EPD is trying to identify suspect of Credit car theft
Evansville Police are trying to identify a woman suspected of using a stolen credit card on at least two occasions.
The woman used the stolen credit card at two different retail stores on the east side of Evansville on December 26, 2018. Please contact Detective T. Bickel at 812-436-7994 if you recognize the woman.
Former UE golfer Tyler Gray takes talents to next level
Gray participating in PGA Tour Latinoamerica event
Former University of Evansville men’s golfer Tyler Gray graduated in 2018, leaving the program with the lowest stroke average in school history. Less than a year later, Gray is hoping to make it at the next level in PGA TOUR Latinoamerica.
The Huntingburg, Ind. native is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to take part in the PTLA Qualifying Tournament. It begins on Tuesday, January 29 and runs through February 1. In what will be a great experience for Gray, the tournament is being played at the Olympic Golf Course that was used in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“This is a great opportunity to gain status on the tour and have a guarantee of a place to play,†Gray said. “Gaining status would open doors to where I could live and practice out of while back in the states. I am looking forward to getting down there and getting the event started.â€
A win in the tournament would give Gray full status for the entire PGA TOUR Latinoamerica season. Â A finish of 2nd through 13th would get him status for half of the season while a finish between 14th and 35th would grant conditional status.
Last year’s schedule saw 18 tournaments on the docket in 11 countries including: Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the United States.
“READERS FORUM” JANUARY 29, 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 Do you feel its time that our elected officials admit because of the annual multi-million dollars bond payment the Ford Center shall never make a profit?
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.
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Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.
Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Meeting Agenda For Today
AGENDA Of The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
January 29, 2019, At 3:00 pm, in Room 301At The Civic CenterÂ
- Call to Order
- Attendance
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Action ItemsÂ
- Final Reading of Ordinance CO.01-19-002: Amendment to the Broadband Ready Community
- County Property Casualty Insurance Quote/ RenewalÂ
- Alternative Service Concepts, LLC Claims Service ContractÂ
- Contract for Legal Services/ Joe Harrison Jr.
- The contract for Legal Services/ Commissioners Tax Sale/ Jean BlantonÂ
- The contract for Legal Consulting Agreement/Bose McKinneyÂ
- MBE/WBE Compliance Consultant Agreement/Vick Strategic ConsultingÂ
- Professional Services Agreement/ Jessica Higgins
- Pest Abatement/ Old CourthouseÂ
- University Parkway Ext. Grant Application/INDOT
- Environmental Study Contract/University Parkway Ext.Â
- First Reading of Ordinance CO.02-19-003: Establishing an Infrastructure Development Zones in Vanderburgh County/ Set Public Hearing
- Resolution CO.R-01-19-002: Supporting Senate Bill 187
- Superior Court:Â
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- 2019 CASA ContractÂ
- Professional Services Agreement with Alexandria Winstead
- Professional Services Agreement with Madelynn Wiethop
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- Old Courthouse:Â
- Lease Agreement with David Miller & Danny JonesÂ
- Lease Agreement with Aaron TannerÂ
- County Assessor: Ivy Tech Courses for Continued Education HoursÂ
- Treatment Court:Â
-
- Therapeutic Work Release Agreement with Charlie Pace
- Therapeutic Work Release Agreement with Nancy Angermeier
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- Computer Services: AT&T ASE Contract Amendment
- Burdette Park: 2019 Marketing ContractÂ
- Health Department: Harmonie State Park Contract Extension
- County Treasurer: Union ContactÂ
- Board AppointmentsÂ
- Department Head Reports
- New Business
- Road HearingÂ
- Special Use 15 Revised
- Encroachment PermitÂ
- Old Business
- Acknowledge Animal Control TopicÂ
- Consent Items
- Approval of January 8, 2019 Meeting Minutes
- Employment ChangesÂ
- Road Closure Request:
- Walk to Remember on 3/10/19
- Rise Up and Run on 3/09/19
- Run into Madness on 3/02/19
- Spring into Fitness on 4/13/19
