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I’M OK; YOU’RE OK; STAY AWAY!

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I’M OK; YOU’RE OK; STAY AWAY

Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine

When I was a child nobody hugged or kissed anybody unless they were sweethearts or perhaps, occasionally, mother and child. People felt no need to get closer than arms length and nobody breathed on anybody. Then along came bleeding heart liberals and day-time TV shows and voila! Hugging was de rigueur. Suddenly perfect strangers were greeting one another as if they were Romeo and Juliet. I say it’s time to return to those not so thrilling days of yesteryear. It is not like people did not love one another before the 1980’s. After all, the human specie has thrived for thousands of years without faux hugs and kisses and families used to have lots more kids. But no one thought less of you back then if you did not invade their space. Maybe social distancing is a recommendation we can live with. Thank you Tony Fauci!

Peg and I would appreciate it if the rest of the world, except for family and delivery drivers, would stay away for the next few months. Maybe by then we will have a vaccine for COVID-19. One caveat, it is important that computers continue to create funny money pursuant to an on-going Congressional Resolution so that we can receive our Social Security checks. In return, Peg and I will pledge to leave everyone else alone and not attend any public events. No one would be there anyway since the rest of the world will be in their basements watching such enlightening Netflix entertainments as Tiger King.

By the way, I just saw a report on cable news that they may make a movie about Joe Exotic and his big cat petting zoo and crazy conspiracy theories. As announced from prison, Joe wants Brad Pitt to play Joe in the movie. I bet Brad is proud. Actually Peg and I had never heard of the Tiger King until our erstwhile neighbors, Chuck and Bonnie Minnette of New Harmony, Indiana, called to ask us about it. I guess since we recently moved to Oklahoma and there’s hardly anyone out here, the neighbors thought we might know Joe; we do not! 

Regardless, back to the column at hand. Other than cable TV, with the COVID-19 panic about the only social activity left to any of us is contemplation of conspiracy theories such as those of Joe Exotic. I know we Americans have always been able to find boogeymen, et al, everywhere from Salem, Massachusetts to Roswell, New Mexico. But our current situation of a total national shutdown has caused a paradigm shift in our public psyche. 

If the news reports can be credited, some in the Communist Chinese government posited, and maybe actually believed, that the original outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China in December 2019 was deliberately started by American soldiers. Then some in America floated the idea the pandemic may have been a deliberate creation of the virus as a weapon by China or Iran.

Those two conspiracy theories are about as credible as the reasons given by railroad engineer Eduardo Moreno who, once again according to news media reports, on April 2, 2020 attempted to ram a ship by driving his train’s engine off the tracks to within a few hundred yards of the U.S. naval ship Mercy. The Mercy is a military hospital ship sent by our government to aid the residents of Los Angeles during the COVID-19 crisis. Moreno told the police he believed the ship was part of a government conspiracy to takeover America. I had no idea a train could even travel that far off its tracks. Anyway, I think Mr. Moreno has been watching too much cable TV news.

Then there are the gun rights advocates who see a business lockdown as a government attempt to take away our right to self-defense. Also, there are those Religious Right devotees who see a nefarious plot behind the urgent government push to find an inoculation for the Corona virus. Apparently their fear is that such ideas as espoused by Bill Gates to implant computer chips in people for health reasons is really a cover to allow universal monitoring and control of our lives.

Well, Gentle Reader, you may know of other conspiracy theories. Heck, you may have one or two of your own. I know I sure do. However, as for Peg and me and social distancing, as long as our Social Security checks and the delivery workers keep coming, we are okay with whatever theory floats your boat. That is as long as you keep six feet away and wear a mask. Don’t worry; we promise to neither hug nor kiss you.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com

Or “Like” us on Facebook at JPegRanchBooks&Knitting

Indiana SNAP Recipients Will Begin Receiving Maximum Benefit Amounts Next Week

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Indiana SNAP Recipients Will Begin Receiving Maximum Benefit Amounts Next Week

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced today that more than 152,000 Indiana households will receive additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits when April distributions begin this Sunday. The additional funds are intended to help Hoosiers obtain food and support for their families while Indiana responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives states the option to provide SNAP households with the maximum SNAP allotment, which is based on household size. SNAP households that are not currently receiving the maximum allotment will receive additional benefits that bring their allotment amount to the maximum. Households already receiving the maximum benefit will not receive additional benefits.

Maximum amounts per household size are as follows:

Number in SNAP household Maximum benefit
1 $194
2 $355
3 $509
4 $646
5 $768
6 $921
7 $1,018
8 $1,164
Each additional person Add $146

Indiana SNAP recipients receive their benefits via electronic benefit transfer according to a schedule based on the first letter of their last name. Each month, distribution starts on the 5th and concludes on the 23rd.

All new applications authorized in April will also receive the maximum allotment for their household size. FSSA is working to inform various partners and stakeholders, including retailers, of the change to help them inform and explain to SNAP recipients the reason for the additional allotment.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food assistance to low and no income people and families living in the United States. It is a federal aid program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Distribution of benefits occurs at the state level. In February 2020, 559,600 Hoosiers from approximately 253,658 households across Indiana received SNAP benefits.

Don’t Fall Victim to COVID-19-Related Scams

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Individuals Be Aware Of Fraudsters Attempting To Steal Economic Impact Payments

INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosiers are facing challenging times to keep their families safe and avoid the spread of COVID-19, and unfortunately scammers are adding additional risk by taking advantage of the current health crisis. Newly-surfaced reports show scammers creating text messages, emails, websites and social media posts to pose as government entities and organizations to obtain financial information from individuals for personal gain.

