SECTION 8. Compensation of Members of the Board. Each member of the Board or of any committee of the Board shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred by the member in the conduct of business of the Board and shall receive any salary per diem provided by law. [IC 21-38-2-3]
Evansville Police Arrested Justin Brunner On Several Charges
Evansville Police arrested 28 year old Justin Brunner on several charges after he assaulted an officer in the Emergency Room at St. Vincent’s Hospital. The incident happened around 4:00 Tuesday.Â
Brunner was at the hospital for a crisis intervention assessment. While waiting to speak with a mental health professional, Brunner made several attempts to leave. Due to his mental state, he was not permitted to leave without being evaluated. Hospital staff requested the Evansville Police Officer who was working off duty at the E.R. sit with him while he waited to be evaluated.Â
EPD Detective Aaron McCormick, who was full uniform, was in an exam room with Brunner when Brunner tried to leave again. McCormick tried to prevent Brunner from leaving and there was a struggle. During the struggle, Detective McCormick fell and struck his face on the ground. Brunner then got on top of Detective McCormick and struck him in the head and face multiple times.Â
Brunner then left the room and began running through the Emergency Room. Despite having suffered a broken nose and other facial injuries, Detective McCormick was able to chase Brunner and catch him. Brunner continued to violently fight with Detective McCormick.Â
Several hospital staff members had to help Detective McCormick gain control of Brunner, including St. Vincent’s security officers. Brunner struck an ER nurse in the face as he continued to fight. The security officers uses a TASER on Brunner to get him under control.
Detective McCormick was hospitalized for the injuries he received during the incident.Â
Brunner was arrested for Battery with Injury on Public Safety Level 5 Felony, Battery on Public Safety Level 6 Felony, and Resisting Law Enforcement Level 6 Felony.
The Death Of A Local Newspaper Rocks America To Its Core
The Death Of A Local Newspaper Rocks America To Its Core
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — When the press stops rolling at The Vindicator this month, a lingering question will once again taunt the residents of the Mahoning Valley: How much collapse can one region take?
The family-owned newspaper announced in June — just days after celebrating its 150th anniversary — that it is permanently ceasing production on Aug. 31. The paper, which started in 1869 just months after Ulysses S. Grant was sworn into office, has been run by the descendants of William F. Maag ever since he purchased the paper midway through Grover Cleveland’s first term.
The closure will cost 144 employees and 250 carriers their jobs and comes just weeks after the GM Lordstown plant down the road turned out the lights, leading to thousands of job losses.
It is one of a series of gut-punches that has dented this area’s spirit since the collapse of the steel industry in September 1977. But losing a local newspaper feels like a bigger blow than most.
“Newspapers are the watchdogs who hold our civic institutions accountable and act as a cheerleader for the unique fabrics in our society,†Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tim Ryan, the congressman who represents this region, told The Post.
As a young high-school football star, Ryan said he enjoyed glowing coverage in The Vindicator and as an elected official, he has felt the sting of its criticism.
“We’ve had our share of tensions and they certainly have held me accountable, but that is their job — to be that check on government — and I cannot imagine our community without them,†he said.
Closures like The Vindicator’s are sadly more common than ever across the country as old-school newsrooms struggle to compete with digital operations that aggregate web content but lack editorial oversight or seasoned reporters who have a deep understanding of their local area.
In the past 15 years, the country has lost over 1,800 local news organizations, according to a report by the University of North Carolina’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media. Half of the country’s 3,143 counties have just one newspaper to cover sprawling, often isolated territories, while nearly 200 counties in the country have no local newspaper at all, the report said.
“A local newspaper is to a community what a central nervous system is to a body,†said Paul Sracic, a political science professor at Youngstown State University. “Like the nerves in our body, the newspaper transmits vital and non-vital information throughout the community.â€
And without that, it’s very difficult for a community to maintain its sense of self.
