Child Seat Inspection Clinic Open this Thursday
In partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will operate a free Child Seat Inspection Clinic this Thursday.
The child seat inspection station will operate on Thursday, September 26, 2019 between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm at the Washington Square Mall. Child Passenger Safety Technicians from the Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to inspect your car seat for proper installation.
Last week was Child Passenger Safety Week, which promotes the importance of proper child seat safety by raising awareness through a national and statewide ad campaign. Child Passenger Safety Week is an annual event and takes place each September.
“Correctly using a car seat or booster seat is a simple way to keep your child safe. Our Office is pleased to partner with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute in order to show parents how to properly install and use a child safety seat,†said Sheriff Dave Wedding.
According the NHTSA, when installed correctly car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers. Indiana traffic crash data from 2018 shows that 3,133 children under the age of 15 were killed or injured in motor vehicle collisions. The overall rate of restraint use among Indiana children in crashes was 88 percent.
Free child seat inspection stations are offered across the state and available throughout the year. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office provides free inspections on an appointment basis. For more information, please visit our website by clicking here.
For a complete list of child seat inspection stations across the state, please click here.
To learn more about choosing the right car seat, including an easy-to-use car seat finder tool, please click here.
For more information on Indiana’s child passenger seat law, please click here.
“READERS FORUM†FOR SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
We hope that today’s “READERS FORUMâ€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.
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays “Readers Poll’ question is: Are you going to vote in the upcoming November 5, 2019, general election?
COUNCILWOMAN MISSY MOSBY ASK CHIEF BOLIN TO HAVE CONVERSATION ABOUT EPD
Dear Chief Bolin
Good Morning!
I have lost a lot of sleep the last few nights for I have been struggling with what to do.   I’ve been told to stay out of this for it might hurt my re-election but that’s not what I was elected to do.
I’m supposed to be the voice for my constituents and I’m very concerned.  I’ve spoken with several officers and residents of my 2nd Ward and they would like to see us have a conversation to see what we can do to help our men and women in blue.
When you get to the office tomorrow, please let me know some dates and times, this week, so we can talk and try to do what is best for the residents and our EPD.
Have a great Sunday.
Missy Mosby
2nd Ward City Council
Payday Lenders Have Drained An Estimated $322 Million In Finance Charges From Hoosiers Over The Last Five Years
By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS— Payday lenders have drained an estimated $322 million in finance charges from Hoosiers over the last five years, according to a new report from groups advocating for the state to rein in those businesses.
The report, released Tuesday by the Indiana Institute for Working Families and the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network, showed that a 2002 exemption for short-term loans allowed payday lenders to charge annual percentage rates as high as 391 percent.
“This confirms my opinion of this industry,†said State Sen. Greg Walker, a Columbus Republican who has led the fight in the legislature against the payday loan industry. “The cost is too high for all of us. When people suffer needlessly, this product doesn’t need to exist in the state of Indiana.â€
Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, wants the state to rein in interest rates and fees on payday loans. Photo by Eddie Castillo, TheStatehouseFile.com
According to the report, which can be read in full at http://www.incap.org/payday.html, there are 29 entities licensed to offer payday loans in Indiana, with 11 headquartered out-of-state and operating 86 percent of the payday loan offices in Indiana. In fact, the report states, five of those out-of-state firms operate 79 percent of the 262 payday loan storefronts in Indiana.
Those include “Advance America, Cash Advance Centers of Indiana Inc.†of Spartanburg, S.C. which has 76 loan offices here and “Check into Cash of Indiana LLC.†which has 59 offices here.
The largest Indiana-headquartered operator, G & R Advance Inc. of Indianapolis, owns only 5, or 2 percent, of the storefronts.
Of the 92 counties in Indiana, 64 have at least one payday loan storefront, with about a third of the loan offices located in Marion, Lake, and Allen counties. The report also showed that these payday lenders are disproportionately located in low-income communities – those that fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty level — as well as communities with larger minority populations.
It cited data from Clarity Services Inc., a credit reporting agency, showing that the median income of borrowers who use payday loans nationwide is only $19,752. And, the report said, 60% of payday loans in Indiana are reborrowed on the same day that the previous loan was paid off and 82% are reborrowed within 30 days.
