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We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€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.
SHOULD THE CCO CONTINUE TO PUBLISH THEIR ‘IS IT TRUE” COLUMN? IS IT TRUE that we have been reminiscing in the last few “IS IT TRUE” columns and many things we have written about over the years that have given us great pleasure and a sense of accomplishment? …we are proud that we saved the taxpayers of this community many millions of dollars when we exposed that several politicians tried to take our Homestead Tax credits from us without our knowledge?  …we are quite proud of bringing accountability to a place that has not been known for holding public officials accountable? IS IT TRUE over the years we have born the risks of exposing the shenanigans of powerful people and to some extent, it has been a labor of love? …doing this has taken a toll and little has been gained by the authors other than the quiet satisfaction and encouragement to continue to do what the people of River City should have been doing for the last century? IS IT TRUE the CCO is the ones who tenaciously called out the failure our elected officials for choosing fun and games over substance?…it has been the CCO that exposed idiocy and self-serving squandering of taxpayer dollars in search of votes?…it is the CCO that took the powers that be to task every time they did something underhanded to pick the taxpayer’s pockets?…it is the CCO that had the courage to point to things like drug addiction in the parks, political patronage, nepotism, an escalating murder rate, and the neglect of public infrastructure for golden shovel photo ops?…over the years we have suffered mightily for doing what we have done? IS IT TRUE what our readers do not know is that at least one contributing writer to the CCO had credible death threats on several occasions for questioning the honesty of the way the Ford Center was jammed down the taxpayers throats without a referendum?…another staff member has been subjected to several phone calls in the middle of the night only to be cursed or threatened by anonymous callers? IS IT TRUE we even were handed stories by other members of the media because their owners did not have the courage to expose the malfeasance of powerful locals?…there have been challenging times for the contributors to this column but we stood by the principles of free speech? ..the time has come to evaluate if we should continue to publish the “IS IT TRUE ” column and is it worth the effort? IS IT TRUE that unless there is a resounding public outcry for the “IS IT TRUE” column to be continued along with additional financial commitment (advertising) to support what it takes to do this column on a regular basis that this will be the last “IS IT TRUE”? IS IT TRUE today’s “Readers Poll” is asking our readers to decide what is to become of this column and the voice of the “MOLE NATION” that made it possible?  …we want to thank our 113 ‘Moles” for providing us with valuable information over the years about politicians and business leaders misdeeds that helped make this column possible? …we also want to give special thanks to our loyal advertisers who supported our mission of ensuring “Good Public Policy”? Finally, a part of us wants to keep up the fight, but another part would like to live in peace without constant threats, disruption, and ostracism? …we urge you to go to today’s CCO “READERS POLL” and vote? …the fate of the City-County Observer “IS IT TRUE” is up to you? Todays“Readers Poll†question is:  SHOULD THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER CONTINUE TO PUBLISH THEIR ‘IS IT TRUE” COLUMN? 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.
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SHOULD THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER CONTINUE TO PUBLISH THEIR ‘IS IT TRUE” COLUMN?
Gambling Expansion Bill Heading To Governor
Gambling Expansion Bill Heading To Governor
By Emily Ketterer
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — The controversial gambling expansion bill is on its way to Gov. Eric Holcomb after it passed through both chambers only hours before the General Assembly wrapped up the 2019 legislative session.
Ultimately, the decision was less partisan and more geographical as the bill’s numerous provisions – from an inland casino in Gary to a new casino in Terre Haute – directly impacts many lawmakers’ home districts. It passed the House in votes because the issue covers a number of items and gambling directly impacts lawmakers’ communities and brings out personal beliefs.
House Bill 1015 passed first in the Senate, 37-12. Nine Democrats joined 28 Republicans in supporting it, with 12 Republicans voting no.
The House approved it 59-36, with 22 Democrats and 37 Republicans voting yes, and 27 Republicans and nine Democrats in opposition.
Among the ‘no’ votes: Rep. Todd Huston, the Fishers Republican who authored the measure, surprising some of his colleagues as he pushed the red button moments after presenting the bill to his colleagues. Rep. Ed Clere, a New Albany Republican who sits next to Huston in the House chamber, asked: “Did you mean to do that?â€
Huston nodded yes.
As lawmakers filed out of the Statehouse, Huston told reporters said he hadn’t told anyone of his decision to vote no but had felt it was his responsibility to negotiate a final version and present a bill most of his caucus backed.
Overall, HB 1015 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 rso long as they register with one of the state’s casinos.
With this expansion, Indiana will add one new casino to the 11 existing casinos and two racinos. The racinos, in Anderson Shelbyville, will have live dealers in 2020, rather than 2021 as current law states, making them full casinos. The bill also boosts the number of licenses casino operators can own from two to six.
