Home Blog Page 3912

A Fighting Spirit Gets My Vote!

1
A Fighting Spirit Gets My Vote!
by Gail Riecken, City-County Observer Statehouse Editor
When I first read John Krull’s September 17 article about political candidates and his objection to their saying “ I will fight for you”, I couldn’t imagine why he had such difficulty with the phrase.
Now I realize that Krull was really talking about the importance of civility when politicians work toward a solution. He thinks saying to the public “I will work for you” to get their support is a better phrase and should be the right relationship between politicians and their constituents.
I think the work “fight” is exactly what politicians should do – or any or us who have a passion and even anger about a issue. Constituents need to know they have someone in their corner. You can still be civil.
Krull’s article made me think of an interview that Bill Moyers had with Barbara Tuchman, noted historian (1912-1989). It is reported in his book,  A World of Ideas (published May, 1989).
“Moyers to Tuchman:  You asked a rousing series of questions not long ago: Where’s the anger that ought to have met the deaths of two hundred and forty-one U. S. Marines through the incompetence of their superiors? Where’s the anger over the thirty-seven deaths on the USS Stark through official negligence?
Where’s the outrage over disclosure of misconduct and incompetence revealed in the Iran-Contra scandal?And I could add to that list-where’s the outrage over the swindling by the defense industry? What’s happened to the outrage?
“Tuchman:  Mr. Moyers, I don’t know what’s happened to it, except that some how people don’t take wrongdoing seriously. Perhaps there’s just too much of it. We’re not surprised any more. We’re just used to it.”
Just used to it. Desensitized.
Maybe that’s why there is a lack of anger over so many things happening around us – like the alleged sexual assault of Christine Blakey Ford by Judge Brett Kavanaugh or the CCO story of the City’s financial crisis or that so many young Hoosiers were left out of the IU Medical Center project yet Evansville taxpayers are paying for it or so many infants are dying or too many children are the victims of their parents drug habits.
In Barbara Tuchman’s words, we just must be used to it.
Well, it seems to me we could use a little fighting spirit around here.

Jean Webb Candidate For Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) School Board

0

Jean Webb Candidate For EVSC SCHOOL BOARD

My name is Jean Webb, and I’m running for Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) School Board.  I’m a long-time Evansville resident, a former EVSC student, former EVSC mom, and current EVSC grandmother. The Evansville Teacher’s Association has endorsed my candidacy.

 I’m retired from 30+ years in Pharmaceutical Operations. I was employed by Bristol-Myers Squibb in Evansville (27 years), and then I worked on a contract basis at Johnson & Johnson in Pennsylvania, and both Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca in Mount Vernon, IN. I hold a B.S. from the University of Evansville, cum laude, 1991 with a major in Chemistry/Business Administration.

The initial desire to run was a result of my family being negatively impacted by changes in EVSC.   My granddaughter enrolled in Hebron in 2013 as a kindergartner. The school had an “A “grade from the state when she enrolled, and it was the same school her mother had attended. By the time she was a third grader in 2017, that grade had fallen to a “D”. Grades might not define a school, and I really like her teacher this year, but this was a wake-up call for me.

After checking out Hebron’s grades, I looked at the grades and student test scores of all our schools. I was struck by how other schools near me, schools that were once great schools, are struggling. Allowing the decline of these schools is almost begging parents to take a voucher and go elsewhere, but we’re not going anywhere. We ‘re going to stay put and work to get a public school system that works for everyone regardless of their zip code.

The disparity between schools within EVSC is too great, not only in achievement gaps, but in supplies, amenities, building maintenance, and even curriculum. 

I’d like to see our resources used in reducing those disparities, and that will require a change in priority in how our money is spent.

In the past few years, EVSC has failed to operate within its available funds. They have had to issue General Obligation (GO) bonds, reducing the funds available for future students. This concerns me. 

  • $5 million GO bond issued 2015, retire 1/15/2020. 
  • $6 million GO bond issued 2016, retired 1/15/2021. 
  • $6 million GO bond issued 2017, retired 1/15/2022.