“By lending to borrowers who cannot afford to repay the loan and still meet their other expenses, lenders can reap the benefits of loan churn,†the report states. “Meanwhile, borrowers are more likely to experience overdraft fees, bank account closures, difficulty paying bills, decreased job performance and bankruptcy.â€
Walker said that proponents of pay-day loans have argued that the payday loans help more than a million Hoosiers annually cover a financial emergency.
“But that’s not the truth of the industry,†he said. “It’s really only about 120,000 borrowers, which is less than 2 percent of the population of Indiana.â€
And, he said, that help comes at a steep price, both financially and on families’ well-being.
“The number-one pressure on the break-up of families is financial pressure and so this has a cost that far exceeds the business opportunity,†Walker said. “The cost is emotional. It’s stress-related. That financial burden has a lot more of a negative impact than just the loss of the money and I think that’s a difficult message to understand when it’s such a small percent of the total population.â€
But, he added, “that’s what consumer protection, regulation is supposed to do: Prevent anyone from taking advantage of others… it’s going to take us thinking about the 2 percent who are caught up in this debt trap.â€
A bill allowing payday lenders to charge interest rates up to 167 percent was heavily debated in the 2019 legislative session, passing the Senate but later dying in the House of Representatives without a vote.
“We see a divide in the legislature right now,†Walker said. “You’ve got those who have an appreciation for how targeted this marketplace is on the repeat borrower and then you have others who look at it and say if it weren’t for this industry then how would someone get their tire fixed in an emergency situation in order to get back to work the next day.â€
Rep. Woody Burton, R-Greenwood, says payday loans fill a need, with higher fees justified by the risk to the lender. Photo by Emily Ketterer, TheStatehouseFile.com
State Rep. Woody Burton, the Greenwood Republican who is chairman of the House Financial Institutions Committee, weighed the issue in the last legislative session and expects it to resurface next session. He dismissed much of the concerns, noting that these are supposed to be short-term loans to tide someone over between paychecks.
“I think what they are doing right now is ok if it’s just two weeks,†Burton said, referring to the minimum term of a payday loan. Under current law, borrowers can get a loan for 20 percent of their monthly gross income, up to $605 with finance charges that range from 15 percent of the first $250 to $10 percent for amounts over $400.
“Its an extremely high risk and it’s a high return because I’m sure they get people who don’t pay them too, if they don’t get their paycheck or if they cash it,†Burton said.
The report estimated that if payday lenders had to adhere to the 36 percent interest-rate cap for regular loans, borrowers could have saved more than $291 million over the past five years.
Allowing an annual percentage rate as high as 391 percent “crosses a line,†“Walker said.
When asked what the interest rate should be capped at, Walker said: “I don’t have an effective annual percentage rate to tell you what that is. Thirty-six percent is high but somewhere between 36 percent and 360 percent I think that line is crossed.â€
FOOTNOTE: Brynna Sentel is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.
This article was posted bt the City-County Observer without bias, editing or opinion.
JOHN DUNN IS CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER GUEST SPEAKER AT “WORKING OUTSIDE THE BOX” EVENT
Evansville businessmen John Dunn will be the City-County Observer ‘Working Outside The Box” guest speaker on September 25, 2019, at Biaggi restaurant in Evansville.
Dunn began his business career in Evansville after an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force, hence his love of flying and current owner of a Cessna 310. He began at Fuqua Industries in 1959, which owned WROZ Radio and WTVW Channel 7. Dunn started in the Sales Department and by 1964 had been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of WROZ and in 1968 transferred to television.
In 1969, he and a business partner created Medco Centers Nursing Homes. By 1978, there were 28 Medco Centers throughout Indiana and Kentucky, which also included pharmaceutical and physical therapy subsidiaries. In 1978, Dunn sold these properties to a Canadian firm to focus on new ventures – the hotel industry, radio stations, television stations, land development . . .
In 1978, Dunn re-entered the broadcast business by purchasing radio stations in Rhode Island, New Mexico and Texas. At this same time, he also built his first hotel, The Williamsburg Inn at the corner of Division Street and Green River Road.
