http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx
“READERS FORUM” OCTOBER 13, 2018
We hope that today’s “READERS FORUMâ€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? WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?Â
WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Do you agree with Mayor Winnecke that he is keeping a healthy line of communication between the city administration and the business community?
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us City-CountyObserver@live.com
AG Curtis Hill Calls On FCC To Provide States’ Greater Power To Fightrobo Calls And Spoofing
Attorney General Curtis Hill today called on the Federal Communications Commission to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to consumers in Indiana. He is part of a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys general issuing a formal comment to the FCC.
The formal comment explains that scammers using illegal robocalls have found ways to evade a call-blocking order entered last year by the FCC. Despite the FCC’s order, robocalls continue to be a major irritant to consumers in Indiana and across the United States. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission received 4.5 million illegal robocall complaints – two and a half times more than in 2014. The Office of the Indiana Attorney General receives thousands of complaints each year with respect to illegal calls, including scam calls, telemarketing complaints and robocalls.
Following an initial win for American consumers last year by the bipartisan coalition, when the FCC granted phone service providers authority to block certain illegal spoofed robocalls, the attorneys general now seek added authority for the providers to work together to detect and block more illegal spoofed robocalls – including “neighbor spoofing.â€
“Hoosiers should be able to enjoy peace and privacy without the disturbance of unwanted calls interrupting their routines,†Attorney General Hill said. “We need stronger measures aimed at rooting out bad actors responsible for rampant robocalling.â€
“Spoofing†allows scammers to disguise their identities, making it difficult for law enforcement to bring them to justice. “Virtually anyone can send millions of illegal robocalls and frustrate law enforcement with just a computer, inexpensive software and an internet connection,†the attorneys general wrote in the formal comment filed with the FCC.
One tactic on the rise is “neighbor spoofing,†a technique that allows calls – no matter where they originate – to appear on a consumer’s caller ID as being made from a phone number that has the same local area code as the consumer. This manipulation of caller ID information increases the likelihood that the consumer will answer the call.
In the formal comment, Attorney General Hill and members of the coalition expressed support for the new initiative, which will give phone service providers the ability to authenticate legitimate calls and identify illegally spoofed calls and block them. The added authority sought by the attorneys general will allow service providers to use new technology to detect and block illegal spoofed calls – even those coming from what are otherwise legitimate phone numbers. Service providers will be ready to launch this new authentication method in 2019.
To date, the FCC has not issued a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning additional provider-initiated call blocking. The attorneys general anticipate that further requests for comments will take place on this subject.
The added authority which the attorneys general seek from the FCC is not in conflict with Indiana’s Do Not Call List, in which consumers sign up to avoid receiving calls from legitimate vendors. The initiative for which the attorneys general seek FCC approval concerns illegal robocalls – which are made to consumers regardless of whether or not they sign up for do-not-call lists.
Alternative Heating Methods During Colder Months
Alternative Heating Methods During Colder Months
OCTOBER 13TH, 2018 
MITCH ANGLE INDIANA
After a warm start to our fall the cooler temperatures are finally here.
Officials are reminding residents to be mindful and careful of alternative heating methods
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says during the months of October through December, fire-related deaths increase because of alternative heating sources.
Officials say to keep at least a 3-foot perimeter around space heaters at all times and space heaters should be kept away from loose or flammable objects.
Click here for more tips on safe alternative heating methods.Â
TRUMP GOES FULL TRUMP IN YET ANOTHER PENNSYLVANIA RALLY
TRUMP GOES FULL TRUMP IN YET ANOTHER PENNSYLVANIA RALLY
by John L. Micek, October 12, 2018
ERIE, PA – With his second U.S. Supreme Court confirmation in the bag, President Donald Trump took a victory lap around this city by the lake on Wednesday night, skewering “radical†Capitol Hill Democrats and the “dishonest†media, even as he exhorted supporters to vote in next month’s midterm election.
Standing in a hockey arena just blocks from the shores of Lake Erie, Trump called Democratic efforts to defeat new Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination “a national disgrace,†and dismissed Democrats “as the party of crime.â€
Amid predictions of a Democratic take-over the House and a possible one in the Senate, Trump warned that if current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and “the Democrats take over Congress, they will try to raise your taxes – we’ve lowered them tremendously – impose socialism, which is where they are coming from; and take over and destroy American health care.â€
“I say this and I mean this, the Democrats are the party of crime,†Trump continued. “Republicans are the party of law, order and justice. And we are also the party of jobs, jobs, jobs.â€
Across an hour-long speech, Trump hit on familiar themes. He touted tax cuts passed last December, bragged about the resurgence of “beautiful, clean Pennsylvania coal,†his renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and his efforts to contain illegal immigration.
Still, Trump’s visit to Pennsylvania, his second in as many weeks and seventh in 2018, comes at a tenuous time for Keystone State Republicans.
State party leaders have already acknowledged that they will lose House seats in the mid-term contest. The question is how many seats will be turned.
Pennsylvania was central to Trump’s 2016 White House win. He beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 44,000 votes, snapping a three-decade-old presidential winning streaks for Democrats. But thanks to a court-imposed congressional map that strengthened the Democrats’ hand, as many as a half-dozen Pennsylvania seats could flip from red to blue in November.
While Republicans narrowed the enthusiasm gap with Democrats nationally in the wake of the conflagration surrounding Kavanaugh’s confirmation, the generic ballot remains favorable to Democrats by an average of 6.9 percentage points, according to RealClear Politics.
