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“IS IT TRUE” JUNE 18, 2018

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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?
IS IT TRUE we are told that the Vanderburgh County Commission candidate Jeff Hatfield has raised a whopping $90,000 plus during the first month of his campaign?  …were also told that we shouldn’t be surprised to hear that Mr. Hatfield’s campaign war chest will go over the $100,000 mark by the end of this month?

IS IT TRUE  that it looks like the deal between Deaconess Hospital-Evansville and Henderson Community Methodist Hospital/Union County Hospital is about ready to be consummated? …we give the officials at Deaconess Hospital-Evansville credit for making one heck of a savvy business deal between the two area hospitals? … we are told that the quality of healthcare in the Henderson area should dramatically improve after the merger of services during the next several months?  …that the CCO recently questioned the terms and conditions of the business transactions between both hospitals?  … it’s now obvious that Henderson Community Methodist Hospital has to do something quickly in order to keep the doors opened and pay their current bills?  …we wish both hospitals the best in the future and hope that the citizens of Henderson, Kentucky area will continue receiving up-to-date and affordable healthcare?

IS IT TRUE we’ve been told that the e-mail that local Realtor Stacy Stevens GRI, CRS, SRES sent to City Council members concerning the proposed noise ordinance really insulted members of Council?  …we wouldn’t be surprised that an attempt to make sure that Ms. Stevens won’t be re-appointed to Area Plan Commission could be in the making?

IS IT TRUE it looks like the former Evansville Mayor and current Ivy Tech Chancellor Jonathon Wienzapfel meddling in state and local politics may be over with? …it was recently publicized that Mr. Wienzapfel was helping to host a political fundraising event for a local and statewide candidate?  …we were told that Chancellor Wienzapfel current employer told him to withdraw from being a sponsor of the two political fundraising events?  …we are told that Chancellor Wienzapfel is now spending his time educating students at Ivy Tech and not being a “political kingmaker”?

IS IT TRUE on the corner of the Lloyd Expressway and Fielding Road plans to build an  IGA Convenience Store and Gas station has hit a snag? … that the Area Plan Commission voted against this questionable project and members the Evansville City Council and upstaged them by voting to approve this controversial project across from Harrison High School? …even afterward the residents voiced serious concerns about this project City Council still approved it anyway?

IS IT TRUE like a thief in the night the original plans for the IGA Convenience Store and Gas station were changed without giving proper notice to the adjoining property owners or City Council members? …it looks like the project developer may have discreetly changed the route of the access road of Fielding Manor Court, without any discussion with the adjoining property owners?

IS IT TRUE that this project has gone through many phases? … step #1 was to rezone the property to meet the County’s zoning regulations? …step #2 was that the Area Plan Commission voted 7-3 against the rezoning, with two abstentions?

IS IT TRUE that step #3 the rezoning request was forwarded to City Council for a final vote and passed by a 6-3 vote in favor of the rezoning?  …the 6-3 vote made by City Council ensures that this decision can’t be vetoed by the Mayor?

IS IT TRUE that step #4 allowed the City Engineer’s office to begin the lengthy oversite with local, county and state departments in reviewing and approving reasonable options for access along Fielding Road and developing the best possible solution for safety and mobility?

IS IT TRUE that it’s obvious that either a staff member of Area Plan or State officials errored in allowing the project developer to amend the site plans without contacting City Council or adjoining property owners?

IS IT TRUE we would like to thank State Representative Wendy McNamara for providing information to the City-County Observer concerning the current happenings at the State House?

IS IT TRUE we wonder if anybody has heard from the Democrat who is running for the United States House of Representatives seat against Congressman Larry Bucshon?

IS IT TRUE last Friday was officially the last day for former CVB Executive Director, Bob Warren? … Mr. Warrens staff had a going away lunch for him and he left town right afterward?  ….that former CVB Executive Director Warren did some good things to improve tourism during his last 6 years in Evansville? …we are told that Mr. Warren may also be remembered as the man who used taxpayers dollars to buy a “ROASTED PIG” for the CVB Christmas party?  …we wish him well during his retirement?

Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that changing the route of the access road to Fielding Manor Court, without any discussion with the adjoining property owners was inappropriate?

Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE Files, CHANNEL 44 NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS” and “LOCAL SPORTS”.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.

If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us CityCountyObserver@live.com.

Train Derailment Near Toyota Plant

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Train Derailment In Princeton

JUNE 17TH, 2018 TOWNSEND OUTLAW INDIANA

The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office is ordering an evacuation near the site of a train derailment. The evacuation is ordered for a one-mile radius around Old Highway 41 and Caniff Trailer Court. This is near the Toyota plant.

 

Deputies say the derailment occurred around 7:30 Sunday night. An explosion was reported following the derailment. Video sent to us from a witness shows several cars off the tracks and either on their side or turned upside-down. The video also shows a part of the train on fire.

Highway 41 is closed between State Road 168 and State Road 64.

Few other details are available at this time.

FOOTNOTE:  THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.

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Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Meeting

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civic center

AGENDA of the Vanderburgh County

Board of Commissioners for June 19, 2018 at 3:00 pm, Room 301

  1. Call to Order
  2. Attendance
  3. Pledge of Allegiance
  4. Action Items 
    1. Health Insurance Contract Extension 
    2. First Reading of Resolution CO.R-06-18-007: Amendment to the Phoenix Commerce Center TIF Plan
  5. Board Appointment
  6. Department Head Reports
  7. New Business
  8. Old Business
  9. Consent Items
    1. Contracts, Agreements and Leases
      1. County Health: 
        1. Public Health and Healthcare Preparedness Grant 
        2. Environmental System Research Institute, Inc. Maintenance Contract for ArcGIS Software
      2. Sheriff Offices: Interlocal Agreement with Jefferson County Regarding the Transfer of Inmates 
      3. County Prosecutor: Vehicle Lease Agreement
    2. Approval of June 5, 2018 Meeting Minutes
    3. Employment Changes 
    4. Legal Aid Society: 2017 Annual Report 
    5. County Clerk: May 2018 Monthly Report 
    6. County Auditor: June 4- 15, 2018 Claim Voucher Report 
    7. County Engineering:
      1. Department Report
      2. Pay Request #35 University Parkway T.I.F. for the sum of $2,599.29
      3. Pay Request #6 Phoenix Commerce T.I.F. for the sum of $6,890.00
    8. Road Closure Request: Windemere Farms HOA for a Summer Social on July 7, 2018 
    9. Surplus Request: Old National Events Plaza Various Items 
    10. United Neighborhood of Evansville: May 2018 Monthly Report 
    11. County Prosecutor: Request to Waive Fees at the ONEP for the October 9, 2018 Addiction is Real Event
    12. American Medical Response: Vanderburgh County / 911 Ambulance Call Summary 
    13. Workers Compensation Compromise Stipulation
  10. Public Comment
  11. Rezoning
    1. Final Reading of Rezoning Ordinance VC-4-2018

Petitioner: B & L Properties, LLC

Address: 12401 Browning Road

Request: Change from Ag to PUD 

    1. First Reading of Rezoning Ordinance VC-5-2018

Petitioner: Kloc Holdings, LLC

Address: 610 E. Hillsdale Road 

Request: Change from R to C-4 & Ag

  1. Adjournment

Commentary: What Happened To Liberty And Justice For All?

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By John Krull
TheStatehouseFile.com 

INDIANAPOLIS – These days, as I read the news, I find the words to an old Bob Dylan song running through my head:

I can’t see my reflection in the mirror

I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain

I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps

I can’t remember the sound of my own name.

We Americans have lost our way.

This is not the America I have known, the America I was taught to honor, even revere, as a child. This is not the America to which I pledged allegiance in school when I was a small boy.

That pledge didn’t proclaim liberty and justice only for some or just for those who support the president.

No, it promised liberty and justice for all.

That’s what this country was supposed to stand for. That’s who we Americans aspired to be, the people who created a land where everyone could be free.

In the past, we Americans sacrificed in defense of liberty. We fought wars – even with ourselves – to keep or make people free.

In fact, we became a nation in the first place out of a desire to escape tyranny. So many American family stories – mine among them – contain tales of an ancestor fleeing oppression and hardship in search of freedom.

