Home archived-iit Open Forum Weekend February 14 – 15, 2015

202 COMMENTS

  1. I commented on Monday’s IIT that I thought the Courier & Presses’ later deletion of the fact that Vanderburgh County has the highest suicide rate of any county in Indiana from a recent article they had posted demonstrated a lack of journalist responsibility.

    I later pondered to myself just when it is necessary for what is supposed to be a free press to subdue or even hide the harsh truth about Evansville in the interests attracting businesses or model citizens to Evansville.

    I’m not sure where others weigh on this philosophically, but I think a moral hazard is created by hiding such painful truths, and that a kind of hypocrisy is demonstrated when a newspaper is so quick to post the crimes of others, yet hides its own faults, and the faults of people it favors. It also makes it easier for local leadership to skirt these issues when they don’t have to worry about the media putting pressure on them.

    To me, this is something Evansville should be ashamed of as it sets a bad example for its citizens and encourages a kind of small town ignorance which it should seek to correct. Correcting this could be more valuable than any Convention Hotel, Sports Arena, or Medical School, IMHO.

    Sometimes I think Evansville is like an outhouse that acts like it smells like a rose.

    • I look forward to the Day the C&P’s current incarnation shrivels up and dies from it’s lack of journalist integrity.
      It’s “reap what you sow” time for the C&P, as the Company continues to self-destruct,–and Trash , it’s Legacy from Yesteryear.

      • Yep, of course the C&P broke the story of the fire at the marina….and the CC-Riecken Observer has…..nothing, other than comments from posters.

        I am sure somehow the mugs of dumb and dumber will somehow not appear with the rest of the VCSD arrest records.

    • Contained in my comment ( 7:02am) is an important story regarding a proposed ordinance offered by Councilman Friend. I may have missed it in CourierPress but if they chose not to run it … another lapse in journalistic integrity may be evident. …

      • Search the C&P past stories. I believe they have reported on Mr. Friends hair brained idea.

    • I am in complete agreement with your observations. I stopped my subscription to the local rag when it became clear that it was in the Winnecke tank for the insanity of siting the IUMS in old downtown. It is bad enough that a newspaper doesn’t act in the interests of the public, but ours has gone beyond that. It acts against the public interest by endorsing the stupidity of the current administration.
      I’ve always been sad to see a newspaper die, but I won’t mourn the passing of ours when it happens. I can’t help but wonder if the others that failed floundered in the stagnant pond of conflict of interest before they drowned. To those that did, I say “good riddance.”

      • WHAT IF….reasonable people may disagree with you on the location of the new IU Medical School? Irrespective of their opinion of the C&P, many handsome, partially-balding and getting a little more balding every day, people actually think the best location of the IUMS is indeed right in downtown Evansville. And they believe it is in the best interests of the public to have it right there. IF that were true, then a large assumption of yours in this comment needs to be re-thought.

        • I simply believe those handsome, balding pates reached a wrong conclusion. I have thought this through on every possible point, and I have reached the conclusion that the shiny scalps have it wrong. I don’t think you can truly justify the decision, either. So, no, I am yet to be convinced that the Dead Zone is the place of IUMS, and am still boycotting the rag. I doubt you can field an argument I can’t refute.

          • LKB, my point is, THIS subject….(and not several of the bigoted, facist comments common from the Tea Party crazies here)….this subject is one about which reasonable people may disagree. You can’t refute that I think you’re wrong.

            The IUMS is a momentum building project that leads to additional development. It is not just another building….one and done.

            You disagree with me that downtown Evansville has under leveraged assets waiting to be unleashed. I get that. In my opinion, you are wrong to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Downtown Evansville is the best place for the IUMS and development that will follow it over the next decade or so. You question whether that will happen. I do not. You are negative about the future in that regard, I accept that. I disagree with you.

          • Your arguments are always illogical, nonsensical and down right humanist. No one can field an article you can’t refute, your ego will always come up with something.

        • That’s a big “IF”. If the world were Flat then would boat’s fall off the edge? Another Big “IF”. Many more people probably felt that putting the IU medical center in the downtown area was a bad idea. I bet that if we could take a good poll of the citizens of the tri state it would show that more people thought it was a better idea to not put it downtown.

    • I believe that the death of the C&P is near. Prices are sky high for both subscribers and advertisers. Their storys have sunk to a level that make the supermarket tabloids look like the Gospel truth. I believe that their trashy journalism is just a desprate attempt to boost sales.

      Over the years, I’ve seen the C&P increase in price and decrease in size and journalistic integrity. My subscription has long been canceled. I wouldn’t take that rag (C&P) if they paid me to do so.

      However, even if they reported the news with integrity and a sense of bias, they still will be soon dead in the same way that the typewriter, VHS, and milk man have been killed. Progress keeps moving forward.

      Good riddance C&P… RIP: Lou Grant

      • Get a frigging life, we’ve scored you, just shut the hell up before you make the situation worse. really STFU.

        • We.re trying to balance out the plane with that comment, You really should shut the hell up Claggwell . You really have no idea of what is coming down. So.

      • You have a classic Evansville personality.

        I suggest a television show called ‘Intervention’.

  2. GOP ADDRESSES INCOME INEQUALITY BY OFFERING MIDDLE CLASS HOT STOCK TIP
    WASHINGTON POST, WASHINGTON DC, February 14, 2015 —Expressing its commitment to helping average American families get a leg up, GOP Congressional leader, John Boehner addressed the nation’s growing income inequality by offering the middle class families a hot stock tip. “Obama’s middle class tax cuts are DOA this year,” he said. Speaker Boehner added, “Look, you guys didn’t hear it from us, but we have it on good authority that now’s the time to hop on the IPG Photonics train.” Boehner explained that investing “a few grand” right now would provide the boost that struggling middle-class households need to get ahead.”

    “IPG’s got the fiber-optic laser market cornered, and we’ve got reason to believe that demand is going to shoot through the roof in the next few quarters. It’s trading at a pretty steep $74, but this thing’s a sure deal. And you’ll want to grab a few hundred shares in this sucker if you can. Don’t worry, this tip’s for free.”

    • We have turned minimum and low wage earners into a dependent class for whom it is nearly impossible for them to escape their current status, and now we are going to turn the middle class into a dependent class.

      • Every conner believes this myth it is standard GOP BS.

        According to the Walter Mitty daydreams of conners, soon only the poor “hard working” (ie white see the conner BS decoder ring) conners will be paying taxes to the almighty Democrats in DC who will take their hard earned money and redistributing it to the “lazy and undeserving” (ie minorities see the conner BS decoder ring) in order to get elected.

