Mickey’s Mickey’s Kingdom bricks are coming! $1.7M has been raised for a new community-built playground on the Downtown Riverfront. You can help raise the last $100K by purchasing a brick. Join the excitement.
SHRINERS FEST BUTTONS ON SALE
Have you bought your 2018 buttons? Evansville’s Summer Festival of Fun takes over the riverfront – June 28 – July 1! Buttons are only $8 in advance and are good for the ENTIRE weekend! Thank to our partners, kids 12 & under are FREE! Visit http://ShrinersFest.com for details.
NATIONAL CHAMPS! Eagles claim first-ever title with sweep of Hawks
University of Southern Indiana Softball captured the program’s first-ever national championship Monday with a sweep of Saint Anselm College in the finals of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
The Screaming Eagles (41-23) blanked Saint Anselm in game one, 4-0, before routing Hawks, 8-3, in game two of the best-of-three series.
Game 1: USI 4, SAC 0 (Box Score)
In the opener, junior outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) belted a two-out, three-run home run over the leftfield fence in the top of the third inning to give the Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead. Junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) padded the Eagles’ lead with a two-out, RBI-single in the sixth, giving sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt(Louisville, Kentucky) more than enough run support to secure the win in the circle.
Leonhardt (26-12) allowed just one hit and one walk in five innings of work to pick up the win in the opener. She had six strikeouts before giving way to junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky), who secured the final six outs of the contest.
Game 2: USI 8, SAC 3 (Box Score)
After capturing the win in the opener, the Eagles wasted little time establishing control of the second game as USI scored seven times, all with two outs, in the bottom of the second inning to build an insurmountable 7-0 cushion.
The Eagles sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and got RBIs hits from six different players as they essentially wrapped up the national title with five innings to play. Senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) started the rally with an RBI-single when she legged out an infield hit; while Johnson continued the onslaught with an RBI-single that ricocheted off the third baseman’s glove.
Leonhardt followed with a run-scoring hit through the middle of the infield; while Bradley’s two-run double in the ensuing at-bat put USI up 5-0. Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) gave USI a 6-0 lead with an RBI-single; while senior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana) finished the scoring with another RBI-single.
A day after blasting a game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against No. 25 Saint Leo University on her 21st birthday, Johnson cracked her second home run in as many days over the left-centerfield fence in the third inning to stake USI to a commanding 8-0 advantage.
Saint Anselm (44-13-1), who was playing for its first-ever national title, scored a run in the fourth inning and two in the fifth, but Leonhardt retired the final seven batters she faced after starting the game by retiring the first nine batters she faced.
Leonhardt, once again, picked up the win surrendering three runs off four hits and a walk. She had five strikeouts in the victory.
IS IT TRUE MAY 29, 2018
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE â€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?
IS IT TRUE that last week the Board Of Directors of the Henderson Community Methodist Hospital gave into pressure from the general public not to discuss or vote on the pending merger or buyout deal between Deaconess Healthcare System-Evansville and the Henderson Community Methodist Hospital in a closed-door meeting? …we can’t wait to hear the proposed merger or buyout plans presented by the Henderson Community Methodist Hospital CEO at the public meeting scheduled to be held this Thursday at 5:00 PM on the campus of Methodist Hospital?…we expect that the officials of Methodist Hospital will try to convince those that attend this meeting that this proposed takeover will be the best thing since apple pie?
IS IT TRUE it also wouldn’t surprise us that the public meeting scheduled for Thursday at 5:00 PM on the campus of Methodist Hospital will be canceled at the last minute by officials of Henderson Community Methodist Hospital?
IS IT TRUE this Thursday at 5:00 on the campus of Henderson Community Methodist Hospital employees and concern citizens will meet with officials to hear a well-turned presentation concerning the proposed takeover of Methodist Hospital-Henderson by Deaconness-Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that the Mission Statement of Henderson Community Methodist Hospital is: “in keeping with its Christian heritage, exists to provide a broad-based healthcare delivery system. In partnership with our medical staff, the focus will be on safe, compassionate, high-quality and cost-effective services that address mental, spiritual and physical needs, and work to improve the health status of the people in the communities served”? …that the Vision of Henderson Community Methodist Hospital states; “in partnership with others, will pursue a plan to continue to build and position the hospital as a comprehensive healthcare delivery system to meet the healthcare needs and expectations of the people in the communities served”?
