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VANDERBURGH COUNTY CRASH REPORT

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CrashReport

Vanderburgh County RECENT BOOKING RECORDS

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https://vanderburghsheriff.org/jail-recent-booking-records/

Gov. Beshear Provides Update on Storm Response

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Gov. Beshear Provides Update on Storm Response

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 14, 2021) – At noon Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear updated Kentuckians on his administration’s response to the Dec. 11 quad-state tornado outbreak. He was joined at the briefing by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Michael Dossett, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management. To watch the press conference, click here. Key updates provided:

  • The official death toll did not rise overnight and remains at 74 confirmed fatalities.
  • Reported deaths: 21 in Graves County; 17 in Hopkins County; 15 in Warren County; 11 in Muhlenberg County; 4 in Caldwell County; 2 in Marshall County; and one each in Franklin, Fulton, Lyon, and Taylor counties.
  • Eight of the dead remain unidentified or next of kin have not yet been notified.
  • The age range of those killed now ranges from 2 months old to 98 years old.
  • Twelve of those killed were children.
  • There currently are 122 Kentuckians unaccounted for, as local, state and federal crews continue to rescue and recovery efforts.
  • A total number of Kentucky National Guardsmen supporting storm relief: 568.
  • 79 soldiers and airmen completed search and extraction and fatality search and retrieval at the factory site in Mayfield, with two chaplains serving for spiritual support.
  • Kentucky State Police continues to request that ALL Mayfield Consumer Products-Candle Factory employees go to His House Ministries Church at 1250 KY-303 in Mayfield. KSP is in the process of verifying information provided by executives from MCP Candle Factory to ensure that all potential victims are accounted for. Call 888-880-8620 if transportation is unavailable (MCP employee support line).
  • Utility companies continue working to safely restore power and repair water outages. Total customers without power: 24,000.
  • FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground in Mayfield and are helping families apply for federal disaster assistance.
    • In the coming days, these teams will continue to move into other affected communities.
    • To date, more than 1,800 families have already applied for assistance.
    • Those with damage from the storms should apply for disaster assistance, as this is the first step toward gaining access to resources that are becoming available.
    • There are multiple ways to register right now: Call 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-621-FEMA; visit DisasterAssistance.gov; by downloading the FEMA App on your mobile phone.
  • Damage assessments are ongoing, and major work continues to remove debris from roadways and restore or replace damaged traffic signals.
  • Blood donations are still needed. In response to requests from the community for blood donation information, the Red Cross has provided more than 40 blood products to hospitals in Kentucky. The Red Cross remains in touch with hospital partners throughout affected areas and stands ready to provide additional blood products as needed.
  • The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Division of Driver Licensing is making plans to set up temporary stations for issuing replacement licenses and state IDs in Mayfield and Dawson Springs.
  • Graves County Clerk’s equipment for vehicle titling and registration has been recovered and being tested. It will be reinstalled by Transportation Cabinet IT staff and the Commonwealth Office of Technology once a temporary location has been arranged.
  • As a stopgap, Graves County residents needing auto titling and registration can go to a neighboring county’s clerk’s office temporarily. Online renewal is available for anyone with internet service.
  • Jackson Purchase, in partnership with its sister facility Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, has opened a mobile clinic in Mayfield to care for non-emergent issues.
    • It is operating out of Lowe’s parking lot until further notice. The site was chosen in coordination with the Graves County Emergency Operations Center and Graves County Health Department.
    • The mobile clinic is providing care for local residents, first responders, and anyone needing local medical assistance.
    • Staffed by a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and licensed practical nurse, the clinic is able to provide first aid, sick visits, medication refills, testing for flu, strep, and COVID-19, and is stocked with first-aid supplies and over-the-counter meds.
    • The clinic is at 1208C Paris Road in Mayfield. It’s open and accepting walk-ins all day and closes each day before the Graves County curfew at dusk.
  • The Team Western Kentucky Relief Fund has accepted 66,829 donations totaling $9,894,603.18. Donations can be made at teamwkyrelieffund.ky.gov.
  • Kentucky State Parks are providing emergency shelters to distressed people affected by the tornado as well as the American Red Cross, utility crews, and first responders.
  • As of last night, Kentucky State Parks has provided 152 rooms for displaced residents and 67 rooms for first responders.
  • Families who are in need of emergency housing may contact their local emergency management office to request lodging.
  • Volunteer Information
    • Yesterday, 16 volunteers were placed at Kenlake, Kentucky Dam, and Pennyrile.
    • We have received an outpouring of support from people wishing to volunteer at our parks.
    • People wishing to volunteer can email Andy Kasitz at andy.kasitz@ky.gov.
  • The World Central Kitchen (WCK) arrived to Western KY on Saturday and started providing meals that same day. Today, they are operating six sites with food trucks, including:
    • Hurrikane’s: Splitting time between First Baptist Church (960 Industrial Park Road, Dawson Springs KY) and Landmark Apostolic Holiness Church (590 Industrial Park Road, Dawson Springs KY).
    • Jus Burgers & Let’s Get Fried: Dawson Springs High School (317 Eli Street, Dawson Springs KY)
    • Chicago Jerk: Jenning’s Creek Elementary School (2617 Russellville Road, Bowling Green KY)
    • Rolling Smoke: East Marshall Baptist Church (6324 Moors Camp Hwy, Gilbertsville KY)
    • World Central Kitchen Food Truck, All Tied Up: Mayfield Fairgrounds (1001 Housman Street Mayfield KY)
    • Infiniti Farms: The Plaza by Lowe’s (1104 Paris Road, Mayfield KY)
    • WCK also has six community outreach teams who have crossed the affected paths of the tornados from Wingo up to Dawson Springs and Princeton.
    • There are 10 WCK employees on the ground with eight local volunteers coming today.
    • WCK is working closely with Chef Ed Lee, who operates the Lee Initiative, and Louisville-area food trucks to provide warm meals. They also have their own food trucks producing hot meals and delivering them to communities.
    • So far, they have done 2,000 meals and are ramping up – they expect to serve 1,200 to 1,500 meals today.