        ABSOLUTELY ZERO EVIDENCE FOR ANY OF THIS

        BTW anecdotes ARE NOT EVIDENCE

        Get off your martyred taxpayer cross….. we need the wood!

        • Top 20% of the population control 89% of the money and wealth.
          Seems I seen where it was around 80-82% back about 1980.
          That roughly 8% increase came from somewhere. Those in that
          80% population range is the majority. Our national debt money
          (which includes the cost of tax breaks) has been spread out among
          everyone but settles into that top 20% as the lower 80% spends
          that to survive.

          Don’t be fooled thinking that those top 20% does not enjoy those
          government dollars thru deregulation and tax breaks of the past,
          which boost their bottom line.

        • If you weren’t so disparate looking for wood to crucify others on, then it might occur to you that I am saying when the government begins subsidizing any class of people they become dependent on the state. Keep staring into your magic decoder ring. There is no racism involved. Just common sense about human nature.

    • “GOP ADDRESSES INCOME INEQUALITY……….” (Riverfront Shem)

      So Shem thinks there should be “equal income” for everyone. I believe that is what most people in this country refer to as COMMUNISM, and what Shem and his associates have attempted to repackage as Equality of Outcome. Below is a description of their latest plan for your life, should they be given their way.

      EQUALITY OF OUTCOME

      Equality of outcome, equality of condition, or equality of results is a political concept which is central to some political ideologies and is used regularly in political discourse, often in contrast to the term equality of opportunity. It describes a state in which people have approximately the same material wealth or in which the general economic conditions of their lives are similar. Achieving equal results generally entails reducing or eliminating material inequalities between individuals or households in a society, and usually involves a transfer of income or wealth from wealthier to poorer individuals, or adopting other measures to promote equality of condition. A related way of defining equality of outcome is to think of it as “equality in the central and valuable things in life.” One account in the Journal of Political Philosophy suggested that the term meant “equalising where people end up rather than where or how they begin” but described this sense of the term as “simplistic” since it failed to identify what was supposed to be made equal.

      In other words: A massive transfer of wealth, from those who have worked to accumulate that wealth, to those who find working for a living to be inconvenient or tiresome.

      • PAK!….I don’t believe any of those things…I was just having fun with the post. It’s funny.

  3. Until the republicans agree to invest in our crumbling country, we’re going nowhere. Not some foreign owned, foreign built pipeline which grants eminent domain powers to foreign countries. Where are the howling mad private property rights patriots? Oh yeah, if their masters the Kochs stand to make some money they no longer give a damn. For the record, republicans said no to requiring keystone be built with American steel and they also said no to keeping the oil here. This will do zero to lower your gas prices, idiots. The Republicans have told more lies than pinnochio on the keystone China pipeline. There’s a reason Canada didn’t allow them to build this pipeline over the shorter, more logical route.

  4. THIS READER NOTICED
    ~b~ It seemed strange to me … to read what seems to be conflicting articles about METS buss service.

    “Disabled, elderly buss service in county at risk”

    “Unless a plan is hatched, Vanderburgh County residents who use the city’s handicap and
    elderly buss service could lose the program this summer.”
    http://www.courierpress.com/news/local-news/disabled-elderly-bus-service-in-county-at-risk_87128681

    “Mayors discuss buss service between Henderson, Evansville”

    “HEBDERSON, Ky.- Preliminary discussions are underway to possibly provide bus service between Evansville and Henderson, according to Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.”
    http://www.courierpress.com/gleaner/news/bus-service-between-henderson-evansville-being-discussed_62590212

    ~b~ HOW CAN THESE TWO REPORTS RECONCILE?

    __________

    BY THE WAY

    ~b~ Buried within the Evansville-Henderson buss service article … is a Winnecke quote about the Downtown Convention Hotel:
    “Downtown Hotel: Evansville’s proposed convention hotel project has fad to slim down its ambitions. but by the end of this month there should be an answer to the question, “can we build this for the money we have?”

    ~b~ It seems to this reader that this is not the deal the City Council agreed upon. Is it a bait and switch?

    In my opinion: a “different slimmed down hotel” … should require new considerations by the Council and a different level of financial support. We must avoid taking “anything we can get” … because … the more desperate we become … or appear … the more likely we are to be fleeced. …The Council MUST take a new look.

    … As I understand it … the City will have no equity in the hotel when finished. Just how much are we willing to borrow then give away?
    …and for what?
    http://www.courierpress.com/gleaner/news/bus-service-between-henderson-evansville-being-discussed_62590212

    __________

    ~b~ Then there is this report that I must have missed in the CourierPress

    EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) –
    “Evansville City Councilman John Friend is proposing an ordinance to achieve better cash management within the city.

    Friend says, right now the city spends from one big bank account and if money is overspent in one area, you really don’t see it.”

    ~b~ To this reader … Mr Friend’s ordinance is a MUST HAVE … if we are to ever get control of and fully understand City finances. The co-mingling of monies has facilitated a shell game of sorts … and perhaps enabled something much worse.

    If there is nothing to hide … John’s ordinance shoul sail right through the approval process.
    If someone sinks it … we should take notice of who scuttles it … and hold them accountable at our next voting opportunity. …
    http://www.14news.com/story/28066452/evansville-councilman-wants-multiple-bank-accounts-for-city

  5. THIS READER NOTICED
    ~b~ It seemed strange to me … to read what seems to be conflicting articles about METS buss service.
    “Disabled, elderly bus service in county at risk”
    “Unless a plan is hatched, Vanderburgh County residents who use the city’s handicap and elderly bus service could lose the program this summer.”
    http://www.courierpress.com/news/local-news/disabled-elderly-bus-service-in-county-at-risk_87128681

    “Mayors discuss bus service between Henderson, Evansville”
    “HENDERSON, Ky. – Preliminary discussions are underway to possibly provide bus service between Evansville and Henderson, according to Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.”
    ~b~

    ~b~ HOW CAN THESE TWO REPORTS RECONCILE?

  6. BY THE WAY
    ~b~ Buried within the Henderson Buss Service article … is a Winnecke quote about the Downtown Convention Hotel:
    “Downtown hotel: Evansville’s proposed convention hotel project has had to slim down its ambitions, but by the end of this month there should be an answer to the question, “Can we build this for the money we have?”
    ~b~ It seems to this reader that this is not the deal the City Council agreed upon. Is it a bait and switch?
    In my opinion: a “different slimmed down hotel” … should require new considerations by the Council and a different level of financial support. We must avoid taking “anything we can get” because … the more desperate we become … or appear … the more likely we are to be fleeced . … The Council MUST take a new look.
    …As I understand it … the City will have no equity in the hotel when finished. Just how much are we willing to borrow … then give away? And for what?
    http://www.courierpress.com/gleaner/news/bus-service-between-henderson-evansville-being-discussed_62590212

    • ” … is a Winnecke quote about the Downtown Convention Hotel:
      “Downtown hotel: Evansville’s proposed convention hotel project has had to slim down its ambitions, but by the end of this month there should be an answer to the question, “Can we build this for the money we have?”

