Gov. Holcomb to Provide Updates in the Fight Against COVID-19
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health and other state leaders will host a virtual media briefing in the Governor’s Office 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
State Health Commissioner Kristina Box, M.D., FACOG
Paul Halverson, professor and founding dean, Fairbanks School of Public Health
Nir Menachemi, chair of health policy and management, Fairbanks School of Public Health
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, April 23
Media RSVP
Please register HERE by 1 p.m. ET Thursday, April 23. Late requests will not be accepted. One confirmation will be sent per media outlet. If you are confirmed to attend the event, you will receive additional logistics in a separate email.
Logistical questions can be directed to agray@gov.in.gov.
Media outlets that wish to broadcast the press conference live are encouraged to use the high quality livestream. The livestream is also available to the public. Direct Link:Â https://livestream.com/accounts/18256195/events/9054752/player?width=960&height=540&enableInfoAndActivity=true&defaultDrawer=feed&autoPlay=true&mute=false
Double Homicide Investigation Underway at Highland Area Residence
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two homicides at a residence on Bob Court in the Shady Hill subdivision off Old State Road.
On Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 5:28 PM the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to 302 Bob Court upon report of a deceased subject. Once inside the residence, sheriff’s deputies found a deceased woman and a deceased child in different areas of the home.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and is assisting with the investigation. The identities of the deceased will be released by the Coroner’s Office.
A search warrant was obtained and the home is being processed for evidence. No suspect has been identified at this time.
“IS IT TRUE” APRIL 23, 2020
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€Â 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?
IS IT TRUE one of our supporters sent us the following “IS IT TRUE” in order to generate a discussion between the CCO readers? …that the United States Senate has passed a bill that will increase the PPP loans available for small businesses to keep their staff on a paycheck and off of unemployment?…there is one situation that is not conducive to keeping people on a payroll and that is the odd fact that due to a strange thing in the original stimulus package, it pays more to be on unemployment than it does to keep a job?…people who are furloughed or laid off are eligible to get an extra $600 per week on top of the roughly $400 per week that unemployment pays?…that is correct folks, if your job paid $40,000 and your unemployment would normally be $400 per week, now it will be $1,000?…this is a deterrent to returning to work until the $600 premium ends on July 31, 2020?…something like this can only happen in America because Senators running for re-election can obstruct the bill under consideration to play Santa Claus by using other people’s money to try and buy votes?
IS IT TRUE that our medical and first responders heroes who are laboring on the front line of health care crisis risking their lives every day to save yours and do not get a dime of extra money? …that it’s time for this type of treatment stop and the powers that be give our medical and first responders heroes the appropriate financial compensation for a job well done?
IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County and Warrick County are both closing in on 100 confirmed infections of COVID19 and growing more each coming day?…while these numbers are not on par with New York City that leads the country in infections and deaths, these numbers are nothing to dismiss?…it is amazing in hindsight that there were some people here in Evansville were telling people that COVID19 would not be coming to River City?
IS IT TRUE that pandemics have a way of separating thinkers from emotional people and convincing oneself that a pandemic will not come to any place is from the gut and not the mind?…the City-County Observer encourages the people of Evansville and their leaders to listen to science before prematurely open things up?…some things will be ready to open soon but this is going to be incremental and measured?…we hope all of our readers think and stay the course?
IS IT TRUE for several weeks Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has been sending the message to the masses to wash your hands and don’t panic? …many people are very disappointed that the Mayor didn’t use his political influences to find a way to begin a mass testing campaign in Evansville before he begins to look for creative ways to re-open area businesses?
IS IT TRUE that many people feel that the most feasible thing the Mayor to do was to used his political connections to organize a mass COVID-19 testing campaign? Â …to the chagrin of his many supporters, he opted to appoint a “REOPEN EVANSVILLE TASK FORCE” to look for ways to reopen local businesses before he did mass testing for the COVID-19 virus in our community? Â …in fact, many of his supporters feel if he opens local businesses prematurely and the COVID-19 virus has an unexpected resurgent and people die in the process it will be the end of his political career?
IS IT TRUEÂ that Banks raked in $10 billion in fees for handing out US-backed loans to shore up small businesses battered by the coronavirus despite taking on little to no risk on the deals?
IS IT TRUE the Feds paid banks for serving as intermediaries for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which allowed any federally insured bank or credit union to field applications for rescue loans and pass them on to the US Small Business Administration for approval?
