“READERS FORUM” AUGUST 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?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Are you concerned about Vectren Energy merging with CenterPoint Energy who just reported that they lost $75 million in the second quarter of 2018?
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City Council Meeting
AUGUST 13, 2018 at 5:30 P.M.
AGENDA
| I. | INTRODUCTION |
AGENDA Attachment:
| II. | APPROVAL OF MEETING MEMORANDA |
MEMO Attachment:
| III. | REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS |
| IV. | SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY |
| V. | CONSENT AGENDA:Â FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE G-2018-20 An Ordinance to Vacate Certain Public Ways or Public Places within the City of Evansville, Indiana, Commonly Known as All that Alley Being Approximately Fourteen (14) Feet in Width and Located South of Washington Street, North of Adams Avenue, East of S. Bedford Avenue and West of S. Grand Avenue, in the City of Evansville, Indiana Sponsor(s): Robinson Discussion Led By: Public Works Chair Mosby 8/27/2018 G-2018-20 Attachment:
B. ORDINANCE F-2018-14 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Weaver Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Weaver 8/27/2018 F-2018-14 Attachment:
C. ORDINANCE R-2018-22 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 1150 SE Second, 15, 17, 23, 27 Jefferson Petitioner: Evansville Brownfields Corp. Owner: Evansville Brownfields Corp. Requested Change: C4 & R2 to C2 Ward: 4 Robinson Representative: Carolyn Rusk, Evansville Brownfields Corp. R-2018-22 Attachment:
| VI. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| VII. | REGULAR AGENDA:Â SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE F-2018-13 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Weaver Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Weaver 8/13/2018 F-2018-13 Attachment:
| VIII. | RESOLUTION DOCKET |
A. RESOLUTION C-2018-21 A Confirming Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Declaring an Economic Revitalization Area for Property Tax Phase-In for the Rehabilitation of Real Property at 1320 Southeast Second Street, Evansville, IN 47713 – Rathbone, LP Sponsor(s): Weaver Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Weaver 8/13/2018 C-2018-21 Attachment:
B. RESOLUTION C-2018-22 Resolution Approving an Agreement Between the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County Regarding the Distribution of Funds Received from the 2018 Local Byrne Justice Grant Program Award Sponsor(s): Council as a Whole Discussion Led By: President Brinkmeyer 8/13/2018 C-2018-22 Attachment:
| IX. | MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS |
A. THE NEXT MEETING of the Common Council will be Monday, August 27, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
B. CITY BUDGET HEARINGS are scheduled at 3:30 p.m., Monday, August 27 – Thursday August 30 in Room 301.
C. ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
| X. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| XI. | ADJOURNMENT |
Pro-Life Activists Puts Pressure On Donnelly
Pro-life Activists Up Pressure On Donnelly In A Multi-Million-Dollar Push For Supreme Court Pick
By Erica Irish
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — A multi-million-dollar surge across states where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanagh’s confirmation hangs in the balance is intensifying in Indiana, with Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly the target of several groups committed to securing Kavanaugh’s place on the bench.
Among those ranks are pro-life activists, partisan lobbyists and judicial networks that have been on the search for a conservative, constitutionalist justice for years. And now, it seems, they’ve found the man for the job.
But Donnelly has yet to be pinned down on where he stands on the nominee, and it appears he is prepared to take time to review Kavanaugh, who he plans to meet Aug. 15.
“Senator Donnelly has consistently said he would carefully review Judge Kavanaugh’s record, meet with him, and follow his Senate confirmation hearing,†Sarah Rothschild, Donnelly’s communications director, said in a statement. “The Senator is continuing to thoroughly examine Judge Kavanaugh’s record and looks forward to sitting down with him next week.â€
Kavanaugh advocates crowded outside the senator’s downtown office early Monday with one demand—that the congressman, who has served in office since 2013, listen to his constituents and vote yes at the judge’s looming confirmation hearing. Meanwhile, Donnelly toured worksites, restaurants, and his field offices in southern and south-central Indiana as part of his summer campaign tour.
Several pro-life activists, including Sue Liebel, Indiana’s chair of national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List spoke at the event as part of a larger bid to pressure Democratic senators in majority-red states to confirm the 53-year-old judge.
Liebel called Kavanaugh a strict constitutionalist and said that his prior decisions indicate he will interpret the constitution as written rather than encourage, in her view, activism in the judiciary.
“People are tired of activism in the court’s system,†she said.
And this is especially true for Hoosiers, Liebel argues. She claims that Donnelly, who in 2015 voted in favor of a measure to allocate additional tax dollars to Planned Parenthood initiatives, has fallen out of touch with his “decidedly pro-life†state.