Braun, Young, Introduce Legislation To Empower State Innovation Within Medicaid Program

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December 14, 2021Braun, Young, Blackburn, Hagerty, Inhofe, Romney introduce legislation to empower state innovation within the Medicaid program

WASHINGTON— Today, Senators Mike Braun, Todd Young, Mitt Romney, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, and Jim Inhofe introduced the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act.

This legislation authorizes a framework to allow innovation under Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project waivers. Specifically, it would include “work or community engagement requirements” as an acceptable practice that furthers the objectives of the Medicaid program, thereby prohibiting the CMS administrator from denying an 1115 waiver on the basis that work or community engagement requirements do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.

“States should be able to set standards for their Medicaid programs, as they know how to best tailor programs for their constituents. This commonsense policy allows the Hoosier State to design programs that provide Medicaid enrollees with community engagement activities that can improve health outcomes and reduce dependence on medical assistance. Additionally, my legislation will prevent the Biden Administration from recklessly revoking approved state waivers, and prevent them from taking power away from local and state elected leaders only to further concentrate such power with Washington bureaucrats.”—Senator Mike Braun

“Medicaid should ideally be available as a temporary option, with a goal of preparing individuals for a life of dignity in the workforce. Work and community engagement activities, such as those that Indiana previously had in place, are designed to improve quality of life over the long term and help individuals transition to full employment. CMS’s decision earlier this year to revoke Indiana’s ability to set these expectations for some Medicaid recipients treats work as a punishment and discourages efforts to transition to self-reliance. That’s why I joined my colleagues to introduce the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act to allow states the opportunity to innovate under the Medicaid program, with the objective of preparing individuals for a life of independence in the workforce.”—Senator Todd Young

“This legislation will give states like Utah more freedom and flexibility to best manage their Medicaid program, help people seek opportunities for community engagement, and continue to provide health coverage to those who depend on it.”—Senator Mitt Romney

“The Biden administration’s policies are driven by top-down federal government overreach, and their approach to Medicaid will only further this agenda. Their policies will result in less flexibility for states like Tennessee to care for the most vulnerable populations including the poor and people with disabilities.”—Senator Marsha Blackburn 

“This legislation would allow Tennessee the opportunity to innovate and adapt Medicaid to further protect this program and the vulnerable populations it serves. Giving states the freedom to choose what works best for their needs is what makes America such a great nation. I’m pleased to join Senator Braun in introducing this important legislation.”—Senator Bill Hagerty

“Over the past year, Republican states have proven they do a fantastic job at getting people back to work—17 of the top 20 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, but the Biden administration continues to try and derail these efforts. Their latest scheme? Preventing states from continuing to serve Medicaid patients through 1115 waivers if they implement common-sense work requirements. Hardworking Oklahomans agree: if you get federal benefits like Medicaid, you need to work or participate in community engagement. I’m pleased to join Sen. Braun in introducing legislation that will protect Oklahoma’s and other states’ ability to manage their Medicaid programs.”—Senator Jim Inhofe

