do personality profiles on people of interest. And using cell phone records and even face book profiles and pictures is part of that process.

            I’d bet that the investigation is looking at these three people closely and making a record of all they say and did. That’s part of the investigation. I can also understand why the INVESTIGATORS are not releasing their names to the public. What I don’t understand is why the EC&P is not trying like the dickens to find out who these people are. The paper is much more interested in publishing the story about the Riecken’s than anything IMHO. That’s what some might call a bias in reporting the facts. Reporting some facts and not the other’s is where the bias comes into play IMHO.

            It’s a crying shame that some people can’t handle the truth and go out and harass the people who want to know the truth.

            I guarantee that some of the questions that I’ve asked are being asked by many other people too.

          • Thank you for always putting things into a rational perspective, r. That skill is needed here. I know that I need to here your thoughts when I get riled up.

          • …You are people in an echo chamber, spinning and spinning until you hear what you want to hear. Then nod your head like you’ve been validated. It’s pathetic.

            This call to drag the people who were on the cleaning crews names out into the public is disgusting….desperate exploitation. Owned a boat? No. Owned property there? No. Charged? No. Arrested? No. Obstructed police and fire personnel? No. Was there? Yes. Gay? Really? Take that to the CCO! Private lives? Hell no! “Let’s drag these bastards to the street and get this on…! We need the names and lives of people to talk about so our candidate can be protected!” You’re disgusting and despicable. Anything and anyone to protect your political interests, any tactic, anyone. . …

            LKB and Moveon….you can stop pretending you’re suddenly getting your name and reputation dragged into the mud this week. Ha! You were already in the mud.

      • “Getting the truth”? Really? Today is not the day to say the that her constant posting has gotten to the truth. This IIT is so blatantly false that it is going to haunt Ron Cosby for a very long time. This blog has never been about the truth. It was born out of anger and has always been about trying to embarrass the people who Ron and Joe used to work with and for. Laura, having the same background, has joined right in.
        They have provided a place for people who share their anger to post comments. Just remember that if all 3 of them still had their government ties, the CCO would not exist. These 3 individuals are false prophets who have found a way to make money by insulting people who have managed to remain successful in the arena in which these 3 failed.

        • Also not true. Joe Wallace is very successful. He makes more money and is living in California. GAGE just reported cash flow problems. Cosby was never a member of local government. He started this website 10 years ago and is supplementing his retirement quite nicely. How? Because people like you show up to read and comment and advertisers know it. I don’t know anything about Blackburn other than she is retired. She probably enjoys the debate. If she’s employed by the CCO, then she’s making money from you coming here to bitch, as well. They all seem to be doing fine.

          • Woah there, Mr. R.
            Ron was appointed to the local alcohol beverage board by Weinzapfel, and then removed at the request of the state commission. JW then appointed him to the local housing authority board where again he was removed for whatever reasons one may assume were legitimate cause.
            It was only after his removal from two appointments that he took out after JW and all things JW initiated or advocated.

          • Aaaah. Finally. Payback is the agenda….loss of power, resentment….No wonder LKB and Moveon fit in.

            That Connie Robinson endorsement of Winnecke still burns ELKAYBEE. (And LKB pretends to speak for the little guy. She is exploiting the little guy…that’s been exposed this week.)

        • I agree with you 100%. I also agree with the other poster about Joe’s current success in California. I know why Ron & Laura do this, they don’t have much else to hang their hats on currently. I’m sure that Ron is trying to get back into the local civic scene, that’s why he supported Connie’s ordinance. Laura, being a past political appointee for less than a week, wants to be back in the glory of the Civic Center. I just can’t figure out why Joe wants to look back in his rear-view mirror. He’s rubbing elbows with Elon Musk and receiving accolades for his work in the Coachella Valley. If I were him, I would not waste the time needed to look at Evansville politics and happenings.

          • Ask Joe how much he’s paid as editor of the CCO. That may be a clue as to his rear view mirror viewpoint.

          • I agree with that. I am mystified why Joe Wallace would drag his name into the petty, self-serving, ambitious municipal politics at the CCO. LKB is a symptom of things, you know.

          • Ron Cosby personally told me back in October of 2013 that he paid Joe Wallace enough to make his mortgage payment in California.

          • My Dear Penny,

            If Joe’s mortgage payment is only the amount that the CCO is paying ol Joe, in the Springs, this wouldn’t afford him a dog house…

            • I doubt that ol Joe has a mortgage. He didn’t have one here and my sources tell me he is paid about triple what he was getting at Gage.

      • I don’t bother with Shem except to make fun of him. Don’t overfeed the Troll guys. 🙂

    • So anyone who disagrees with you has mental health issues? Why is it that anyone who has a different opinion than the 5 or 6 regular commenters get attacked whenever they express their opionion? Is this blog only for those who agree with the Three Musketeers? Ron, Joe, and Laura seem to be the majority of the writers for this blog and are quick to try and shut down any dissenting point of view. Anyone who agrees with them is welcomed with open arms. It makes me wonder how many screen names those 3 are using on here.
      This blog has once again shamelessly put out completely incorrect information. The only thing that has sank lower than the Marver houseboat this week is the CCO.

      • I made one post yesterday under my own name in response to a direct question to me about my thoughts on the Indiana bill to tighten the screws on those who choose to generate their own electricity with solar energy. It was at 10:17 last night. LKB posts frequently under ekaybee and doesn’t hide her identity. Move On is one of the posters that I do not know the identity of. I do know Ron Cosby’s writing style though and the posts from Move On do not even closely resemble his writing.

