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TODAYS BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING AGENDA

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BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING

KEVIN WINTERNHEIMER CHAMBERS ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020 12:00 NOON

 

 AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

                     

2. MEETING MEMORANDUM   JUNE 17, 2020

3. CONSENT AGENDA 

         

4.        OLD BUSINESS  

            a. Request Re: Park Use Policy- Stahl

            b. Request Re: Deaconess Aquatic Center Construction update- Alcorn                                                                                                                    

5.         NEW BUSINESS 

                        

6.         REPORTS

            a.Eric Beck-    Director Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden 

            b.Brian Holtz- Executive Director Parks and Recreation

7.         ACCEPTANCE OF PAYROLL AND VENDOR CLAIMS

 

8.         ADJOURN

Penalty Fees For Late License Renewals And Registrations Return July 1

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By Andrea Rahman
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order that extended expiration dates for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations ends Wednesday, which means motorists in violation will face fines and late fees.

The governor issued the order in March when much of the state was under a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of COVID-19, the virus that has so far claimed 2,432 lives in Indiana and infected a total of 45,228 Hoosiers, the Indiana State Department of Health reported Monday.

But as businesses and other activities open up, the moratorium on late fees is expiring. Holcomb had also discouraged law enforcement from giving citations for expired registrations and licenses in this time.

With the end of the moratorium Wednesday, drivers who have not renewed their ID or title by then will face the following fees:

  • $6 for late license or ID card renewals
  • $15 for late vehicle registration renewals
  • $30 for late title transactions
  • $15 for late snowmobile or ORV registration renewals
  • $10 for late salvage titles

On June 15, all Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches opened for walk-in customers, but appointments are still encouraged. Drivers are urged to act quickly if they want to avoid fees before July 1.

If your BMV-issued ID or vehicle registration expired during the pandemic and you have not renewed it, go to the Indiana BMV website to schedule an appointment to renew it or visit your local BMV any time during business hours. If you have fee or other charge to pay, you can do so on the website, which is available 24/7 – the online transaction fee is also waived until July 1 for added convenience.

Andrea Rahman is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

HAPPENINGS AT THE VANDERBURGH COUNTY GOP

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GOP ELEPHANT
Central Committee:
     Wayne Parke, Chairman
     Mary Jo Kaiser, Political Director
     Dottie Thomas, Vice Chairman
     Lon Walters, Secretary
     Farley Smith, Treasurer
     Kevin Harrison, Editor  
News and Upcoming Events for June 30, 2020

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Peete Wins House District 77 Caucus:
State Rep. District 77 Candidate Greg Peete

On Saturday, June 27, a caucus of Indiana House District 77 Precinct Committeemen selected Greg Peete to be the District 77 Republican Candidate for State Representative in this year’s General Election. Peete defeated fellow Republican Steve Ary to fill the District 77 ballot vacancy, receiving 60% of the caucus vote.

Peete, a life long Republican, is a Veteran, an advocate for Veteran issues, and a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment .  In his Campaign  Bio Peete states ,”I chose to run for this seat for all Veterans in the State and Community. My Passion is wanting to be able to help straighten out the Indiana Veterans Affairs and get them the help they deserve. Also, I want to get policies in place to help with homelessness and mental health issues that reside in our community. I want to help with providing programs to underprivileged youth and help create jobs to help keep them out of trouble and in school. I also vow to make myself available to the district so you can reach me with problems that arise, and we will work together to fix the issues. “
Peete will face incumbent Democrat Ryan Hatfield for the Indiana House District 77 seat this November.
Learn more about Greg Peete HERE



  •  If you’ve mailed in your ballot, check here to see if it’s been received by the independent accounting firm. We’ll update this page on July 1, July 2, and July 7.
  • Your ballot must arrive at the State GOP PO Box no later than July 9 at 5 p.m. ET.
  • If your ballot is received after that time it will not be counted.
  •  If a delegate hasn’t received his or her ballot by Monday, please call the Indiana Republican Party directly at 317-635-7561. 

Watch the Convention Again HERE

  • Single Golfer $125
  • Foursome $450
  • Event Sponsor $1000 (includes team and signage)
  • Beverage Cart Sponsor $500
  • Hole Sponsor $200 (add additional holes $50 each)
  • Lunch Sponsor $500
  • Lunch Only $50 (no golf)
  • Get Entry Form HERE
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
 WENDY MCNAMARA FOR STATE REP
Email entry form to Repwendymac@gmail.com
OR 
Mail To:      WENDY MCNAMARA FOR STATE REP
                    822 TAWNY DRIVE, EVANSVILLE, IN 47712
Deadline July 15, 2020. 
For questions or  more information call 812-454-1364
Paid for and authorized by Wendy McNamara for State Representative Committee.

