IS IT TRUE MAY 19, 2015

1. Cheryl Musgrave was asked to leave the Republican Party by Chairman Wayne Parke. Maybe she has found a new home.

   • ….is this serious? As a member of the Tea Party? If so, it represents the future. The Tea Party needs to stand on its own, it is an ongoing embarrassment to the Republican Party. When your role models are Sarah Palin and the Duck Dynasty guy, you have no place in the GOP.

   • If anyone should “leave” it is Wayne Parke! The guy who cheers for local democrat candidates and made $1,000. donations to Evan Bayh.

     • That is true. And indicative that Evansville politics is not a two-party motivated process.

       Democratic City Councilwoman Connie Robinson has endorsed Republican candidate for Mayor Lloyd Winnecke !! That is unbelievable, but says EVERYTHING about who and what Connie Robinson represents when she serves in office.

2. INLAND MARINA FIRE – City County Observer Editor is ignoring arrests made.

   Editor,

   During the ensuing several weeks after the Inland Marina fires and the ensuing investigation of the same, the City County Observer made nothing short of harsh, unfounded conspiratorial allegations of republican political misdeeds being responsible for the embarrassing fire and the arrests of Riecken family members, and even more, media coverups saying directly that anti-Riecken political forces were behind the fire…and that the fire was not what it seemed.

   The City County Observer also repeatedly questioned the integrity of the Evansville Police Department portraying the EPD as behind a conspiracy to protect “anti-Riecken campaign forces” responsible for setting the fire. The City County Observer began referring to the Evansville Police Department as “Keystone Cops” !!

   Editor, it turns out the fire was a case of insurance fraud and the arsonists have been arrested.

   City County Observer, are you not responsible for some explaining of the past allegations listed above? And Editor, why aren’t you reporting the arrests made and charges of arson by the EPD for the Inland Marina Fire?

   • What about the dirt bags who were alleging the Reickens were responsible? That includes the dirt bag media and other assorted local scum bags.

   • Quark, I will let the CCO defend itself; but the arrests were made by those who you accuse the CCO of smearing. Why not avoid rush to judgment (CCO as well) and let the courts get the facts ?

   • It certainly is strange that the posters here who spun tales about a vast conspiracy emanating from the Winnecke camp against the Rieckens will not own up to their falsehoods and apologize. I thought that they were supposed to be about accountability and accuracy. This is another example of the Riecken campaign being undermined by the rage and hatred of some of its supporters. Given the importance that her campaign has given the CCO, she really would do herself a favor by coming here and denouncing the unhinged fury of some of her supporters.

     • How about the Winnecke camp nut jobs saying it was due to the Reicken’s negligence? Two way street, pal. In the end it turns out it was just a dirt bag Winnecke supporter committing insurance fraud with his skank girlfriend.

       • Your post is a good example of the kind of uncontrolled hatred that is discrediting Gail Riecken and her campaign. It is a real shame that a few loudmouths on her side lack self-restraint. The complete defeat of the “Hate Slate” in the May primary should have taught them a lesson.

         • Backfire; The only one in here that’s out of control is YOU. Sit down and shut the heck up. You don’t have a clue what you are talking about. Not everyone is a “hater” like you!

       • @Moveon

         “No one at the CCO said anything about the GOP being responsible for starting the fire. They did complain about the EFD and the Police not letting the owners of the Marina into their own property the night of the fire. And it’s still up for debate if they could have helped put the fire out if they were allowed to have use the marina’s fire boat.”

         Per the last sentence, it really is NOT up for debate, at least by the pros who have since gotten a better look at the ‘state of the art’ fire boat the Marine claimed.

         That particular boat uses a plastic housing to redirect the water from an outboard into a wide, short range, fan-shaped stream. Possibly useful for a fire in the grassy areas surrounding the Marina, POSSIBLY useful as exposure protection or extinguishment for a very small boat fire. Useless for a fully involved, large houseboat. Not enough GPM to counteract the BTU’s given off by a fire of that magnitude, not a focused enough stream to place water accurately into an opening (like a window/porthole or hatch), and not enough range to allow the operator to get safely operate in radiant heat put off by such a blaze.

         Add in the weather conditions, and the fact that the Marina folks most familiar with operation of the boat were either intoxicated and belligerent or elderly, and there is not a doubt in my mind that the EFD commanders on-scene made the right call in not letting the Marina’s boat be used.

         • Come on. A BAC of .015 is not THAT high. Yes, I wouldn’t want him driving a big rig on a public road like that, but driving a John boat a couple hundred feet and flipping on an electric pump? I’m OK with that.

         • Thank you for the reasonability of your reply. It seems obvious that fighting such a fire is best left to sober professionals than inebriated individuals or inexperienced amateurs. That Ghost is entirely OK with a drunk twice over the legal limit at the controls of a boat in the middle of the night in the midst of a big fire perhaps tells us something about his own lack of self-control and judgment.

         • Inexperienced amateurs? The dude had the same training or more as whoever else was on the scene.

