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HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
ADOPT A PET
Riku is a male American rabbit of 8 months old. He’s the bravest of his 11 original siblings & the friendliest with people. He and only three of his siblings remain. He is bonded to one of his brothers and they do need to go home together, but two buns isn’t much more work than one! Riku is neutered & ready to go home for $40. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!
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The Deplorables Tour “Make America Laugh Again†March 1, 7:30pm!
The Deplorables Tour
“Make America Laugh Againâ€
Coming to Old National Events Plaza
Friday, March 1 at 7:30pm
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 Share the night laughing with friends and celebrating with The Deplorables – An uproarious comedy show for right minded thinkers.
Starring featured comics:
Steve McGrew – The hell bent southerner featured on Comedy Central and Sirius XM.
Michael Loftus – You have seen his one hour special on Comedy Central, HBO, Fox & Friends.
Terrence Williams – Comedian, commentator, and viral internet sensation.
The Deplorable Choir – The outrageous female singing group with hundreds-of-thousands of YouTube followers.
Blending comedy, observational humor, and music, we unleash the conservative mindset, transcending politics and unabashedly mocking liberals while celebrating the American Dream. You’ll finally be laughing for the RIGHT reason.
The Deplorables Tour will be at Old National Events Plaza’s Aiken Theatre on Friday, March 1st at 7:30pm. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 10th at 10am.  Tickets are VIP $125, $55 and $40 and can be purchased at Old National Events Plaza Box Office, ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800.745.3000.
AG Curtis Hill confirms recovery efforts against Gary councilwoman
Attorney General Curtis Hill today confirmed that his office is pursuing recovery of funds improperly received by a Gary councilwoman who held two municipal positions at the same time in violation of Indiana law.
Councilwoman Mary Brown was an employee of Gary Sanitary District from 1995 through Jan. 1, 2016, when, as a matter of law, she was deemed to have resigned her position. She continued receiving compensation for this position until June 26, 2018, when she provided her personal resignation to the District. She was elected to the Gary Common Council in 1999, took office in 2000, and has been re-elected five times.
While Brown was serving her fourth term of office, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law holding that “an individual is considered to have resigned as a government employee when the individual assumes an elected office of the unit that employs the individual.â€
This law, which took effect in January of 2013, allowed affected office-holders to serve out the remainders of their terms without resigning other employment. However, to comply with the law, Brown should have resigned as customer service director for the Gary Sanitary District following her re-election to the Common Council in November of 2015. Instead, she began her new term of office on Jan. 1, 2016, while also continuing in her other position.
On October 14, 2016, the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA) issued Audit Report B47027, finding that Brown was deemed to have resigned her employment with the Gary Sanitary District effective Jan. 1, 2016.
In Lake County Superior Court, Brown then filed suit against the Attorney General and the State Examiner in their official capacities, seeking a declaratory judgment that she was not in violation of the law by holding both positions contemporaneously. The Office of the Attorney General argued successfully that pursuant to statute, Brown was deemed by law to have resigned her position with the Gary Sanitary District.
Then, on Nov. 30, 2018, the SBOA issued Special Report B51450, covering the period from Oct. 15, 2016, to July 20, 2018. This report charges Brown with misappropriation based on the improper compensation she received for a position she legally was deemed to have resigned. She has been ordered to reimburse the Gary Sanitary District $132,742.35 in wages for the time she held both positions in violation of Indiana law.
“No citizen is above the law, even if that citizen happens to be a public office-holder,†Attorney General Hill said. “You can disagree with a law. You can lobby to change it. But you cannot ignore or disobey it. In this case, we are taking action to make sure the law is upheld and that financial restitution is made for monies that were misappropriated.â€
The Office of the Attorney General has begun recovery efforts on behalf of the Gary Sanitary District.
Governor Eric Holcomb Directs Flags To Be Flown at Half-Staff
Governor Eric J. Holcomb is directing flags in Floyd County to be flown at half-staff to honor former state Rep. William Cochran.
Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of his funeral, Monday, January 7, 2019.
Gov. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents in Floyd County to lower their flags to half-staff on Monday to honor Cochran.
Northern Indiana District Court Awaiting Re-Nomination Process
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
With the start of the 116th Congress, Indiana’s two remaining federal judicial nominees have stalled and the vacancies in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana continue.
Attorneys Holly Brady and Damon Leichty had been nominated in 2018 to fill the pair of open seats in the Northern Indiana District Court. Since neither received a confirmation vote by the full U.S. Senate, their nominations have been returned to the White House. However, Indiana’s senior senator expressed confidence they will come back to Capitol Hill.
“I expect Holly Brady and Damon Leichty to be re-nominated by the President…,†Sen. Todd Young said in a statement. “They should be processed quickly through the (Senate) Judiciary Committee without the need for another hearing.â€
The Northern Indiana District Court has had at least one open seat for nearly three years since Judge Robert Miller, Jr., took senior status Jan. 11, 2016. Another vacancy was created when Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen transitioned to senior status Sept. 29, 2017.
Although the northern Indiana federal court does not have the caseload of the Southern Indiana District, it is still an active district. During the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2018, the filings totaled 2,602, which translated to a weighted filing of 464 per judge. The northern Indiana court has five judgeships.
Northern Indiana Chief Judge Theresa Lazar Springmann did not have any comment on the vacancies in her court.
