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Beware of Porch Pirates this Holiday Season

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Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. We know our county and city residents are enjoying time with family and friends today, with many planning their holiday shopping strategy over turkey dinner. Sheriff Dave Wedding would like to remind everyone of a persistent issue in December, porch piracy!

Sheriff Wedding stated, “So called ‘porch pirates’ have struck in our county already this year and will undoubtedly continue their activity throughout the holidays. The explosion of internet based shopping has made this form of theft particularly lucrative during the weeks prior to Christmas.”

Porch pirates snatch packages from the front doors of homes and make off with the loot. Porch pirates have been known to follow UPS and FedEx trucks, grabbing packages soon after they are delivered.

How to defend against porch pirates:

  • Bring in packages as quickly as possible.
  • Sign up for text based delivery notifications through your online retailer.
  • Ask a neighbor to bring your packages inside if you are not home.
  • Consider deterent options such as a Package Guard or a Video Doorbell.
  • Join your nieghboorhood social media group on Nextdoor to better communicate with your neighbors regarding suspicious activity and recieve localized alerts from the Sheriff’s Office.

According to the National Retail Federation, almost half of all shopping will be online this holiday season. With a few precautions, we can prevent these pirates from making off with our holiday treasure.

 

Image courtesy of Turner Entertainment Co.

 

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx

“IS IT TRUE” NOVEMBER 29, 2019

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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? 

IS IT TRUE next week a presentation will be made to the Vanderburgh County Council concerning the proposed expansion to the Vanderburgh County jail?  …that officials of  the Vanderburgh County Authority, Sheriff Office and StructurePoint Engineering will present four (4) jail design proposals to the County Council? …the four (4) designs costs will range between $20 plus million dollars to $90 million dollars?  …we are told that the majority of Vanderburgh County Commissioners will support the $90 million jail design and the Vanderburgh County Council will vote for a smaller jail design by a slim majority?

IS IT TRUE on December 4, 2019 at high noon at the Civic Center the Board of Park Commissioners is scheduled to approve and execute the Board Recommendation for Wesselman Par 3 Golf  Course?  …Commissioner Stewart will be present the decision  concerning the future of at Wesselman Par 3 Golf course? …our prediction is it  won’t be good news for those who enjoy playing golf at Wesselman?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville attorney Charlie Berger took the bull by the horns last week and requested public information from the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation School Board members? …Mr. Berger made it very clear that he was taking this action as a concerned citizen and chose the right forum to make his request? …he even stated his  intention to wait a respectable amount of time to pass while members of the EVSC School Board assemble the requested materials and made them available to him?

IS IT TRUE that school board President Karen Ragland disappointed many people when she took offense to Mr. Berger’s request for detailed information from the EVSC?

IS IT TRUE its a known fact that elected officials in the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County understands the Sunshine Laws of Indiana?…keeping public information from a member of the public is illegal and Karen Ragland has been in and around government long enough to know this?

IS IT TRUE we already know how this will play out because highly regarded  attorney Charles Berger has let it be known that he will only wait 15 days to take the next step?…Karen Ragland may be in for a series of surprises because attorney Charlie Berger has a reputation for following the law to a letter and he usually comes out on the winning side of any legal process he takes on?

IS IT TRUE if there were some bets to be made, the smart money would be on citizen Charlie Berger to prevail?…Karen Ragland on the other hand will be learning a valuable lesson on how to be a competent, knowledgeable, and a good steward of the public trust?…she will also have the opportunity to learn when to be quiet?

IS IT TRUE we been told that past e-mail records of former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel doesn’t exist in City Government archives anymore? …if our information is correct we wonder why someone would delete former Mayor Weinzapfel e-mail archives? …we also wonder if any of the e-mail archives of former Evansville Mayors are also missing?

IS IT TRUE in 2019 the democratic controlled Evansville City Council voted  to retain the services of attorney Josh Claybourn? …that Mr. Claybourn has developed a reputation of working with members of the Evansville Council in a non-partisan manner? …we are told that Mr. Claybourn political views are moderate to conservative depending on the issues? …our “MOLES” are telling us as of today Mr. Claybourn chances of being retained by the Democratic controlled City Council for 2020 are very good?

IS IT TRUE we are told that State Representative Ryan Hatfield has been extremely aggressive in pursuing the Evansville City Council attorney job? ..that several of the newly elected City Councilors are turned off because they feel that Mr. Hatfield is being too aggressive?

