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Obituary For Army Veteran Carl Dean Underwood

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Carl Dean Underwood, 92, of Evansville, passed away Wednesday, June 3, 2020, at his home. He was born July 14, 1928, in Ina, Illinois to the late Hershel and Geneva (Miller) Underwood.

Carl was a 1950 graduate of Indiana University. He entered the U.S. Army in 1950 and was discharged in December 1952 at Red River Arsenal at Texarkana, Texas. Carl was employed at Seeger Refrigeration Co. in December 1952 and retired from Whirlpool Corporation in December 1989. Carl enjoyed golf and was a member of Rolling Hills Country Club for many years. He also followed I.U. Sports and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carl is survived by his wife, Mary Sue; daughter, Rebecca Davis; and son, Dr. Carl David Underwood; five grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, Carl was preceded in death by a son, Stephen Tichenor, and Gloria.

Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 8, 2020, at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, 800 S. Hebron Avenue. A Memorial service will begin at 2:00 p.m. followed by military honors.

Memorial contributions may be made to your charity of choice.

Condolences may be made online at www.ziemerfuneralhome.com.

ADOPT A PET

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Mr. T is an incredibly handsome dude who is currently running River Kitty Cat Café. Like he’s pretty much the supervisor. And we love him. He is only 1 ½ years old and he loves all people and most other cats. He is confident & adorable! His adoption fee is $40 and he’s neutered & ready to go home today. Apply online at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!

 

Q&A: Gary Kostbade

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During his third season on campus, Kostbade turned in a pair of top-15 finishes at the 2020 Men’s Swimming and Diving Big Ten Championships. He touched the wall in 12th place with a time of 1:55.47 in the 200 Breaststroke and notched a 15th-place effort in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 53.10.

 Where are you at right now?

Home – Chesterton, Ind.

What is your major?

Biology with the intent to attend Dental School.

How are you interacting with your teammates?

The normal ways: Snapchat, texting and Zoom.

How was the adjustment to online classes?

At first, it was crazy and confusing. But I think I survived it pretty well.

What gives you encouragement and motivation during this time?

The biggest motivation for me has been seeing my teammates workout. Also, knowing that training hard now will make the transition back to the pool a little bit easier has been key for me.

What is something you and your family are doing to pass the time?

We have been working in the yard, going for bike rides and playing with our dogs.

What shows are you catching up on?

I have watched a bunch of movies. I have even gone back and re-watched some of the Marvel movies.

What are you most looking forward to when you get back to practice/competition?

I cannot wait to be with my teammates again. And of course, I am looking forward to dying during breaststroke practices again.

What advice do you give to your fellow Hoosiers during this time?

My advice to Hoosier Nation would be to be thankful for the opportunity to be with family and to just take everything day-by-day. And to control what you can control.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS

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The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 452 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 36,096 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. As of today, nearly 38 percent of ICU beds and nearly 83 percent of ventilators are available.

A total of 2,052 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 20 over the previous day. Another 179 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, 285,234 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 277,815 on Wednesday.

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 is at greater risk for severe illness, also are encouraged to get tested.

To find testing locations, visit www.coronavirus.in.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing information link. More than 200 locations are available around the state.

 

Stabbing At West Franklin Street Bar

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Stabbing At West Franklin Street Bar

On June 4 around 2:40 a.m., the Evansville Police Department was notified of a stabbing at 2126 W. Franklin St. (Franklin Street Tavern).

When officers arrived on scene multiple witnesses ran towards officers stating that the suspect was trying to leave. The suspect, Zachary Miller (33), was immediately located and placed in custody. 

 Camera footage from the business and bystanders was located and showed Miller pulling a knife on a group of people outside the bar. Another male, later identified as Jacob Rice (21), then tried to tackle the suspect from behind and was stabbed. Once Miller was on the ground, 4-5 other males began to punch and kick Miller. Miller was able to break away and then chased after the other males with his knife.

He was able to catch one of the males and held the knife to his throat. That male fled prior to officers’ arrival. The knife used by Miller was located at the scene. Miller and Rice were both transported to the hospital to be medically cleared and are still being treated at this time. 

FOOTNOTE: Rice was charged with battery and disorderly conduct. Miller was charged with battery committed with a deadly weapon.

Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

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Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

“IS IT TRUE” JUNE 4, 2020

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We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
City-County Observer Comment Policy. Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will be tolerated and will be removed from our site.”
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated.  The use of offensive language, insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
IS IT TRUE that over the years the City-County Observer has studied and published articles that examine the economic expectations and realities of proposed capital projects within the Evansville City limits? …that our conclusions thus far are that a lack of planning has created an unavoidable last-minute quagmire that leaves the City of Evansville in the unenviable position of needing to provide significant incentives to secure a binding and enforceable agreement to entice a developer to build profitable projects?
IS IT TRUE if our elected officials want to clean up Jimtown and Jacobsville good-paying jobs, reliable public transportation, affordable and livable housing, good schools, affordable daycare services, a quality grocery store, and accessible and affordable healthcare would go a long way in helping people in that area?
IS IT TRUE the North Main corridor master plan was designed to replace some street parking, provide an up-to-date bike trail, reduce crime and improve security in that area,  and bring economic development to that area? …it’s been about a couple of years since this project was completed?  …we invite you to go to the North Main corridor area and see what kind of new retail businesses that this $14 million dollar public works project has attracted?
IS IT TRUE if only the powers that be would have listened to past County Commission Dave Mosby, Vanderburgh County wouldn’t be experiencing the current jail overcrowding problem today?
IS IT TRUE that local preacher Steve Ary will be filling with the State Election Commission to get their approval to become a Republican candidate to run for District 77 seat currently held by Ryan Hatfield (D)?
IS IT TRUE that the United States Senator Mike Braun popular Field Representative  Steve Hammer convincingly won in his primary election to become an Indiana Republican Convention Delegates from Scott and Armstrong Townships?  …he also won the Precinct Chairman race in his Township?
IS IT TRUE that local GOP Chairman, Wayne Parke, finished a disappointing seventh out of the nine-person race for a delegate seat at the Indiana Republican convention? …we been told by several well known Republicans that Mr. Parke’s disappointing vote could be a signal that his political career may be coming to an end?
IS IT TRUE that the Vanderburgh County Primary Election was unlike any other in recent history?…voter turnout was disappointing?  …that Democrats 11,157  58.37%) voted and  Republicans 7,957 (41.63%) voted?  …the voter turnout for the primary election was 19,114 people?
IS IT TRUE County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave won her primary contest over her challenger, Randall Chapman, by a 61% to 39% margin? ….it looks like incumbent Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave will become the first female commissioner to ever win re-election in Vanderburgh County history because the local Democratic party has no one interested in caucusing against her by the July 1 deadline?
IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County Commission candidate Ben Shoulders received an impressive 9,584 votes in his uncontested primary race?…that incumbent County Commissioner Ben Shoulders received more votes than both the Democrat presidential candidate and the Democrat governor candidates in Vanderburgh County?…that Ben  Shoulders is looking forward to becoming the first male Vanderburgh County Commissioner to win re-election since Pat Tuley did in 1996?
IS IT TRUE that fourteen (14) Republicans ran for Indiana State Convention Delegates in the Second and Fourth Wards?…that the six (6) people that won were Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Carol McClintock, Carla Hayden, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann, Natalie Rascher and Preacher Steve Ary?
IS IT TRUE that Republican County Commissioner candidate Zac Rascher (R) surprised members of the Republican party when he didn’t receive enough votes to be elected as a local delegate to the Indiana Republican State Convention?
IS IT TRUE that well-respected attorney Mike Shopmeyer (R) handily defeated Deputy Mayor, Steve Schaefer (R) for Republican Precinct Committeeman in Ward 3 by a 62-33 margin? …just before the election, Mr. Schaefer asks 3rd Ward Republican voters to support Mike Schopmeyer for Precinct Committeemen? …Mr. Schaefer’s reason for his withdrawing from this race was that he inadvertently filed for both convention delegate and precinct committeeman? …Mr. Schaefer was elected as a delegate to the Republican State Convention.
IS IT TRUE  as predicted the popular incumbent County Councilman Joe Kiefer was the leading vote-getter in the Republican primary At-Large race? …County Councilman Kiefer received 5,628 votes and incumbent Angela Lindsay received 5,034 votes and Jill Hahn got 5,000 votes?
IS IT TRUE that Democrat County Council At-Large candidate Amy Back (D) received an impressive 7,584 votes in the Democratic primary?  …that incumbent Councilman Mike Goebel received 7,490 votes and former County Councilman Councilman Ed Bassemeier received 6,541 votes?
IS IT TRUE we wonder what the Board Of Directors of the Evansville Museum has done with the multi-million dollars “PICASSO On Glass” painting
IS IT TRUE our “READERS POLLS” are non-scientific but trendy?
Today’s “Readers Poll” question is: Are you pleased with the way that the Vanderburgh County Commission is handling the COVID-19 crisis?
Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE FILES, LAW ENFORCEMENT, “READERS POLL”, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS”, EDUCATION, OBITUARIES and “LOCAL SPORTS”.
You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com
IS IT TRUE when the people fear the Government we have Tyranny!  When the Government fears the people we have Liberty
FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

