CenterPoint Energy provides Winter Energy Guide to help customers stay safe and warm this holiday season
Evansville, Ind. – CenterPoint Energy wants to remind customers there’s no time like the present to check out its newly launched Winter Energy Guide, a comprehensive online resource hub that helps customers throughout the heating season.
The guide features practical and important safety, energy savings and bill management tips to help you stay safe and warm throughout the holiday and winter season. CenterPoint has a cold weather plan in place to respond quickly to potential impacts this winter, and the company encourages customers to use this helpful resource to create their own cold weather plans so that they’re prepared for the colder weather ahead.
The Winter Energy Guide includes several of the tips outlined below to help customers:
Winter Safety Kit CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare for winter weather by having an emergency winter supply kit:
Have a supply of water and non-perishable food ready. At least one gallon, per person per day, of water for an emergency situation is needed. Don’t forget to also have an emergency supply of food and water for your pets.
Maintain a first aid kit: A first aid kit should include bandages, antiseptics, gloves and
medication, including prescription medicines.
Keep a supply of cold weather supplies on hand: Have at least one blanket per person and hand warmers on hand, in addition to warm coats, scares and gloves.
Make sure to have a supply of emergency supplies: Batteries, including batteries to charge electronics, flashlights and a portable radio can help you stay safe and be prepared for potential service outages.
Tips, Tools and Programs to Save Energy and Money
CenterPoint offers various tips, tools and programs to help customers manage their bills and save energy.
Manage monthly heating bill. Customers who may be facing financial hardship are encouraged to call CenterPoint to set up a payment plan and for referral to resources for energy assistance.
Track energy usage. By managing their accounts online, customers can access an interactive= chart that displays their energy usage trends and gives them insights into ways to save energy.
Take easy actions to reduce energy use. CenterPoint offers a variety of free energy-saving tips that can make a difference in the amount of energy used such as adjusting thermostats, opening blinds during the daytime to take advantage of the sun’s warmth and sealing air leaks.
Safety Tips
CenterPoint provides these vital tips for customers to stay safe throughout the winter:
Use space heaters safely. Make sure your space heater has an automatic shut-off, and keep children, pets and all items at least three feet away from it. A space heater that uses natural gas, propane or wood should be vented to the outside. Stoves and ovens should never be used for space heating.
Test your carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms to make sure they work properly.
Change batteries regularly. Alarms don’t last forever, so replace them according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Know the signs of CO poisoning. Early symptoms such as headache and fatigue are similar to the flu, but without a fever. Continued CO exposure can lead to more severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty thinking clearly and fainting. If everyone in a household is experiencing these symptoms, it could be CO poisoning. If you suspect you could have CO poisoning, leave the area immediately, get fresh air and call 911.
Immediately report a suspected natural gas leak. If you smell the “rotten egg” odor of natural gas, immediately leave on foot, go to a safe location and call both 911 and CenterPoint Energy at 800-296-9815. Don’t use electric switches and outlets, phones (including cell phones), drive or start a car inside or close to the location or do anything that could cause a spark.
To learn more about the Winter Energy Guide and to receive more important tips, visit
CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.
In the United States of America, Christmas was established as a federal holiday on June 26, 1870. It is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, that Christians believe is the son of God and the savior of the world. It has its roots in ancient times and is celebrated around the world.
For the first few hundred years after Jesus Christ, his birthday was not celebrated. Instead, Epiphany, when the three kings from separate places of the world visited Christ, was the focus of Christians. The visit of the Magi symbolized that salvation was open to the whole world, not just one select nation. Later, early Church Fathers promoted the idea that the birth of Jesus Christ should be celebrated. December 25, 336, marks the first day Christians officially celebrated the first Christmas on Earth, and it was in the Roman Empire. Saturnalia, a Roman festival that honored the sun, lasted from December 17th to December 23rd. The winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, also falls a few days before December 25th and had been celebrated by pagans. Early Christian Church leaders believed that days that had been set aside to honor pagan gods could be changed to honor Christianity. It was thought that people would more easily accept Christianity and move away from paganism by replacing pagan celebrations with Christian ones. The festival of Saturnalia honored the Roman god Saturn. Romans had a public banquet, gifts were exchanged, there was much partying, and servants were served by their masters. Singers performed in streets, and baked cookies shaped like men. While some Christians dislike any association with pagan traditions, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) wrote, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it.”
