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Heart Month Community Lecture Series at St. Vincent

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The first lecture is scheduled for today, February 6 at Noon in the St. Vincent Center for Advanced Medicine.

6 Simple Steps to Stay Heart Healthy

 

You’re never too old or too young to make lifestyle changes that can help prevent heart disease. Experts at St. Vincent Evansville recommend six simple steps you can take to remain heart healthy:

 

  1. Watch what you eat: The food you eat can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich whole grains.
  2. Exercise regularly: Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to remain heart healthy. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five times per week. Exercise can be anything that gets your body moving, and it can be as easy as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
  3. Stop smoking: Being smoke-free can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as cancer and chronic lung disease.
  4. Limit your alcohol intake: Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and increase the chances of a stroke. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Experts recommend no more than two drinks per day.
  5. Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. For overweight or obese adults with other risk factors such as high blood pressure, a weight loss of 3-5% of body weight can produce clinically significant results against heart disease prevention.
  6. Manage other health conditions: Manage health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Each of these are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and all can be managed through a healthy diet, physical activity, and in some cases, medication.

Aces travel to Terre Haute on Wednesday

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Men’s basketball faces Indiana State at 6 p.m. CT

This week, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will play two road games close to home, beginning on Wednesday when the Purple Aces head to Terre Haute to face Indiana State in a 6 p.m. CT game.  The game will be available on ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network presented by Learfield.

 

Setting the Scene

– Evansville heads into the final eight games of the regular season in 8th place in the MVC; UE will play four games against the top half of the current standings and four against the bottom half over the final month

– UE is looking to half a 3-game losing

streak to the Sycamores along with a 7-game skid against ISU in the Hulman Center

– Overall, the Aces are 6-13 in the last 19 contests versus Indiana State

 

Last Time Out

– Trailing by three at the half, the Purple Aces outscored Valparaiso by a 40-26 margin in the second half to earn a 64-53 win on Saturday inside the Ford Center

– The win halted a 4-game losing streak

– Marty Hill, who led all players with 14 points, scored eight in a row by himself in what proved to be the game-winning run in the second half

– K.J. Riley added 10 points and 12 rebounds on the way to his third career double-double

 

Takeaways from Valparaiso

– Evansville’s conference wins this season have come down to their ability to outshoot the opposition; when the Purple Aces are tied or finish with the advantage in shooting percentage, the squad is 4-1; when being outshot in league play, the Aces are 0-5.

– UE connected on 7 3-pointers against the Crusaders; Evansville has connected on at least seven 3-pointers in all ten MVC games; in 18 conference games last year, the Aces did so just six times

 

Turning the Corner

– Freshman Shamar Givance has rebounded from a tough start in conference play in 2019

– Through his first seven MVC outings, Givance averaged just 2.9 points per game and 14.3 minutes while shooting 23.5%

– In his last three contests, Givance has rebounded in a major way, posting 7.7 points in 17.3 minutes per game while shooting 66.7%.

– Givance recorded 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting at Northern Iowa for his top MVC game

– It was two points off of his career high of 12 points, which came against Wyoming

– Evansville is 7-3 when he scores 6 or more points in a game

 

Scouting the Opponent

– Indiana State stands at 11-11 overall and are 3-7 in their Valley games in 2019

– ISU has dropped its last three games, including a 68-62 game against Drake on Saturday

– Tyreke Key and Jordan Barnes continue to pace the Sycamores, averaging 16.9 and 16.5 points per game, respectively

– Key is shooting 55.0% on the season while Barnes has a team-best 70 assists

– Christian Williams has 5.1 rebounds per game while Emondre Rickman checks in with 22 blocks

 

 

“READERS FORUM” FEBRUARY 6,2019

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We hope that today’s “READERS FORUM” 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: What did you think of the Presidents State Of The Union address?

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.

LINK OF FEDERAL INDICTMENT OF FORMER EHCO HOUSING DIRECTOR STEPHANIE TENBARGE

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LINK OF The FEDERAL INDICTMENT OF FORMER EHCO HOUSING DIRECTOR STEPHANIE TENBARGE

Indictment

New ECHO Housing Director Speaks on Former Employee’s Indictment

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New ECHO Housing Director Speaks on Former Employee’s Indictment

The current ECHO Housing executive director Chris Metz is talking for the first time since the arrest and indictment of the organization’s former leader.