At the local school, Becky Ford has used The Vindicator (formerly known as The Youngstown Vindicator) as a resource for the American history and social-studies classes she teaches. She also relies on it to stay connected with her community. “For us, it was like our New York Times,†Ford said. “Sports, features, local social clubs, volunteer activities, class reunions … you name it, they did it. If you called The Vindicator and asked [them] to be at your event, they were at your event taking pictures.â€
High-school athletes, in particular, will suffer from a lack of coverage, said Rick Shepas, athletic director of Youngstown city schools.
It will be “devastating for the kids and their families not to have The Vindicator write those daily articles about the student-athlete’s accomplishments both on and off the field,†he said.
After 150 years of chronicling the Ohio Valley beginning with the Reconstruction, followed by the Industrial Revolution, two World Wars, a Great Depression, civil rights, a moon landing, the Vietnam War, Watergate, 9/11 and the rise of populism, it is hard to believe that The Vindicator is no more.Mark Brown, general manager of theÂ
Although the Internet is a great source of information, the virtual communities that exist on sites like Reddit aren’t local or even identifiable.
Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown worries that the disruption caused by the paper’s closure won’t stop at the city line.
“This is a problem for our whole country,†Brown said. “Communities suffer when local journalism closes up shop, and we lose our vitality and connection to each other when that door closes for the last time.
“The bigger problem is: How are we going to stop those doors from closing here — or anywhere?â€
FOOTNOTE: Salena Zito is the author of “The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics†(Crown Forum), out now.
“IS IT TRUE” JANUARY 15, 2019
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€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?
IS IT TRUE we wonder why judges who say we don’t need to stand up when the Nation Anthem is played expect us to stand up when he enters the room?
IS IT TRUE we wonder what would happen when a Judge enters the court room if everyone would  go down on their knees?
IS IT TRUEÂ that a CCO reader was at the airport, checking his bags at the gate when an airport employee asked, has anyone put anything in your bags without your knowledge? Â …he replied, “if it was it was without my knowledge?
IS IT TRUE we are told by reliable sources that the Evansville Water and Sewer Utilities Department are hiring private contractors to do some of the jobs that their full-time employees are qualified to do? …if this information is correct no wonder why our water rates are sky rocketing?
IS IT TRUE we wonder what is the status of the multi-million dollars Johnson Control “Smart Water Meters Project”? …this project was over seen by the Evansville Water and Sewer Utilities Department? …we are told that this project may have been abruptly shut without explanation? …if this information is correct we wonder what happened to the remaining bond money from the now dormant “Smart Water Meters” construction fund?
IS IT TRUE we are told that the expensive police and fire emergency radio upgrades program at the Central Dispatch Department isn’t working as planned?
IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the At-Large City Councilman Jonathan Weaver is seriously looking at running for the Mayor of Evansville? …we are also told that his message that we have a tax and spend Mayor is gaining momentum with the working class taxpayers?
IS IT TRUE we wonder when SMG and VenueWorks yearly financial and performance reports are going to be made public?
IS IT TRUEÂ when it comes to telling people things were going to happen and then quickly pulling the old bait and switch routine, the last Mayor of Evansville was a master of the art?…that former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel was famous for promising that several things would happen without a public handout and then seeing his promises vanish into thin air? …Weinzapfel saw both the Four (4) Star downtown Hotel and the McCurdy Hotel projects vaporize before his very eyes? …the Ford Center was the only promise that happened under his watch? Â …this big ticket project picks the Evansville taxpayers pockets every year for the tune of $8 Million in bond payments?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke has seemly made a political career out of making capital projects happen by over committing millions of dollars of taxpayers money for questionable capital projects?
