Laying It On The Table: Indiana Gaming Commission To Vote On Terre Haute Casino LicenseIBJ-THE RUNDOWN by LINDSEY ERDODY |
| After a months-long delay, the Indiana Gaming Commission is poised to move ahead with awarding the Vigo County casino license later today.
The commission initially planned to meet Feb. 7 to consider awarding a casino license to a subsidiary of Spectacle Entertainment, which is owned in part by former executives of Centaur Gaming. But that all changed once a federal plea deal became public on Jan. 23 allegings that Centaur and John Keeler, then-vice president and general counsel for the company, were involved in funneling thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to an Indiana congressional candidate in 2015. So what has changed to make the commission OK with voting on the license? Keeler and former Centaur Chairman and CEO Rod Ratcliff, who has the same role as Spectacle, are no longer investors in the subsidiary that is pursuing the Terre Haute casino. But, it’s important to note, they are still with Spectacle Entertainment. The commission meets at 11 a.m. Watch IBJ.com for updates after the meeting. |
JUST IN: Indiana Gaming Commission To Vote On Terre Haute Casino License
HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 614 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 26,655 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.
Intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remains steady. Just over 39 percent of ICU beds and 80 percent of ventilators were available as of Friday.
A total of 1,550 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 42 over the previous day. Another 141 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.
                                                      To date, 165,448 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 160,239 on Thursday.
Marion County had the most new cases, at 202. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Allen (60), Bartholomew (12), Delaware (18), Elkhart (21), Hamilton (10), Hendricks (15), Lake (64), Morgan (13), St. Joseph (24) and Tippecanoe (13). The Lake County totals include results from East Chicago and Gary, which have their own health departments. A complete list of cases by county is posted at www.coronavirus.in.gov, which is updated daily at noon. Cases are listed by county of residence.
Hoosiers who have symptoms of COVID-19 and those who have been exposed and need a test to return to work are encouraged to visit a state-sponsored testing site for free testing. Individuals without symptoms who are at high risk because they are over age 65, have diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or another underlying condition, as well as those who are pregnant, live with a high-risk individual or are a member of a minority population that’s at greater risk for severe illness, also are encouraged to get tested.
 ISDH is holding drive-thru clinics today through Sunday in Bluffton, Gary, Madison and Sullivan. Details of these clinics and additional state-sponsored sites can be found at the COVID-19 testing clinic link at www.coronavirus.in.gov. Individuals should bring proof of Indiana residency such as a state-issued ID, work ID or utility bill.
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BREAKING NEWS: Vanderburgh County Formed New COVID -19 Task Force
Group Chaired by the Vanderburgh County Health Department Officials Joe Gries And Lynn Herr
Vanderburgh County has formed a new Task Force.  It’s called the Vanderburgh County Covid-19 Resource and Awareness Task Force and is comprised of many different local and statewide community leaders and public figures.
Chaired by the Vanderburgh County Health Department (Joe Gries and Lynn Herr), this committee also includes the following: Â County Commissioners, Ben Shoulders, and Cheryl Musgrave; City Council members – Alex Burton, Ron Beane, Zach Heronemus and Ben Trockman; local business owner and representative for IN Senator Mike Braun, Steve Hammer; representatives from Deaconess Hospital and St. Vincent; Cliff Weaver, EMA Director; Chris Roe, Vanderburgh County Deputy Sheriff; Kathryn Martin, Knight Township Trustee; Stephanie Terry, County Council; and Mariama Wilson, Pigeon Township.
“Community leaders are focused on keeping every resident in Vanderburgh County safe through COVID19. As the number of cases increases, this newly created task force will be proactive while seeking to suppress the virus in our communityâ€, said Alex Burton, City Council President.
The Task Force will be responsible for many tasks  including providing additional masks and education and usage of masks as well as PPE material.  Information, awareness, testing and data will also be a critical part of the mission within this newly form Tasked Force.
“As a county, we just felt that our community needed to disseminate information from a more centralized, streamlined manner.  Health and public safety are our top priorities at all times,†said Ben Shoulders, Vanderburgh County Commissioner.
This newly formed Task Force meets weekly and will be focused on providing the necessary resources, information, data, and awareness related to the coronavirus within Vanderburgh County. Â Further and upcoming information and will be forthcoming via social media and other outlets from the Vanderburgh County Health Department website and the Vanderburgh County Covid-19 R
Holcomb to Provide Updates in the Fight Against COVID-19
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health and other state leaders will host a virtual media briefing to provide updates on COVID-19 and its impact on Indiana.
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gov. Holcomb
Secretary of State Connie Lawson
State Health Commissioner Kristina Box, M.D., FACOG
Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne
Indiana Economic Development Corporation Chief of Staff Luke Bosso
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2:30 p.m. ET, Friday, May 15
Ivy Tech LIVE Today
2020 Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP)
Celebration – Completing Degree in 11 Months!