BACKGROUND

 In February 2021, at the direction of the Biden Administration, CMS began efforts to withdraw work requirement waiver authorities in several states that had either been previously approved or had a pending application, to implement work requirements. CMS is continuing to review some states’ work requirement waivers but has already been successful in officially withdrawing waiver authorities in 9 States—Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin. Additionally, other states have voluntarily withdrawn work requirements from their waiver applications or have postponed the implementation of work requirements because of the uncertainty concerning Medicaid work and community engagement programs. CMS based its decision to withdraw waiver authorities in the 9 states on the basis that “work or community engagement requirements” do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.

 

 

Donor Providing “Giving Tuesday” $10,000 Matching Grant Announces New Challenge Grant

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More than $30,000 Raised on 2021 Giving Tuesday

Evansville, IN – State Farm Insurance Agent Paul Watzlavik and his wife Holly Watzlavik today announced a second $10,000 matching gift to the Ivy Tech Evansville Foundation for 2022 Giving Tuesday campaign, challenging other donors to consider giving to Ivy Tech, and doubling their contribution through the match, said Ivy Tech Foundation Executive Director Erica Schmidt.

On this year’s Nov. 30 Giving Tuesday, the Watzlaviks and State Farm Insurance provided the first $10,000 matching gift. Dozens of donors to the college met the challenge on Nov. 30 raising $10,191. And with another gift announced today by Dr. Frank L. Hilton, the total raised for Giving Tuesday 2021 stands at $30,091. Hilton’s gift has been designated for nursing and health science students.

Today,  the Watzlaviks, State Farm Insurance, and  Cody Layson, an intern for the company and an Ivy Tech student, presented the $10,000 matching monies to the Ivy Tech Foundation to be used for the greatest needs of students.

Watzlavik said the reason he and his wife and State Farm wanted to provide the matching gift was to make certain that everyday pressures and obstacles students face to completing their degree can be reduced or removed. “When we started supporting Ivy Tech, we started with a scholarship and we saw firsthand the difference we were making,” Paul said. “But after learning more about additional needs of students like transportation, maybe even help with bills, and then better understanding how quickly technology and teaching methods are changing, we wanted to create an endowment that supported the college’s most pressing needs – which could be any one of those things or all of those things in that particular year. An endowment is truly an investment in the good work happening at Ivy Tech.”

(image L-R) Ivy Tech Chancellor Daniela Vidal, Dr. Frank Hilton, Ivy Tech Student and State Farm Intern Cody Layson, Holly and Paul Watzlavik, State Farm Insurance, Vanessa Fritz, and Ivy Tech Foundation staff Nathan Jochum, Liesl Disch, and Erica Schmidt.

 

EVANSVILLE NATIVE CONNIE STAMBUSH SHARES HER STORY IN A “QUESTION AND ANSWER” INTERVIEW

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Evansville native Connie Stambush shares her story in her new book “UNTETHERED” in a “Question and Answer” interview with The City-County Observer.  Attached below is the “Question and Answer” interview.

QUESTION AND ANSWERS 

QUESTION:  Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your book?

My book Untethered: A Woman’s Search for Self on the Edge of India—A Travel Memoir is based on my 5-month, nearly 7,000-mile solo, motorcycle journey around the edge of India on a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle as well as a memoir of how I faced my fears to become someone I wanted to be and not the person I thought I was, which was too timid to live life fully.

As a girl, I found life pretty intimidating. In school I used to slide one shoulder along the hall wall at all times…even when I was alone in the hall. This image of myself as someone scared got stuck in my mind and that is how I came to think of myself. But, I didn’t like it. I wanted to be someone brave and adventurous.

I spent many years trying to overcome this image I had of who I was by challenging myself to do things that scared me. I started with small things, like watching spooky movies alone, and worked my way up to leaving the United States to travel abroad alone — Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East.

I’m a trained journalist and was living in Prague, Czech Republic, just after the Velvet Revolution, writing features for the Prague Post when I noticed I was surrounded by Westerners wearing black turtlenecks sitting in cafes writing the next Great Novel. (Prague was the Paris of the 90s.) I didn’t leave the U.S.A. to be surrounded by others like me, so I headed to India where I thought the Western population would be less. There I got a job working for the Women’s Feature Service (WFS) and was a stringer for the Houston Chronicle. Living and working in New Delhi, India, I was always hearing the thump, thump, thump of Royal Enfields. They became like a second heartbeat for me.

