https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx
University of Southern Indiana Mourns Loss Of Founding President, Dr. David L. Rice.
The University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees and President Ronald S. Rochon announce with sadness the death of the University’s founding and first president, Dr. David L. Rice.
Dr. Rice, 90, died peacefully at his residence in York, Pennsylvania, at 7:10 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, January 15, 2020.”While we are saddened by his death, we want to celebrate the legacy Dr. Rice has left,” said Dr. Ronald S. Rochon, USI president. “Our story is one of community, of linking arms, minds and resources to overcome adversity. More than a half-century ago, an institution of public higher education in Southwestern Indiana was only a dream.
It took the perseverance of Dr. Rice and those around him to make this dream a reality. Never underestimate the power of an idea, how it can transform lives, and how it can propel a community. Dr. Rice knew this-and we celebrate and embody these tenants each and every day in all that we do.”
The visitation and funeral will be held on the USI campus. Arrangements are pending and will be updated when available on the USI website and the Browning Funeral Home website, www.browningfuneral.com/. Additional information, as well as a tribute to Dr. Rice’s legacy, can be found at USI.edu/Rice.
Commentary: Holcomb Sends Signals With Silence And Statement
TheStatehouseFile.comÂ
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric Holcomb’s fourth State of the State address made news in two ways.
The first was for something he didn’t say.
The second was for something he did.
The omission is likely to gain the most attention. For days leading up to the speech, there had been speculation that Holcomb was going to announce plans to deal with Indiana’s teacher pay problem during this legislative session.
It turned out to be just that – speculation.
Holcomb offered detailed plans to increase teacher compensation, but every one of them will be part of the governor’s 2021 legislative agenda. There was nothing for this year.
It’s hard to know why that is.
Right after the speech, I talked with Indiana Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis.
Moed said he was surprised that Holcomb didn’t propose something for teachers this year.
“All he did was kick the can down the road,†Moed said.
I asked Moed if there would have been support in the Indiana House of Representatives if Holcomb had pushed for more money for teachers this year.
“Oh, yeah,†Moed said. “He’s a popular governor. The members of his party would have supported him on it.â€
Besides, Moed said, in the rest of the governor’s speech, Holcomb made clear that there was plenty of money available to solve the problem.
Indiana Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, said pretty much the same thing.
Torr said, “I wouldn’t have had a problem with a one-time bonus†that eased teachers’ pain while legislators worked out a more permanent solution in next year’s legislative session. He added that there would have been enough votes in the House to pass such a plan.
So, why didn’t the governor propose doing that?
Torr shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know,†he said. “I haven’t talked with him about it.â€
The speech certainly didn’t offer many clues as to why Holcomb chose not to act.
Holcomb touted the state’s efforts to reshuffle and restructure state funds – mostly pensions – to free up an additional $50 million every year to increase teacher pay. He also called attention to the charge he had given to his Teacher Compensation Commission to make Hoosier teachers’ salaries competitive with those of educators elsewhere in the Midwest.
The governor’s tone suggested urgency.
But his actions sure didn’t reflect that.
Nowhere during his 33-minute speech did he say why Indiana, with lots of money in the bank, couldn’t try to solve one of the state’s most pressing problems.
Now.
Not next year.
The reason Holcomb chose not to help teachers this year remained just as great a mystery after his speech as it was before he stepped to the podium. His silence spoke in ways that likely will not help the state move forward.
The thing the governor said that did break new ground came near the end of the speech. It came as Holcomb set up his conclusion.
“My fellow Hoosiers, we’ve become known around the world as ‘A State that Works,’†the governor said. “I want Indiana to become known as ‘A State that Works for All.â€
Then came the key part:
“Where every citizen – no matter their background or age or who they love or whether they grew up here or arrived last week – has equal access and opportunity to go as far as they wish and are willing to work to get there.â€
No matter … who they love.
That was a far cry and a bold departure from the days, not long distant, when this state and Holcomb’s own party sought to deny same-sex unions and to allow Hoosier businesses to discriminate against law-abiding citizens based on their sexual orientation.
