Cecilia is a female orange tabby cat! She’s about 3 years old and is currently adoptable at River Kitty Cat Café in downtown Evansville. She’s lived with a wide variety of other cats and done very well with them all. Her adoption fee is $40. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or River Kitty at (812) 550-1553 for adoption details!
Vanderburgh County – Tuesday night at approximately 11:00, Trooper Tyler Widner was patrolling in the area of Riverside Drive and Judson Street when he attempted to stop the driver of a black 2006 Chrysler 300 for failing to signal, making a U-turn and driving left of center. The driver turned south onto Governor and reached speeds of 80 mph before turning east on Sweetser. The driver continued to drive at a high rate of speed before turning south on Shadewood. The driver lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree when he attempted to turn west onto Prosperity Avenue. The driver, Tyrone Brevard, 29, was not injured and was taken into custody without further incident. Trooper Widner detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage on Brevard and conducted several field sobriety tests. Further investigation revealed Brevard was impaired and had a blood alcohol content of .12%. Brevard was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail where he is currently being held on bond.
The Evansville Otters did enough to come out in front of a pitcher’s duel Tuesday night, taking the series opener at the Joliet Slammers 3-1.
Rob Calabrese provided a pair timely of RBI hits and pitcher Randy Wynne pitched his way into the ninth.
Evansville jumped in front first in the top of the second inning.
Dakota Phillips led-off with a double to put the Otters in scoring position. Phillips advanced to third on a balk. A few batters later, Rob Calabrese lined a double to the outfield to score Phillips and put the Otters on the board.
After Ryan Long walked to begin the top of the fourth, Carlos Castro lined an RBI double all the way to the wall in right-centerfield, allowing Long to score from first and extend the Otters lead to two.
After Hunter Cullen flied out to left, Calabrese knocked in his second RBI of the game with a single to score Castro, giving the Otters a 3-0 lead.
Calabrese picked up his fourth RBI in the last two games.
The three runs were all Randy Wynne needed on the mound for the Otters.
Wynne would pitch into the ninth, aiming for his first complete game of the season. He retired leadoff hitter Chaz Meadows on a flyout to Cullen, but the right-hander was pulled after Tyler Coolbaugh singled to right field.
Wynne finished with 8.1 innings, fanning six while allowing a run on seven hits and issued no walks. The lone run came in the bottom of the seventh as the Slammers strung three consecutive singles together, highlighted by an RBI single from Ridge Hoopii-Haslem that scored Tyler Crane.
Abraham Almonte came in to relieve Wynne in the ninth inning, recording the second out of the inning as Crane lined out to Jack Meggs in right for the second out. The lefty was pulled after walking Brian Parreira.
With runners on first and second and a full count to Hoopii-Haslem, Danny Hrbek threw a fastball on the inside corner for a called strike three to earn his third save of the year, giving Wynne his fourth win of the season.
Joliet starter Tyler Jandron tried to go toe-to-toe with Wynne, but was not able to go the distance. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits while sending down seven Otters.
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 Student loan origination fees are nothing more than a hidden tax that burdens students?
Please go to our link of our media partner Channel 44 News located in the upper right-hand corner of the City-County Observer so you can get the up-to-date news, weather, and sports.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated.  The use of offensive language and insults against commenters shall not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.
Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act of 2019, which removes the “origination fee” adding unnecessary debt to student borrowers’ overall student loan costs.
“Student loan origination fees are nothing more than a hidden tax that burdens students,â€Â said Senator Mike Braun.  “This legislation is a step forward and offers one solution to addressing our broken higher education system that fails to put students first.â€
“Education was my key to opportunity. Our bill eliminates burdensome federal student loan fees, helping Arizona families better afford college and increasing opportunities available to Arizona students,†said Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Senator Rick Scott said, “Our students deserve every opportunity to graduate college and pursue successful careers without mountains of debt. Throughout my time as Governor, I focused on keeping college costs low so every Floridian could get an affordable education. In Florida, we’ve held the line on tuition for six years straight and increased the transparency of education expenses. Now, I’m proud to build on these efforts by supporting the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act so more students can afford a great education and pursue their dreams.â€
“The cost of college places an ever-increasing burden on a growing number of Americans. In Delaware, 62 percent of bachelor’s degree students have student debt, and that debt averages more than $34,000 per person. I’m proud to support this measure to reduce the student loan burden for students in Delaware and across the country,” said Senator Chris Coons.
BACKGROUND:
Student Loan Tax Elimination Act: “The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to loans made under part D of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) for which the first disbursement of principal is made, or, in the case of a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, the application is received, on or after July 1, 2019.â€
Origination fees are 1 percent for Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and 4 percent for all Direct PLUS Loans where the fees offset subsidies to lenders. “The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, specifies a loan origination fee of 1 percent for all Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and a fee of 4 percent for all Direct PLUS Loans for both parent borrowers and graduate and professional student borrowers. Origination fees are adjusted annually due to sequestration. Origination fees are a relic of the bank-based guaranteed student loan program, a program where the fees offset subsidies to lenders that no longer originate such loans.â€Â (National Association of Student Financial Administrators, Accessed 05/31/19)
CONTACT:
Senator Braun: press@braun.senate.gov
Senator Sinema: comms@sinema.senate.gov
Senator Scott: press@rickscott.senate.gov
Senator Coons:Â Sean_Coit@coons.senate.gov
By Lacey Watt
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Gary Sen. Eddie Melton is the first Democrat to announce that he’s seeking his party’s nomination to challenge Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2020.