 
VCRP Fundraiser – Saturday August 8, 2020
            Date: Saturday August 8, 2020
            Time: Doors open at 4:00 pm
      Location: Hill Top Grove
      3714 Detroy Rd., Evansville
Henry Rifle Raffle <> Silent Auction <> Half-Pot  and more!
Event proceeds to be split by the Trump Campaign and the VCRP.
Tickets are $25 per Person (includes meal)
Event and raffle tickets may be purchased in advance at the VCRP, or at the door the day of the event. Contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 for more information.
*Make Checks Payable to: Vanderburgh County Republican Party
Show your support for President Trump and the local Republican Party!
Paid for and authorized by the Vanderburgh County Republican Party

VCRP Reagan Day: Thursday, August 20, 2020
Event: Vanderburgh County Republican Party Reagan Day
Date : Thursday August 20, 2020
Time: Registration / Cash Bar 5:15 pm
Dinner 6:30 pm
Where: Evansville County Club, 3810 Stringtown Rd, Evansville
Dash for Cash <> Silent Auction
Guest Speaker:  Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch 
  • Tickets $100 per Person (includes Dinner and Dash for Cash Ticket)
Mark your calendar and plan to join the VCRP at the Evansville Country Club on Thursday, August 20, 2020 for our annual Reagan Day celebration.
Watch for more information.

 VCRP Central Committee Meeting – Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: GOP Headquarters
815 John Street, Evansville
Meetings are open to all Vanderburgh County Precinct Committeemen.
Contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 if you have any questions.

VCRP Monthly Breakfast – Date: July 18, 2020  
Time: 7:30 AM doors open / 8:00 AM Program
Location: C.K. Newsome Center , Room 118A-B
100 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN 47713
For more information contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 or email beamerjo59@gmail.com

EVSC Board of School Trustees Meeting-
 For more information visit the Board of School Trustees web page.

 City Council Meeting-
For more information visit the

City Council webpage

 County Council Meeting-
 For more information visit

County Council webpage

 County Commission Meeting-
 For more information visit

County Commissioners webpage

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Get the Latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information:

Dashboard

Coronavirus Home

Governor Holcomb Executive Orders

Coronavirus Home

State Senate Update – New Laws Take Effect July 1, 2020

(From July 26, 2020 News Update)
During the 2020 legislative session, the Indiana General Assembly passed more than 160 bills to improve our state. Here are some noteworthy changes to Indiana law that take effect July 1.
  • I authored legislation that requires the Indiana National Guard to administer a state-sponsored group term life insurance program for members of the Indiana National Guard.
  • To support Hoosier safety officers, a new law, which I authored, clarifies the definition of “on duty” for police officers and firefighters and requires a city to pay for their care if they suffer an injury while on duty.
  • To protect employee privacy, new law will prohibit an employer from requiring its employees to implant a device into their body as a condition of employment. This practice is known as microchipping.
  • Another bill I sponsored that will be going into effect makes changes to the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs by specifying that state veteran officers must follow the same guidelines as county and city veteran officers, and it modernizes discharges by allowing county recorders to keep electronic records.
  • To address distracted driving, Hoosier motorists will now be required to use hands-free or voice-operated technology if using a cellphone when behind the wheel. This new law does not prevent you from making an emergency call to 911 while driving and will help us all safely get to our destinations.
  • To increase health care cost transparency, doctors and hospitals will be required to give patients a good-faith estimate upon request for the cost of most planned services. This new law helps patients reduce health care costs by giving them the power to compare prices from different providers.
  • To improve justice for victims of sexual assault and other sex offenses, the General Assembly created an exemption to the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children, allowing victims to seek justice if new evidence comes to light years later.
  • Additionally, victims of sexual assault will now have the legal right to speak to a victim advocate or social worker while their case is being investigated.

(From July 26, 2020 News Update)
During the 2020 legislative session, the Indiana General Assembly passed more than 160 bills to improve our state. Here are some noteworthy changes to Indiana law that take effect July 1.
  • To address distracted driving, Hoosier motorists will now be required to use hands-free or voice-operated technology if using a cellphone when behind the wheel. This new law does not prevent you from making an emergency call to 911 while driving and will help us all safely get to our destinations.
  • To increase health care cost transparency, doctors and hospitals will be required to give patients a good-faith estimate upon request for the cost of most planned services. This new law helps patients reduce health care costs by giving them the power to compare prices from different providers.
  • To reduce youth smoking and vaping in Indiana, fines will be doubled for businesses that sell tobacco and vaping products to minors. Vape shops will also be barred from allowing underage individuals in their stores, and they will be subject to state inspections, just like tobacco shops.
  • To improve justice for victims of sexual assault and other sex offenses, the General Assembly created an exemption to the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children, allowing victims to seek justice if new evidence comes to light years later. Additionally, victims of sexual assault will now have the legal right to speak to a victim advocate or social worker while their case is being investigated.