IS IT TRUE that only 1.3% of the U. S. population has been tested for the COVID -19 virus so far? Â …the population of the United States is around 328 million people?
IS IT TRUE as of yesterday that Detroit Michigan is offering COVID -19 to all essential workers? Â …this is the way to run a railroad?
IS IT TRUE that Small Businesses represent one half of the workforce in the United States?
IS IT TRUE that 75 companies that received government stimulus money had a market value of over $100 million dollars each?
IS IT TRUE recently a CCO poster made the following comment and also asked us the following question?...here’s what “Another Voice” posted: “that talking of loans to businesses that really don’t deserve it, I have heard that many newspapers have received Government stimulus loans. They don’t deserve it!!  Did the CCO get part of these stimulus loans?  …here’s our response to “Another Voice” question?  …we posted that “The City-County Observer is in excellent financial shape.  The CCO hasn’t and will not apply for a Government stimulus loan. We want this money to be allocated to a deserving home owned and homegrown small businesses.  We are extremely puzzled why a multi-million dollar publishing conglomerate needs to receive a government bailout”?
IS IT TRUE Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain, traded at $12 a share last summer. It dropped to about $6 in January before coronavirus and is trading at 90 cents a share?
IS IT TRUE that the President of Deaconness Hospital Dr. James Porter, recently told the Courier and Press  “that Deaconess is testing people which also including people the State Health Department probably wouldn’t test because indicators weren’t strong enough”? …Dr. Porter also said “but we have not received any of those results back yet, so those are all out at reference labs (typically private, commercial facilities) awaiting results?  …he further added that “and of course, we don’t have a lot of visibility into what’s happening there”? …we do know that the lab that we most often primarily use is actually shipping specimens once they get them to another reference lab — because their capacity is overwhelmed.â€?  …we give five (5) cheers to Dr. James Porter for being candid about the current status of testing for the Coronavirus locally and look forward to receiving a detailed update of the test these results from Dr. Porter?
IS IT TRUE that over the years the Evansville Board Of Public Works has earned the reputation of not only being very political but also being a rubber stamp for the Mayor holding office at that time? Â …several months ago when a professionally refined lady came before this board to discuss her RFP she was publically demeaned and insulted by the Board Chairman? … after that episode, it is our opinion that the current Board Chairman may not have the professional temperament to continue to serve on this board?
IS IT TRUE we would like to thank a long-time supporter and friend Joe Wallace for his help with the City-County Observer during the time that our publisher was facing serious health problems? Â …that Joe Wallace is a shining example of what true friendship is all about?
IS IT TRUEÂ don’t be surprised to see that the Vanderburgh County Council will decide to use most of the allocations of COIT funds from 2018, 2019, and 2020 to build a new addition to the Vanderburgh County jail if a few new faces are elected to this board?
IS IT TRUEÂ we are told that many people of the 5th Ward are extremely pleased with City Councilman Justin Elpers because he is extremely conservative?
IS IT TRUE we are told that many people are getting tired of the way that County Councilman Tom Shelter, Jr. are treating people? Â …we are told that he have become extremely authoritative and impatient? …we are told that this kind of thing happens when a person has served in public office to long?
Today’s “Readers Poll†question is: Who do you considerer the most effective spokesperson concerning given updates on the Coronavirus?
Please take time and read our newest feature articles entitled “LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTS†posted in our sections.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com.
EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.
City-County Observer Comment Policy. Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will not be tolerated and shall be removed from our site.
Don’t Waste Stimulus Money on Newspapers
Don’t Waste Stimulus Money on Newspapers
You wouldn’t put a dead man on a ventilator, would you?
My heart commands me to support the 19 Democratic senators who want the next stimulus package to include local news businesses, injured like other industries by the coronavirus apocalypse.
Lord knows the senators have a case. About 33,000 news media workers have been laid off, furloughed, or had their wages cut since the pandemic arrived, and few news outlets have dodged the damage. Some daily newspapers have reduced the number of days they go to the press, and others have stopped printing altogether. This industrywide death spiral hits me personally because I grew up on newspapers, delivering them when I was a kid. I’ve always loved the way newspapers smell and the rustle they make as you course through their pages, and I’ve always enjoyed returning from vacation to plow through a pile of yesterday’s papers and catch up on crime, corruption, and culture. Nobody will miss newspapers more than me when they finally vanish.
