Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana’s recent $600 million investment to upgrade the facility for both the Highlander and Sienna SUV lines is prompting a call for additional workers.
Toyota is in need of an additional 400 assembly workers
EPA Announces Federal Partnership to Build Nationwide Resilience to Natural Disasters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and federal partners, in close coordination with experts across governmental agencies, academia and non-governmental organizations, to announce the agency’s participation in the National Mitigation Investment Strategy (NMIS).
The NMIS provides a national, whole-community approach to investments in mitigation activities and risk management across federal, state, local, and tribal and territorial government and the private and non-profit sectors.
“Investing in mitigation efforts will enable EPA to better protect human health and the environment in the face of natural disasters,â€Â said EPA’s Acting Associate Administrator of the Office of Homeland Security Ted Stanich. “Together our collective efforts will continue to build resilience across the nation.â€
The investment strategy’s overarching goal is to improve the coordination and effectiveness of “mitigation investments,†defined as risk management actions taken to avoid, reduce, or transfer risks from natural hazards, including severe weather.
Below are recent examples of EPA’s continued dedication and investment in mitigation strategies across the country.
- Regional Resilience Technical Assistance – After helping three California regions take large-scale action for disaster resilience, EPA and FEMA partnered with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments to create a toolkit that helps regions plan for disasters by working across multiple jurisdictions and with non-governmental partners. The Regional Resilience Toolkit provides a step-by-step process to help decision makers engage with partners and stakeholders, conduct vulnerability assessments, identify and prioritize strategies, fund projects, and evaluate results.
- Integrating Water Quality and Nature-Based Approaches into Hazard Mitigation Plans – EPA’s Office of Water and Office of Community Revitalization are partnering with FEMA to help states and communities integrate hazard mitigation plans and water quality plans. Project locations include: Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Albany, New York; Huntington, West Virginia; Ashland, Oregon; State of Kentucky; Lower Meramec Valley, Missouri; Denton, Texas; Phoenix/Maricopa County, Arizona; and Mystic River in Massachusetts. Results, to date, demonstrate the benefits of using green infrastructure for multiple community goals including hazard mitigation, water quality, and floodplain management. Several of the communities are already seeing reduced flood insurance rates based on adoption of stormwater policies that reduce risk.
- Building Flood Resilience in Vermont – In 2011, Tropical Storm Irene caused significant flood damage to historic structures, homes and businesses in Vermont’s Mad River Valley. In 2012 at Vermont’s request, EPA partnered with FEMA to identify state and local policy options to increase community flood resilience. The state adopted several of the strategies that emerged from the workshop. The project developed a Flood Resilience Checklist that communities can use to assess their preparedness for future flooding events. The state provided this checklist to several other Vermont communities through a follow up project, the Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative, and the checklist is the basis for the Flood Resilience for Riverine and Coastal Communities tool offered by EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program.
Recommendations proposed in the NMIS will reduce loss of life and injuries, damage to property, and negative impacts to the economy and the environment and will lead the whole community in building a more resilient future.
THE NEW PHILADELPHIA STORY
THE NEW PHILADELPHIA STORY
By Jim Redwine
Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant starred in the 1940 movie The Philadelphia Story. The movie was a happy feeling comedy based on divorce and remarriage; all’s well that ends well. The movie was set in Philadelphia and neither legal system failures nor anarchy was anywhere to be found.
In the 1940 America of the movies and for those Americans usually depicted in the popular culture and news media of that era there was a symbiotic relationship between the powerful and the populace. But in today’s Philadelphia story of August 15, 2019, there is evidence of the current armed struggle for power among various factions and a lack of respect for the right to have opposing views.
Philadelphia police officers who were attempting to serve an arrest warrant were fired upon by a man wielding an assault rifle. Six officers were shot and after a stand-off of several hours the shooter surrendered. This might sound like the all too familiar genre of a mass shooting. Unfortunately, this incident involved some citizens at the scene taunting the police and a public dispute between U.S. Attorney William McSwain and Philadelphia Prosecuting Attorney Larry Krasner. McSwain was appointed in 2018 by President Trump to represent the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Krasner was elected in 2017 to represent the 26th District of Philadelphia.
Before Krasner was elected he was a criminal defense and civil rights attorney who, according to Wikipedia, “aggressively pursued police misconductâ€. McSwain and Krasner have taken divergent approaches to criminal law enforcement. McSwain is conservative and Krasner is liberal. The two public servants see their duties differently. That is not unusual. Such differing philosophies are part of the complicated woof and weave of democracy. It is good to have more than one viewpoint represented in our government. What is not good is interference with the police by those the police are sworn to protect. Nor is it good when public officials do not, at least, accommodate various views of how our legal system should operate.
If our current Philadelphia Story is either a harbinger of worse law enforcement to come or stark evidence of general desensitization in our culture to respect for our democratic system of government perhaps we should attempt to define the root causes and diagnose effective remedies. Neither of those tasks is simple. There are no silver bullets for complex and confusing conundrums. Of course, just saying it is too rich for the human mind to resolve may be the general societal attitude that brought us to where we are today. But if you, Gentle Reader, have some thoughts on these complicated but important matters you are most welcome to share them. Just check out the website (www.jamesmredwine.com) and, thank you. Perhaps in the next few weeks, we might start something worthwhile.
For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com
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ADOPT A PET
Weinbach is a male English Spot rabbit! He was found as a stray on – you guessed it – Weinbach Avenue. This was in July, about a month ago. He was never reclaimed. (Most stray rabbits were intentionally dumped.) His adoption fee is $50 and will include his neuter & microchip to get him ready for his indoor home! Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
Gov. Holcomb Public Schedule for August 18
INDIANAPOLIS – Below find Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s public schedule for August 18, 2019.
