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“READERS FORUM” JANUARY 10, 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? 

WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?

Todays“Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that Mayor Winnecke has done such a good job that he should be unopposed for re-election?

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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Footnote: City-County Observer Comment Policy. Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will not be tolerated and shall be removed from our site.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated.  The use of offensive language, insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

House Panel OKs New Howard, Vanderburgh Magistrate Judges

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House Panel OKs New Howard, Vanderburgh Magistrate

January 9, 2019
Katie Stancombe

Two counties seeking funding for additional magistrate judges from the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee got their wish Wednesday when the panel advanced the legislation to the House floor.

Additional support for magistrate judges was requested by Howard and Vanderburgh counties in House Bill 1118 and House Bill 1057, respectively, after their presentation to the Interim Study Committee on Courts and the Judiciary in September 2018. Howard and Vanderburgh counties are ranked 10th and 12th, respectively, in terms of severity of need in the most recent Weighted Caseload Report.

Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge David Kiely said although his county has a net need of 20 judicial officers to serve its courts, it currently only has 15. Kiely requested one magistrate judge in the circuit court, and Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Wayne S. Trockman requested a magistrate judge for the superior court.

“The reason we want another magistrate in each court is so we can do more,” Kiely said. “Right now, I think we’re hand-tied because we don’t have those judicial resources.”

Kiely added that having an additional magistrate judge could help boost efficiency and limit the number of pretrial incarcerations in Vanderburgh County.

Similarly, Howard County Superior Court III Judge Douglas Tate suggested having the help of an additional magistrate judge would not only foster efficiency but also reduce jail populations. Howard County requested just one magistrate in House Bill 1118, but Tate said the role would prove necessary to improving judicial process.

“I think it will help us in what we’re trying to accomplish here in Howard County,” Tate said to the committee Wednesday. “Making our justice system more accessible, more efficient and also help us to reduce our jail population.”

Specifically, Tate said the goal is to have arrested individuals come before the magistrate judge as soon as possible for initial hearings.

Howard County Prosecutor Mark McCann agreed, adding that the magistrate judge could help better assess the specific needs of each individual to appropriately place them, instead of automatically sending them to jail.

“The magistrate would assist in getting these people before the court saying, ‘You’re interested in mental health court, let’s get you assessed for that. Let’s get you in that program. Let’s get you put in work release or in community corrections. Let’s get you out of the jail if it’s not necessary that you’re there and put one that should be there.”

McCann said that without the additional help, increased workloads have strained the system.

“I think the magistrate would be helpful in moving these cases along, getting these offenders the treatment and assistance they need to get bed space for the people that I feel need to be in jail,” he said.

Members of the committee unanimously voted in favor of both requests 11-0, sending them to the full House.

 

Sen. Braun & Sen. Manchin Introduce No Budget, No Pay Legislation

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Soon after taking the oath of office for the 116th Congress, U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) have introduced “No Budget, No Pay” legislation.

The legislation requires Members of Congress to pass the annual budget resolutions and all appropriations bills by the start of the fiscal year, October 1, otherwise Members will not be paid, with retroactive pay prohibited.

“In the private sector folks roll up their sleeves and get to work on day one, and that’s exactly what we’re doing by introducing ‘No Budget, No Pay’ legislation,” said Senator Mike Braun. “There are consequences for unfinished work in the business world, and considering it’s Congress’s job to pass budgets and spending bills, it’s time we hold Washington to the same standard.”

BACKGROUND

No Budget, No Pay Act: S. [Insert Number] — 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Introduced in the U.S. Senate (01/03/2019)

This bill prohibits the payment of any pay to any Member of Congress: (1) if Congress fails to approve a concurrent budget resolution on the budget by the start of a federal fiscal year on October 1, and has not passed all regular appropriations bills by such date, or (2) until Congress approves such a budget resolution and passes all such appropriations bills. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.

The Honorable Les C. Shively Reappointed Chief Judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court

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The Honorable Les C. Shively Reappointed Chief Judge

The Vanderburgh Superior Court has reappointed the Honorable Les C. Shively to the position of Chief Judge for a term expiring December 31, 2019. The position of Chief Judge is essential to the successful operations of the Court.

Judge Shively is a graduate of the I.U. Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He joined the Vanderburgh Superior Court in 2013 after a 33-year career in the practice of law.

Evansville Teachers FCU Opens Branch In Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Evansville Teachers FCU Opens Branch In Bowling Green, Kentucky

Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union continued its growth trajectory with the opening of a full-service office in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Friday, December 28.

