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Evansville’s Future Welcomes New Executive Director
Man’s Third Vehicle Pursuit Ends With His Arrest
Man’s Third Vehicle Pursuit Ends With His Arrest
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a wanted felon who fled in a vehicle for the third time since 2017.
Sheriff’s deputies and Evansville Police officers assigned to the Joint Drug Task Force developed information that Mr. Bret Weir, who had active felony warrants, was living at a residence in Pleasant Ridge Subdivision. On Monday, February 10, 2020, at approximately 3:00 PM Weir was observed at the MotoMart convenience store located on Mariner Drive. Due to Weir’s previous history of fleeing from law enforcement, the decision was made to stop Weir at his residence after he arrived home.
As Weir arrived at his residence on Pleasant Ridge Drive, deputies pulled in behind his vehicle and attempted to block his escape. Instead of surrendering, Weir drove through a grass lot and was able to get back out onto the street. After a brief vehicle pursuit, Weir exited his vehicle and fled on foot. An Evansville Police canine apprehended Weir a short time later in a wooded area west of the trailer park.
Mr. Weir previously avoided arrest on November 06, 2019, after fleeing in a vehicle when an Evansville Police officer tried to stop him for a traffic violation. The Evansville Police and the Sheriff’s Office discontinued that pursuit when Mr. Weir’s driving became too dangerous to the public. A warrant for Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony was later obtained by the Evansville Police Department. Prior to this, Mr. Weir fled from a Sheriff’s Office deputy in September of 2017. Mr. Weir was in a stolen vehicle when he was stopped for reckless driving, but he evaded arrest after losing the pursing deputy near Alexander Memorial Cemetery.
ARRESTED:
Bret Wayne Weir (pictured above), 31, of Evansville. Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony (Warrant), Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony (Warrant), Reckless Driving as a Class C Misdemeanor (Warrant), Reckless Driving as a Class C Misdemeanor (Warrant), Conversion as a Class A Misdemeanor (Warrant)
Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Today’s Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Agenda
AGENDA
 The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
February 11, 2020, at 3:00 pm, in Room 301At hr Civic Center
- Call to Order
- Attendance
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Action ItemsÂ
- Permission to Advertise: 2019 Statement Receipts and Expenditures
- Vanderburgh County-Tony Monks Settlement and Release Agreement
- County Auditor:
- Maximus Consulting Services Termination Letter
- Dossett Consulting, LLC Professional Consulting Services Agreement
- First Reading of Ordinance CO.02-20-002: Amending Ch. 17.24: Off-Street Parking and Loading
- Second Reading of Ordinance CO.07-19-016: Amending C. 17.12.020: Minimum Floor Area
- Burdette Park:
- RC Beverage Contract Renewal
- Oswald Marketing Contract Renewal
- Town and Country Ford Service Vehicle
- Health Department:Â
- Administrative Assistant Contract with Riley Smith
- Review and Approval of Overdose Data to Action Grant
- Department Head Reports
- New Business
- Major Bill White Valentine Card
- Old Business
- Consent Items
- Approval of January 28, 2020, Meeting Minutes
- Employment ChangesÂ
- County Engineer:Â
- Department Reports and Claims
- Approve Travel Request for 2020 Purdue Road School Transportation Conference
- County Auditor: Claims Voucher Reports: 1/27/2020 through 1/31/2020 and 2/3/2020 through 2/7/2020
- County Assessor: Surplus Request
- Sherriff Department: Logan’s Promise Road Closure Request
- County Commissioners: Coliseum Gaming Commission Letter
- Superintendent of County Buildings: Letter of Agency for Coroner’s Office Phones
- Arc of Evansville May-December 2019 Reports
- Public Comment
- Adjournment
Crowded Field Of Candidates Compete In 1st And 5th Congressional Districts
By Victoria Ratliff
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—The retirement of two members of Indiana’s congressional delegation has drawn more than three dozen hopefuls into the races, including state Sen. Victoria Spartz, who would be giving up her seat after one term, and state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon who is not seeking another term.
