Home Blog Page 2852

Indiana Attorney General’s Law License Suspended for 30 days

2

Indiana Attorney General’s Law License Suspended for 30 days

May 11, 2020  |   Filed under: Courts & crime,Top stories  |   Posted by:

By Lacey Watt
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Supreme Court suspended the law license of Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. for 30 days starting May 18 — which means he’ll be reinstated just before the state Republican Party convention where he is competing to run for a second term.

The unanimous 19-page opinion issued Monday concludes that, in spite of his denials, Hill committed a crime when he grabbed and groped four women at a party in March 2018 celebrating the end of the legislative session.

Attorney General Curtis Hill at his October 2019 disciplinary hearing. Photo by Brynna Sentel, TheStatehouseFile.com

“In sum, we find and conclude, as did the hearing officer, that the Commission proved by clear and convincing evidence that Respondent committed the criminal act of battery,” the unsigned opinion says.

Hill, who is completing his first term as attorney general, faced a disciplinary hearing last fall where the four women—three legislative staff members, Samantha Lozano, Gabrielle McLemore and Niki DaSilva, and one lawmaker, state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-East Chicago—testified that he was drunk when he grabbed them in the crowded downtown Indianapolis bar.

The hearing officer, former Supreme Court Justice Myra Selby, had recommended a 60-day suspension with no automatic reinstatement. But Monday’s order allows for Hill to get his license back automatically after the 30-day suspension is up.

The five justices, in their ruling, said they weighed whether Hill’s criminal acts of battery against the four women during the event at the bar have an impact his fitness as a lawyer under the court’s rules.

The justices answered yes: “(Hill’s) own testimony brings his criminal conduct directly within the ambit of the performance of his professional duties. Respondent went to the party with the purpose of discussing a bill affecting his office with key legislators and nurturing goodwill, he spent time at the party doing precisely these things, and while there he committed battery against a legislator and three legislative staffers.”

Hill has repeatedly denied that he did anything wrong and did not grope the women the way they described. He has so far has resisted calls from Republican Party leaders, including Gov. Eric Holcomb, that he resign.

Later Monday, Hill issued a press release saying, “I accept with humility and respect the Indiana Supreme Court’s ruling of a 30-day suspension of my license with automatic reinstatement.”

In his statement, Hill said that beginning next Monday, Chief Deputy Aaron Negangard will take over the operation of the office until his license is reinstated on June 17. He concluded with a thank you to his friends, family and office staff.

With Hill still refusing to step aside despite the 30-day suspension of his law license by the state’s top court, Holcomb said he is reviewing his legal options.

“As far as does the punishment fit the crime, we’ll see. Obviously this decision bolsters the case of the victims going forward on the route that they’re on,” Holcomb said, referring to the lawsuit the women have filed.

Asked by reporters Monday at his daily coronavirus briefing about his options — and whether they include him appointing a replacement for Hill — Holcomb said this is an “unprecedented time” to have the state’s top law enforcement official suspended for “ethical wrongdoing.”

“I’ll make any and all decisions that I have the authority to do so and this is … something that is in question,” Holcomb said, adding that he will seek a “quick turnaround” on his legal options.

Pressed on how he wasn’t prepared to know those options now, since Selby had recommended months ago that he be suspended, Holcomb bristled and said: “Yeah, because that question was not before the court… The answer is I’m not omnipotent.”

Neither he nor his office interfered in the Supreme Court’s deliberations nor ask any additional questions, Holcomb said. That includes not seeking clarification on what steps a governor can take to remove an attorney general that, for the next month, has no license to practice law.

During the session of the General Assembly that ended in March, the Indiana House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at potentially removing Hill. The measure, Senate Bill 178, was amended in the House to add the provisions targeting Hill and specified that if an attorney general is disbarred or suspended for at least 30 days, he forfeits the office and a vacancy exists.

However, the Senate balked at the change and the bill died in the final hours of the session.

“I said at the time it would be helpful and it would clarify this exact question, but it wasn’t addressed legislatively. I would have signed that bill into law,” Holcomb said.

Now, he said, Hill’s suspension “has led to a number of other questions that I am seeking not just guidance to but answers to… We won’t allow grass to grow underneath as we get those answers and after my discussions with my legal team we’ll be sharing those on a more public basis.”

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, Rep. Phil GiaQuinta of Fort Wayne and Sen. Tim Lanane of Anderson, as well as state Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer renewed their calls for Hill to resign.

Hill faces two challengers for the Republican Party nomination at the convention on June 20—Decatur County Prosecutor Nate Harter and Indianapolis lawyer John Westercamp. Convention delegates, not primary voters, select their party’s nominee for attorney general.