 

For information on every new law that passed during the 2020 session of the Indiana General Assembly, click here.

 
Stay in touch with GOP state legislators representing our area (click links below):

 
Stay in touch with GOP members of Congress representing our area (click links below):

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  ****** Happy 4th of July! ******



Happy Independence Day!
By State Sen. Jim Tomes (R-Wadesville)

Fourth of July, 2020 – this day marks another year that we celebrate the birth of the greatest nation that has ever existed in history. The United States of America, from its infancy, began its journey to become the one country that would set the standard for the world.

This America set a pace of personal self-reliance, a people of ingenuity to build cities, develop industry and make monumental accomplishments in medicine, farming and transportation while establishing a standard of living like nowhere else in the world with a form of government like no other.

America would define the true meaning of the words freedom and liberty, not just within its own borders, but across the entire world. This great nation of citizens would come to the aid of people around the globe when other countries were faced with catastrophes such as natural disasters, economical strife, war and even health crises.
Americans never issued a bill or invoice for services rendered. Over the past 244 years of this country, its people have also dealt with their own calamities and challenges, often on our own with no help from other countries. That’s alright, because that’s the spirit of 1776; that is one nation under God.
Wouldn’t it be nice that on this one day, just for once, the media could focus on the good things our country has done? There has been only one America, there will never be another. We can’t afford to lose it; the world can’t afford to lose it.
Happy birthday, America, and may God bless.
Sen. Jim Tomes

Visit the Vanderburgh GOP 

page for daily updates.

  Mark Your calendar                CLICK on event for more information
July 18 (7:30 am) GOP Monthly Breakfast
July 20 (10:30 am) Wendy “Mac” McNamara Golf Outing
August 8 VCRP Fundraiser
August 15 GOP Monthly Breakfast
August 20 Reagan Day Celebration

  Make sure you add vandygop@gmail.com to your address book so we’ll be sure to land in your inbox!

If you have any questions, contact Mary Jo Kaiser, VCRP Political Director, at

or (812) 425-8207.
for more info. Thank you.

Five UE Women Earn WGCA All-America Scholar Recognition

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Aces Excel In The Classroom And On The Course

The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars were announced with a total of 1,401 women’s collegiate golfers recognized with this prestigious honor.

The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50. Five members of the University of Evansville women’s golf team earn the award including senior Lexie Sollman, junior Sophia Rohleder, sophomores Alyssa McMinn and Caitlin O’Donnell along with freshman Allison Enchelmayer.

“To have five of our players earn All-American Scholar recognition is such an honor for our program,” UE head golf coach Jim Hamilton said.  “I could not be more proud of the girls for what they have been able to achieve in the classroom and on the course.”

Sollman, a Public Health major from nearby Fort Branch, Ind., has notched a 3.698 GPA.  She played in 14 rounds as a senior with a season-low score of 76 coming at Butler.  Rohdleder, who is a native of Evansville, stands with a 3.658 GPA while majoring in Biology.  She registered the lowest stroke average for the Aces in her junior season, finishing the season at 76.83.  In the ASU Spring Classic, Rohleder finished in third place to help the Aces earn the team championship.

Sophomore Alyssa McMinn has accumulated a 3.819 GPA in her work in Exercise Science at UE.  McMinn registered a season-best 5th place finish at the ASU Spring Classic.  Fellow sophomore Caitlin O’Donnell is also an Exercise Science major who has a 3.55 GPA.  She also excelled in the ASU Spring Classic, coming home in fourth place.

Wrapping the UE honorees is freshman Allison Enchelmayer, who has a 3.8 GPA in her work as a Music Education major.  Enchelmayer had the second-lowest stroke average on the squad with an 80.17.

HAPPENINGS AT THE INDIANA STATE LIBRARY

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HAPPENINGS AT THE INDIANA STATE LIBRARY

In This Issue


Subscribe


Indiana library jobs

jobs

This week’s new Indiana library jobs

Information Services Librarian (part-time)
Brownsburg Public Library

Library Director
Delphi Public Library

If you would like your Indiana library job posting to be listed in the Wednesday Word, the position, and its description, must be submitted to the Indiana State Library. Click herefor submission guidelines and to submit.


In the news

Indiana Library News

Is your library making news?


