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Aces get tripped up by UT-Martin

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The University of Evansville baseball team had several opportunities, but couldn’t close the gap, as they fell to Tennessee-Martin 8-4 in a non-conference matchup at Skyhawks Baseball Field. Wednesday night.

UT-Martin got the jump on the Aces early, building a 2-0 lead on UE starter Alex Weigand. However, UE would answer back in the third inning, as junior center fielder Troy Beilsmith came up with a clutch two-out RBI double down the left field line, scoring senior third baseman Sam Troyer, halving the Skyhawk lead to 2-1.

Weigand, who gave up two runs on five hits, would give way to junior reliever David Ellis in the fourth inning, and UT-Martin would get that run back in the bottom of the fourth, then in the fifth the Skyhawks hung four more tallies on the scoreboard, putting Evansville in a 7-1 hole.

The Aces would start to rally from there. In the top of the sixth, Sam Troyer parlayed being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Troyer followed that up by stealing third, then scored on senior designated hitter Nate Reeder groundout to second, cutting the deficit to five.

In the seventh, senior left fielder Matthew Jones drilled a double to left, bringing in sophomore first baseman Tanner Craig from second, getting the Aces back within four at 7-3.

Finally, in the eighth UE seemed poised to catch the Skyhawks, loading up the bases with two outs. Nate Reeder drew a walk, forcing in A.J. Fritz, and the Aces were back within striking distance at 7-4. However, Evansville’s rally would end there. UT-Martin would get one run back in the bottom of the frame.

Down 8-4 in their final at-bat, the Aces would put runners on the corners with two outs, but UE couldn’t take advantage.

The loss drops the Aces record to 19-18, while the Skyhawks improve to 16-24.

Evansville is back in action on Friday afternoon, when they open a Missouri Valley Conference road series with Valparaiso. First pitch is at 3 p.m. Central Time.

UE and YWCA Partner for National Stand Against Racism Day: Pledge Against Racism at 11:15

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For the third consecutive year, the University of Evansville and the YWCA of Evansville have partnered for the national Stand Against Racism Day on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Members of media are invited to the public reading of the Pledge Against Racism and the Mayoral Proclamation presentation at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow. The event will be held on the first floor of Ridgway University Center on the UE campus in the Class of 1957 Atrium and Grand Lobby.

Those speaking at the ceremony will include UE President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Erika Taylor, CEO of the YWCA Evansville, and others.

Other events include:

Death by a Thousand Bee Stings
Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center
7:30 a.m. – breakfast
8:00-9:00 a.m. – presentation
This session, presented by LaNeeca Williams, will cover microaggressions and point out how we can better identify them and understand their impact in order to address them. Registration is required by emailing rwhitledge@ywcaevansville.org. Breakfast is sponsored by Berry Global.

Anti-Bias Education
Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center
11:30 a.m. – lunch
Noon-1:00 p.m. – presentation
The ChangeLab 310: Anti-Bias Education and Training student team will present interactive activities that focus on recognizing your own biases. Registration is required by emailing rwhitledge@ywcaevansville.edu. Lunch sponsored by the YWCA and the Office of Diversity Initiatives.

No Hate. No Fear. Immigrant Justice is Racial Justice
Panel Discussion
Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center
6:00-7:00 p.m. Public Invited. No registration required.

EPD REPORT

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EPD REPORT

“IS IT TRUE” FROM YESTERYEAR

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We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” 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.
TODAYS “IS IT TRUE” WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE CCO ON HOW FORMER MAYOR WEINZAPFEL’S DECISIONS MAY HAVE STIFLED  MAYOR-ELECT LLOYD WINNECKE WHEN HE FIRST TOOK OFFICE.
The CCO is currently reviewing the usefulness of our “IS IT TRUE” column to determine that it is providing an invaluable public service to not only our readers but the community.
Some of the following “IS IT TRUE” comments attempted to lay out the case how several decisions that former Mayor Weinzapfel made may have created problems for Mayor Winnecke when he took office?  
Attached Below Are A Couple Of “IS IT TRUE” Comments We Posted Around The Time Mayor-Elect Lloyd Winnecke Took Office During His First Term
IT IS TRUE that it has been well documented that the Weinzapfel Administration saddled the incoming Winnecke Administration with a trilogy of unfinished business when he left office? ...after all the deals with the McCurdy hotel, it is still a mess? …the Front Door Pride program did succeed in beautifying some blighted lots did so by distributing taxpayer dollars to what amounts to lottery winners due to depressed real estate values?  …just before Weinzapfel left office, he signed off on a $50 million contract for some space-age “Smart Water Meters” project that was left for Mayor Winnecke’s to handle?  …Weinzapfel also left Winnecke vacant land called “Roberts Park” for him to dispose of without any direction?  …just like the Ford Center, the “Smart Water Meters” were advanced without a vote of the people?

