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Gov. Beshear Helps Break Ground on $259 Million Trader Joe’s Facility in Franklin, Creating 876 Jobs

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Project site supported by $2.7 million in state funding for infrastructure upgrades

FRANKLIN, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2023) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials to break ground on a new Simpson County facility for Trader Joe’s East Inc., a leading retail distributor and supplier of food and beverage products, which will create 876 full-time jobs, including 91 direct roles behind a more than $259 million investment.

“Leading companies like Trader Joe’s are choosing Kentucky for our exceptional workforce,” said Gov. Beshear. “This new location is creating a significant number of new job opportunities for Kentuckians and will be a great addition to the Franklin community. I look forward to seeing Trader Joe’s continued success here in the commonwealth.”

The project, announced in September 2022, established a new, 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution, warehousing and cold storage center in Simpson County’s Stone-Givens Industrial Park to serve growing customer demands. The over $259 million investment created 91 direct full-time jobs, but the full scope of the project includes 876 total jobs, with the balance being contracted positions.

The company’s new location also will benefit from funding recently approved for infrastructure upgrades at the Stone-Givens Industrial Park. In January, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) approved $2.4 million in funding from the Economic Development Fund to support the construction of an industrial access road and improvements at the site to encourage economic growth. The infrastructure project also is supported by a $300,000 grant from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Highways.

Trader Joe’s is a subsidiary of TACT Holding Inc. and is a leading retail distributer and supplier of food and beverage products, including canned foods, dry goods, sweets, grocery, beer and wine, frozen foods and other refrigerated products. Trader Joe’s was founded in 1967 offering accessible, high-end products to consumers. The company has grown nationally to 50,000 employees in 537 stores across 44 states.

The announcement adds to Kentucky’s distribution and logistics industry, which currently includes more than 600 facilities employing over 91,000 people. Administration-to-date, companies within the industry have announced 117 new-location and expansion projects totaling $2.2 billion and roughly 7,500 full-time jobs for Kentuckians.

Simpson County Judge/Executive Mason Barnes spoke on the scope of the project.

“We are very excited to announce that Trader Joe’s will become part of our community here in Simpson County. Trader Joe’s will locate in the Stone-Givens Industrial Park and utilize approximately 160 acres for their development. Their investment in our community will be the largest to date in terms of size, dollars invested and employment. Trader Joe’s operation brings some much-needed diversity to our industrial base,” said Judge Barnes. “Although Trader Joe’s has other distribution facilities in the U.S., this facility in Simpson County will be the only one of its type. It will be a distribution and assembly center and will also serve as the mid-America hub for Trader Joe’s. They will be a tremendous asset to our local economy and to job seekers in this entire region.”

Franklin Mayor Larry Dixon mentioned the jobs the facility will create.

“We are extremely proud to have Trader Joe’s locate their distribution facility in Franklin,” said Mayor Dixon. “What a great company to have in our community. They will be providing some great jobs for our city and for this entire region of South-Central Kentucky.”

Gary Broady, chairman of the Franklin Simpson Industrial Authority, expressed his excitement for Trader Joe’s locating in Simpson County.

“When we created the new Stone-Givens Industrial Park we were hoping to attract a major client to Franklin,” Broady said. “Trader Joe’s is a world class company, and we are very excited about their location in our newest industrial park. We certainly welcome the hundreds of jobs Trader Joe’s will be creating with their project.”

Trader Joe’s investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced the creation of 43,200 full-time jobs and 828 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling $24.6 billion in announced investments.

With the books closed on 2022, the Governor has now secured the best two-year period in state history for economic growth.

In 2021, the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books. Private-sector new-location and expansion announcements included a record $11.2 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 18,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years.

That momentum continued strongly into 2022 with 248 new-location and expansion announcements totaling 16,000 full-time jobs behind nearly $10.5 billion in new investment.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 was $26.78 before benefits, the second-highest mark since 2010 and an 11.5% increase over the previous year.