On August 13th the EVSC School Board approved a preliminary bond hearing for a $5 million GO Bond to be issued in 2018. This worries me a great deal. Especially since these 2018 bonds are authorized to have a 7-year duration instead of 5 years. Continuing to run a school corporation by borrowing each year is not sustainable. Is there a plan for running EVSC without snowballing debt?

EVSC is also obligated to make escalating payments on a $6.4 million Energy Savings Contract with Vectren’s ESG subsidiary. The $6.4 million was spent on energy-efficient equipment, construction management, and commissioning at the McCutchanville School. There has been heavy press coverage about how the McCutchanville School was built without debt or a tax increase.  I find that claim perhaps truthful, but misleading.

In light of this inability to go a year without adding debt, should EVSC have bought a 135-acre golf course for $3.37 million?  This land is right near the three newest schools that were built with only 80 acres. Disparity. That’s the issue.

These are the questions I want to ask if elected to the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation School Board. Please vote for me so I can help bring our schools closer to meeting the EVSC motto: Equality and Excellence for All Students.

New Haven City Court Judge Faces Discipline

0

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

A northern Indiana city court judge was charged with four counts of judicial misconduct Friday for improperly assuming the duties of a prosecutor and wrongly approving infraction deferrals for juveniles.

The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday spelled out the charges against New Haven City Court Judge Geoffrey L . Robison, who has served in that capacity since 2000, before which he was chief of the police department in the Allen County city.

According to the statement of charges, Robison filed and processed infraction tickets without prosecutor approval, improperly used the prosecutor’s signature stamp to execute deferral agreements on infractions, and improperly placed 67 juveniles into an infraction deferral program.

“By permitting individuals under the age of 18 who had been charged with moving violations and other infractions which made them ineligible for a deferred resolution to enter into Infraction Deferral Program agreements, Respondent violated I.C. § 34-28-5-1(f),” the charges state.

The charges largely stem from actions Robison took after spring 2015, when Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards learned it was unethical to have court staff perform the duties of the prosecutor, such as using her stamp to execute infraction deferrals, as had been done since she became prosecutor in 2003.

In April 2015, Richards told Robison the prosecutor’s office would no longer authorize the filing of charges in the city court and that any infraction tickets or ordinance violations filed by police should be returned to the officer for filing in Allen Superior Court.  “Despite Prosecutor Richards’ directive … (Robison) permitted state infraction tickets to be filed and processed in New Haven City Court from April 15, 2015 through May 22, 2017,” the charges say, continuing to use Richards’ prosecutor office stamp. According to the charges, at least 1,837 infraction cases were filed from mid-2015 to 2018, and none were venued or transferred to Allen Superior Court.
In 2017, Richards notified Robison that he needed to dismiss any cases in which a juvenile had been given a deferral, cases in which defendants had been paying fines without an adjudication, and transfer any pending case without an adjudication not in a deferral program to Allen Superior. Robison, the charges say, “dismissed the cases identified but noted on the record that the dismissals were upon petition by the prosecuting attorney. No such petitions had been filed.
The Commission on Judicial Qualifications charged Robison with four counts. The counts each allege multiple violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct including those requiring a judge to comply with the law; act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary; uphold the law fairly and impartially; and act in a manner not prejudicial to the administration of justice.
The commission asks the Supreme Court to appoint a panel of three special masters to conduct a public hearing on the judicial misconduct charge and impose an appropriate sanction.

Termination Of Ex’s House Payment Obligation Reversed

0

IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a decision that found an “ambiguous” dissolution settlement agreement made no indication as to the father’s child support obligations and that his payments for a mortgage and car would supplement them.

In their 2008 marriage dissolution, Tamera Copple and Huel Swindle incorporated a settlement agreement in which the parties agreed that Swindle would “be solely responsible for the payments on the party’s marital residence including taxes and insurance until such time as the house is paid off.”

The agreement also held that the house payments would be coupled with the obligation on a 2006 Impala “in lieu of child support and be part of the distribution of property.”

In early 2017, the younger child, then 22 years old, married, and Swindle stopped making his payments on the marital residence. Copple filed a motion for Rule to Show Cause alleging Swindle had failed to make the February mortgage payment. Swindle argued his obligation to pay should be terminated and filed a petition for modification alleging the marital residence payments constituted child support and the minor children were both “emancipated as a matter of law.”

