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 feel that Judge Brett Kavanaugh FBI investigation will clear him of any wrongdoing?
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By James Polston
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — A commission reviewing the state’s alcohol laws recommended Friday that legislatures give communities a voice on how many alcohol permits would be allowed in some areas.
The Alcohol Code Revision Commission voted on the final recommendations for lawmakers to consider in the 2019 legislative session after a two-year process of reviewing the state’s current alcohol laws. The commission’s mandate expires Nov. 1.
Commission members recommended allowing local communities to put a question on the ballot about whether the number of alcohol permits should be increased in a designated entertainment district.
State Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, discusses revisions to Indiana alcohol laws with members of the Alcohol Code Revision Commission at the last meeting. Photo by Eddie Drews, TheStatehouseFile.com
State Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, said the commission gives lawmakers in the 2019 legislative session a sense of issues and a direction to follow.
“We really need to have a path, a direction, on which way to go with these issues,†Smaltz said.
The commission also voted to recommend a change to the current escrow system where individuals and businesses are allowed to acquire an alcohol permit and then place it in escrow, or reserve, Â until it has been activated.
Permits to sell alcohol are allocated according to population. If too many are held in escrow, that limits the number of places permitted to sell alcohol in a community.
The commission suggested that legislators revise the current escrow law to 36 months—if a company or individual does not put the permit to use after 24 months, the fee for the third year could increase by up to 50 percent.
Smaltz noted permits can be held in escrow for up to seven years without an increase in fee or penalty, although the current code states that it is suppose to be up to five years.
“My concern is that the current escrow system is fraught with flexibility,†Smaltz said. “That is, in my opinion, being taken advantage of.â€
Lawmakers have acted on recommendations from the commission in past legislative sessions. Last year, members recommended the state approve Sunday alcohol sales, which ended up becoming law in the 2018 session.
But there was one issue the final report did not mention—cold beer sales. The issue became controversial in 2016 when a convenience store owner found a loophole in the law that allowed him to sell cold beer under a restaurant permit.
Only licensed package liquor stores are permitted to sell cold beer, which makes Indiana the only state in the nation to ban such sales in convenience stores.
The commission also recommended various changes to permit laws, population brackets, funding and violations.
James Polston is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
OCTOBER 2ND, 2018 
MEGAN DIVENTI EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
“Convenience. Convenience. That sums it all up,†says Jerry Bergner, Jacobsville resident.
Right off North Main Street sits an empty grocery store. To some in the neighborhood, the store was their only source for food.
“Like say I’m in the middle of a meal and I need something and I can skip right over and get it,†says Bergner. “You know, to continue cooking.â€
For Bergner, the former IGA grocery store was where he shopped.
Now, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission approved $5,500 towards a grocery study in Jacobsville.
“The study that we’re paying for will look at the potential revenue and profit from fuel that could be gleaned from opening gas pumps at that location,†says Kelley Coures, Evansville’s Director of Metropolitan Development.
Fuel and a fast food restaurant could potentially be included as part of the business model to make it more of a full-service stop for commuters and residents. Houchens Industries has operated the IGA store there for years and holds the property lease until the end of 2019.
“Houchens has not made a commitment yet to reopen so it just gets us one more step down the road in trying to work out the reopening of that place,†says Course.
Community residents say that not having a grocery store affects their daily lives.
“It takes me over an hour to get there and back,†says Bergner. “If I need something in a hurry, I’m out of luck.â€
City leaders say as of now there aren’t enough people who walk to the grocery store to make it profitable but not having a grocery store where people need to walk makes it difficult.
Bergner agrees.
“A whole lot of people would be happy if another grocery store did come in,†says Bergner. “I mean, I’ve talked to a lot of people around the neighborhood and everybody misses it.â€
A similar model of a grocery store, fuel, and fast food service is located at Green River and Heckle Road. The study should be completed by November.
By James Polston
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick said she will not seek re-election in 2020.
While McCormick declared that student learning, school improvement and operational effectiveness will be her office’s priorities in 2019, it was her surprise announcement that dominated Monday’s media availability.
“I still have a passion for kids. My team has a passion for kids. We can get things done for kids,†McCormick said. “But when the governance structure is becoming a problem for kids, that’s not why I intended to get into office.â€
One source of McCormick’s frustration is the 2017 decision to make the state superintendent an appointed position rather than an elected one starting in 2025.
She said some are talking about moving that up to 2021, and the constant discussion on the topic is causing concern among educators and distracting her from helping students.
“As a parent, I would not be happy if my state superintendent were spending time on noise, and that’s simply what this has become,†McCormick said. “For that conversation to keep coming up and suck all of our energies out, to me, I’m growing very weary of that. The best way I can help shut that down is to let people know I’m not running again.â€
McCormick said she hopes there are fewer distractions now that she has gone public with her plans for 2020.
“A second term is not on my radar,†she said. “So I would hope that those who continue to keep the noise going for their sake of political reasons would tone things down.â€
The state superintendent also said the public deserves a voice in public education.
“If it’s not in my office, it should at least be looked at from the state board or other ends where citizens have a voice in public education,†McCormick said.