IS IT TRUE we are told that former Evansville Mayor Weinzapfel recently had lunch with the most conservative member of the Evansville City Council discuss the 2020 City Council attorney job? …all we can say about this is “very interesting”?

IS IT TRUE it looks like the days of those who claim to be a “kingmaker” in local politics may be coming to an end?

IS IT TRUE that since the first newspaper was published in 1690 through the turn of the century defined by the year 2000, newspapers have served as the most important medium for holding politicians accountable in an objective and fair manner?…the journalists of old were all about accuracy, fairness, checking their sources, and of course being good citizen businesses?…capitalism has rewarded newspaper owners with status, prestige, and profits turning names like Hurst, Bingham, and Scripps into household names?

IS IT TRUE that it is no secret that the newspaper industry has been falling on hard times for at least a decade?…from the New York Times to every daily news based paper in the country the struggle to survive has meant cuts to staff and the associated lowering the bar when it comes to quality?…it seems as though any small to medium-sized daily paper that once captured a reader’s attention for a half-hour a day is now only capable of keeping one’s attention for less than 10 minutes? …we are being told by friends in the mainstream media if the out of town conglomerate that owns the Evansville Courier and Press don’t pay strict attention to the business at hand they could be forced to publish online only? …we hope that this doesn’t happen because we also enjoy reading a printed newspaper?

Todays non scientific but trendy “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that the EVSC Administration should respond to Attorney Charles Berger’s request for financial information?

If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com

Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

 

 

 

Behind The Media Merger Talk: Everyone Must Stream

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Behind The Media Merger Talk: Everyone Must Stream

By Claire Atkinson

 

Facing an onslaught of competition from internet companies like Netflix and YouTube, the big media companies are conducting a radical self-examination and deciding they need a makeover.

A few weeks ago, Disney began expressing interest in buying 21st Century Fox, looking for new content from the company’s movie studios and cable operations. A few days later, Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, also expressed interest, and now Sony and Verizon are taking a look. At the same time, AT&T, the phone giant, is trying to acquire Time Warner, which owns Warner Brothers.

Their goals? To amass the most valuable content libraries, and have a closer and even more direct relationship with consumers.

The reasons for their interest are becoming increasingly obvious with the popularity of streaming video services. According to Nielsen’s latest audience report, consumers spent 50 minutes a week watching video on a smartphone in the second quarter of 2017, up from 24 minutes a week in the same period last year. At the same time, adult viewers were watching substantially less on television.

Google revealed last month that consumers are logging 100 million hours a day watching its YouTube video service on internet-connected TV sets.

Netflix has more than 100 million paying subscribers globally, and thanks to a healthy stock price, it can pay top dollar for shows, more than the networks currently pay for their programming.

“Stranger Things,” a popular sci-fi show, cost Netflix an average of $8 million per episode, while a comparable broadcast network drama could cost $4.5 million, according to Variety. David Wells, Netflix’s chief financial officer, said there was even a possibility of paying $20 million an hour for a show.

Such eye-popping numbers have given big media companies and Wall Street a new appreciation of the entertainment divisions that generate content. But there is a downside: It is much more expensive for the TV networks of big media companies to compete to buy shows. Combining companies like Disney and 21st Century Fox could make economic sense.

“Repackaging Disney’s and Fox’s content assets together could create a production juggernaut with global direct-to-consumer potential and a punchy multiple,” Steven Cahall, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, told investors in a note this month.

AT&T’s eagerness to acquire Time Warner may also be affecting the playing field, giving the telephone giant a content company to meld with its knowledge of a consumer’s location, web viewing habits and ad exposure, and whether that translates into purchases.

“If we can bring to traditional media what is happening in the digital world, you can have a real profound impact,” said AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson at a Vanity Fair conference in October.

But that merger is in doubt after the Justice Department went to court on Monday to stop it.

Not every company is going to have the skills or the resources to compete in the world of digital streaming, and some may just decide to get out or sell to someone bigger.

“I’m reminded of that country song: ‘You got to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em,'” said Tom Freston, former CEO of Viacom, owner of MTV, who is now an investor in the digital media company Vice. “The challenges of the streaming ascendant world are so immense that many may just realize they will never have the scale to be able to compete and stay healthy. So maybe it’s just better to follow Time Warner out.”

FOOTNOTE: Claire Atkinson is the senior media editor for NBC News.