These are the stories that define us as a people.

Or at least they used to.

Now, though, we are the nation that tears families apart as they try to flee terror and seek asylum in the land of the free. We are the nation that rips children from the arms of their parents and places them in camps that are at best inadequate and at worst subhuman. We are the nation that sends people home to be killed by thugs and murderers.

We do this, the attorney general to the United States tells us, for biblical reasons.

“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command to Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a speech in Fort Wayne.

The biblical passage Sessions cites has figured in American history before.

Loyalists to the British crown leaned on it to make a case against the American Revolution in the 1770s. And southern slaveholders used the same words to combat the case for abolition in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Sessions, like so many self-proclaimed devout Christians, seems to miss the point of the crucifixion. Jesus’s suffering and martyrdom were powerful and redemptive in part because his punishment was so obviously unjust. His misery wasn’t just a comfort to the spirit, but also a challenge to the conscience.

Yet Jeff Sessions urges Americans now to stand with the heirs to Pontius Pilate and not with the spirit of the figure nailed to the cross.

Our policy regarding refugees, immigrants and their families – their children – isn’t biblical.

It isn’t conservative.

It isn’t liberal.

It’s just wrong.

And it’s mean.

It’s too much to expect this president and his cultish coterie of appeasers and enablers to understand America’s historic sense of moral aspiration. They view every national act through a prism of personal, political and financial self-interest.

But it’s not too much to expect that U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, both of whom are honorable men who have taken oaths to serve this country, will rise to their duty and remember who we are.

And what we stand for.

The same goes for the members of Indiana’s congressional delegation.

This is a time for them to put party aside and do the right thing – the decent thing.

And it is our duty as citizens to support them if they do.

If we do, if we stop this injustice, maybe we will be able once more to see our reflection in the mirror, hear the echo of our footsteps, remember the sound of our own name.

And, maybe, just maybe, once again speak the sounds that show no pain.

FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism, host of “No Limits” WFYI 90.1 Indianapolis and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

The City_County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias or editing.

 

LOCAL GOP CANDIDATE CAUCUS ON JUNE 25, 2018

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HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE

