IS IT TRUE MARCH 27, 2019
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?
IS IT TRUE that the secrets about the appraisals surrounding the former CVS on North Main that was leased by DaVita to become a dialysis center for $1,600 per month is maddening?…by connecting the statements of DMD Director Kelley Coures, it can be surmised that the City of Evansville and DaVita Dialyisis have spent over $2 Million to purchase and refurbish this building?…it is now on sale and bids are being solicited based on the value of the building based on the cash income method?…income real estate is often valued based on the CAP rate which in Evansville is between 8 and 12 times the annual gross revenue potential?…the lease rate of $1.600 per month at a CAP rate of 10 would yield a value of only $192,000 for this building that supposedly has over $2 million in it?…there is actually a bidder that has offered $178,000 which is on the low end of the CAP rate expectation so this offer needs to be taken seriously?…the fact that the City of Evansville paid over $500,000 for the building and DaVita Dialysis reportedly added another $1.5 million is irrelevant?…it sounds like the viability of income property in Jimtown has not changed much in 50 years since the manufacturing base left town?…investing in Evansville as if it was a high-cost coastal enclave has and will always lead to losses and this time the taxpayers of Evansville were fleeced again by their own government?…as much as altering the rules to keep the Rathbone viable was the right thing to do, the actions and investments of the City of Evansville in the Jimtown CVS is just plain old dumb?
IS IT TRUE last week that the President of the National Gridiron League went to Roanoke, Va to reassure city leaders that the league is still on track to bring Arena Football to that area?  …. we are told even after his presentation to city officials, there are still many questions to be answered?  …we urge you and members of the local mainstream media to pull up the story March 22, 2019, written by Shayne Dwyer – reporter for Channel 10 TV News to view his extremely interesting story concerning Arena Football in the Roanoke area?
IS IT TRUE the Vanderburgh County Commissioners have formed a “County Health Insurance Advisory Committee” to study the county health insurance plan?  …this Committee is chaired by President of the County Commission Ben Shoulders? …this committee is comprised of many different county employees from each department?  …this committee met for the first time last week and a great deal of progress was made?  …that the committee will meet a few more times and will then decide on a recommendation to the Commissioners on what health insurance plan they want?….we give kudos to the County Commissioners for thinking outside the box?
IS IT TRUE we would like to congratulate the Evansville Sports Corporation for doing a superb job in coordinating the “Elite Eight” Divison ll basketball tournament?  …we expect that the Evansville Sports Corporation would also do an outstanding job if they were allowed to coordinate the marketing efforts of the Evansville Thunderbolts hockey team?
IS IT TRUE we noticed that several City Council candidates already have their po0litical signs displayed in people yards?  …this is a good sign that we are going to have a spirited City Council election?
Community Ready to Cheer on USI in Elite Eight
Community Ready To Cheer on USI in Elite Eight
MARCH 26TH, 2019 
KATELYN PERRETT EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
“It’s the talk of the campus, everyone has been talking about it for the past week,†says Hairo Rivas, a freshman at USI.
This is school’s 4th time to make it this far in the tournament.
William Haas is a senior at USI and says “these past years I’ve been at USI, the sports programs have just been making such strides that it doesn’t surprise me. The fact that our basketball team is doing this well is not a shock.â€
This is the second time the Ford Center has played host to the Elite Eight games.
Matthew Kreutzer, a senior at USI and Archie’s Army President, says “it’s phenomenal to have this game at home because the USI community has been needing an opportunity like this to really boost up our Men’s Basketball team. This is a really unique opportunity for a team to go this far in the tournament and to have this game home can’t do anything but help them do as well as they can.â€
The school is rallying together to get the house packed to support the team they love. Especially the student pep squad, Archie’s Army, who is ready to yell as loud as they can as they cheer on the screaming eagles.
“We are going to try to load up the Ford Center with as many USI faculty, staff, students, and local community as we can to really boost up our students for the basketball team and get a victory,†says Kreutzer.
Haas says “I know USI’s going to show up.â€
Students are counting down the hours until the doors open. USI is giving a free ticket to the first 500 students that show up to the game.
“Let’s see if we get this win, I think we will,†says Rivas.
Tip-off is at 6 pm at the Ford Center where they will face West Texas A&M.