The owner of the Gary casinos, Spectacle Entertainment, will have to pay a $20 million fee over five years to move the casinos inland, and also relinquish its second casino license. For the sacrifice of the second license, Spectacle will still receive tax benefits as if they still own two casinos until 2025. This could potentially give the company $40 million to $50 million in tax credit,s said. Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, who was against the tax break the company gets.
“I think it’s bad policy to do that,†Smaltz said.
Smaltz also opposed mobile sports betting and had originally removed it earlier this session when the bill was in a committee he chaired. But the provision was restored when the House and Senate negotiated a final version.
This makes every community a gambling community, he warned.
“I’m not excited about having sports wagering anywhere in my community,†Smaltz said.
Other provisions that were added back in were the so-called “hold harmless†agreements to give payments to the communities where casinos in northern and southern Indiana who might lose revenue from the new Gary and Terre Haute casinos. Those include East Chicago, Michigan City, Hammond, Evansville, and French Lick. Huston later singled out that provision as contributing to his “no†vote.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. We don’t have a forecast (of how revenues will be affected),†Huston said. “…That’s my struggle. We’re making a presumption. I just don’t know what that presumption is.’
Lawmakers whose hometowns were helped by provisions in the gambling bill urged support. Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, has a racino in her area that has brought “a thousand jobs in my community. Some of them have actually saved families from financial ruin.â€
“Some folks just don’t like gaming, period,†she said. “But this bill has a lot of promise for our state.â€
Democrat Sen. Eddie Melton said the casino expansion in his hometown of Gary will help rebuild the city, which they have been trying to do for 50 years.
“I don’t see this as a gaming bill,†Melton said. “I see this as an economic catalyst.â€
But Rep. Randy Frye, R-Greensburg, raised a concern about the other communities in Southeast Indiana not receiving the same benefits. The casinos in Rising Sun and Lawrenceburg are not getting the “hold harmless†protections that the other casinos are. He said some parts of the bill were good but said some elements were thrown together at the last minute and needed to be thought out.
“We’re going to build this on the backs of the poorest people in our state,†Frye said.
The bill now heads to Holcomb for his signature. Recent questions were raised about Holcomb’s paid-for plane trip with the owner of Spectacle in 2018. Rep. Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, tried to prevent this from happening by amending the gaming bill in the House to require meetings between the governor and casino bosses to be public, but the provision was removed in the final version.
“Why wouldn’t the governor want to have some sort of open sunshine if he’s under some suspicion?†Bauer said.
So far, Holcomb has not committed to signing the bill though he has not been publicly critical of it either.
FOOTNOTE: Emily Ketterer is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
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MOOrauders By Jim Redwine
Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine
MOOrauders
Peg and I bought a cabin on the prairie in Osage County, Oklahoma. It came furnished with bovines who appear to have formed a four-legged resistance to destiny as Big Macs. When we visited recently we drove across the cattle guard and were met by the steely gaze of the Leader of the Pack. He was mainly black but had a white Mark of Cain on his left jaw and sharp hooves which he pawed into the dirt as he snorted fire through his flaring nostrils.
Having grown up in cow country I was able to recognize that neither the Lead Steer nor any of the others retained the necessary accouterments for bulls. Therefore, I advised Peg to relax as I directed her to get out of the pickup and wade through the herd to open the gate. Peg’s response will not be published! I eased open my door and took an aggressive stance as I met the Leader’s glare while I opened the iron gate.
Hurrying back to the truck I jumped in and sped through the herd while blaring the horn. Apparently, Johnny Kelley who owns the cattle uses the horn and siren of his feed truck to announce it’s dinner time. Instead of driving the cows off the horn enticed the Leader to menacingly advance toward us along with thirty of his gang.
We managed to negotiate our way up to our cabin and slip inside as the hungry cattle voiced their displeasure with our behavior. Peg and I barricaded ourselves inside the cabin as the Leader circled his troops around it. We waited for nightfall hoping the cattle were on an eight-hour workday and that when darkness came the cows would bed down.
Just after the moon appeared and bathed the prairie with silver light I cautiously opened the cabin door and was chagrined to see the Leader fixated on my position. His backup troops were edging their way up to the four newly set cedar posts that hold up the overhang attached to our new barn. As the cattle began to scratch their seven hundred plus pound bodies against the obviously challenged posts I knew something had to be done. I hollered for Peg.
Peg loudly yelled something that sounded like a word describing a cow byproduct as she shoved me outside with a blanket to shoo away the bold bovines. I noticed the blanket was red as Peg slammed the cabin door behind me.