ETFCU chief executive officer and president Bill Schirmer, along with the credit union’s board of directors, noted that with 2,000 members already living in the Bowling Green area, opening a full-service branch there was an easy decision.

The Bowling Green office will offer all credit union services, including the popular Vertical Checking which pays 3% APY on balances from $1 to $20,000.  Nikki Sebree-Ligon, a veteran of the financial industry in Bowling Green and Owensboro, will manage the location.

The Bowling Green office, at 544 Lovers Lane in Kentucky’s third-largest city, is the fourth full-service office under the brand of Liberty Financial, a Division of ETFCU, joining branches in Franklin, Tennessee, and (two) in Louisville, Kentucky. ETFCU also operates Liberty Financial mortgage-only locations in Birmingham, Alabama; Bowling Green, Henderson, Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro, Kentucky; Madison, Mississippi; and Nashville, Tennessee. A second full-service location will open in Franklin, Tennessee, in early 2019. Under its original banner, ETFCU – recognized as “best in state for banks and credit unions” by Forbes in 2018 — operates offices in Evansville (6), Fort Branch, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Princeton and Vincennes in Indiana, and in Henderson and Owensboro (2) in Kentucky. 

ETFCU was founded by teachers from the Evansville school system and then-Evansville College in 1936, but has long been open to other prospective members and their families. It includes more than 205,000 members and has assets of more than $1.8 billion. It has earned the Evansville Courier & Press’ Platinum Award as Best Credit Union for six consecutive years, and it also was named Best of the Best in newspaper balloting in both Gibson and Knox counties in Indiana in 2018.

Evansville Police Saw Reduction In Shootings And Homicides In 2017,

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SUMMARY

Following an unusually high amount of shootings and homicides in 2017, Evansville Police saw a reduction in both categories in 2018. The lower number of incidents comes after a concentrated effort by the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, and our Federal Law Enforcement partners. The collaborative effort focused their crime reduction effort on known violent criminals and high crime areas. 

The increased focus also led to the creation of the Evansville Police Department’s Violent Incident Prevention Enforcement and Response Unit. Also known as the VIPER Unit. The VIPER Unit assisted multiple units within the EPD to identify and locate individuals involved in violent crime. The VIPER Unit was involved in 551 Felony arrests and 186 Misdemeanor arrests. They also removed 49 crime guns from our community. 

The following information includes a year to year comparison for shootings and criminal homicides. Self-defense, Unintentional, and Police Action Shootings are not included in the information.

Shooting Victims-

2017   64

2018   39      Down 39%

Criminal Homicides-

2017    19

2018    11     Down 42%

Shots Fired Calls-

2017     820

2018    695   Down 15%

Crime Guns Seized-

2017     480

2018     576   Up 20%

Shooting Victim Demographics-

White Male

2017   15 

2018   4     73% reduction

Black Male

2017    34

2018    30    11% reduction

White Female

2017   8

2018   4    50% reduction

Black Female

2017   7

2018   1   85% reduction 

Hispanic Male

2017    0

2018     1     100% increase

Shooting Suspect Demographics- ***When a suspect description is given to investigators***

White Male

2017   1 of 64 cases    1.5%

2018   5 of 39 cases    13%

Black Male

2017   54 of 64 cases   83%

2018   21 of 39            53%

White Female

2017    1of 64 cases      1.5%

2018    4 of 39 cases     10%

Black Female

2017     0 of 64 cases     0%

2018     1 of 39 cases     2.5%

                ***  2017 had 8 unknown suspect descriptions  ***

Criminal Homicide Victim Demographics

White Male

2017     7

2018     5      28% reduction

Black Male

2017    6 

2018    3   50%    reduction 

White Female

2017     3

2018     2     33%   reduction

Black Female

2017     1

2018     0    100%   reduction

Hispanic Male

2017   0

2018    1      100% increase  

 

 

