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EPD REPORT

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EPD REPORT

“READERS FORUM” APRIL 11, 2019

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We hope that today’s “READERS FORUM” 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?

HERE’S WHAT’S ON OUR MIND TODAY

For the last two (2) decades the City Of Evansville has been living high on the financial hog because of the generous financial contributions of Tropicana-Evansville.  Looks like this generous financial arrangement may be about ready to end because Terre Haute could be approved by the State Legislature to open a $200 million state of the art Casino-Sports Books establishment in the very future?
We also have been told that the chances of Ellis Park being sold in the very near future to progressive owners are on the horizon.  Our elected officials also better take into consideration that the Kentucky Gaming Commission just give Churchill and Keeneland permission to build a $250 Harness Track/Casino in Oak Grove-Hopkinsville area. It’s also a concern that there is the chance of the Kentucky State Legislature approving Sports Books betting in the very near future is a strong possibility which could also challenge Tropicana-Evansville bottom line.
One would think that the Mayor would be extremely motivated to take on the establishment in order to force them to reinstate the States $6 million gaming stipend to offset the potential losses of Tropicana-Evansville once the new Terra Haute Casino-Sportsbook is built.  The reason why Mayor Winnecke should be motivated to do this is that as of February 28, 2019, the City Of Evansville had $10 million dollar spending deficit.
Because of some of our elected officials lack the political guts to take this issue head on it now looks like Tropicana-Evansville will now be in direct competition with well-financed and politically connected gaming establishments in Terre Haute and across the river in Kentucky.  Oh, just in case the Mayor and his political buddies in the Indy still want to do a “Gaming Impact Study” 2 or 3 years from now they can save time and money by reading the above information we just posted about the Tropicana-Evansville looming competition.

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?

Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Are you disappointed that State Rep; Holli Sullivan and Mayor Winnecke didn’t take a strong stance against a new casino being built in Terre Haute?

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.

.If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com

FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.”READERS FORUM” 

 

AG Curtis Hill: States Benefit From USDOJ’s Clarification Of Recent Legal Opinion On Gambling

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AG Curtis Hill: States Benefit From USDOJ’s Clarification Of Recent Legal Opinion On Gambling

Attorney General Curtis Hill said today the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) has demonstrated responsiveness to states’ concerns by clarifying its recent legal opinion regarding the meaning of the Wire Act and its effect on lotteries.

On March 21, Attorney General Hill and 24 other attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein arguing that a recent legal opinion issued by the federal government could reach beyond the realms of sports gambling and into areas traditionally controlled by the states, potentially jeopardizing state lotteries.

On April 8, the Department of Justice released a memorandum clarifying that state lotteries were not addressed in the January 2019 Wire Act memorandum.

“I welcome the Department of Justice’s clarification of the January 2019 Wire Act memorandum,” Attorney General Hill said. “The Hoosier Lottery plays an important role in funding various programs in Indiana. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein’s clarification of the Department’s position is a move in the right direction.”

Senator Mike Braun And Congressman Jim Banks Introduce The Pell Flexibility Act of 2019

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U.S. Senator Mike Braun and Congressman Jim Banks introduced the Pell Flexibility Act of 2019 to reduce student debt and address the crisis of the workforce skills gap.

“As a business owner who has hired hundreds in my career, I know first-hand there is a workforce skills gap. This legislation will address that crisis, improve job placement and reduce student debt by prioritizing skills-based programs.” – U.S. Senator Mike Braun. 

