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: Do you feel that President Donald Trump is a racist?
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INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced the specific times and locations of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission input sessions. The governor announced the dates of the input sessions earlier this month as part of his effort to make teacher pay competitive with surrounding states.
The commission and advisory council, which includes education and business leaders, have been tasked with providing recommendations for how to achieve competitive compensation for teachers. The commission will deliver the recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly prior to the 2021 legislative session.
During the input sessions, members of the commission and advisory council will seek ideas and solutions, and listen to issues and concerns.
Monday, August 19 at 7 p.m. ET
Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center
Second Floor Ballroom
2820 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Saturday, August 24 at 10 a.m. CT
Central High School
Auditorium
5400 1st Ave.
Evansville, IN 47710
Tuesday, August 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Concord Jr. High
Cafeteria
59397 Co. Rd. 11
Elkhart, IN 46517
Community members are also encouraged to share input online at in.gov/gov.
Governor Holcomb announced the creation of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission during his 2019 State of the State address. Volunteer citizen members of the commission and advisory council include:
The Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #136 has has been a staple in this region for over 119 years.
Originally chartered on April 14, 1900 by 12 plumbers, their mission was to bring higher sanitary standards to the area, along with better pay and working conditions for plumbers and gas-fitters in the area.
Today, the vision of those 12 plumbers at the beginning of the labor movement in 1900, has evolved into what the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #136 has become today. Today the Plumbers And Steamfitters local #136 has over 1,100 hundred working members and over 1,500 members, including retirees.
The Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #136 is also active in the community, serving various organizations through monetary support and volunteerism. Some organizations include the Tri-State Food Bank,The Dream Center, Fantasy of Lights, State Hospital Holiday Party and Soldier Dogs for Independence.
The Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #136 covers 18 counties in Southwestern Indiana and 4 counties in Illinois. There is an office and training center in both Evansville and Bloomington. Their mission today is to provide highly skilled, highly trained drug free craftsmen in the Plumbing, Pipefitting, Welding, and HVAC fields to signatory contractors.
The Plumbers and Steamfitters is the most diverse of any of the building trades for anyone looking for a career in construction. They have members working in the residential sector to heavy industrial sites and everywhere in between.
The Plumbers and Steamfitters Local #136 members serve a five year apprenticeship. Apprentices work during the day and go to school at the training center two nights a week for five years. At the end of the five years, they receive an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech. This is a great avenue for someone who wants to further their education but not in a traditional college setting.Â
The Business Manager for Local 136 is John Bates. John runs the day-to-day operations of the local. John is 38 years old and is a native of Patoka Indiana. He graduated Princeton Community High School in 1999. John started his apprenticeship in 2002 and worked in the field as a combo welder until starting in the office as Business Agent in 2014. John was elected Manager and started his term on January 1, 2019. He now lives on the North Side of Evansville with his wife, four kids and two pugs.
For more information on Plumbers and Steamfitters, Local 136 you can visit their Website at UA local136.org or contact John at the office 812-423-8043
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The Mid-States Corridor Project examines the concept of an improved highway connection in southwest Indiana. The Mid-States Corridor is anticipated to begin at the William H. Natcher Bridge crossing of the Ohio River near Rockport, continue generally through the Huntingburg and Jasper area and extend north to connect to Interstate 69 (either directly or via SR 37). The Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority (RDA) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) have started a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for major construction projects that will include federal funding. The Tier 1 EIS will include the following:
The Tier 1 EIS is expected to take just over two years to complete with a Record of Decision (ROD) expected in summer 2021. The ROD is the Federal Highway Administration’s final approval of the preferred corridor. After a Tier 1 ROD, a more detailed Tier 2 environmental study will determine specific alignments and preferred alternatives within the selected Tier 1 corridor. Public Meetings Scheduled Public involvement is a key part of the environmental study process. The first of several public meetings are planned for early August. The meetings will introduce members of the community to the Mid-States Corridor Project, explain the tiered study approach, describe the potential preliminary corridors and introduce ways for the public to stay informed and provide feedback. Meetings are planned for Washington, French Lick and Jasper at the following locations: Monday, Aug. 5: Washington High School              608 E. Walnut St., Washington, IN Auditorium (Enter through Gate 4 off 7th St.) 5:30pm to 7:00pm (local time) Tuesday Aug. 6: Springs Valley High School 326 S. Larry Bird Blvd., French Lick, IN Cafeteria at 5:30pm to 7:00pm (local time) Thursday, Aug. 8: Jasper High School 1600 St. Charles St., Jasper IN Cafeteria at 5:30pm to 7:00pm (local time) Each meeting feature an open house format. A short project presentation is planned for 6 p.m. each evening. Project team members will be at multiple stations to answer questions and comment cards will be available to offer public input. Additional public meetings will be held at project milestones. Find more information regarding the Mid-States Corridor project including how to sign up for e-newsletters, text alerts, social media updates and to learn about the project office location/hours of operation please visit www.midstatescorridor.com. Project Office Location  A Mid-States Corridor project office is located at Vincennes University Jasper Campus. The office is in the Administration Building and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, and by appointment. A project representative will be available during office hours to answer questions, and handouts and displays from the public meetings will be on site. Mid-State Corridor Project Office Vincennes University Jasper Campus in Administration Building, Room 216 850 College Ave. in Jasper, IN 47546 Members of the community can reach the project office by calling 812-482-3116. There are several ways to follow project progress, ask questions and offer feedback. Find project information online at www.midstatescorridor.com.
