We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” 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 at last night Evansville City Council meeting a vote of 7-2 was cast in favor of releasing several hundreds of thousands of dollars of Federal funds to ECHO Housing Corp.without restrictions? …last nights decision was made despite an ongoing investigation by the EPD concerning the past financial activities of ECHO Housing? …the City-County Observer have been saying for over two months that the Forensic Audit of ECHO Housing has been completed and at last nights meeting it was confirmed that our statement was correct?

IS IT TRUE that Finance Chair Jonathan Weaver, D-At-Large, and Councilman Justin Elpers, R-5th Ward wisely voted to not to release the Federal funds to ECHO Housing Corp. until the results of the EPD criminal investigation and Forensic Audit findings were made public?

IS IT TRUE if you were a lending institution would you lend any non-profit organization money if they were going through a criminal investigation and a Forensic Audit? …if you were a major Corporation would you consider donating money to a non-profit that is going through a criminal investigation and a Forensic Audit?  …if you were a responsible elected public official would you approve giving Federal Funds to a non-profit agency if they were going through a criminal investigation and a Forensic Audit?

IS IT TRUE the 2019 ECHO Housing Board of Directors are: Dane Chandler, President, Banterra Bank, Tom Moore, Vice President, Vectren, Rev. Gerald Arnold, Treasurer, NAACP, Jason Fisher, Old National Bank, Lisa Barnett, Community Representative, and Sheryl Hoosier, Community Representative?  …we find it extremely interesting that several of the above board members are holdovers from the last ECHO Housing Board of Directors during the same time that a large sum of money was discovered missing?

IS IT TRUE that the ECHO Housing Corp. Forensic Audit has been completed but the Evansville Police Department will not release this audit until the criminal investigation is complete?  …this investigations have been going on for the last eight months and its time that the results to be made public?

Over the past three weeks, authorities have responded to more than 20 car and home break-ins in the Oak Hill Neighborhood area.

Officials say several items have been reported stolen including several guns that have been taken from cars.

Some people have actually caught the criminals on surveillance cameras and have posted those videos on social media.

Monday, Sheriff wedding and residents of the area gathered to find out more about the crimes and what all has been stolen. Several of the items were stolen from unlocked vehicles.

Authorities say this serves as a great reminder to never leave anything valuable in your car and always lock your doors.

Comments

These community organizations include Evansville Christian School, Carver Community Organization, YMCA, St. Vincent’s Early Learning Center, and Community Coordinated Child Care of Southern Indiana.

The money awarded to these five organizations will support initiatives in 2019 and 2020.

“These grants reflect focused investments in Early Learning,” said Patrick Jackson, Senior Program Officer. “They are designed to contribute to two important changes in our community: more children arriving at Kindergarten ready to learn, and more 3rd graders exceeding grade-level benchmarks for school success.”

These grants were awarded to organizations that align with the Foundation’s four priorities for Early Learning investment:

• Family Engagement
• Provider Effectiveness
• Affordable, High-Quality Enrollment
• Academic Supports

Click here for more information about Welborn Baptist Foundation and its grant process.

IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

Not long after Roncalli High School guidance counselor Shelly Fitzgerald was placed on paid administrative leave because of her same-sex marriage, a second Roncalli guidance counselor announced she had filed a discrimination complaint against the school and Archdiocese of Indianapolis and plans to sue because she, too, is in a civil union.

Lynn Starkey, who has worked at Roncalli High School for 21 years and for Roncalli overall 39 years, is the school’s co-director of guidance and worked alongside Fitzgerald. According to Starkey’s attorney, Kathleen Delaney, the counselor announced she had filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Roncalli and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, alleging discrimination and hostile work environment based on sex and sexual orientation.

According to the charges, two days after Fitzgerald was barred from the school, Roncalli principal Chuck Weisenbach asked Starkey if she also had a civil union.

“I asked him whether he really wanted to ask me that question,” Starkey said in documents provided by Delaney. “He said ‘yes’. I answered ‘yes.’”

“The Archdiocese and Roncalli’s decision to threaten Ms. Fitzgerald’s employment, and place her on administrative leave, has severely or pervasively adversely altered the condition of my work environment in multiple respects,” Starkey said.

Starkey’s complaint alleges that she has had to assume many of Fitzgerald’s work responsibilities, substantially adding to her workload and that she does not feel welcomed in her work environment as a gay person.

The counselor also added in the complaint that she has suffered “severe emotional distress, pain and suffering, and mental anguish as a result of the Archdiocese and Roncalli’s discriminatory actions.”