- Township Trustee Standards and Guidelines 2019
- GermanÂ
- CenterÂ
- Knight
- County Commissioners:Â
- Request for Jail Project AppropriationÂ
- SEZ Holdings, LLC Sublease Commencement AgreementÂ
- Commission on Homelessness: Request that the Old National Events Plaza Facility Fees be Waived for the Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana on March 21, 2019
- United Neighborhoods of Evansville: December 2018 Monthly ReportÂ
- Soil and Water Conservation District: December 17, 2018 Meeting MinutesÂ
- Weights and Measures: December 16, 2018- January 15, 2019 Monthly ReportÂ
- County Commissioners:Â
- County Auditor:Â
- Claims Voucher Request: 1/7-1/11/2019 & 1/14-1/18/2019 & 1/21-1/25/2019Â
- Barrett Law Lien Release: Mill Terrace Barrett Law: Billy L. Carroll (now owned by Pamela J. & Richard Thomas)
- County Clerk: December 2018 Monthly ReportÂ
- Drug & Alcohol Deferral Service: Travel RequestÂ
- Old Courthouse: DeBra-Kuempel AHU Controller Replacement QuoteÂ
- Surplus Request:
- Health Department Computer Equipment
- County Commissioners Computer Equipment
- County Engineer Computer EquipmentÂ
- County Engineer:
- Department Report
- Pay Request #51 U.S. 41 Expansion T.I.F. for the sum of $19,100.00
- Pay Request #41 University Parkway T.I.F. for the sum of $13,166.76
- ClaimsÂ
- Public Comment
- Rezoning
- First Reading of Rezoning Ordinance VC-1-2019
Petitioner: Briggs & Sons, LLC
Address: 13644 SR 57
Request: Change from AG to C-4 with UDC
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- First Reading of Rezoning Ordinance VC-2-2019
Petitioner: Karen Hallenberg
Address: 10620 St. Wendel Road
Request: Change from Ag to CO-1
- Adjournment
House Passes School Safety Bill
House Passes School Safety Bill
By Emily Ketterer
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — In a nearly unanimous vote, the House passed a catch-all school safety bill, but one lawmaker rose in opposition because the proposed legislation does not arm teachers.
Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, took to the House floor to explain why he was voting against House Bill 1004, despite the bipartisan support. The bill would allow schools more flexibility when applying for grants to cover the cost of safety equipment, resource officers and mental health services. It passed in a 96-2 vote.
Lucas provided a summary of a large safety report done by the state of Florida after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year. He used the report to argue that the legislation does not do enough to protect schools.
The report, he said, points out the lapses in response by the school and safety officials, such as a faculty member seeing the student walk into the building with a weapon and that the shooter was receiving mental health treatment for years prior to the shooting.
He said after the investigation, the only improvement for school safety the report recommends is to give firearms to teachers.
“That’s the only thing that’s going to stop a shooter that’s passed through all these safeguards that we’re sitting here trying to implement right now,†Lucas said.
Other lawmakers from both parties rose in support and commended the author of the bill, Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, for working to include amendments made by other legislators.
“Students remain to walk through our doors each and every day with some sort of fear,†McNamara said. “If this bill does the least bit to help alleviate some of those fears, then we’re heading down the right direction.â€
The bill passed 96-2, with Rep. Curt Nisly, R-Milford, joining Lucas in voting no. It will head to the Senate for action.
Emily Ketterer is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
AG Curtis Hill Asks Supreme Court To Protect Second Amendment Right To Carry Firearms
Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined attorneys general and governors from 22 other states in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case regarding the rights of law-abiding individuals to carry firearms outside their homes.
In a brief filed this week, the states are asking the nation’s high court to review a recent lower court ruling in Rogers v. Grewal. In that case, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals failed to strike down a New Jersey law that restricts an individual’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense unless the person can demonstrate a “justifiable need†to do so.