Comments
Amendments To The “Notice Of Sheriff’s Sale Of Foreclosed Property”
Submitted by Gail Riecken, City-Council Observer Statehouse Editor
Amendments  to The Sheriff’s Sale  For of Foreclosed Property Now Being Discussed By THe Indiana LegislatureÂ
Amends the statute concerning the procedures for a sheriff’s sale of real property subject to a mortgage foreclosure judgment to provide that before selling the property, the sheriff must advertise the sale by arranging for the posting of a notice of the sale on the Internet web site maintained by:
(1) each county in which the real estate is located; or (2) the office of the sheriff; at the discretion of the sheriff. (Current law requires the sheriff to advertise the sale by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in each county in which the property is located.)
Specifies that existing law governing an error or omission in a legal notice published in a newspaper also applies to a sheriff’s sale notice posted on an Internet web site. Provides that if:
(1) a county in which the real estate is located does not maintain an Internet web site; and (2) the office of the sheriff does not maintain an Internet web site; the sheriff shall advertise the sale by publication in the county. Provides that in a case in which: (1) the sheriff must publish a sheriff’s sale notice in a newspaper; and (2) the sheriff is unable to procure such publication; the sheriff shall execute a written statement explaining why publication was not possible. (Current law does not specify that the sheriff’s statement must be in writing.)
Provides that the sheriff shall:
(1) maintain a record, in a printed or an electronic format, of the written statement for a period of not less than three years from the date of execution of the statement; and (2) make the statement available to the public upon request. Provides that a sheriff who posts a sheriff’s sale notice on a county’s or the sheriff’s Internet web site shall: (1) maintain a record, in a printed or an electronic format, of the posted notice of sale for a period of not less than three years from the date on which the notice is removed from the Internet web site after the occurrence of an event specified under the bill; and (2) make the record available to the public upon request. Makes conforming amendments.
LINK TO BILL SPONSORS AUTHORS AND CO-SPONSORS, AMENDMENTS, BILL ACTION, SENATE, AND HOUSE ROLL CALL VOTE.
New Region Arts Partner Selected for Region 10
March 26, 2019, Evansville The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana has been approved by the Indiana Arts Commission to serve as the new Region Arts Partner for Region 10. As a Region Arts Partner of the Indiana ArtsCommission (IAC), the Arts Council will serve Region 10, which includes Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties. In this role, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana will be responsible for facilitating funding opportunities for artists and arts-related nonprofits, providing information and referrals, assisting individual artists seeking funding, and administering IAC’s Regional Initiative Grant processes.
The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana is committed to enhancing the quality of life and supporting economic development through advocacy and promotion of the arts, arts education, and arts organizations in Southwestern Indiana. The Arts Council carries out this mission through fine arts exhibitions, performances, community arts initiatives, and youth arts granting to classrooms and organizations throughout Vanderburgh County. The organization is the only free, public art space in the community, and hosts or supports over 70 events, annually.
The Community Foundation Alliance, Inc., which is made up of affiliate Community Foundations in all Region 10 counties except Dubois, has served as the Region Arts Partner, working through the Vanderburgh CommunityFoundation. The Alliance took over the role when the Arts Council was unable to serve in that capacity in 2012.
According to Jill Carpenter, Executive Director of the Alliance, the Alliance will work closely with the Arts Council to ensure a smooth transition. “We have a great relationship with the Arts Council and look forward to working with them in any way necessary so our communities continue to benefit from this important funding source for arts-related programs.â€
Anne McKim, Executive Director of the Arts Council, said the Community Foundation Alliance will continue to manage the upcoming grant cycle, with the Arts Council transitioning to their new role July 1 of this year. “We’re so pleased to be able to serve the IAC and our regional artists and arts organizations in this capacity,” said McKim. “This opportunity will allow us to continue the Community Foundation Alliance’s success in developing the creative community throughout the region.â€
The latest guidelines for IAC Arts Project Support (APS) and Arts Organization Support (AOS) grants were announced by the Community Foundation Alliance in December. That information is available on the Vanderburgh Community Foundation’s website at CommunityFoundationAlliance.org/Vanderburgh/grants/indiana-arts-commission-grant- program
EPA Makes Studies on PV29 Publicly Available
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the release of 24 studies on Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) used by EPA to develop the draft risk evaluation under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
“We are committed to being transparent with information on chemicals, as we work to develop risk evaluations under TSCA,†said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn.
The companies that submitted the studies had claimed the documents as confidential business information. Robust summaries of the studies were provided to the public along with the draft risk evaluation on November 15, 2018.  Since that time, those companies have revised their confidentiality claims, dropping most of them.  Following Agency regulations, EPA has reviewed the remaining claims of confidential business information and determined that the information is entitled to confidential treatment. That information has been redacted from the studies publicly released today.
