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HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
Ex-judge accused of sex-based harassment tentatively settles
Olivia Covington fro www.theindianalawyer.com
A former Huntington County judge has reached a tentative settlement with his accuser in a sex-based harassment case brought by a county probation officer who alleged the judge engaged in a “campaign of sex-based harassment, discrimination, and retaliation†that “created a hostile and oppressive workplace environment.â€
A notice of tentative settlement was filed last week in the Indiana Northern District Court in the case of Heather Malone v. Judge Thomas Hakes, 1:17-cv-505. Chief probation officer Heather Malone sued Huntington Circuit Judge Thomas Hakes last December, alleging Hakes sent her suggestive emails and social media messages even after she asked him to stop.
Court exhibits show a litany of Facebook messages and emails sent from Hakes to Malone, some of which she responded to and others she ignored. The messages discussed wide-ranging personal matters, including buying and drinking alcohol and watching ESPN. Hakes also wrote on multiple occasions that he would stop emailing Malone after hours and sending her Facebook messages, but he failed to follow through on those promises.
Malone alleged Hakes retaliated by denying her a raise and telling courthouse employees to avoid her, among other things.
“Over time, and including 2016 and 2017, Judge Hakes began to behave in an obsessive and unwelcome manner toward Ms. Malone, on the basis of her sex,†the complaint says. “… In essence, Judge Hakes constantly pressured Ms. Malone for a relationship that she did not wish to have.â€
The notice of tentative settlement, filed Oct. 30, notes the settlement will not become official until it is approved by the Indiana governor and attorney general. A letter submitted from mediator C. Erik Chickedantz says the settlement was reached during a mediation session on Oct. 26, when both parties and their attorneys attended “and participated in good faith.†Chickedantz wrote that he believed a fair resolution was reached.
An order entered Oct. 31 by Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry requires the parties to file dismissal papers within 45 days.
Hakes had previously sought to stay discovery in the case against him, arguing it would likely be dismissed based on absolute and/or qualified immunity. But Cherry denied that motion, marking the second time he ruled against the former judge. Cherry also denied Hakes’ motion to seal exhibits, rejecting his argument that the exhibits contained “communications relating to court business.â€
Hakes retired from the Huntington Circuit Court on Dec. 31, and Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Huntington County deputy prosecutor Jamie M. Groves to fill the vacancy.
During the case proceedings, Hakes, who was sued in his individual capacity, was represented by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, while Malone retained private counsel.
UE men’s basketball opens regular season Thursday
Aces take on Illinois for the first time
 The 100th season of basketball commences for the University of Evansville as the Purple Aces travel to the University of Illinois for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday night.
Fans can watch a live stream of the game BTN Plus, which is a live stream. It is a subscription based service. The link is below.
Head coach Walter McCarty begins his tenure as the 6th head coach in the Aces’ Division I history; the 10-year NBA star joins the program after working as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics on the staff of Brad Stevens. Evansville returns six letterwinners, including two starters; UE brings in three newcomers and two walk-ons.
“It will be a great test for us with the way they play, they try to take you out of what you are trying to accomplish,†McCarty said. “I am interested to see how we respond being on the road, opening up and finding out how tough it will be.â€
In its lone exhibition game, the Purple Aces picked up an 83-61 victory over New Mexico Highlands. Dainius Chatkevicius paced the team with 17 points and 8 rebounds while K.J. Riley finished with 16 points and 7 boards. Riley, UE’s leading free throw shooter from a year ago, was 7-10 from the line.
“There were a lot of positives. We keep a checklist of six things that we really want to do to be successful and we were able to accomplish five of those six things, which was really encouraging,†McCarty added. “There are things we have to work on before we play at Illinois, but we did a good job of having a balanced attack and getting everybody involved.â€
Takeaways from the exhibition:
– UE outscored NMHU by a 15-2 margin to open the second half
– The Aces hit nine 3-pointers in the win; the team hit that many triples just twice last season
– Shea Feehan was on the floor for 32 minutes and had 8 points and 5 rebounds
– Freshmen Jawaun Newton and Shamar Givance played 12 and 11 minutes, respectively, in their first on-court action at UE
– Evansville turned 19 Cowboy turnovers into 28 points
– The five bench players for the Aces outscored the NMHU bench, 32-7
Despite the schools being roughly three hours from each other, the programs have never met on the hard wood. Illinois is one of just two current Big Ten members that the Aces have never faced; the other is Wisconsin. Thursday’s game will be the 51st game the Aces have played against a current Big Ten school; UE is 15-35 in its 50 contests. Evansville’s last game against a league member came at Indiana in 2013 while the last victory was a 75-69 win over Purdue on December 3, 2005.
