January 23-27 at the Ford Center
 Cirque du Soleil: Corteo brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth. |
Indiana’s Parratto, Capobianco Sweep Weekly Big Ten Diving Awards
Indiana University divers Jessica Parratto and Andrew Capobianco swept the weekly Big Ten diving awards, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Parratto was named the Big Ten Women’s Diver of the Week, while Capobianco was named the Big Ten Men’s Diver of the Week. The honors are the first this season for both divers.
For the Hoosier women against No. 2 Michigan last week, Parratto won both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives with NCAA Zones qualifying scores. The redshirt senior took first in the 1-meter with a total of 328.58 and also won the 3-meter with a mark of 362.25.
In the victory over No. 4 Michigan, Capobianco won the 3-meter dive with a NCAA Zones qualifying and Indiana dual-meet record score of 486.00. His total also ranked as the eighth-best score in the event in IU history. In the 1-meter, the sophomore took second to teammate James Connor with a NCAA Zones qualifying mark of 400.13.
The No. 3/11 Hoosiers will head north to face No. 24/– Purdue on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Burke Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Congressman Jim Baird Selected to Serve on House Agriculture Committee and Science, Space & Technology Committee
Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) was selected to serve on both the House Agriculture Committee and the Science, Space & Technology Committee. The committee assignments for the new Republican Members for the 116th Congress were made by the respective Ranking Member for each committee.
“I’m excited to welcome Jim to the House Agriculture Committee. On the heels of the 2018 Farm Bill, it is critical that strong Members like Jim are involved in overseeing the implementation of all areas of the bill – from the farm safety net to conservation to rural broadband. There is much work to be done in the 116th Congress, and I look forward to working alongside Jim on behalf of rural America,†said House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Mike Conaway.
“We have a great group of Members on the Committee,†Ranking Member Lucas said. “I’m looking forward to working together to prioritize research and development, energy innovation, and exploration in space. Our new and returning Members understand the importance of advancing America’s technological competitiveness and driving job creation,†said House Science, Space & Technology Ranking Member Frank Lucas.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to represent Hoosiers on committees that have such a direct impact on our way of life. From research and innovation, to our tremendous ability to help feed the globe, Indiana is at the forefront. I look forward to using my practical life experience and educational background to serve our district, state and country on these committees,†said Congressman Jim Baird.
Criminal Recklessness With A Deadly Weapon
Evansville Police are searching for 27 year old DEAVEYONTE EMERY following a Tuesday afternoon shots fired call.
Police were called to the area of Kerth and Virginia around 1:40pm for a report of shots fired from a vehicle. The caller said EMERY had just fired multiple shots at a car that was occupied by two adults and two children, both under the age of 5. EMERY is a former boyfriend to one of the adults.
Police believe EMERY chased the victims for several blocks and fired shots on at least two occasions. Officers found evidence that at least one round struck the victim’s car. There were no injuries reported.
Police have obtained a Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon warrant for EMERY. He also has felony warrants for an unrelated case. He is considered armed and dangerous.Â
He was last seen driving a silver 2001 Toyota Camry with Indiana plate SRE700.Â
Anyone with information on EMERY’S location is asked to contact EPD or WeTip.
“READERS FORUM” JANUARY 23, 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: If Mayor Winnecke runs as an unopposed candidate will you vote for him?
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Legislature Takes The First Step Toward Regional Public Defender Offices
Legislature Takes The First Step Toward Regional Public Defender Offices
The Indiana General Assembly has taken the first step toward allowing Indiana counties to create regional public defenders’ offices, a change that has been championed as a means of reducing public defender caseloads and eliminating the appearance of judicial impropriety when appointing indigent defense. The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday unanimously endorsed Senate Bill 488, which would allow the Indiana Public Defender Commission to develop guidelines and requirements for multicounty public defenders’ offices. Authored by Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, SB 488 would also allow county executives to adopt ordinances allowing for interlocal agreements signed for the purpose of creating the multicounty offices.
The bill further provides that multicounty offices must be governed by a joint board, appointed pursuant to Indiana Code section 36-1-7-3(a)(5)(b). Board members must have “demonstrated an interest in high-quality legal representation for indigent persons,†but cannot be a judge or an attorney who provides indigent defense in the counties included in the interlocal agreement, among other restrictions.
The board would be tasked with establishing the multicounty public defender’s office and appointing a multi-county public defender who would serve at least a four-year term. The joint board would also have to present an annual operating budget to the fiscal body of each county involved in the agreement.
Representatives from both the Public Defender Commissioner and the Indiana Public Defender Council spoke in favor of SB 488, with Michael Moore of the council telling committee members that the bill would be an effective means of resolving capacity issues in public defenders’ offices. Moore noted regional cooperation is a successful resource-sharing tool among schools and fire departments.
A 2018 report from the Indiana Task Force on Public Defense recommended the creation of regional public defense officers as a cost-sharing mechanism that could help smaller counties provide higher quality indigent defense services. The idea, according to task force members, would be to enable small counties to come into compliance with the commission’s caseload standards, thus allowing those counties to receive commission reimbursement.
According to the bill, the county auditor from just one of the counties involved in an interlocal agreement would be tasked with receiving, disbursing and accounting for all money distributed to the multicounty public defender’s office. The regional offices would be entitled to the same commission reimbursement as a single-county office: 40 percent for noncapital cases, except misdemeanors, and 50 percent for capital cases, as long as commission standards are met.
SB 488 would also make changes to the statute governing single-county public defender boards. Under the legislation, judges would only be allowed to appoint one member of the three-member boards, down from the two members they currently appoint. The remaining two members would be appointed by the county executive and the Public Defender Commission.