FOOTNOTE: Lacey Watt is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Gov. Beshear: ‘Just Because Summer Is Nearly Here Does Not Mean Virus Is Gone

0

Gov. Beshear: ‘Just Because Summer Is Nearly Here Does Not Mean Virus Is Gone’

Governor asks Kentuckians to be resolute or risk erasing hard-fought gains

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 12, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday said Kentuckians need to be resilient, resourceful, and resolute in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), even as warmer weather brings new opportunities for gatherings – and virus transmission.

“We’re going to get through this together because we’re strong enough, we’re resilient enough and at the end of the day, we’re going to make good decisions,” the Governor said. “At different times we’re going to be tempted. We’re at the beginning of summer and we all want it to be a normal summer. But we don’t get a normal summer in the midst of a worldwide health pandemic.”

The Governor provided updates on two children being ill, positive cases, testing, and urged Kentuckians and businesses to remain vigilant of Healthy at Work guidance.

Gov. Beshear praised the hard work and sacrifices that make us Team Kentucky but warned that warmer weather and Memorial Day weekend coming up in a couple of weeks will bring new temptations to drop our guards.

“This is going to be something that is burned on our psyches, on our memories,” he said. “It will probably change a little bit how we interact and in our world going forward.”

Even with the easing of some restrictions, however, Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, stressed that workplaces will not be reopening to business as usual. Likewise, he said, no one should expect summer activities to run as usual this year.

“Early reports suggest that warm weather may not help us with this virus,” Dr. Stack said. “We were hoping that we might have some diminishment of the disease in the summer months, like with seasonal influenza, but early signs are we may not be able to count on that.”

Case information
As of 5 p.m. May 12, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 6,853 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 191 of which were newly confirmed Tuesday.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear also reported 10 new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 321 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Tuesday to include a 74-year-old woman from Boone County; a 59-year-old man from Fayette County; an 85-year-old woman from Hopkins County; two women, ages 57 and 77, and an 85-year-old man from Jefferson County; and three women, ages 91, 89 and 91, and an 85-year-old man from Kenton County.

“It hurts to lose 321 people to this. So let’s remember that it’s real. Let’s remember that it’s taken people from us. This isn’t made up. It’s a lot worse and a lot more deadly than the flu,” the Governor said. “I believe every Kentuckian has value. I believe every Kentuckian counts. I mourn for these 321 people and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we don’t unnecessarily lose people going forward.”

At least 2,546 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Child illness
Gov. Beshear and Dr. Stack provided an update on the coronavirus in children after one young Kentuckian was apparently suffering from a rare, but not unknown complication related to COVID-19.

The Governor said Monday that a 10-year-old child in Kentucky was on a ventilator after becoming ill with COVID-19. On Tuesday, he said the child was improving.

“Doctors are hopeful that in the days to come the child can be removed from the ventilator,” the Governor said.

In discussing the symptoms that children might experience with the virus, Dr. Stack provided examples of symptoms and said that additional guidance and information is likely coming tomorrow.

“This is a serious disease and it spreads very easily, and while the statistics are good for children, most are going to be perfectly fine, the statistics are not perfect,” Dr. Stack said.

Unfortunately, he said a 16-year-old Kentuckian has been hospitalized with the virus but is not relying on a ventilator to breathe.

Dr. Stack said the new syndrome is being recognized in young people related to the coronavirus that causes their immune systems to become overactive, sparking an inflammatory response in their bodies.

Phase 3 of health care reopening
Wednesday marks the next step in the reopening of the state’s health care sector. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services issued directives governing the opening of hospitals and other health care facilities. Beginning May 13, hospitals and care facilities can begin doing non-emergency surgeries and procedures at 50% of their pre-COVID-19-era patient volume. Facilities will determine their own patient capacities starting May 27, as long as progress continues.

Governor urges continued telework
Gov. Beshear said that while Kentucky businesses are being encouraged to safely restart on a staggered schedule, owners and operators should continue to allow employees to telework when possible. Encouraging telework is the first of the 10 rules of staying healthy at work. Gov. Beshear’s administration is providing industry-specific guidance on reopening.

Several sectors have reopened. Houses of worship reopened May 9. Horse racing, manufacturing, and distribution, office-based businesses, construction, pet grooming and boarding, photography, and vehicle or vessel dealerships have followed. On May 18, government offices and agencies are set to reopen, and retail and funeral services are scheduled to reopen May 20. See the full reopening schedule here.

Child care options
Gov. Beshear said child care options would expand on June 15, but would still not be back to normal until we have a vaccine or a cure. Parents can expect more limited capacity, and guidance will be issued in advance of the reopening.

Pools
The Governor answered a question about the reopening of public and commercial pools. Estimated 25-plus states have not yet announced plans for reopening pools.

“None of our kids want to have to grow up knowing that, maybe going to see a grandparent, after they’ve gone to a pool, maybe is the reason that grandparent isn’t here anymore,” Gov. Beshear said.