The Third Circuit ruling conflicts with other federal court decisions in similar cases. In July 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Hawaii law similar to New Jersey’s, determining that the Second Amendment protects the right to openly bear arms in public for self-defense purposes. In that case, the court stated that “the right to bear arms must guarantee some right to self-defense in public.†In addition, the D.C. Circuit overturned a District of Columbia law that limited the issuance of handgun carry licenses only to individuals who could demonstrate a specific threat or a danger to their lives.
“The Constitution very plainly guarantees that all law-abiding citizens have the right to bear arms,†Attorney General Hill said. “Requiring individuals to prove special circumstances in order to ‘qualify’ for this right completely misconstrues the meaning of the Second Amendment. Under such an interpretation, in fact, carrying firearms becomes a privilege granted to a chosen few rather than a right enjoyed by all free people.â€
The case in New Jersey arises from an application filed in 2017 by Thomas R. Rogers for a handgun carry permit. Rogers services ATM machines and carries large amounts of cash as part of his job, often in high-crime areas. Despite passing the required background checks, completing a firearm training course, and meeting all of the other eligibility requirements necessary to obtain a public carry permit, Rogers was denied the exercise of his right to carry because his local police chief decided he did not have a “justifiable need” under New Jersey’s law. Indiana and the other states argue in their brief that New Jersey’s requirements for approving handgun carry permits infringe upon an individual’s ability to lawfully and effectively carry a firearm outside the home. The brief is led by the State of Arizona.
There are 42 states that currently employ objective “shall-issue†firearm permitting standards that include qualifying requirements such as fingerprinting, background checks, review of mental health records, training in the safe operation of firearms, and/or knowledge of laws regarding the use of force. New Jersey, however, employs a “may-issue†standard that allows individuals within the government to subjectively restrict citizens from carrying firearms outside their homes – even if those citizens meet all of the other eligibility requirements of the law.
Cincinnati Lawyer Reprimanded For Ignoring Court, Orders
OLIVIA COVINGTON FOR WWW.THEINDIANALAWYER.COM
A Cincinnati lawyer also licensed to practice in Indiana has been publicly reprimanded after he was found to have knowingly disobeyed court orders in a Lake County case and to have failed to timely respond to requests from the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
In early 2013, Cincinnati law partner William B. Fecher entered an appearance on behalf of a defendant in a Lake County breach of contract suit. However, Fecher failed to timely comply with discovery requests, leading to an $800 attorney fees award for the plaintiff. Then, both Fecher and the company he was representing failed to appear for court-ordered mediation and for subsequent show cause proceedings, leading to a $2,000 contempt sanction to be paid jointly and severally.
The plaintiff was then awarded summary judgment and the matter was set for a proceedings supplemental hearing, which Fecher and his client also missed. Show cause proceedings were thus begun again, but the two still did not attend the hearing.
The Disciplinary Commission then began an investigation, but Fecher did not respond to a demand for information and was ultimately suspended for noncooperation in 2015. His suspension was eventually reinstated later that year.
In a Friday disciplinary order, the Supreme Court pointed to Fecher’s “substantial experience in the practice of law†as an aggravating factor, yet noted as mitigators his remorse, lack of prior discipline, lack of dishonest or selfish motive and payment of monetary sanctions out of his own funds. While Fecher admitted to violating Indiana Rule of Professional Conduct 8.1(b) and did not contest the finding that he violated Rules 3.4(c) and 8.4(d), the justices found in his favor on an alleged violation of Rule 1.14(a)(1).
The court then agreed with the hearing officer that Fecher should be publicly reprimanded and imposed the public reprimand for his violations. All justices concurred.
The costs of the proceeding, In the Matter of: William B. Fecher, Respondent, 98S00-1610-DI-552, are assessed against Fecher.