        You seem to be having fun pretending that Move On is Ron, and spending much of your own time doing so. If that is your mission in life then by all means, follow your dreams. I will not censure you. You would be well advised to remember who owns this publication and realize that your ability to post comments is a privilege granted by the owner and not a first amendment right. If Ron, tires of your critiques, he is within his rights as the owner of a private business that receives no public support to censure or even ban your posting privileges. Have a good day.

        By the way, I have a very demanding full time job. My contributions to the CCO are done in the early mornings, lunch, and sometimes in the evening PST. I don’t usually even read the comments or IIT after my own input has been uploaded. When I comment, if it is on behalf of the CCO, I use the name editor. When it is a personal opinion I use Joe Wallace.

        • …and two bits. It has never occurred to me that Joe Wallace has any interest in the petty, feckless behavior I have witnessed in several of the CCO comment posters here. The guy is working on the west coast on goals and objectives far above the low-life municipal politics of Evansville political parties, for God’s sake. Honest, I can’t believe Joe associates with the CCO. He has no time for the kind of pedantic recreational activities that occur on this blog, other than, what I believe is a sincere effort on Joe’s part to contribute some public good (…and mind you, stay in the lines of due process…a goal not common to others posting here).

          I’m semi-retired. That’s my excuse. It does strike me as pathetic the need for the CCO to mask its advocacy as “for good public policy.” Inquiring Minds is right. The CCO wants power, little else. And it is looking in, rather than looking out.

        • You did answer to “California Joe” when this poster needed your attention! (no disrespect
          was intended) I knew your stance on net metering, but not on user fee to do so. I expect no less then $25 or more surcharge base on what Vectren charge for gas/electric distribution.
          Thanks for responding!

          It appears we have our own 21st century version of the legend of Nero (about a dozen user names). There are bills being introduced and passed by the super majority legislation at Indy
          that effects the city coffers, and the personal pocket book of every one of us. Your city is
          burning in debt, and it seems these Nero’s can not pull their heads out of their “political rump” for the good of all. They seem content to “school yard” bickering among themselves!

        • I find it interesting that Joe Wallace took time to get on here and tell us how busy he is and how he seldom reads the posts, but he failed to address the false claims he made in today’s IIT. There is absolutely ZERO integrity on this site.

          • Notice the time stamp. It was 6:49 am in CA? That is the time of day I indulge my affection for Evansville in the CCO, read newspapers, and see how the markets are starting the day. As to what you call false claims, IIT addressed several topics today. What is it that you think is false. I will look into it over the weekend. If it is false, I will retract anything that were my words. Do not be offended when you see nothing more from me until tomorrow. My Evansville indulgences are over for today.

          • I have observed Joe’s writing style for several years, and he makes one particular word use mistake consistently. He is the only person on CCO that makes this particular misuse. He also does it on his Facebook status. It is unique. I have seen this unique signature once in a post by someone who under a different name posts several times a day in the comments section here.

            As for Ron, he also has a unique signature, but I have not yet seen him use his unique misuse under the name Moveon. When he does make it, and he will, I will know for sure. However it will require a specific topic of discussion for him to reveal himself as his signature is specific to only three municipal official titles.

        • Joe, that’s what I’ve been saying about writing styles. I am wordy. You can tell my style by that. It’s hardly ever less than 6 sentences, plus I overuse commas. Most of us that had read Ron know his style. I can usually tell which of you have written the IIT. I don’t see why everyone has this hang up about wanting to know who is who. There are some that I have an idea of who they are, but it’s not worth posting on here about. I never thought that Laura posts under more than one name, but since she seems so insistent that other people are, that makes me believe that she is doing it.

      • How many screen names do you use “inquiring mind”. A fox smells his own hole first. Just the fact that you mentioned using multiple screen names tells me that you do that yourself. After all you thought about that and brought it up. I post with one screen name in here and only one name. I wonder if you can say the same thing with a straight face?

        • Inquiring Minds also makes a single, unique misspelling which I have never seen made under a different name signature here in the comments section.

          • This is a new username, which means you are the same as what you protest. Been reading and studying the writing styles of others for year? Just decided to start posting? Unlikely. I’m guessing from your writing that you are a pathological liar and probably unemployed or in your opinion, under employed. You’re living off relatives and feel as if the world should recognize your brilliance. Until then, you’ll just hang out here.

          • You need to learn how to comprehend words my friend. I never protested the fact that both Ron and Joe use multiple names in the comment section. I simply pointed out that from observation of certain word use, both of them are obvious multiple and chronic commenters here.
            In fact, in the past, I’ve observed Ron posting questions under one name and answering them under another. What is it they say about people who not only talk to themselves but go on to answer their own alter ego questions?

    • Don’t worry Elkaybee. No one listens to Shem these days. Just ignore his trolling and continue to talk about the fire and anything else that you want to discuss. You have said nothing to be ashamed of in here.

      Here is what happened to Shem when he is not taking his meds?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pir3MtYepoY

  5. ”of all the mysteries surrounding the boat fire, we believe that the facts how the boat fire was started will soon be made public?”

    If the insurance investigators are the ones who finally reach a conclusion on that, it may take awhile. With the weather as bad as it is, has anything been done toward raising the Marver boat? Will evidence degrade the longer it stays down?