Young, addressing committee members Tuesday morning, said part of the purpose behind the bill is to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interests in the appointment of public defenders. He noted that in some counties, public defenders are required to appear before the judges who appoint them to represent indigent clients. In those cases, attorneys might be hesitant to oppose what is perceived to be a bad judicial ruling or take the judge upon appeal.
Though Young said he does not think judges take advantage of those situations, he also said: “the appearance seems to be off.â€
“For the purposes of fairness, that’s not the right way to go about it,†he said.
Discussion about SB 488 was very limited, and the bill passed with no opposition. It now advances to the full Senate.
Senator Introduces Bill To Fund Indy Eleven Stadium Proposal
Senator Introduces Bill To Fund Indy Eleven Stadium Proposal
A plan to fund a soccer stadium for the Indy Eleven took shape in legislation Tuesday with a proposal that could capture up to $11 million annually in tax revenue to pay off the bonds for the $150 million outdoor arena.
Senate Bill 543, authored by Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis, would create a new Professional Sports Development Area on an unspecified plot where developer Ersal Ozdemir—who owns the Indy Eleven—plans a $550 million, mixed-use project called Eleven Park. The residential and commercial parts of the project would be privately funded, but the bill would establish at least part of the public financing for the included stadium.
Introduced Tuesday, the legislation—which has been sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration—would create a sports development area to encompass the larger Eleven Park development and would be in place for at least the next three decades.
The PSDA could capture up to $11 million in tax revenue per year for 32 years—money that would be paid by the businesses, residents and even athletes living or working at Eleven Park. That revenue would be diverted to the Capital Improvement Board—which would own the 20,000-seat stadium, but not the private development surrounding it—for the purpose of paying for the public infrastructure.
Initially, the stadium and the rest of the public development (including a plaza and underground parking garages) would be paid for using city-issued, developer backed bonds, with any funding gaps in financing covered by Indy Eleven’s ownership group.
Because Ozdemir has not yet said where it plans to place the development—though multiple sites have been discussed by those familiar with the team’s plans—the legislation does not lock in a location for the PSDA.
A spokesman for the proposed Eleven Park development issued a statement late Tuesday calling the proposal “a creative, taxpayer-friendly public-private partnership” that would not require state or local governments to spend tax revenue they already are receiving. “Eleven Park will continue to work with all stakeholders, including Sen. Sandlin and other supportive policy makers to support this piece of legislation or other legislative pathways that will make this transformative neighborhood development a reality.”
The bill places conditions on the development of the Eleven Park site and the structure of any lease agreements between CIB and Indy Eleven or other major stadium tenants, chief among them the length of such a lease and future improvements to the facility.
The CIB would not be able to secure a lease with Indy Eleven that exceeds 40 years. Standard venue lease deals for sports teams—including one being floated for the Pacers by state lawmakers—are generally 25 to 30 years long. The CIB also could not charge lease rates to Indy Eleven or other tenants until construction is completed. While Ozdemir last week said the team would be willing to pay all operating costs for the stadium, the legislation puts that commitment in writing, giving the CIB discretion in determining what group is responsible for operations.
The bill also predicates that other uses for the stadium outside of housing Indy Eleven would be permitted, at the discretion of the CIB. While it is not clear at this point whether Indy Eleven would receive a cut of the funds from events held at the stadium—the Colts and the Pacers both do for most other events at their respective venues—that detail is expected to be ironed out if the sides sit down to discuss a long-term lease deal.
CIB President Melina Kennedy said neither she nor the board’s counsel has had an opportunity to review the legislation. The CIB did not have a role in drafting the bill, she said.
“We’ve given Indy Eleven our thoughts on what we would support,†she said, noting that if the bill is consistent with those considerations, the CIB would line up behind the bill.
Before construction on the stadium and other public infrastructure could begin, the CIB would be required to undergo a public process and put the project out to bid to interested parties. While the legislation makes no provisions for the potential involvement of Keystone Corp., a development firm owned by Ozdemir, companies that are perceived to have a conflict of interest are generally not permitted to participate in public bids.
Sandlin’s bill was introduced the same day that Senate Appropriations Chairman Ryan Mishler introduced Senate Bill 7, which would increase funding for the CIB as part of a long-term plan to improve its existing facilities, including the Indiana Convention Center and Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Sandlin said he would not be surprised if his proposal is merged into the Mishler’s bill and is hopeful about its prospects for passage.
Kennedy said last week that any stadium deal for Indy Eleven will require a private investment element to accompany and offset the use of public dollars at the site. She said she likes the general concept of Eleven Park as it has been presented and is continuing to work with the team on details related to the project.
In 2015, Indy Eleven proposed a standalone stadium that would have cost taxpayers $87 million. Legislation for that project was also introduced in the General Assembly and passed an initial vote, before ultimately dying. The team rejected an option that would have seen an extensive renovation to Michael A. Carroll Stadium on the IUPUI campus, its home at the time.
WEAVER RUNNING FOR THIRD TERM ON CITY COUNCIL
WEAVER RUNNING FOR THIRD COUNCIL TERM
EVANSVILLE – Common Council Finance Chair Jonathan Weaver (D-At Large) is planning to file for his third term of City Council on Monday, January 28 at 11:00 a.m. Â
This decision comes after months of contemplating running for Mayor.
“I am at a point in my life where I am very happy with what I have and where I am in life,†Weaver says. “I have a two-year-old, and the time constraints that being Mayor have, would take too much time away from Jonathan, Jr., his mother, and his brothers.â€
Currently, Weaver is in his second term as City Councilman. He was elected in 2011 after serving four years as Vanderburgh County Assessor. Jonathan came to Evansville in February 2000 to work for News25 WEHT-TV as their broadcast meteorologist. He got his real estate license in 2003 and is currently at FC Tucker Emge REALTORS.  Â