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HOT JOBS
A Fond Farewell from the City-County Observer
A Fond Farewell from the City-County Observer
APRIL 2, 2025
After more than two decades of relentless dedication, community engagement, and passionate pursuit of truth, it is with both sadness and gratitude that we, Ron and Marilyn Cosby, announce the closing of the Tri-State’s True Watchdog, the City-County Observer. For 23 years, we have worked side-by-side with our contributors and loyal readers to publish independent news and opinion with a mission to inform, challenge, and empower.
This decision does not come easily. Ron suffered a traumatic brain injury from a serious fall last year and has been under expert care at Local Hospitals, Vanderbilt, and in rehabilitation centers ever since. While his recovery is progressing slowly and we remain hopeful, his health and well-being must now be our top priority.
We want to say thank you—to our readers, our contributors, and to those who believed in the importance of independent local journalism. The CCO has been more than just a publication; it has been a community of watchdogs, thinkers, doers, and truth-seekers. Together, we made a difference.
Looking back, some of our proudest moments came from digging into stories others were too timid to touch. With the support of brave contributors and whistleblowers, we exposed public waste, challenged backroom deals, and held public officials accountable. We take pride in the impact we made, and none of it would have been possible without you.
Who could forget when we pulled back the curtain on the extravagant spending habits of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau—highlighting their taxpayer-funded indulgence in Opus One wine and luxury dining, which we dubbed “The Bacchanalian Fest”? That series sparked resignations and reform. Or the time we uncovered the truth behind the so-called Earthcare Energy project—an alleged economic win that turned out to be little more than vaporware. Our reporting revealed a lack of basic due diligence, saving the city from even greater embarrassment and financial loss.
We stood up to utilities like Vectren, spotlighting their attempt to charge ratepayers for unauthorized projects—like dense pack technology—before they got regulatory approval. And we never let up on pointing out the disconnect between the city’s obsession with tourism and the crumbling infrastructure, drug-laced public parks, and raw sewage problems that desperately needed attention.
We were loud. We were funny. We were relentless. And in our own way, we were effective. We estimate that the work of the City-County Observer saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars—maybe even more. Whether it was shining a light on secret meetings that threatened the Homestead Tax Credit or calling for sensible policies in an often nonsensical political environment, we did it with passion and purpose.
Ron loved this work. He believed deeply in the power of journalism to protect the public interest and was never afraid to ruffle feathers if it meant doing the right thing. His “Is It True?” column—sharp, witty, and fearless—became a must-read across the region. And through it all, he never stopped advocating for good government and honest leadership.
To those who supported us, thank you for the privilege of being part of your daily lives. You made the CCO a success story rooted in conviction and community. To our contributors, thank you for lending your voices to a cause that mattered. And to Ron—my husband, my partner, my best friend—thank you for leading with courage and vision.
As we close this chapter, we are not saying goodbye to the values that built the CCO. We are simply turning the page. Our hearts are full, and our gratitude is immeasurable.
With love and appreciation, Peace Out
Sincerely,
Ron and Marilyn
HOT JOBS
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Ah, Spring!
GAVEL GAMUT
By Jim Redwine
www.jamesmredwine.com
(Week of 21 April 2025)
Ah, Spring!
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was one of America’s best-known authorities on the universality and similarity of religions and myths we humans have created and lived by for hundreds of thousands of years. Campbell saw these recurring cultural explanations and superstitions as deeply imbedded in our daily lives. One similarity many of these phenomena have is they often center around springtime. While mankind has left countless records of beliefs in supernatural beings long before Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these three currently ascendant faiths each reflect the significance of spring’s influence, especially in stories of rebirth. The famous prosecutor of the Charles Manson Family, Vincent Bugliosi (1934-2015), even based his understanding of Manson’s motives for murdering people he did not even know on Manson’s convoluted interpretation of the Biblical Rapture myth (Revelation: Ch. 14, 15-20).
In the springtime, Jews celebrate Passover with eight days of special prayers and a Seder supper. The Judaic legend is that God gave Moses the laws of the Torah and Moses passed those commandments for living onto the Jewish people. The Torah is the record of those guidelines.
Christians celebrate their belief in a promised rebirth and their God’s instructions on behaving, as delivered directly from God – the Son, Jesus. Christians have a period of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday and an Easter dinner. The New Testament contains those principles to live by.
Muslims venerate the Quran as the word from their God spoken through Muhammad for a period of time they call Ramadan. Each day starts with a meal, Suhar, then a period of fasting ending with a second meal, Iftar.
Jews and Muslims view themselves as descendants from the same progenitor, Abraham, and worship the same God. Christians also worship that God but further deify Jesus as God. These ostensibly symbiotic religious phenomena have not produced consistently symbiotic relationships between and among the three groups.
Repentance, reflection, prayer, forgiveness, generosity, hope and joy are some of the elements in each of these three religions springtime celebrations of rebirth. For Christians, Easter Eggs are a ubiquitous symbol of what many so-called pagan cultures use to represent these same important rituals.
However, springtime is not just for organized religions. It may be mere coincidence that our government sees springtime as a propitious time to suck tribute from us, but I doubt it. When April 15 rolls around the IRS starts its period of concentrated accounting for any money we may have somehow managed to stash aside. It is time for what President Abraham Lincoln, the creator of the income tax to finance the Union’s Civil War, called “A new birth of freedom”, yeah, right.
Call me a cynic, but I do not see it as a mere happenstance that as most of America is awash in the good feelings brought on by Passover, Ramadan and Easter our government is demanding from us what it wants to spend on its own priorities. I see method in the timing of TAX-TIME and spring flowers. I am even a little superstitious that the first hummingbird that appeared at Peg’s feeder showed up April 15. Its avaricious slurping reminded me of other blood suckers that appear for “rebirth” along with the dandelions.
For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com
The Risen Savior
The Risen Savior
Jesus placed a great amount of emphasis on the importance of love and humility. As it was getting close to His crucifixion, He left a tremendous example of love
despite the adversity He would face en route to the cross of Calvary. In John chapter 13 vss. 1 thru 5 the bible says; “Now before the feast of the Passover
when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from the world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the
end. *And supper being ended, the devil already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son to betray Him. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all
things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself, After
that, He poured water into a basin and begin to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with a towel with which He was girded.” One of the last acts of love
and humility Jesus bestowed upon mankind was to get down on His knees and wash the disciple’s feet. That’s the meaning of love and humility. There was no
self-glorying involved. There is good news everyday for those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. No one else went to the cross on behalf of the sins of all
mankind, which is why to God be the “absolute glory,” for sending Jesus into the world. And Jesus made it crystal clear as to what His disciples needed to do. John
10 vss. 27 and 28 Jesus says; “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither
shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand.” So as we celebrate Easter today let’s remember Jesus after having died on the cross and placed in a tomb, Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome had spices in hopes of embalming Jesus. The angel of the Lord said to them in Matthew chapter 28 vss. 6
and 7; “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.” Vs. 9
says; And as they went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.”
HOT JOBS
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