  6. The EFD Chief was very clear in his explination of the capability of the EFD boat. He was also very clear in the explination of the marina boat.
    The EFD has a fire boat that can pump 1300 gallons per minute onto a fire. They used that boat at the fire.
    The marina boat has a piece of plastic on the motor that is not capable of regulating the water flow or the direction of the water. It is a basicaly a roostertail that uses the spray and pray technique.
    Shame on the CCO for their amatuer journalism. Your disdain for Winnecke has prevented you from being anything more than a blog for a bunch of axe grinders. Joe, Ron, and Laura all used to be at the big people table but fell from grace. Now they all spend thier days on here bashing the very government they wanted so much to be a part of.
    What a joke. This week has shown the true colors of the CCO and it’s loyal followers. Winnecke could not have asked for a better week. Thank you Ron, Joe, and Laura for all the help!!

    • Yes. The state line runs though the Marina Area. Part of the Marina is in KY and part is in IN.

  8. Has anyone heard anything from Shem but sour grapes, attacks on posters, and the Editor, while posting pompous speech about the short comings of everyone on this site. —he disparages everything, and everyone on this site, yet like a Masochist with a Superiority Complex he keeps posting here like he is the ultimate judge, and jury on free speech views, and opinions having merit.
    Indications abound in his blather that he is indeed a Masochist –who keeps coming on this site to abuse himself,
    —- and anyone who doubts his Superiority.
    What a Creep. Go Away “little man”.

    • Crash … your comment has reminded me of what I was going to post this morning.
      “Shem needs to go into the bathroom with a Playboy magazine and relieve some of the tension that is coming through on these pages.. … LOL!” …
      Something very creepy about Shem … Kind of like Joe Biden … the Creepy Veep. …

  9. From the article:

    “The department’s boat sprays about 1,300 gallons of water per minute. Connelly shared with local media a photo reportedly of the marina’s fire boat. He said it appears it would spray water widely and didn’t have the equipment to regulate flow.”

    Editor, you need to stand down, take a deep breath, and decide whether Rep. Riecken’s ad money is worth shredding your credibility completely. The desperation to find some avenue of attack against Mayor Winneckezapfel has reached the point of absurdity. There are plenty of reasons for reasonable people to oppose him, but the repeated implication here that a pair of drunks and/or a wholly unqualified civilian be allowed to manage a fire scene is lunacy.

    • howler
      I would agree that the first paragraph of today’s IIT should be removed and a “”WHOOPS!” I was mistaken”
      posted in it’s place. But my hat is still off … to the folks at CCO. …

      • What we’re seeing from Shem/Sham and a couple of others is a concerted effort to focus the conversation here on personalities rather than issues of community interests. I have decided not to bother reading any more of the bile-filled posts.
        This is an election year and the people who post here have a greater than usual chance to influence the future of the City. Those clowns are trying to impede the exchange of ideas with nasty, personal insults and we can’t let them hijack the site.

          • ET and CCO are the two best things Evansville has going for it. It is proof that this is not a town full of idiots. At least some folks have three digit IQ’s.

        • LKB–I do believe it is a couple of LACKEYS trying to do just that (hijack the site). I too will not give their drivel the slightest respect–They can post away from here on,–few will be listening to these Jerks.

          • Hijack the site? I did not realize this PUBLIC comment board was only for people who agree with everything Joe, Ron, and Laura say. My bad.
            Of course you do understand that without us hijackers, there would only be about 10 people commenting on here and a lot less page views. And then the CCO would not be able to brag about how many views they get. Speaking of page views. Did anyone else notice the CCO took the tally info down. Before the fire, you could see how many views their stories had and how many comments had been made. Now, the number of views has vanished. Poof. Gone. I guess the ability to see how many views AND how many comments at the same time allowed people to clearly see that a limited number of people view this blog over and over so they can argue with each other. Me included.
            But I am done. I am done trying to introduce any thoughts into a processs that is rigged from the beginning. I will do my talking at the polls. No, not the silly polls the CCO tries to run. But at the real polls. Where I won’t have anyone telling me to take my meds, calling me a crony, a bootlicker, a Winky, or any other stupid 2nd grade names.

          • Inquiring Mind – Very well said. I feel the same way. It is fun, however, to see the way liberals will throw each other under the bus…Rick Davis is a prime example of that. Reservoir Dogs comes to mind except the setting here is reminiscent of middle school.

            These folks don’t want to enter the arena of ideas. They will not list what it is they truly believe; their core values. Calling names while majoring in minors is the common MO.

        • …ELKAYBEE, you are wholly incapable of honesty and integrity on the point of your choice to exploit the due process for the three workers hired to clean a boat. Your FUTURE OF THE CITY crap here is exactly that.

          You can’t defend yourself from the accusations. You won’t do it. SO….you’re trying to divert attention.

          • You have no creds in here and no one needs to defend themselves from your pathetic self serving attacks.

            They need to release the names of the people that were at the fire scene when it first started. The story so far is not believable.

    • Why didn’t EPD use their boat to fight the fire ? Was it because the pump did not work ………just asking?????

    • Absolutely not. When a couple who love each other, marry and have kids together, end up in a divorce and even become bitter enemies, how in the world can we expect that there will ever be peace on earth?

  11. In today’s Is It True “the CCO would like very much to know what points these two (Winnecke and Riecken) disagree on with respect to this project (the downtown location for the IU Med Center)?”

    The obvious truth is Winnecke can and will get the job done with the Indiana Governor, Legislature, and local partners while Riecken cannot get the job done, as clearly shown by both their recent actions and results in Indianapolis and down here in Evansville.

      • A sad lot. You’d almost think the mayor of a city this size could muster a couple of at least semi-literate people to come on these boards and make his case. Not that Winnecke has accomplished anything positive during his failed tenure but relying on demonstrable lightweights to provide cover seems to work at cross purposes to his lust for re-election.

        • It would be very hard to make a case for our failed Mayor. The people he would get to try to justify what he has done would expect to be well paid for fighting a losing battle.