      They will design something that can be built for the money we have. That isn’t the question we should ask. We should ask if there is a real need for what we can build, and if that is how our money should be spent. I figure that the answer to the real questions are “No”, but If the City Council doesn’t rescind the money, it will be built.
      Winnie has to deliver jobs to his union supporters, more so than ever now that he has an opponent who is popular among union people. To hell with the taxpayers’ money, he HAS to get those union donations into the campaign slush fund. Carol and the blazers said so!

      • EKB, several weeks ago winnie’s campaign finance for a non-election year was posted on
        this site. Recheck where that money came from. The “Boogie Man” union money was a pimple
        on a elephants ass!

        • Oh, I know. Republicans see union endorsements as a big “get” for them, though. It isn’t just the unions Winnie is after, he also is after donations from potential contractors on the hotel fiasco. He promised jobs, and he has winked and shook hands with a lot of contractors. Now, he has to deliver on his end of the bargain with them.

          • We wouldn’t need a hotel if the democrats under Weinzapfel had stood up for the citizens of this city. Weinzapfel winked and shook hands with the party, unions. contractors and CC. Winnecke is the person the democrats selected to be our mayor. The CC had to approve the use of tax as a payment source to get the funding for the arena. Winnecke will continue as our mayor. The current Reicken fiasco doesn’t bode well for Gail.

  7. ~b~ Then there is this WFIE report that I must have missed in the CourierPress

    “Evansville councilman wants multiple bank accounts for city”
    EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) –
    “Evansville City Councilman John Friend is proposing an ordinance to achieve better cash management within the city.
    Friend says, right now, the city spends from one big bank account and if money is overspent in one area, you don’t really see it.”
    ~b~ To this reader Mr Friend’s ordinance is a MUST HAVE … if we are to ever get control of our finances. The co-mingling of monies has facilitated shell game like activity … and perhaps much worse.
    If there is nothing to hide … John’s ordinance should sail right through the approval process.
    If someone sinks it … we should take notice of who scuttles it … and hold them accountable at our next voting opportunity. …
    http://www.14news.com/story/28066452/evansville-councilman-wants-multiple-bank-accounts-for-city

    • Bubba, excellent points. By supporting Friend’s multiple bank accounts approach, you also get built in spending controls (” ya can’t spend it if it’s not in your bank account”). Not to mention, the jokers at 1 N.W. MLKing might just be able to reconcile bank accounts if Friend busts up the bloated City Main checking account.

      • Revenue at the City has mostly fixed parts (Property Tax) and variable parts (Fees, etc.). Anyone who has ever managed against a budget knows that if your revenue isn’t coming in, you have to pull back on your spending. Your bank statement puts that in your face each month. I support Friend’s effort, my understanding this large ‘poison pond’ has existed for years. Split it up, make it transparent.

    • bubba, you are so young, precious and naive re: the gigantic Bank Account for the City:

      1) It makes too much sense to break it up by Fund, so it won’t be done;
      2) City Admin never does anything they didn’t dream up . . . only their ideas count; and
      3) Where, or where, would the embezzlers hide their theft if each fund had a bank statement of a few pages instead of one bank statement that looks like the chicago phone book ?

    • I’m totally serious when I ask this. Why don’t you run for office, Bubba? I believe Libertarians and Independents can still get on the ballot. When we disagree, we really disagree, but on local matters, we agree.

    • If Councilman Friend gets this ordinance passed it would give him a legacy from his time on City Council to run on for any other office he might wish to seek. The people who do this for the people of Evansville will be real heroes. I expect that we will see the Poop veto it, but I don’t believe the veto would stand. I doubt that Dan McGinn could see his way clear to vote for such a veto, so it would probably only be Missy and the Beav on the side of Carol’s husband.

  8. LKB

    Gail Riecken’s family runs too. They should all run to Illunois !!
    Runs in the family 🙂

        • Gosh Joad
          I hadn’t thought of it … but
          I hope all the usual suspects … have alibis. … LOL – joking-just joking

        • It’s really hard to believe in coincidences. Can’t remember the last time there was a fire down there or the last time property owners were tased at a fire and taken to jail for understandably trying to get closer. (I know, they were arrested for interfering with a firefighter, intoxication on their own property [albeit a public place], and resisting law enforcement).

          Looks like the mayors race will be even nastier than predicted.

          • If you look at Google Maps some of that Property is located in KY where EPD has no legal authority. Is private property that is rented by others considered a Private Club or public property? It’s not every day that the Fire Dept has people arrested for interfering with fire operations.

          • I look for it to go to depths that will get us national news coverage and this is a good kickoff. I’m wondering how people who were so intoxicated could have been such a problem for firefighters.

          • Bandana, The article reads like they were very lucky. Assault could have been filed and if they drove to the site there may be a DUI in there somewhere.

          • Really LKB????? Have you ever heard of a bar fight started by a sober person?

            .19 is about double to legal limit to drive. That is about the point someone can become a real jack-ass.

            I would also say it’s safe to say, no matter whose property you are on, if you are .19, and punch an officer in the face, you will get tased and a public intox.

        • Now they say that the fire was started by a kerosene lantern that got knocked over and cause the fire to spread. Which is why one person ended up being taken to the hospital by AMR. I read that they were treated for smoke inhalation. In todays Sunday EC&P article about the fire they are claiming that the three were there cleaning the boat in order to get it ready to sell. I guess they won’t be selling that boat now. I wonder if they will be able to collect on any insurance since the boat was lost? The EFD first ruled that the fire was accidental and that was before they even had an opportunity to examine the boat’s remains which sunk. Now they are saying that the fire’s cause is undetermined and needs further investigation. You bet!

          And according to information posted on John Blair’s facebook page the safety Crews cut the burning house boat loose from it’s mooring at the end of Deck or Dock B and set it free to drift into the Serenity which set it on fire. The first house boat drifted into other boats which caught them on fire too. So instead of one boat lost they lost 5 boats. I guess it could have been worse.

          Now comments in the EC&P article today are talking about why the owners of the marina were not allowed to get to their own fire boat and use it to put out the fire. Yes the Marina has a fire boat that’s able to pump water out of the river to fight fires. But several commenter’s said it was because the Peters were drunk. But Ron Riecken was there and he was not drunk. Why didn’t they allow him to get the fire boat into operation to save the burning house boat? He’s operated that Marina for 50 years now.

