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Commentary: Scary Stories For Grownup Children

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, took some time out of his busy schedule the other day so he could scare some schoolchildren.

The moment came at a Third House session in Columbus. Lucas, who rolls over and retrieves for the gun industry whenever the National Rifle Association snaps its fingers, was one of the lawmakers in attendance.

The Republic reported that about 60 people were in the crowd at the Third House. Among them were a handful of students from ABC-Stewart School.

One of the students, a sixth-grader named Jackson Brewer, asked the lawmakers their thoughts on a proposed new state law that would allow teachers to receive firearms training and permit retired law enforcement officials to carry guns on school property.

In response, Lucas recited his NRA-drafted-and-approved talking points. Gun laws can’t prevent school shootings. Arming teachers can make schools safer. And a federal court has ruled that the police don’t have a duty to protect students while they’re being shot.

As is almost always the case with Lucas, each one of those arguments is either misleading, false or wrenched out of context.

That’s because his priority is protecting guns. If the truth takes a hit in the process, so be it.

For the record, just about every study or survey not paid for by the gun industry shows that violent crime rates tend to be lower in states and countries that have stricter gun laws. There is no evidence that arming teachers will decrease school shootings. And the federal court ruling Lucas refers to says that neither police nor the schools themselves can be held liable for school shootings, just as we cannot sue fire departments for not saving our houses when they burn down.

It was after Lucas ran to the end of his scripted talking points that the weirdness truly began.

The student asked the lawmaker if Lucas thought having more guns around would make students feel safer.

Lucas, The Republic reported, answered “absolutely.”

Then he said, “I’m carrying right now. Does that scare anybody?”

About a third of the people in the room raised their hands. Still, others verbally said, “Yes.”

It’s not surprising Lucas was caught off-guard. Because he only listens to people who think exactly the way he does, it doubtless does amaze Lucas that there are people in the world who don’t see a gun as the answer to every problem.

Some of the gun advocacy groups picked up on the story, which gave Lucas a chance to crow, once again, that he had won national attention for “standing up” for Second Amendment rights.

It’s easy to see why he was so pleased with himself.

Those sixth graders can be a scary bunch. It’s surprising that Lucas didn’t bring an anti-aircraft gun to the Third House event. Some of the paper airplanes elementary school students fashion these days can be positively terrifying.

All this might amount to just another performance of Jim Lucas’s theater of the absurd but for one thing.

His argument is circular and serious.

Deadly serious.

What he and his NRA brain trust contend is that, because the gun lobby and the gun industry have been so successful at flooding this country with guns, it now is an incredibly dangerous place. Because it is so dangerous, we need still more guns to protect ourselves. This, in turn, makes the country still more dangerous, so we will need even more guns.

And on and on and on.

It’s the kind of thinking only a gun profiteer or fetishist could love.

To keep that circle expanding, Lucas and his fellow travelers want us – need us – all to be scared.

That’s all the time and that’s everyone.

Even schoolchildren.

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.

 

Selby: AG Hill Should Get 60-Day Suspension, No Automatic Reinstatement

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Selby: AG Hill Should Get 60-Day Suspension, No Automatic Reinstatement

The hearing officer presiding over Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s discipline case has recommended that the state’s highest-ranking attorney serve a two-month suspension without automatic reinstatement for violations of two professional conduct rules related to sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Myra Selby, a former justice of the Indiana Supreme Court who now works as an Ice Miller LLP partner, filed her hearing officer’s report Friday afternoon, recommending Hill be suspended for 60 days without automatic reinstatement.

She concluded the AG violated Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(b) and (d) and committed Class B misdemeanor battery against four women – State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon and legislative staffers Gabrielle McLemore Brock, Niki DaSilva and Samantha Lozano. The rules violations are for a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer and engaging in conduct is prejudicial to the administration of justice.

Selby’s recommendation will go before the Indiana Supreme Court, which will make the final determination on what, if any, discipline Hill should face.

The four women accused Hill in 2018 of sexual misconduct by groping and/or touching them without their consent. Hill has vehemently denied the allegations and has resisted calls for his resignation. Additionally, a prosecutor declined to file criminal charges against him.

“The position of Indiana Attorney General is an executive branch equivalent of a judicial officer,” Selby wrote. “The Indiana Attorney General is the highest level of attorney in the State of Indiana. The Indiana Attorney General and the Office of the Indiana Attorney General serve the citizens of the State of Indiana by enforcing the laws of the state.

“Accordingly, the Indiana Attorney General’s duty to confirm his or her behavior to the law arises from more than his or her status as an attorney,” Selby continued. “The Attorney General is the state’s chief law enforcement officer and is charged with the administration of the law. The Indiana Attorney General holds a position of public trust and engages in work that has a wide impact across the state.”