 

An Open Letter To USI Students From President Ronald S. Rochon

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usi president

An Open Letter To USI Students From President Ronald S. Rochon

Dear Students,

I write this very difficult letter with sincere love, confusion, anger, and hurt. My heart is heavy, but it is not heavy with despair.

My intent was to send you a note of encouragement and to thank you for your continued trust and support of my effort to lead and serve USI as we negotiate COVID-19—preparing our campus for a safe return for fall classes.

Instead, I, like you, along with my family, and our faculty and staff, have been glued to the national response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd, an unarmed African American man in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I will be perfectly honest with you, seeing him die under the knee of that police officer paralyzed me. My only thought at that very moment was simply: NO. Not Again!

I remember the sadness, exhaustion, and anger I felt as I watched a fellow human being beg for relief from the officers just to consume oxygen, simply to survive. I remember my eyes welling up as I screamed at the television, Get off his neck! He can’t breathe! I remember calling across our home to my wife to phone our 22-year-old son. We needed to hear his voice at that very moment. I remember our 20-year-old daughter looking me in the eyes and asking, “Baba, are we safe?” as she sobbed in my arms. I remember wondering to myself, what do I tell her… this time?

I am not writing this today to make bold or blanket statements against institutionalized racism. I have none in me at the moment. I’m writing because I decided to stop pretending as if I’m “okay.” To stop pretending as if I can shoulder this pain, hurt, and confusion alone as I manage and lead our University.

I feel the need to express to you how tired I am, really tired, of seeing targeted violence against Black people within our nation. I am tired of the divisive lines drawn between race, privilege, identity, and education. I am tired of learning of young Black people being pulled from cars by officers sworn to serve and protect, and hearing the media decry their treatment because they were “college students.” As if certain class categories justify or vilify societal wrongs.

I am tired of pretending, even with my wife, that I do not fear for our own son each time he leaves our home. I am tired of telling my children that We will get through this. I am tired of worrying about losing friendships or hurting the feelings of others who have not shared my experiences or the history of my race as I speak my truth.

Your peers and friends, many international, who have remained at USI during this pandemic tell me they feel safe on our campus but are unsure if they will be when they step off of it. I see the innocence and hope in their faces as they seek assurances I cannot give.

Being a university president, I have learned that some expect me to have all of the answers and be the face of calm under such violent circumstances. But how can I, or any of USI’s faculty and staff be anything other than sickened and outraged by blatant wrongs?

My children, each of you and all the young people of every race and ethnicity within our community and beyond are the reason for my hope and optimism. You are the reason I serve our campus and our community with passion and purpose each and every day, and the reason our campus serves you*. You are also the reason I sleep restlessly each night, praying for YOUR safety-that you make decisions that lead to positive outcomes and remain safe. You are the reason I continue to smile during one of the most difficult and horrific weeks of my life, and why I will not surrender to despair. Students, you are the lifeline of our campus. It is your dreams, your presence, your innocence, even your naivety that motivates me to do more-motivates me to be better. It is my honor to be among you, and most importantly, to serve you. Thank you for being a significant part of my life!

I will never give up on you, our students. I am asking you to keep negativity away from your space. It only turns into bitterness and mistrust of “the other.” Staying positive and creating solutions takes incredible effort. I challenge and encourage you to pursue your goals with the intentional effort to transform your community, the state, nation, and our globe into a more compassionate, equitable, and understanding place. Be the answer to difficulty through collaboration and through the building of relationships. There is nothing passive through this approach; this will be the hardest work you will ever encounter!

As I pen this letter, I ache—as do many of you—for Mr. Floyd’s family and his community. We ache for our country. What we are facing within the United States and across the globe is complex and difficult. We are dealing with our most delicate resources—human emotion, history, future, and human life. The most complex and imperfect gift we have all been given is to learn to live and breathe together.