IS IT TRUE that it’s been alleged that Henderson Community Methodist Hospital owns Union County Hospital?  …it’s been alleged that the Union County Hospital is very profitable and Henderson Community Methodist Hospital has lost many millions of dollars over the last several years? …it’s been rumored that Union County Hospital may have either given or loaned Henderson Community Methodist Hospital many millions of dollars over the last 15 months so that they can pay past and current bills?  …it’s been alleged that members of the Union County Hospital Advisory board may not have any idea that this financial arrangement between the above hospitals ever happened?
IS IT TRUE if Deaconess Healthcare System-Evansville takes over full control of the Henderson Community Methodist Hospital does that mean Union County Hospital shall automatically become a part of Deaconess Healthcare-Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that Board of Directors members of Henderson Community Methodist Hospital for 2017 to 2018 is: Officers- Mr. Dane Shields, Chair, Mayor Steve Austin, Vice Chairman,  Mr. Bill Dibert, Treasurer and Rev. Mike Sweeney, Secretary?  …members of the 2017-2018 Board of Directors is: Mr. Garland Certain, Mrs. Melissa Clements, Mr. James M. Crafton, Jr., Bishop Leonard Fairly,  Dr. James M. Fellows,  Rev. Mark A. Gibbons,  Mrs. Susie Givens, Mr. Mike D. Hazelwood, Dr. Vernon H. Humbert, Jr., Mr. James A. Kemp III, Rev. David E. Latham,  Mrs. Shanna Lee,  Mr. Ray Nix,  Mrs. Libby Payne, Mr. James E. Phillips,  Mr. William R. Roberts, Jr.,  Mr. Lin Shannon, Mr. Frank Tulipana,  Mr. Jim Vincent, Dr. Ann White, Dr. Kris Williams ]r, Mr. Laffoon C. Williams and Pastor James C. Wofford?
Is It True that Advisory Board members of the Methodist Hospital of Union County for 2017-2018 are: Officers-Mike Floyd, Chairman, Vice-Chairman position is vacant,  Secretary position is vacant? …that the members of the Advisory Board are: Matthew Arnett, Dr.Kate Baker, Shannon Clements, Zelinda Fellows, Jerry Manning, David Mattingly and Kenneth McGehee?
IS IT TRUE that its official? …last Saturday Jeff Hatfield was approved as the official nominee for the Vanderburgh County Commission? Â ….we were told that those attending the Democratic party political caucus were extremely excited to have Jeff Hatfield as their standard bearer for County Commission in the upcoming General election? …we expect that the race for the Vanderburgh County Commission will be the most competitive and expensive in recent memory?
IS IT TRUE that the State Legislative “Audit Summer Committee” will be reviewing and
monitoring the independence, objectivity, the effectiveness of the examination process, taking into consideration relevant professional and regulatory requirements of the State Board of Accounts? Â …if this committee wants to save time and money all they have to do is to talk with former Evansville City County President and Finance Chairman John Friend, CPA and he would be glad tell them about how inept the Indiana SBA really is?
IS IT TRUE we have been told that several members of the local Democratic party will be demanding that the current Evansville City Council attorney Josh Clayborne (R) from Warrick County be replaced with a Democrat who lives in the City of Evansville proper?
Todays “Readers Poll†question is: Are you surprised that Methodist Hospital called off the public meeting scheduled for Thursday at 5:00 PM on the campus of Methodist Hospital?
Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE Files, CHANNEL 44 NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTSâ€.  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.
Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Meeting
AGENDA of the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
on May 29, 2018, at 3:00 pm, Room 301
- Call to Order
- Attendance
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Permission to Open Bids: VC18-05-01: Green River Road Bridge Approach PavingÂ
- Action ItemsÂ
- First and Final Reading of Ordinance CO.05-18-012: Exempting Certain Documents from Recording FeesÂ
- First Reading of Ordinance: County Budget Procedures
- Final Reading of Ordinance CO.05-18-011: Amendment to Chapter 1.16 of the Vanderburgh County Code
- Board Appointments
- Department Head Reports
- New Business
- Old Business
- County Commissioners Property Auction- June 28, 2018, 10:00am at the Old National Events Plaza
- Consent Items
- Contracts, Agreements and Leases
- Computer Services: First Amendment to the County’s Granicus Service AgreementÂ
- Sheriff’s Office: WOW Phone Service Order ContractÂ
- Health Department:
- Immunization Grant Renewal
- New Lease with Southwestern Healthcare Inc.Â
- Drugs and Alcohol Deferral Service: Sonitrol Security System Â
- Approval of May 15, 2018 Meeting Minutes
- Employment Changes
- County Treasurer: April 2018 Monthly ReportÂ
- Travel Request: County EngineerÂ
- Weights and Measures: April 16th to May 15th 2018 Monthly ReportÂ
- County Commissioners:Â
- Letters of Authorization for Apex Benefits Group Inc.
