On Friday, February 12, 2021 at approximately 12:00 AM an inmate at the Vanderburgh County Jail was discovered unresponsive.
The confinement officer assigned to the housing unit where the inmate was discovered immediately called for assistance. Sheriff’s Office medical staff responded to the housing unit and assisted officers who had begun administering CPR. Medics from the Evansville Fire Department and Scott Township Fire Department then arrived to assist. At 12:54 AM medics ceased all resuscitation efforts upon orders of the St. Vincent Hospital physician.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office was then notified and responded to the jail. The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Section is investigating the death, although no foul play is suspected. The inmate was last seen responsive and looking around inside of his cell outside his cell at 11:05 PM.
The Coroner’s Office will schedule an autopsy and provide further updates regarding the cause of death.
DECEASED:
William Conley Pease Sr., 77, of Evansville.
ORIGINAL CHARGES:
Parole Violation Warrant (In Custody since February 02, 2021)
IS IT TRUE that former elected office holder Mike Duckworth is seeking the Chairmanship of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party position? Â …that Mr. Duckworth has spoken to City and County elected GOP leaders about becoming the next Chairman of the local GOP? Â …we been told by several people within the local Republican party that they believe that Mr. Duckworth has the ability to continued the positive results generated by the soon to be former Chairmen of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party, Wayne Parke?
IS IT TRUE that over the last several decades the City Of Evansville Employees Healthcare Insurance have continually posted million dollar deficits each year?
IS IT TRUE when management are face with a serious financial challenge they come up with a creative solution to correct it?
IS IT TRUEÂ we were informed that Evansville City Councilman Justin Elpers has just drafted a binding “Resolution” that will make several major changes to the City Employees Healthcare Insurance program starting in 2022?
IS IT TRUE we are also told that Evansville Councilman Justin Elpers “Resolution” will encourage the City’s administration to establish a process for evaluating and selecting a new City Employee’s Health Insurance benefits broker sometime this year?
IS IT TRUEÂ that we been informed if Evansville Councilman Justin Elpers “Resolution” passes a City Employee Health Insurance broker will be retained in order to find a long term solution for an affordable the City of Evansville Employees Healthcare Insurance program?
 IS IT TRUE if Mr. Elpers “Resolution” is approved by City Council many budget minded people hope that an newly amended Employee Healthcare plan will sustain itself in the long run? …if this happens our elected City officials will have made an impressive “Good Public Policy” decision that will save the taxpayers million of dollar in years to come?  …we give Mr. Elpers  five (5) cheers for thinking outside the political box?
IS IT TRUE we are told that the proposed Vanderburgh County Mills Road bridge project won’t happen because of major projected costs overruns?
IS IT TRUE we would like to thank the City Of Evansville Communication Director Noah Stubbs for doing an excellent job in sending us current and accurate news articles?
Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Which elected Vanderburgh County body do you consider to the most financial conservative?
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch today announced 11 communities that have partnered with non-profits will receive more than $1.63 million in federal funding through the new Community Connections for People with Disabilities (CCPWD) grant program. This opportunity is being offered through a partnership between the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS). Â
“The pandemic has disrupted the life of every Hoosier,†Crouch said. “These partnerships will reconnect Hoosiers with disabilities to their crucial support systems, while also creating new ways for these individuals to thrive and pursue their aspirations. This federal CARES Act funding will help quickly remove some of the social divide COVID-19 has caused.â€Â
The program’s goal is to help develop innovative technology strategies and cultivate strong community partnerships to address the negative social, economic, and health effects of COVID-19 on Hoosiers with disabilities and to increase community and workplace inclusion for this population. Â
“I’m so proud to see these communities took innovative steps to partner with local organizations to provide assistance is a variety of ways to Hoosiers with disabilities,â€Â said Denny Spinner, executive director of OCRA. “These projects are the first step in ensuring no Hoosier is left isolated and partnering with DDRS to make it happen demonstrates the type of collaboration necessary to create a road to recovery.â€Â Â
Grant activities for this program implement strategies, including virtual or technology-assisted activities, that address lack of internet access and technology equity, or social isolation and lost access to natural supports.Â
Eligible applicants include a local unit of government, which include counties, cities, or incorporated towns, both entitlement and non-entitlement communities.  Each applicant partnered with a qualifying developmental disability non-profit organization that serves adults (18 and older) with disabilities within the geographical area.Â
“Due to the pandemic, Hoosiers with disabilities are experiencing various disruptions to their day-to-day supports that they utilize to ensure community inclusion.  I appreciate the partnership with Lt. Gov. Crouch and OCRA to provide this opportunity for municipalities and providers to develop innovative technology solutions to mitigate COVID-19 related barriers to community inclusion,â€Â said Kylee Hope, director of the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services.