Peace and continued blessings,

Ronald S. Rochon, PhD
USI Presiden

EDITOR’S NOTE: The email below was distributed to the University of Southern Indiana students, as well as to employees and retirees, on Wednesday, June 3 via email.

 

Gov. Beshear Provides Update on Fight Against COVID-19

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Visit the Governor’s Facebook page to watch today’s news conference

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 3, 2020) – On Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear detailed the efforts undertaken to combat the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Sadly, the Governor reported the tragic loss of one of the youngest Kentuckians to fall victim to the deadly virus.

“Today we’ve got to announce that we have on our list of deaths a 9-month-old child from Hopkins County,” Gov. Beshear said. “We grieve for everybody we have lost from COVID-19. This is a reminder of how deadly this virus can be, how precious all of our lives are.

“As a father of two kids, one of which I was scared at birth might not make it, I want this family to know – and it’s a family I have never met even in my dad’s hometown county – that we, regardless of what will ultimately be listed as the cause of death, we are grieving for you, we care about you, and I cannot imagine how you are feeling right now.”

Dr. Steven Stack, the commissioner for the Department for Public Health, said the child’s death initially was ruled to be a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. He said a later COVID-19-positive test requires the death to be included in the reporting. Dr. Stack said the death of such a young person to coronavirus was rare yet devastating.

“I would encourage parents to not worry over, but that you should be concerned because for the individual, for the families, they suffer the illness or loss of a child,” Dr. Stack said. “For them it is real. It doesn’t make a difference if it is rare. For them, it was 100% occurrence. They lost their loved young ones. So it’s important we are all careful with this disease.”

Early Action
Gov. Beshear spoke of the unimaginable loss suffered by all of the families and communities as this deadly virus has taken its toll. Deaths nationwide have surged to more than 105,000, with nearly 450 Kentuckians’ lives lost among them.

But months into the fight, several studies now show that the fast and focused response by the Governor’s administration, along with the sacrifices of people across the commonwealth, benefited Kentucky greatly.

“Every day I worried it would not be enough to blunt that curve,” Gov. Beshear said. “And we didn’t know when it was going to happen and thank goodness it did.”

Among other actions, on March 6, the day of the first confirmed coronavirus case in Kentucky, Gov. Beshear declared a state of emergency and activated the Emergency Management Operations Center. In the weeks that followed, the Governor’s administration continued to take actions daily across a spectrum of issues to keep Kentuckians safe.

At all times, the guidelines and orders issued by Gov. Beshear and his cabinet officials have hewed closely to recommendations from the White House and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gov. Beshear launched Healthy at Home on March 26, providing information, advice, and restrictions aimed at ensuring social distancing and protecting the state’s health care operations. The results are in: studies by the CDC, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kentucky all show that these early and decisive actions saved the lives of thousands of Kentuckians.

“Healthy at Home was a significant step. It was asking a lot of the people of Kentucky, and they did it and because of their efforts, we saved thousands of lives. I believe when we look back on this it will be 10,000-plus lives,” the Governor said. “I remember that the first modeling suggested we would lose 80,000 Kentuckians, and in the first couple of weeks people were scared.”

As a result of this hard work, Kentucky is nationally recognized as among few states that are meeting the White House and CDC guidance for reopening the economy. Our cases are on a downward trend, our hospitals are able to handle the patient load, and our COVID-19 testing program is robust.

Gov. Beshear said while Kentuckians should be proud of the work we’ve all done, the road ahead remains challenging and requires resilience.

Kentucky was not spared from the worldwide economic upheaval caused by this deadly virus. Gov. Beshear said getting through it together as Kentuckians will require managing unprecedented unemployment, deep budget shortfalls, and steep growth in the use of public benefits.

No special session
Gov. Beshear announced Wednesday that he has reached an agreement with legislative leaders to avoid the need for the General Assembly to return in a special session to resolve budget matters.

Previously, the Governor had said he had expected to call a “short, targeted” special session to allow lawmakers to pass a reduced budget proposal to account for the revenue lost due to the global pandemic and response.

“All we are looking at is the Transportation Cabinet Budget. There is zero discretion in what needs to be done. It is a revision of a number,” Gov. Beshear said. “This is an agreement between all of the legislative leaders and the Governor’s office. So we do not believe at this time that there will be a need and there is agreement on the actions that have to be taken.”

Louisville update
J. Michael Brown, secretary of the Governor’s Executive Cabinet, spoke about the state of an investigation into the death of David McAtee in Louisville.