Selby then wrote that Hill’s conduct caused injury to his accusers and was “offensive, invasive, damaging, and embarrassing.” He has “showed no insight regarding the impact of his actions,” she said.

But Selby did not find evidence supporting the third charge against Hill — that he violated the Oath of Attorneys, Admission, and Discipline Rule 22.

Selby’s report also focused on Hill’s actions after the allegations became public. “As Attorney General, he used his state office staff and others to engage in a public campaign to defend himself and intimidate the complainants,” her report concluded.

The hearing officer’s report comes after a four-day evidentiary hearing in October during which Hill, his accusers, and numerous witnesses took the stand.  Hill is also in the midst of a crowded re-election campaign. If he were suspended, it is unlikely he would be legally permitted to carry out the duties of the office of the attorney general.

According to an Indiana Supreme Court spokeswoman, the parties have 30 days to file for review of Selby’s report and/or briefs on sanction.

FOOTNOTE: The case is In the Matter of Curtis T. Hill, Jr., 19S-DI-156.

 

Workers In Indiana Could Earn Up To $25 An Hour Working For Census Bureau In 2020

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By Victoria Ratliff
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Workers in Indiana could earn up to $25 an hour working for the United States Census Bureau in 2020.

Nearly 500,000 census workers nation-wide will be hired for field and office, including census taker positions which collect data door-to-door.

Indiana’s unemployment rate is currently at 3.2% and Carol Rogers, the governor’s liaison for the census, said she believes the impact of fewer workers has already been felt. She is a co-director of the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

Some positions in Indiana could pay up to $25 an hour because the wages were recently raised because of the low number of applications.

She said the Census Bureau is countering the unemployment rate’s effects by offering flexible part-time jobs with high pay rates.

The United States Census Bureau conducts the survey every decade as required by the U.S. Constitution to count every person living in the United States, collecting demographic data including age, race, sex, and date of birth of every person living in the residence as of April 1, 2020. Other information gathered includes whether the residence is rented or owned, whether anyone is of Hispanic or Latino descent, and the relationship of each person to the individual filling out the form.

The data gathered through the census provide a snapshot of the United States and the statistics are used by businesses, government officials and others.

As the population of the country shifts, census data are used to redraw legislative district boundaries at the federal, state and local levels. Indiana currently has nine congressional districts, down from 10. The state lost one representative following the 2000 census.

Indiana’s current main goal is to amplify the Census Bureau’s messages, which is to encourage every person to fill out the form when it arrives, Rogers said.

Every state, including Indiana, has Complete Count Committees, which conduct meetings in cities and towns across the states meant to increase local awareness about the census.

Rogers said these meetings, along with state agencies promoting the census, is the state trying to inform locals and do their part to help with the census process.

This year, the Census Bureau is also expanding how it collects data. There are now options for those who might have found difficulty in filling out the physical form, including online, over the phone, or on paper through the mail. The online option is designed to make filling out the census easier for the public.

The Census Bureau is also taking other measures to count those living in special situations, including college students, those living in remote areas, and those experiencing homelessness.

The bureau has also extended the deadline to self-respond and has built a network to secure the online census.

“We’ve got people working around the clock to make it confidential,” Rogers said.

All responses to the census will be collected by July, and apportionment counts will be delivered to the president and Congress by December. The data will be publicly available early next year.

FOOTNOTES: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

 

Bill Could Remove Financial Barriers For Students

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Bill Could Remove Financial Barriers For Students
by Wendy McNamara
Some students may turn down valuable experiences, such as paid internships, apprenticeships, and work-based programs because the income they earn could put their families at risk of losing their benefits.

Because every student should be able to take advantage of these experiences regardless of their family’s financial situation, a bill I supported would exempt students’ income earned through these programs from their families’ eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

This legislation also comes at a time when Indiana needs to strengthen and grow its workforce to meet employers’ demands.

House Bill 1009 is a win-win for young Hoosiers and Indiana’s workforce as it breaks barriers for low-income families and supports a solid pipeline of skilled employees to keep the state’s economic momentum moving forward.

Holcomb Signs Bill Protecting Schools From ILEARN Penalties

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Holcomb Signs Bill Protecting Schools From ILEARN Penalties

Staff Report
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric Holcomb signed legislation Wednesday that will prevent schools from being penalized because of low Indiana Learning Evaluation Assessment Readiness Network (ILEARN) test scores.

The new ILEARN test replaced STEP+ and aims to measure student achievement and growth. Students in grades 3-8 are required to take the English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics portion of the test.