Foellinger Foundation awards $1M grant to library program
Allen County Public Library

Two paintings donated to library
Eckhart Public Library

2020 Indiana state historical marker application deadline quickly approaching
Indiana Historical Bureau at the Indiana State Library

Six Noble libraries to distribute KidCity backpacks Aug. 1
Kendallville Public Library and Noble County Public Library

New director at RPL
Rushville Public Library

*Please consult local news sources and library websites for the latest information on the closures and re-openings of libraries and the cancellations of scheduled library events and programs in relation to COVID-19.

Email news links for inclusion in the Wednesday Word’s “In the news” section.

To be featured in the Wednesday Word, please email a press release and a photo.


Facebook
Insta
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube

State library blog

owl

Follow the Indiana State Library’s blog for weekly posts covering all aspects of the state library. Visit the blog here.

If you are an Indiana library employee and would like to contribute a guest blog, please send us an email here with your idea.


Miss an issue of the Wednesday Word?

Back issues of the Wednesday Word are available here.


Free training for librarians and library employees on LinkedIn Learning

linkedin

National Endowment for the Arts awards Vigo County Public Library $15,000 Big Read grant

vigoEach year, the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read initiative brings communities together around the shared activity of reading and discussing a book.

The main feature of the NEA Big Read is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around the selected book.

This year, Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute will receive $15,000 from the initiative to host a community reading program focused on the book “Station Eleven” written by Emily St. John Mandel.

The novel is set 20 years after a devastating flu pandemic destroys civilization as we know it. A woman moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians until they encounter a violent prophet who threatens the tiny band’s existence.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts on this incredible program,” said Torrie Allen, president and CEO of Arts Midwest. “For more than 14 years this national effort has invested in communities as they gather to discuss the stories and ideas that connect us to one another. We are especially inspired by the projects and organizations that are finding new, virtual ways of creating those connections with their communities and are thrilled to support them at this critical time.”

National Endowment for the Arts will fund 84 organizations to lead Big Read projects between September 2020 and June 2021.

Read more here.


IndyPL opens new branch

indypl2On Saturday, June 20 at 10 a.m., the new Martindale-Brightwood Branch of The Indianapolis Public Library opened its doors to the public.

The 15,000-square-foot branch at 2434 N. Sherman Drive replaces the former storefront facility the library had rented across the street in the Brightwood Shopping Center since 1972. The new branch features expanded spaces for children and teens, enhanced technology, new study and community meeting areas and designs for greater energy and resource conservation.

Not only does the location provide safe and walkable library access for children and adults, as well as access to public transportation, but its impressive visual presence will allow the library to serve as an anchor to stimulate neighborhood development.

“We are at the midst of a great renaissance here in Martindale-Brightwood, and the new library is a part of the social and economic changes that will increase access to lifelong learning and mental recreation for neighbors of all ages,” said Amina Pierson of the Martindale-Brightwood Community Development Corporation.

The $5.9 million construction project was part of a series of capital improvements identified in the library’s strategic plan funded from individual bonds approved by the Indianapolis City-County Council with no increase in the library’s debt service tax rate.

Read more here.


Indiana librarian certification update

ISLLogoLibrary certification extensions offered due to the public health crisis are soon coming to an end. Gov. Holcomb declared a public health emergency in Indiana on March 6 which, absent another Executive Order, expires July 4.

A temporary permit or five-year librarian certificate that expired -or will expire – during the public health crisis now expires on June 3o. A newly-hired or promoted staff member usually has six months to apply for an initial temporary permit or five-year certificate. That grace period is extended to 10 months from the date of hire if the six-month period ended or ends during the emergency. Click here for more information.

Upcoming workshops & important dates

All Ages Programming Virtual Round Table
When: June 25, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Where: Webinar

July What’s Up Wednesday
When: July 29, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Webinar

2020 New Director Workshop
When: Aug. 6, 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library


Government Information Minute


Welcome to the Government Information Minute. Every week, government information librarians at the Indiana State Library cover current resources on governmental data at the state, national and international levels, all to keep the public well-informed. Follow the Indiana State Data Center on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to leave comments and suggestions.


Great Outdoors Month

outdoors

June is Great Outdoors Month. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2016 more than 103 million U.S. residents, 16 years and older, participated in wildlife-related recreation. The National Park Service has “20 Ideas to Recreate Responsibly” while enjoying the great outdoors.

For those who can’t get to a national park, the National Parks Foundation has some creative ways to camp at home. From setting up a tent indoors to enjoying PARKTRACKS, an innovative audio experience that lets people listen to the sounds of our national parks wherever they are, the National Parks Foundation has several ideas for camping at home.

Indiana has two National Parks: the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, located in Vincennes, and the Indiana Dunes National Park located in Porter on the shores of Lake Michigan. Additionally, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources manages 24 state parks, along with eight state reservoir properties, where visitors can camp, fish, hike, swim and explore the great outdoors. To help plan a state park visit, DNR provides links to search by location with an interactive mapand a downloadable Indiana Recreation Guide for details on park services and features. The Great Outdoors Month resolution encourages all people in the United States to recreate in the great outdoors.