Information and updates are also provided on social media, Facebook (Mid-States Corridor) and Twitter (@MidStatesStudy). The Mid-States Corridor Project examines the concept of an improved highway connection in Southwest Indiana. The Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority and the Indiana Department of Transportation are conducting the required Tier 1 Environmental Study for the project to determine a preferred corridor. Find more information at www.midstatescorridor.com.
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Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced several new appointments and reappointments to various state boards, commissions, and task forces.
Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Task Force
The Governor made four appointments to the new task force, who will serve until Dec. 31, 2019:
The governor also made three new appointments representing various state agencies, who will serve until Dec. 31, 2019:
 Governor’s Workforce Cabinet
The governor made one new appointment to the cabinet, who will serve until April 30, 2021:
The governor also made two new appointments representing various state agencies, who will serve until April 30, 2021:
 The governor designated Teresa Lubbers, commissioner of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, as chair of the cabinet.
 Indiana Charter School Board
The governor made three new appointments to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2023:
Indiana State Commission on Aging
The governor made two new appointments to the commission, who will serve until June 30, 2023:
Indiana State Police Board
The governor made one reappointment to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2023:
 Jail Overcrowding Task Force
The governor made three appointments to the new task force, who will serve until Dec. 31, 2019:
Attorney General Curtis Hill is warning Hoosier consumers to beware of scams perpetrated by online posers in the wake of a recent Equifax settlement following the company’s 2017 announcement of a data breach affecting approximately 147 million people.
Scammers have been setting up fraudulent websites that imitate the appearance of an authentic site created to enable people affected by the breach to file claims.
The website www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com is authentic. (See the Federal Trade Commission’s recent post about this website.)
Would-be scammers, however, have begun setting up imposter websites – misspelling “breach†as “breech†in one URL, for example, and misspelling “settlement†in other web addresses.
“Anyone seeking to file claims at the new settlement website must absolutely make certain they are on the correct site,†Attorney General Hill said. “Verify that you have received the proper website address from a trusted source such as the FTC. If you are typing the URL manually, be careful to enter the website address correctly.â€
Online scammers imitating other websites are often engaged in “phishing†— an effort to get people to reveal such personal data as credit card numbers.
Consumers who believe they are the victims of scam attempts are asked to report them to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-800-382-5516 or going online at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/ and clicking the “File a Complaint†box at the bottom of the page.
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Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com
A man who was convicted of domestic battery after being denied his request for a public defender has failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his 11th-hour request for counsel should have been granted.
Quintin Davis’ Class A misdemeanor conviction was affirmed Wednesday in Quintin D.E. Davis v. State of Indiana, 19A-CR-631. Davis and his girlfriend, L.W., had gotten into a fight over who could have the last bottle of Pepsi in their home, leading to L.W. spilling the Pepsi and Davis taking L.W.’s bag of Skittles and smashing her phone into the side of the bed. L.W. wanted to leave after that, but Davis apologized and allowed L.W. to break his phone in retaliation.
The next morning, L.W. was preparing to move out when Davis took her cigarettes, prompting another argument. This time, Davis pushed L.W. onto her 2-year-old son, then pinned her down and began hitting her in the face. L.W.’s daughter witnessed the altercation and was crying.
L.W. called police, but the two then resumed their fight, with Davis breaking L.W.’s laptop and L.W. falling onto a glass table. When officers arrived, Davis cursed at them, balled his fists and didn’t comply with their orders.
Davis was charged with three counts, including felony battery against a public safety officer and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and resisting law enforcement. He told the Delaware Circuit Court in January 2018 that he intended to represent himself, and after a hearing the trial court found him competent to proceed pro se.
Davis argued on appeal that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his request for a public defender, but the Indiana Court of Appeals disagreed. Relying on Koehler v. State, 499 N.E.2d 196 (Ind. 1986), Judge Patricia Riley said Davis had been “fully advised†of the difficulties of proceeding pro se a full year before his trial, and he did not waver in his decision to proceed pro se until the day of trial.
“Granting Davis’ request would most likely have resulted in a substantial continuance in order for counsel to get familiar with the facts of the case and would have required additional sacrifice from the victim who would have to make an additional trip to Indiana,†Riley wrote. “Although Davis relies on the trial court’s statement that he could request an attorney ‘at any time’ to support his contention that he should have been assigned an attorney midway through the bench trial, the trial court tempered that broad statement with the qualifier that Davis had to send the court ‘a letter or a motion.’â€
“… Despite the trial court’s denial of his request for counsel, Davis effectively defended against the charges pro se,†Riley continued. “Not only did he manage to impeach the victim during cross-examination, but he also was found not guilty on two of the three charges the State brought against him.â€
Thus, the appellate panel concluded the trial court did not err in denying Davis’ request for counsel.