The release of these studies does not change the Agency’s proposed “no unreasonable risk†determination as concluded in the draft risk evaluation published in November.  EPA previously submitted the complete, unredacted versions of the studies to the TSCA Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to use in their peer review of the draft risk evaluation.
The newly released studies can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/draft-risk-evaluation-pigment-violet-29 and next week will also be in the Supporting Documents folder of docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0604 on www.regulations.gov.
EPA will shortly be announcing the date to reopen the comment period on the draft risk evaluation in light of these newly released studies. Â The peer review panel on PV 29, canceled due to the lapse in appropriations, is in the process of being rescheduled.
St. Vincent Evansville Birth Announcements for March 26, 2019
St. Vincent Evansville Birth Announcements for March 26, 2019
Hillary and George Yates, Marion, IL, son, Wyatt James, March 17
Cassandra and Jared Dwyer, Evansville, daughter, Selena Emilia, March 18
Alyson and Darrin Meece, Richland City, IN, daughter, Swayzee Loraine, March 18
Jessica James and Derek Whittinghill, Evansville, son, Eli Logan, March 18
Danielle and Robert Higsby, Petersburg, IN, daughter, Aubrey Qynn, March 19
Samantha Page and Brent Davis, Evansville, son, Grayson Alan, March 19
Chelsey Barrett, Evansville, daughter, Amiyah Rose, March 20
Clara and Eric Rexing, Haubstadt, IN, daughter, Nora Rose, March 20
Bridgette Freihaut and Damon Scott, Evansville, son, Nolan Thomas Allen, Marc 20
Rachael and Terry Jones II, Evansville, daughter, Scarlett Penelope, March 21
Rebecca and Michael Raben, Evansville, daughter, Kate Evelyn, March 21
Olivia Evans, Evansville, daughter, Sylvia Rose, March 21
Devin Curry, Evansville, daughter, Alexa Dawn, March 21
Cheyenne and Tim Pierce, Mount Carmel, IN, son, Sloan Maddox, March 21
Haley and Austin Sisk, Fort Branch, IN, daughter, Mila Jane, March 21
About St. Vincent
In Indiana, Ascension’s St. Vincent operates 24 hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices and clinics serving central and southern Indiana and employs more than 15,000 associates. Across the state, St. Vincent provided more than $323 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018. Serving Indiana for 145 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.stvincent.org.Â
City official: Ex-ECHO director spent money on things other than property taxes
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An ex-ECHO director used the nonprofit’s money on more than just personal property taxes, a city official says.
ECHO Housing Corp. attorney Scott Wylie could not comment on the matter. ECHO announced last week Stephanie TenBarge left the nonprofit. The next day, the Courier & Press discovered TenBarge used ECHO funds to pay her personal property taxes.
Kelley Coures, director of the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development, spoke to City Council this week about the situation with ECHO at the request of City Councilman John Hayden, R-3rd Ward.
“Property taxes wasn’t all that was involved, but again I don’t have any evidence I can give you so I can’t make a statement of what was done,” Coures said.
The C&P’s attempts to contact TenBarge were unsuccessful.
TenBarge used the nonprofit’s money against organizational policy to pay the property taxes on her personal property at least three times since November 2016.
ECHO Housing Corp. hired a forensic accountant to review the nonprofit’s financial records for the last several years in response to TenBarge’s alleged use of nonprofit money for personal expenses. Wylie didn’t know the extent of the audit.
Coures told City Council his office won’t receive the results of the audit unless it impacts federal money that passes through the city to ECHO or money the city provides to ECHO for other services and costs.
“I won’t get that report unless it impacts our money, and I just don’t think it will,” he said.
Coures said his office contacted the Department of Housing and Urban Development as soon as they learned about the financial issues involving TenBarge. His office has worked with interim director Chris Metz in the last two weeks, he said.
Coures’ office conducted an audit in 2017 of the money ECHO received from the federal government through the city in 2016. He said his office hasn’t received claims for 2017 yet.
No. 2 Indiana Swimming & Diving Heads to NCAA Championships
The No. 2-ranked Indiana University men’s swimming and diving team heads to Austin, Texas to compete in the 2019 NCAA Championships, hosted by the University of Texas at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.The four-day meet gets underway on Wednesday night in Austin with the finals of the 800 freestyle relay at 6:00 p.m. ET. The next three days will feature prelims beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET, with finals each night starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. Diving prelims and consolation finals will begin following swimming prelims Thursday through Saturday.Live results for the week can be found at IUHoosiers.com, while results for diving can be found at DiveMeets.com.