Vanderburgh County Coroners Office Update
The Vanderburgh County Coroners Office and the Evansville Police Department are investigating a death involving a pedestrian on the Lloyd Expressway. The pedestrian was struck by multiple vehicles. At this time the victim has not been identified. The investigation of the collision is being conducted by the Evansville Police Department.
The victim has been identified as Melissa L. Hall, age 50, of Evansville. The died at the scene at 21:13 hours.
“IS IT TRUE” JUNE 1, 2018
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€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 it been alleged that a member of of the Union County Hospital Advisory Board asked the Henderson Community Methodist Hospital administration for a line-item documentation regarding an alledged $20-$23 million dollar cash advancement/loan given to Henderson County Methodist Hospital by Union County Hospital?  … it’s been alleged that as of today that the member of the Union County Hospital Advisory Board hasn’t received an answer to his request?
IS IT TRUE that it was just announced that another 72 stores owned and operated by the Sears and Roebucks Company will be closing?…it has only been weeks since the Washington Square Sears on Evansville’s eastside was closed in the last round of bloodletting?…for the first quarter of 2018 it was reported by Sears that sales of merchandise is down 34% and sales of services were down 31%?…Sears stock is selling for $2.85 per share yet the company lost $3.93 per share in the last three months?…this means that Sears lost more money in 3 months than they are worth in the market?…Sears in many ways was the first big chain department store to expand nationally and was the beginning of the end for downtowns across the country?…Walmart came along and put a harpoon in the Sears business model and today Amazon is doing the same thing to every retail merchant in sight?…there are those who call Sears, “the Amazon of the 20th Century†and they are accurate?…Sears created a new business model that had broad appeal and obliterated their competition and now they are being obliterated for failing to respond to the digital age of shopping?
IS IT TRUE that Courier and Press writer Jon Webb has come out swinging at five decades of leaders of the City of Evansville for failing to address the raw sewage issues before they became a government mandate that will ultimately pick the taxpayer’s pockets for a billion dollars?…Webb is of course correct and the City County Observer has been writing about this negligence for 9 years now?…Webb also attacked the attack upon that First Amendment to the United States Constitution that has been raging across America for roughly ten years?…he very accurately pointed out that attacking the First Amendment in ways that certain factions agree with is seen as progress but that there is massive inconsistency that is corrupted by the stench of politics?…it is a sad state of affairs when we can’t set our tribalism aside and support the only thing that has held our country together for over 200 years and that is the Constitution of the United States of America and all of its amendments?
IS IT TRUE that more storms and rains are coming to the Tri-State so Jon Webb, the CCO and anyone with an IQ of over 60 knows this is going to mean raw sewer slime in the streets and the Ohio River?…the trouble is nothing of substance is being done with the exception of the Bee Slough improvements which are 50 years overdue?
IS IT TRUE that it has long been known that Vanderburgh County is the suicide capital of the United States?…it has furthermore been known that it is also the Napa Valley of meth and recently a hotbed of heroin abuse?…it was revealed by Brad Byrd recently that Vanderburgh County is also among a group of counties with a disproportionally high level of infant mortality?…this is all saddening but priorities have always been on fun and games projects and tourism that isn’t going to happen given the other things that are going on?
…We wonder what is the status of the million dollar plus water and sewer bills that the the owners of the McCurdy still owes the city?
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.
Questions Arise Amid Methodist Deaconess Affiliation Talks
MAY 31ST, 2018 
JEFF GOLDBERGEVANSVILLE, HENDERSON COUNTY, INDIANA, KENTUCKY
During an informal meeting the pair spoke out about the process that has happened and how it effects the community. They say since Methodist is the only major hospital and one of the biggest employers in Henderson there should be more transparency in this process. Pruitt and Buckmaster also point towards sliding profits from the hospital as a reason for concern.
City Commissioner Pruitt also wants the vice chairman of the Methodist Board of Directors to step down unless a public forum is held. That position is held by Henderson Mayor Steve Austin who did return 44NEWS call for comment on this story.
Methodist has responded in two different ways to the budding conversation. In a long Facebook post they mention they have been in talks with Deaconess Health Systems for three years. As well, they responded to a 44NEWS inquiry about the process saying in part the feedback they’ve heard via email and Facebook have been positive. Find the full text to both of those below.
“Yes, we have been receiving comments from the community, both through private message on our Facebook page and through the comments@methodisthospital.net email address. The comments have been positive about a possible affiliation between Methodist Hospital and Deaconess Health System.â€
Nastiest Senate Race Ends With Braun Victory
 INDIANAPOLIS — Businessman Mike Braun launched his campaign against incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly almost as soon as he was declared the winner of the bitterly-contested Republican primary.
“Joe Donnelly, he is a guy that got into office on a fluke in the first place and his record lines up with Pelosi and Schumer,†Braun said in his victory speech, referring to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate in Washington.
Braun, a former state representative, scored an upset victory Tuesday against two sitting congressmen, Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita. He will face Donnelly in November.