IS IT TRUEÂ that the newly elected school board member Anne Ennis said; “on average on any given day there are 11 unfilled substitute jobs in EVSC system?” …she also stated that; “due to a concern that my seating on the Board of School Trustees could be challenged If I continue to be a substitute teacher at Cedar Hall school and i have decide not to continue teaching? …because of Anne concern that this issue could cause her a conflict of interest problem she withdraw from her part time teaching assignments with Cedar Hall school as of today? …we commend newly elected EVSC school board member Anne Ennis for deciding not to continue being a paid employee with the EVSC?
IS IT TRUE back in February 2017 it was stated that the per night rooms rates for the downtown Hilton Doubletree Inn will be between $130 to $250 per room? …we hope that Hilton Doubletree Inn CEO has a lot of wiggle room to reduce their room rates in the $90 range so they can be competitive with other well established local Motels and Hotels?
IS IT TRUE in a recent City-County Observer “Readers Poll” we  asked the question “Who was the most effective President of the Evansville Council”? …that it’s important to point out that this poll isn’t scientific but is trendy in nature? …that Curt John received 91 votes, John Friend, CPA received 69 votes, Missy Mosby received 47 votes, Connie Robinson received 39 votes, Jim Brinkmeyer received 31 votes, Dr. Dan Adams received 21 votes, B J Watts received 6 votes, Steve Bagbey received 6 votes, Keith Jarboe received 1 vote and 47 people stated that they have now idea?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Who was the most effective Mayor of Evansville?
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Ford Center Hosts Cheer Competition
Ford Center Hosts Cheer Competition
JANUARY 13TH, 2019 
PAUL WILCOXEN EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Cheerleaders from the Midwest were in Evansville for the APEX championships.
The event featured athletes from as young as 3-years of age all the way up to 18 years old.
The competition’s design is for all skill levels from the younger kids to a more advanced routine for the older ones.
One organizer says she’s happy to bring the competition to the tristate.
“So this is our first event at Evansville, In, so we were fortunate to be able to find this location and this amazing venue at the Ford Center,†Lisa Jablonski, co-owner of APEX Championships.
“We found out we’re actually the first cheer competition to come into this arena.â€
Teams were judged on their cheer routines and ranked with medals awarded throughout the competition.
The top prize is a chance to compete at the National Championships in Florida later this year.
HATFIELD PRIORITY IN HOUSE LEADERSHIP: IMPROVING INDIANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
As State Rep. Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) begins his work as a member of Indiana House leadership, the lawmaker said he will use that post to advance proposals to improve the quality of schools by helping teachers, students and families.
Hatfield will serve as Assistant House Democratic Floor Leader for the 2019-2020 sessions of the Indiana General Assembly, according to Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta from Fort Wayne, who noted that the Evansville lawmaker has made his mark as an eloquent, forceful spokesman on issues of importance to Hoosiers during his first term in office.
That in mind, Hatfield said he would be offering legislation to address problems he believes need to be corrected in our schools.
“I am pleased to see there has been a renewed effort to recognize the worth and value of teachers in helping our children,†Hatfield said. “It is no secret that Indiana teachers are either leaving the occupation or the state because they are not paid enough. We need good teachers in Indiana to improve our schools and prepare our students. To have good teachers, we need to pay them the wage they deserve.â€
To that end, Hatfield has filed House Bill 1611, which raises the minimum salary for a full-time teacher in Indiana to $50,000.
“In today’s world, teachers are asked to be a lot more than an educator,†Hatfield said. “They are now mentors, protectors and counselors. It’s time Indiana values our teachers and pays them for all the work they do.â€
House Bill 1610 would eliminate Indiana’s textbook fees by requiring public schools to provide curricular materials free of charge.
“Indiana is one of the few states in the nation that requires families to pay for the textbooks their children use in our schools,†Hatfield said. “Sometimes these costs run as high as $300 a year. It simply isn’t right for families to pay these costs to ensure their children receive the education to which they are entitled. It creates impossible situations that force both the parents and the schools to make difficult decisions.â€
Last year, the Evansville Vanderburgh School corporation sued 500 people for unpaid fees including textbooks and laptop rentals, meals and daycare services. Families sued owed between $21 and $1,400.