The governor may have lacked courage in dealing with the teacher pay question, but he demonstrated plenty of it in redressing a huge and historic wrong.
That’s important.
Following Eric Holcomb’s speech, teachers had just reason to complain.
But the cause of justice, thank goodness, did not.
FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Republicans See vision, Democrats See Denial In Governor’s State Of The State Address
By Haley Pritchett
and Kiara Calloway
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—As Republicans applauded Gov. Eric Holcomb as a strong leader with a vision for Indiana following his State of the State address Tuesday evening, Democrats assailed him for failing to act this year to find a way to raise teacher pay.
In his speech, Holcomb touted education increases passed in the 2019 two-year budget, and proposed freeing up another $50 million for teacher pay in 2021 by using $250 million of the state’s surpluses to make early payments into a teacher retirement fund.
A similar move in the last budget freed up $65 million that could be used by school districts to boost teacher pay. And Holcomb said the state should wait until next year’s budget-writing session to act.
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, criticized the governor for failing to propose raising teacher pay this year in his State of the State. Photo by Haley Carney, TheStatehouseFile.com
Democrats were not impressed.
“There is no law that says we can’t open the budget. We can do what we want to, and we have in the past,â€Â said House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne. “We can do exactly what we need to do to give teachers the pay increase this year.â€
And Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, doubted that teachers’ reaction to the delay would be positive.
“If he was politically concerned about what the teachers were saying, I would’ve thought he would’ve said I’ll do something right away,†Lanane said. “Instead he says, ‘sorry you’ll have to wait.’ â€
Democrats have tried through amendments, without success, to give teachers a one-time bonus this year, and Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, has filed a measure, Senate Bill 306, which, like Holcomb, uses the teacher retirement fund as a vehicle to free up money for teacher pay. Unlike Holcomb, who proposes using surplus funds to pay down the fund’s annual appropriation, Tallian proposes simply reducing the pension fund appropriation to make money available.
Tallian said she’s glad Holcomb saw merit in her proposal, which she said she’s been pursuing for about a year, but was disappointed he was proposing making less money available and waiting a year to do so.
House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, however, applauded Holcomb’s speech, and said “you have to be really careful what you do with our pensions and that it is properly funded.â€
“It’s good for the governor to get that out there on the table, so that those elected in the next election can lead on that issue,†he said of Holcomb’s proposal.
Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said in a statement that Holcomb “laid out a compelling vision for improving the lives of Hoosiers all across our state.â€
One issue Bray highlighted was Holcomb’s proposal to improve health care cost transparency, including by creating a database so Hoosiers can know the cost of services at hospitals and insurance reimbursements.
That also got a thumbs up from Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association. In a statement, Tabor said the group supports the call for a “healthier Indiana.â€
“His proposals will put Indiana on a path to lower costs for Hoosiers and better physical and mental health outcomes,†he said.
Two Democrats are seeking the nomination to run against Holcomb in the November election – businessman Josh Owens and former state health commissioner Dr. Woody Myers – both panned the address.
Hoosiers deserved “big bold ideas†from Holcomb and instead got “more of the same incrementalism,†Owens said in a statement.
He said under his campaign for governor, he would raise teacher pay to a $50,000 minimum for every Hoosier teacher, and create a Public Education Endowment add another $300 million annually for public education without having to raise taxes.
Owens also said Holcomb “has a history of making promises under pressure in his State of the State address, only to underdeliver. Just last year he promised a comprehensive hate crimes bill that would protect all Hoosiers, including all LGBTQ Hoosiers. He didn’t do it.â€
Myers said in a statement that “the state of our state presented tonight was a lot rosier than the one I’ve heard about from Hoosiers who struggle to make a living wage, access affordable health care and ensure their children receive a quality education.
“There are real problems in our state and the Hoosiers I talk to say it is beyond time for real leadership.â€
One area Democrats did applaud: Holcomb’s plan to eliminate hands-on use of cell phones. They said they attempted to pass a similar law about a dozen years ago.