      • The get a pass, as do all local Democrat celebrities, because they had been drinking. Maybe it was even a boat party with other hard drinking Democrat celebrities. So no need for a big hullaballoo.

      • A fire that starts at Midnight on a extremely cold Friday night in the middle of February? On a large house boat near the boarder of two states where the state lines have been hard to determine due to the meandering of the Ohio River over the years. This is the first thing that should be discussed.

        Who started the fire and why? Why were three people on a house boat docked at the Marina on this cold February Friday night? What were they doing? Were they hired to clean the house boat at night? Did they own the house boat and were they doing cleaning at Midnight? Most people are in bed and asleep at Midnight.

        To me this 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.

        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.

        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.

        Is it true that at one time you have to be political to get on the EFD. Today they are merit but there were days when the Captain of one political party rode in the cab while the former EFD captain from the losing political party rod on the back of the fire truck as a new private. To the winner the spoils go.

        Politics in Evansville, IN can get dirty. This may be the first shots fired in this race.

        How hard would it be to launch a small boat on the Ohio River and sneak into the Harbor and do mischief without being seen by anyone? I mean it’s dark and extremely cold outside and not many people are out and about along the River this time of the years especially when it’s this cold outside and it’s almost midnight.

        Anyone ask the owners why they wanted to get to the boat on fire? What that question even asked and reported? I’ve not see the answer to that question anywhere. yet. But I think it’s an important question.

        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?

        The fire investigator appeared on TV news and stated that someone smelled smoke on the boat. He said something about an electrical problem. But unless they can bring the house boat out of the water to go though all the wiring on the boat and find evidence of an electrical problem that is just guess work at this point. I wonder what’s left of the house boat. And how does a docked house boat drift into other boats. Did the lines holding the house boat to the dock burn though and release the house boat? Or more likely the flames spread to the other adjacent boats before the firemen could get water onto the fires and the boat’s lines also burned through.

        I was told once by a very good and well trained and experienced EFD investigator and a former EFD Fire Chief that late night fires should be looked at in a suspicious manner.

        I hope that the State Fire Marshals get involved in this fire investigation.

        Do fire insurance rates for commercial boat marinas go higher if you have a fire and property is destroyed?

        A lot of questions to be answered.

        • Reminds one of the busted navigation light on the SS Hypocrisy incident, when the Kentucky water Mounty’s just happened by. All the while the hotel Lego was being questioned by some of your cities common council.

          hy·poc·ri·sy
          həˈpäkrəsē/
          noun
          the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
          synonyms: dissimulation, false virtue, cant, posturing, affectation, speciousness, empty talk, insincerity, falseness, deceit, dishonesty, mendacity, pretense, duplicity;

        • Holy cow.. the conspiracy theories are going to new heights with this one. What in the heck are they putting in the coffee at the Donut Bank this morning.

          Yes, never mind that it is not uncommon for owners of large houseboats to remain on their boats year round, especially on weekends.

          Yes, never mind that those boats require various types of heating to keep them warm, especially on a cold February night.

          Yes, never mind that inspectors from both states have recently found numerous safety and code violations at the marina.

          Yes, never mind that the owners were behaving frantically in an attempt to get to the scene, like possibly to cover something up. I would imagine most people, with clean conscious, would allow the professionals to handle the scene. Emotions, yes, but not to the extent these two went to. Especially knowing that your mother is involved in a political race.

          Yes, never mind that many types of electrical violations COULD cause issues with marine heating sources.

          Yes, I realize it’s more fun to imagine Lloyd rowing a row boat on a frigid February night around the water plant, while Carol sits on the bow and barks orders..but come on. …if nothing else, a political setup would occur much closer to the election, when there isn’t time to defend, or field an alternative candidate. Even Carol couldn’t have imagined the idiotic behavior from these two idiots.

          I would stay off the coffee for the rest of the day.

          • Electrical issue were from 2013. Do not know if they were resolved.
            Interesting this issue resurfaced when it was known that Gail was
            deciding to run? And now the fire.

            Wondering when earth gate, audit gate, etc. gets brought out to even
            the conspiracy theories?

          • How many people are found cleaning the houseboat at Midnight on a cold February Night? And why does it take three people to clean the houseboat on third shift?

            Sorry but I don’t drink anything but Decaf these days.

            It’s possible that a heat source was used to start the fire. Which type of heat source was used. Was an electrical heater used? Most boats have circuit breakers and any over heating of the wiring created by a electric heater will trip the circuit breaker before any wires over heat. So were they using propane or other type of fuel to start the fire?

            I don’t know exactly where the fire started and how the firemen accessed the fire. But I can see that a lot of the walkways are very narrow at best and it would be hard to drag a charged fire hose to get it to the fire.

            Why did the Courier and Press state that Gail was not available for comment at 1 am in the morning and that she was scheduled to make an appearance later that next day? She had nothing to do with this anyway and who expects her to answer a phone call at 1am or later on Saturday morning? The reporter didn’t say when they tried to call her? I’m sure that if she wants to she will discuss the event at a more appropriate time that does not involve the Evansville Courier and Press time schedule.

          • special report tonight on nbc news brian williams was just passing through when he saw what he thought looked like tim ethridge running from the fire scene with a bottle of booze that he then poured down rieckens mouth…………..lolllllllllllllll…….

          • Damn it sharpie , your a sick SOB aren’t you. I am restrained by corporate confidential right now, but when I’m not, I’m going to sport your ass into political oblivion. Where it belongs.

          • Armstrongres,

            6 new violations were just cited on Wednesday. Additional ones were observed on the KY side.

          • I call bullshit. There are no reports of violations at the marina, least of all electrical.

          • R,

            Call what you want, but there was an inspection completed by the County Building Commission which found 6 electrical violations and was dated 2-11-15. There is a case number as well.

          • Buzzard

            Most of the frequent commentators on IIT are nuts, and what we are witnessing here proves it again. I am surprised they haven’t started touting their gun rights along with their crazy comments. At least we have the crazies entertaining us this evening.

            Buzzard, you are hilarious 🙂

        • Move, Easy now. Your paranoia is taking over. No where do you suggest it might have happened like it was reported.

