http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx
Stranded Motorist Injured on I-69
Yesterday morning the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of I-69 near the 1.5-mile marker to a report of a stalled vehicle that had been struck by another vehicle. The driver of each vehicle was transported to area hospitals for potentially serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
During the investigation, deputies discovered that a maroon Cadillac Escalade was parked southbound on the emergency shoulder of I-69 with a flat tire. The driver of the Escalade was awaiting the arrival of roadside assistance when his vehicle was struck in the rear by a black Ford Expedition that was traveling southbound. The impact caused both vehicles to crash into the guardrail, with the Expedition coming to rest in the middle of the southbound lanes of the interstate. As a result, the southbound lanes of I-69 were closed for about an hour.
Pursuant to Indiana state law regarding motor vehicle collisions involving serious bodily injury or death, both of the involved drivers were requested to consent to toxicology screening to be completed by the Indiana Department of Toxicology. Both drivers submitted to the toxicology screening at the hospital. The investigation will remain open pending the official toxicology results. It does not appear at this time that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
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The above images were captured by deputies investigating the crash.
THIS WEEKS HAPPENINGS IN PICTURES
Yesterday Ben Trockman officially filed to run for the Evansville City Council in the First Ward as a Democrat.  If Ben wins the 1st Ward seat he will become the first Democrat to win the First Ward seat in 52 years.  He would also become the first quadriplegic to ever win a seat on the Evansville City Council in the history of Evansville. On a terribly cold afternoon, with various school closings, Mr. Trockman managed to attract a large, diverse and enthusiastic crowd to witness his filing.  We are told that Mr. Trockman chose yesterday to file for public office because it was FDR’s birthday.  FDR is Ben’s political hero because he was the only U. S. President to serve while in a wheelchair because of a physical impairment.
Ben’s campaign theme is “Forward” with an emphasis on that “E” is for everyone?  Mr. Trockman campaign manager is none other than the popular Vanderburgh County Commissioner Ben Shoulders.
Yesterday a well known 19-year-old University Of Evansville student-athlete was sworn in as a member of the Greenway Advisory Committee.  As far as we know that Aulden Nance is the youngest member to be appointed to a county board during the last 50 plus years. Tom Shetler, Jr. was around 16 when he was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Board. We congratulate Aulden Nance on this prestigious political appointment made by members of the Vanderburgh County Commissioners.  We know he will do an outstanding job in this position.
“READERS FORUM” FEBRUARY 1, 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?Â
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is:  Are you excited about the diverse group of individuals running for a seat on the 2019 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.
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.
Evansville Daycare Closed; Pending Investigation
JANUARY 31ST, 2019 
MEGAN DIVENTI EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
A Tri-State daycare is closed and Evansville police say Fireside Chapel Daycare is now under investigation. This all comes after a reported incident inside the daycare.
A notification was sent to parents Thursday from someone who works at the daycare.
Photos recently started circulating on social media showing children with unexplained injuries. All of them attended Fireside Chapel Daycare. Now Evansville Police are involved and say they are investigating this as a crime.
Nicole Wochaski’s daughter is almost three and has been attending Fireside Chapel Daycare since last January.
She says at first she was impressed with the facility, but all that soon changed.
“Then through the summer she was having really really bad diaper rashes and she never has them at home,†says Nicole Wochaski, former Fireside Chapel parent. “She never had them on the weekends. She never had them when she was in anyone else’s care. It was always when she was at daycare.â€
She gave the staff diaper cream, wipes, and diapers to help the issue, but says it got worst.
“It got to the point where it was so bad at one time her whole diaper area was blistered as if her skin was peeling and I was furious,†says Wochaski.
Her daughter also mentioned how she was not allowed to use the bathroom, had been spanked, and even says she woke up alone in a classroom.
Wochaski says she mentioned her concerns to Fireside staff at least a dozen times, but never got anywhere.
So Thursday, she collected her daughter’s things from the daycare.
“But I did go to gather her belongings and when I went into the room that houses all of the cubbies it was about 90 percent empty,†says Wochaski.