The Republicans, on the other end, were noncommittal on whether they supported requiring motorists only use hands-free phones and other devices.
“I encourage the governor to reach out directly to both of our transportation committees and make a case for it,† Bosma said.
Haley Pritchett and Kiara Calloway are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.
Vanderburgh County Commissioners to Hold Road HearingÂ
Vanderburgh County Commissioners to Hold Road HearingÂ
The Board of Commissioners of Vanderburgh County will conduct its annual road hearing on Tuesday, January 28 following the County Commissioners meeting at 3:00 pm in room 301 of the Civic Center, 1 NW MLK Blvd.Â
This public forum will provide citizens with information on road projects scheduled for 2020 and allow citizens to identify specific county roads to be included in the 2020 paving list. Â
Residents who wish to address the Board with specific road concerns or suggestions are asked to contact the County Commissioners office prior to January 24 so the issue can be investigated prior to the meeting. The Commissioners Office can be reached at 435-5241 between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm or you can email your concerns or suggestions to commissioners@vanderburghgov.org.Â
Database: Find Out How Many Home-Schoolers Were Left Out Of Indiana’s 2019 Graduation Rates
Database: Find Out How Many Home-Schoolers Were Left Out Of Indiana’s 2019 Graduation Rates
A “Prep College Careers” sign on a window at Crispus Attucks High School, a public school in Indianapolis, Indiana. — April 2019 — Photo by Alan Petersime/Chalkbeat
PHOTO CREDIT:Â Alan Petersime/Chalkbeat
Nearly 3,700 Indiana students who were expected to graduate in 2019 but did not earn diplomas were left out of high school graduation rates.
Those students were wiped off the books because they were labeled as leaving to home-school — a designation that helps boost graduation rates for high schools but does not ensure the students are educated at home.
The state total for the latest graduation data is nearly identical to the number in the prior year despite growing attention to the problem. Across the state, 47 fewer students were marked as leaving to home-school in 2019 compared to 2018, when just over 3,736 students in the graduating class were designated as homeschoolers.
The data comes after a recent Chalkbeat investigation revealed that many teens leaving to home-school are clustered at some of the state’s most troubled schools. As a result of the problem, Indiana students who have diminished opportunities because they don’t earn diplomas are left out of state graduation data, creating a hidden dropout crisis at many high schools.
Following that investigation, a state panel called for lawmakers to reconsider how they calculate graduation rates. The panel also released a plan for high school accountability grades to be based largely on whether students are enlisted, employed, or enrolled in post-secondary education when they graduate — deemphasizing graduation rates that some say can be easily manipulated.
The new numbers coincide with rising concerns among Indiana policymakers that students are being improperly labeled as leaving to home-schools. Last year, the legislature passed a law that targets schools with large numbers of students leaving to home-school and requires them to show “good cause†or those students will be designated as dropping out.
The state expects to begin implementing that law with the 2020 graduating class, but Indiana State Board of Education officials have not yet determined how they will measure “good cause.â€
Emmerich Manual High School, an Indianapolis campus that was the focus of Chalkbeat’s reporting last year because of its high rate of students leaving to home-school in 2018, saw a significant decline in the number of homeschoolers in 2019. The dip was driven in part by a routine state audit, which found that the school did not have appropriate paperwork for many of the students initially designated as homeschoolers.
In 2019, the high school with the largest number of students labeled as leaving to home-school — and the highest rate among schools serving traditional students — was Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy. At the scandal-plagued virtual school, which abruptly closed in September, 126 students were marked as leaving to home-school.
Find out how many students at your high school left to home-school with our searchable, sortable database. It shows how many students from the class of 2019 left to home-school, dropped out, and graduated.