When my contract with WFS ended, I was ready to leave New Delhi but not India. I’d always traveled by train, bus, boat but never navigated my own vehicle. I decided to buy a Bullet and ride it solo around India. It scared me, making it the ultimate challenge in my life-long pursuit of overcoming things that scared me.

QUESTION: Being a woman alone on a motorcycle in India sounds scary. Were you scared?

If I’d stopped to really think about what I was doing, I’d have been plenty scared. I don’t think anyone thought the journey was a good idea or that I’d actually do it. But once I started telling people my plan, I could not back out. Everyone thought it was too dangerous. Some people suggested I carry a gun. I did not. I took my brain instead. It’s the best weapon I have.

QUESTION: What motorcycle riding experience did you have before setting out on this journey?

Before announcing my plans to buy and ride a Royal Enfield solo around India, I’d only ever been a passenger on a motorcycle once or twice. I had no idea how to ride. I took the ABATE of Indiana rider course, a week-long training course in preparation for the journey while home in Evansville visiting family. I popped a wheelie the first day we actually rode and crashed. But I got up and on the motorcycle again. I wasn’t a good rider. I was scared and lacked confidence, but I was determined to keep going.

QUESTION: Why did you write this book?

I always knew I’d write about this journey, weaving stories of what it was like for a woman to be on her own, on a “so-called” man’s machine, in a country where women didn’t travel alone alongside my story of wanting to be someone other than how I thought of myself. I wanted to write an honest account of both to inspire readers to feel empowered about their own abilities.

QUESTION: Tell us a little about writing and publishing this book?

It took a long time. I wrote the first draft of it in a cabin in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in northern India a few weeks after completing the journey in December 1998. It was pretty pedestrian and not the shaped and crafted narrative it is now. It was more along the lines of “this happened and then that happened and then this happened” and so on and so on. I had to figure out what the “story” was and not just regurgitate the events.

After I understood the story I wanted to tell, about a woman growing into her “empowerment”, I had to figure out what parts of the journey served that story. Every writer has to decide what to include and what to leave out.

When I finished writing and editing it, I started contacting agents. Early on I had two agents interested and offer contracts. But neither felt like the right fit for me. After that, no one seemed to be interested. Publishing is a difficult industry to break into for an unknown writer.

In the end, I figured if I could ride a motorcycle solo around India, I could independently publish my own book.

QUESTION: What do you want readers to take away from your story?

It’s important for people to know we are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I didn’t wake up one day and buy a motorcycle and head off around India on my own. I grew into it.  That is the story I’m telling in Untethered.

QUESTION: What was the most rewarding part of writing the book?

Releasing my story into the world was most rewarding. The second most rewarding aspect is hearing from readers that they can relate to many parts of my story, even though their circumstances were different. I believe that despite the setting being on a motorcycle in India, that people — especially women — can relate to the story because it is a human story.

QUESTION: What is your favorite part of the book?

My mom’s favorite is chapter 20 “Ladies of a Different Order”. In terms of writing, my favorite chapter is 36 “Ruined Program”. I also really like the beginning and end. They’re the hardest things to write and I feel like they both did what they were supposed to do: the beginning captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to find out what happens to the narrator and the ending brings all the threads in the story to a conclusion.

QUESTION: What was the scariest moment of your journey?

There were plenty of such moments, but you’ll have to read the book to learn about them.

QUESTION: OK, I’m hooked. Where can readers buy your book?

I currently have it in two formats: eBook and paperback. I sell it online at Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Draft2Digital, and Barnes & Nobel. Readers who want to support their local book stores (I highly recommend it) can find it in Evansville at Blue Stocking Social or ask their favorite bookstore to order it for them.
I’m working on an audio version of Untethered now and hope to have it up for sale very soon too. I’ve got plans to make a large print version and hardback too. Something for everyone.
For more information check out my website at wwww.clstambush.com and/or email me at hello@clstambush.com
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FOOTNOTE: For more information check out my website at wwww.clstambush.com and/or email me at hello@clstambush.com

 

Individual Income Tax Rates to Rise in Three Indiana Counties Effective Jan. 1

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Effective Jan. 1, 2022, three Indiana county income tax rates will increase, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR).

Local income tax rates are determined by county officials and provided to DOR for review regarding compliance with Indiana law.