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MAIL HANDLER ASSISTANT
United States Postal Service 15,662 reviews – Evansville, IN
$15.46 an hour
Please ensure you can receive email messages from our test vendor and follow instructions carefully so you can be. Weigh incoming sacks;…
Jun 14
Office Clerk
Holland 65 reviews – Evansville, IN
Holland is hire a part-time Office clerk at our Evansville, IN facility. Discipline to its core values of Hard Work, Integrity, Respect, Excellence and Safety…
Jun 14
Administrative Assistant
Service Corporation International 336 reviews – Evansville, IN
Receives incoming telephone calls and assist callers with any questions or comments, direct calls to appropriate team members….
Jun 15
Railroad General Labor
Road and Rail Services 94 reviews – Evansville, IN
$14.50 – $18.50 an hour
Valid Drivers License. Please bring your driver’s license and be prepared to provide your previous 5 years of employment history….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Customer Service Representative
Healthy Spaces – Evansville, IN
$9.50 – $12.00 an hour
Represent us by answering calls, setting service and sales appointments, scheduling production installations, and following up with customers on various issues….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Work Conditioning Specialist
ProgressiveHealth 3 reviews – Evansville, IN
This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, or similar degree. Proactive prevention, early intervention, case management, and…
Easily apply
Jun 15
Automotive Customer Service Representive
Mid America Clutch Co. – Evansville, IN
$13 – $18 an hour
You will be required to answer phones, answer technical questions and package parts. Has been the technological edge of clutch design and manufacturing….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Legal Assistant (Office Automation)
Department of Justice 600 reviews – Evansville, IN
$33,394 – $53,773 a year
Or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates:….
Jun 14
Front Desk Agent
La Quinta Inns & Suites 1,832 reviews – Evansville, IN
Looking for a Front Desk Agent that has great customer service skills, answer phones, makes reservations and check in and out guests….
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Jun 15
Manager in Training – Environmental Services
HealthCare Services Group 1,343 reviews – Evansville, IN
HCSG has a custom, state of the art training program! The Manager in Training (MIT) is able to learn to perform and often performs the job assignments of the…
Jun 15
Sign Manufacturing Positions
Husk Signs 3 reviews – Evansville, IN
$10 – $15 an hour
The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of sign construction and how the electrical components are designed….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Inside Sales Executive
Cook Portable Warehouses 7 reviews – Evansville, IN
$40,000 – $50,000 a year
Comfortable and experienced with leveraging social media for self or company promotion to build a social network to meet business goals….
Easily apply
Jun 15
D/C Human Resources Generalist
The TJX Companies, Inc. 4,685 reviews – Evansville, IN
TJX considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender…
Jun 15
Tenant Manager
Fetter Properties – Evansville, IN
A busy property management office is looking for a Tenant Manager that has the following qualities: * A professional friendly personality * The ability to…
Easily apply
Jun 14
Triaxle driver
Mitchell Trucking 5 reviews – Evansville, IN
Mitchell Tucking and Excavating is growing and looking for a dependable, motivated and licensed Triaxle driver. Paid vacation and holidays….
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Jun 15
Shipping/Receiving Assistant
Flanders Electric 17 reviews – Evansville, IN
Verify receipts in incoming materials. Ability to plan, develop and coordinate multiple projects. Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple to complex…
Jun 14
Grade 5 ELA (Inclusion)
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation 38 reviews – Evansville, IN
As a contract teacher, this position will automatically be enrolled in the Teacher Retirement Fund (TRF) through the state of Indiana, which includes a defined…
Jun 15
Office Manager- Part-Time
HR Business Partners, LLC – Evansville, IN
Will prepare daily, weekly and monthly reports, receive customer orders, schedule production, prepare and send invoices, prepare payroll reports, prepare…
Easily apply
Jun 15
Talent Acquisition Partner
SS&C Technologies 95 reviews – Evansville, IN
Develop and execute events, including in-house recruitment fairs, networking events, guest speaker events and support training/workshops as needed….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Dealer Class Trainee
Tropicana Entertainment Inc. 56 reviews – Evansville, IN
$18 – $20 an hour
JOIN OUR TEAM! Complete an On-Line Application NOW! Simply click on the EMPLOYMENT Button located on the TropEvansville.com Home Page. Candidates must have an…
Jun 14
Community Relations Specialist
Heritage Center 26 reviews – Evansville, IN
Develop a relationship with the community and establish a marketing plan. The Community Relations Specialist is responsible for executing comprehensive…
Easily apply
Jun 15
Supervisory Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (SSC Manager)
Federal Aviation Administration 868 reviews – Evansville, IN
$90,750 a year
Has responsibility for overall administrative and technical direction of the assigned workforce consisting of Airway Transportation System Specialists (ATSSs),…
Jun 14
Hospice Master Social Worker
Heart to Heart Hospice 87 reviews – Evansville, IN
Valid Driver’s License and Automobile Insurance. Social Work, MSW, Medical Social Work, BSW, CSW, MSW, Social Worker, Counseling,….
Easily apply
Jun 15
Assist clients-In Home
Senior Helpers 607 reviews – Evansville, IN
Valid drivers license, current proof of auto insurance, clean background, your own reliable transportation and dependability….
Easily apply
Jun 14
Customer Service Representative
TSD Global 40 reviews – Evansville, IN
$10.00 – $10.50 an hour
Take incoming calls and provide the best customer service for customers in need of assistance. Offer promotions, update and maintain customer accounts using…
Easily apply
Jun 14
Sales District Leader Designate – Evansville, IN
PepsiCo 9,118 reviews – Evansville, IN
Requires Department of Transportation (DOT) certification and successful Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) review during pre-onboarding process….
Jun 15
Fashion Retail Management
Windsor 315 reviews – Evansville, IN
Proven leadership experience, ability to develop and motivate a team of up to 25 employees. We offer 40% employee discount and a work life balance….
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Jun 15
Mechanical Assembler
Pace Assembly Co – Evansville, IN
Must have your own set of tools that are needed to complete the job at all times. Must have your own DEPENDABLE and RELIABLE transportation….
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Jun 14

May Indiana Employment Report

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Unemployment rate remains unchanged over the month at 3.2 percent

 Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2 percent for May and remains lower than the national rate of 3.8 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana’s unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.

Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 15,928 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,659 increase in unemployed residents and an increase of 13,269 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.33 million, and the state’s 64.3 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.7 percent.

In addition, Indiana’s initial unemployment insurance claims continue to be at historical lows.

Learn more about how unemployment rates are calculated here: http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/infographics/employment-status.asp.

May 2018 Employment Charts

Employment by Sector

Private sector employment has grown by more than 26,600 over the year, and has increased by 1,300 over the previous month, primarily due to gains in the Financial Activities (1,300) and the Trade, Transportation and Utilities (1,100) sectors. Gains were partially offset by losses in the Leisure and Hospitality (-1,900) and the Construction (-1,000) sectors. Total private employment stands at 2,701,800 and is 12,900 above the December 2017 peak.

Midwest Unemployment Rates

May 2018 Midwest Unemployment Rates

  

EDITOR’S NOTES:

Data are sourced from May Current Employment Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

May employment data for Indiana Counties, Cities and MSAs will be available Monday, June 18, 2018, at noon (EDT) pending U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics validation.

Results of DCS outside assessment to be released Monday

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IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

Key findings from an outside assessment of Indiana’s Department of Child Services will be released Monday, when representatives from the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group will present the results of the assessment requested by Gov. Eric Holcomb.

Holcomb asked for the DCS study after former director Mary Beth Bonaventura abruptly resigned, accusing Holcomb of cutting funds and putting children’s lives at risk.

“I have followed your (Holcomb) instructions and attempted to reduce our budget in any way that does not impact child safety,” Bonaventura wrote in what has been described as a “scathing” resignation letter. “However, the chief of staff, upon direction from OMB and SBA, is bent on slashing our budget in ways that all but ensure children will die.”

During the 2018 session of the Indiana General Assembly, Democrats repeatedly called for an investigation of the agency. Republican leadership refused, saying they wanted to wait until CWG had finished its review, but the Legislative Council has since agreed to assign the department to an interim study committee for further review.

The findings will be released at an invitation-only event at 1:30 p.m. June 18 in the Indiana Government Center auditorium, 302 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. The presentation and remarks will be live-streamed online for all Hoosiers to view. Holcomb and DCS Director Terry Stigdon, who was appointed to lead the department after Bonaventura’ resignation, will address the findings during the presentation.