Another mom says she cried tears of joy after reading about the daycare closing.
Leslie Young says she dropped her 3-month-old daughter off at Fireside in August and was able to keep an eye on her through an app.
“She was only getting her diaper changed like three times a day and she was there 7:45 a.m to about 4:45 p.m and they’re just feeding her constantly. Way overfeeding her and under-diapering her,†says Leslie Young, former Fireside Chapel parent.
Then the third week Young says she had more problems.
“She was face down into her crib and she had obviously been like that for a while because her head, like her forehead and her nose, both had red marks on them where they had been smashed down against the mattress,†says Young.
Days later, Young found what appeared to be a bite mark on her daughter’s leg. She also says she tried to talk to the staff about her concerns but got nowhere, so she removed her daughter from the facility.
44News has made multiple attempts to reach someone at Fireside Chapel, but have not heard back. State inspection records show the facility did not have any critical violations, but some staff members were hired without ever getting a background check.
EVPL Sets Safety Plan for Drag Queen Story Hour
EVPL Sets Safety Plan for Drag Queen Story Hour
JANUARY 31ST, 2019 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Many people presented safety concerns during a county commissioners’ meeting this week.
Despite the negative feedback, EVPL says the Drag Queen Story Hour is still taking place at the end of February.
Library officials say there is a safety plan in place that includes safety of staff members, the public performers and anyone who supports or opposes the event.
The EVPL encourages everyone to attend.
Below is the full statement:
Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library is aware of recent statements made at the County Commissioners meeting this week. These statements proposed potential actions to be taken in
response to Drag Queen Story Hour, a voluntary event that is still scheduled to take place at the end of
February.We take the proposed actions and statements seriously and within the complex and intricate
procedural context in which they would be operationalized.We have a safety plan in place for the event that includes the safety of our staff, public, the performers, and anyone who supports or opposes the event. Safety is of the utmost importance to us.
We encourage and invite the public, elected officials and other to explore the historical, contemporary, and future frameworks that guide library and information science work
St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic Welcomes New Dentist
St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic in Evansville is pleased to welcome Michelle Kelley, DDS, as a full-time dentist. St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic is a special unit just for children that provides dental education and prevention services. The Clinic is a fully functioning dental office which takes dental care to patients by parking on-site at local schools and agencies. Please see the attached for additional details and feel free to call me at 812-485-4897 if you would like to arrange an interview with Dr. Kelley.
 Michelle Kelley, DDS, has joined St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic in Evansville as a full-time dentist. Dr. Kelley is a native of Evansville. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of Southern Indiana and went on to complete her Doctor of Dental Surgery at Indiana University of School of Dentistry where she graduated with the highest distinction. Prior to joining St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic in this full-time capacity, she served as a part-time dentist for the Clinic while also maintaining a private practice.Â
St. Vincent Mobile Dental Clinic is a special unit just for children that provides dental education and prevention services. The Mobile Dental Clinic’s unique mobile care capability, combined with its focus on quality treatment, makes our program an innovative leader in care.
The Clinic is a fully functioning dental office which takes dental care to patients by parking on-site at local schools and agencies. Services provided on the Mobile Dental Clinic include:
- Exams
- Cleanings
- X-rays
- Fluoride
- Sealants
- Fillings
- Stainless steel crowns
- Extractions
- Space maintainers
- Appliance therapy
- Pulpotomy’s
- Referrals to local specialists for root canals
Clinic staff also provide assistance to those who may not have insurance by offering help with signing up for Hoosier Healthwise and arranging for payment plans. The Clinic is focused on the healthy future of the children of our community.
Pursuit Of Happiness Can’t Blunt Man’s Marijuana Conviction
Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com
A man arrested for smoking a blunt in Indianapolis failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his misdemeanor conviction violated his constitutional rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The appeal also raised the issue of the Hoosier State now being among a minority of states that have yet to legalize marijuana in some form.