Melton is expected to announce his foray into the race in his hometown before a group of teachers, parents, and others in the community on Tuesday with a focus on education funding, healthcare and good paying jobs.
Melton, currently in his first term as senator, is also the manager of Corporate Citizen and Community Relations for Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).
One of the keys issues Melton focused on during the 2019 session was a gambling bill, House Enrolled Act 1015, that allows sports wagering but could change the gaming landscape in the Gary region.
The legislation allows two Gary casinos to move inland from where they currently sit in Buffington Harbor to a new site near Interstate 94. It also approves a new casino for Terre Haute and legalizes sports betting for ages 21 and up, including via mobile devices so long as they register with one of the state’s casinos.
Melton has supported the gambling bill with expectations that it will bring job opportunities to his community. And, in a news release, he said the legislation was passed in anticipation of a gambling expansion in neighboring Illinois.
“There is obviously a significant potential impact on the city of Gary,†Melton said. “We believe both these endeavors will do much to strengthen our regional casino value as well as protect, and even grow Hoosier jobs.â€
Education has been another area where Melton has focused his energies, criticizing the governor’s new committee examining teacher pay issues for meeting in secret.
“While I understand this commission, by law, does not need to meet under the public’s purview, it does not seem a smart idea to make decisions or even brainstorm a topic as important as how to raise teacher pay behind closed doors,†he said in a statement.
In his community, Melton has been involved with programs for youth mentoring since 2005. For one of his more recent projects, Melton worked on “My Brother’s Keeper,†with former President Barack Obama. “My Brother’s Keeper†is a program that addresses opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color and helps ensure their optional is reached.
Phil Johnson, communications director for the state Democratic Party said that Rep. Karlee Macer, D-Indianapolis, and former state health commissioner Woody Myers are also considering running for governor in 2020.
Currently, there are no Republicans running against Holcomb in the 2020 primary, said Holly Lawson, press secretary of the communications for the state Republican Party.
Holcomb is finishing his first full term as governor.
FOOTNOTE: Lacey Watt is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
IL Staff for www.theindianalawyer.com
Nearly 145 attorneys have been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana, including national and international practitioners after they failed to either pay annual fees and/or comply with continuing legal education requirements or submit Interest on Lawyer Trust Account certifications.
On Tuesday, the Indiana Supreme Court suspended 144 attorneys for failure to comply with Indiana Admission and Discipline Rule 2, regarding annual registration fees, Rule 2(f), regarding IOLTA certification, and Rule 29 sections 3 or 10, regarding annual CLE requirements.
Among the attorneys suspended, 81 are based in Indiana and 63 are from other states, while one is from Canada. Marion County, the state’s largest, saw 25 attorneys suspended, while the greatest number of out-of-state attorneys suspended are from Illinois.
AG Curtis Hill Calls Decision A Victory For State Self-Government
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Monday vacated a consent decree contested by Attorney General Curtis Hill because it resulted from a federal district court’s encroachment upon the rightful authority of the State of Indiana.
On July 10, 2018, a federal district court entered a consent decree under which the Marion County Election Board agreed to establish five inâ€person early voting satellite offices for the 2018 general election and thereafter a minimum of two satellite offices for primary elections and five satellite offices for general and municipal elections.
The consent decree followed a lawsuit alleging that the board violated federal law when it did not unanimously approve any satellite offices for early voting over the course of several consecutive elections. The plaintiffs alleged that the lack of satellite voting burdened voters’ rights.
While strongly supporting the operation of satellite early-vote centers, Attorney General Hill argued that the federal court was wrong to override Indiana state law – which required a unanimous vote by county election boards to establish satellite centers for early voting. And since no party in the case was willing to defend Indiana’s statutes, the Attorney General assumed responsibility for doing so.
After the court approved the consent decree, and while the case was already on appeal, the Marion County Election Board replaced its traditional precinctâ€voting requirements with a vote-center plan (under which residents can vote anywhere in the county) that provided for even more early voting sites than the consent decree required. Critically, this plan resulted from the unanimous vote of the board as required by state statute rather than from a federal district court’s edict.
Still, the district court said it would not vacate the consent decree, so Attorney General Hill pressed the state’s appeal. On June 3, the Seventh Circuit ruled that the consent decree should, indeed, be vacated.
“From the very beginning of this case, we have agreed wholeheartedly that we must as a matter of civic duty ensure that as many people as possible are able to participate in free and fair elections,†Attorney General Hill said. “At the same time, we must safeguard the proper balance between state and federal authority. To this end, we are certainly pleased the court of appeals has vacated a consent decree through which a federal court improperly sought to override state authority.â€