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, a Democrat from the state’s 1st District in the northwest corner of the state, announced in November that he would not be seeking reelection. He has held that seat since 1985 when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.
In the 5th District, which covers the northernmost section of Indianapolis and county’s father north, Republican Rep. Susan Brooks announced in June that she would not seek re-election.
In the 1st, 13 Democrats and six Republicans have filed to run so far and in the 5th, 14 Republicans and five Democrats have filed, including former state Rep. Christina Hale, a Democrat from Indianapolis. The filing deadline for the May 5 primary is Friday.
Visclosky’s retirement after 35 years in Congress opens up the seat for a younger generation of Democrats.
Andrew Downs, associate professor of political science for Purdue University Fort Wayne, said Visclosky’s retirement brings some attention to the open seat by constituents in the district.
“Before people didn’t have to think about what was happening there, now they’ll have to think about it,†he said.
Downs said Candelaria Reardon, of Munster, might have a leg up in the primary simply because of her familiar name.
“Anybody who is serving at a county level or a state-level should have an advantage over others,†he said.
Photo by Eddie Drews, TheStatehouseFile.com
Candelaria Reardon has already raised just over $98,000 for her campaign, the second most of the candidates running in the 1st District, according to the Federal Elections Commission. She is not seeking re-election.
The only other candidate to raise more contributions is Thomas McDermott, the mayor of Hammond, Indiana. He brought in a little more than $170,000.
The field of Republicans in the 5th just got a little more crowded this week when Spartz, of Noblesville, announced she is seeking the GOP nomination and abandoning her plans to seek a second term in the Senate. She has served there since 2017 when she replaced retiring Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville.
On Thursday, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi is planning to jump in the race, but his paperwork hadn’t yet been filed. Also, state Treasurer Kelly Mitchell has announced that she is seeking the GOP nomination.
Down said the 5th District might more competitive in November, noting that in the 20128 Senate race incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly got 44% of the vote in Hamilton County, more than was expected. Part of the district in Indianapolis leans more heavily to the Democrats.
FOOTNOTES: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter with TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Griffin Files To Run For House District 75
Warrick County resident Mike Griffin filed his paperwork with the Secretary of State on Friday, February 7th, to put his name on the Republican ballot to run for State Representative of House District 75.
With more than 40 years of experience in the finance industry, Griffin has developed new business while maintaining existing accounts and overseeing hundreds of employees.
“By using my experience in finance, business development, and management experience I want to help keep Indiana fiscally responsible and bringing more workforce development to House District 75,†said Griffin. “I want to represent the citizens of the district by building on what State Representative Ron Bacon has done for the past 10 years.â€
Griffin wants to maintain the tax cuts Bacon put in place during his time in office. His platform also contains finishing bringing high-speed broadband infrastructure to the District, driving more funding to teacher pay and continuing to cut government red tape for more efficiency and protecting the First and Second Amendment rights of Hoosiers. While in office, Griffin would build on Governor Holcomb’s agenda of maternal and infant mortality by protecting the mothers and their unborn. He also believes there is still work to do when it comes to addressing Indiana’s drug epidemic.
Griffin resides in Newburgh with his wife Patty. The couple has three daughters – Laurel, Lindsay, and Carly.
House District 75, includes most of Warrick County and the Southern half of Spencer and Pike counties.
EPA at 50: Progress In Protecting Our Nation’s Surface Waters
In commemoration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 50th anniversary, the agency is celebrating progress that has been made in protecting America’s waters throughout the month of February. This week highlights the agency’s progress in protecting our nation’s surface waters to improve these ecosystems and help protect public health.