“There are currently 100,000 jobs in Indiana that are unfilled due to a worker shortage in technical and skilled fields.  We need to do more to equip students with the knowledge and training they need to find a job after graduation, and that begins with restructuring federal grant money to prioritize highly demanded skills.  Pell Grant flexibility is a common-sense step in the right direction, and is a top priority of our Governor, Eric Holcomb.”Representative Jim Banks

BACKGROUND

The Pell Flexibility Act: 

  • To improve job placement, reduce the crushing burden of student loan debt, and address the crisis of the workforce skills gap, higher education must adapt to meet the needs of employers. Federal grants prioritizing skills-based programs is a critical step in that direction.
  • Under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, institutions of higher education are eligible to participate in federal student aid programs—the foundational program of this system being the federal Pell Grant.
  • Under the Pilot program created by the Pell Flexibility Act, Title IV-eligible institutions with programs between 320-600 hours in length would apply to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to participation in the program, with a limit of eight programs at each institution eligible to participate.
  • Institutions must demonstrate that their program(s) addresses the skills gap by using evaluations from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Office of Employment Projections; local and regional workforce needs assessments created under recent updates to Title V of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act; Workforce Investment Boards; or other state agencies.
  • The program will be monitored and evaluated by ED and a report will be issued to relevant Congressional committees using both qualitative and quantities evidence. The report must include how these programs meet workforce needs, retention rates, job placement rates in relevant fields, and other pertinent information.

Bill Passes Through State House Allowing for Guns Loaded With Projectiles During Teacher Active Shooter Training

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Bill Passes Through State House Allowing for Guns Loaded With Projectiles During Teacher Active Shooter Training

A controversial bill involving arming Indiana teachers with guns in schools is moving forward in the state senate. The now amended House Bill 1235 adds a provision of using projectile bullets involuntary teacher active shooter training. This comes just a few weeks after several teachers were injured during an active shooter training session in Monticello, Indiana.

Indiana teachers would have to volunteer for active shooter training under house bill 12-35. Now some Hoosiers lawmakers say adding a realistic factor to the training drills like projectile bullets could help teachers prepare for that extremely scary moment when they possibly come face to face with a school shooter.

Three schools in Indiana have reportedly opted in through their school boards to use guns with projectile bullets in active shooter safety drills. Thisdecisions is certainly causing controversy across the Hoosier state.

Several weeks ago an active shooter training session in Monticello, Indiana went awry when several teachers were hurt from those projectile bullets.

“The sheriff said those people opted into the training aware of what was going to happen so not to dispel it, just to clarify,” says Indiana District 27 Senator Jeff Raatz.

Lawmakers say one school wanted to use the projectile bullets to make the training feel as realistic as possible.

“If they choose to do it because when I use to word realistic i am talking about emotions and adrenaline and as much reality that they could possibly be subjected to in the training,” says Sen. Raatz.

It’s that training lawmakers hope some teachers would step up to prepare for a stressful situation.

“There is a mental health piece that has got to be gone through and that is before we ever get to this point. So there are plenty of safeguards in place to identify those are capable and not just willing, but capable,” says Raatz.

Teachers would also need to sign paperwork to opt into the training.

Raatz says, “should an active shooter enter the school or whatever that protocol is and then if the school has sanctioned it, now you got people that are trained and willing and have volunteered and prepared mentally to take on the task. It’s not pretty, and it’s not for everybody.”

House Bill 1235 is still up for debate, and could see more amendments.

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Old National Events Plaza Welcomes NAACP Region III Civil Rights Advocacy Training Institute

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The NAACP Region III Civil Rights Advocacy Training Institute will meet at Old National Events Plaza April 12-13, 2019. More than two hundred participants and instructors will arrive today from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin for two days of Advocacy Training.

The NAACP Region III Civil Rights Advocacy Training Institute is a Leadership and Training Session designed to help volunteers and youth leaders become more effective in carrying out the programmatic responsibilities of local NAACP branches, youth councils, and college chapters. Convention delegates participate in workshops designed to improve program development and implementation of programmatic concerns within the respective communities.

This will be the first time the NAACP Region III Civil Rights Advocacy Training will be held in Evansville. Old National Events Plaza has a long history ofworking with the local and state chapters of the NAACP, hosting the

local NAACP Awards Banquet and the State Convention in previous years.

 

Area High School Students Come out On Top in Skills Competition at Ivy Tech Community College

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Four area high school students took home scholarships, tools, and trophies today following the Fourth Annual Ivy Tech Community College Automotive Skills Competition.