Republican Senate candidate Lou Barletta has struggled to close a fund-raising and polling gap with Democratic incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who has held an average 16-point lead in the race, according to RealClear Politics.
Trump, who nicknamed Casey “Sleepy Bob†during a rally in Wilkes-Barre in August, kept up his drumbeat of criticism against the two-term Democrat.
“While Lou is fighting for you, Bob Casey is fighting to protect violent criminal aliens. Bob Casey voted for deadly sanctuary cities that release thousands upon thousands of violent criminal gang members to prey on Pennsylvania citizens,†Trump said.
Trump also repeated a false claim that Casey wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He does not.
“Pennsylvanians will see these desperate scare tactics for what they are because they know Bob Casey has always fought for them,†Casey’s campaign spokesman, Max Steele, said in an email.
The race between Erie-area Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, a four-term incumbent, and Democrat Ron DiNicola, a former Marine and former Erie County solicitor, has been a talker in northwestern Pennsylvania this year.
“Take the enthusiasm you have tonight and the love you have in your hear for the greatest nation in the history of mankind, and you’re going to get out and vote,†Kelly said. “You’re going to turnout in numbers you never thought you’d turn out. You’ve got to play it through the whistle.â€
As he has at other rallies, Trump made it clear Wednesday that it’s on his MAGA faithful to turn out on Election Day.
“I need your help this Election Day on Nov. 6 to stop the radical Democrat mob from trying to take it away. I need you to show up at the polls to continue this incredible movement, like the country has never seen before. The only reason to vote Democrat is if you are tired of winning.â€
FOOTNOTE: This article was posted by the City-County Observer without opinion, bias or editing.
Hanlon Confirmed To Southern Indiana District Court
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
James Patrick “J.P.†Hanlon was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by the U.S. Senate Thursday evening in a voice vote.
The partner at Faegre Baker Daniels was nominated by President Donald Trump and will fill the vacancy created when Judge William Lawrence took senior status in July. Hanlon, along with James Sweeney ll, who was confirmed on a voice vote in August, will bring the Southern Indiana District Court to five full-time judges, something the court has not had since 2014 when Judge Sarah Evans Barker took senior status.
Hanlon was among 15 federal judges confirmed by the Senate in a deal worked out between Republicans and Democrats. Indiana Sens. Todd Young, Republican, and Joe Donnelly, Democrat, both voted to confirm Hanlon and welcomed him to the bench.
“J.P. is well respected in the Indianapolis community, and has spent years working both civil and criminal cases on behalf of Hoosiers,†Young said in a statement. “It’s important that we are filling this court vacancy with a fair and highly regarded attorney, and I am glad he can now get to work addressing the court’s judicial emergency.â€
The Southern District is one of the busiest federal courts in the country and has been deemed a judicial emergency. Its judges are handling a weighted caseload of more than 800 cases each.
Donnelly supported Hanlon’s nomination and, along with Young, introduced him to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“After meeting with J.P. and following his confirmation process, I was proud to vote for his nomination on the Senate floor,†Donnelly said in a statement. “His commitment to Indiana and to public service is laudable. I wish him success as he takes on this important new role.â€
Hanlon graduated from Valparaiso University Law School, magna cum laude, and served for five years as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. He conducted 12 jury trials and two bench trials to successful resolution on behalf of the government and argued multiple cases on appeal before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Still awaiting confirmation is Holly Brady, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Although she has not faced the opposition some of the more controversial nominees have faced, Brady did undergo tough questioning at her hearing and was opposed by every Democrat on the judicial committee.
Brady is a partner at Haller & Colvin PC in Fort Wayne.
APPLY FOR ARTSWIN GRANTS
Do you know someone at a school or nonprofit who wants to start or continue a project that connects Vanderburgh County K-12 students with arts opportunities and experiences? The Arts Council want to help!
The Arts Council will accept applications for its Sponsorship of the Arts Grant from now until Nov. 2. The grant award can total $5,000 for arts programs, experiences, and more that benefit local K-12 students.
If you have any questions, please email Anne McKim at anne.mckim@artswin.org or call (812) 422-2111.
ADOPT A PET
Tic Tac is a 2-year-old female brown tabby cat! Her most unique quality is her propensity to holler at the top of her lungs at the sight of another cat. While it’s hair-raising, it’s also a little endearing, but the moral of the story is that she is going to do best being the only cat in the home. Her funny little personality will hopefully win a cat-free person’s heart! Her adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
TACO FESTÂ IS TODAY!
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TACO FEST
IS TODAY!Secure your tickets online NOWÂ before the pricing goes up at the gate! Save an additional 10% on all tickets with Join us at one of the area’s best event venues with tons of indoor & outdoor space! All tickets include access to 20+ Taco & other Food Vendors, Frozen Margarita Bar,Tequila Expo Area with Premium & Top Shelf Flight Options, Chili Pepper & other Eating Contests, Salsa Sampling and Most Unique Taco Contest, Kids Zone, Mechanical Bull, Face Painting, Arts, Games, multiple stages with bands, DJs and a Mariachi Band, Giant Nacho Bar, Best Dressed Contest (GET CREATIVE!), Lots of grassy areas to relax & take it all in, free parking, and much more! VIP upgrades available – includes private area and bathrooms. |