- Anthem Protected Health Information RequestÂ
- Authorization Letter to Provide Medical/Rx Plan Data to Shepherd InsuranceÂ
- County Engineer:
- Department Report
- Pay Request #39 US 41 T.I.F. Expansion for the sum of $158,051.51
- ClaimsÂ
- Contracts, Agreements and Leases
- Public Comment
- RezoningÂ
- First Reading of Rezoning Ordinance VC-4-2018
Petitioner: B & L Properties LLC
Address: 12401 Browning Rd
Request: Change from Ag to PUD (Planned Unit Development)Â
- Adjournment
Riverboat Casino, County Get Partial Win In Tax Court
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
The Indiana Tax Court dealt a win and a loss to a county and a casino that were arguing over how much a gambling resort was worth during the Great Recession.
Belterra Resort Indiana and the Switzerland County Assessor offered different appraisals valuing Belterra’s casino property during 2009 through 2014. The Indiana Board of Tax Review sifted through the different approaches and methodologies taken by the resort’s appraisers and the county assessor.
At the conclusion, the board found the total real property value of the resort was $98.5 million for both 2009 and 2014.
Both the county assessor and Belterra appealed.
The Tax Court affirmed in part and reversed in part in Switzerland County Assessor v. Belterra Resort Indiana LLC, 49T10-1705-TX-00009. In reviewing the arguments, the court restated the issues as whether the Indiana Board erred when it rejected the resort’s hotel valuation and adopted the county’s going concern valuation.
The court affirmed the Indiana Board’s decision that Belterra’s valuation of its hotel is not supported by the evidence. In particular, the appraisal of the resort’s hotel did not make any adjustment for the differences in physical attributes, amenities and business models. The record shows the appraiser relied on income and expense data from a Kentucky Ramada Inn and a Kansas Hampton Inn and did not consider the difference in services provided between those two hotels and the hotel at Belterra.
However, the court reversed the Indiana Board’s adoption of the county’s going concern valuation.
Belterra asserted the market conditions declined during the recession and, as a result, its resort suffered declining earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). The Switzerland County assessor countered by presenting an analysis by an independent appraiser who projects the resort’s EBITDA would grow through the recession.
Contending the casino’s own projections indicate it did not believe the economy was as turbulent as it later claimed, the county said the market value-in-use of the resort’s real property was $134.3 million in 2009 and $127.0 million in 2014. Belterra said the assessment should have been $44.4 million in 2009 and $48.7 million in 2014.
In rejecting the county’s claims, the tax court noted, in part, the assessor’s own evidence showed a lower growth in retail sales and population in the resort’s service area and that Belterra’s gross gaming revenue shows the resort was not increasing its market penetration rate.
USI Softball Wins Division II National Title
USI Softball Wins Division II National Title
MAY 28TH, 2018 
NICK RUFFOLO USI
The University of Southern Indiana has another championship to put in the trophy case.
USI softball defeated Saint Anselm 8-3 Monday to win the best-of-three series and capture the first women’s sports title in Screaming Eagles history.
Southern Indiana defeated the Hawks 4-0 in the first game of the day thanks to a combined shutout in the circle from sophomore Jennifer Leonhardt and junior Haylee Smith.
The Screaming Eagles took a 1-0 series lead into the second game, where USI scored seven runs with two outs in the second inning.
That big lead to start the game would turn into a trophy.
Claire Johnson, Caitlyn Bradley, Mena Fulton and Leonhardt would all earn All-Tournament honors.
Leonhardt was also named the Most Outstanding Player.
USI did not lose a game the entire championship tournament.
Screaming Eagles athletics as a whole also won Division II national titles in men’s basketball in 1995, and in baseball in 2010 and 2014.
Video courtesy of WDBJ in Roanoke, Va.
Comments
Therapy Dogs Lend A Paw To Those In Need
By Makenna Mays
TheStatehouseFile.com
BROOKVILLE, Ind.— Transforming your backyard into a dog rescue may seem farfetched to some, but for Dr. Michelle Roberts-Schneider it was another step to ensure her rescue animals enjoy a happy life and a second chance that includes helping others.