        • Bandana…you’re likely the best writer on this site. Brains is a close 2nd. So, good for you. But it seems that even you would have a distaste for the kind of political hyena tactics LKB and Moveon have displayed this week. And the CCO’s wholesale attacks on the integrity of the Police and Fire personnel on site at the Inland Marina fire.

          Is this what things have come down to? Any tactic, however immoral, is acceptable as long as it preserves the candidate of choice, Gail Riecken?

          • (Winnecke lost my vote on the put the crosses up spectacle. That was it. I’ll vote for Riecken as I would not expect that kind of ignorant crap from her. But I have some principles and standards beholden to no candidate. Others, evidently not. But the immoral crap I have seen this week from LKB and Moveon and their willingness to wholesale exploit…is disgusting.)

          • Oh Shem the Righteous one. Only Shem has morals according to his self serving rants in here. Keep it up Shem as you keep digging the hole deeper with every negative comments.

            Since when is asking questions about the fire Immoral? Sorry but no one in their right mind buys such wild and unfounded claims.

  12. From one “practical mind” to another; great IIT today about downtown medical school. What’s the logic in saddling taxpayers with 60 million of debt when the same ends could have been achieved for virtually nothing?

    • Commonsense made common sense. The problem is that common sense is not practiced in this village!

    • Here’s what the EFD website shows, but doesn’t indicate where it the Scorpion is moored or trailered:

      “the Evansville Fire Department is fortunate to have a 22’ Scorpion aluminum hull jet-drive boat that is also capable of providing 2,500 gallons of water per minute for firefighting operations and a 13’ rubber hull Zodiac.”

      http://www.evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=2423

    • That does make really good sense, Joe. I guess that’s why they don’t do it that way. Of course, some of the sheep would be bleating about the City showing favoritism to Gail, by having the boat at her business.

    • Excellent idea. They would probably say not enough money to keep it in the water or pay the marina fee and they’d be right. Also, just makes too much sense.

      • Does anyone know what the EFD does with their Scorpion fireboat and how long it takes them to get in the Ohio River (if not moored somewhere-Casino boat maybe?) and then to the marina?

        • I think from the news reports yesterday that that EFD boat is kept at Station #3 which is down by Fulton Ave and Franklin Street.

          • Yup. Direct shot to Dress Plaza, which is one of 3 launches we routinely use. Depending on the location of the issue we’re addressing, we also use Angel Mounds and Dogtown. Takes maybe 5 minutes to get from Dress Plaza to Inland Marina in the boat, probably a bit less? If memory serves, our time from dispatch to boat launch is generally under 10 minutes if we’re going to Dress Plaza. This assumes ready access to the Dress Plaza ramps, of course. If the area is 18 inches deep in mud or the ramps are covered with debris like driftwood it takes longer, and we might have to bypass it altogether.

            “Some fire trucks can suction or draft water out of lakes and rivers using hard suction hoses. Does the EFD have such equipment?”

            I believe the ability to draft water is common to all modern fire trucks, and having hard suction is an NFPA requirement for pumping apparatus, IIRC. So yes, all our engines can draft from static water sources. Physics being physics, you generally need to be within 20 feet of a static source to draft from it. That’s hard to do along the river and local lakes/ponds – – finding a semi-level, non muddy or rocky access point to our local surface waters is practically impossible, and it would do no good to mire a fire truck axle deep in mud or have it flip over and submerge while trying to draft.

            We do train on drafting from portable dump tanks, but that technique is rarely (ever?) used in town because most areas we cover are well supplied with hydrants.

          • DB thanks for your candid answers. Getting water to the fire scene was a problem. Do you know if they had or used foam to fight this fire?

    • Joe, check out my 12:32 post for some additional scoop on this topic. EFD covers a wide stretch of river from Angel Mounds (and north) to Dogtown. We also assist KY and area VFD’s and LE agencies. It is much quicker to hook the boat up at Station 3 and drive the boat to Angel Mounds or Dogtown if we have a run near there then it would be to drive to Inland Marina, get in the boat, then cruise up or down river to get to the area of the emergency. Keeping the boat moored at Inland Marina would get the boat to Inland Marina quicker, but every other area of our response district would likely suffer.

      • @moveon

        “Do you know if they had or used foam to fight this fire?”

        We’ve got plenty of foam and delivery methods, including truck mounted systems, man-packable systems, and a standard eductor/handline/nozzle system present on each engine (I believe). We also have at least two different types of foam, AFFF (used mostly for liquid fuel fires, but useable on other things) and Class A (serves basically as a surfactant which makes water ‘wetter’ – – lets it get into nooks and crannies more readily on fires involving permeable materials like wood and standard home contents). To my knowledge, all or most of our engines as well as some of our support apparatus have the equipment and supplies needed for foam operations.

        I think foam was used or attempted, but I wasn’t there and can’t say 100%. Foam is not a cure-all. It has it’s limitations, particularly when it comes to method of delivery. A foam stream has limited reach and pressure compared to a stream of water, definitely a factor on a windy night like the night of the marina fire, also a factor if you just can’t get close enough for delivery due to radiant heat. Foam blankets also degrade rapidly from mechanical disruption and thermal exposure unless they are undisturbed and constantly replenished. A blanket of foam on a choppy body of water is going to be uselessly diluted in short order.

        FWIW, my initial thought when I heard there was a fire involving boats at the marina was that foam could have been useful. That makes me think (since I’m no particuarly rare genius when it comes to fire tactics) that the guys/gals on scene also thought of it, and if it wasn’t used (or if it was tried and discontinued) there were probably good reasons for that.