Students and schools performed poorly on the ILEARN test, prompting educators and lawmakers to call for legislation to protect local districts from being penalized. Senate Bill 2 will ease the transition to the new test and will not penalize schools or teachers for low scores for the next two years.

“This legislation ensures that Indiana’s students, teachers and schools have the time they need to successfully adjust to the new ILEARN,” Holcomb said in a news release after signing the bill. “I am grateful that the General Assembly unanimously supported my call to take action allowing educators to remain focused on helping Hoosier students succeed.”

To view the bill and stay updated on legislation making it to the governor’s desk visit: https://www.in.gov/gov/2020billwatch.htm

FOOTNOTE: TheStatehouseFile.com is a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Oakland City University Earns 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School Designation 

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  Oakland City University announces that it has earned the 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School designation.  This year will be the 11th year that OCU has earned this designation. 

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey with 695 earning the designation.

The 2020-2021 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.

“Oakland City University is proud of its tradition of serving student veterans.” stated Dr. Ron Dempsey, president of OCU. “One of our central values at the university is the support of God and Country and being designated as a Military Friendly® School is a tangible expression of that value.”

Military Friendly’s National Director Josh Rosen stated, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for the Military Community as a whole.”

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students 

HOLLY’S HOUSE SHOOTS TO SCORE WITH THE ULTIMATE BASKETBALL EVENT

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Are you looking for the ULTIMATE place to watch the first night of the NCAA basketball tournament?

Come to HOOPS FOR HOLLY’S HOUSE on Thursday, March 19th at the Tropicana Riverfront Pavilion, doors open at 5:30 PM.  For only $30, you can experience the big game up close and personal on a 14’ x 9’ tv screen, all while enjoying plenty of your game day favorite appetizers. Wash down the deliciousness with an ice-cold craft beer tasting and of course, sign up for the pop-a-shot contests.

Be sure and check out one of a kind sports paraphernalia during the silent auction. Buy your tickets today! They shoot, they score…for a great cause! Hoops for Holly’s House – your ultimate college basketball tournament destination!

“We are excited to host a first of a kind event in our area.  Indiana loves basketball and we are hoping folks take advantage of the opportunity to watch hoops and learn about what we do at Holly’s House.

Raising awareness and money for our mission is extremely important as we offer all of our services free of charge.  Without the generosity of our community and supporters, we could not continue to do what we do”, states Holly Edmond, Holly’s House Executive Director.

Tickets are on sale now online at www.hoopsforhollyshouse.eventbrite.com.

 

 

EPA Announces Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Grant Competition

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting applications for funding for air toxics monitoring projects under the Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring grants competition. As part of the Agency’s mission to protect human and environmental health, EPA periodically awards these grants to help state, local and tribal air agencies conduct air quality monitoring projects to address localized air toxics issues.

EPA anticipates awarding up to $5 million from this competition to fund projects that fall into four categories:

  • Characterizing the impacts of air toxics in a community (community-scale monitoring);
  • Assessing the impacts of air toxics emissions from specific sources (near-source monitoring);
  • Evaluating new and emerging testing methods for air toxics; and
  • Analyzing existing air toxics data and developing or enhancing analytical, modeling, and/or implementation tools.

Air toxics, also known as hazardous air pollutants, are linked to cancer or other serious health effects. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA regulates 187 listed air toxic pollutants. While grant applications may address any air toxic pollutant, air toxics of particular interest to EPA in this competition include ethylene oxide, chloroprene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and metals such as hexavalent chromium, nickel and arsenic.

To receive the grants, applicants must be air pollution control agencies as defined by Section 302(b) of the Clean Air Act that also are eligible to receive grants under Section 105 of the Clean Air Act. Funding for the grants comes from State and Tribal Assistance (STAG) funding. Congress appropriates STAG funds for state, local and tribal air agencies to use in implementing and maintaining environmental programs.

Agencies applying for the air toxics monitoring grants may partner with or provide “subgrants” to other organizations for their monitoring projects. The Agency expects to award grants for 10 to 20 projects, depending on funding availability and the quality of applications received. The amount for each grant may vary; however, no grant may be for more than $750,000.

Students and community invited to join second Hackathon sponsored by ACM

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The University of Southern Indiana chapter of the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) will host its second Hackathon from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, February 22, at Carter Hall on the USI campus.

This event, open to both USI students and the general public, will provide a collaborative programming environment to work on real local business projects to gain experience and network with each other. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Registration is $10 or $5 for students with valid ID. Participants are asked to provide their own laptops.

For more information, contact Dr. Srishti Srivastav, assistant professor of computer science, at fsrishti@usi.edu.

Death List Report For Vanderburgh County

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Death List Report For Vanderburgh County

Death List 02-10-2020 TO 02-14-2020