Dunn eventually divested himself of the radio stations but ventured into television broadcasting with two Evansville low-power television stations (WTSN-LD Channel 36 and WYYW-LD Channel 41), which he continues to operate today.
Over the past 30 years, Dunn Hospitality Group, the management company founded by Dunn in 1978, has built or acquired 28 hotels in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
In 1990, Dunn and Bill Koester formed a joint venture to develop a 70-acre parcel of land on Evansville’s east side, now known as Eagle Crest Commerce Centre. At the groundbreaking for the first business to be located there, Dunn’s 143-room Hampton Inn, then-Mayor Frank McDonald recognized the vision of Dunn and Koester by proclaiming Eagle Crest as Evansville’s “New Front Door.â€
Throughout the years Dunn has endeavored to enrich the community by restoring historical buildings – the Carpenter Home, which now houses the WNIN-Channel 9 facility, was restored and used as the corporate office for the Medco Centers; and the McCurdy Residential Center was initially the McCurdy Hotel.
Dunn is Chairman and CEO of Dunn Hospitality Group, whose corporate offices are located in Evansville. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors for Tri-State Youth for Christ and Oakland City University Foundation; Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for University of Southern Indiana and past Chairman and Director of Welborn Baptist Foundation. He sits on the Corporate Board of Directors for South Central Communications, Inc. and retired from the Boards of Old National Community Bank and Vectren, Inc. in 2010. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for community groups that include Boys and Girls Club of Evansville, Past President of St. Mary’s Health Systems Seton Corporation, and WNIN-TV/FM88; and formerly on the Boards for Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce, YMCA and the Salvation Army.
Dunn is a member of the Advisory Council for Indiana University Medical School and a Trustee and member of Church of the Cross in Evansville.
Dunn is a Bosse High School alumnus – Class of ’55. He graduated from Oakland City University in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree, Cum Laude. Dunn served 16 years on Oakland City University’s Board of Trustees and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities in 1977. He currently holds the title of Oakland City University Chancellor.
In 2004, Dunn was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Southern Indiana.
He has been recognized by Evansville Rotarians, SW Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo Trace Council and the ROTC for his leadership, and received numerous other awards for his accomplishments in the business community.
Dunn is also a member of Evansville Country Club, Â Palm Aire Country Club of Sarasota, FL and is a Rotarian.
Dunn is married to Gail A. (Russell) Dunn. They have three daughters, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Aces Weekly UpdateÂ
Aces Weekly UpdateÂ
* UE men’s basketball will hold its first practice on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. at the practice facility. The media availability will be at 9:30 a.m. Please RSVP if you would like to attend. I will upload video interviews of Coach McCarty and any requested players.
- This week’s HOME schedule
- Sunday, Sept. 29 – MSOC vs. Santa Clara – 2 p.m.
- This week’s ROAD schedule
- Monday, Sept. 23-Tuesday, Sept. 24 – MGOLF at NKU, WGOLF at MVC Fall Preview
- Friday, Sept. 27 – VB at UNI – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 28 – VB at Drake – 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 28 – WSOC at Indiana State – 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 29 – SWIM at Butler Quad
- This week’s events
- Saturday, Sept. 28 – 10 a.m. – First MBB practice – media at 9:30 a.m. at the practice facility
- Media Availability (video will be provided from each session via Dropbox, please RSVP if you would like to attend and we will supply you with the time and location)
- VB – Wednesday, Sept. 25
- WSOC – Thursday, Sept. 26
- MSOC – Thursday, Sept. 26
St. Vincent, Goodman Campbell Brain And Spine Agree To Expand Partnership
One of Indiana’s largest health systems and one of the nation’s largest independent neurosurgery practices announced plans to expand their longstanding partnership by increasing access to care and growing their neurosurgical capabilities for adult and pediatric patients in Central Indiana.
 St. Vincent, part of Ascension, and Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine recently signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to partner atSt. Vincent Indianapolis and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent. In addition, St. Vincent and Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine will jointly develop a new dedicated neurosurgical center of excellence for advanced surgeries.