          • Thanks. Believe it or not, there is an actual reason behind most of the stuff we (public safety) do and the tactics/equipment we use on any given situation. It really bugs me when I read posts like:

            “That does make really good sense, Joe. I guess that’s why they don’t do it that way. ”

            “Excellent idea. They would probably say not enough money to keep it in the water or pay the marina fee and they’d be right. Also, just makes too much sense.”

            Like it would never OCCUR to some poor dumb hose humpers to permanently station the EFD boat at Inland Marina, or that it would simply be beyond the IQ of an officer of the EFD to consider foam operations at a marine fire. I’ll reiterate a previous post of mine – – if the Inland Marina fire did not have a perfect outcome, it’s not because the men and women responding were morons, or lazy, or ill-equipped to handle the situation. It was a serious fire fought in very difficult conditions. The near constant implication by some CCO posters (and Editors) that PD/FD somehow screwed everything up at Inland Marina has no basis in fact, as far as I can tell.

        • Thank you for the honest and detailed input. You make more sense and should be the EFD spokesman. This was a tough fire to fight due to many factors. The weather was not favorable either. The only photos I saw of the fire itself was a few taken by John Buckman III as evidently he was at the fire scene taking photos of the fire. I saw the EFD boat spraying water out of a nozzle from the fire boat a long way away from the fire. That stream of water was impressive but probably took a while to get to the fire. Sometimes the fire is burning inside and it’s hard to get water onto the fire itself. I saw pictures of a big houseboat that was docked at the end of B dock at Inland Marina before the fire. The picture was on Google Earth and it was a satellite over head picture. The houseboat at the end of B dock was huge. So I can see how it would be hard to put the fire out if one could not get inside the boat or close to it due to the radiant heat of the fire. You know that timing is everything as fire spread quickly. So the faster you can get to the initial fire the easier it is to put out. Let it grow with time and it becomes harder to extinguish.

          I hope you guys get some more funding to help you with future fires.

          • You make valid points, particularly about the fire in the interior being inaccessible. It’s hard to put a burning container out if you can’t actually get inside the container!

            EFD responding units were basically faced with a giant floating block of flaming plastic, dozens of additional exposures (also made of plastic), extremely limited access for both manpower and equipment, and extremely unforgiving weather. Add in the shenanigans which happed that PD had to be called for and it was anything but a routine scene.

            The guys I relieved who were coming off-duty that morning were exhausted, frozen, filthy, and completely frustrated with the difficulty of fighting that fire. I’ll stand by their efforts.

          • DeltaB, much appreciated responses from in the know. I concur with Moveon (as odd as that feels).

  14. BREAKING NEWS: Evansville Water & Wastewater Utilities 2013 Audit (published 2-13-15). Report Number B44815.

    pg.23: SBOA: ” Water and Wastewater cash and investment fund balances, including City funds, were not properly reconciled to bank balances . . . As a result of incomplete and inaccurate reconcilements, improper accounting for cash and investments and incorrect postings to the records remained undiscovered”.

    pg. 26: Evansville Water and Sewer Utility: “The City disputes the State’s characterization that the City fund balances, cash and investments were not properly reconciled or contain undiscovered incorrect postings as of December 31, 2013”. Letter signed by Allen Mounts, Jenny Collins and Russell Lloyd, Jr.

    • This is the kind of post we should be seeing on this site! Thank you UFO!

      I wish at least a dozen usernames would pull their heads out of their political rump
      and go back to these type of post! I do not want to relive my preteen days of seeing
      schoolyard bickering! DISCUSS THE FACTS!

    • “The difference between the reconciled bank balance reported by the Utilities and City combined and the fund ledger balance was $ 395,157 cash short at December 31, 2013”. (pg. 23, under ‘Bank Account Reconciliations’).

      Comment: $ 395,157 cash SHORT ? Russ Lloyd should demand that Jenny Collins be fired. Russ took on the challenge of plugging the hole in that burning boat at Marina Point on short notice, and did a yeoman’s job. If he can’t rely on Jenny to take care of a $ 395,157 cash short position , what good is she ?

      • Hell, if Russ Lloyd wanted to pass for a credible CPA, he’d demand that Russ Lloyd be fired. “Honor among thieves” is rare, but extortion among them is not unusual.
        Btw, that reference to “thieves” is a figure of speech. I don’t think either of the creative bookkeepers stole anything, but they surely have to handle a lot of subterfuge for incompetence and malfeasance on the part of those higher up the food chain. A few well-kept secrets makes for job security, and the both of them are set as long as Winnie is in office.

  15. I called Ron Cosby this morning to see how he is doing. Some of you already know that he is dealing with some serious health issues currently. He told me some distressing news, but he’s Ron, and he’s not going to stop fighting for CCO and its mission.
    He tells me that while he is used to enduring personal insults, he is not willing to be harassed and threatened. He has been getting off-hours harassing phone calls, and he feels that his and his wife’s personal safety is being threatened. He and his attorney are turning over evidence that will expose where the threats are coming from to the Sheriff’s department later today. He will be exposing the offenders on CCO and pursuing their prosecution.
    Btw, for once and for all, “Moveon” is NOT Ron Cosby. He hasn’t been well enough recently to take care of all the duties he usually handles on CCO, much less post under a pseudonym. If he posts on these threads, he “owns” what he said. The people who are threatening and insulting a sick 71 year-old man and his wife should be ashamed, but I doubt they have the capacity to feel shame.

    • Our best to Mr. Cosby for a quick recovery. I hope anyone violating the law by threats and intimidation is prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The CCO is a valuable community service and its Editors deserve kudos for their efforts at exposing public waste and bad policy while acknowledging and commending good public policy.