This grant opportunity is made available due to supplemental CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds authorized under the CARES Act. More information on another round of funding will be released by the middle of March.   Â
INDIANAPOLIS—After reporting last week that Indiana’s number of COVID-19 cases and deaths was falling, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday the number of cases and deaths is continuing to fall.
Last week’s positivity rate was 7.7% and has now decreased to 6.2%.
“A lot of our numbers are trending in the right direction,†Holcomb said in his weekly COVID-19 briefing. “I’d like to think it has something to do with how we’re responding to the virus itself and the actions and precautions we are taking.â€
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Dr. Kristina Box discuss this week’s COVID-19 numbers for Indiana.
The number of Hoosiers vaccinated against the disease also is heading in the right direction.
Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana State Health commissioner, said there has been an increase of 126,000 in those receiving the first dose of the vaccine from last week and there are more than 258,000 Hoosiers who have received both doses and are now fully vaccinated. About 81,000 doses of the vaccine have been given to residents and staff in long-term care facilities.
Box announced the Indiana State Department of Health will be moving forward with people ages 60 to 65 for the COVID-19 vaccine once they are sure everyone 65 and older has received both doses. Hoosiers can register to be vaccinated online or by calling 211.
The number of Hoosiers in hospitals is down. About 12.1% of hospital beds in the ICU are being used to treat COVID-19. A total of 1,300 Hoosiers were hospitalized with symptoms of COVID-19 as of Feb. 9, which is down from 1,600 the previous week. Hospital admissions continue to remain under 200 a day on average.
The map on which counties are rated by color based on their positivity rates revealed that only one county out of 92 is still in the red, indicating dangerous levels of 15% or higher. Starke County moved to blue, meaning a rate of less than 5%—the first county to be blue in months. There are 50 counties in yellow, indicating 5 to 9.9% positivity.
This week began the distribution of KN95 masks to critical infrastructures like hospitals, police departments and schools. Schools are also now receiving the binaxNOW cards, which are rapid COVID-19 tests that detect active infection in the first seven days of symptoms. All supplies are being provided at no cost to schools and businesses.
Box said the Indiana State Health Department is shipping supplies to schools that request masks. They have received requests from more than 250 school districts about the masks and binaxNOW cards. Eleven of those districts should be receiving shipments Feb. 11.
“We will continue shipping supplies to schools over the next few weeks,†Box said.
The state health department is looking to include early childhood centers in future phases and will be sending a survey to all non-public schools to see if they are interested in supplies.
Box wanted to remind Hoosiers that quarantine and contact tracing is not required for exposure in a classroom setting if everyone in the classroom remains three feet apart and wears a mask at all times.
The Indiana COVID-19 dashboard updated at noon Wednesday showed there have been 643,305 total positive cases and 11,578 total deaths.
FOOTNOTE: Alexa Shrake is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
“Without help from the SW Indiana SBDC, none of this would have happened,†said Scott Massey.
Doug Claybourne, SW Indiana SBDC Business Advisor, has had a close relationship with Scott Massey and the development of his company Heliponix.