Friday, May 15, 1 p.m
Friday, May 15, 1 p.m
Leaders in ASAP wanted to get their students back together/but apart one last time since they have all successfully completed their associate degree, with the final 8 weeks done remotely.  So, a brief outdoor celebration is planned on Friday at 1 p.m., in the parking lot south of the main campus. Students and their families will remain in their cars, and the sound will be transmitted onto their radios! Leaders will be outdoors sharing memories and congratulations.  ASAP has 12 students who have completed the requirements for their associate degree, earned in just 11 months! The program is designed to be accelerated and students go to class 8 hours a day, five days a week, as a cohort. To date, all of the students who have graduated through the ASAP program over the years since it started, have been accepted into the 4-year college of their choice! The next cohort begins June 8, and there are still a few seats available. An information session is planned on Tuesday, May 19 at 2 p.m. on Ivy Tech’s Facebook page, @IvyTechEvansville.
EPA Honors Small Business Champions
“In this time of unprecedented disruption for our nation’s small businesses, it is more important than ever to recognize our outstanding small business support.â€Â said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “I am proud of our effective staff efforts that will ensure our partnership with small businesses remains strong and vibrant.â€
For the past 30 years, EPA has hosted the Administrator’s Small Business Program Awards ceremony to celebrate EPA’s small business support and accomplishments. This year, in accordance with existing national guidance due to the global COVID-19 public health emergency, the agency is celebrating these awards virtually through this press release.
EPA is continuing to build on its record of excellence in furthering small business contracting opportunities, scoring an “A†over the past decade on the Small Business Procurement Scorecard that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers. In this current fiscal year, EPA has already awarded over 36 percent (approximately $260 million) of its contracting dollars to small businesses, almost twice as much as the 23 percent statutory small business contracting goal.
For example, EPA’s Office of Water awarded its first enterprise-wide small business contract. The Office of Water developed this inaugural strategic small business program contract to increase small business opportunities while helping maximize the efficiency of EPA operations. Contracts were awarded to four small businesses:  Avanti Corporation (Alexandria, Va.); Great Lakes Envrionmental Center, Inc. (Traverse City, Mich.); Horsely Witten Group, Inc. (Sandwich, Mass.); and SC&A, Inc. (Arlington, Va.). The total value of this contract is up to $16.7 million.
The agency is also continuing to provide a comprehensive suite of resources and networks to help strengthen small business environmental and compliance performance, while reducing regulatory burden. Information on those resources is available here. Based on the agency’s regulatory and compliance assistance efforts, EPA has earned a grade of “A†in the last 13 Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of the National Ombudsman Annual Reports to Congress.
Recipients of the Administrator’s 30th Annual Small Business Program Awards For Fiscal Year 2019
Administrator’s Small Business Program Awards
Award for Outstanding Direct Procurement Program Achievement
Office of Water Small Business Vehicle Workgroup
Jezebele Alicia
Vince Allen
Ifeyinwa Davis
Damon Highsmith
David Hincks
Angela Lower
Lisa Mitchell-Flinn
Matthew Growney
Joe Jackson
Marion Kelly
Steven Moore
Venus Weaver
Jefferey Herrema
Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business Trade Association or State Small Business Environmental Assistance Provider in Providing Technical Assistance to the
Small Business Community
Wisconsin’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program
Lisa Ashenbrenner Hunt and Renee Lesjak Bashel
Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business
Lally Consulting, LLC
Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Woman Owned Small Business
Clawson Excavating, Inc.
Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
Veterans Worldwide Sales and Services, LLC
Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a HUBZone Contractor
A & M Engineering and Environmental Solutions, Inc.
OSDBU Director’s Awards
Office of Mission Support
For Exceeding the Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women Owned Small Business, HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Goals
Office of the Administrator
For Exceeding the Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business,
Women Owned Small Business, and HUBZone Goals
Office of Research and Development
For Exceeding the Small Disadvantaged Business, Women Owned Small Business, HUBZone
and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Goals
Region 7
For Exceeding the Small Business, Service Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone
and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Goals
Arrest Made in Weed Eater Attack
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an east side man for attacking his neighbor with a weed eater.
On Thursday, May 14, 2020Â at 11:59 AM deputies responded to 8010 Spry Road to investigate a report that a man had been assaulted with a weed eater. Upon arrival, sheriff’s deputies spoke with the victim, Mr. Russell Roth.
Roth advised that his neighbor, Mr. Gail Kammerer III, had been weed eating a ditch on the opposite side of the roadway. Roth indicated that he did not like the fact that the grass clippings were landing in the street. Roth admitted that he drove his riding mower into the street and then began blowing the grass clippings back towards Russell’s property.
Kammerer claimed Roth deliberately blew the grass clippings on him, which prompted him to attack Roth with his weed eater. Roth, who had his shirt off at the time of the attack, suffered multiple lacerations to his back. The injuries appeared consistent with the size of the plastic trimmer line used by Gail’s weed eater. Roth refused medical treatment.
Gail was arrested for Battery as a Level 5 Felony, while Roth was issued a citation for Provocation as a Class C Infraction.
Gail E. Kammerer IIIÂ (pictured above), 48, of Evansville. Battery as a Level 5 Felony
CITED:
Russell C. Roth, 57, of Evansville. Provocation as a Class C Infraction
Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