Charter Schools USA Wants Permission To Stay In Indianapolis

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Charter Schools USA Wants Permission To Stay In Indianapolis. Now Is Your Chance To Weigh In
By Dylan Peers McCoy  
November 22, 2019

 

Indianapolis residents will have the chance Monday to offer input on the fate of three city schools ahead of a decision that could determine if they remain in the hands of a Florida-based charter company.

The Indiana Charter Schools Board is expected to decide next month whether to grant charters so the schools can remain with the state-appointed manager, Charter Schools USA. If the board does not grant those charters, the future of the schools is uncertain — state officials could return them to Indianapolis Public Schools, close them, or find another solution.

The three schools — Howe and Manual high schools and Emma Donnan Middle School — have been under state control since 2012, and they are expected to transition out of takeover next year. Before the charter board decides whether to approve charters for the schools, Indianapolis Public Schools plans to make a last-minute plea to the state board of education for the return of Donnan, so the district can bring in a new, local manager. But IPS officials have been less clear about what role they hope to play at Howe and Manual.

In order for the charter network, known as CSUSA, to continue managing the schools, they must win the endorsement of the charter board. One potential concern is the strikingly high number of students who left Howe and Manual without diplomas, as uncovered in a recent Chalkbeat investigation.

Both schools have disproportionately large numbers of students labeled as leaving to home-school, and if those students had been included in the state graduation calculations, graduation rates likely would have plummeted. In the class of 2018, for example, Manual reported 83 graduates, six dropouts, and 60 students who left at some point during their high school years to be home-schooled. But many of those students may not be continuing their education at all, since the state does not track home-schooling.

Those numbers signal that “the distinction between home-school and dropout is really disappearing,” said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, in an interview with Chalkbeat earlier this year.

CSUSA officials told Chalkbeat that parents decide whether to home-school their children and attributed the high numbers to the “high-risk students” the schools educate.

The network will need to make the case to the charter board that it is serving students well, and the large numbers of students leaving Howe and Manual without diplomas could be a red flag.

Another potential hindrance came up this week. Indianapolis Public Schools abruptly decided to end its existing innovation partnership with CSUSA at Donnan — throwing a wrench in the plan for the collaboration to continue.

It’s unclear whether losing the alliance with the district will diminish CSUSA’s chances of gaining approval for its plan from the charter board.

“We are still trying to figure out what impact, if any, it has on our decision,” said James Betley, executive director of the Indiana Charter School Board. “It is a moving target right now.”

Betley said he is seeking more information from the district about why it wants to cut ties with CSUSA and how proposals from Howe and Manual to lease district buildings for $1 could financially affect IPS.

IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, who described the large numbers of students leaving Howe and Manual to home-school as “very concerning,” said at a press briefing Tuesday that leaders are wrestling with what the future of the schools means for the district financially, what the community wants, and how the outcome will impact the stability of families.

IPS board member Diane Arnold said that at this point, the decision about the future of Howe and Manual is out of the district’s hands.

“We would like to have control of those facilities back,” Arnold said. “Then we will have to decide what the best course of action is — whether we’re looking for new innovation partners or whatever may come.”

The charter board will hold a hearing to gather public input at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at Emmerich Manual High School. It is expected to vote on the charters at a meeting on December 13.

Many Say That Proposed BMV ID Change Doesn’t Work

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Many Say That Proposed BMV ID Change Doesn’t Work

November 25, 2019   Posted by:

By Brandon Barger
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—For all the LGBTQ+ topics that divide Hoosiers currently, there seems to be one that they can agree on—that a new proposed rule to change gender ID on driver’s licenses and other IDs doesn’t work.

But one side argues that a gender change from male to female or to the neutral X should never be allowed while the other says the proposed new process is too complicated and bureaucratic.

The BMV held a public hearing on Monday at Indiana Government Center South to solicit public input in addition to the comments gathered online.

Under the proposed changes, a person would have to get a form from the Department of Health and then have their physician sign it and stating that the person “has been under my care and has received appropriate clinical treatment for transition.”

Next, they mail the form back to the Health Department with a photo ID. The department will return a confirmation that the individual will then take to a BMV office to get the revised ID.

Meyers said that the new regulations will align processes between the BMV and the Department of Health and introduce a secure process that will use a single point of contact to maintain vital records.

Megan Stuart, the director of the LGBT Project at Indiana Legal Services, said the proposed rule change “imposes additional and unnecessary barriers…to obtaining identification.” She said she believes that the current process is the best way for transgender and nonbinary Hoosier to change their license to fit who they are.