“We’ve always taken in the dog’s nobody else wants or the animals that have lost their way in life,†said Roberts-Schneider.
Roberts-Schneider and Drew Schneider created Bear and Friends in 2013. Bear and Friends are a nonprofit that takes in rescues and either helps them get adopted, live out the rest of their lives in a kennel-free environment or trains them to be therapy animals. She is the executive director and he serves as treasurer.
Roberts-Schneider and Schneider adopted their first dog, Bear, in 2010 because their daughters had wanted a dog. Drew was initially hesitant.
“I grew up on a farm in Michigan and had animals my whole life, so when the girls were wanting a dog, I was hesitant because I knew how much work was involved,†Schneider said.
However, Bear turned out to be the perfect match for the family. He went through the beginning, intermediate and advanced training to become a therapy dog. After Bear, the Schneiders adopted Johnny and Louis. Together, they make up the Bear and Friends logo.
In 2015, Roberts-Schneider, who has her Ph.D. in education, was conducting research that allowed her to observe schools across the state.
“I saw firsthand in schools across the state how the dogs are used in classrooms and how they are able to help the kids, staff and the administrators, and I came home and told Drew true this is amazing we have to do something,†Roberts-Schneider said.
Bear and Friends supply everything for the dogs including medical care, food, vitamins and any other supplements the animals may need. They decided to stay in Franklin County not only because there is an abundance of stray animals, but because the county has a high-kill shelter.
“These animals don’t have to be purebred and they can still make a difference, and they’re being killed because they were born—that’s a problem,†Roberts-Schneider said.
Opening a nonprofit with a focus on animals has not been easy. Jayme Bender-Miller and Kari Duncan assist Bear and Friends with collecting donations and staging events. They both said that the ideology that animals are equipment, as well as Franklin County being one of the poorest counties in Indiana, are some of the barriers that Bear and Friends has had to overcome.
“In general, people look at their animals as livestock instead of as pets,†said Bender-Miller.
Duncan thinks that the mindset that purebred animals are the best also put these dogs at a disadvantage.
“The reality is, you can take any dog and you can train it to be a service or therapy dog in the community,†said Duncan.
Duncan is currently working with some of her connections in Veteran’s Affairs to take therapy dogs from Bear and Friends into post-traumatic stress disorder clinics.
“The research is out there for depression and things like that and with dogs, it’s through the roof with what they can do psychologically to help people through hard times,†said Duncan.
Dogs must possess certain characteristics before they go through the training to become therapy dogs including good temperament, health, and age. Roberts-Schneider and Schneider, have been trained through Canine Good Citizen, a program developed by the American Kennel Club to properly train their therapy dogs.
The training begins by teaching the dogs manners such as sit, stay, down and approaching strangers without jumping. The dogs will then be trained to accomplish harder tasks such as getting accustomed to odd noises such as wheelchairs, walkers and other unfamiliar sounds they may encounter in hospitals.
“Anything that can help anybody relax or work with their social/emotional issues, we’re there to help,†Roberts-Schneider said.
Bear and Friends have worked with All 4 Kids, Suman Dearborn Middle School and the Southeastern Indiana YMCA. Roberts-Schneider and Bear visit the YMCA on a bi-weekly basis to work with children with social/emotional issues, reading issues and two children who are on the autism spectrum.
Karen Moore, childcare director for the Southeastern Indiana YMCA, invited Roberts-Schneider and Bear to the YMCA last summer to see how the children would react.
“At the beginning of the school year, we noticed some kids who could use a little extra something,†said Moore. “I remembered she [Roberts-Schneider] had the dogs, so I contacted her to say hey what about bringing Bear in for some of our kids.â€
Roberts-Schneider and Bear have individual agendas depending on each child’s needs. She and Bear will pull each child aside for one-on-one time where they will pet the dog or even read to him.
“Reading to Bear instead of reading to a human, who might give you negative feedback, Bear just sits and listens,†Moore said.
One child has made quite an impact on Roberts-Schneider. When she first met Lukas, he was very serious, had some social/emotional issues and could, at times, be very closed off.
“When Bear is there, he opens up, he loosens up, he relaxes, and he talks,†Roberts-Schneider said.
Bear has made such an impact on Lukas, that he is taking what he is learning from his time with Bear and practicing it at home.
“His mom said that he’s come out of his shell, and that’s huge when he’s out of his shell now at home because it has carried over,†Roberts-Schneider said.
FOOTNOTE: Makenna Mays is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
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