In Great Britain, Christmas was celebrated until the Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, outlawed Christmas in 1645. Puritans believed that celebrating the birth of Christ was a sign of decadence and a disgrace to Christianity. In the English Colonies, the English separatists also believed in worshipping Jesus without ceremonies and made celebrating Christmas a crime.In the 1800s, Americans’ views on Christmas changed a great deal. One author, Washington Irving, wrote fictitious stories of how Christmas had been celebrated in England before the Puritans took over, and some of these stories caught on in American practices. German immigrants brought with them the practice of placing evergreen branches and trees in home during winter as a reminder of life during hard times. And, Catholic immigrants brought the tradition started by Saint Francis of keeping small nativity scenes in their homes. By the late 1800s, most Americans celebrated Christmas.
In 1870, President Grant and Congress declared Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, savior of the world, a national holiday.
The History of Christmas Traditions
The history of Christmas traditions kept evolving throughout the 19th century, when most of the familiar components of modern Christmas including St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, and Christmas trees, became popular. The changes in how Christmas was celebrated were so profound that it’s safe to say someone alive in 1800 would not even recognize the Christmas celebrations held in 1900.
Christmas Traditions: Key Takeaways
Our most common Christmas traditions developed during the 1800s:
The character of Santa Claus was largely a creation of author Washington Irving and cartoonist Thomas Nast.
Christmas trees were popularized by Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert.
Author Charles Dickens helped establish a tradition of generosity at Christmas.
Washington Irving and St. Nicholas
Early Dutch settlers of New York considered St. Nicholas to be their patron saint and practiced a yearly ritual of hanging stockings to receive presents on St. Nicholas Eve, in early December. Washington Irving, in his fanciful History of New York, mentioned that St. Nicholas had a wagon he could ride “over the tops of trees†when he brought “his yearly presents to children.â€
The 7 Wonders Of The Modern World
The Dutch word Sinterklaas for St. Nicholas evolved into the English Santa Claus, thanks in part to a New York City printer, William Gilley, who published an anonymous poem referring to Santa Claus in a children’s book in 1821. The poem was also the first mention of a character based on St. Nicholas having a sleigh, in this case, pulled by a single reindeer.
Clement Clarke Moore and The Night Before
Christmas
Perhaps the best-known poem in the English language is “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” or as it’s often called, “The Night Before Christmas.” Its author, Clement Clarke Moore, a professor who owned an estate on the west side of Manhattan, would have been quite familiar with the St. Nicholas traditions followed in early 19th century New York. The poem was first published, anonymously, in a newspaper in Troy, New York, on December 23, 1823.
Reading the poem today, one might assume that Moore simply portrayed the common traditions. Yet he actually did something quite radical by changing some of the traditions while also describing features that were entirely new.
For instance, the St. Nicholas gift giving would have taken place on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Moore moved the events he describes to Christmas Eve. He also came up with the concept of “St. Nick” having eight reindeer, each of them with a distinctive name.
Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol
The other great work of Christmas literature from the 19th century is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In writing the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens wanted to comment on greed in Victorian Britain. He also made Christmas a more prominent holiday and permanently associated himself with Christmas celebrations.
Dickens was inspired to write his classic story after speaking to working people in the industrial city of Manchester, England, in early October 1843. He wrote A Christmas Carol quickly, and when it appeared in bookstores the week before Christmas 1843 it began to sell very well.
The book crossed the Atlantic and began to sell in America in time for Christmas 1844, and became extremely popular. When Dickens made his second trip to America in 1867 crowds clamored to hear him read from A Christmas Carol. His tale of Scrooge and the true meaning of Christmas had become an American favorite. The story has never been out of print, and Scrooge is one of the best-known characters in literature.
Santa Claus Drawn by Thomas Nast
The famed American cartoonist Thomas Nast is generally credited as having invented the modern depiction of Santa Claus. Nast, who had worked as a magazine illustrator and created campaign posters for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, was hired by Harper’s Weekly in 1862. For the Christmas season, he was assigned to draw the magazine’s cover, and legend has it that Lincoln himself requested a depiction of Santa Claus visiting Union troops.