“I don’t need to go to the doctor and get a letter confirming my height and weight, or my barber to confirm my hair color,” Stuart said.  “I don’t need to do those things, because I am capable looking in the mirror or at the scale and reporting what I see.”

But Michael Morris of the Lafayette Citizens in Action Group was among the overwhelming number of people who said they oppose allowing any change at all.

“Science tells us that we all as humans normally have 22 identical pairs of chromosomes in are DNA but we either have a pair of x chromosomes or x and y chromosomes as our 23 pair. That is determined at conception and cannot be changed,” Morris said.

Micah Clark, the executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana, argued against the change saying it would affect how police and other emergency personal handle situations.

“The proposed Department of Health form does not define what gender X is or what it means. This raises some concerns regarding law enforcement,” Clark said.

Meyers said all of the comments will be taken into consideration as the BMV finalizes its rules.

The BMV will submit its final version to be reviewed by Attorney General Curtis Hill and Gov. Eric Holcomb on Dec. 2. The new rules will be submitted for publishing on and the BMV is hoping to roll out the new rule change by March 3.

FOOTNOTE: Brandon Barger is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.

State Park Trails Sweep ‘Best of Indiana’ Contest

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State park trails swept all 10 places in the Indiana Office of Tourism Development’s 2019 Best of Indiana people’s choice campaign for best hiking trails.

Turkey Run State Park took the top two spots. Its Ladders Trail took first. Trail 2, which goes along the Lusk Earth Fill as well as along cliffs, took second. Trail 2 at Clifty Falls State Park, which traverses Clifty Creek, took third.

Turkey Run is located in Marshall and is known for its gorges and views of Sugar Creek. Clifty Falls is located near Madison and is known for its waterfalls, cliffs, and views of the neighboring city. Clifty Falls will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020.

Rounding out Hoosiers’ top 10 trails are the Fire Tower Trail at Brown County State Park, Falls Canyon Trail at McCormick’s Creek State Park, Adventure Hiking Trail at Harrison-Crawford State Forest and O’Bannon Woods State Park, Wolf Cave Trail at McCormick’s Creek State Park, Pine Hills Nature Preserve Trail at Shades State Park, Three Dune Challenge Trail at Indiana Dunes State Park, and Donaldson Cave/Bronson Cave/Twin Caves Trail at Spring Mill State Park.

DEATH LIST REPORT FOR VANDERBURGH COUNTY

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DEATH LIST REPORT WK 11-25-2019 TO 11-27-2019

Marriage Licenses Issued For Vanderburgh County

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Marriage Licenses Issued

 

Macedo and Feliciano earn MVC awards

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Both players set records for Aces in 2019

 University of Evansville volleyball stars Melanie Feliciano and Gabriela Macedo garnered Missouri Valley Conference recognition on the opening day of the 2019 MVC Volleyball Championship.

Feliciano earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team along with the All-Conference Second Team.  Macedo joined Feliciano on the All-Conference Second Team.

The top libero in the Missouri Valley Conference also has an argument to be the top libero in the country as Gabriela Macedo is coming off of one of the best seasons in MVC history.  Macedo finished the regular season with a total of 681 digs, translating to 5.97 per set.  That tally led the conference by 0.62 per set while her total was 65 more than anyone else. It finished sixth in the entire nation.  She upped her game even more in conference play, posting 6.65 per set.

That was 0.95 more than anyone else while her total of 472 was 90 more than her nearest competition.  Macedo was the only player in the MVC to be recognized with three Defender of the Week awards.  Her total of 681 digs surpassed the previous Evansville mark of 656 and is one of the top ten totals in Valley history.

Her current total is 10th all-time in a single season and she is just 19 away from being just the 7th player in the history of the league to record 700 digs in a season.  Macedo tallied 46 digs in the home match against Drake; it was the second-highest total in conference history and the most in any 5-set match in the NCAA in 2019.

Evansville freshman Melanie Feliciano was the leading freshman in the Missouri Valley Conference and one of the top five in the country, posting 4.18 kills per set.  She finished the season second in the conference with her kill average and was 32nd in the nation.

Her total was third-best among all freshmen in the NCAA.  Feliciano’s total of 456 kills set the Evansville program mark for a freshman; the previous record of 434 came in 1997 by Jessica Kiefer.  Feliciano tied for the conference lead with four Freshman of the Week awards.  Her top performance came against Eastern Illinois where she posted what at the time was a program record of 36 kills.  It is tied for the third-highest amount in a single match in the history of the league.  She had 95 attempts in the match, setting the UE and MVC records.

 

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