      • That is correct. No one has the right to go after him personally. His private life is HIS PRIVATE life. And those who Elkabee says are harassing his personal life are WRONG to do it.

        Does ELKAYBEE and MOVEON feel the cleaning people doing their job at the Marina deserve a similar right to be left alone and not harassed and their private lives be left undisturbed?

        • Ron did not start a fire that resulted in millions of dollars of damage and loss to other peoples property at a local marina.

    • Thank you for that information Laura. Any one harassing a 71 year old man and his wife needs to stop it now. I hope that they are punished for their actions. And I hope that Ron’s health improves.

    • Thanks for the information Elkay. Me and my family wish the best to Mr. Cosby and his wife. I too would like to see prosecutions of any and all of the filthy cowards harrassing and threatening him.

    • Thanks Laura .. for setting things in perspective and informing us about Ron. It goes without saying that we wish Ron and his … the very best. …

    • “the capacity to feel shame.” Not that cabal, its bout time someone pursues a solution. But maybe an non local enforcement group should be involved as well. Our consortium also wishes Ron Cosby well being in his solutions to the health problems.

    • Btw, I posted the above with Ron’s permission. It has been hard for me to hear the insults hurled at him here and say nothing about his health. The good news is that a full recovery is expected, but it is going to be a long haul for him and his family.

    • I agree no one should be harassed or threatened on this sight or any other. I do find it interesting that you didn’t have that same opinion when one of your good friends would get hammered then get on Facebook and make threats to people. The people that were threatened were called cowards by several people on this sight. Ron and his family don’t deserve the threats and the same goes for everybody.
      Jack Waldroup

  16. TIME OUT!
    This thread is here to provide a forum for Community Comment and friendly conversation. It has recently devolved into an unflattering blood-sport … Like being at a restaurant when a food-fight suddenly breaks out … most of us have begun slinging jello. … I am guilty … I am sorry.
    Let’s all take a few beep breaths …
    It’s the dead-of-winter … in one of the most miserable towns in the world.
    We are turning on one another.
    I for one can do better. …

    • I believe that I can put a time frame on when this started that corresponds to a certain poster showing up, not too long after an unsuccessful attempt to take this site down by a malicious local hacker.

      The simple fix would be to ban anyone who deals in personal attacks against posters, as opposed to attacking their ideas.

  17. Editor. Good point in today’s IIT regarding IU Medical School and downtown. Indebting taxpayers an additional 57 million dollars when the same results could have been achieved with 0 taxpayer dollars should require an explanation from BOTH candidates.

    • On that I agree. We should be trying to save tax payers money while still bringing the Medical School to this area.
      But it’s still tax payers money being spent. IU get a lot of it’s funding from the State and the State gets it’s money from the tax payers just like the City. In the end this is all public money coming from tax dollars.

        • Press, Is it the norm for the Foundation to use the money for major construction ? I know a lot of money is given with instructions for what it is to be used for.

          • For Christ’s sake man, they are sitting on a Billion and a half dollars, why should any Evansville homeowner have to cough money to them to build a school that they will own?

          • Press, If the money is restricted and can’t be used for buildings that isn’t hard to figure out. What you are trying to do is change the way state supported schools have been funded since maybe forever. You are going to need a bigger campaign than posts on this site.

          • Cowboy

            Why should I care which pocket they stuff the money in? It is just another shell game with them setting the rules. It is a $$$$BILLION AND A HALF$$$$$ freaking dollars!!!

            If you were sitting on a $$$BILLION AND A HALF$$$$ freaking dollars, would you ask some struggling homeowner to pay for your building so you could keep your $$$$$BILLION AND A HALF$$$$ freaking dollars????

      • That’s what I just said Cowboy. But who’s tax dollars are being spent? The City’s tax dollars or the STATE’s tax dollars.

        I think it would be best to spend more of the State’s Tax dollars than the Cities.

        And I still stand by what I said a while back that the best place to put the IU medical school would have been in Warrick County where the infrastructure was already in place.

        • Move, You could move the site to Lexington and you would still have to pay for the new building. That is where the state comes in, the way i understand it.

          • yes I guess my tax dollars paid to the State could be used to fund the IU medical School. But I would be in favor of that if they put it in Warrick County or at USI where the costs would be lower. I don’t mind paying taxes to build a new medical school to train more doctors. We can always use more Medical Doctors in this area. So that’s a good thing. But it would have been less expensive for the city to have the State fund it at USI or over on the East Side where a private developer was creating the infrastructure for the facility at his own expense.

      • One thing locating the school in downtown Evansville will accomplish, if it ever happens, is the beneficial affect it will have on people who own real estate in the area. Say, for example, that you own a few homes on SE Second Street, and perhaps you even live in one of them. The value of that real estate is likely to increase.

        • The sad thing about that is that I don’t think many, if any, of the students and faculty will opt to live in the area. Why would they pay more to live in an inconvenient, “moderate crime” area, when with a brief commute they can be in a more safe and convenient place for less cost? Those students and their families are usually pretty bright people with good reasoning skills. If they’ve chosen the local school over some of the older locations, it is a good chance that cost is a concern for them.

          • If they do not live in the city should we let them work at the school? After all, city tax money will be invested in the school. Can Connie give us a determination on this one?

      • Even if tax dollars are used for the school, we’d be better off footing the bill along with the other 91 counties in Indiana, instead of paying off a $57 million bond issue on our own. If it was at USI or Gateway, the local share of the cost would be much, much less.

