ADOPT A PET
Duster is a male American mix rabbit! He was one of six brother bunnies brought to the VHS in a cardboard box. He’s only 4 months old. Only him and his brother Claus remain (but they do not have to go home together.) Duster’s adoption fee is $50 and includes his neuter & registered microchip. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
“READERS FORUM” MARCH 9, 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?
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Do you feel that the taxpayer should subsidize the Evansville Thunderbolts?
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.
Commentary: A Father’s Plea For LGBTQ Understanding
By Greg Weaver
gregoryeweaver@gmail.com
INDIANAPOLIS—When my adult son decided to move back to our home state of Indiana, I was overjoyed.
I feared the state wouldn’t be as welcoming.
A little more than three years ago, my son Adam came out as gay. And Indiana government hasn’t exactly built a reputation that embraces the LGBTQ  community – a trend that continues today with the Republican-dominated legislature’s refusal to pass a meaningful hate crimes law.
When Adam came out at age 24 while working and living in Germany, I wanted to be as supportive as possible. But my job as the politics and government editor at The Indianapolis Star made it complicated.
In a state that has been home to one of the most bitter and politically hostile battles between religious and gay rights, it was my job to make sure my reporters conveyed all sides of the issue. I took that role very seriously.
Journalistic ethics demanded I refrain from publicly advocating for LGBTQ rights. I couldn’t call my state lawmaker and give him an earful. I probably shouldn’t even attend a gay pride parade – through every fiber of my being told me I had a burning family obligation to do everything I could to guarantee basic civil rights for my son and other LGBTQ Hoosiers.
Adam came out shortly after I had spent weeks guiding IndyStar’s coverage of Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, also known as RFRA.
Critics loudly raised fears it would allow businesses to use religious objections to deny services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers.
Ultimately, pressure from business and sports interests forced then-Gov. Mike Pence and the legislature to roll back provisions that could have wiped out local protections against LGBTQ discrimination in Indianapolis and some other Indiana cities.
Still, in much of the state, LGBTQ Hoosiers can be fired or evicted from their apartments simply because of their sexual orientation.
Today, Indiana stands at the crossroads of another key gay rights debate. This time, though, I declare my independence from journalism on this one monumental and deeply personal issue.
In January, I left my job as IndyStar’s politics editor and accepted the company’s early retirement offer. Now, this watchdog is unmuzzled, and I can freely tell you that I believe any refusal by Indiana lawmakers to pass a meaningful hate crimes law to help protect LGBTQ Hoosiers is a hate crime in itself.
The Indiana Senate’s recent decision to pass a vague proposal that doesn’t offer protections to any specific group tries to ignore that LGBTQ Hoosiers even exist. The proposal also would be impossible to enforce against crimes that target other characteristics needing protection: religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender and disability.
Previously, obstructionists in the legislature indicated they’d pass a bias crimes law so long as it didn’t include enhanced sentences for hate crimes against transgender Hoosiers. But not one of them is willing to stand up and honestly say why.
The reason is their bias and fear won’t stand up to scrutiny in the harsh light of day – the same reason they stayed in the darkness during RFRA.
My Christian upbringing tells me they want to hide behind isolated passages of the Bible and cast transgenderism as a sin against nature while ignoring Jesus’ broader call to protect “the least of these†– the vulnerable and the marginalized.
My son, a diversity and inclusiveness consultant, bravely returned to Indiana despite its reputation. He knows good, rational people live here, and he came with the hope he can help them make progress on LGBTQ issues from a perspective of fairness, equality and morality.
Now, if only religious conservatives in the legislature would listen to gay Christians like my son and acknowledge that Jesus is never recorded as speaking against homosexuality. If only they would be less fixated on the few Bible passages used to clobber gays, stop ignoring the Bible’s broader exhortations to protect the marginalized and pass a hate crimes law that doesn’t overlook one of the most vulnerable segments of our society.
Indiana already has one national black eye in the aftermath of the RFRA debacle. It doesn’t need another because some legislators insist on letting it remain one of the few states without a meaningful hate crime law.
The Indiana House now has an opportunity to fix the situation and add specific protections for LGBTQ Hoosiers and other vulnerable people. But it won’t do so unless Indiana’s business interests and all friends of the LGBTQ community again raise a huge ruckus.
So tell lawmakers it’s time to make all LGBTQ Hoosiers feel welcome in their home state.
Actually, it’s past time. Gov. Eric Holcomb gets it. Why can’t you?
Greg Weaver is the former government and politics editor at The Indianapolis Star.
Tri-State Treasure: The Veterans Memorial Coliseum
MARCH 8TH, 2019 
TOMMY MASON EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
The 6,600 square foot limestone building was officially known as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum after construction in memory of those who served in the Civil War and the Spanish American War.
After the completion of what is now the Old National Events Plaza in the early ’70s, Vanderburgh County officials had no use for the aging structure.
General Manager Andrea Stafford says a new generation of veterans would soon be tasked with preserving the monument for many years to come.