Gov. Beshear also announced the two largest economic development projects in state history. In September 2021, Gov. Beshear and leaders from Ford Motor Co. and SK Innovation celebrated a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs in Hardin County. And in April 2022, the Governor was joined by leadership at Envision AESC to announce a $2 billion investment that will create 2,000 jobs in Warren County. These announcements solidify Kentucky as the EV battery production capital of the United States.

Kentucky’s success has been noted by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, which have upgraded the state’s financial outlook to positive in recognition of the commonwealth’s surging economy. In addition, Site Selection magazine placed Kentucky at 6th in its annual Prosperity Cup rankings for 2022, which recognizes state-level economic success based on capital investments.

Gov. Beshear’s administration is projected to post the four highest years of budget surpluses in Kentucky history, and the state’s rainy day fund has a record balance of $2.7 billion.

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, KEDFA in September 2022 preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide tax incentives based on the company’s investment and annual job and wage targets.

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Trader Joe’s can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

WARRICK HUMANE SOCIETY PRESENTS “LOW-COST VACCINE CLINIC”

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Warrick Humane Society is hosting a Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic open to the public on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 from 11 am to 2 pm (or later if pets are still being seen). Registration opens at 10 am and ends at 1 pm. Registration is limited to the first 50 dogs or cats, and registration for the clinic is first come, first serve.

Please expect a potentially long wait and plan your day accordingly. We can only see domesticated dogs and cats. No feral animals. For the safety of your pet, all dogs MUST be on a leash and cats MUST be in a carrier.

Pricing for services:

Rabies – $17
DA2PP – $17
Bordetella – $15
Heartworm Test – $22
FVRCP – $17
FeLV/FIV test – $25
Microchip – $20
Flea Treatment – $10-$20
Dewormer – $5-$15

The Women’s Hospital Is Your Ticket To USI Softball

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball fans will be able to attend all 2023 spring games at USI Softball Field for free courtesy of The Women’s Hospital.

Free admission, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital, is offered for all USI Softball home games.

“We are very excited that The Women’s Hospital has agreed to help us once again with the promotion of Division I Athletics at USI,” USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall said. “The Women’s Hospital sponsorship of tickets for home softball games will allow families and individuals to come see high quality softball at no cost.”

“This initiative also aligns with our continued celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. We have seen the growth of popularity of softball in this area, as well as the entire country, and The Women’s Hospital hopes that this will encourage youth softball players, their families, and other softball fans to come to campus and enjoy this popular sport.”

The special admission deal for the 2023 season starts March 18-19 against Lindenwood University, which also serves as USI Softball’s home-opening series in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Other USI Softball home dates include March 22, April 1-2, April 4, April 12, April 15-16, and May 6-7.

The 2023 season is the first season for USI Softball as an NCAA Division I program. USI is coming off a 2022 season that saw the Screaming Eagles capture their third NCAA II Midwest Region title since 2017 and another Great Lakes Valley Conference championship season.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

 

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORTFOOTNOTE:  EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT  information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Oakland City Man Arrested after Brief Foot Chase

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Gibson County – Friday morning, February 24, at approximately 9:46 a.m., Senior Trooper John Davis was obtaining gas at the Chuckles gas station on Morton Street in Oakland City when he spotted Homer Dersch, 50, of Oakland City, sitting in another vehicle on the lot.  Dersch was wanted out of Gibson County on two outstanding felony warrants for failure to appear. Dersch exited the vehicle and fled on foot from the gas station. Trooper Davis ordered Dersch to stop, but he continued to flee. After a brief chase, Dersch was apprehended without further incident. He was taken to the Gibson County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.