The State Board of Education is also appointed.
While McCormick said her family knew of her decision to not seek re-election, she didn’t speak with Gov. Eric Holcomb until after her announcement.
Holcomb’s office released a statement following the meeting that was a mix of both praise for her service and uncertainty about the superintendent’s remaining time in office.
“I reminded her that we have more time left in this term than we’ve been here, and there’s still plenty to be accomplished. Dr. McCormick has given me a lot to digest as I dig into her legislative priorities,†Holcomb said in the statement. “I thanked her and told her today I appreciate and respect her lifetime devotion to children and education, and that we’ll take the steps necessary to ensure Indiana has the best team working together to provide the highest quality education for children.â€
McCormick said she will continue to focus on her agenda even though the next two years will be her last at the Indiana Department of Education.
“We got a lot of work to do, and I promise you we are going to get a lot of impressive work done.â€
FOOTNOTE: James Polston is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
OCTOBER 2ND, 2018 MITCH ANGLE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
City officials expect to use about $4 million from that TIF money, which is coming from Jacobsville.
This money will help reduce the amount of money the city will have to borrow to bring the aquatics center to life.
Amy and Aaron Hart, Dixon, KY, son, Alec Shawn, Sept. 22
Nicole and Benjamin Koenig, Evansville, daughter, Reagan Grace, Sept. 23
Britney and Matthew Osborne, Evansville, daughter, Phoenix Jane, Sept. 24
Anna and Aaron Catt, Huntingburg, IN, daughter, Hallie Jane, Sept. 24
Samantha Robbins, Evansville, son, Kyrie Amar, Sept. 24
Katharine and John Walker, Evansville, son, Noah James, Sept. 24
Rachel and Charles Blackwell, Princeton, IN, daughter, Isabella Rayne, Sept. 24
Kendra Taylor and Christian Finney, Princeton, IN, son, Jonathan Michael, Sept. 24
Shelby and Dustin Holloman, Norris City, IL, daughter, Paisley Grace, Sept. 25
Pamela and Kevin Snodgrass, Boonville, IN, daughter, Kaelyn Louise, Sept. 25
Amanda and Zachary Key, Evansville, son, Silas Grant, Sept. 25
Breanna Phillips and Paul Tucker, Evansville, daughter, Ember Marie Rose, Sept. 25
Angela and Brian Dunn, Cynthiana, IN, son, Xzavier Clay, Sept. 26
Marissa and James Traub, Evansville, son, Keller Thomas, Sept. 27
Kristen and James Sullivan, Mount Carmel, IL, son, Everett James, Sept. 28
Kristen and Ethan McQueen, Bridgeport, IL, daughter, Kamrynn Everlee, Sept. 28
Alissa Rousku and John Hand, Evansville, son, Conner Leevi, Sept. 28
Lawyer Accused Of Theft From Disabled Held Without Bond Amid New Charges
Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com
A suspended Indiana lawyer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from disabled and special needs clients was held without bond Tuesday in the Johnson County Jail after authorities in at least two counties had issued warrants for his arrest.
Kenneth Shane Service of Greenwood was arrested Monday and is likely to remain behind bars in Franklin until he’s transported to await court dates in any of three Indiana counties where he currently faces felony theft charges. Service is accused of stealing from several special needs trusts he established and oversaw for vulnerable clients whose money was meant to provide for their long-term medical care and needs.
An Indiana State Police investigator warned in September 2017 of the possibility of “numerous victims in multiple statesâ€Â from whom Service is believed to have stolen. After allegations against Service came to light, attorneys around the state pre-emptively rushed to remove him as a trustee or administrator in numerous special needs trust cases. Service was indefinitely suspended from the practice of law last October after the first criminal charges were filed against him.
Last month, new charges were filed against Service, 45, in Franklin County.
He was charged Sept. 18 with Level 5 felony theft and two counts of Level 6 felony theft for allegedly stealing a total of $102,564.27 from a Brookville man who was the subject of a guardianship. The man’s guardian, his brother, knew nothing of the missing funds, investigating state police said.
Troopers investigated a tip about potentially missing money from the current trust administrator, who questioned three withdrawals between August and November 2016, when Service oversaw the trust. The largest withdrawal — $71,137.83 — was used to replenish money from another trust Service is accused of stealing, the charging information says.
In addition to the $71,137.83 withdraw, an investigating trooper said Service, questioned at his Greenwood apartment in August, told him he knew nothing about a cashier check for $25,652 made out to him from the same Brookville victim’s trust, and he had no answer about a $5,775 cash withdrawal from the victim’s account.
The administrator of the trusted Service is accused of replenishing with funds allegedly stolen from the Brookville victim told police she was unaware that the money came from another special need trust account rather than from Service.
Franklin Circuit Judge Clay Kellerman issued a warrant for Service’s arrest the same day prosecutors filed charges. Two days later, on Sept. 20, another warrant was issued for Service’s arrest by Delaware Circuit Judge Marianne Vorhees. Court records show Service, representing himself, failed to show up at a pretrial conference the judge had ordered him to attend in Muncie, prompting the warrant.