Government Information Day virtual conference date and session schedule announced; registration open

gid

The Indiana State Library and INDIGO are pleased to announce that Government Information Day will now take place on August 6-7. Previously scheduled for May 14, the conference will now be held virtually as a two-day event and will feature seven programs promoting government information literacy and resources. The conference is free to attend. Indiana pulbic librarians will be eligible to earn LEUs for each session. This is the fourth Government Information Day, but the first in a virtual format.

Sessions include: “What does climate change mean for Indiana?,”
presented by Melissa Widhalm of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center; “Data.Census.gov,” presented by Katie Springer of the Indiana State Library; “Legal Research Basics for Librarians,” presented by Cheri Harris of the Indiana State Library; “Statewide input with local impact,” presented by Ashley Schenck and Tyler Brown of the Indiana Management Performance Hub; “Hindsight is 20/20 in 2020,” presented by Chandler Lighty and Claire Horton of the Indiana State Archives and Meaghan Fukunaga of Indiana Archives and Records Management; “Harrison’s Republic and the Spirit of Democracy,” presented by Charles Hyde of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site; and “Publicly Available Information Resources on U.S. National Security” presented by Bert Chapman of the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies.

Click here to register. Click here for the full schedule.

Please contact Brent Abercrombie of the Indiana State Library with any questions.

TODAYS VANDERBURGH COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

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civic center

AGENDA VANDERBURGH COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA

JULY 1, 2020 3:30 P.M. ROOM 301

  1. 1)  OPENING OF MEETING
  2. 2)  ATTENDANCE ROLL CALL
  3. 3)  PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
  4. 4)  INVOCATION
  5. 5)  APPROVAL OF MINUTES
    (A) County Council June 3, 2020
  6. 6)  PERSONNEL REQUESTS: (A) Superior Court

1. Request to fill vacancy for Small Claims Secretary 10001370-137180

(B) Drug and Alcohol Deferral Services
1. Request to fill vacancy for Counselor I 10001380-138113

(C) Prosecutor IV-D
1. Request to fill vacancy for Enforcement Officer 10001400-140029

(D) Health Department
1. Request to fill vacancy for Environmental Health Specialist 11590000-115933

(E) County Highway
1. Request to fill vacancy for Truck Driver 11760000-117621

  1. 7)  APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE:
    (A) Prosecutor Pretrial Diversion
    (B) Convention Center Operating Fund
  2. 8)  REPEAL: None
  3. 9)  TRANSFERS: (A) Auditor(B) Election Office (C) Commissioners

10) OLD BUSINESS: None

11) NEW BUSINESS: None

(D) Public Defender
(E) Cumulative Bridge
(F) Riverboat – Commissioners

12) AMENDMENTS TO SALARY ORDINANCE: (A) Auditor

(B) Superior Court
(C) Drug and Alcohol Deferral Service (D) Prosecutor IV-D
(E) Public Defender
(F) Health Department
(G)County Highway

13) PUBLIC COMMENT

14) REMINDER NEXT MEETING DATE/TIME:

(A) Personnel & Finance next meeting July 29, 2020 @ 3:30

(B) County Council next meeting August 19, 2020 @ 8:30 (C) County Council budget hearing August 19, 2020 @ 9:00 (D) County Council budget hearing August 20, 2020 @ 9:00

15) ADJOURNMENT

Red denotes Personnel and Finance meeting

Blue denotes County Council meeting

CEO Of Gannett’s Publishing Operating Company, Paul Bascobert, Will Leave Company

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CEO of Gannett’s Publishing Operating Company, Paul Bascobert, Will Leave Company; Mike Reed Assumes Responsibilities

The departure is not the result of any inappropriate action or violation of policy by Bascobert, or by any deterioration in the business, the company said.

Michael Reed, chairman, and chief executive officer of the overall public entity, Gannett Co., has assumed Bascobert’s responsibilities.

“The Board and I would like to thank Paul for his contributions during such an important period for our Company,” Reed said. “Paul made a significant impact, helping to integrate the two companies, navigate through this current pandemic, and lay the groundwork for our revenue transformation.”

The $1.1 billion merger of USA TODAY publisher Gannett Co. and GateHouse Media, agreed to last August and closed in November, made it the nation’s largest U.S. media company by print circulation and one of the largest by the digital audience.