The resulting cover, from Harper’s Weekly dated January 3, 1863, was a hit. It shows Santa Claus on his sleigh, which has arrived at a U.S. Army camp festooned with a “Welcome Santa Claus” sign.
Santa’s suit features the stars and stripes of the American flag, and he’s distributing Christmas packages to the soldiers. One soldier is holding up a new pair of socks, which might be a boring present today, but would have been a highly prized item in the Army of the Potomac.
Beneath Nast’s illustration was the caption, “Santa Claus In Camp.” Appearing not long after the carnage at Antietam and Fredericksburg, the magazine cover is an apparent attempt to boost morale in a dark time.
The Santa Claus illustrations proved so popular that Thomas Nast kept drawing them every year for decades. He is also credited with creating the notion that Santa lived at the North Pole and kept a workshop manned by elves. The figure of Santa Claus endured, with the version drawn by Nast becoming the accepted standard version of the character. By the early 20th century the Nast-inspired version of Santa became a very common figure in advertising.
Prince Albert and Queen Victoria Made Christmas Trees Fashionable
The tradition of the Christmas tree came from Germany, and there are accounts of early 19th century Christmas trees in America, but the custom wasn’t widespread outside German communities.
The Christmas tree first gained popularity in British and American society thanks to the husband of Queen Victoria, the German-born Prince Albert. He installed a decorated Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841, and woodcut illustrations of the Royal Family’s tree appeared in London magazines in 1848. Those illustrations, published in America a year later, created the fashionable impression of the Christmas tree in upper-class homes.
By the late 1850s reports of Christmas trees were appearing in American newspapers. And in the years following the Civil War ordinary American households celebrated the season by decorating a Christmas tree.
The first electric Christmas tree lights appeared in the 1880s, thanks to an associate of Thomas Edison, but were too costly for most households. Most people in the 1800s lit their Christmas trees with small candles.
The First White House Christmas Tree
The first Christmas tree in the White House was displayed in 1889, during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. The Harrison family, including his young grandchildren, decorated the tree with toy soldiers and glass ornaments for their small family gathering.
There are some reports of president Franklin Pierce displaying a Christmas tree in the early 1850s. But the stories of a Pierce tree are vague and there doesn’t seem to be contemporaneous mentions in newspapers of the time.
 Christmas Tree and Family, 1848.
Benjamin Harrison’s Christmas cheer was closely documented in newspaper accounts. An article on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 detailed the lavish presents he was going to give his grandchildren. And though Harrison was generally regarded as a fairly serious person, he vigorously embraced the Christmas spirit.
Not all subsequent presidents continued the tradition of having a Christmas tree in the White House. By the middle of the 20th century, White House Christmas trees became established. And over the years it has evolved into an elaborate and very public production.
The first National Christmas Tree was placed on The Ellipse, an area just south of the White House, in 1923, and the lighting of it was presided over by President Calvin Coolidge. The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has become quite a large annual event, typically presided over by the current president and members of the First Family.
Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
In 1897 an eight-year-old girl in New York City wrote to a newspaper, the New York Sun, asking if her friends, who doubted the existence of Santa Claus, were right. An editor at the newspaper, Francis Pharcellus Church, responded by publishing, on September 21, 1897, an unsigned editorial. The response to the little girl has become the most famous newspaper editorial ever printed.
The second paragraph is often quoted: “Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS.”
Church’s eloquent editorial asserting the existence of Santa Claus seemed a fitting conclusion to a century that began with modest observances of St. Nicholas and ended with the foundations of the modern Christmas season firmly intact.
By the end of the 19th century, the essential components of a modern Christmas, from Santa to the story of Scrooge to strings of electric lights were firmly established in America.
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
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The debate over whether members of Congress should own stocks has once again entered the national spotlight. Critics argue that owning stocks creates a conflict of interest, while proponents believe that personal investment in the economy fosters a deeper understanding of the issues impacting the average American. While the concern about conflicts of interest is legitimate, an outright ban on stock ownership for lawmakers might be counterproductive. Instead, implementing robust oversight and clear ethical boundaries could achieve the desired accountability without disconnecting lawmakers from the economic realities their constituents face.
The Case for Stock Ownership
Owning stocks can play a critical role in aligning a legislator’s financial interests with the economic health of the country. Stocks are a vital part of the American economy, representing businesses that drive innovation, create jobs, and contribute to the nation’s overall prosperity. When elected officials have a stake in this system, they may be more attuned to policies that promote economic growth and stability.