IS IT TRUE Weinzapfel left Mayor Elect Winnecke to unravel the McCurdy debacle?…that manacled to the left arm of Mayor-Elect Winnecke is the ball and chain labeled “FORD CENTER” bonds payments? …that until last night Mayor Elect Winnecke at least had the use of his right arm to handle programs of his own creation?

IS IT TRUE that last night at the regular meeting of the Evansville City Council, the Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development, Mr. Tom Barnett took the stage, accompanied by Luke Yeager of the Evansville Commerce Bank to affix yet another ball and chain to the right arm of Mayor Elect Winnecke?…that this time it is by introducing another Front Door Pride project that will consume resources of both the public and private sectors?…that by his own words Mr. Barnett has taught us that there are 8,000 residences in the City of Evansville that are in such a state of disrepair that they will require over $100,000 each to get them into livable condition?…that it is also reported that the total number of abandoned homes in the City of Evansville now exceeds 10,000 and according to Mr. Barnett’s testimony before the City Council, abandoned houses is a growth industry in Evansville?…that there have been SIX CENSUSES taken since the last time that the City of Evansville did not have a declining population?…that the population of the City of Evansville has been steadily shrinking since the late 1950’s?…that in such a place, why on earth would anyone think that building 25 more houses makes sense?
IS IT TRUE that there are already 17 Front Door Pride houses that have been built at a cost of approximately $200,000 each?…that nine of those homes are still on the market with many of them having been offered for sale at $135,000 or less for longer than a year?…that an Idea Home (and a very nice one at that) was built at a cost of between $400,000 and $600,000 depending on how one values “free” stuff and was sold to a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for well under $200,000 in the same area?…that there are 40 rental units that are slated to be similar to the Front Door Pride homes that are scheduled to be built?…that given that there is not a vibrant market for homes, that what is really needed is a mass demolition project coupled with the eradication of criminal activity, and a dramatic upgrade of the neighborhood schools, we really wonder what the dickens spending nearly $5 million to build 25 more houses will do for the area?
IS IT TRUE that at least this time, the basics of clustering seems to have sunk into a few of the thick skulls that randomly dropped the first 17 houses in and around crack houses and parks full of crime?…that it is a shame that clustering was not done from the start and that the 40 pending rent houses were not slated to be owner occupied?…that even with 7 banks participating to the tune of $3.5 million to make loans on the 25 proposed homes, the risk will be borne by the taxpayers of Evansville?…that the key words “mortgages ready for the secondary market” are the clear signal that the bankers consortium will be cutting their risk and selling the first mortgages that they will be writing into the secondary markets, taking their fees, and whistling all the way back to the bank?…that it will be the second mortgages that will be held by the City of Evansville, which will be at risk if the market does not materialize or hold value?…that given the history of the Front Door Pride program, we must ask the question, “all out there who want to buy a house for $200,000 just like the houses that are not selling for $135,000 please announce yourselves”?
IS IT TRUE that Lloyd Winnecke was elected to further his own ideas and to breathe accountability and transparency into the government of the City of Evansville?…that it would have been much more beneficial for soon-to-be Mayor Winnecke to have been able to make his own decisions with respect to his being able to implement his own ideas the day he took office?
We encourage you and your family members, friends, and business associates to read the City-County Observer.  Please make sure you tell them that the CCO is complimentary and other online publications charge. If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com
Todays“Readers Poll” question is: Which three At-Large Democratic primary candidates do you support for the Evansville City Council?
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 are pleased to provide obituaries from several area funeral homes at no costs.  Over the next several weeks we shall be adding additional obituaries from other local funeral homes.  Please scroll down the paper and you shall see a listing of them.
FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

 

CCO to File Freedom of Information Request with the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and DMD

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CCO to File Freedom of Information Request with the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and DMD

For the last several months, the City-County Observer has been receiving complaints from numerous people about the Evansville Redevelopment Commission not posting their agenda or officially approved minutes of their recent monthly meetings on their web site.

By doing so, this would quickly resolve our readers’ issues without any public conflict. However, I am disappointed to say that it is obvious that the ERC will not be forthcoming by posting the details of their recent meetings. What puzzles us is that this information was posted in prior years, but this procedure hasn’t consistently been followed in recent months.

As you all know, the Redevelopment Commission handles many millions of taxpayer dollars each year to fund facade grants, loans for condo development, multi-million dollar capital projects for the North Main Street corridor and downtown Main street area and money for start-up and expansion of businesses. It has also been rumored by reliable sources that they may have used public funds to provide seed money for the Evansville Thunderbolts hockey team.

Since they handle federal, state, and local funds for the projects stated above, I feel that this organization should be transparent and held accountable for their actions. By not providing the details of their agenda and minutes to the general public, the ERC isn’t being a “good steward” of the public trust.