On Monday federal authorities arrested Stephanie TenBarge on charges of theft. She is accused of embezzling funds from ECHO Housing by making unauthorized payments to herself, using ECHO funds to pay for personal goods and services.

TenBarge stepped down from ECHO in March 2018. Metz ensures transparency and accountability is moving forward.

Executive Director Chris Metz says, “It’s the culmination of a tragedy that has impacted this organization, it’s impacted the clients that we serve it has impacted our programs. However at ECHO Housing, we are grateful for our support and for the professionalism of our law enforcement partners and if the allegations prove to be true, ECHO Housing certainly wants to see those responsible held accountable.”

ECHO Housing released an audit Monday showing where the federal funds were spent.

If TenBarge is found guilty she could wind up in prison for 30 years.

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Previous story:

Former Echo Housing Executive Director Indicted on Theft

Amend HB 1311 Or Let It Die

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   Amend HB 1311 Or Let It Die

written by Gail Riecken, CCO Statehouse Editor

HB 1311 is one of the elections bills that shouldn’t become law, but might.

Still, in committee, the bill changes the deadline for absentee ballots to be received by the Clerk’s office. The bill says applications for absentee ballots must be received no later than 11:59 pm 12 days before the date of an election. Under current law, the deadline is 8 days

The Statehouse File writes that those supporting the bill want to make sure the Clerk has enough time to process an absentee ballot application. That is critical. But this bill addressing the process raises more questions than offers a solution

Is mail delivery really the problem or does the Clerk need to hire more staff? Is this bill a solution to a rural problem and not an urban problem, or vice-versa, and are there better solutions for each area the Committee should consider?

The Committee just doesn’t have enough information.  When there isn’t a specific analysis of all the factors affecting absentee voting, making changes could negatively impact some voters. The example was given by one Committee member: “Anyone who works is being asked to predict if they are going to be working 12 hours on Election Day. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

One or two hearings in Indianapolis is not enough to pass this bill.

When the chairman of the Elections Committee says he is philosophically opposed to absentee ballots, his Committee shouldn’t be making legislative decisions about absentee ballots. As quoted in the Statehouse File, the chair said: “Absentee voting should frankly be discouraged, although allowed.”

That one opinion is a signal to me the legislature had better take any issue of absentee voting off the political table right now. This isn’t personal. A chairman is a good man, but his prejudice is dangerous to my Constitutional right to vote— and, incidentally, a strong reason that gerrymandering should be ended in Indiana.

Voters deserve an independent evaluation of our voting access system in Indiana. We need to answer the question “How can we get more people to vote, not further restrict their right to vote”.

Access to voting was such a concern by scientists from the University of Northern Illinois that they created a study to learn how each state stands.

In 2018 the University released the study. Each state was analyzed relative to 33 different variables dealing with registration and voting laws. In that study, Indiana is ranked about as low as you can imagine, 47th.
https://newsroom.niu.edu/2018/09/25/new-study-scrutinizes-time-and-effort-it-takes-to-vote-in-each-state/

Indiana should do its own study. We should evaluate our own system’s ability to get people voting. It should be a comprehensive study of the needs of voters, encouraging them to vote. There is time for the Elections Committee to consider such an amendment to HB 1311. Then, it should pass. HB 1311 is on the Elections Committee agenda for February 7. It isn’t too late to amend.

Counties Fight Big Box Stores On Property Tax Appeals

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Counties Fight Big Box Stores On Property Tax Appeals

By Erica Irish
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—For years, Elise Nieshalla has served as an at-large council member for Boone County, where she oversees one of the fastest-growing regions in Indiana.

But 2018 ended with a series of challenges, shifting the perspectives of her and fellow county leaders. And it all started with a popular grocery storefront at the heart of Whitestown.

When Boone County assessors priced the real value of the Meijer grocery store at $14 million, the company came back with a new argument, noting that its properties elsewhere in the state — particularly those in economically distressed communities — were valued at a lower price.