        • I’m glad someone else is wondering why anybody was at the Marina in the middle of a cold February night. I like boating, but this is not the time to do it in Evansville, IN.
          It is entirely possible that Katie and Ed were having a few drinks in the privacy of their own home and heard the commotion at the Marina. They live in the 500 block of SE Riverside, after all. I think the fact that the C&P took so long to throw in the “news” about Ron being emotional about what was happening.
          Thank goodness I’ve never experienced seeing something that I love the way the Riecken family loves the Marina being devoured by flames, but I can only imagine how the sight affected them, and alcohol impairs judgement. It also impairs physicality, so I’m having a whole lot of trouble imagining that five firefighters were required to restrain the Parkers.
          Whatever the cause of the fire and the circumstances of its being reported, it is clear to me that the C&P has its orders to make the Rieckens look as bad as possible with their coverage of it. That is probably going to backfire. Things like that often do.

          • One other thing the overhead showed the petroleum slick from the sunken boats, what a mess, its good they are trying to contain that. The river takes enough abuse from Evansville’s crap on a daily basis, it really doesn’t need the additional.

          • Search the C&P past stories. I believe they have reported on Mr. Friends hair brained idea.

          • LKB, If the story is as reported did the Eddie, Katie or Ron do anything wrong ? Yes or no only please.

          • It’s way too cold down by the River to be cleaning a house boat. The EC&P’s reporter nor the fire department or the EPD reported that the three people lived on this house boat year round. To most normal people the house boat is a summer time activity. Most boats are there for storage IMHO and are not occupied in the winter months. Especially in Mid February when it’s near record cold outside.

          • Normally those running out of a burning building are questioned about what they were doing in the building before the fire was started. Well sir: We were on the boat cleaning the head…… Why do you ask? We smelled smoke and left the boat. We think it might have been electrical in nature. That’s what the story says so far. What cleaning agency do these three people work for? Fire and Smoke Inc.?

          • LKB

            Also the fire department and police department were under orders too ?? You are nuttier than a rotten fruit cake !!!!

          • @Gimmeabreak: I think you need to read what I wrote, not what you THINK I wrote. I didn’t say nor imply that the Parkers were right or that the EFD and EPD did anything wrong. All I said is that the C&P will make the Rieckens look as bad as possible and I don’t see how two drunks could require five sober firemen to restrain them.

        • Moveon, you ask questions the powerful may not want answered. Can you discount back channel “whispers” that “someone” possibly affiliated with the “government” authorized code name “Chicken Dance Team 6” on covert ops traveling by GPS in a small dark hulled “fiberglass bass boat” down the dividing line in the River with Kentucky, which then switched power from a quiet 4 stroke engine to completely silent electric “trolling” motors, to plant a listening device/electrical smell generator from DARPA disguised to exactly replace replace a common “Hamilton Beach” blender. Moveon, given Memex search ability, is it wise to keep asking your questions?

          • No. I would have used a drone quad copter and filmed the entire event. But Brill why don’t you like MY questions. They are so much better and on point. Why would anyone be down on the Ohio River on a cold Friday night/Saturday Morning at that time of the night unless they were sleeping or up to no good. And like I said … Fires need an ignition source. Who supplied the ignition source and how? There is a Clue in the story. As reported by the EC&P the fire spokesman said that they claimed the fire was electrical but didn’t expound on that. So did they run a non approved extension cord to an electrical heater?

            They should wait to send in the Scuba Divers to help hook up the Cranes to the sunken boats in order to bring them up out of the water so that the fire investigation can begin. Electrical fires leave evidence that’s not always destroyed by the fire. A point that most people don’t understand. Yes it’s wise to ask question. Are you trying to stop people from asking questions about how this fire started and why? That my dear friend would not be very wise.

          • Hell moved that’s straight bull shit, They’re in trouble, and we as a group will still call for a more condensed overhead from outside that damned county. Its been seen. And recorded.

          • Three people on a boat when a fire breaks out and claim the fire was electrical and that they smelled smoke before the fire broke out into flames that engulfed the boat. Most fires smolder before they break out in flames. But some fires are started with a flammable liquid. Seems that there is a lot of flammable liquid at the fire scene as IDEM has been called in to help investigate the scene.

            Why did they believe that it was an electrical fire? Maybe they saw the smoke coming from some electrical equipment or wiring? Who are these three people? Do they own this boat? Where they hired to clean the boat? Who cleans a boat at 1 am in the morning on a Friday night? Usually when someone reports a fire they are first one looked at as the people who may have been responsible for the fire. Electrical systems are designed these days to not catch on fire. That’s what circuit breakers are for. They prevent over heating of electrical wiring and kick off when too much current (heat) is running though the wire. I guess they can go talk to the boats owner and also talk to the company that built that houseboat and find out how it electrical and heating systems were designed and built. I’m sure that the Insurance Company’s investigation will be involved in this fire investigation along with the State Fire Marshal. They has the capabilities to figure out what started the fire.

          • Your straight on the mark. “moved” , the whole mess is a localized political load of BS. The thing is who had to respond to the BS. Well that costs you all as well, doesn’t it? We as a global social economic environmental group have some awesome, as what would be Evansville’s short value take on the oversight of the whole mess.
            This incident needs some big looking in oversight. We cannot stress this point anymore. In the days coming we’d love to show the actual valuations of all that crap.
            When its time, that’s all there is too it.

          • Moveon, with memex operational good luck connecting the dots between certain “unexplained” events.

          • Funny but it does not help solve the mystery of who started the fire and why? Are you trying to hide something?

          • Today the Sunday Evansville Courier and Press reports that the fire was started by a Kerosene Lantern that was kicked over on the boat and caught the boat on fire with a flammable liquid. I guess my speculation above about how the fire was not electrical in nature was right on the money! I guess I can give JoeBiden the Tin Foil Hat. And Joe you can wear it shiny side out if you want or shiny side in. I really don’t care. You look pretty good in that hat BTW.

            Also note that one person was sent to the Hospital for treatment from injuries related to the fire. Like I said the last people at the fire scene before the fire started are normally looked at very closely. They lied at fire or the EFD and media didn’t report all the facts about how the fire started.

            First the EFD claims that the fire was ruled “accidental” and now they claim that they fire is being ruled “undetermined” and needs further investigation. Just as I predicted yesterday.

        • Are not houseboats powered by an electrical cord connected to an outlet at the dock. And if this is true how hard would it have been to pull the plug on the house boat to stop all the electricity from going into the house boat? Normally one of the first things the firemen do is cut the power and gas to a house on fire. But I guess the people fleeing the scene of the fire (houseboat) panicked and didn’t think to pull the electrical plug.

        • I don’t know, why would whoever started the fire call it in, and how did they control the family’s behavior. I think it’s just elitist behavior. But, I would not put it past Winnecke and how it is reported matters.