Arrested and Charges:

  • Homer W. Dersch, 50, Oakland City, IN
  1. Resisting Law Enforcement, Class A Misdemeanor
  2. Warrant – Failure to Appear for Possession of Meth, Level 6 Felony
  3. Warrant – Failure to Appear for Unlawful Possession of a Syringe, Level 6 Felony

Arresting Officer: Senior Trooper John Davis, Indiana State Police

Assisting Agency: Oakland City Police

Hufnagel sits atop the podium at OVC Indoor Championship

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Eagles finish 6th in OVC Indoor Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior Noah Hufnagel (Santa Claus, Indiana) was crowned champion in the 3,000 meters at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championship Thursday afternoon at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Screaming Eagles earned a sixth-place team finish after totaling 33 points.
 
Hufnagel finished the championship with a 3,000-meter time of eight minutes, 21.06 seconds to cap off USI’s first-ever conference championship appearance. He also secured a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a 14:25.16 mark.
 
Junior Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana) earned a pair of top-five performances, nabbing fourth in the 3,000 meters before placing fifth in the 5,000 meters. Hopf crossed the line in 8:25.36 in the 3,000 meters and secured a personal-best time of 14:40.05 in the 5,000 meters. Also finding the top five were sophomores Dylan Bland (Holland, Indiana) and Brady Terry (Philpot, Kentucky) with Bland earning 10th in the 5,000 meters (15:01.85)  and Terry placing ninth in the mile (4:17.42).
 
Two USI relays earned top-10 marks in the championship with the distance medley relay group finishing in fourth while the 4×400 relay nabbed eighth. The distance medley relay team consisted of Terry, junior Ethan Goddard (Avon, Indiana), senior Tyler Garrett (Martinsville, Indiana), and sophomore Trace Manzi (Evansville, Indiana) rallied to finish the relay in 10:29.01. The 4×400 relay team consisting of Terry, Garrett, sophomore Rick Pflanz (Huntingburg, Indiana), and sophomore Luke Heinemann (Georgetown, Kentucky) earned a point for the Eagles with a time of 3:29.51.
 
Making some noise in the field was junior Josh Kaminski (Lafayette, Indiana) who tossed an 11th-best 45 feet, seven inches in the shot put. Junior Kyle Crone (Maryville, Illinois) had a 6′ 00″ performance in the high jump, placing 12th.

EVANSVILLE POLICE MERIT COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA

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EVANSVILLE POLICE MERIT COMMISSION

MEETING AGENDA

Monday, February 27th, 2023

4:00 p.m.  Room 307, Civic Center Complex

  1. EXECUTIVE SESSION:
  1. An executive session will be held prior to the open session.
  1. The executive session is closed as provided by:
  1. I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(5): To receive information about and interview prospective employees.
  2. I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(6)(A): With respect to any individual over whom the governing body has jurisdiction to receive information concerning the individual’s alleged misconduct.
  3. I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(9): To discuss a job performance evaluation of individual employees.  This subdivision does not apply to a discussion of the salary, compensation, or benefits of employees during a budget process.
  1. OPEN SESSION:
  1. CALL TO ORDER:
  1. ACKNOWLEDGE GUESTS:
  1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
    1. February 13th,2023 (Sutton, Johnson-Kincaid)
  1. APPROVAL OF CLAIMS:
  1. PROBATIONARY OFFICER UPDATE:
    1. Officers in the Field Training Program
    2. Officers in the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy

Greiwe Crowned Champion In Eagles’ OVC Indoor Championship Debut

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Eagles finish 6th in OVC Indoor Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Junior Lauren Greiwe (West Harrison, Indiana) sat atop the podium after winning the 5,000 meters at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championship Thursday afternoon at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Screaming Eagles ended the two-day event in sixth place after accumulating 65 points in their first-ever appearance.
 
Greiwe earned USI’s first OVC individual title after winning the 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 17 minutes, 29.46 seconds. She also secured a personal-best time of 9:49.27 in the 3,000 meters to earn fourth.
 
Two-time co-OVC Track Athlete of the Week winner junior McKenna Cavanaugh (New Albany, Indiana) placed second in the 3,000 meters and the mile. Cavanaugh’s mile time of 4:55.20 was 0.06 seconds behind the first-place finisher. She was able to finish the 3,000 meters in 9:47.48 to gain eight points for the Eagles.
 