“Yesterday, I reported that we believed from the preliminary autopsy that he died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. We still are of that belief. We have not recovered a whole bullet, but we have recovered, I understand from today, some fragments,” Secretary Brown said. “We are now in the process of trying to identify the very nature of those fragments to determine if they indeed came from one bullet or might have come from more than one bullet and, hopefully, be able to determine the caliber of the bullet.”

Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 3, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 10,410 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 265 of which were newly confirmed Wednesday.

“I don’t think this 265 is cause for alarm, though it is at least a reminder just like what we’ve talked about today that this virus is still out there and spreading,” the Governor said.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported eight new deaths Wednesday, raising the total to 450 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Wednesday to include two women, ages 91 and 99, from Edmonson County; an 84-year-old woman from Gallatin County; the 9-month-old baby girl from Hopkins County; three women, ages 91, 92 and 93, from Jefferson County; and a 48-year-old man from Shelby County.

“We need compassion now more than ever: compassion for these families, compassion for our fellow human beings who are hurting,” the Governor said. “So let’s make sure we turn on those green lights, that we ring those bells at 10 a.m. and let’s ring them for these families who are in pain. Let’s ring them for all families who are in pain.”

At least 3,283 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.

Testing expansion
Gov. Beshear continues to urge Kentuckians to get tested for COVID-19. For information on how to register at sites throughout the commonwealth visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

“I know we are now in the upper half of states for the total number of tests that have been run, and that’s an incredible story, given where we started,” the Governor said about ongoing testing efforts.

Absentee Ballot Application Portal online
Gov. Beshear is encouraging all voters to use a new Absentee Ballot Application Portal now available online. A link to the State Board of Elections’ portal can be found at govoteky.com. He urged everyone who plans to vote in this month’s primary elections to go to the portal and request an absentee mail-in ballot.

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 accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Feds Approve Indiana’s Innovative HIP Workforce Bridge Program

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Indiana’s first-in-the-nation program is designed to help Hoosiers transition from HIP to private insurance; will be a critical component of the state’s COVID-19 recovery

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration today announced it has received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, for its HIP Workforce Bridge program – establishing a new, unique transitional phase for Healthy Indiana Plan members as they return to the workforce and to employer insurance or other health coverage. The program was designed and proposed by FSSA in 2019 after direction from Governor Eric J. Holcomb to support his Next Level agenda and find a way to help Hoosiers maintain coverage and avoid potential negative consequences from advancing in the workforce.

“The HIP Workforce Bridge program will be especially important during our state’s recovery from the COVID pandemic and as Indiana’s economy evolves,” Governor Holcomb said. “As Hoosiers skill up, go back to school and go back to work, HIP Workforce Bridge will make that transition from HIP to marketplace insurance or employer-based coverage easier to navigate and afford.”

HIP Workforce Bridge will allow thousands of outgoing HIP participants to continue to use up to $1,000 from their POWER accounts for up to 12 months to pay premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance during their transition to commercial coverage. This assistance will be offered to individuals as soon as they become ineligible for HIP due to earning higher incomes. Indiana becomes the first state to establish such an innovative approach to eliminating the gap in health coverage that can prevent HIP members from pursuing meaningful employment.

A HIP POWER account is similar to a health savings account. Each member has $2,500 in their POWER account each year to use for health care expenses. Normally they would lose the ability to use these funds as soon as they are no longer enrolled in the program, and unlike traditional health savings accounts, POWER accounts do not stay with the enrollee if they move to private insurance.

Due to the public health emergency, FSSA is not currently disenrolling members of any health coverage program, but with CMS’s approval, HIP Workforce Bridge will be in place to support members immediately once the governor’s executive order expires.

Since 2008, the Healthy Indiana Plan, the state’s consumer-driven health care plan, has demonstrated remarkable success in providing coverage to its beneficiaries, empowering enrollees to become active participants in their health care coverage, and improving member health outcomes.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we provide stability and peace of mind for Hoosiers, especially when it comes to matters of their health,” said Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H., secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. “We anticipate that more Hoosiers may need HIP health coverage during the emergency and we want to make sure that everyone can safely transition as they are able. This is one of our first efforts to mitigate the eligibility cliff effect in Indiana, which is a priority across all of our programs now more than ever.”

HIP members facing dis-enrollment due to an increase in income will be notified of their option to participate in the HIP Workforce Bridge program.

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