          • Believe it or not many fire starters like to act like heroes and report the fires that they started. But these are amateurs. The professionals use timing devices and are long gone before the fire starts. Some fire starters like to hang around at the fire scene too. Burning down someone’s property is a pretty good way to get them upset to the max IMHO.

        • Today the Sunday C&P is reporting that the ignition source was a kerosene lantern that got kicked over. They were cleaning the boat in order to sell it. First the EFD said though the EC&P and online that the fire was electrical in nature. Now they recanted that story and tell a new story about flammable liquids being the cause of the fire. Hummn. What do you think?

          Oh. And this was maybe because someone was sent to the Hospital and treated for injuries related to the fire last Saturday Morning. I wonder if they had any burns from the fire. I think I remember reading some where that they were treated for smoke inhalation. Todays new story said that the fire spread quickly. They are now staying that the circuit breaker tripped and they reset it. Hummn. I guess they are reading the CCO now?

  9. Nice article by David Coker in C & P this morning, a tribute to Betty Knight Smith. Sounds like she was one tough broad !

    • She really, really was, and she wouldn’t have been offended by your comment, although I prefer to think of her as a “lady.” I always found myself looking to her as my example to follow when I found myself the single mother of five. She was smart, tough, and the hardest worker I’ve ever known.

      • Great lady, a product of Kentucky. Met with her on numerous occasions. She introduced me to Gail when Gail was running for mayor the first time. She stayed active with local citizens as long as possible. She used to smoke like a chimney, glad when she quite. She was honest and above board when dealing with everyone. Regardless of how busy or stressed she was, she was unhurried when doing business with the citizens of this city. She was a great politician because she had the nack for making people feel important and giving them her undivided attention. The best social conservative I ever met.

  10. WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS:

    ….and seeing the crowds, he went up to the mountain and said,

    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are all of you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

  11. Now on at C & P:

    ‘Ron Riecken detained by EPD at Fire’: Open for all viewers to see

    ‘Fire Alarms added at Ford Center’: Protected behind pay wall

    Great work C & P, cunning manipulation at its finest

    • Interesting…… Very Interesting! So it starts….. The open story on the C&P was confusing at best. How many Rieckens were there and which one’s were actually arrested or detained. Is there a difference between being detained and arrested?

      • The daughter and the son in law were arrested. Gail’s husband was detained until he calmed down. The son in law was not a volunteer. He is a EFD employee and was off duty. I question the haircut.

        • For all, That’s all danged mess for sure. Our group would recommend some oversight beyond Vanderburgh county, or even Indiana. This stuff needs to stop somewhere. Soon.
          Nobody cleans a boat in the middle of winter in a marina on the Ohio.
          We’ve run our overhead, and only can say, do look deeper. Our overhead is corporate confidential right now, it has to be that way, we’re innovating solutions to your problems there in old Evansville and everywhere CSO is an environmental scourge Given that, one must understand whom would be lining up at the trough if we didn’t remain anonymous with our tuned scientific capabilities, so too speak.
          You have answers, they’ll come in time. We’ve chosen another region for our plans preview introduction, only because of the steady feed of machined BS your town must live with. Hang tight though we do have people there. We love’um and the real stuff is at hand. You go! Real Evansville, we’ll help!

        • Makes the Palin family look tame. Overall this is a disrespectful family, it would seem the family members of a person in the public eye running for public office would be on their best behavior. Such a distraction.

          • How convenient 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. Guilt by association is an old as Rome itself.

            Timing is everything in politics.

          • Those turd;’s are scored the overhead doesn’t miss, its basic elemental science, lots of real science goes into that. “When its time.”

    • “cunning manipulation at its finest”

      Ridiculous comment.

      Read the C&P story saw ZERO that would merit such a speculative editorial comment.

      What if I speculated that R’s started the fire?

      • Brains,

        You manipulate the public by leaving open for public view the article re: detention of Mr. Riecken, married to the candidate for Mayor in 2015.

        You manipulate the public by NOT allowing viewing of the article re: non-compliant fire alarms which have been installed at the Fraud Center since 2012.

    • Since when did EFD have Volunteer Firemen? The Evansville Courier and Press reported that the Young Riecken guy was a EFD volunteer firefighter. Hummm. Is that reporter wrong or am I missing something here?

    • Hand, Subscribe to the local paper and you will get all the stories. You might save a local job in the process.

  12. The overhead is and has been showing the shift, Oh my the planet is dealing one too your rotting old infrastructure . Big time. Rapid temperature and atmospheric pressure changes reeks havoc on paper thin egg shell, old ass, early twentieth century water mains. Yep watch the stuff, then watch the re-warm up . Your going too get clobbered on main breaks again. Then when those hit the combined sewers ,yep another straight shot squarely into the clean water balance of the whole of north America. Good job dummies. Turds for everybody. The world just can’t wait till your crap ass infrastructures does that ……again.
    Build some medical research centers on that as well. The planet needs more big pharmaceutical incursion to its barely remaining clean water availabilities.
    Stupid is, as stupid does.

    • v

      you are also nuttier than a fruit cake today, what have you been drinking ??? Yesterday you actually made sense for the first time, and here today you have fallen off of the wagon and hit your head 🙂

  13. From John Blair’s FB page

    OK, here is the story as best I can report it on the Marina fire. Some of this is based on heresay and some is based on my simple observation.

    At least five boats burned, Bill Marver’s houseboat on the end of B dock was the one that caught fire originally. Instead of allowing Katie and Ed to get down to the docks and putting the Marina Fire Boat into operation, the public safety people I was told, cut Marver’s houseboat loose and it drifted into Mark Rolley’s beautiful Serenity on the end of A dock and set it on fire.

    Apparently Serenity burned completely and sunk where it sat and the Marver boat continued adrift finally drifting to the end of the far northwest dock (near the entrance to the Marina) setting Phil Meyer’s houseboat and Kevin Derr’s sailboat on fire demolishing both, although there is still evidence of both of those boats on the surface. Another boat, a red and white Cruisers Yacht now sitting on the end of B Dock suffered at least exterior damage to its bow.

    The Coast Guard was on hand to oversee any environmental hazards and booms were in place to collect fuel and debris that was floating on the surface.

    What is yet to be explained, at least to my satisfaction, is why Katie and Ed Parker were not allowed to go man the Marina Fire Boat, which is capable of pumping lots of water in an effort to put out the fire on the Marver boat before it was set free to do so much additional damage. Instead, they were arrested and not given access to the very thing that may have saved the other boats.

    The whole thing is exceptionally sad and my thoughts are with all those who lost boats and to the Rieckens and Parkers who ended up in trouble for making an effort to help.