Through its first 99 season openers, the Purple Aces are 66-33. Last season, Evansville picked up a 77-63 win over Arkansas State in the opener at the Ford Center.
Illinois is coming off of a 14-18 campaign that saw them go 4-14 in Big Ten play in their first season under head coach Brad Underwood. The Fighting Illini defeated Illinois Wesleyan by a final of 83-67 in their exhibition game. Andres Feliz led the way for Illinois, posting 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Trent Frazier added 19 points while freshman Ayo Dosunmu recorded 13 points. Following their game against UE, Illinois welcomes Georgetown on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Commission to Combat Drug Abuse Meets Thursday in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s Commission to Combat Drug Abuse will meet Thursday at the Indiana State Library. At the meeting, Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Jim McClelland and other commission members will discuss the continued response to Indiana’s drug epidemic, receive updates on Project ECHO and Opioid Treatment Programs, and hear a presentation regarding Recovery Works program data.
WHAT: Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse
WHO:
- Jim McClelland, Executive Director of Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement
- Members of the Commission to Combat Drug Abuse
WHEN:
10 a.m. ET
Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018
WHERE:
Indiana State Library, History Reference Room 211
315 W. Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
LIVESTREAM LINK: Â https://indiana.adobeconnect.com/gov/
Rep. Todd Rokita Holds School Safety Summit In Plainfield
November 8, Congressman Rokita will hold a School Safety Summit in Plainfield. He will have a discussion with law enforcement and education professionals focused on school shootings and campus security.
EVENT DETAILS:
WHEN:Â Â 10:00 AM
WHERE:Â Plainfield School Corporation Building
985 Longfellow Drive, Plainfield, IN 46168
Â
SPEAKERS:
Â
-Jon Crane, Hendricks County State Senator serving on the Senate Education Committee
-Kevin Jowitt, Noblesville Police Chief
-Richard Hogue, professional on active shooter responses
-Jason Brames, organizer of Hendricks County School Safety Commission
AG Curtis Hill joins 21-state coalition supporting Trump energy plan
Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined a 21-state coalition in expressing support for President Trump’s proposed replacement of the so-called Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era rule that represents administrative overreach and a disregard for the rightful roles of the individual states.
The bipartisan coalition, in comments filed last week with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, described President Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy rule as far preferable to the unlawful regime sought by the Obama-era Clean Power Plan.
“President Trump understands that states and the federal government can work together to secure environmental benefits for citizens without sacrificing people’s livelihoods,†Attorney General Hill said.
The coalition believes the Affordable Clean Energy rule will respect the important role of states in regulating energy and air quality. It fully embraces Congress’ intent for cooperation between the state and federal governments, correcting the Obama-era one-size-fits-all model that would have devastated coal communities across the state and nation.
Such cooperation restores each state’s authority to consider factors specific to the energy needs and facilities within their borders, including costs, practical achievability and the useful life of any particular power plant.
The Trump plan also adopts a more individualized approach to rule-making with respect for the rule of law, including that the framework of any replacement must set achievable targets for individual plants – a stark contrast to the Obama EPA’s effort to shutter coal-fired power plants in its massive and unlawful overhaul of the nation’s electrical grid.
The coalition, consistent with prior arguments made by many of the 21 states, expressed some concern about the new plan and offered a prospective solution for potential double regulation created by the Affordable Clean Energy rule. Overall, however, the coalition expressed support for the new approach.
IS IT TRUE NOVEMBER 8, 2018
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?â€
IS IT TRUEÂ that Jeff Flake (R) voted with Trump 84% of the time and Susan Collins (R) Â voted with Trump 78% of the time? ….that Bernie Sanders (I) voted with the President only 11% of the time and Elizabeth Warren (D) voted with the President only 10% of the time?
IS IT TRUE we predict that starting on January 1, 2019, the Vanderburgh County Commissioners will become a non-partisan group of like-minded individuals that will begin to make well thought out decision based on “Good Policy Policy”?  …we are extremely excited that three (3) extremely talented individuals will be working hand-in-hand in order to take Vanderburgh County into the remainder of the 21st Century?  …we predict that County Commissioners Cheryl Musgrave, Ben Shoulders, and Jeff Hatfield are going to make us extremely glad that we elected them as the “THREE MAYORS OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY”?