More information
Read about other key updates, actions, and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media account Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).

###

Unreleased White House Report Shows Coronavirus Rates Spiking In Heartland Communities

0
Trump’s claim that cases are falling everywhere is contradicted by his own task force’s report, obtained by NBC News, showing the virus spreading far from the coasts.
By Jonathan Allen, Phil McCausland and Cyrus Farivar

 

Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News.

The data contained in a May 7 coronavirus task force report are at odds with President Donald Trump’s Monday declaration that “all throughout the country, the numbers are coming down rapidly.”

The data contained in a May 7 coronavirus task force report (seen here) are at odds with President Donald Trump’s Monday declaration that “all throughout the country, the numbers are coming down rapidly.”

The top 10 areas saw surges of 72.4 percent or greater over a seven-day period compared to the prior week, according to a set of tables produced for the task force by its Data and Analytics unit. They include Nashville, Tennessee; Des Moines, Iowa; Amarillo, Texas; and — atop the list with a 650 percent increase — Central City, Kentucky.

On a separate list of “locations to watch,” which didn’t meet the precise criteria for the first set: Charlotte, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Montgomery, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, Arizona. The rate of new cases in Charlotte and Kansas City represented an increase of more than 200 percent over the prior week, and other tables included in the data show clusters in neighboring counties that don’t form a geographic area on their own, like Wisconsin’s Kenosha and Racine counties, which neighbor each other between Chicago and Milwaukee.

So far, more than 80,000 people in the U.S. have died because of the coronavirus, and the rate of new cases overall has not yet subsided. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were 23,792 new cases on May 10 — lower than the number for each of the previous four days but more than on May 4 and May 5.

The spiking infection rates suggest that the pandemic is spreading quickly outside major coastal population centers that were early hot spots, while governors of some of the states that are home to new hot spots are following Trump’s advice to relax stay-at-home restrictions.

Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee, for example, have no stay-at-home orders, according to a task force map. In other states where restrictions are being put in place or repealed at the local level, some counties are experiencing surges. Dallas and Fort Bend counties in Texas, where decisions are made locally, are on a “locations to watch” list because they have seen an increase in the number of cases of 116.8 percent and 64.8 percent, respectively.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose state included the nation’s highest-surging geographic area, said he has “felt no urgency” for Congress to approve another coronavirus response bill.

You vs. fake news: A lesson in verifying information in the age of COVID-19

2

Erin Gibson

USI Instructor in Journalism
Student Publications Manager/Advisor

Editor’s Note: Erin Gibson is available to speak to media on issues related to media literacy, fact-checking and how people are sharing news and information through social media. To set up an interview, please contact Ben Luttrull, Media Relations Specialist, at bluttrull@usi.edu or 812-319-7673.

View this release in a browser

 

How many of these claims have you seen in recent weeks?

  • Ibuprofen is not safe if you have COVID-19. (False.)
  • Inhaling hot air from a hair dryer will kill the coronavirus. (Dangerously false.)
  • 5G mobile phone technology is spreading the coronavirus. (An absurd conspiracy-theory. Also, just stop it.)

Misinformation and disinformation are spreading at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just take a look at this running list of coronavirus hoaxes compiled by BuzzFeed News, and you will see we clearly have a problem.

False information has become so pervasive that the World Health Organization director-general called the situation an “infodemic.”

“Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the Munich Security Conference in February.

Just as we rely on medical experts to provide guidelines to stop the spread of the COVID-19, we must also rely on information experts to tell us how to stop the spread of misinformation.

Here are some steps to help you evaluate what is true and what is not.

 

PHASE 1: Whoa! Wait. What?

Be skeptical about news and information and recognize that your emotional responses can mislead you. For example, when you see a post like this on Facebook, your first reaction, might be, “I didn’t know that.”

Social media post with text saying gargling with salt water kills the tonsils germs and prevents them from leaking into the lungs

I call this the “Whoa!” response. It’s a natural reaction to learning new information.

But don’t act on the information until you do some digging. In other words: “Wait.” Before you share information, take a moment to consider: is it true?

That leads to the “What?” part of the process, which is a series of fact-checking steps (see Phase 2) to help you tell the difference between good and bad information.

A key point in the “Whoa! Wait. What?” process: if you don’t have time to check it, you don’t have time to share it.

 

PHASE 2: Verify information

A good place to start the verification process is to ask yourself, “Is this information trying to inform me, entertain me, persuade me or mislead me?”

Anyone who publishes information has a motive. If you can identify it, you have a better idea whether the information you have encountered can be trusted or not.

Next, check if the information has already been verified or debunked. Use Snopes, Factcheck.org or Politifact to search for key words to see if trusted fact-checkers have already done the work for you.