    • Thank you Brains for filling in the blanks. It appears that the officials at the fire scene screwed up and didn’t do their job of protecting adjoining property but instead exasperated the problem. I forgot that John was a River Rat. And I just saw his facebook page the other day which talked about his favorite place on the River.

      https://www.facebook.com/Ecoserve?fref=ts

      If you look at John’s Pictures you will notice the cut wires on A dock in one of John’s pictures on his facebook page. Also make note of the burn patterns on the deck material and the part of the foam that’s missing at the end of the dock at the left side of the picture. This is the picture of the place where the first house boat was moored.

      One of the comments made on John Facebook page was about the war tactic of setting a boat on fire and then letting is sail into the other boats. This is how Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada many years ago. He set some boats on fire and let them drift into the Spanish Ships causing many of them to be set on fire and destroyed. That was how they conducted war at Sea then and now.

      John’s photos give us so much more information that the photos released so far by the Evansville Courier and Press people.

      • https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=777839915623801&set=p.777839915623801&type=1&theater

        One of the photos taken by Mr Miller that appeares on John Blair’s Facebook page today. Notice that it’s daylight and the fire is still burning. They said that the fire started around Midnight to One O’clock AM. These fires burned for a long time. Too bad the fire boat was not used to put out the fires and that the fires spread from one boat to five or six other boats. Now that’s what I call good containment… NOT! PPJ IMHO.

        • Brill Lyle: I gave credit to Brains for his excellent post. I only post as Moveon. I bet you fell stupid about right now huh?

      • Note: today Sunday Feb 15th 2015 the EC&P is now reporting that the fire was started by the three people who claimed to be cleaning the boat in order to sell the boat. They now say that they kicked over a kerosene lantern which quickly started the fire. I wondered yesterday if this was a possibility. Most electrical fires don’t spread as fast as flammable liquid accelerated fires. So a flammable liquid actually was used to start this fire. And who cleans a boat in the middle of the night using a Kerosene lantern in the middle of a cold Feb Winter? Who lies about the fire at first and then comes clean after being confronted later? I wondered why they had to go to the hospital and sort of thought that something was fishy with the story. Follow the money? BTW: Boats are hard to sell in the winter! <— That's a statement not a question! I've seen some Google Earth Views of the Marina and what appears to me to be the big houseboat parked at the end of what's called Deck B. I also saw the large cruiser that was parked at the end of Deck A in the overhead pictures. The Serenity I think they called it.

        2 million dollars in damage is what the paper is not saying. I bet that the insurance companies are getting involved in this big time. I would bet that they will help salvage what's left of the sunken boats to find out more about this fire. And I would not be surprised if more arrests were in the future. Only time will tell. Does anyone else doubt that this fire was started by a short circuit? Funny how after I explained about how fires don't hide all the evidence yesterday that today the story changes?

        Most people who die in a fire die from smoke inhalation not the fire itself. I'm wondering if any of the three people cleaning the boat also had burns?

        • The kerosene aspect was late coming out. More will come. Way too early to take anyone’s word on what happened. Many jobs are at stake in the mayoral election, including department heads. Sounds suspicious to me.

        • Moveon, this sounds like trespassers partying/stealing? on a vacant house boat that had been winterized so they used a kerosene heater. River camps have the same problems with trespassers/theft.

          • MSD, you must be part of the secret conspiracy that Moveon and side-kick LKB are searching for since you provided such a convenient explanation.

      • Sounds like the Evansville Fire Dept is OUT OF CONTROL!!!. I demand body cams for all firemen. I want Al Lindsey (city coucilman) to investigate this so called “drunk” off duty fireman. I bet Al can out drink him and NOT be arrested. I want to know if prior to the fire if any of these firemen were sleeping! They should be punished for sleeping while at work. Okay now that is off my chest and to let you know i was joking. I have tremendous respect for the EFD. The do a great job and they are good people. People are commenting on what the EFD did or did not do. That they did a crappy job and called for EPD to arrest Mr and Mrs Parker for B.S. reasons. Let’s wait for the investigation to be completed before we make any more silly or untrue comments. Thank you EFD for your work on a very COLD night of work.

    • I am going out on a limb here, Brains….

      I would assume that the fact that they were INTOXICATED would have been a problem.

      • I’m neither defending their actions or condemning them, rather passing along another report/POV.

        That is all.

      • Sour grapes over getting your ass handed to you in the election? I noticed from your Facebook page that you have young children. For your sake I hope they never make a mistake when grown. All the joy you take from the pain of others will certainly come back to haunt you.

        • That’s what it was. I’m going out on a limb here and saying he’ll never be elected to anything around here. His only shot would have been to catch the first wave of the Teabaggers and he was too busy emptying bedpans.

        • I wish the EDITORS of the CCO take a good look of this post (9:38 pm) about a poster
          calling out another of them having a Facebook account, and mentioning of them having
          young children !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          I feel this is crossing the line of decency, all most a creepy stalker statement!

          • Yea that did sound a little weird and threating but I could not figure out who the poster was addressing. These threads get a little convoluted in here making it hard to follow who’s replying to whom. And some times we run out of “reply”.

            I would not be too worried about trolls in here. They are pretty harmless. Annoying maybe but still harmless.

          • Mr. Heath made his family and private life known when he was running for the House District 77 seat against Gail. No “stalking” or “indecency” here, just a wish for karma to smack him up the side of his bitter little head.

          • LBK, there is a core group here that do know each other by their
            personal names. There is many that do not, as I am one of that
            group. Had these “PUBLIC” figures used their real names (sounds
            like you know who!) instead of using screen names, we outsiders
            would understand the political bickering!

            But I still stand by my post of 11:58 am of the decency of bringing
            someone young children into a discussion here. Known or unknown alike!

      • Nothing was said about Ron Riecken Being Intoxicated. His daughter (President of the Marina) and her husband ( EFD firefighter) were said to smell of ETOH but I didn’t read anything negative about John smelling of Alcohol or being drunk. He could have been allowed to get the fire boat in operation and help put the fire out on his property? No? Why not? From what I read on John Blair’s facebook’s comments about the fire the EFD cut the burning boat lose from the dock and allowed it to drift ablaze into other boats setting these very expensive boats on fire. I think 5 boats were either lost or damaged in the fire.

      • Ron Riecken was not intoxicated. Why did they stop him from getting the Marina’s fire boat into operation?

        Can the EFD draft water out of the Ohio River? Do they have hard suction type hoses that allow water to be drafted out of river and ponds into the pumpers?

          • Why do we stop people from going INTO an active fire scene? That seems self-explanatory, but perhaps it’s not for a layperson. I’m happy to answer.