Sunday, August 18: Celebration of Life for Eva Kor
WHO: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 2 p.m. Sunday, August 18
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Butler University
Clowes Memorial Hall
4602 Sunset Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46208
THIS WEEK, SENATOR BRAUN
THIS WEEK, SENATOR BRAUNÂ continued his Summer of Solutions Tour, crisscrossing the state with stops in Evansville, Terre Haute, Attica, Valparaiso, and more talking about solutions to tamp down federal government spending, help combat the opioids crisis, and lower prescription drug prices for Hoosiers.
On a stop in Terre Haute on his Summer of Solutions Tour, Senator Braun dug deep into issues he’s been discussing with Hoosiers: the opioid crisis, national security, and how to stop a financial catastrophe by cutting back spending and chipping away at our national debt.
“‘I want to hear what’s on Hoosiers’ minds, and believe me they’ll tell you,’Â Braun said during his ‘Solutions Tour.’
“Braun, a Republican from Jasper elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, referred to his background as a businessman leading him to support a limit on federal spending.”
At a family farm in Evansville, Senator Braun held a roundtable with local farmers and small business owners to discuss the state of agriculture and the economy in southwestern Indiana.
“[Braun] also stressed the importance of finalizing a revised trade agreement between Mexico, Canada, and the United States. That bill is currently held up in the House.”
Senator Braun stopped in to the Air National Guard 181st Intelligence Wing in Terre Haute on his Solutions Tour this week, showing his support for Hoosier men and women in uniform and the work they do in the Wabash Valley.
“The National Guard – the military in general – I think it’s the most important thing we do as a federal government.”Â
In a Solutions Tour stop across the river in Louisville, Senator Braun cited Indiana’s red flag law – state law since 2005 – as an example of conservative solutions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill without infringing on law-abiding citizens’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
While in Louisville, Senator Braun dropped in to Terry Meiners’ radio show on 840WHAS to discuss the real cost of Bernie Sanders’ socialized medicine, sports betting in Indiana,
“We’ve got a treasure trove to work with when it comes to what the Democrats are proposing: Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All, free college tuition, get rid of all of the debt that’s built up and by the way let’s get rid of the Electoral College.”
On his swing through Evansville on the Solutions Tour, Senator Braun sat down with Brad Byrd of WEHT/WTVW to for an in-depth interview on several topics, including his first bill to pass the House and the Senate and head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law – the Harmony Way Bridge Act – a bill that will help Hoosiers in southwestern Indiana make infrastructure decisions at the local level.
During a stop on the Summer of Solutions Tour, Senator Braun addressed medical marijuana and cracking down on illegal immigration, noting that he believes states should decide the legality of medical marijuana, not the federal government.
On a visit to the Cummins Test Track in Columbus, Senator Braun got behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer to learn more about this Hoosier manufacturing powerhouse.
“Braun’s visit was part of the senator’s 50-city Summer of Solutions tour, where he’s meeting with businesses and constituents around Indiana to learn more about the challenges facing the state and country.”
For live updates from Indiana on Senator Braun’s Summer of Solutions Tour, follow him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
To subscribe to this newsletter and see other updates from Senator Braun, visit his official website.Â
To unsubscribe from Senator Braun’s Weekly Update, please contact press@braun.senate.gov.Â
HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
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AG Curtis Hill: Court decision clears way for state to proceed in lawsuit against Purdue Pharma
Attorney General Curtis Hill today expressed continued resolve to hold Purdue Pharma accountable for its alleged role in contributing to the state’s opioid crisis after a court rejected the company’s motion to dismiss Indiana’s pending lawsuit.
In its motion to dismiss, Purdue Pharma argued among other things that Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act does not apply to the company because it is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. On Aug. 12, a Marion Superior Court judge rejected entirely the company’s arguments for dismissal.
“We remain steadfast in our belief that Purdue Pharma must answer for its violations of Indiana law,†Attorney General Hill said. “Any company that engages in unfair, abusive and deceptive practices in Indiana must be held accountable for such misconduct.â€
Attorney General Hill filed the state’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma on Nov. 14, 2018, alleging that the company sought to increase profits by promoting its opioids in Indiana, including by:
- minimizing or denying the risk of addiction;
- exaggerating the benefits of the use of opioids for treatment of chronic pain;
- denying or failing to disclose the increased dangers of opioids at higher doses;
- targeting elderly and opioid-naïve patients to create a new market of long-term customers;
- spreading the above misrepresentations to Indiana’s medical community and to consumers; and
- engaging in an elaborate deception by enlisting what appeared to be independent entities carrying neutral information that were actually paid, funded or otherwise controlled by Purdue to publicize statements known to be unsupported by facts or scientific research.
The lawsuit alleges that Purdue violated Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act; the Prescription Drug Discount and Benefit Cards Statute; the False Claims Act; and the Medicaid False Claims Act. The complaint seeks maximum penalties, treble damages, costs and an order directing Purdue Pharma to stop its unlawful conduct.
Glenn Coleman Owens
Glenn Coleman Owens, 54, of Evansville, Indiana passed away on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at his home.
He was born on August 5, 1965 in Evansville, Indiana the son of the late Clarence and Kathryn (Graulich) Owens.
Glenn was an outdoorsman who loved camping, fishing and hiking. He was a devoted fan to the St. Louis Cardinals and was very involved in the Boy Scouts.
He is survived by his son, Joshua Owens, as well as his daughter and granddaughter, Jessica Morris and Rian Cooper.
A celebration of Glenn’s life will be held at a later date.
Koehler Funeral Home of Boonville, Indiana is entrusted with care.
Friends unable to attend may send a condolence to the family at www.KoehlerFuneralHome.com.
To send flowers to the family of Glenn Coleman Owens, please visit Tribute Store.