After earning a personal-best mark in the 800 meters, sophomore Audrey Comastri (Indianapolis, Indiana) paced a 2:14.77 performance to earn second in the event. Comastri secured a third-place finish in the preliminaries to move on to the finals. Also finishing in the top five were senior Kara Martin (Herrin, Illinois) and junior Aubrey Swart (Noblesville, Indiana). Martin reached the podium with a third-place finish in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:47.90 while Swart nabbed fifth place in the 5,000 meters with an 18:09.77 mark.
 
The Eagles’ distance medley relay team was able to tally a second-place performance. Martin, Comastri, Cavanaugh, and junior Emma Brown (Evansville, Indiana) crossed the line in 11:54.64 to add to USI’s point total.
 

U S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOOD AND INSPECTION REPORT

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PRODUCT RECALL
PRODUCT RECALL

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for New Seasons Pizza Sauce Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns that fully cooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) pasta sauce labeled as pizza sauce contains anchovies and milk, known allergens, as well as ground beef and sulfites, which are not declared on the product label. FSIS is issuing this public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that these products should not be consumed. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.

BASEBALL ACES OPEN UP HOME SEASON THIS WEEKEND AGAINST EASTERN MICHIGAN

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will return home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium this weekend to open up its home slate, as the Purple Aces will host Eastern Michigan in a three-game series.  The series will begin Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. and continue on both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) afternoon.

Evansville (0-4) will be looking for its first win of the 2023 campaign after dropping a three-game series at Troy and a 6-3 decision at Kentucky on Tuesday.  Since German American Bank Field was constructed at Braun Stadium in February 2020, UE has posted a 38-23 overall record at GAB Field.  UE went 17-9 a season ago at home, and the Purple Aces have lost only four of 16 series played at the renovated facility.

UE’s middle infield combo of junior shortstop Simon Scherry (Santa Claus, Ind./Heritage Hills) and junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse (Linton, Ind./Linton-Stockton) currently lead the Purple Aces’ offense.  Scherry is hitting a team-best .375 (6-for-16) through four games, while also boasting a team-best .474 on-base percentage.  Fougerousse, meanwhile, is second on the team in hitting at .350 (7-for-20) and he ranks eighth nationally in home runs with three.  He enters this weekend’s action just two home runs shy of the national lead.

Eastern Michigan will bring a 1-2 overall record to Evansville after a season-opening series against Northern Kentucky that was played in Hoover, Alabama.  The Eagles rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning of the series finale to earn a 13-9 victory.  Reigning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Matt Kirk currently lead the EMU offense, as the fifth-year outfielder is hitting .500 (5-for-10) with a home run and two runs driven in.  Fifth-year shortstop Taylor Hopkins (.400/1/8) and senior third baseman Glenn Miller (.364/0/0) also hit above .350 this year for the Eagles.

Evansville and Eastern Michigan have met only once on the baseball diamond – the 1999 UE Diamond Classic hosted at Evansville’s old Carson Center Field.  The Purple Aces picked up a 10-2 victory that day behind a 3-for-4 effort by then-sophomore and current head coach Wes Carroll.  The next day, Eastern Michigan was supposed to face Dayton, but that EMU game never happened, as UE and Memphis played to a 4-4 tie in 21 innings that day, which is still the longest collegiate baseball game ever played in Indiana.  The old Carson Center Field did not have lights, and EMU and Dayton were never able to take the field, as the game was called at 4 p.m. local time to allow Evansville to catch a flight to Florida to take part in the Rollins College Baseball Challenge.

Evansville will send junior RHP Nick Smith (0-1, 13.50 ERA) to the mound for Friday’s opener looking for UE’s first victory of the year.  He will be opposed by EMU RHP Thomas House (0-1, 8.31 ERA).  Friday’s game can be seen live on ESPN+.

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