“EPA is proud of the significant progress we have made in protecting and restoring our nation’s waters, particularly our surface waters. Many of our lakes, rivers and streams that were once severely contaminated now support healthy aquatic ecosystems and the surrounding communities,†said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Dave Ross. “Working with the agency’s federal, state, local, tribal and water sector partners, we continue driving progress that protects the environment and human health.â€
EPA kicked off February’s theme of protecting America’s waters by co-hosting a public meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force in Washington, DC. The Hypoxia Task Force is a group of 12 states, a tribal representative and five federal agencies that work collaboratively to combat the nation’s largest hypoxic (low-oxygen) aquatic zone, which is located in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Reducing excess nutrients across a subcontinental watershed where millions of people live and the land supports a prospering nation is an enormous job that will take years to accomplish. At this meeting, states and federal agencies highlighted successes and remaining challenges in managing excess nutrients in surface waters throughout the Mississippi River basin.
Following the Hypoxia Task Force meeting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will make $17.5 million available in
2020 to support conservation investments by agriculture producers through its Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, and more than $38 million to support producers in 300 small watersheds across the nation, including many watersheds in the Mississippi River Basin. EPA welcomes USDA’s commitment to helping producers improve water quality, restore wetlands and enhance wildlife habitat, while ensuring the economic viability and productivity of agricultural lands.
Additionally, EPA houses a wide range of programs that are making progress protecting our nation’s surface waters. For example, EPA’s Section 319 Program has helped restore 832 impaired waterbodies, including helping partially or fully restore 250,000 acres of lakes and ponds as well as 10,000 miles of rivers and streams, since 2005 by providing funds to states, tribes and territories to help address nonpoint sources of pollution. Additionally, EPA’s National Estuary Program, with its partners, has protected and restored more than 2 million acres of estuary habitat since 2000. The agency has also helped restore approximately 4,316 acres of land and wetlands since 2013 through investing nearly $4.1 million into 193 community-based Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program projects.
Global Cuisine Meets Homecoming Spirit At USI
Below is a list of events and activities happening in and around the USI community in the coming weeks:
Monday, February 10 – Saturday, February 15
USI Homecoming 2020 – Make Your Mark
The University of Southern Indiana will celebrate Homecoming with events for students and alumni starting Monday, February 10 and culminating with the Homecoming basketball games at 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Saturday, February 15. The theme for Homecoming 2020 is “Make Your Mark†and will include events such as a dodgeball tournament, a Homecoming Tailgate, fan contests and more. Full Schedule of Events
6 p.m. Monday, February 10
Rayvon Carter to deliver Black History Month keynote address
Writer and entrepreneur Rayvon Carter will present a keynote address in recognition of Black History Month at 6 p.m. Monday, February 10 in Carter Hall, located in University Center West on the University of Southern Indiana campus. Carter will speak on his experiences working for large corporations in Silicon Valley and take questions from attendees. More Information
Exhibit open through Wednesday, February 12
“Art and Life” exhibition recognizes careers, the collaboration of Waters, 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.  Read More
USI Theatre Continues Season with Brighton Beach Memoirs
University of Southern Indiana Theatre will continue its 2019-20 season with the comedy Brighton Beach Memoirs, written by Neil Simon and directed by Elliot Wasserman. The production runs from February 13-16 in the USI Performance Center located in UC east on USI’s campus. Tickets are $2 for USI students, $10 for USI employees, $4 for non-USI students (student ID required), $10 seniors (60+), and $12 for adults. Tickets are FREE to USI students with ID one hour before the show begins based on availability. Shows start at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. Read More
10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday, February 14
USI’s annual International Food Expo to highlight culture, the cuisine of students from around the globe
The University of Southern Indiana International Club and Center for International Programs will host its annual International Food Expo from 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday, February 14 in Carter Hall, located in University Center West on the USI campus. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 from the Center for International Programs in University Center East, Room 1235, or at the door on the day of the Expo for $15. USI students are able to purchase tickets from the Eagle Access Office with their USI ID using Munch Money. Read More
STUDENT EVENTS
A collection of events on campus and in the community sponsored by USI student organizations can be found on the USI events calendar by clicking here.