The Johnson Superior Court found that the settlement agreement failed to establish a child support amount, making it ambiguous and unenforceable. The trial court then terminated Swindle’s obligation to make any further payments, but the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed in a Friday ruling.

Appellate judges found the trial court’s finding that the debt obligation equated to child support was in error and obligated to both child support and property distribution.

“The trial court’s order misstated the decree when it found the decree made ‘no indication as to [Father’s] child support obligation, only that his paying the debt on the marital residence and the 2006 Chevy Impala ‘shall be in lieu of child support,’” Judge Melissa May wrote for court. “The decree actually indicated the residence payments and the payments on the vehicle were to ‘be in lieu of child support and be part of the distribution of property.”

In its determination, the appellate court noted that while Swindle’s obligation to pay child support was modifiable by statute, any payment pursuant to property distribution was not.

Additionally, while Swindle’s payments were indeed categorized ambiguously, “the duration of the payment was unequivocal” and “ascertainable at the time the agreement was made in 2008.”

“Therefore, payments Father was ordered to make on the marital residence are an agreement on property division and not child support and, thus, not modifiable without a showing of fraud, duress, or undue influence,” May concluded.

The appellate court also ordered the trial court to reconsider on remand the award of attorney fees to Copple, as well as remand its determination that Swindle was not in contempt by failing to make the payments required by his property settlement agreement.

The case is Tamara Jean (Swindle) Copple v. Huel Dwayne Swindle, 41A01-1710-DR-2471.

 

 

HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE

0
Wealth Management Advisor Training Program
Northwestern Mutual 3.9/5 rating 2,285 reviews – Evansville, IN
$52,000 – $106,000 a year
We hope you have a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree from a four-year college or university. Our financial professionals help clients reach their goals by…
Easily apply
Sep 16
Executive Assistant
Wilhite and Associates – Evansville, IN
Executive Assistant at a professional office. Both routine and significant high level office responsibilities. Ability to juggle tasks and organizational…
Easily apply
Sep 16
Assembler
Rural King 3.1/5 rating 586 reviews – Evansville, IN
Use general office equipment such as telephone, copy machine, fax machine, calculator, computer. Assemble retail merchandise such as grills, furniture, lawn…
Easily apply
Sep 17
Entry Level Investor Services Associate
SS&C Technologies 3/5 rating 109 reviews – Evansville, IN
Bachelor Degree or equivalent work experience. Review/Approve transactions entered by fellow team members. Functional Area Skills/Knowledge:….
Easily apply
Sep 15
Outreach Coordinator and Student Mentor, Multicultural Center – A18002A1
University of Southern Indiana 4.3/5 rating 87 reviews – Evansville, IN
Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred, in Counseling or Social Work a plus. Work with campus partners to develop learning opportunities on…
Sep 15
General Cleaner- All Shifts
WFF Facility Services, Inc 2.6/5 rating 20 reviews – Evansville, IN
Sweeping, dusting, dust mopping, damp mopping, vacuuming, extracting carpet, stripping and waxing floors, removing trash, recycling, cleaning and sanitizing…
Easily apply
Sep 16
Freight Handler Part-Time
FedEx Freight 3.9/5 rating 17,840 reviews – Evansville, IN
Secure freight inside trailers using appropriate tools and supplies (e.g. Forklift, pallet jack and hand truck….
Sep 15
Behavioral Health Aide
Vergence – Evansville, IN
Behavioral Health Aides are responsible for daily care, program treatment and welfare of mentally ill and/or developmentally disabled patients….
Easily apply
Sep 17
Nanny Needed For 1 Child In Evansville
Care.com 4.3/5 rating 855 reviews – Evansville, IN
We need a nanny for our 1 child in Evansville. And we’re looking now…
Sep 16
Babysitter Needed For 1 Child In Evansville
Care.com 4.3/5 rating 855 reviews – Evansville, IN
A car is not provided – please have your own. We need a babysitter for 4 days a week to take care of 1 child in Evansville….
Sep 16
Bi-weekly Cleaning Person
Care.com 4.3/5 rating 855 reviews – Evansville, IN
Vacuum, dust mop and mop kitchen, dining and bathroom floors as well as entryway. Vacuum living, hall and bedroom floors….
Sep 16