Brady, partner at Haller & Colvin P.C. in Fort Wayne, was tapped to replace Van Bokkelen. She appeared before the Judiciary Committee in June 2018 and was approved by a party-line vote, but the Senate never brought her nomination forward for a floor vote.
Her confirmation is being opposed by reproductive rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America. Among its concerns, the nonprofit maintains that her characterization of Indiana’s controversial 2015 Religious Freedom and Restoration Act as “a lot of hoopla,†minimized the “very real fears of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or personal reproductive-health decisions.â€
Leichty, partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in South Bend, was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Miller. Even though Leichty sailed through the committee hearing, his nomination did not advance to a vote after former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., blocked all the judicial candidates because the Senate would not protect the investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into the Trump administration.
Young faulted the Democratic leadership for Brady and Leichty not being confirmed.
“It’s unfortunate that (Minority Leader) Sen. (Chuck) Schumer delayed floor consideration of these bipartisan and extremely qualified candidates last Congress,†the Indiana Republican said. “I will continue to push for confirmation on the Senate floor to ensure the Northern District of Indiana federal courts can be fully operational.â€
Carl Tobias, professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, anticipates the judicial nominees who did not get through the entire process will be re-nominated by the White House and confirmed quickly. Neither Brady nor Leichty will have to appear at another judiciary committee hearing, but Brady will have to again survive another committee vote.
With the midterm elections bolstering Republican control of the Senate to 53 seats, Democrats will have a difficult time stopping the nominees from becoming federal judges. But, Tobias said, the minority has the ability to slow the confirmation process by extending the debates on the nominations, which, even under cloture, would allow up to 30 hours on each nominee.
Charles Geyh, professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, agreed the GOP majority in the Senate can quickly confirm the judicial candidates who are re-nominated. However, he cautioned that next year’s general election could impact the process.
“The only wild card is whether the Senate review his nominees receive becomes a bit more rigorous, now that the GOP Senators up for reelection in 2020 include more vulnerable folks with a strategic need to stand up to the president,†Geyh wrote in an email.
Youth First To Receive Award from D-Patrick Ford
Check from “Donate and Drive†to be Presented January 8
D-Patrick Ford will present a check for $2500 to Youth First, Inc. on Tuesday, January 8th, at 10:00 am. The presentation will take place at the organization’s office downtown at 111 SE Third Street, Suite 405, Evansville.
During the month of December, D-Patrick donated $10 to Youth First each time a new Ford was test driven through their “Donate and Drive†campaign.
“Many thanks to D-Patrick Ford for this generous gift and to everyone who test drove a Ford in December. This donation allows Youth First to fulfill its mission of strengthening youth and families in our community,†states Parri Black, the organization’s President & CEO.
Youth First’s services and programs build caring relationships, foster readiness for positive change, and boost resiliency along with other valuable life skills. Research shows these are the keys to preventing addiction, suicide, violence, and similar outcomes for young people.
Aces to face Loyola on Tuesday at the Ford Center
Game is set for 7 p.m.
In a nationally-televised contest, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team welcomes defending league champion Loyola to the Ford Center for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday night. CBS Sports Network will have the broadcast.
Setting the Scene
– Evansville has won 7 of its first 8 home games this season
– UE is 14-10 in 24 home contests against the Ramblers
– The defense is off to an excellent start in Valley play, holding the first two opponents to just 37.3% shooting overall and 20.5% (9-of-44) from long range
Last Time Out
– Illinois State picked up a 58-46 win over the Aces on Saturday
– Evansville shot 32.7% from the field in the game while going 7-of-26 (26.9%) from outside
– Evan Kuhlman and Marty Hill posted 14 points apiece; it was a career-high for Kuhlman
– Trailing by four at the half, UE closed within one in the second half before the Redbirds pulled away
– UE had 16 turnovers in the game and dropped to 1-3 when turning the ball over more than the opponent this season
Takeaways from Illinois State
– Sophomore Evan Kuhlman set career marks with 14 points and 33 minutes of work; he added 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot
– Marty Hill tallied 14 points hitting six buckets including two triples
– The bench for UE did not record a point for the first time this season; the ISU bench scored just four points; Evansville is 1-6 this season when losing the battle of bench points
– UE is also 1-6 this year when being outscored in the paint
Home Cooking
– Over the last two games, Evan Kuhlman has averaged 12 points per game while connected on 8 of his last 14 attempts and 5 out of 9 3-point tries
– Included in that tally is a career-high 14 points at Illinois State as he connected on three treys and all three free throw tries
– Kuhlman scored 12 points while going 4-for-6 from outside at Xavier in front of his home town crowd
– It was his first double figure scoring game at UE; he scored 11 in the win over Ball State and added 10 against Drake
– In another road game near his home (Miami OH), Kuhlman set his career mark with three assists
– Kuhlman has registered 5 or more points in 11 out of 15 games
Scouting the Opponent
– Coming off of a run to the Final Four last season, Loyola comes to the Ford Center with a 9-6 record and have won their first two conference games
– After earning a 79-44 win over Indiana State, Loyola won by an 85-74 final at Drake on Saturday
– Clayton Custer leads the Ramblers with 14.5 points per game; he is the reigning MVC Player of the Year
– Marques Townes has posted 13.9 points while Cameron Krutwig checks in with 13.6 PPG