Winners were:

  • Corey Wanninger, first place, Tell City High School
  • Mason Sandage, second place, Heritage Hills High School
  • Luke Harris, third place, Southridge High School
  • Jacob Moog, fourth place, Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center and North High School

Prizes included a $2,000 Ivy Tech scholarship from Larry’s Automotive, a $1,500 Ivy Tech scholarship from Duells Evansville Kia and Hyundai, a $1,000 Ivy Tech scholarship Raben Tire, and a $500 Ivy Tech scholarship from Expressway Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram.

The competition among selected students from area high schools with automotive programs consisted of testing through a variety of scenarios one would find in an automotive repair setting such as alignment issues, no start, looking up service information, confirming customer complaint and diagnostic process, investigating check engine light and live data, multi-point inspection, and a 50-question ASE style test.

Training sessions for students not participating in the skills challenge were provided by Snap-On, NAPA, and FCA Mopar Cap Fiat Chrysler Corp. Lunch was sponsored by Kenny Kent Toyota.

 

An Announcement On Future Changes For The CCO

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An Announcement On Future Changes For The CCO

The City-County Observer would like to take a moment to thank our readers and inform you about some upcoming changes we will be making to enhance our newspaper and improve the services that we offer to you, our readers. 

Our chief concern has always been and will continue to be keeping our readers informed of the current news in our community, surrounding areas and state.

Covering the local, regional and state news is an around the clock endeavor, but we will continue to strive to listen and respond to our readers. Starting today, you may contact us by e-mail or Facebook Messenger to speak with our editor.

We understand that readers need a voice and a platform for positive change in the community; therefore, we will be accepting well-written, non-abrasive, and insightful Letters to the Editor. Submissions can be e-mailed to city-countyobserver@live.com or sent to us through Facebook Messenger for consideration. 

Finally, we want to go one step beyond being your complimentary news source by giving back to our readers. We will start this process next month with giveaways on our official City-County Observer Facebook page. Simply follow us on Facebook so you won’t miss your chance to win free prizes. Please click the link below to be notified about pending contests, rules, and prizes. 

https://www.facebook.com/citycountyobserver/

Once again, we thank you for your continued support. We look forward to improving our engagement with readers and tailoring the CCO to be your number one news source. 

Sincerely,

City-County Observer Editor

St. Vincent Evansville Birth Announcements for April 9, 2019

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Amil Rogers, Evansville, son, Ladarius Lee, March 28

Claire and Nicholas Durchholz, Boonville, IN, daughter, Nora Joanne, March 28

Mallory and Eric Born, Evansville, daughter, Lexi Ann, March 29

Katie and Jarrod Luigs, Evansville, daughter, Eleanor Claire, March 30

Erica and Everett Campbell, Newburgh, son, Aiden Thomas, Mach 30

Lauren and Douglas Turley, Clay, KY, son, Mason Lane, March 31

Amber Johnson and Logan Cartwright, Evansville, daughter, Sophie Joe’Lynn, March 31

Jieying Chen and Jun Cao, Evansville, son, Louis, April 1

Destiny Eastwood and Michael Mitchell, Evansville, son, Khylan-Michael Jefon, April 1

Jan and Joseph Hite, Henderson, KY, daughter, Meghan Jane, April 2

Autumn and William Mattingly Jr., Oakland City, IN, son, Landon William, April 4

Tara and Andy Ellermann, Evansville, daughter, Mila Kate, April 4

Jessica Adams and Grant Schaefer, Evansville, daughter, Clara Lynn, April 4

Aidrian Christie and Jordan Ricketts, Carmi, IL, daughter, Carmen Elizabeth, April 4

Kay Myers, Evansville, son, Wyatt Alexander, April 5

Gorvanice Mercado and Christian Frias, Mount Carmel, IL, son, Caleb Govan, April 6

Kelsey and Jordan Ambrous, Carmi, IL, son, Wyatt Jordan, April 8