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

0

 Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Rachael Feazell: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)

Joshua Shane Curtis: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony)

Gene Michael Hoover: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)

Lajuan K. Johnson: Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor)

Billy Franklin Nelson II: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)

Norman Lee Schmidt: Unlawful possession or use of a legend drug (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession or use of a legend drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a controlled substance (Class A misdemeanor)

Devon Patrick Smith: Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony)

Jackie Duge: Possession of cocaine (Level 6 Felony), Visiting a common nuisance – alcohol (Class B misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)

Stacey Lynn Burton: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license (Class C misdemeanor)

Alyssa E. Alderson-Like: Unlawful possession or use of a legend drug (Level 6 Felony)

Kristina Dawn Diekmann: Battery against a public safety official (Level 6 Felony), Battery against a public safety official (Level 6 Felony)

John Garickson Marceus: Strangulation (Level 6 Felony), Criminal confinement (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor), Interference with the reporting of a crime (Class A misdemeanor)

Amber L. Johnson: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)

Marcus Anthony Osborne: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony)

Robert Dell Strahl: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor)

Tasheem S. Belle: Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor)

Daniel Kyree Waddell: Theft of a firearm (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony)

John Cleveland Welker: Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Public intoxication (Class B misdemeanor), Public intoxication (Class B misdemeanor)

Keith Wiles: Theft (Level 6 Felony)

Jennifer Lynn Wiles: Theft (Level 6 Felony)

Emanuel M. Williams-Jackson: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Carrying a handgun without a license (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)

James Eric Webster: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)

Pamela Sue Day: Theft (Level 6 Felony)

Adopt A Pet

0

Beverly is an adult female calico cat! She is affectionate and friendly to her human visitors. She was not a huge fan of living with 30+ other cats in the Cageless Cat Lounge, but would likely be fine with one or two other felines. Her adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for details!

 

CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT

0

Daily Scriptures for the Week of September 24, 2018

0

 

MONDAY

page1image1698080

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the

page1image3676672

Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his

page1image3676880

understanding no one can fathom.”

page1image3676256“But‭you,‭Israel,‭my‭servant,‭Jacob,‭whom‭I‭have‭chosen,‭you‭descendants‭of‭

Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest

corners‭I‭called‭you.‭I‭said,‭‘You‭are‭my‭servant’;‭I‭have‭chosen‭you‭and‭have‭ ‭

FRIDAY

‭Isaiah‭‭40:28‭‭NIV

TUESDAY

page1image3677088

“He‭gives‭strength‭to‭the‭weary‭and‭increases‭the power of the weak.”

page1image3677296

‭Isaiah‭‭40:29‭‭NIV

WEDNESDAY

page1image1688512

“Even‭youths‭grow‭tired‭and‭weary,‭and‭young‭men‭stumble‭and‭fall; but those

page1image1685808

who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like

page1image1667712

eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

page1image1688928

‭Isaiah‭‭40:30-31‭‭NIV

‭

THURSDAY

not rejected you.” ‭Isaiah‭‭41:8-9‭‭NIV

page1image1690592

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will

page1image1690800

strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

page1image1691008

‭Isaiah‭‭41:10‭‭NIV

page1image1691216SATURDAYpage1image1691424

‭“All‭who‭rage‭against‭you‭will‭surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who

page1image1691840

oppose you will be as nothing and perish.”

page1image1692048

‭Isaiah‭‭41:11‭‭NIV

‭

‭

page1image1692256SUNDAY
page1image1692464

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,

page1image1692672

do not fear; I will help you.”

page1image1692880

‭Isaiah‭‭41:13‭‭NIV

Submitted to the City-County Observer by Karen Seltzer

Lowry, Crews take top two spots as Evansville wins second-straight meet

0

For the second-straight meet, the University of Evansville women’s cross country team captured the team championship as the Aces won the women’s 5k race and the University of Evansville’s men’s cross country team continued to impress at the Austin Peay Cross Country Festival on Saturday morning in Clarksville, Tenn..