A poll commissioned by her organization and conducted by the Tarrance Group, a Republican data collection firm, argues that 65 percent of Indiana’s citizenry would prefer state-level rules for abortion practices, not a universal ruling by the Supreme Court. A reported 56 percent said they would want Donnelly to approve Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Officials for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky, the political arm of the healthcare-focused Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, argue otherwise.
“Americans do not want to see this happen. More than 70 percent of Americans support access to abortion, including a majority of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans,†said Christie Gillespie, CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky, citing a separate report by PerryUndem, an independent organization that provides research services.
The country is on a cliff overlooking fundamental changes, Gillespie argues—â€and appointing Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court would tip it over the edge.â€
Since Justice Anthony Kennedy’s sudden retirement June 23, groups have committed millions of dollars for and against Kavanaugh’s appointment.
In particular, leaders behind the Susan B. Anthony List said they will spend an estimated $2 to $3 million on their #ConfirmKavanaugh mission, which includes door-to-door “voter education,†public demonstrations and a mix of digital and televised advertisements in battleground states. They report having visited 258,000 Indiana homes since last October, before the Supreme Court vacancy.
“That’s why we’re fighting like hell to protect access to abortion, contraception, and reproductive health care for all Hoosiers and Americans,†said Gillespie.
But not all of the groups are focused on abortion rights.
America First Policies, an advocacy group acting on behalf of decisions made by President Donald Trump, plans to spend $1.2 million in the next month on campaigns targeting key senators’ votes, including Sens. Donnelly, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, according to a report by CNN’s Politico.
Spending by the Judicial Crisis Network has reached a reported $4.3 million, around half of which was used to advertise in red states with Democratic incumbents.
On the other side of the political divide, Demand Justice, a coalition similar to the Judicial Crisis Network founded in 2018, is wagering more than $5 million on advertising, according to the New York Times. The organization confirmed that it should raise an estimated $10 million in its first year, all of which would fund efforts to appoint Democratic-leaning justices.
“Tell Senate Democrats: Oppose Brett Kavanaugh†is the slogan Demand Justice is directing at those in positions like Donnelly’s. Their sticking point for opposition, however, falls on Kavanaugh’s claim that presidents can terminate independent investigations at will. That could signify a threat to the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged collusion between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence.
“We know that Donald Trump thinks that nominating Brett Kavanaugh gives him an insurance policy in case the Mueller investigation leads to a showdown at the Supreme Court,†reads a claim on Demand Justice’s website.
FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Farming Experts Try To Educate Public, Stay Afloat In Trade War
By Erica Irish
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — The soybean has become a de facto symbol of the Indiana farmer.
Shuttles carrying families from the south to the north venues of the Indiana State Fair, a hub for state agriculturalists, are emblazoned with signs that read “powered by soy diesel.†Near the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Glass Barn, a half-bean, half-man sculpture — “Bennie the Bean†— greets passerby with a cartoonish smile.
And for the agriculturalists who flock to the fairgrounds annually for exhibitions and other programs, the soybean is often a main source of revenue for Indian’s farming families.
But soybean prices have fallen in the month since President Donald Trump announced his administration would impose billions of dollars in tariffs on aluminum and steel exports to China, Mexico, the European Union and Canada. The countries targeted, particularly China, retaliated soon after the announcement, with their lashing out aimed at the United States’ agriculture industry.
That is only the beginning, experts warn, considering China’s past reliance on U.S. soybeans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, for example, reported that $12.3 billion worth of soybeans were exported to China in 2017 alone.
Austin Berenda, 18, saw the brunt of the changes earlier this summer.
He grew up on a 2,000-acre farm growing soybeans, corn, and popcorn and raising cattle in Benton County, near the Illinois-Indiana border. He now serves as treasurer for the Indiana division of the National FFA Organization, or what was the Future Farmers of America.
On his lunch break Thursday at the FFA Pavilion on the fairgrounds, an area that includes a country store and mini-golf, Brenda explained that his parents, who generate all of their combined income from their farm, knew they needed to act fast as trade tensions hit a fever pitch.
“My family panicked,†he said.
Rather than continue to grow soybeans they had contracted for the season, the family sold all of their soybean crops ahead of time to ensure that, when the prices dropped from retaliation from foreign countries, they could salvage some money.
“They claim it’s a long process, and if we stick it out it’ll eventually be better,†Berenda said, referring to Trump’s administration. “But that’s so hard for a farmer to see when he takes less money, and when he has to depend on government assistance to stay afloat.â€
The 18-year-old referred to the president’s promised $12 billion in reimbursements to farmers, some of which can be directly pocketed by soybean growers.