EVSC FOUNDATION TO HOST HANGERS BENEFIT GALA
To generate funding to help 3,000+ at-need students, EVSC Foundation is hosting the fourth annual Hangers benefit gala Saturday, February 29. The family-friendly event will take place at Cambridge Golf Course and will include dinner, a program, silent and live auctions. Single tickets to the event are $75, reserved table seating for eight is $600. All proceeds from the gala provide clothing (shoes, coats, uniforms) and hygiene kits for students facing barriers.
“There are a number of reasons families may need our support,†says Maureen Barton, EVSC Foundation executive director. “From house fires to homelessness, to housing or foster care transitions, we are able to act immediately to reduce strain on the family unit and help students stay focused on their education. $150 sponsors a child for an entire year. Community supporters who sponsor children enable us to step in quickly to help reduce a student’s time spent out of the classroom.â€
The goal of this year’s Gala is to raise $30,000 that goes directly to clothe students.
Aside from attending, other ways to support the gala include donating an auction item, making a financial contribution, or dropping off new and gently-used clothing at the Hangers facility (located at the Academy for Innovative Studies/former North High School. To enter, please use door 27 on Wedeking Ave).Â
For any other questions about Hangers or to purchase gala tickets, contact Laura O’Leary, Marketing and Communications at (812)435-0934 or info@evscfoundation.org.
Art and Life Exhibition Recognizes Careers, Collaboration Of Waters And Graham
The University of Southern Indiana McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries will feature Art and Life: The Similar Sensibilities of Katie Waters and Matthew Graham through Wednesday, February 12. A reception for the artists will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 26. Light refreshments will be served and the public is cordially invited to attend.
Waters, professor emerita of art, taught painting at USI for more than 30 years. She is an exquisite craftsman, whose hyper-realistic concern for capturing light on objects gives the element poetic character. Forty-one of her paintings and drawings are display, providing examples of her work from her entire career. Multiple institutions and individuals loaned artworks from their collections to the university for this exhibition, creating a unique retrospective look at Waters’s entire career.
Accompanying the artworks are published poems by Matthew Graham, professor emeritus of English and Waters’s husband. Poems were selected by the couple to help reinforce the aesthetic similarities they feel they share. Graham was also a professor at USI, teaching English and poetry nearly as long as his wife. During his career, Matthew has published four books of poetry, including The Geography of Home (2019). The Indiana Arts Commission recently designated Graham as the Poet Laureate of Indiana for 2020.
The gallery is honored to host this exceptional exhibition and catalogs that include examples of the works of both Waters and Graham have been created to accompany the exhibition. These catalogs are free to visitors and guests. The Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center/Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries, located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Building, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 812-228-5006.
Gov. Holcomb Public Schedule for January 16
INDIANAPOLIS – Below find Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s public schedule for January 16, 2020.
 Thursday, January 16: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statehouse Program
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gov. Holcomb
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The governor will give remarks.
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Noon, Thursday, January 16
WHERE:         Indiana Statehouse – North Atrium
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Daniel Eugene McDurmon: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Alyssa Lauren Hart: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)
John Garickson Marceus: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Tia Marie Collier: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Kimberly Kay Drew: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Issac James Horne: Attempt Obstruction of justice (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Obstruction of justice (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Invasion of privacy (Class A misdemeanor)
Charles Dee Thomas: Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person (Class A misdemeanor), Open alcoholic beverage container during operating of a motor vehicle (C infraction)
Elisha Renee Grigsby: Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony)
Jeffrey David Hamm: Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Criminal mischief (Class B misdemeanor), False informing (Class B misdemeanor), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)
Steven Cecil Robinson Jr.: Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony)
Wesley Wayne Guth: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Theft (Class A misdemeanor), Carrying a handgun without a license (Class A misdemeanor), Criminal mischief (Class B misdemeanor)
Avisael Juarez: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Lleyton Alexander Delong: Battery by means of a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Criminal recklessness (Level 6 Felony)
Cody Alan Ramage: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Travis Deshay Smith: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Amber Dawn Owen: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Dvontre Dcorvion Watkins: Theft of a firearm (Level 6 Felony), Carrying a handgun without a license (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)