            It is standard to stop a non-firefighter (including non fire department public safety personnel) from going into an active fire scene for several reasons, but the the primary reason is that fire scenes are inherently dangerous. Big red trucks driving around, burning buildings, saws being used, danger of collapses, ladders being moved around, dangerous smoke – – the list is rather extensive. We don’t wear all that fancy taxpayer gear and spends months in the fire academy because burning buildings are NOT dangerous, after all. An unprotected, untrained, unequipped person running around the fireground is a recipe for additional injury.

            An important part of getting control of a fireground is a systematic search for victims. Letting people wander in and out of an uncontrolled fire scene means it would be impossible to know if a searched area had not be reoccupied by somebody, ergo you would constantly be researching areas and it would be damn difficult to set tactical priorities.

            Not everybody on the planet earth is a good person. A random person wandering into a fire scene might be interested in stealing contents of the house, attempting to distract firefighters from investigating an arson, sabotaging fire suppression efforts, trying to ‘finish off’ a victim the were attempting to kill, attempting to cover up a crime, etc. Sealing off a scene prevents that.

            Yes, all our engines have hard suction (I think it’s an NFPA requirement). Because of physics, using hard suction on a surface body of water requires being able to get within about 20 feet of said surface body of water. That was not possible at Marina Point. The EFD fire boat is capable of being used for water supply and has been before, but that was not needed at this fire. Water supply was not an issue as far as I know.

        • Move, Your 9:36 asks why they didn’t let Ron enter the fire scene. Did you ask the EFD why they didn’t ?

    • Maybe because Ed and Katie were drunk. I’m thinking with the freezing temperatures that the pedestrian bridge was icy. That’s all you need is two drunk people falling into the water. Now you have a rescue to worry about. No matter how you spin it Ed was drunk, twice the legal limit. He of all people should know better than to interfere with the professional fire fighters who happen to be SOBER!!!!. I’m sure he was out of control for the fire fighters to have to call the police. Maybe they should have stayed at the Pub Crawl down on Franklin Street and had a few more shots!

      • So how did you know that they were at the Franklin Street Pub Crawl? Or are you just speculating as to where they were and what they were doing before the fire started?

    • Could that be the same John Blair of Kentucky ground breaking golden shovel grabbing fame? Good man. Wondered what he had been up to.

  14. I encourage everyone to read the outstanding article on the CCO titled “Borrowed Glory” by Judge James Redwine. Very impressive and it hits the nerve of truth.

  15. I am saddened that so many CCO posters waste their creative talents on a boat fire conspiracy. They have obviously mastered the “willful suspension of disbelief” that is required for any good work of fiction. If a couple of you would put your creative talents together, Evansville could produce the next John Grisham or Dan Brown.

    They’re either extremely imaginative or nuttier than an outhouse rat. Entertaining– whatever the case!

    • So the fire didn’t exit? Is that what you are saying? Chicago burned down at one time when a cow was said to have kicked over a Kerosene lantern that started the Chicago Fire. I wonder what the owner of the house boat would say to you right about now? There is no conspiracy unless there is one inside James T Davis’s mind.

      Facts:
      There was electrical power being supplied to the houseboat.
      The electrical wires were cut by the EFD
      The boat was released from it’s mooring and allowed to drift away and into other boats
      There was a fire started by something. (Media now reports it was a kerosene lantern)
      Five boats are lost
      The boat that was on fire drifted into other boats setting them on fire
      The fire was still burning when the sun came up
      The fire is still under investigation

      News media reports that the fire was started by a kerosene lantern that was kicked over. Don’t they have any batteries their flashlights. Most big house boats have more than one electrical circuit for the lights. Even a small pop up camper has two or three different circuit breakers with multiple lights on different circuit breakers. Why would someone take a kerosene lantern to such a big houseboat that most likely has plenty of built in lighting? Kerosene lanterns are hard to find these days since more lanterns run on propane tanks these days. Some new lanterns run on 6 volt dry cell batteries. Many new spot lights come with lithion ion batteries that are rechargeable.

      • Could there always be a chance some “manufacturing”, be that kerosene lantern fire effect?

    • Mr. Davis, you can’t fool Moveon with your thoughtful post. Moveon knows your post was designed to throw him off exposing a brilliantly coordinated ultra-secret multi-departmental governmental conspiracy leading to the Civic Center after a boat fire starts on Friday the 13th. Yep, the same government that bought a parking lot for the McCurdy for $600,000+, can’t reopen Mesker Amphitheater for lack of basic repair, threw money at EarthCare and hasn’t been able to find my City street with a snowplow in years.

      • Like that about the city and the snow plow! You may consider moving out to the county. Those
        county plows are no stranger to those county roads! I can not speak for those streets inside
        those subdivisions.

      • Speaking of the McCurdy, I see by today’s rag that we’re about to go through another chapter in the saga of the demise of that grand old building. Apparently the administration is making moves to wrestle it out of the grips of the Kunkels, who are promising progress by spring. It’s just sickening.
        As a true member of the right wing, why would you want government to clear your street? I would think you’d prefer to dig yourself out. My guess is you don’t live near anybody of any influence, or you’d get your street cleared. Maybe you should upgrade your address.

        • LKB, Thanks for supporting your local paper with local employees. Some of them union members.

        • LKB, I pay boatloads of taxes. We may have firearms and do have generators and other such mechanical global warming devices. We will be fine. It is everyone else on the street that I don’t know and other streets in our neighborhood that I worry about. There are many elderly in our old neighborhood and we do the best we can to look after them and try as we can to prevent crime that seems to seep in.

    • I guess you are mad because your momma didn’t provide well for you … Huh? So you rudely attack Gales daughter. Jealousy is a bad virtue. You should seek help.

      • You miss the point entirely. The business entity address for Inland Marina Inc. is Gail Riecken’s address, not the 814 SE Second Street that is Katherine Riecken-Parker’s home address, the one for which she receives a homestead exemption. And not the other home in the 400 block of SE Second Street that is owned by Katherine Riecken for which she does not receive an exemption.

  16. elkaybee
    Feb 15, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    As a true member of the right wing, why would you want government to clear your street? I would think you’d prefer to dig yourself out. My guess is you don’t live near anybody of any influence, or you’d get your street cleared. Maybe you should upgrade your address.
    ========================================================================

    Those damn socialist snow plows and drivers! What a waste, govt. is nothing but waste, waste, waste!

    Everybody knows that before you can buy a snow plow, first you have to take money out of the “hard working”
    “efficient” private sector and give it to the govt.

    “Obviously” it would be more efficient if we just gave everybody a tax cut and let them plow their own roads!!!

    EYE ROLL.

Comments are closed.