The scale of the combined company, which owns more than 260 daily publications, was intended to help Gannett weather precipitous declines in print advertising and circulation while positioning it to better compete for digital advertising against Alphabet’s Google and Facebook. Gannett was proceeding with plans to cut $300 million in annual costs, connected to the merger when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Media mega-merger: GateHouse Media owner to acquire USA TODAY owner Gannett

Bascobert, 56, joined Gannett prior to the merger as president and CEO in August. A former executive with Dow Jones, Bloomberg and XO Group Inc., he was named CEO of the operating company, Gannett Media Corp. in November. Reed became chairman and CEO of Gannett Co., the publicly traded holding company that owns Gannett Media.

With much of the country barred from leaving their homes except for essential services, many businesses that rely on consumer spending and advertise their services in newspapers were suffering. The company suspended its dividend, instituted staff furloughs and other cost-cutting measures to offset the falloff in advertising revenue. Gannett executives took a 25% pay reduction and Bascobert said on March 30 he would not take a salary until the furloughs and pay cuts ended.

Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst with Newsonomics, says the departure did not come as a surprise.

Bascobert, hired by Gannett just months before the merger, faced the difficult task of knitting together two large media companies with distinct businesses and cultures.

Within months, Bascobert had the added pressure of making tough operational decisions during a deadly pandemic and without a base of support within Gannett or Gatehouse, Doctor says.

“I did not hear people disliked him, but they found that he was essentially a fish out of the water,” Doctor says.

Bascobert is eligible for a payout package of $7.5 million.

“Reed’s history at Gatehouse, combined with his financial acumen, makes the redundancy elimination a given,” Chuck DelGrande, managing director in Alantra’s global technology group and a former Tribune executive, told USA TODAY in an email. “My sense is this was a ‘when not if’ announcement.

“I expect continued pressure on the bottom line to result in further streamlining. Paul Bascobert’s strategy of ‘going local’ wasn’t misguided in my opinion, but COVID-19 ad cuts meant no time to implement to determine if that at least stem the losses.”

In its first quarter, Gannett posted a net loss of $80.2 million, including $78 million due to depreciation and amortization and $34 million in cash charges tied to the company’s recent merger. Excluding one-time items, Gannett posted adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $99.1 million.

Before the pandemic hit, Gannett was “actually pacing ahead of expectations for both revenue and EBITDA,” Reed said on a conference call with investors and analysts the day the company announced earnings May 7.

Bascobert’s departure comes as an industry under huge financial pressures scrutinizes major costs, including executive salaries, Doctor says.

Reed, who is assuming the reins, is respected in the industry as a dealmaker, but has less operational experience, Doctor says.

“He hasn’t been an operator. He knows the business inside and out after 30-plus years,” Doctor says. “So there’s leadership questions. There are questions about how is he going to execute.”

FOOTNOTE: Posted by the City-County Observer without option, bias, or editing.

FEMA Ordered $10.2 Million in COVID-19 Testing Kits It’s Now Warning States Not to Use

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FEMA Ordered $10.2 Million in COVID-19 Testing Kits It’s Now Warning States Not to Use

The faulty lab equipment sold by a company whose owner has faced fraud allegations is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.

(ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has warned states not to use COVID-19 testing supplies it bought under a $10.2 million contract after a ProPublica investigation last week showed the vendor was providing contaminated and unusable mini soda bottles.

A FEMA spokeswoman said the agency is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to analyze test tubes filled with saline and sold to the government by Fillakit LLC, whose warehouse is near Houston.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend this media not be used at this time,” spokeswoman Alex Bruner said.

ProPublica reported on June 18 that Fillakit was using plastic preforms, which are expanded with heat and pressure to become 2-liter soda bottles, to fulfill FEMA’s contract for testing supplies to be used by states. The bottles were shoveled into the warehouse, then filled with saline in what workers described as unsanitary conditions. Some of the states receiving the lab equipment told ProPublica that even if Fillakit’s tubes weren’t contaminated, they were simply too big to be used in lab machinery.

A later story in The Wall Street Journal raised similar allegations. The Journal first reported on Friday that the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is now looking into the contractor. Fillakit owner Paul Wexler previously told the Journal that allegations of unsanitary conditions were baseless and came from a disgruntled former employee.

Teresa Green, a retired science teacher and former Fillakit employee, told ProPublica that she spoke with someone identified as a “special agent” with Homeland Security who told her he was looking into Fillakit’s operations. Green declined to elaborate.

A spokesperson for the Homeland Security inspector general’s office said, “As a matter of policy, we do not confirm or deny open investigations.”

The FEMA spokeswoman said the agency continues to provide “critically needed testing supplies in a timely manner to our state and local partners in response to the coronavirus.”

FEMA signed its first deal with Fillakit on May 7, just six days after the company was formed by an ex-telemarketer repeatedly accused of fraudulent practices over the past two decades. Fillakit has supplied a total of more than 3 million tubes, which FEMA then approved and sent to all 50 states.