The Evansville Otters Will Be Celebrating Their 25th Anniversary Season

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters will be celebrating their 25th anniversary season in 2019, featuring big events and new items throughout the year.
The Otters unveiled their 25th anniversary season logo. The logo commemorates the Otters’ 25 seasons in Evansville since joining the Frontier League in 1995. The Otters are the oldest active franchise in the Frontier League.
The franchise has planned big and new promotions, new group outing and ticket package options, and commemorative items in the gift shop to help make 2019 a memorable, historic season at Bosse Field.
Fans can stay tuned to Otters social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and evansvilleotters.com to find out how they can win special prizes and be a part of the yearlong celebration in 2019.
When the Otters began play in 1995, they returned baseball to Evansville for the first time in a decade. The city had been without a team since the Evansville Triplets relocated following the 1984 season.
Current Otters bench coach Charles ‘Boots’ Day was introduced as the Otters’ first manager before the 1995 season.
On June 15, 1995, the Otters hosted their Opening Night game against Richmond, falling in the first game in team history, 12-1.
Evansville finished their inaugural season 31-38 and sixth in the league standings.
Since 1995, the franchise has produced two Frontier League championships in 2006 and 2016, 10 postseason appearances, 1,056 wins becoming the first franchise in league history to reach 1,000 regular season wins in 2017, 75 Major League Baseball organization signees, two league Hall of Famers in Pete Pirman and Eric Massingham, and three no-hitters in franchise history.
The Otters will open the 25th season celebration against the Southern Illinois Miners on May 10 at Bosse Field.
More information and other special events will be announced in the coming months.
To purchase a season ticket or group outing package, call (812) 435-8686 or visit the Bosse Field front office at 23 Don Mattingly Way, Evansville, Ind. The front office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up-to-date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call 812-435-8686.

Will Two Hot Button Issues Get To The Senate Floor?   

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Will Two Hot Button Issues Get To The Senate Floor?

This week the Senate Committee on Ethics passed out an amendment to the Ethics guidelines that should give interns working with legislators more protection from inappropriate behavior by sitting legislators.

The amendment according to the Statehouse File report says “sexual relations between an intern and a senator, including relationships between consenting adults, constitutes unethical behavior and would be subject to an investigation by the ethics committee”.

The amendment should go to the Senate floor this week, if Senate President ProTem Rodric Bray schedules it. Great progress! The amendment is a “may” investigate provision, so it will depend on leadership, in my opinion, if a complaint is actually reviewed or investigated.

Senate Bill 12 on hate crimes has been placed in a committee traditionally held for bills the leader wants to kill.  Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville assigned SB 12 to the Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee.

President Pro Tem Bray in the Statehouse File report says he put SB12 in Rules so his caucus could talk about it, which means  behind closed doors – no input from the public, no input from the opposing political party.

Considering the present national environment of “crisis” politics, this being an election year and given Indiana has gerrymandered districts that should give leadership what they want, why? Is Bray thinking about bringing out the bill nearer election time to incite the anti-sexual orientation base to the polls?

Or is he sincerely concerned that this bill should be processed and he doesn’t quite have the votes to get it out of a committee? We will see.

It is the beginning of the 2019 Session. Lots on the table.

Nominate A Phenomenal Woman

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Do you know a woman who impacts lives, serves as a role model and champions diversity? The University of Southern Indiana Multicultural Center would love to know her, too.

The planning committee for the upcoming 18th Annual Phenomenal Women Banquet, hosted by the Multicultural Center and happening on Tuesday, March 12, is in search of women who have made contributions to diversity, both at USI and in the greater Evansville community.

“We’re looking for that person that typically doesn’t get the recognition, but you know they’re working hard in the area of diversity and inclusion,” explained Pam Hopson, executive director of the Multicultural Center.

These women, who may be USI employees, students or members of the Evansville community, are your co-workers, advisees, mentors, neighbors, family members and friends. Help USI recognize them for the difference they are making by nominating them as a 2019 Phenomenal Woman.

“Oftentimes we think that it takes a large group of people to make a difference, but that’s not necessarily so. It only takes one. One that has a vision and some goals,” Hopson said. “It’s finding out, what is it that we need to do as a woman to be able to give back to the community?”

The Phenomenal Women program aims to inspire others to embrace and promote diversity within their own lives and the lives of others. Hopson says the inclusion of student honorees is unique and important. “We want to set the example for our students… It’s up to us to be those positive role models. It’s up to us to recognize them for a job well done, even when they think people are not looking.”

The 2019 Phenomenal Women banquet will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in USI’s Carter Hall in conjunction with Women’s History Month at the University. Nominations are being accepted online through January 18. Members of the campus and the community are encouraged to attend the event and support those who encourage diversity and inclusion. Tickets may be purchased beginning in February.

Visit the Phenomenal Women website for complete event and nomination information, as well as to read about previous Phenomenal Women honorees. For further questions, contact the Multicultural Center at 812-465-7188 or email jgangala@usi.edu.

ADOPT A PET

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Baby is a female 12-year-old black & white cat. She is sweet and loving, but often overlooked because of her age. She’s gorgeous and has plenty of years of love to give! Her adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!

 

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