“This was going to take a lot of time, a lot of resources,†Braun said after winning Tuesday night’s race. “When I told my friends I was pursuing this, they said, ‘Do you need to have your head examined?’â€
Braun entered the race months after Messer and Rokita, but it was enough to win. Braun’s campaign was mostly self-funded, as he put about $4.5 million into the race. Together, the three candidates spent more than $9 million in what is known as one of the most expensive primaries of the year.
He parlayed his outsider role and his experience as a small businessman in his hometown of Jasper to soundly defeat his rivals by more than 10 percentage points. Braun said one of his inspirations to run for office was President Donald Trump.
“We all wondered how it was going to work out with him, but I was driving around the rural counties in southern Indiana, and saw Trump signs showing up in yards and that’s when I knew people wanted something different,†he said. “When you watch that whole journey, that’s a deep message.â€
Braun said getting 10 or more outsiders in the Senate will change the atmosphere of the country. Even though he beat two political insiders in one of the nastiest Senate races, he hopes to gain their support.
“It was a difficult decision for many because we were all good conservatives and sometimes it gets hard to differentiate,†Braun said. “It can get intense. It can get harsh. But I hope they can join me just as I would them.â€
Early on in the night, supporters of other candidates admitted they thought Braun would win the primary.
“I think Rokita knows the state better because of his background in Indiana,†Bill Reed said at the Rokita watch party. “But I think Braun is going to win because people are gravitating to business-oriented politicians just like they did with Trump.â€
Following the results, Messer kissed each of his family members, and sounded broken as he addressed the crowd, saying it was an extraordinary opportunity to be part of this race.
“It has been a wild ride over the last 20 years,†he said. “Do not be discouraged by today. This is a great country.â€
After addressing the crowd of supporters and members of his campaign, Messer tearfully hugged those around him.
Meanwhile, Rokita congratulated Braun in his concession, yet didn’t shy away from making a dig at him.
“I hope he will find it in him to fight for the people of this state and not just wage an expensive fight,†Rokita said.
Rokita and Messer both received about 29.5 percent of the vote each, according to the Associated Press.
Indiana’s Senate race has been making national headlines for months as one of the most hotly contested and closely-watched elections in the country. Republicans barely control the Senate, with just a 51-49 advantage, so unseating Donnelly is vital for the party.
Despite not having as much name recognition as Messer and Rokita, Braun was considered a favorite going into the night. He spent millions of dollars on ads positioning himself as an outsider.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody issued a statement after the results, saying Braun funded his own campaign from the profits he made from importing auto parts from China.
“He believes public office is his best opportunity to put his wallet first, and Hoosiers last,†Zody said in a statement. “That’s why he voted dozens of times to raise your taxes while writing legislation to cut them for himself.â€
After the GOP primary was called for Braun, Donnelly held a media availability to congratulate Braun and talk about his plan’s leading up to November’s election.
“It is a choice about who is going to fight to provide decent and affordable healthcare for Hoosiers,†Donnelly said. “Who is going to fight to protect our good paying jobs? Who will be an independent voice in Indiana?â€
Donnelly said he will continue to do his job in Washington D.C. — which he says is to work nonstop for Hoosiers, not be a cheerleader for the president.
However, Donnelly has voted with Trump 62 percent of the time, and often works with Republicans.
Trump will visit Elkhart Thursday to get Republicans to rally for Braun. The president won Indiana by a 19-point margin in 2016.
In the months leading up to November’s election, Braun said he plans to show voters Donnelly’s record, which includes voting against tax reform and voting in favor of ObamaCare.
“I know that Joe Donnelly will try to come at me but I can’t wait to take the record of what we did in our hometown to get our values out there,†Braun said. “The government is not the solution. Joe Donnelly’s record is going to be easy to flush out — let’s send him into an early retirement.â€
Adrianna Pitrelli is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. Abrahm Hurt, Jessica Kaiser and Brynna Sentel contributed to this story.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited to reflect a change. The sobbing woman Messer embraced was not his mother. The line was deleted.
New Hydroponic System and Greenhouse to Help Many in Need
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On May 17, a Ribbon Cutting was held at Seton Harvest in honor of a new greenhouse and hydroponic system which was constructed through funding from a $125,024 Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) grant from Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc.
This grant was awarded to St. Vincent Evansville Foundation last year to support the work of the Healthy Harvest program – a collaborative initiative between Seton Harvest, St. Vincent Evansville and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. The program aims at providing free, fresh produce to those with limited or no access throughout Evansville and surrounding communities.
This greenhouse and hydroponics system are expected to produce six to seven thousand pounds of fresh produce each year and will allow the farm to exceed their previous year’s harvest totals by an estimated 50 percent in 2018 – the excess of which will go to those in need in our community. This is above and beyond what will be produced for the grant.
St. Vincent Evansville Foundation would like to again thank our partners who made the Healthy Harvest program and the ribbon cutting possible. We, along with our partners, are looking forward to continuing distribution throughout the summer.
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