“Textbooks are an integral part of education and a student should not be denied the opportunity to learn because of the price of the materials,†Hatfield said. “It should not be the responsibility of the students to provide curricular materials, but the school corporation.â€
Hatfield already has seen some success this session, co-authoring legislation (House Bill 1057) that will allow additional magistrates for the Vanderburgh Circuit and Superior Courts to help reduce the caseloads in both venues. The measure was approved earlier this week by the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee.
Other priorities for the legislator this session include a plan to establish a work sharing unemployment insurance program. Work sharing helps employers maintain their workforce during economic downturns by protecting employees when their hours are reduced due to problematic economic conditions.
Applications Now Open For Quick Impact Placebased Grants
Today, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that the Quick Impact Placebased Grant Program, a matching grant program designed to fund creative projects that spark community-wide conversations, is open for applications.
“This grant allows for communities to be innovative and creative when transforming a gathering place or bring energy to an underutilized community asset,†said Jodi Golden, executive director of OCRA. “Typically taking a lighter, quicker, cheaper approach, these projects although small in stature have tremendous impact across a community.â€
Project funding ranges from $2,500 to $5,000, with a 50 percent match by cash or in-kind required. Eligible applicants can include community or civic organizations, local units of government or schools.
Golden said that eligible projects should be transformational and have a positive impact for the community and existing and underutilized assets should include a new or additional use. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Storefront transformations;
- Pop-up shop and gathering spots;
- Shipping container repurpose; and
- Project-based learning.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs encourages unique and locally inspired projects. Successful applications will demonstrate community collaboration, partnership capacity and meaningful public benefits. Applicants are encouraged to contact their respective community liaison to discuss project eligibility and competitiveness.
A new addition to the program includes an educational component, in which the applicant utilizes youth involvement in the intended project. Youth organizations who wish to fulfill learning requirements are encouraged to partner with an eligible applicant and will receive bonus points.
An informational video will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 16, that explains the program and new application process. Applications are due by 4 p.m. ET, Friday, March 8, 2019. Applications received after 4 p.m. ET, or paper copies will not be accepted. Funded projects will be announced on Thursday, April 25. For more information, click here.
Magistrate Judge Cherry Retires With Legacy Of Being ‘Consummate Professional’
IL for www.theindianalawyer.com
Northern Indiana District Court Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry has retired, ending a career that included six years as DeKalb County prosecutor and 15-plus years on the federal bench.
Cherry, who began his tenure as magistrate judge on Oct. 1, 2003, retired Dec. 31, 2018. His judicial colleagues recognized his contributions at a special session of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division, on Jan. 11. Judges from the district court, the Northern Indiana District Bankruptcy Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals, as well as justices from the Indiana Supreme Court, attended the ceremony. Also, state court judges from Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Lake, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties were at the event to offer their congratulations.
“Judge Cherry is the consummate professional,†Northern District Chief Judge Theresa Springmann said in a Monday statement. “His knowledge of the law, unequaled work ethic and exceptional judicial demeanor made him a tremendous asset to the bench and bar of the Northern District of Indiana. His contributions to the Court will be greatly missed.â€
Joshua Kolar has succeeded Cherry as a magistrate judge in Hammond. An investiture for Kolar is planned for later this year.
A 1977 graduate of Ohio Northern University School of Law, Cherry started his legal career in private practice in DeKalb County. He served as the county’s prosecuting attorney from 1982 to 1988, then was elected to the DeKalb Circuit Court in 1989. In 2003, he moved from state court to federal court.
Cherry completed a National Judicial College course through the University of Nevada and is a graduate of the Indiana Judicial College.
Throughout his career, he has maintained strong ties to his undergraduate alma mater, Huntington University. He graduated in 1973 and returned to serve as adjunct faculty from 1980 to 2002. Also, he was a member of the university’s board of trustees from 1984 to 2007.