Wexler has previously declined to comment. A ProPublica reporter visited the facility this month and confirmed that workers were using snow shovels to gather up tubes and filling them, all in the open air.

Fillakit continues to advertise COVID-19 testing supplies on its website, including “Premier Leakproof Tubes.” The photos of tubes on its website look nothing like the larger soda preforms it has sold to FEMA, according to photos provided by state health departments and former employees.

Officials in New York, New Jersey, Texas and New Mexico confirmed they were not able to use the Fillakit tubes. Three other states told ProPublica that they received Fillakit supplies and have not distributed them to testing sites. FEMA had previously asked health officials in several states to find an alternative use for the mini soda bottles.

Last week, Missouri health officials asked testing facilities there to not use the Fillakit testing supplies sent out by the state.

ProPublica’s data analysis shows that federal agencies hastily awarded more than $2 billion dollars in COVID-19 contracts to vendors who had no prior federal deals.

In total, the federal government has committed more than $16 billion to more than 4,000 contractors in its attempt to address the spread of the novel coronavirus. More than 1,800 of those deals were given without competitive bidding. Many companies, including Fillakit, had no experience sourcing medical supplies.


EPA Releases Additional Funding for 2020 Environmental Justice Small Grants

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Agency selects 12 organizations to receive $360,000 nationwide
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 12 organizations will receive a total of $360,000 to help address environmental justice issues in their communities. Each of the organizations will receive $30,000. The organizations announced today were selected from the large pool of applicants in 2019. This funding is in addition to 50 organizations awarded $1.5 million in grants nationwide in November 2019.

“Regardless of zip code, the EPA works day in and day out to provide clean air, clean water, and clean land to all Americans,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These grants further the Trump Administration’s commitment to support low-income and minority communities, providing critical infrastructure to areas with environmental justice concerns.”

Seven of the 12 grants selected, or almost 60%, will support communities with census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones – an economically-distressed community where new investment may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Most often, those who reside near these sites are low-income, minority, and disadvantaged Americans. By focusing resources on these areas, we can multiply the impact of the tax incentive and attract even more economic development to these areas.

EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program provides critical support to organizations that otherwise lack the funding and resources to address environmental challenges in underserved and overburdened communities. The following organizations will receive grants:

  • Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence, MA
  • Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
  • Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia, PA
  • Metro Community Ministries, College Park, GA
  • Sustain Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
  • Heartland Communities, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
  • The IPM Institute of North America, Milwaukee, WI
  • Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Albuquerque, NM
  • Taos Valley Acequia Association, Taos, NM
  • Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego, CA
  • Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Yurok Indian Reservation, CA
  • One Step A La Vez, Santa Clara River Valley, CA

The grants will enable these organizations to conduct research, provide education and training, and develop community-driven solutions to local health and environmental issues in minority, low-income, tribal, and rural communities.

The Towering and Pathetic Cowardice of Republicans

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The Towering and Pathetic Cowardice of Republicans

  B  Richard Moss, MD

Jasper, Ind.

On June 9, 2020, Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, in the aftermath of the George Floyd incident on May 25, announced to reporters on Capitol Hill that “we are still wrestling with America’s original sin [of slavery].” He later spoke of “obvious racial discrimination” in policing that would require legislation.  Senate Republicans led by black Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina released the “Justice Act” on June 17, 2020, with broad guidelines for police reform.  A day earlier, on June 16, President Donald Trump signed an executive order also to promote law enforcement changes.  Joining a protest against police brutality, Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah stated that “We need to stand up and say that black lives matter.”  On June 11, the GOP led Senate Armed Services Committee approved a proposal to strip Confederate names from military bases.  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, said he was “not opposed” to renaming bases and agreed with some aspects of the sweeping police reform bill released by the Congressional Black Caucus.

It is one of life’s certainties that when racial tensions flare Republicans can be counted on to fold into a defensive crouch and surrender to all absurd and counterfactual leftist claims such as “systemic racism,” and widespread “police brutality” targeting blacks.  They will then serve up some version of radical-progressivism-lite to cover themselves and attempt to appease the leftist mob.  It is particularly obnoxious and self-defeating because Republicans have an excellent case to make when it comes to “race” if only they would make it.  

Remember, Republicans, that your party, the Republican Party, was formed in 1856 as an abolitionist party, the purpose of which was to end slavery.  State that your greatest son, Abraham Lincoln, perhaps the nation’s most revered President and martyr, the first Republican President, liberated the slaves in a Civil War.  The cataclysm consumed the lives of 700,000 soldiers, including 400,000 mostly white Union soldiers that perished to preserve the Union and free black slaves.  