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) team continues to find ways to assist Hoosiers, which includes helping individuals identify scams to avoid falling victim.

Here are a few key signs of these scams:

  • Emphasizes the terms “Stimulus Check” or “Stimulus Payment.” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses the official term “economic impact payment.”
  • Asks the individual to sign over their stimulus check.
  • Asks by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information to receive or speed up their stimulus check.
  • Mails the individual a fake check and requests the individual to call a number or verify information online to cash it.

DOR recommends Hoosiers remain vigilant and work hard to identify these scam attempts. Never engage with potential scammers online or on the phone.

Individuals who receive emails, text messages or social media attempts to gather information that appears to be from DOR, the IRS or an organization closely linked to either government agency, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), should forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

Learn more about reporting suspected scams by going to the Report Phishing and Online Scams page on the IRS website.

Individuals can find official IRS information about the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impact payments on the IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief web page. For information on COVID-19 related changes to DOR operations and ongoing taxpayer relief, visit DOR’s Coronavirus webpage at dor.in.gov/7870.htm.

“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” APRIL 6, 2020

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“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” APRIL 6, 2020

“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” was created because we have a couple of commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE” or “Readers Forum” columns concerning National or International issues.
The majority of our “IS IT TRUE” columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give our more opinionated readers exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and Middle Jab and RIGHT JAB”  column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB” AND “MIDDLE JAB” AND “RIGHT JAB” several times a week.  Oh, “LEFT JAB” is a liberal view, “MIDDLE JAB” is the libertarian view and the “RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments in this column is free to do so.

Join us for Virtual Platform Meeting

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Vanderburgh County Democratic Party
Central Committee

Edie Hardcastle, Chair; ediehardcastle@gmail.com
Nick Iaccarino, Vice Chair
Alex Burton, Political Director
Cheryl Schultz, Treasurer
Melissa Moore, Secretary

Headquarters
220 N.W. 4th St.
Evansville, IN

We welcome volunteers!
Call 812-453-8949

🔗 Join us for a Virtual Platform Hearing with the Indiana State Democratic Party this Wednesday April 8 at 5pm. This is a REGIONAL event. Everyone is welcome to attend and is not limited to Vanderburgh County.
Open. Inclusive. Collaborative. Help shape the direction of our Party. Join our virtual platform hearing and bring your top policy issues to be included in the Party’s 2020 platform.
❗Please register for the event beforehand using the virtual meeting link below. You do not need a Zoom account to join.

ℹ️ Register in advance for this virtual meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/u50pcO-urjIs9XT898r6ZOiiSKJKcJB-aQ

**After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

EPD Pension Board Meeting

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Evansville Police Department

Police Pension Board

PUBLIC NOTICE

 

COMBINDED PUBLIC NOTICE of EXECUTIVE SESSION

and RELOCATION of PUBLIC MEETING of the

EVANSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT PENSION BOARD

The Evansville Police Department Police Pension Board will hold an Executive Session on Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 8:15 a.m.  The Meeting will be held in the Locust Meeting Rooms “BC” of the Old National Events Plaza (“ONEP”), located at 715 Locust Street in Evansville, Indiana.  The Executive Session will be closed for discussion of records classified as confidential by state or federal statute ( I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(7)) and to receive information about prospective employees (I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(5)).  Immediately following the Executive Session, a regular Open Session will be held in by the Pension Board.

The public is welcome to attend the Open Session, but, pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-08 of March 23, 2020, the Statement and General Guidance of the Public Access Counselor Regarding the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Event, and CDC and ISDH requirements, public attendance will be limited to a maximum of ten (10) people with first preference given to the media. In accordance with the PAC’s guidance, the following accommodations will be made: 

  • A portion of those individuals present must include representatives from the media or the public. 
  • Access into ONEP will be limited to the Locust 2 Door.
  • No admittance will be allowed until five (5) minutes before the start of the meeting.
  • Admittance into ONEP will be limited to ten (10) persons.
  • Other reasonable restriction on social distancing and movement may be made at the discretion of the Pension Board’s President.
  • Any person attempting to enter may be subject to denial if displaying symptoms of COVID-19.

Notices and agendas for public meetings may be posted solely by electronic means during the duration of the Governor’s Emergency Declaration. 

EPD REPORT

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EPD REPORT

EVSC Educators Making Face Shields

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EVSC educators respond to local and national calls for help. Using 3D printers, a group of teachers and staff are busy creating masks for the local community organizations. Michael Stauth, EVSC student data analyst began by contacting several groups and Ivy Tech’s Donna Zimmerman accepted his offer. Stauth, a 26 year retired US Air Force Flight Nurse, knows the meaning of teamwork so he sat down over spring break and started making face shields and he is still going strong with over 275.

Harrison High School media specialist, Gayle Kiesel and fellow EVSC educator Kerry Sensenbrenner joined Stauth’s cause. Kiesel realized she could help by connecting makers with people who want to help buy supplies for masks. Mackin Group donated rolls of filament plastic but more is needed. Each face shield takes approximately 18 meters or 52 grams of PLA filament. Right now each maker is funding filament or the fabric costs. Kiesel is asking supporters to donate to the EVSC Foundation to fulfill requests from the community. Earlier this week, Urban Seeds requested masks as well as local food service and security companies.

EVSC Makers group is using PRUSA.org files and files from Ivy Tech’s grass roots team https://3dprint.nih.gov/collections/covid-19-response

This is an important fundraiser to continue serving not only the EVSC community but also the Evansville community. This is one way EVSC is helping our community by making plastic shields to go over fabric masks. The EVSC Foundation is matching donations up to $2,000.