     • Hey Backfire, When the GOP Swift Boaters apologize to John Kerry for their Slanderous remarks then maybe Pigs will fly. Until then don’t hold your breath dude.

       I was the one who talked about a row boat and the middle of the night attack. It was said in Jest but you idiots failed to see that. That’s YOUR fault not mine. If you can’t read and interrupt when someone is kidding by extreme exaggerations then you need to take a few more remedial courses in English Composition. That was the only thing I exaggerated about. The fact that the fire was arson I figured out by just hearing the assistant EFD Fire Investigator claim that the fire was “accidental” before they had even seen the evidence and based solely on the testimony of those that actually started the fire in the first place. I was crying big foul on that issue alone. And I was right about it. The Chief EFD Richard Howard, Stepped in right away and disclaimed the initial statements of his coworker and claimed that the fire was “Undetermined” and that they had to conduct further investigations before they could rule on the cause of the fire. And I also stated at one time that they may be withholding information so that they could conduct the investigation and make an arrest later on. The entire story from the Harris people was suspicious from the very start and I and a lot of other people called them out on that story. ET made a cartoon of it for their facebook page. I had to admit that I laughed at the cartoon caption on ET’s FB page. It was very funny and said a lot.

       So don’t come in here and get all bitchy now. You don’t have a leg to stand on. No one at the CCO said anything about the GOP being responsible for starting the fire. They did complain about the EFD and the Police not letting the owners of the Marina into their own property the night of the fire. And it’s still up for debate if they could have helped put the fire out if they were allowed to have use the marina’s fire boat.

       The key to this fire investigation is the stupidity of the people that started the fire. They did what many stupid people before them have done trying to collect money from the insurance company. The insurance company has many trained fire investigators that have seen this type of crime in the past many many times. Books are written about these crimes and how to solve them.

       And most circuit breakers these days work as designed. So the thought of a fire starting because of an electrical failure can easily be checked out after the fire is put out. Evidence is not burned up and still remains after the fire. Good fire investigators will comb though the debris and find all the evidence they need to prove that the fire was NOT ACCIDENTAL. That means the only other way the fire could have been started is deliberately. This the charge of arson and conspiracy to commit arson. I hope the charges stick and these people are punished properly. People do strange things when under stress.

       • MOVEON……..Now WAIT A MINUTE:

         You are now trying to represent you had a single occasion of exaggerating that the Inland Marina Fire was political mischief.

         THAT is not the truth. Your allegations are on the record. These are your – moveon’s – words:

         1. To me this (the Inland Marina fire) seems strange especially when you throw Evansville, IN Politics into the MIx. Especially when you throw in the fact that the last few audits by the State Board of Accounts have been so bad and there is a possibility of missing money being found if a new Mayor is put into place.
         2. Throw in another fact that also out there on the Riverfront we have a Casino (gambling) and all that entails. Millions of dollars are at stake in this next Mayoral Election.
         3. Is it just a coincidence that this late night fire just happens to be on property that belongs to the Democratic Mayoral Candidate? Fires don’t start all by themselves. They have to have a ignition source and a fuel source.
         4. Is it true that at one time you have to be political to get on the Evansville Fire Department. To the winner the spoils go.
         5. Politics in Evansville, IN can get dirty. This may be the first shots fired in this race.
         6. Timing is everything in Politics. Where were the RIECKENS at before the fire started and how many people might have known that they were drinking if they were in fact drinking alcohol. Could this be a setup? Could someone have known that they were drinking and set the fire knowing that they might react the way they did? Is that possible?
         7. How convenient (the fire at the Inland Marina) for the GOP party running for re- election. Almost too good to be true huh? Attacking a politician for something that their family members did. Timing is everything in politics.

         (Moveon’s exact words….)

         • Quark, Moveon is a progressive liberal. Their own words don’t mean anything. Quotes- who cares. Just like Hillary, Kerry or Barry. Logic, reason and facts mean nothing to them. Only their feelings and next talking points matter as they truly believe they are intellectually superior to all non-liberals.

         • Hey Joe:……misrepresenting and making unfounded allegations to damage, and then not owning up to that, has nothing to do w/ being liberal.

         • Yes, Moveon’s memory is rather selective. He clearly insinuated that the Rieckens were the victims of some kind of conspiracy.

3. “IS IT TRUE that we are always seeking new sources of information, tips, news stories.”
   It seems to be true that Hilton is still handing out franchises to private developers where the real markets are.

   This one is going where the action actually is, near the gateway to I-69 and the where the privately built medical locations are thriving and vibrant as well as on a growing and viable utilities infrastructure with great logistical accesses. Good to see the investment by the Dunn hospitality group.

   http://www.14news.com/story/29092844/new-hotel-planned-for-evansvilles-east-side

   • Dunn from the article: “That’s where we’ve had tremendous success and we continue to develop where demand is, and that’s where the research has shown the demand is today and in the future,”

     Wait, you mean real business people base their decision and investments on research of supply and demand? Real research, not just paying big bucks to a consultant that will say what you want them to say?