Moreover, banning stock ownership entirely risks insulating lawmakers from the economic realities most Americans face. Stocks are not merely a tool for the wealthy; they are the cornerstone of many middle-class retirement plans, college savings funds, and personal investments. Lawmakers who personally experience market volatility or economic growth are likely to have a better grasp of the policies needed to ensure a thriving economy.
The Risk of Conflicts of Interest
Of course, the concern about conflicts of interest is valid. Legislators have the power to influence policies and regulations that can directly impact the value of stocks they own. Without proper oversight, this could lead to unethical behavior, such as advancing legislation that benefits their financial interests at the expense of public good. To address these concerns, some have called for measures that ensure transparency and prevent lawmakers from using their positions for personal gain.
A Better Solution: Transparency and Ethical Oversight
Rather than banning stock ownership outright, Congress should adopt stricter regulations to mitigate conflicts of interest. Here are some practical steps:
Mandatory Blind Trusts: Members of Congress who own stocks should be required to place their investments in blind trusts managed by independent third parties. This would prevent them from directly managing or influencing their portfolios while in office.
Enhanced Disclosure Requirements: Lawmakers should disclose all stock transactions promptly, as corporate insiders do under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations. This would allow the public to monitor potential conflicts of interest and hold legislators accountable.
Voting Restrictions: Legislators should recuse themselves from voting on bills or regulations that could have a direct impact on the industries in which they hold significant financial interests. Similar rules already exist for judges and other public officials and could be adapted for Congress.
Penalties for Violations: Enforcing penalties for ethical breaches would deter misconduct. Whether through fines, censures, or expulsion, lawmakers should face real consequences for unethical behavior.
The Importance of Economic Engagement
Forcing members of Congress to abstain from investing in the stock market could unintentionally create a broader disconnect between policymakers and the economy. Instead of understanding the financial concerns of their constituents, lawmakers might become detached from the economic forces that shape American life. A better approach might even involve requiring elected officials to invest a portion of their income in the market, ensuring they remain engaged in the economic realities they are tasked with managing.
Conclusion
The American public deserves lawmakers who are both engaged in the economy and held to the highest ethical standards. Outright bans on stock ownership risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater, creating a less informed and potentially more out-of-touch Congress. Instead, we should focus on transparency, ethical oversight, and accountability to strike the right balance. By implementing commonsense reforms, we can ensure that our elected officials serve the public interest while remaining connected to the economic challenges and opportunities facing the nation.
Evansville Police officers reported shots fired in the 3200 block Tiffany Ct. at about 9:20 PM on Sunday, December 22. EPD, Evansville Fire Department, and AMR were dispatched to the scene.
No officers were injured and one suspect was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment. This is a developing story that will be updated when more details are available.
UPDATE: Police have released the following statement about the incident.
“At approximately 9:14 p.m. on December 22, officers were dispatched to a domestic violence in progress at a residence in the 3200 block of Tiffany Court. The call received by dispatch indicated that the suspect has been abusive in the past, had just thrown the family’s cat at the victim, and that there were young children present in the home. One of the children also spoke with dispatchers, stating that their father was ‘drunk’ and was possibly in the process of retrieving a firearm.
Officers arrived on scene four minutes after being dispatched and observed the suspect inside the residence, pulling the curtains to the window closed. Shortly after, the front door opened, and a young child exited running out of the home, but then ran back inside. The mother, holding a three-year-old child, was sitting on the ground near the door, while the suspect stood behind her. While approaching the residence, officers issued verbal commands for the suspect to drop the weapon. Instead of complying, the suspect raised the firearm and aimed it at the officers. In response, the officer closest to the offender took cover, while a second officer discharged one round from his duty weapon, striking the offender.
Officers were able to remove the children and the mother safely from the residence before providing aid to the offender. Emergency medical personnel arrived shortly thereafter, and the offender was transported to a local hospital where, at the time of this release, he is currently undergoing surgery.
Fortunately, no officers were injured during the incident. As per department protocol, both officers involved in the response have been placed on administrative leave. This investigation is ongoing and charges, along with the offender’s name, will be released at a later time.”