Claybourne says, “He had won a big ‘pitch’ competition at Purdue to get his business started. He then came to us for assistance and we pointed him to another pitch competition hosted by USI, which he won. Not long after that, he was seeking money to begin production prototypes, so we hooked him up with the Vectren Foundation loan. At that time, he was considering moving the new company to Indianapolis (or another large city). A condition of receiving the Vectren Foundation loan was that the company had to be based in Evansville, which is his home (Memorial HS grad). That was a pivotal moment because he is very happy he made that decision….and we’re very happy he did too.â€
“In addition to those contributions, I introduced him to a company that used to reside in Innovation Pointe. It was made up of former Whirlpool engineers. They relocated to John St. and provided space for Scott and his partner to set up shop. Since they were constructing an appliance, it was a perfect environment to be around other appliance engineers to bounce ideas off of. Later, we started connecting him to additional resources like export assistance through our lead center, Elevate Ventures, and other technical assistance offered by ISBDC.â€
Massey and Heliponix have been featured by the Economic Development Coalition and Inside Indiana Business.
INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 11, 2021) – The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced it is awarding 13 planning grants totaling more than $818,000 to communities to develop a specific plan to implement community and economic development projects.
“Planning grants are invaluable tools that can help rural communities properly shape and prepare their vision for improving the quality of life for its residents,†said Denny Spinner, Executive Director of OCRA. “I applaud the foresight by the local leaders and residents taking the time to plan for these significant investments within their communities.â€
The State of Indiana distributes the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to rural communities to assist units of local government with various community projects. Planning grants are one type of grants offered through OCRA’s CDBG Program.
“This funding will allow communities to make important investments to enhance the local quality of life,†said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “Planning grants can lead to big differences as rural Indiana looks to support local infrastructure.â€
The Planning Grant Program strives to encourage communities to plan for long-term community development with the aid of subject matter experts and community input. The applications being funded this quarter are aiming to address water infrastructure and comprehensive community planning.
Water Infrastructure grants allow communities to take a holistic view of potential issues and opportunities across the drinking, waste and stormwater infrastructure. By completing this planning, communities will be able to make decisions regarding the most urgent water needs while understanding how each system works in context with other utility systems. The nine communities are awarded the following grants:
The City of Crawfordsville is awarded $60,000;
The Town of Camden is awarded $58,500;
The Town of Holton is awarded $60,000;
The Town of Lynn is awarded $85,325;
The Town of Mulberry is awarded $58,320;
The Town of Seelyville is awarded $60,000;
The Town of Spencer is awarded $60,000;
The Town of Swazyee is awarded $90,000; and
The Town of West Lebanon is awarded $87,300.
Comprehensive Planning grants are designed to aid communities in assessing assets and identify opportunities to address current needs. Each comprehensive plan includes a holistic view and potential opportunities to improve in the following areas: land use, government capacity, public services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources, broadband access and historic resources. The four communities are awarded the following grants:
The City of Alexandria is awarded $50,000;
The City of Elwood is awarded $50,000;
The City of North Vernon is awarded $50,000; and
The City of Tell City is awarded $49,500.
Planning Grant applications are accepted on a quarterly basis. Based on the number of Planning Grant applications funded for the first quarter of 2021, funds will not be available to open applications for the second quarter. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg.
A bill that could permanently establish up to 10 high tech crime units across the state continued forward on Wednesday as House Bill 1082 gained approval from the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 1082, authored by Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon, would build upon two high tech crime units already in operation in Tippecanoe County and St. Joseph County. Those two prosecutor offices have teamed up with Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, respectively, to assist with criminal investigations by accessing technology that may provide further evidence.
In those offices, students work with law enforcement and prosecutors to handle a wide variety of cases. As St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter explained to the Ways and Means Committee, his high tech crime unit has worked on homicides, sexual assaults, burglaries and many other types of cases, analyzing cell phone data, cameras and computers to either add evidence or exonerate persons of interest. Cotter’s Chief Deputy Eric Tamashasky also testified before the committee, walking law makers through the operations of the unit and explaining how their office works hand in hand with students.
HB 1082 would allow other colleges to team up with counties to create additional high tech crime units, with the ultimate goal of adding up to eight new units.
“This is a huge benefit for our county, my office and the students,†Cotter said. “Adding more hubs would be a huge benefit for the entire state. As a prosecutor, I can easily say this is one of the best tools in my toolbox.â€
Prosecutors are grateful for Rep. Steuerwald’s efforts on this bill and wish to thank Rep. Wendy McNamara and Rep. Tim Brown, the two chairs who have heard the bill in committee.
HB 1082 now moves to the full House of Representatives for further consideration.