The newspaper business—which is what most people are talking about when they talk about local news—went into eclipse a couple of decades ago, long before coronavirus struck. Circulation of U.S. dailies is down 50 percent from its all-time high and revenue down about 60 percent from their peak. Newspaper employment is down about 50 percent from its 2008 levels. Except for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, which have added millions of online subscribers, and the Washington Post, which boasts more than a million digital subscribers and the world’s richest man as its owner, most newspapers are sliding toward oblivion. Even the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times has felt the current pinch and has been forced to lay off staff. Meanwhile, the 30-newspaper McClatchy chain, with dailies in Miami, Sacramento, Kansas City, and Fort Worth, just filed for bankruptcy and was headed there even before the pandemic. Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain, traded at $12 a share last summer. It dropped to about $6 in January before coronavirus and is trading at 90 cents as I write.
This day didn’t sneak upon us. In 1976, Los Angeles Times media reporter David Shaw asked in the lede of his story about the struggling newspaper business, “Are you now holding an endangered species in your hands?†Los Angeles Times Publisher Otis Chandler conceded to Shaw that no metro newspaper was essential to 50 percent of its readers. In 1992, financier Warren Buffett, who has made additional millions from owning newspapers said the ride was over—that newspapers had lost their competitive edge to cable and broadcasting. He didn’t even mention the internet, which was not yet a thing. Ever since it became a thing, people have been prophesying the destruction of the industry. The most surprising thing is not that newspapers are teetering into the abyss but that they lasted this long. The virus is only accelerating their fate.
Back to the bailout argument. It might make sense for the government to assist otherwise healthy companies—such as the airlines—that need a couple of months of breathing space from the viral shock to recover and are in a theoretical position to repay government loans sometime soon. But it’s quite another thing to fling a lifebuoy to a drowning swimmer who doesn’t have the strength to hold on. Newspapers are such a drowning industry. Readers have abandoned them in the tens of millions. Advertisers have largely abandoned them. For the most part, the virus isn’t causing them to sink. They’re already sunk. In the triage of rescuing flailing firms, some sectors must be left dead unless we want to make permanent welfare cases out of them—and that’s a much different argument than a bailout.
It would also be a grievous error to bail out papers controlled by the Alden Global Capital hedge fund—and other firms like them—that have made a practice of squeezing high profits while simultaneously cutting staff and escalating subscription prices. I don’t necessarily quarrel with the “vulture capitalist†business model of extracting the value from its properties as quickly as possible until all that’s left is a husk, but we shouldn’t reward companies that hollow out their newspapers with feeding at the government trough.
Newspaper bailout defenders like to say there’s nothing unprecedented about the government intervening in the market to help the press. They point to the steep mailing subsidies the U.S. Post Office gave publications for most of the nation’s history. They point to the government mandates that all (paid) public notices must be placed in newspapers. They point to the antitrust exemption that allowed competing newspapers to combine their business sides while keeping their news sides independent in “joint operating agreements.†But industrywide government loans to news outlets or massive direct subsidies of them as recently proposed by Poynter Institute thinkers Kelly McBride and Rick Edmonds as well as a consortium of organizations and individuals, including PEN America, are unprecedented. The imposition of government money into newsrooms would inevitably bring with it the potential chill of political interference. Politicians—usually Republicans like President Donald Trump—routinely issue threats to defund NPR and PBS every time they object to the outlets’ coverage. Do we really want to make the print press beholden to such political whims?
No less an authority on government-funded media than Vivian Schiller, president and CEO of NPR from 2008 to 2011, can explain how “problematic†the current model of federal funding to public media is. “The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is intended to be the firewall to protect the independence of the stations,†Schiller told me. “But CPB is governed by political appointees and the top executives are former political operatives, not media people. Their jobs are contingent on continued funding from Congress and that creates a disincentive to provide funding for anything controversial. This is an untenable structure for supporting independent journalism.â€
The Supreme Court has long disfavored laws and taxes that target one outlet for punishment or preferential treatment, arguing that such machinations by the government can be easily used to suppress free speech. Nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds it. How might the court feel about special financial set-asides from the government to newspapers? It’s easy to imagine the court consistently applying its current standards on how to treat the press by insisting that all the government largess be offered “equally†to all press comers—big dailies, regional dailies, small local papers, weeklies, as well as magazines. The prospect of every publication going on the government dole alarms me because it invites steady mischief from politicians. The PEN America crowd seems to think that potential nightmare can be wished away by erecting “Safeguards to ensure that public funding does not impinge on the editorial independence of any news organization.†Good luck with that.