IS IT TRUEÂ that Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann has awarded ABK Tracking, Inc.a non-competitive drug testing contract ever since he has been in office? …we’ve been told that this contract is financially lucrative? Â …we hope that members of the Vanderburgh County Council with have the political guts to required County Prosecutor Nick Hermann to put out the 2019 drug testing contract for competitive bids?
IS IT TRUE we respectfully suggest that members of City Council Councilman take the bull by the horns and create an ordinance giving the Evansville City Council full authority to re-organize the make-up of the current ECHO Housing Board of Directors? …we hope by doing so this will allow Council members to appoint new ECHO Board members that will be good stewards of the public trust?
IS IT TRUE  we have been informed that the Governor recently appointed another Vectren Executive to serve on the USI Board of Trustees?  …that there are now two (2) Vectren employees currently serving on this prestigious board? … it’s obvious that the Governor feels that Vectren Executives have a “patent on brains”?
IS IT TRUEÂ we are hearing that some Republicans are looking for ways to stymy County Commissioner Ben Shoulders political agenda because they’re afraid that he might run for Mayor of Evansville? Â …we feel that they will be fool hearted to consider such a move?
IS IT TRUE we are hearing that a group of Evansville taxpayers is starting to put together a detailed Freedom Of Information Request concerning how much the City, VenueWorks, Vanderburgh County Building Commission, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission and the Evansville DMD donated to help subsidized the Evansville Thunderbolts Hockey team since they started playing at the Ford Center?  …we are told that they will begin requesting this information right after all the candidates announce their intentions to run for City Council in 2019?
IS IT TRUEÂ that yesterday we posted the following statement in our “IS IT TRUE” section? … we said; “we also urge that you pay special attention to the EVSC school board races? Â …we hear that the individuals running against the incumbent members of the school board are poised to give them a run for their money”? Â …”we are told that its possible that the make-up of the 2019 school board could have at least two new (2) members”? Â …it looks like our projection was spot on?
IS IT TRUE we now predict that the era of the Superintendent of EVSC schools always getting his way with the school board members will come to an end starting on January 1 of 2019?
IS IT TRUE that that last year a well-known website called Niche.com that tracks the cost of living across the United States has just named the Indiana cities of Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend as the cheapest places in the country to live?…the City-County Observer is confident that no one who contributed to this article has ever faced a utility bill from Vectren with respect to local earnings or an ever increasing (unreasonable) bill from the City of Evansville Sewer and Water Utility?…when digging an inch below the surface one finds that Niche.com only considers housing, food, fuel, and property taxes?…property taxes are by definition 1% of the market value of the house so cheap houses means low taxes?…with the always under attack HOMESTEAD TAX CREDIT there are some homeowners who pay nearly no property taxes at all?…fuel may be cheap in Evansville but it is always cheaper across the money saving bridge in Kentucky or down at Marina Point?…food is and always has been reasonably priced in Evansville but part of that is because locals tend not to be willing to pay for designer brands and have an appetite for very inexpensive fast food from a drive up window? …Niche also excluded the cost of healthcare which is quite high due to the high levels of obesity, smoking, sedentary living and abuse of alcohol?…while Evansville is not even close to the cost of places like San Francisco, it is far from the cheapest place in the United States?
Today’s “Readers Poll” question is; Do you feel that the Vanderburgh County Drug Testing contracts should be put out to competitive bidding?
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EPD Released Body Cam Footage of Fairlawn Elementary Arrest
EPD Released Body Cam Footage of Fairlawn Elementary Arrest
NOVEMBER 7TH, 2018 
TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
The Evansville Police Department is releasing body cam footage of an officer-involved incident that happened at an Evansville school.
The incident happened last Wednesday at Fairlawn Elementary School. According to police, an officer was called to the school to investigate a complaint about a suspicious person.
Around 7 a.m., Logan Stidham showed up to the front door and told school employees he had a child in daycare. However, employees say that was untrue and called the police.
According to the officer, he tried talking to Stidham but he was uncooperative. He attempted to handcuff Stidham but he resisted arrest prompting the officer to tase him.
A scuffle ensued between Stidham and the officer. Stidham allegedly grabbed the taser and fired it at the officer’s face.
Stidham was eventually taken into custody and is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail. He is facing charges of battery with serious injury, resisting law enforcement, trespassing, and theft.
The officer has since been treated at a hospital and released.