The new partnership will allow Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine to continue to provide individualized care for patients across the state, while building upon St. Vincent’s longstanding reputation as a trusted health brand, integrated system, and a physician-friendly organization committed to patient-centered care.
“We’re excited to grow our relationship with St. Vincent through this expanded partnership and look forward to working together to deliver high-quality, innovative care to the community,†said Dr. Jean-Pierre Mobasser, president of Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine. “We appreciate that St. Vincent has been a model hospital partner that continues to value our unique contributions.â€
Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine is one of North America’s largest and most progressive neurosurgical practices. Expert neurosurgeons and pain management physicians offer a full spectrum of specialized care for disorders of the brain, spine, and nervous system. Since its formation in the 1970s, the physician-owned practice (formerly Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group) has been the sole provider of neurosurgical services on the St. Vincent Indianapolis campus.
“By investing the necessary resources to enhance our partnership with a nationally-recognized neurosurgery leader like Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, we believe we can provide our adult and pediatric patients with the best possible care for neurological disorders – right here in Indiana,†Jonathan Nalli, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Indiana. “This partnership is an innovative example of how health systems and independent practices can successfully join forces to improve care for patients.â€
St. Vincent Indianapolis is home to one of Indiana’s busiest American College of Surgeons-verified Level I Trauma Centers and recently achieved the Joint Commission’s Comprehensive Stroke Center certification – a nationally recognized symbol of quality which recognizes the small percentage of U.S. hospitals offering the highest level of certified stroke care. These designations were made possible in part because of the hospital’s longtime relationship with affiliated physician groups and partners like Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, which provides 24/7 neurosurgical and neuro-interventional availability with advanced treatments for a wide range of neurological illnesses and injuries.
About Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine
Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine is one of North America’s largest and most accomplished neurosurgical practices, dedicated to advancing the health of adults and children with neurological disorders. Its physicians provide a full spectrum of care for disorders of the brain, spine, and nervous system, including brain aneurysms and tumors, pituitary disorders, trigeminal neuralgia, spinal disorders, and degenerative spine disease. Goodman Campbell neurosurgeons are some of the most respected medical and scientific researchers in the world. The practice has a history of developing innovative techniques, increasing the success rates of proven treatments, and providing ongoing advanced training for the next generation of neurosurgeons, both in the classroom and the operating room. For more information, visit GoodmanCampbell.com.
 SOUTHWEST INDIANA CHAMBER HOSTS THE ANNUAL MEETING & DINNER
 SOUTHWEST INDIANA CHAMBER HOSTS THE ANNUAL MEETING & DINNER
FEATURING YEARLY BUSINESS AWARDS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Southwest Indiana Chamber will host the Annual Meeting & Dinner from 5 pm to 8 pm at Old National Events Plaza on Wednesday, September 25.
Annual Meeting & Dinner signifies the change in board leadership. We celebrate successes of the past year, look ahead to a new year and honor local business and their leaders. At this signature event, awards are presented to the most outstanding businesses and individuals of the year including Small Business of the Year, Business of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Non-Profit of the Year, Distinguished Business Person of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Young Professional of the Year. This event attracts Chamber Members, elected and appointed officials, key community leaders and our strategic partners. This event is the largest Chamber networking event of the year. This year we are very pleased to announce our keynote speaker will be Bill Stone, CEO & Chairman of the Board, SS&C Technologies.
Gold Sponsors: Concept Sound & Light, Vectren; WEHT Local 7. Silver Sponsors: BKD CPA’s & Advisors, Deaconess, Mulzer Crushed Stone, Old National Bank, Oswald Marketing, Wilde Horticultural, Working Distributors and Townsquare Media.
About Southwest Indiana Chamber
Since 1915, the Southwest Indiana Chamber has been a trusted ally of the regional business community. Today we are one of the state’s largest, strongest, and most impactful nonprofit business organizations, representing a total membership of more than 1,400 businesses, organizations, and agencies. About one-third of members have invested in our organization for 10 or more years. While nearly all major employers in our region invest in the Southwest Indiana Chamber, 71% of our member business