Setting aside my objections to press subsidies for a moment, how exactly would the subsidies be distributed? Would taxpayers be expected to underwrite the entire paper, including the entertainment and lifestyle coverage found in the sports, food, fashion, decor, travel, and comics pages? Or should the subsidy money be earmarked only for hard news about government and business? Would book reviews be fit for subsidization? Or would that depend on the subject of the book? How about real estate coverage? The opinion pages? Would government support go to journalistic incumbents only, or would newcomers who want to start publications qualify? Would the bailout favor print publications over online outlets?
If newspaper bailouts are out, what should the government do? Steven Waldman at Report for America recently proposed, among other things, that the feds spend $500 million worth of public service ads that will be placed in local news operations. In the U.K., the National Union of Journalists has advocated a “windfall†tax on tech companies to support failing news operations. In recent days, Sen. Maria Cantwell, (D-Wash.) and three other senators (two of them Republicans) have sent leadership a letter insisting that newspapers get included in the next round of Paycheck Protection Program money. But none of these pitches solve the problem of failing newspapers, they just kick it down the road, dooming the news to be a government subsidiary forever.
Like me, renowned media gazer Frederic Filloux thinks coronavirus marks the final beginning of the end for print. Calling it “the embodiment of the ancient world,†he says the costly manufacturing and distribution of newspapers is untenable in a time of germ and virus avoidance. Publishers and editors can’t expect to hold the whole traditional newspaper bundle of news, entertainment, and advertising together as they complete the transition to digital news. They need to be more selective about what content they decide to create and—perhaps most critically—locate the readers who are willing to pay for it. It won’t be easy and it won’t be as good as the newspapers from the golden era, but if it can be self-sustaining, it will help maintain the independence that’s essential to good newspapering.
I suspect this argument will be rejected and that stimulus dollars will be minted and sent to newspapers across the land based on the supposition that if we’re going to assist airlines and steakhouses, why not newspapers, too? People might not love newspapers, but they like them enough to continue to read them if they can get somebody else to foot a part of the bill. For as long as the money holds out, these subsidized newspapers will appear to be viable. But don’t be fooled. You can attach a ventilator to a corpse and make it look like it’s breathing, but it’s quite another matter to resurrect it.
FOOTNOTES: THIS ARTICLE WAS SENT TO US BY A FORMER NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER LIVING IN CHICAGO AND HE ASKS US TO SHARE IT WITH OUR READERS. Â WE POSTED TO ARTICLE WITHOUT BIAS, OPINION, OR EDITING.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES 45 NEW COVID-19 DEATHS, UPDATES STATEWIDE CASE COUNT
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 612 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 13,039 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.
A total of 706 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.
 To date, 72,040 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 69,470 on Wednesday.
Marion County had the newest cases, at 160. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Allen (44), Bartholomew (17), Cass (61), Elkhart (11), Hamilton (23), Hendricks (34), Johnson (22), Lake (55), Shelby (20) and St. Joseph (22). The Lake County totals include results from East Chicago and Gary, which have their own health departments.
The complete list of counties with cases is included in the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at coronavirus.in.gov. Cases are listed by the county of residence. Private lab reporting may be delayed and will be reflected in the map and count when results are received at ISDH. The dashboard will be updated at noon each day.
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Lt. Gov. Crouch announces 13 COVID-19 Response Recipients
Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that 13 rural Hoosier communities will receive more than $1.96 million in federal grant funding, through the new COVID-19 Response Program.
“After setting up weekly calls with our local elected officials and Main Street organizations, I was able to hear how quickly we needed to provide funding to assist with rising medical needs and to save jobs and small businesses,†said Crouch. “Our rural communities are truly the next economic frontier and we have to do all we can to ensure they survive this crisis.â€
In March, Governor Eric Holcomb issued Executive Order 20-05 that allowed the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to redirect Community Development Block Grant funds to assist with COVID-19 needs, based on guidance from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
On April 1, the COVID-19 Response Program launched and, over the course of two weeks, received 108 Letters of Need, totaling an estimated $23 million in requests. Eligible activities for this program include but are not limited to:
- Expanding or altering existing medical facilities to help in the increase patient load due to COVID-19;
- Provide fixed or mobile testing;
- Expand food pantry services to low-to-moderate (LMI) populations; and
- Provide grants or loans to small businesses to help retain LMI jobs.