Gingerly making my way toward Leader Steer I yelled and flapped the blanket. Whether the Leader would bolt or charge was highly in doubt until I remembered an old McDonald’s television commercial that I began to sing as loudly as my scared vocal cords would allow:
“You deserve a break today!
So get out and get away
To McDonald’s!â€
Then I shouted, “Two all beef patties or get away from my barnâ€. Upon reflection, Leader must have decided I wasn’t worth the effort as he unceremoniously turned his backside toward me and sauntered away with his subjects in tow. Of course, he may have just found my singing, not to his liking; everyone’s a critic. Now, Gentle Reader, if someone will just come to rescue us, Peg and I can leave the cabin and head back to Indiana where most cattle know their place.
For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com  Or “Like†us on Facebook at JPegRanchBooks&Knitting
Camp Atterbury to Host NRA Marksmanship Competition Center
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced today that Camp Atterbury will be the site of the National Rifle Association’s new National Marksmanship Competition Center.
“Camp Atterbury will serve as an exceptional venue for marksmanship championships that promote education and responsibility,†Gov. Holcomb said. “This new center will provide great economic benefits for central Indiana with the safety, training and competition opportunities for thousands of citizens, law enforcement and military personnel.â€
Camp Atterbury, located on approximately 35,000 acres just west of Edinburgh in Johnson County, has a long history of marksmanship training. Since opening in 1942, Camp Atterbury has hosted units from all branches of the military. Civilian law enforcement agencies also use the ranges to gain experience that is otherwise logistically difficult and costly.
The NRA’s competitive shooting division, which has been holding marksmanship competitions since 1876, will bring national and regional competitions as well as firearms training and safety courses to Camp Atterbury.
Smallbore Rifle Championships and Precision Pistol Championships will begin in 2020 and the High Power Rifle Championships, which have been held at Camp Atterbury since 2017, will continue. The NRA expects to add collegiate marksmanship events and other related competitive shooting events at the center over the course of the ten-year agreement.
Additionally, the NRA will work in conjunction with the Camp Atterbury Museum to develop the NRA Military Heritage Museum.
“Since our inception, the NRA’s roots have been in our competitive shooting programs,†NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre said. “We look forward to having our National Matches at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and to offer competitive shooters a centralized location to compete while protecting our Second Amendment freedoms.â€
As a part of the agreement, the NRA will lease space at Camp Atterbury, and the state will upgrade several shooting ranges. The improvements are also expected to draw another military, law enforcement, and civilian training and competitions as well.
The annual meeting of the National Rifle Association is underway in Indianapolis this weekend and returns to the capital city in 2023.
USDA Launches Ace the Waste! Food Waste Contest for Students
Food waste is a problem everyone can tackle, including our nation’s youth. As part of Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is launching Ace the Waste! A student competition for food waste reduction ideas. This first-ever competition calls on students to come up with creative solutions to reduce food loss and waste in the United States.
The problem of food waste affects everyone. More than one third of food in the U.S. is lost or wasted. This amounts to 133 billion pounds, or $161 billion worth of food each year. Food is the single largest type of waste in landfills. Students age 11 to 18 are encouraged to submit proposals on reducing food loss and waste anywhere along the supply chain, from the farm to the dinner table and beyond. Topic ideas for the proposal include:
- Preventing food waste – such as ideas to prolong the storage life of food; improve efficiencies in the processing of food and its distribution; and create new products from unharvested or unsold crops (like so-called “ugly fruit and vegetablesâ€) or from food processing by-products.
- Recovering wholesome, excess food to feed people – such as innovative approaches for getting excess food to people who need it and measuring the value of food donations.
- Recycling food scraps to keep them out of landfills – such as ideas to connect food waste generators with recyclers and to create animal feed, compost, and energy.
- Raising awareness – such as ideas about how to make students more aware about the amount of food being wasted and let them know how to reduce it.
Students may submit 1-2 page proposals or 1-2 minute videos. Proposals will be judged on impact potential; originality and creativity; clarity of expression; and adherence/appropriateness to theme. Judges will include representatives from USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One winner will be selected from each of two categories – ages 11-14 and ages 15-18. The winner of the challenge will be honored with recognition on USDA’s social media accounts and website, receive a certificate of appreciation, and will have the opportunity to discuss their proposals with USDA leadership.
The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 24, 2019. Submit your ideas to the Ace the Waste! competition (PDF, 238 KB) today.
About the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative
The Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative is a collaborative effort among USDA, EPA, and FDA to affirm their shared commitment to work towards the national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030. The agencies agree to coordinate food loss and waste actions such as: education and outreach, research, community investments, voluntary programs, public-private partnerships, tool development, technical assistance, event participation, and policy discussion on the impacts and importance of reducing food loss and waste.
During Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month and beyond, join the conversation on social media with the #NoWastedFood hashtag. Learn more about USDA, EPA, and FDA programs and resources to reduce food loss and waste.
Tri-State Food Bank Receives “Living Our Values†Award from Feeding America
Tri-State Food Bank has been named a recipient of the 2019 “Living Our Values Award†by Feeding America’s new CEO, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. The 2019 “Living Our Values Award” was presented to 19 Feeding America food banks across the nation “For Honorable and Generous Demonstration of Network Partnership and Collaboration During the 2019 Government Shutdown.”
“Food insecurity is indiscriminate and affects too many families, children, and seniors in the Tri-State. To address the growing need, Tri-State Food Bank provides food where it’s needed most. We are happy to be recognized by Feeding America for helping address the increased need for food during the government shutdown. It was another challenge we faced in our fight against hunger,†stated Glenn Roberts, Executive Director of Tri-State Food Bank.Â
Established in 1982, Tri-State Food Bank distributes over 8 million pounds of food (over 7 million meals) annually to over 250 feeding programs in 33 counties throughout the Tri-State.
Otters sign Wright, Rowland, and Calabrese; Draft Pruett and Maselli
The Evansville Otters have signed right-handed pitchers Taylor Wright and Matt Rowland and catcher Rob Calabrese, and draft pitcher Tanner Pruett and infielder Anthony Maselli out of the Frontier League tryout camp and draft for the 2019 season.
Wright is from Berwyn, Pa. and joins the Otters for his first stint in professional baseball.
“Wright was recommended from a trusted Atlantic League pitching coach,†said Otters manager Andy McCauley. “He threw very well at their open tryout. I’ll be interested to see him throw.â€
“I’m thrilled to be in camp and incredibly grateful for the Otters giving me a chance in professional baseball,†said Wright.
“I’ve missed being a part of a baseball team and excited to get back into the clubhouse.â€
Wright played collegiately at Brown University, where he posted a 5.80 ERA with 67 strikeouts, 4-9 record, and 56 appearances in 113.1 innings pitched.
“I’m going to go out there and compete, but I’m going to enjoy every moment being back on the field,†said Wright.
Rowland, a Marietta, Ga. native, joins the Otters after a stint in the Atlanta Braves organization. Rowland was drafted by the Braves in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB June Draft out of Pope High School.
“I heard about Evansville from my roommate with the Braves organization, Jackson Pokorney,†said Rowland. “He said I’m going to love it in Evansville. The town really backs up the Otters.â€
Pokorney was drafted by the Braves in the 29th round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of Evansville’s Mater Dei High School.
“Rowland was recommended by a trusted organizational scout who wanted to make sure he got with a good pitching coach like Max (Peterson),†said McCauley.
“I’m excited to come to Evansville and play for the Otters organization,†said Rowland. “It’s a nice change of culture and I’m excited to see what the season has in store.â€
In 2018 with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League, Rowland was 1-4 with a 3.83 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 13 starts and a total of 54.0 innings pitched.
“He had quality numbers with the Braves organization and should figure in highly on the staff,†said McCauley.
“My approach on the mound is to mix it up with heat, off-speed and movement to set up batters,†said Rowland. “I pitch to contact to put the ball in play toward the defense behind me.â€
Calabrese, a Staten Island, N.Y. native, joins the Otters for the 2019 season after spending two years in the San Francisco Giants organization. In 2017, he played with the Salem Keizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League and with the Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League in 2018.
“Calabrese played with David (Cronin) at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is represented by an agent I’ve worked with for some time,†said McCauley.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to play,†said Calabrese. “I love playing this game and I look forward go out there with my teammates.â€
Last year with the GreenJackets, Calabrese had a .193 batting average with five home runs, 21 RBI’s, 24 runs, and 38 hits in 67 games.
“He should be a quality bat in our lineup and work well with our pitchers with his organizational experience.â€
“Offensively, I try to keep it simple, be a gap-to-gap hitter with some power,†said Calabrese.
“I’ve always believed pitching and defense wins championships, so I really pride myself on my defense. I feel it’s my job as a catcher to be a leader out there and help make my pitchers and teammates better.â€
The catcher was drafted in the 10th round by the Giants in the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Illinois-Chicago.
The Evansville Otters made two selections out of the 2019 Frontier League Draft, selecting infielder Anthony Maselli and left-handed pitcher Tanner Pruett.
Maselli was selected by the Otters with the eighth overall pick in the league draft.