  18. I’ve heard it all now. Just overheard somebody on welfare blame Obama for not getting enough money. Poor are blaming Obama for not getting enough and rich are saying he’s giving out too much. Ding ding you guessed it, she was white.

  19. Couple of things to think about concerning the IUSOM:
    1. Law STILL states must be on USI campus
    2. Building on USI property is virtually free as the state already owns the land
    3. Building on USI property there is already infrastructure as far as a physical plant, parking, security and lodging already exists or can be built at a fraction of what would cost have downtown
    4. Amenities such as a food court and access to a library already established.

    Yes Joe Taxpayer needs to ask why this needs to go downtown.

    • You make the other logical point in all of this. The only logical reason I can find for a downtown site is the self-enrichment of some well-connected realtors and cronies. No matter what other arguments are presented for downtown, they just don’t seem practical.

      • Exactly. Only a few people benefit financially when all the rest of the tax payers are footing the bill. How is that right or fair no matter how the Mayor’s spins it.

  20. Well how do you like that ?!?! Turns out it wasn’t cleaning on their mind as the impetus was a sexual dalliance, a tryst so to speak. Apparently a leg thrust out in a moment of pleasure was the culprit !

    • Maybe the possibility of a midnight rendevous or even a menage’ e trois is why there has been such obsession with the cleaning crew. There are good reasons for being on a houseboat at midnight and a threesome would qualify as a worthy reason. I hear the guy who owns the boat is quite a local version of Hugh Hefner himself. Sounds like a Warren Zevon moment to me. “I went home with a waitress, like I always do”, “send lawyers, guns, and money, to get me out of this”.

      • Or some shenanigans related to Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.
        Either way, you’d want to keep it quiet.

      • yeah right, a sexy menage a trois with your son and his underaged friend in freezing weather on a houseboat. Is this the best strategy the damage control team can come up with. A link, or you are a liar.

        • Since when is truth the yardstick to measure involvement on this forum? Let’s just say I have been negatively affected by the Toad man and moveon. I can no longer separate fantasy from reality.

    • Have I missed something?? The woman who claimed to have been on the boat says she was with her son and a friend of his. Is this a really sick version of Mrs. Robinson? Was the woman who claimed to be there not really there? Did you slip on the ice and bump your head?

        • I will never, ever understand the compulsions of some folks to post things on Facebook that can come back to haunt them. We have some local politicians who have shown some really bad judgment in what they put up for the world to see, and some wannabes that are real jaw droppers.

          • Mayo Clinic

            Many experts use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, to diagnose mental conditions. This manual is also used by insurance companies to reimburse for treatment.

            DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:

            * Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

            * Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it

            *Exaggerating your achievements and talents

            *Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate

            *Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people

            *Requiring constant admiration

            *Having a sense of entitlement

            *Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations

            *Taking advantage of others to get what you want

            *Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others

            *Being envious of others and believing others envy you

            *Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

    • The righteous folk here are going to be all over you. Shem is going to be calling you “amoral” any minute now. I just know he will.

    • The weather has had me pretty much trapped at home, and when I do get out I catch myself wondering what the latest is. I don’t like to get engrossed in the internet on my phone when I’m out, but until after the election I will be doing some quick checking. I think I’ve become news-dependent, and I don’t think there’s a support group for that just yet.

  22. Winnecke administration math properties:

    Identity Property:

    Winnecke times anything = Fail

    Commutative Property

    Winnecke + Schafer = Fail
    Schafer + Winnecke = Fail
    Winnecke * Lloyd * Schafer = Fail
    Lloyd * Winnecke * Schafer = Fail

    Associative Property

    Winnecke * (Weaver * Mosby) = Fail
    (Winnecke * Weaver) * Mosby = Fail

    Distributive Property

    Winnecke * (Bob Jones + HCW) = Fail
    Winnecke * Bob Jones + Winnecke * HCW = Fail

    Giddy for Gail > Winnecke = Fail

    Gail > (Marina Fire non-scandal) to the 10th power

    I’m going to play Joe Namath here and GUARANTEE a Gail Riecken victory

  23. For all of those fans “due process”, even though it is not a factor in the marina fire story:

    http://www.14news.com/story/28161996/epd-searching-for-suspect-in-east-side-robbery

    That is a shining example of how the local media deals with “due process” non-issues. Moveon and I have simply been curious about why the media has been so quiet about the identities of the witnesses/victim of the Marina fire. They clearly have no problem identifying people who are suspected of wrongdoing, but they customarily print the names of witnesses to fires, wrecks, crimes, etc.
    The whole due process silliness has already been debunked by “r”, but here’s an example of the local media’s concern with it. It’s a sloppy way to do business, but this is the norm.

    • I had to side eye that one too. Police were given a name (by who?) so they pulled up a previous mug shot of a guy with that name, and blasted it out before they have even caught a suspect or questioned him. So much for the sanctity of “due process”. He may be the guy, or he may not be, but it’s an xBox, not $2Million dollars worth of watercraft.

      • The witnesses who were on the boat and its owner clearly don’t care about privacy, either. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been commiserating on Facebook. They could have carried on a private conversation on the phone or via private messaging on Facebook. All the phony concern for people who aren’t concerned for themselves is a little over the top, I think.

  24. EVANSVILLE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

    MERIDIAN PLAZA

    COMMISSIONER CHERYL MUSGRAVE

    Commissioner Musgrave needs to come on here and inform the citizens who are concerned about the possibility that the ERC may have voted to use public funds to provide the money to Ben Kunkel to pay off the debt he currently owes the City of Evansville on the Meridian Plaza project.

    Can anyone imagine that such a thing could possibly happen? We need the facts, now.