US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy Announce $850M to Reduce Methane Pollution from the Oil and Gas Sector
Funding from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Builds on More Than 100 Cross-Government Actions That Are Sharply Reducing Methane Pollution in Support of Clean Air, Good Jobs, and Climate Action
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy today announced approximately $850 million for 43 projects selected for negotiation that will help small oil and gas operators, Tribes, and other entities across the country to reduce, monitor, measure, and quantify methane emissions from the oil and gas sector as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The funding builds on unprecedented action across the Biden-Harris Administration to dramatically reduce methane emissions, with agencies taking more than 100 actions since 2023, including the finalization of an EPA rule that is expected to reduce methane emissions from covered oil and gas sources by 80% from 2024 to 2038 compared to projected emissions without the rule.
Today’s investment incentivizes companies’ near-term actions to conserve valuable energy resources for American consumers, improve operational efficiencies in a global market, and reduce methane emissions.
“Today, we’re continuing to build on strong standards and historic progress to cut methane pollution and protect communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Together, these investments will support small businesses and drive the deployment of available and advanced technologies to reduce harmful pollution and tackle the climate crisis, while creating good-paying jobs.”
“The public health of our nation depends greatly on our ability to drastically reduce harmful pollution from America’s largest source of industrial methane – the oil and gas sector,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This historic investment made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act is helping energy communities and deliver long-lasting health and environmental benefits across the country. At the same time, it will support small operators’ ability to replace and upgrade old equipment, reducing emissions from marginal conventional wells, improving their supply chains to meet the growing market expectations for cleaner fuel sources.”
“In order to meet our climate goals, we have to tackle methane pollution in a serious way,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. “Today’s awards will slash local pollution from Colorado to Kentucky while delivering for our workers, our communities, and our planet.”
The selected projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, represent a significant step in addressing climate change and improving air quality. By mitigating legacy air pollution and supporting small oil and natural gas operators, the projects will help reduce methane emissions through available and innovative technologies. Additionally, they will create partnerships to enhance emissions measurement and provide transparent data to affected communities. One Tribal consortium, 11 universities, and 20 private companies were selected for projects across the Nation to deploy and test new and existing methane mitigation technologies:
Three projects will help small operators across the country significantly reduce methane emissions from low-producing oil and natural gas operations, using commercially available technology solutions.
Thirty-one projects will accelerate the deployment of early-commercial technology solutions to reduce methane emissions from new and existing equipment.
Four projects will improve communities’ access to empirical emissions data and participation in monitoring methane emissions.
Five projects will enhance the detection and measurement of methane emissions from oil and gas operations at a regional scale.
In total, EPA and DOE are partnering to provide $1.36 billion in financial and technical assistance as part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program. DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, under the purview of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, will manage the selected projects. Learn more about the selected projects.
Today’s selections build on the $350 million in grant funding to states that EPA and DOE announced in December 2023 to support industry efforts to voluntarily reduce emissions at low-producing wells, monitor emissions, and conduct environmental restoration at well pads. Together, these investments are a key step in implementing the Methane Emissions Reduction Program.
The selected projects support the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to reduce harmful methane emissions across economic sectors. These efforts are accelerating reductions in methane emissions, supporting clean air and public health, creating good jobs, and advancing President Biden’s ambitious climate goals.
About the Methane Emissions Reduction Program
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to approximately one-third of the global warming we are experiencing today. Over 100 years, one ton of emitted methane traps 28 times as much heat in the Earth’s atmosphere as one ton of emitted carbon dioxide. The oil and natural gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions in the United States. A rapid reduction in methane emissions is one of the most important and cost-effective actions the United States can take in the short term to slow the rate of rapidly rising global temperatures.
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, directed EPA to take action to tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The financial and technical assistance, implemented through a partnership between EPA and DOE, work in concert both with the recently finalized Waste Emissions Charge and with Clean Air Act standards issued in March 2024 to limit methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas operations. The Methane Emissions Reduction Program also advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, and other investments benefit disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Combined, these actions will help position the United States as the most efficient producer of oil and natural gas in the world and ensure that the industry remains competitive in overseas markets that require a minimum level of emissions performance. Together, DOE and EPA’s methane actions will advance the adoption of cost-effective technologies, reduce wasteful practices, and yield significant economic, health, and environmental benefits, while driving continued innovation in methane detection, monitoring, and mitigation techniques.
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