Those subsidies, Brenda added, might sharpen what he called the “double-edged sword†leading the trade war — they won’t help farmers at home build a better relationship with their consumers, who might be wary of farmers receiving taxpayer dollars.
And connecting with the public has worn down agriculturalists for some time, the officers and other state fair agriculturalists agreed.
Sami DeLey, this year’s president of the Indiana FFA, said the public is needlessly afraid of GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, which have become commonplace in crops in recent years. She said she is on a mission to end the stigma.
“It’s a very touchy subject,†she said. “But we as agriculturalists just need to inform people that our food is safe, and that’s potentially the best way to produce food.â€
Gabi Reese, a 21-year-old student enrolled in Purdue University’s agricultural education program, is on a similar path.
Randy Price, a former optometrist, was in attendance. He agreed that it is important for the public to understand farmers’ growing practices, which often require high-tech gear and extensive planning.
When asked about Trump’s tariffs, he said they are a positive sign for all Americans, including farmers.
“[Trump] wants to help the ones who get hit the hardest,†he said. “He’s shooting for total free trade.â€
Randy Price was accompanied by his wife, Roseanne Price, at the event. They also attended to visit Reese, one of their grandchildren.
The Lebanon couple agreed that the president’s intentions are good and that the tariffs will result in a better future for the country.
“We’ve never fought back until now,†Roseanne Price added. “That’s because, until now, we’ve never had a president that realized we needed to.â€
For those on the front lines of Indiana agriculture, however, the future is uncertain.
“We’re probably set for this year, as long as we have a good crop,†Berenda said. “But the years to come are scaring us.â€
FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Local Celebrities Serve Dinner For Families Impacted By HIV/AIDS
Local Celebrities Serve Dinner For Families Impacted By HIV/AIDS
AUGUST 12TH, 2018 
TOWNSEND OUTLAW EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
The largest HIV charity event in our region took place Sunday evening, at The Evansville Airport Holiday Inn.
The TSA Celebrity Dinner is a special way four our community to raise funds and show support for a great cause. Local celebrities acted as servers at today’s event, including 44News Entertainment Insider Gretchin Irons, who served tables of 8 or 9.
William Tanoos was also a celebrity server at the dinner and said “My campaign and what I’ve seen throughout the eighth district has been community and were just a strong community and this is a good example of it, not only does it serve a good cause and TSA is a great organization but it also representative of great communities.â€
It was forty dollars to attend the dinner, and all proceeds from today’s event will benefit the purchase of grocery store gift cards for low-income families impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Notre Dame Law Dean Newton Stepping Down In 2019
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
Saying 10 years is long enough, Nell Jessup Newton will be stepping down as dean of the Notre Dame Law School July 1, 2019.
Newton joined Notre Dame as law school dean and full tenured professor July 1, 2009. The Fighting Irish lured her from the University of California Hastings College of Law where she served as chancellor and dean for three years.
“I think 10 years you can make an impact on the school then it’s time to let the next person make their impact,†Newton of her decision to leave the deanship. “Ten years is a fabulous length of time.â€
Although she is moving from the dean’s office, Newton will remain on the faculty. Her area of expertise is American Indian law, and she has taught at the law school’s externship program in Washington, D.C. For the fall semester of 2019, Newton will be on sabbatical at the law school’s London Center, where she plans to work on developing externship programs for the students.
As for Notre Dame, Newton said the law school is in good shape. She came as the Great Recession was taking hold and steered the law school through a tumultuous time in legal education that saw applications slump, particularly from high-achieving undergraduates, and graduates struggle to find J.D.-required jobs.
“We weathered the storm pretty well,†Newton said, giving credit to the law school’s faculty. “I’m very proud of how well we did.â€
The law school is conducting a search for a new dean.
SIGECO ELECTRIC SUBSTATION BY PAT SIDES
For decades after it was established in 1852, the Evansville Gas Light Company began to illuminate residences, stores, factories, and other buildings, which spurred the city’s rapid industrial and commercial growth in the latter half of the century.
Electric light was introduced in 1882, and local companies providing public utilities competed with each other until 1912, when several of them merged to form the Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company (SIGECO), which extended services to communities in the southwestern part of the state.
To keep pace with the rising demand for gas and electricity, this SIGECO power plant in Howell, seen here in January 1950, was built in the 1920s. (Note Reitz High School in the upper left of the image.)
Groupie Doll goes to Champagne Problems, Borel
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