      • Yes. You should see the real estate listing Mrs. Mayor has in the building. It’s posted on ET.

        • That garage they want to add might be for the Poop’s pumpkin carriage, unless he’s transitioned to being lugged around in a sedan chair by now. It’s back to the bank or TV station when the clock strikes midnight Nov. 3.

      • Why do you all put up with this stuff, dirty SOBS are cleaning the coffers and you all just keep paying in. Pitiful.

        pit·i·ful
        ˈpidēfəl/
        adjective
        deserving or arousing pity.
        synonyms: distressing, sad, piteous, pitiable, pathetic, heart-rending, heartbreaking, moving, touching, tearjerking; More
        very small or poor; inadequate.
        synonyms: paltry, miserable, meager, insufficient, trifling, negligible, pitiable, derisory; More
        archaic
        compassionate.

    • Last time anybody checked there are multiple people on the ERC. So what is your vendetta against Ms. Musgrave that you have to call her out alone in your asinine expectation that she has any obligation to explain anything on this blog?

      A quick search reveals that the ERC is made up of six people in 2015:

      President – Randy Alsman
      Vice President – Mike Schopmeyer
      Secretary – Stan Wheeler
      Member – Jennifer Raibley
      Member – Cheryl Musgrave
      School Board Representative – Karen Ragland

      So do everyone a favor and explain why you decided to ignore the officers and single out one member alone in this sudden demand for information? According to the website for the ERC it states

      “The Evansville Redevelopment Commission (ERC) normally meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month, with exceptions for City observed holidays. The meetings are held at 8:30 a.m. in Room 307 of the Civic Center Complex.”

      Since you seem to think you have the ability to make demands out of nowhere, maybe you can haul your carcass down to one of their regular meetings and make your demand in public and in the proper format. Or you can always send in a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request for whatever the hell your mind has made up that clearly has your panties twisted up.

      But I guess (like usual) it is easier to sit behind the keyboard making specious demands that you dream up thinking that you have any right to demand this information “now”.

      Get real

      • Wait. FoIA? Blow work off for meetings?
        So, according to you, ordinary citizens should go to extraordinary means in order to extract the information that should be freely disseminated to the public in a timely manner? And to you THIS is the way it SHOULD be? No.
        This is the internet age. The meeting convened, that much is obvious. It is not too much to ask that the clerk who took minutes, push the publish button that puts it on the internet, very soon after the meeting concludes. If we had any news media they should be going to cover the public’s interest.
        You are acting like the government has the RIGHT to withhold this information from us, unless we beg for it or file FoIA.

      • Wow what a classless stupid post.

        YOU ……SHOULD GET REAL.

        PAK made a damn good point I would hardly classify his point as a “specious demand”.

        IMO, Cheryl is a bull in a china shop but right now that may be just what the doctor ordered. Some tables and chairs need to be knocked over on some of these useless rubber stamping playing favorites, crony capitalist boards.

  25. I am not “calling her out”. She was the only member to cast a [no] vote on this fiasco, and she needs to explain to the public just what went on at that meeting. Where else are you going to get a straight story?

    • To: ClassyEvillePolitics

      John Gibson

      Morning News Editor
      South Central Communications
      March 1989 – August 2013 (24 years 6 months)

      Anchored a 30-minute radio news block on WIKY, Evansville. Provided daily traffic reports on WIKY, daily news headlines on WABX, and frequently anchored morning drive newscasts on WIKY. Covered news conferences, government meetings, and spot news, wrote news copy, edited audio, and conducted studio interviews.

      * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

      For many years I watched as John would arrive at the various government meetings, including ERC, and plug his audio recording equipment into the existing system at the civic center. As an aside, there is also a video recording capability built into the various meeting rooms. Did you ever notice the camera centered in the ceiling of the rooms. Why it would not surprise me a bit if the events in these rooms could be monitored by certain “interested” individuals who maybe would rather not show up for the meeting, but prefer to send in their input by text messages.

      My point is that the only archived, verbatim, audio accounts of these meetings are in PRIVATE, South Central Broadcasting, hands, and some of it did make it out to the public in the form of sound bites that lacked enough background information to even be useful to the general listening audience.

      This practice is fine, but it does not go anywhere near addressing the fact that 15 years into the 21st Century the city of Evansville still does not have a area on their website where citizens can go and view, in its entirety if they wish, what took place during the last meeting of……..(name your agency)!

      I hope at some point, if the tapes still exist, that South Central will donate them to Willard, as they are truly invaluable.

      As for my interest in this particular commission, I was attending meetings back when Greg Lamar was heading DMD and Weinzapfel was playing the ERC like a finely tuned violin. To the detriment of local taxpayers. So lower your back and put your claws back in, I was not attacking Cheryl. BTW, there were many meetings in the room across the hall immediately prior to the start of the ERC meetings, and I sometimes had the feeling that JW was watching the proceedings.

      Lets not fool ourselves here. The mayor has control over a majority of the appointments for the commission seats, and anyone who does not tow the line is not going to be in one of those seats for long. That is the way JW operated, and that is the LW is operating.

      To return to the main point of this post, if the meetings were being recorded and made available to the public in a timely manner, I personally believe that it would be much more difficult for the members to vote to a fiasco such as this latest Meridian Plaza money swap.

  26. Editor

    How proud are you of your CCO presently ? You need to get some new material and stop all of this nonsense posted here !!

    • So now the editors are responsible for the comments section???

      Where do you come up with this stuff?

    • We are proud to provide an open forum for our readers to enjoy freedom of expression. We however do not take responsibility for what is posted.

Comments are closed.