I’m presently working on preparing a Freedom of Information Request to submit to the officials of the Department of Metropolitan Development and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission. I will be requesting that they provide the City-County Observer with the minutes and agendas for meetings in 2018 and 2019. After reviewing this information, I may be requesting that they also provide us with all appropriate notes, texts, and e-mails pertaining to transactions of interest.

As soon as I receive this information (and we will be getting it since they are a publicly-funded entity), we will publish them in the City-County Observer without editing. I’d like to thank our readers for directing our attention to this important public policy issue.

Sincerely,

Timothy Justin Phillips

City-County Observer Editor

 

 

CEO and Chief Innovation Officer Joe Jack Wallace Publishes First Book “Living Outside the Box”

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      Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) CEO and Chief Innovation Officer Joe Jack Wallace Publishes First Book “Living Outside the Box”

Palm Springs, CA (April 23, 2019)– The Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) is pleased to announce that CEO and Chief Innovation Officer, Joe Wallace has published his first book.  Living Outside the Box is based on the premise that it takes more than simply thinking outside the box to have a positive impact, it takes actually doing something. It originates from a meeting that was being scheduled to “think outside the box” when Wallace had the epiphany that such meetings are futile unless they are followed up with tangible actions.  Tangible actions, of course, take courage and involve risks.

Living Outside the Box addresses the habits that are needed to be poised to succeed or help others to do so.  These include recognizing significant things (the dots) before trying to connect them, exposing shortcomings with grace and executing a vision. Wallace also expands on how CVEP seized upon the opportunity presented by the Amazon announcement to seek a second headquarters to communicate about the importance of digital infrastructure and STEM education for regions that aspire to participate in leading-edge economies. 

“This book has been in my mind for 10 years.  It was time to put it onto paper. It is always actions that drive positive change.  Actions are what make thinking outside the box worth the effort” Mr. Wallace commented.  Wallace’s book debuted as the #1 New Release in three separate categories on Amazon including Green Business and Intergovernmental Organizations Policy. “Writing this has been a pleasant way to reminisce about the movers and shakers who I have had the privilege of calling friends,” he said.

CVEP recruited Wallace to the Coachella Valley in 2012 to become the founding director of the Palm Springs iHub.  He was elevated to CEO in 2015.  He has since transformed CVEP into an economic development entity that concentrates on entrepreneurship in high wage business sectors to lead the Coachella Valley business community toward a year-round economy that promotes prosperity in a region that offers an ideal lifestyle at affordable prices.

About CVEP
CVEP was established in 1994 as the regional economic development agency for Greater Palm Springs.  CVEP’s mission is to diversify and elevate the economy of the region by fostering technology-based entrepreneurship, attracting businesses and aiding existing businesses in expansions.  CVEP also charts the course to the future in infrastructure, education and maintaining a business-friendly atmosphere.  For more information: CVEP.com or (760) 340-1575.

About Joe Jack Wallace
Joe Jack Wallace hails from the small community of Sturgis, Kentucky (pop. 1,800.  He graduated from Stanford University.  Prior to entering the world of managing non-profits, Wallace was the founder of several entrepreneurial businesses in the data storage industry.  Joe can be contacted at LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-wallace-4646a24/;  email, joe.wallace@cvep.com  or phone (812) 431-3877.

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“Left Jab and Right Jab” April 25, 2019

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“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”

AG Curtis Hill Continues To Seek U.S. Supreme Court Ruling On Indiana Law Requiring Fetal Ultrasounds

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Attorney General Curtis Hill continues to argue that the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn a lower court’s ruling invalidating an Indiana law requiring fetal ultrasounds at least 18 hours prior to abortions. In July of 2018, a panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s injunction against the law, expressing the view that it placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions.

This week, Attorney General Hill filed the state’s latest brief in the case Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

The Indiana law at issue essentially combines two Indiana statutes that have been on the books for years. In 1995, the Indiana General Assembly passed the informed-consent statute, which specified that a woman must receive, in person, information relevant to abortion and childbirth at least 18 hours before an abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar statute in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.

Then, in 2011, Indiana legislators passed another law requiring an ultrasound be performed before an abortion. The law required medical staff to show the ultrasounds to women seeking abortions unless the women expressed in writing that they did not wish to see them. In 2016, lawmakers added the provision at issue in Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, stipulating that the required ultrasound take place at the informed-consent appointment at least 18 hours before the abortion procedure.

“For women considering abortions, ultrasounds are an important part of informed-consent counseling,” Attorney General Hill said. “Anyone interested in protecting women’s health, including their mental health, should support giving them as much information as possible to aid their decision-making. Empowering women with knowledge is fully consistent with the U.S. Constitution.”