We just read a claim that gargling with salt water will kill COVID-19 germs. When we visit Snopes and type in “gargle COVID-19” we learn that Snopes has flagged it as false information.

Graphic showing a rating about the sentence "Gargling with salt water or vinegar 'eliminate' the COVID-19 coronavirus from the throat of an infect person's system with a red stop sign and the word false

If fact checking websites don’t work out, the last two steps of the verification process require you to evaluate the source of the information and the claim it is making.

What does the source say about themselves? Visit the About section of the website or social media page where you found the information. (This is called vertical reading.)

Let’s return to our example: the gargling with salt water claim came from a post on a Facebook page called Nafess.com. When you go to the page’s About information, you see that the description is poorly written and incomplete. It also claims it is a page for the sports industry. This page is clearly not a reliable source of health information.

Social media graphic showing a claim that gargling with salt water kills tonsils germs and prevents them from leaking into the lungs next to a screen shot of the organization's About information

But what about the claim itself? It appears to be advice from UNICEF. Is it?

If you use Google to search “gargle and UNICEF,” the results reveal a series of articles from reliable news sources that reveal this information was fabricated.

You could also search for Nafess to see if any reliable news organizations have ever written about them (they haven’t).

This step, called lateral reading, requires you to look beyond the original information and to check with other sources, such as trustworthy news organizations, to see what they say.

 

Seek out reliable information

The need to evaluate information is often related to another issue. Many people use their social media feeds as their primary source of information.

That practice limits the amount of reliable information and variety of viewpoints you encounter each day.

Break out of your information bubble and develop a daily habit of seeking out information in addition to the information that finds you.

So, where do you start? Trusted news sources.

  • Subscribe to your local newspaper’s website. (Yes, that means paying for your news).
  • Download the Associated Press app and start each day with “10 Things to Know Today.”
  • Catch a top-of-the hour NPR newscast on your local public radio station or listen to the latest one anytime online (click Listen Live).
  • Watch the first 15 minutes of a nightly network (ABC/CBS/NBC) nightly newscast.
  • Subscribe to the New York Times and/or Washington Post (Again, for emphasis, pay for your news.)

Finally, I recommend following news and media literacy organizations that are using social media in fun and informative ways to teach fact checking skills. Here are some of my favorites:

 

We’re in this together

Anyone with an internet connection can access and publish information – and misinformation –from anywhere and at any time. That means we have an enormous amount of information to wade through to separate fact from fiction. It’s an effort that (much like the fight to contain COVID-19) requires all of us to do our part.

YESTERYEAR: Relive USI’s 2010 National Championship

0

University of Southern Indiana Alumni Association and Athletics are pleased to announce that the 2010 NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship game between USI and the University of California-San Diego will be publicly streamed May 27 at 7 p.m. (CDT).

Relive the excitement of USI Baseball’s 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship, a game that saw the Screaming Eagles win the program’s first-ever national championship 10 years ago. USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta and members of the 2010 team will be commenting on the game on Twitter after the game becomes available at 7 p.m.

Fans will be able to watch the original broadcast from 10 years ago, without commercials, on USI’s GLVCSN page and YouTube channel.  The stream will be available for one night only.

Ivy Tech Community College Postpones Commencement Until Fall

0

Ivy Tech Community College has announced that the Commencement Ceremony originally planned for May 8, has been postponed until Friday, October 16, at 7 p.m., at the Ford Center.

This ceremony will celebrate the graduation of approximately 1,400 students from the Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020 classes.

“We are extremely proud and excited for our students to be finishing, despite all the challenges they have faced,” Chancellor Daniela Vidal said. “We considered a virtual ceremony, and other options, but felt our students deserved to have an in-person ceremony if at all possible.”

Having the ceremony on this date and time, will be contingent upon social distancing requirements in the State of Indiana, she added.

Four Freedoms Monument

1

Workers construct a section of the thirteen steps that would eventually lead to the Four Freedoms monument on Evansville’s riverfront, across the street from the McCurdy Hotel, Hadi Shrine Mosque, and the Jackson House Hotel.

The monument was built in 1976 to commemorate the United States Bicentennial. The steps represented the original thirteen colonies founded in the nation’s early history; at the top of the steps, fifty limestone pedestals — one for each state — would encircle the four pillars, which embodied the freedoms of speech and religion, as well as the freedoms from fear and oppression.

The mammoth columns now in place soar to an impressive height of twenty-four feet and were originally part of the entrance to the Community Center at Eighth and Main streets. When the building was razed in 1966 to make way for the Civic center, the four columns were spared by the wrecking ball and preserved until a permanent location was found.

Marriage Licenses Issued

0

Marriage Licenses Issued

EPD REPORT

0

EPD REPORT

“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” MAY 13, 2020

0

“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jab” MAY 13, 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.
1...2,8512,8522,853...7,301Page 2,852 of 7,301