John L. Solomon was arrested after a traffic stop in Indianapolis, one of five people in a silver Buick bearing the license plate for a green Ford Explorer. Police found numerous syringes and foil, along with a marijuana blunt discovered where Solomon had been sitting. Police said Solomon claimed nothing in the car was his except the blunt, but at a bench trial more than a year later, Solomon testified he didn’t know about the blunt and that he had told an officer it didn’t belong to him.
Solomon was found guilty of Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana and sentenced to 20 days in jail, with 14 days suspended. On appeal, he raised an Indiana Constitution argument challenging Indiana’s criminal law against marijuana.
“Solomon claims that criminalizing the mere possession of a single marijuana blunt by an adult who is not driving or otherwise impacting others violates Article 1, Section 1, of the Indiana Constitution and that his conviction should be vacated,†Judge Elaine Brown wrote for the panel in John L. Solomon v. State of Indiana, 18A-CR-2041. “He argues that Ind. Code § 35-48-4-11 may be constitutional in many circumstances and that the challenge here is not a facial one but as applied to the facts of this case.â€
“…Solomon asserts that the possession … falls well within the protections afforded by Section 1 and that marijuana brings happiness to some people, whether helping to alleviate a medical condition or for recreational purposes,†Brown wrote. “He argues that thirty-two states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal and/or recreational use and that his possession of a small amount of marijuana as a passenger of a vehicle does not adversely affect anyone else.
“He argues that marijuana use was legal in 1851 when the Indiana Constitution was drafted and ratified, that George Washington reportedly cultivated marijuana, and that in the mid-1800s marijuana was legal in the United States and used for medicinal purposes on a small scale,†Brown continued. “He also states that ‘[w]hen immigrants from Mexico and the West Indies began the practice of smoking marijuana around 1900, states began to criminalize the possession or sale of marijuana in statutes that ‘stemmed largely from racism and concern that use would spread.’â€
Solomon also noted the Indiana Supreme Court in 1855 found the liquor act unconstitutional under Section 1 in Herman v. State, 8 Ind. 545 (1855).
But the state argued Solomon’s claim was waived because it was not raised in the trial court and that Article 1, Section 1 of the Indiana Constitution contains no judicially enforceable rights, among other arguments.
The COA panel agreed that Solomon’s argument had been waived, but Brown concluded, “Even if Solomon did not waive his claim and his claim is justiciable, we conclude that reversal is not warranted.â€
“Some states may have elected to permit the use of, and de-criminalize the possession of, marijuana under certain circumstances. Other states have not elected to do so,†she wrote. “The Indiana legislature has not repealed Ind. Code § 35-48-4-11. The extent to which Solomon’s possession of marijuana under these circumstances constituted a criminal offense is a legislative determination and not a judicial one. Solomon has not established that he had a constitutional right to possess marijuana or that Ind. Code § 35-48-4-11 violates Article 1, Section 1, of the Indiana Constitution as applied to him.â€
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Joel Schumm represented Solomon in this case. “This is an issue of first impression in Indiana, and I plan to seek transfer to the Indiana Supreme Court,†Schumm said in an email to Indiana Lawyer.
The Court of Appeals decision comes as some lawmakers in both parties in the Indiana General Assembly have introduced bills to legalize medicinal or recreational marijuana, despite the opposition of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. So far, no bills have been scheduled for committee hearings at the Statehouse.
Seventh and Main Streets by Pat Sides
This view of a construction project in the block south of Seventh and Main streets has been totally transformed since the photo was taken ca. 1950.
All buildings in the view disappeared decades ago, beginning in the 1960s when the building of the Civic Center upended downtown’s architectural landscape. In the foreground at left is Finke’s Furniture, just “37 steps from Main,†as the store’s motto declared, and adjacent to Finke’s is H. A. Woods Drug Store on the corner.
The tall building in the distance at right is the F. W. Cook Brewing Company, which opened in 1853 when the site was still a cornfield. Assumption Cathedral is just north of the brewery, and across the street in the distance, the tower of Central High School is visible.