ELLIS PARK SPOTLIGHT: JOCKEY JACK GILLIGAN

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Hard work paid off for jockey with breakout 2017 meet at Ellis Park;
‘First couple of years, it didn’t like me so much. Last year that all changed. I loved it and can’t wait to go back’ – jockey Jack Gilligan
Jack Gilligan is one of Kentucky’s up-and-coming jockeys, finishing third in the 2017 Ellis Park jockey standings with 16 victories. The 21-year-old Gilligan will be at Ellis Park’s Call to the Post Media Day on Monday, June 18 at 11 a.m. Central in the clubhouse’s second-floor Gardenia Room. Also: trainers Buff Bradley, John Hancock, Jason Barkley and Tom Van Berg, along with track officials, as we preview the upcoming meet, July 1-Labor Day.
You had a really good meet at Ellis Park last summer.
“It was my breakout meet, really. My agent, Liz Morris, and I worked really hard last spring and it really paid off. Looking forward to Ellis this year, and hopefully I can build upon it. I had a great meet at the Fair Grounds (over the winter), my first year there and I had 28 wins. Love it down there. And so far this has been my best meet at Churchill, with eight wins (through June 16) so far.”
What was the key to the Ellis meet? An outfit you were riding for, a horse? Your agent being relentless?
“A lot of it was my agent being relentless. All of May and June of last year, we didn’t ride an awful lot here at Churchill but I was breezing a lot (in the mornings). I was breezing eight a day, nearly, just working our butts off. Everybody just kind of gave us our shot at Ellis. All the trainers that we’d been breezing horses for, they said, ‘We can’t really help you at Churchill just yet, but we’ll help you at Ellis.’ It worked out great. I had a great Ellis meet.”
So how many years have you been riding?
“A total of five years. I rode for a year in England. I left school and came here and have been in America for going on four years now. In England you graduate at 16, went to the British Racing School for about six months and then started race riding.”
What brought you to America?
“My dad is actually an American citizen. He was born in New York but his family moved back to England when he was very young. He’s got an American passport, so that’s always meant my mum and I could get a green card. My dad was a trainer in England. Toward the end, his business wasn’t going so good. I’d rode for a year, and things were going OK but nothing amazing. The three of us — my, my mum and my dad — wanted a change and thought it was an opportunity to come over here, because visas are hard to get and I had this lucky opportunity to have a green card. We thought we’d give it a shot. In the beginning, we thought we’d give it six months and see how it went. We came over and we loved it. Things started going good, so we stayed.
“When I first came over, I rode a little bit at Indiana Grand, Belterra (in Cincinnati). I’d come over in August of 2014. I started out at Turfway Park, and finished second in the standings.”
Why did you come to this area?
“I actually did the British Racing School while I was in (regular) school. When I was 14 and 15, I did this special course, one day a week I’d go to the British Racing School. My friend and I were the two best students, and they did a student exchange with the North American Racing Academy when (retired riding great) Chris McCarron was running it. I spent a week here and I loved it. After I left, I stayed in touch with Chris. Before I came over here, he said, ‘You should just come here. We can get you set away with a gallop (exercise rider) job and get you started.’ That’s why I came back to Lexington. Chris helped me get going and put me in the right direction.”
Put in perspective how tough it is to get going when you don’t know any of the horsemen.
“Yeah, Chris was the only person I knew here. It’s very hard in the very beginning but you get familiarized very quickly. You’re working so many horses. I came in August and by December I was riding six, seven a day at Turfway.
“It is very different, to get used to the track work. It’s very different in Europe. You’re out riding on long straight tracks (in training). Riding counterclockwise is very different. The terminology is very different. In England at Newmarket, where I was from, a set (training with a horse) could be an hour, an hour and a half: We warm up, gallop, take them through the woods and let them pick the grass on the way home. The most you can get on is five a day. When you’re an apprentice over there, you’re basically the groom, the hotwalker and the exercise rider. You do all the work in the morning, muck the stalls, brush them, look after everything, ride them and then you clean up in the shedrow afterward and come back in the afternoon and do the same thing again: hay, water, feed, clean the stalls, brush them, groom them. It’s good because it does make you a complete horseman that way.
“But it’s hard. That was probably another reason why I left. I was tired of mucking stalls!… I was an apprentice over there to Sir Mark Prescott. He’s a pretty well-respected trainer at Newmarket. I was an apprentice for a year but rode only four winners in Europe. I only rode about 40 races in England in my first year. It’s done differently over there. You start off with 40 races, then the next year you might get 100 mounts, then 200-300. Most of the people have their ‘bug’ (weight allowances for apprentice jockeys) about four years. Once you reach 95 wins, you lose your bug. I came over here, and I hadn’t ridden my fifth winner, so my bug hadn’t started. It was like my sixth race over here that I won my first race in America, which probably wasn’t the best thing to happen, really. Because I hadn’t gotten really super-used to the riding here, and all of a sudden my (apprenticeship) time had started. But it worked good. I had an OK bug. I was riding Keeneland, Churchill, Ellis, Turfway and rode 53 winners.”
What did you think of Ellis Park first time you rode there?
“To be honest, the first year I didn’t do that good there. I had kind of a love-hate relationship. I went in there thinking it would go well, and it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. The next year, it was the same sort of thing. But I always liked it. I like the old rustic-ness of it. I’ve always liked the track. I think it’s one of the best dirt tracks in America. It can be a little speed-biased, but it’s very safe. I like riding the turf track as well.
“But the first couple of years, it didn’t like me so much. Last year that all changed. I loved it last year and can’t wait to go back.”

ADOPT A PET

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Pepsi is a gray tabby kitten from the Wendy’s food litter! He’s a male and he also has siblings available named Nugget, French Fry, and Baconator. His $60 adoption fee includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for details!

 

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