Below are the three counties impacted along with their new tax rates:

  • Cass County: 0.0295 (increased from 0.027)
  • Madison County: 0.0225 (increased from 0.0175)
  • Randolph County: 0.03 (increased from 0.025)

These tax rates affect businesses with employees who live or work in any of these counties and have income tax withholdings.

  • For Indiana residents on Jan. 1, 2022, county tax rates for individuals are based on the employee’s Indiana county of residence on that date.
  • For individuals who are not Indiana residents on Jan. 1, 2022, county tax rates are based on the individual’s county of principal business or employment on Jan. 1.

FOOTNOTE: Current rates for all Indiana counties are available on DOR’s website at dor.in.gov in Departmental Notice #1. To view the complete list, click on “Legal Resources”, then “Tax Library”, followed by “Departmental Notices”.

Otters Accepting Tornado Relief Donations At Bosse Field

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he Evansville Otters are now accepting tornado relief donations at Bosse Field to help aid relief efforts in the Midwest and western Kentucky.

The donations will help those affected by the aftermath of the tornadoes and storms that passed through the Midwest and in western Kentucky on Dec. 10.

People who want to contribute items needed by families and first responders can bring them to Bosse Field between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

Bosse Field is located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. near the Main Street entrance to Garvin Park.

Items needed include non-perishable foods, bottled water, warm clothing, rakes, shovels, brooms, duct tape, baby supplies, pet supplies, candles, matches, rain ponchos, and many other items.

For any questions on drop-off donations at Bosse Field, people can call the Otters front office at (812) 435-8686.

 

EPA Opens $20 Million Grant Competition for Community Air Pollution Monitoring

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WASHINGTON (Dec. 13, 2021) – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $20 million in competitive grants through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to enhance ambient air quality monitoring in communities across the United States, especially in underserved and overburdened communities that often lack access to adequate air quality information. EPA will award funds to support community and local efforts to monitor air quality and to promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and Tribal, state, and local governments.  Community-based nonprofit organizations, Tribes, states, and local governments may apply for the grants.

“In my travel across the country, from Newark to Flint to the deep south, community members have told me how important air quality monitoring is to protecting their health. Through the American Rescue Plan, Congress and the President entrusted EPA with critical funding to help those who are hurting,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This funding will support communities that need better information about air quality in their neighborhoods and reflects EPA’s commitment to deliver environmental justice for our most vulnerable populations.”

The announcement follows Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice Tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, where he met with residents and advocates to hear firsthand how their communities have been affected by air pollution and why improved air monitoring can help residents. Under the ARP, Congress provided EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that $100 million, $50 million has been dedicated to environmental justice (EJ) initiatives that identify and address disproportionate environmental or public health harms in underserved communities, and $50 million is dedicated to address air monitoring for the same issues.

Today’s announcement of the availability of $20 million for community monitoring is part of that $50 million for monitoring. This is the largest investment in community-based monitoring systems in EPA history. The remaining $30 million will support state, Tribal or local air agencies for enhanced monitoring of fine particles and five other air pollutants regulated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Clean Air Act; cover administrative costs; and invest in mobile monitoring labs or air sensor loan programs to improve EPA’s ability to support communities in need of short-term monitoring and air quality information.

To be considered for funding under this Request for Applications (RFA), grant applications must address ambient monitoring for at least one of the following types of air pollution: criteria pollutants (particle pollution, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, or sulfur dioxide) and their precursors or hazardous air pollutants, as defined by the Clean Air Act.

The grants do not require matching funds from organizations that apply. The grants will be focused on collecting information that addresses air pollution problems identified by communities and effective partnerships.  This EPA grant competition to enhance ambient air monitoring in communities with health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies the Biden Administration’s Justice40 commitment to charting a new and better course that puts environmental and economic justice at the center of all we do.

Through this grants program, EPA anticipates awarding a total of 50-70 grants or cooperative agreements.  Approximately $2 million of the total amount will be awarded to Tribal governments under a Tribal government set-aside, and approximately $2 million will be awarded to eligible community-based organizations under a community-based organization set-aside. EPA may increase or decrease the total funding or set-aside amounts based on the quality of applications received and agency priorities.

The application period closes February 25, 2022, and EPA will be offering an informational webinar about the RFA on January 11, 2022 from 1:00PM-2:00PM eastern.  

VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF WARRANTS

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF WARRANTS

Vanderburgh County Warrants

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