“Our rural communities are feeling the effects of COVID-19 and need immediate support to ensure that critical services and supplies, as well as economic recovery resources are available,” said Jodi Golden, Executive Director of OCRA. “These are the first of many projects we hope to fund through this new program.â€
Below is a summary of the projects funded under each category. More projects will be announced as they continue to be evaluated and reviewed by OCRA. For further information on the program, visit www.in.gov/ocra/3010.htm.
Provide testing, diagnosis or other services
- The Town of Lacrosse is awarded $10,000 to install four Wi-Fi hotspots for residents to access the internet to complete e-Learning activities, file unemployment claims and submit job applications.
- Cass County and Logansport Memorial Hospital are awarded $150,000 to provide COVID-19 testing at the Cass County Fairgrounds to residents of Cass County. Special hours will be set aside for those that are seniors aged 62 and older.
Establish delivery service
- Tippecanoe County is awarded $100,000 to provide a distribution service for essential supplies to families or individuals in quarantine and isolation because of positive testing for COVID-19.
- The City of Logansport is awarded $100,000 to deliver supplies and meals to LMI residents in partnership with the United Way of Cass County.
- The City of Bargersville is awarded $100,000 to deliver needed supplies to residents in partnership with the local main street organization.
Grants to businesses to retain jobs
- The Town of North Manchester is awarded $250,000 to build upon an existing Revolving Loan Fund to provide grants to local businesses with employees who have low-and-moderate income households impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis.
- Noble County is awarded $95,250 to fund a micro-grant program that will target at-risk small county businesses in partnership with the Noble County Economic Development Corporation.
- Fulton County is awarded $250,000 to provide Grants to small businesses in order to retain employees.
- The City of Delphi is awarded $198,600 to create funds for local businesses that can be used as working capital.
- The City of Knox is awarded $250,000 to provide working capital to local businesses for job retention.
- The Town of Hebron is awarded $152,500 to create a fund to provide short term working capital for small businesses in order to retain jobs.
- Pike County is awarded $60,000 to provide $5,000 grants through the county’s economic development corporation to local businesses for working capital.
Loans to businesses to retain jobs
- The City of Greensburg is awarded $250,000 to provide loans to local small business owners who are LMI or to retain LMI jobs. The funds will be processed through the local economic development revolving loan program.
Don’s Claytons DCI Fine Drycleaning Adjusts Operations to Maintain Employees
The normal employee count at Don’s Claytons DCI Fine Drycleaning is 95 to 100. Today, 70 are still working in some capacity. Bryan Schmitt, President of Don’s Claytons says: “That is actually more than we had just a few days ago, so we have been able to restore some employees who were previously laid off because of the pandemic’s effect on our business.â€
“I would hope we can be back to normal employee levels in July, but I think the economic landscape has been severely altered, and customer habits will remain changed because of many effects of the pandemic, such as gains in efficiency working from home, business closures, and continued layoffs. I’m expecting Don’s Claytons won’t be able to restore employment to pre COVID-19 levels. Time will tell.â€
Schmitt points to three recent improvements he’s made at his 9 retail locations in Evansville and Newburgh, and at the main cleaning facility in the Garvin Industrial Park:
- We’ve resumed normal operating hours for drycleaning and coin laundries to maximize our availability to customers
- Home and business pickup and delivery service is back to normal routines
- The cleaning plant is now operating Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from the previous very limited schedule. More cleaning days will be added as business picks up.Schmitt saw a need in the community and has taken action to help those who need a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He says: “Since we don’t have as much work to do, as usual, Don’s Claytons has started making cloth face masks. We have the people, equipment, and distribution capability to easily take orders from individuals and families. Since we qualified for an SBA loan to help cover employee wages, it seemed like the right thing to do.â€
“If you need a face mask, we are now taking orders at no charge for adults and children. Check with your nearest Don’s Clayton’s location to place an order, or email your request to registry@dci-cleaners.com. Please be sure to include your name, phone number, what sizes, how many, and from which location you would like to pick up your masks. Supplies may be limited, so some orders may take a few days to fill.â€