“Veterans Council said please let us take it over. We’ll maintain it. We’ll keep it open. We keep it running. So, they did. They took it over in 1971. They pay a dollar a year,†says Stafford.
On average, the Coliseum hosts 75 events per year. In the 1970s and 80s regional pro wrestling promotions like the continental wrestling association.
Stafford shares some of the big-name grapplers who jerked the curtain at the Coliseum.
“Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Dutchman Tell, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, and the Undertaker. A lot of them actually got their start here,†says Stafford.
And the list goes on with some of the most compelling live broadcasts shot in the bowels of the building.
Stafford says there’s another show happen in those halls now. “We have some celebrities downstairs too. I don’t know if people have died in the building or they have an attachment to it. There is some spooks downstairs,†says Stafford.
Stafford describes one of those spirits as a dark entity. That cell is part of a network of tunnels connecting it to the old jail and the old courthouse where prisoners would be transported.
Those passages have since been sealed. The 4000-seat coliseum would later play host to the Evansville College Purple Aces basketball team before relocating to Roberts Municipal Stadium in 1950.
Although, the event calendar has become a bit thinner in the 21st century the spirit of those veterans and the monument they allow us to enjoy makes this a must see Tri-State Treasure.
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Opioid Prescription Policy Affecting Elderly Patients
MARCH 8TH, 2019 JOYLYN BUKOVAC KENTUCKY
If you are on anxiety or sleeping medication you can get refills for up to six months depending on your medical provider. Pain killers are the controlled substance most likely to cause abuse.
Which is why there are no refills allotted for these medications in Kentucky. You must see a doctor once a month to get a refill.
But many elderly people are on these medications to help with joint pain.
Jessica Mills says, “It becomes an issue, especially with our elderly patients, and they are on pain medicines and their doctor is done for the week and its spring break and so we can’t get in touch with that doctor and a lot of doctors, if they are covering for blood pressure and something else, they aren’t going to cover for any narcotics or controlled substances. So, we’ve had elderly patients go through active with a drawl.â€
The Drug Enforcement Administration also does not allow pills to be refilled early.
This can make it even more challenging for people to get their hands on their medication.
Comme
USI Women’s Basketball Eliminated From GLVC Tourney
After taking a 36-28 lead early in the second half, the Eagles were outscored 40-21 throughout the final 18 minutes of the game to put USI’s NCAA II Tournament chances in question.
USI (20-9), which was ranked No. 6 in the final regular-season Midwest Region Rankings, went just 8-of-31 (.258) from the field and 1-of-8 (.125) from three-point range during the final 18 minutes.
Bellarmine (16-11), meanwhile, was 13-of-24 (.542) from the field, 4-of-8 (.500) from three-point range and 10-of-13 (.769) from the free throw line during the final 18 minutes as it rallied from a second-half deficit to defeat the Eagles for the second time this year—USI had a double-digit halftime lead before falling to the Knights, 66-61, in Louisville, Kentucky, last month.
Early in the game, it was the Eagles who overcame a pair of five-point deficits to jump out to a four-point halftime lead. USI used a 10-4 run to close the second quarter with a 32-28 advantage at the intermission.
The Eagles scored four quick points to open the second half and looked to be in cruise control as Bellarmine called an early timeout after trimming USI’s lead to 36-30 with a bucket. The Knights got a steal after the break and a quick three-pointer; then scored five straight points, after a basket by sophomore forward Imani Guy (Columbus, Indiana), to tie the score at 38-38.
After a pair of Guy free throws put the Eagles up 40-38, the Knights scored six straight points to take a 44-40 lead they would not relinquish. Bellarmine pushed its lead 49-45 at the end of three quarters and led by six less than 10 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Knights used a 5-1 run to extend their lead to eight moments later and, after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Emma DeHart (Indianapolis, Indiana) cut USI’s deficit to five with three minutes to play, t
Mater Dei Grad Maura Muensterman Ready to Come Back Home and Perform
Mater Dei Grad Maura Muensterman Ready to Come Back Home and Perform
MARCH 9TH, 2019 JOHN RAWLINGSEVANSVILLE, INDIANA, MATER DEI, SPORTS
Muensterman is having a solid season at Belmont and looks to capture another OVC title.
Video Courtesy of Belmont Athletics
Lawmakers Wrap Up First Half Of The legislative Session
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The Indiana General Assembly has reached the halfway point of the legislative session. In the coming weeks, the House of Representatives will consider Senate bills while the Senate considers House bills. |
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This session, I authored legislation to further increase school safety. My proposal would provide grant funding flexibility to schools to implement preparedness strategies and add mental health resources for students and teachers. With this school safety initiative, all schools would implement threat assessments, active shooter drills and establish more partnerships with law enforcement. To learn more, click here.
The House of Representatives also passed legislation supporting a balanced budget, increasing protections for our youth, strengthening our commitment to students and teachers, aligning and promoting workforce initiatives, and supporting Hoosier veterans.
To follow these bills and others as they move through the process, visit iga.in.gov.
If you have any questions or input concerning proposals for new laws, please contact me at 317-232-9600 or h76@iga.in.gov.
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