Meijer, then, set an ultimatum with Boone County: After the Midwest retail chain received an $11.5 million assessment, the company entered into a lawsuit with the county. A third party appraised the property at $14 million. Meijer then demanded their Whitestown property’s worth by lowered to almost 50 percent less than the appraisal.

Under the original assessment, Boone County taxes the property at $61 per square foot each year. If Meijer succeeds in its appeal, that annual rate would drop to $49 per square foot.

After several hearings in late December 2018, both parties were told it could take up to a year for a final opinion from the Indiana Tax Court, Nieshalla said.

Across the state, county assessors and their communities are facing similar challenges from some of the country’s most popular grocery stores, retail outlets, and pharmacies.

In particular, Meijer’s case with Boone County exemplifies what a growing number of assessors are referring to as a “dark box store tax loophole,” a process by which retailers will insist properties valued at higher rates should be assessed at rates equal to their lowest-valued, or “dark,” establishments.

This argument assumes properties like the Whitestown Meijer should be assessed without considering factors like daily business traffic.

“Our focus is to keep prices as low as possible for our customers,” Meijer officials said in a statement about the Whitestown appeal. “One of the ways to do that is by making sure we pay a fair and equitable amount of property tax.”

The company declined to discuss the appeal further.

For those like Nieshalla, this argument is problematic. She and those against the theory argue it unfairly permits large corporations to pay less in property taxes on their most active establishment, which ultimately yields more profit for the company while leaving other groups — like homeowners and competing businesses — to pay additional property taxes.

Many of the property taxes paid by big-box retailers fund emergency responders, like firefighters and local police, who often respond to retail locations to handle theft reports. In 2017, Nieshalla said, the Whitestown Police Department responded to 158 service calls at the Whitestown Meijer.

“They are not a dark store as far as their use of public dollars,” Nieshalla said.

This trend is nothing new if one considers the long if a recent, history of appeals in Indiana’s Tax Court and similar chambers around the country. The track record includes appeals dating back to 2012 within Indiana with states like Wisconsin and Texas reporting numerous appeals in the last decade.

Appeals proliferated in the state after the Indiana Board of Tax of Review ruled in 2014 that a separate Meijer, located off East 96th Street in Marion County, should have received an assessment at $30 per square foot instead of the $83-per-square-foot rate assigned by the county.

In Indiana alone, there are more than 300 pending appeals that involve big box store retailers. The cases span more than 15 counties, touching all corners of the state.

Nieshalla said Boone County declined Meijer’s offer to settle, fearing the number of appeals with other companies would increase.

“We knew other big box stores would be waiting at our doorstep,” she said about the decision.

Now, leaders in the Association of Indiana Counties say they hope to end the ordeal once and for all this legislative session.

County leaders are seeking a legislative fix that would set a state-level precedent for what constitutes a viable property value comparison, potentially putting a stop to costly county appeals and providing taxpayers with “taxing fairness,” according to a document provided by AIC.

“We maintain that the value of a property to the current user and for the current user is a fair and equitable basis for taxation, rather than skipping to the value of the property to a future buyer purchasing it as a vacant building,” the document reads.

Some lawmakers have already answered the AIC’s call.

In the Senate, Sens. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, and Phillip Boots, R-Crawfordsville, filed a bill to address various property tax matters, including several provisions to solve the concerns voiced by the AIC.

Their bill — Senate Bill 623— would introduce protections for county leaders, empowering them to adopt ordinances that could reimburse assessors’ legal fees in appeals that are “uncommon and infrequent in the normal course of defending appeals.”

Additionally, SB 623 would prevent companies who appeal property assessments from using second-generation properties in sales comparisons. In other words, if the company owns an inactive property — like a vacant grocery store that it rents out to seasonal tenants or holiday retailers — it could not compare that property’s assessed value with active establishments, or first-generation properties.

Buchanan said the bill would only impact new big box store appeals, not the hundreds that are already filed or pending before the state tax board.

“When a commercial retailer chooses to appeal, and that’s their right, the counties are often forced to settle,” Buchanan said. “We’ll protect their right to appeal, but we’re also working hard to find a solution everyone can live with.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a correction in the amount of Meijer’s assessment. It is $11.5 million, not $14 million. The description of Elise Nieshalla’s position has been corrected.

FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.