Instead of whimpering and pandering, report that it was the Democrats that seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy to keep their precious slaves and that the Civil War was not North against South, but Republicans fighting Democrats.  Include in your vapid commentary that Democrats fought reconstruction and opposed all civil rights legislation to defend the newly freed slaves.  Affirm that it was Democrat Supreme Court justices who gave us the Dred Scott decision of 1857 that declared that black slaves were “property,” the prelude to the Civil War, and the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 that established “separate but equal.”  

Recall, Republicans, that the Democrats fiercely resisted the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that ended “separate but equal,” including 99 Democrat Senators and Congressmen that signed the “Southern Manifesto” of 1956 (with one Republican) that viciously condemned it.  Boldly emphasize that the Democrats were the party of segregation, the KKK, black codes, poll taxes, literacy tests, and Jim Crow laws.

Can you bring yourselves to recollect that it was Republicans that granted the nation the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War amendments, including the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that liberated the slaves, gave them equal justice, and the right to vote, which Democrats opposed?  Or that Republicans in Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, overriding a veto by Democrat President Andrew Johnson, the successor to Lincoln.  Republican President Ulysses S. Grant, the conquering Civil War general who defeated the southern Democrat armies, signed into law the first Ku Klux Klan Act also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1870, the Second KKK Act (Civil Rights Act of 1871), the Third KKK Act of 1871, and the Civil Rights Act of 1875.  Recall that the KKK was a terrorist group formed by Democrats.  Report that Republican President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960.  Democrat President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but only after Republicans pushed it through both houses of Congress amidst Democrat opposition.  

But don’t stop there Republicans.  For now, it is necessary to challenge blacks themselves, their very mixed record since Great Society, their misguided acceptance of liberalism and the Democrat party, and its malign prescriptions of grievance, victimhood, identity politics, and government dependency.  Declare that there are many successful blacks in America today, along with Asians and Hispanics, including a black President, black billionaires and millionaires, black doctors, attorneys, professors, writers, businessmen, movie stars, entertainers, commentators, and athletes, and many black success stories.  This, even as a law-abiding, taxpaying black middle-class flourishes. 

Proclaim also that taken as a whole, American blacks are the most powerful, affluent, and influential black community in the world.  Clarify that poverty, unemployment, and incarceration rates for blacks were shrinking in the decades preceding the expansion of the liberal welfare state in the ‘60s, in some cases outdoing their white counterparts.  

Do not forget that blacks live in dark blue cities and states controlled by Democrats, one-party rule for generations; virtually all of them are liberal Democrats, many of whom are also black.  The governors, mayors, city councils, school superintendents, judges, prosecuting attorneys, juries, police commissioners, and most police in these cities are liberal Democrats, 95% of whom voted for Barack Obama.  If there is systemic racism, then it would have to be the Democrat politicians, judges, lawyers, bureaucrats, officials, and citizens, many of them minority, who are the racists.  Furthermore, declare that if our institutions are “systemically racist,” including the Academy, Hollywood, Entertainment, the media, and much of corporate America, they are virtually all liberal Democrats.  It is they, then, who must be racist.

Then, Republicans, discuss conservative efforts to reform cities and help blacks break the cycle of poverty and welfare dependency.  Such proposals include school choice, charter schools, vouchers, tax-reform, enterprise zones, vocational training, community colleges, entrepreneurship mentoring, and apprenticeship programs, much of it opposed by liberal Democrats.  

Proclaim, Republicans, the glories of liberty, free markets, private property rights, and the individual, education and self-motivation, industry and enterprise, success and upward mobility, of the American Dream.  Promote law and order, the two-parent family, faith, prayer, and the Western tradition.  Defend the many accomplishments of America, our history and culture.  Speak of the rule of law, robust policing, excellent schools, and safe communities instead of mouthing platitudes about George Floyd, “police reform,” or renaming military bases, as if any of that will help blacks.  

The nation is burning before you.  The radicals seek to break the country and our governing system on the back of race and race war.  These are communists, well-funded, organized, violent, and ruthless.  They represent our French and Russian Revolutions.  If you allow them, they will become our Stalins, Maos, and Pol Pots.  They seek to dismantle the nation and our institutions and grind them to rubble like the buildings they loot and burn, using race to demoralize the people, destabilize our constitutional system, take over the nation, and begin a thousand years of darkness.  The stakes could not be higher.  For once, Republican eunuchs, stand up to the horde, defend the nation, our history, culture, governing system, and civilization, before the barbarians destroy it forever.

FOOTNOTE: Richard Moss, M.D., a surgeon practicing in Jasper, IN, was a candidate for Congress in 2016 and 2018. He has written “A Surgeon’s Odyssey” and “Matilda’s Triumph,” available on amazon.com.  Contact him at richardmossmd.com or Richard Moss, M.D. on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The City-County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias, or editing.