   • Right on “V”. Right on. The area out there is Warrick County is growing without the City or County Bribing Private Developers to come in and build a new hotel. I still wonder if these sleazy developers (downtown ones) are paying the authorities kickbacks on these deals? I guess if you call a political campaign contribution to the Mayor’s re-election campaign a kick back that might be true in a way. Legal but sneaky. Sneagal.

4. The real story today is how this city can not sell a bond any longer unless it attaches the wages of local citizens as a backstop!

   Your father and grandfather’s generation would never have allowed this to happen. They would have run these profligate spenders out of town on a rail.

   Hell, you didn’t even know how bad it was until Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley exposed these clowns and their SBOA enablers!

   Its a NEW DAY now and the old cronyism, or the city of Evansville, has to die. It is one or the other, make your choice!

   • + 1 Press, first paragraph is an outstanding observation.

   • All four points are on the mark. The last one isn’t likely to happen because through the years they’ve honed their bribery to the point it passes legal muster. SBR pulled the curtain back on these folks and in a much more demonstrative manner than I ‘d have ever thought anyone would risk doing. I don’t remember anything quite like it around here.

     There are those, scrambling for a reason to give Lloyd Winnecke another term, who are droning that we have no real choice in the upcoming mayoral election. We do have a choice. I’ve never seen a perfect candidate but at this point we should try to limit the incumbent’s supporters to those beholden to him for a job and that thin slice of hardshell Republican voters who cannot admit they were wrong.

     Winnecke will be going to the same well that put him in the mayor’s seat again this time. The fractured Democratic party must not let itself be used again, if the poorly led party doesn’t agree we should all hope the voters do.

   • I hope a choice is made my friend. At least you know what you are dealing with when the waffling stops.

   • So Press, what do you think of Winnecke’s new ad? It touts his ability and leadership in keeping expenses low!

     • Dumb as a block of ordnance gelatin. The ice is cracking around him.

     • You shall know them by their works. Not by their BS.

5. CCO, where is your article on the Inland Marina arson for hire this morning?

   • Give him time. I too was expecting something in here today but I’m willing to wait a few days to give them time to get the story written. The new facts are just coming out yesterday. And the IIT was probably already written for today on another topic.

     Many people predicted that this fire was suspicious in nature and will be following the trial for sure.

   • Mr. Marver (owner of the boat) is out of jail on no bond. Ms. Harris (the alleged co-conspirator) is in jail with a $5000 bond and no booking photo on the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department web site. Something doesn’t add up.

     • She rolled over on him for a better deal.

6. Ivanhoe Tech has ABET accredited Engineering classes with credits that transfer into a real Engineering school’s cirriculnum? Bet that comes as a surprise to UE, Rose-Hulman, Purdue, Notre Dame, and even USI.. More like classes that prep you for applying to enter an Engineering school; a.k.a., pre-rec’s. My understanding was Weinzapfel’s Wonder only offered classes in Interior Design (fancy name for Interior Desecrator), CNA (bedpan changer), Robotics (get your job at Toyota!), Auto Repair (this is a light bulb), and AutoCad (fancy name for a draftsman).

   • All of those jobs are useful and worthy of respect, and we should not scorn the training that is required for them. It is true that former mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel completely failed to explain why it was necessary to move the medically-oriented ones downtown, where the other schools will be offering four-year and graduate degrees, but we should not have contempt for the students training for those careers.

7. JoeBiden
   May 19, 2015 at 11:15 am

   Quark, Moveon is a progressive liberal. Their own words don’t mean anything. Quotes- who cares. Just like Hillary, Kerry or Barry. Logic, reason and facts mean nothing to them. Only their feelings and next talking points matter as they truly believe they are intellectually superior to all non-liberals.
   =====================================================================================

   That’s really rich, more like unmitigated gall, coming from somebody who reposts the most, misleading, unscrupulous, deceitful bullcrap ever written, from some of the most paranoid, delusional wacked out crazy ass websites / publications on the planet. Go project your passive aggressive BS issues on someone else, somewhere else.

   • …….Ha! That’s so true. But he’s “our” SOB, right?

   • Trending now—–> https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=163&v=IsYGsPJfV0k

8. C-L……..You’re making my entire point!

   The point is the City County Observer DID MAKE A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT – and was wrong – by immediately making up unfounded allegations that the Inland Marina fire was set as part of a political strategy by “anti-Riecken campaign forces (which as we all know is the Evansville GOP led by Winnecke).

   And the CCO began reporting a narrative and portraying the Evansville Police Department as the stumbling henchmen (calling them the Keystone Cops) as well.

   Was there ever any evidence to support that?

   No. Of course not. (It was a simple case of insurance scam….tried and true/old as the hills motive)

   If the CCO is a media source, it should acknowledge the lack of professionalism. If the CCO is merely an extension of the Riecken for Mayor Campaign…..then it should reply with a smirk and say “Oh. Well never mind.”

9. Hmmmm. Seems to me, CCO, your new “stay on topic or else” policy is a dismal failure.

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