Led by sophomore Anna Lowry and senior Sienna Crews, the Aces ran to a 24-point victory over host Austin Peay as six Evansville runners finished inside the top 10. Coming down to the finish line, Lowry and Crews battled for the individual championship with Lowry narrowly edging out Crews.

Winning by just seven one-hundredths of a second, Lowry set a new PR of 18:00.541, the 13th-fastest 5k time in Evansville women’s cross country history. Also setting a PR was Crews, who finished in second with a time of 18:00.619, a nearly 10 second improvement on her previous PR set at the Austin Peay Invitational on September 24, 2016.
Following the duo of Lowry and Crews was junior Hannah Welsh, who finished in sixth with a time of 19:16.209. In fourth for the Aces and seventh overall was freshman Katelyn Singh, who set a PR with a time of 19:36.581, while fellow freshman Haylee Harmeyer was just two seconds behind her teammate in eighth with a PR time of 19:38.832. Rounding out the top 10, senior Asthon Bosler picked-up a ninth-place finish with a time of 19:57.032.

Improving her time by over two-and-a-half minutes was freshman Haley Dean, who impressed with an 18th-place finish, crossing the line in 20:34.375. Together in a group of three Aces including Dean were sophomores Lauren Meyer (20:36.703) and Izzy Dawson (20:38.692) who finished in 19th and 20th, respectively.

Scoring a PR, freshman Savanna Mills secured a 23rd-place finish with a run of 20:56.972. Recording a time 30 seconds better than her PR, senior Hayley Elliott finished in a time of 21:35.000 in 29th place. Freshman Claire Dardeen continued the trend of Aces runners with a PR as Dardeen crossed the finish line in 34th in a time of 22:56.972, while fellow freshman Ah’tahja Hooper finished in 35th with a time of 23:09.191.

Evansville’s men continued to build upon strong performances, narrowly missing a team victory and an individual victory. The Aces finished with 37 points as a team, just one point behind host Austin Peay who captured the team championship in the four-mile race, a distance that only three current Aces had run in their collegiate careers.

Junior Stanley Chepchieng led the Aces, finishing in second, scorching his previous four mile PR by nearly two-and-a-half minutes with a time of 19:29.365. Chepchieng finished less than 13 seconds back of the individual champion, Wesley Gray of Austin Peay, who completed the course in 19:16.994. Just behind Chepchieng, sophomore Dawson Hood earned a top five finish with a PR time of 19:37.634, crossing the line in fourth.

Finishing in eighth, senior Jordan Carpenter recorded a 3:46 improvement on his previous PR set in 2015, finishing the race in 20:03.404 in eighth place. Following one after another, sophomore Kalen Ochs (20:17.665) and junior Ricky Hendrix (20:25.215) each set PRs as the duo just missed out on top 10 finishes in 11th and 12th.

Freshman Carson Kline reeled in a 16th-place finish in a PR time of 20:45.251 to help the Aces, while sophomore Phil Dzienciol (21:27.610) and freshman Kaleb Slagle (21:27.610) also set PRs, crossing the finish line in 22nd and 24th, respectively. Grouped together at the finish line, sophomore Tyler Frields-Reifsteck (21:40.262), freshman Jack Rauch (21:44.775), and sophomore Timmy Miller (21:49.429) continued the trend of PRs, finishing in 27th, 28th, and 29th places, respectively.

In 37th place, sophomore Tucker Dawson set a PR with a time of 23:24.225. Sophomore Grant Mangan crossed the line in a time of 24:56.565 earning himself a 41st-place finish. Just behind Mangan was freshman Kyle Thieme who recorded a time of 25:47.349, placing him in 42nd place.

The Aces won’t have to travel far for their next two meets of the season as Evansville next heads to Owensboro, Ky. on October 6 for the Fast Cats Classic in UE’s final meet leading into the Aces’ home meet, the UE Invitational, on October 13.

1...3,9113,9123,913...7,230Page 3,912 of 7,230