Service was charged in Delaware County with Class D felony theft in June. He is accused of stealing $23,622 from a former client between April 2014 and June 2016. The alleged victim had been the subject of a guardianship established in 2003 when she was a minor. Online court records show Service was removed as trustee of the guardianship in December 2016.
Service also is representing himself in the first criminal case that was filed against him in Lawrence County. There, he was charged in December 2016 with Level 5 felony theft for allegedly stealing more than $85,000 from two clients in Bedford.
Service used the money he took from the Lawrence County trusts to pay for a stay and room service at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, and to pay for at least 35 nights’ stays at an Indianapolis Marriott hotel from March 1-April 10, 2016, the charging document alleges.
Court records show Service is currently scheduled to appear for a jury trial on the Delaware County charges on Oct. 29. A jury trial on the Lawrence County charges is scheduled to begin Nov. 27. No trial date has been set at this time on the Franklin County charges.
In addition to the criminal case against Service, he figured prominently in a major damages award earlier this year against the charity he founded and was fired from in 2014, the Carmel-based National Foundation for Special Needs Integrity. Special Needs Integrity was ordered by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in February to repay the estate of a woman more than $234,000 that the organization took from her trust account after she died in 2011, leaving her heirs nothing.
In that case, National Foundation for Special Needs Integrity, Inc. v. Devon Reese, as Personal Representative for the Estate of Theresa A. Givens, 17-1817, Circuit Judge David Hamilton wrote, “…(W)e must note that the Foundation’s (former) counsel, (Kenneth) Shane Service, testified that he intentionally drafted (a section of Special Needs Integrity’s agreement dealing with distributions upon the death of a beneficiary) to confuse Missouri government officials.â€
Although smaller airfields existed in the Evansville area in the early twentieth century, the announcement in 1928 that a municipal airport would be built on the city’s north side excited citizens.
Constructed on the east side of the Dixie Bee Highway (now US 41), the new airport was opened later that year by a group of prominent businessmen and national aviation authorities, who had arrived in airplanes from several cities.
The formal dedication occurred on June 16, 1930, with an estimated 3,000 proud spectators on hand to view air races, parachute drops, and other thrilling demonstrations.
By then, the airport consisted of a hangar, terminal, and an “aerological building†equipped with trained staff to make weather observations.Â
Southwest Indiana AHEC Leads Charge For Additional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Training
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five women in Indiana will be victims of sexual violence. Research has shown that medical facilities with Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs provide better victim care and forensic evidence collection, but not all nurses have had access to this training. Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), hosted by the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana, has received a three-year grant worth more than $1 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand professional development opportunities for SANE nurses practicing in rural and/or underserved communities in Indiana.
The Indiana SANE Training Project will collaborate with existing didactic courses (both adult/adolescent and pediatric/adolescent) to provide funding for targeted nurses to participate in these trainings. In addition, the project will expand clinical training opportunities for nurses to improve clinical competence and confidence to ensure high quality forensic medical care to victims of sexual assault.
Key partners in the project include the Indiana Emergency Nurses Association, the Indiana AHEC Network, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council and Albion Fellows Bacon Center (rape crisis center). In addition, the Indiana State Police Crime Lab will provide expertise and guidance to the project and its activities.
The Indiana AHEC Network has established collaborations with the Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Center for Nursing, Indiana Rural Health Association, Indiana Hospital Association, Indiana Minority Health Coalition and the Indiana Public Health Association, which will strengthen networking across Indiana, according to Jane Friona, executive director of Southwest Indiana AHEC.
“The project will increase the number of qualified SANEs in rural and/or underserved communities, and it will also provide funding for professional certifications and recertifications, as well as activities and education to promote retention and self-care for these professional nurses,†she said.
Friona said the primary barriers identified for nurses to obtain SANE training is the cost and time required. “This project includes funding to assist with expenses related to the lengthy trainings, and it also brings trainings into the rural and/or underserved communities, which should positively impact the time required for the trainings because travel time is reduced,†she said. “In addition, with a strong focus on increasing clinical trainings, the ability of the nurse participants to achieve and maintain clinical competency will improve.â€
During the three-year project period, the Indiana SANE Training Project will work toward three primary goals:
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.
Email Jane Friona at jefriona@usi.edu to be involved with the grant project or for more information.
BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
KEVIN WINTERNHEIMER CHAMBERS
ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018
12:00 NOON
 AGENDA
1.   CALL TO ORDER
2.   MEETING MEMORANDUM  SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
3.   CONSENT AGENDA                        Â
       Â
for Swonder Ice Arena. – Crook
Ice Arena.- Crook
Swonder Ice Arena. – Crook
        Â
4.   OLD BUSINESS Â
     Â
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5. Â Â Â NEW BUSINESS Â
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    Sunday, October 28, 2018.- Crook        Â
-Holtz
    the new Aquatics Facility.- Holtz
     f.  Request Re: Any Other Business the Board Wishes to Consider and Public Comments
6.    REPORTS
      a.  Levy Schroder- Executive Director
      b.  Brian Holtz- Executive Director
           Â
7.    ACCEPTANCE OF PAYROLL AND VENDOR CLAIMS
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8.    ADJOURN
