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Holcomb: DCS Changes, Extra $25M Mark New Day For Troubled Agency

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Holcomb: DCS Changes, Extra $25M Mark New Day For Troubled Agency

June 18, 2018
Marilyn Odendahl
Pledging this is the start of a new day for the Indiana Department of Child Services, Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday outlined changes his administration is implementing to improve the troubled state agency and announced that he is dipping into the state surplus to provide another $25 million to boost salaries and transform the workplace culture.
Holcomb spoke at the unveiling of a 116-page evaluation of DCS by the Alabama-based Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group. The nonprofit was hired to assess the state agency after former executive director Mary Beth Bonaventura abruptly resigned in December 2017 and accused the governor of putting children’s lives at risk.
Speaking to a crowd that included DCS workers, service providers, and legislators, Holcomb said about half of the recommendations in the CWG report were mentioned in five previous evaluations done in recent years by other groups.

“The difference, of course, is today we are going to begin to implement many of those recommendations,” he said. “So we’ll reduce the staff turnover rate which is about 30 percent. We’ll provide support for foster families so another 1,800 don’t give up their licenses. We will get to the bottom of the why the rate of Hoosier children in out-of-home care has more than doubled in the last five years.”

Paul Vincent of CWG presented the highlights of the report and noted Indiana has a very high rate of children in out-of-home care compared to the surrounding states and nationally.

The report found that Indiana’s rate of children in care is 13 per 1,000 children — more than twice the national average of 5.6. The state’s rate of children entering care is 8 per 1,000 children compared with the national rate of 3.6.

Holcomb received loud applause when he announced the infusion of $25 million. He said the money will go partly toward boosting staff salaries. “We have to reinvest, we have to reinvigorate the child services staff,” Holcomb said.

He also said the transformation of DCS would have to include an improvement in the workplace from a “culture of fear” to one or more decentralized decision-making and better support for foster families. In addition, he said his administration will be using the report to develop its legislative proposals for the 2019 session of the Indiana General Assembly.

“These changes must be put into motion and they will be,” Holcomb said. “Believe me, I fully realize with the change there will be some difficulty because it’s going to be a different approach, but we have to take a different approach if we want to realize different results. That starts today.”

Microbrewery Planned For McCurdy Building

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JUNE 19TH, 2018 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA

There has been some controversy recently over the microbrewery proposed for the residential McCurdy building in downtown Evansville. The plan was to add a microbrewery to the residential property but that plan is causing problems due to the different changes.

The new business would require changes to the plumbing and heating and there are requirements for grease traps if they planned to sell food.

The Kunkle Group owns the McCurdy, and right now, the owners are working to get the building in compliance so work can get started.

Ron Beane, Building Commissioner for Vanderburgh County, says,”Well any time you have a mixed-use building that has residential and commercial properties within the same structure each time you change something it changes the variables of the needs of the building. It’s a process to go through to figure out how we get all these to work in compliance with each other and be safe for the attendance”

The area plan commission has approved the idea but there’s no word on when work may begin.

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Keep Saying It: “Down with Gerrymandering!”

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submitted by Gail Riecken CCO StateHouse Editor

Keep Saying It: “Down with Gerrymandering!”
Maybe the Supreme Court will hear.

Gerrymandering is once more in the headlines. Given there are only a few weeks left of this Supreme Court term, we will soon know if the Justices will issue an opinion on gerrymandering.  It may only result in a legal principle(s) to be followed in drawing districts with no ruling on the two cases before the Court. But, I’ll take it.

Those cases, one from Wisconsin and one from Maryland, present a real issue for the Justices.  Ruling these two cases unconstitutional might lead to multiple cases over the years being challenged in court.

That doesn’t mean our State shouldn’t take action.

In previous statements, I have criticized our State Governor for not taking a lead on this issue. That comment stands. The legislature, as well, should have taken the lead. The people of Indiana deserve a state government that acts.

As State Senator Tim Lanane wrote earlier this year:
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, Indiana can strengthen its own laws to take bias out of the system and draw more representative maps. If the Supreme Court rules that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, we will have to implement redistricting reform anyway. If the Supreme Court rules that it is not unconstitutional, Hoosiers still expect legislators to act to ensure fairness in our elections.”

We will wait to learn whether or not this contrived and manipulated map-drawing system will continue. What we deserve is a Supreme Court setting a principle(s) whereby each legislature in each state will have to ensure those elected are elected by the people and not a computer program.

Ron Geary Predict Big 2018 Meet For Ellis Park

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‘To see what Ellis Park has done in the last 12 years has been nothing short of amazing’ — trainer Tom Van Berg

Building on the momentum of recent years was the theme of Monday’s annual Call to the Post Media Day at Ellis Park.
The 30-date thoroughbred meet runs July 1 through Labor Day, with racing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Wednesday July 4, Thursday July 5 and Monday Sept. 3. There is no racing Saturday, Sept. 1.
“This is the 12th year I’ve been here since we bought the track from Churchill Downs right after the tornado,” Ellis Park owner Ron Geary told the gathering of media, public officials, sponsors, season-ticket holders, vendors and others. “It was a struggle whether they were going to want to keep it open, and we worked something out. I’m so glad we did. It’s not been the easiest turnaround I’ve been involved with, but when you look at our purse money — $230,000 a day compared with $135,000 when we took it over — we’ve made a lot of progress. It hasn’t gone as fast as any of us want it to, but I’m very pleased where we are.”
The bucolic horse track on the sliver of Kentucky north of the Ohio River will be offering a record $230,000 a day in purses for its 30-date meet, up from $210,000 last year. The purse hikes are attributable to revenue from historical horse racing, the parimutuel terminals featuring electronic systems that allow betting on previously-run races.
Kentucky Downs and the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the group representing horse owners and trainers at both tracks, arranged the transfer of $2.9 million into Ellis Park’s purse account because of Kentucky Downs’ astronomical success with historical horse racing in the Nashville market.
Four stakes have been added at Ellis to bring the total to 10, with a quartet of $100,000 turf stakes forming Kentucky Downs Preview Day on Aug. 5. Also new is the $75,000 Ellis Park Derby for 3-year-olds at a mile.
The $100,000, Grade 3 Groupie Doll for fillies and mares at a mile will be Aug. 12, with the Ellis Park Derby on the undercard. The $75,000 Ellis Park Juvenile and $75,000 Ellis Park Debutante for 2-year-olds are scheduled for Aug. 19.
“I grew up in Nebraska,” said Media Day participant Tom Van Berg, who upon the death Dec. 27 of his father, Jack Van Berg, took over the Hall of Famer’s stable. “When they were talking about Ellis Park and the possibility of it not continuing (after the tornado), I saw Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha go under for the same reasons. Across the river, they got gaming, and now Ak-Sar-Ben is shuttered. Now this year, there’s a fight for the rest of the tracks in Nebraska to continue to race. It might be that the racing industry leaves the state as a whole.
“To see what Ellis Park has done in the last 12 years has been nothing short of amazing,” said Van Berg, who trained for nine years before leaving the profession to raise his sons, jumping back in last year to help his ailing dad. “Especially this year with the addition of stakes races, the purse structure and the inclusion of larger stables that normally would ship out of Kentucky this time of the year, it’s phenomenal. To come back into it this time, it’s exciting to see what everybody has done here.”
Buff Bradley — the trainer as well as the co-breeder and co-owner of Groupie Doll, the two-time female sprint champion for whom Ellis Park’s Grade 3 signature race is named — told the crowd that the resurgence of Ellis Park makes it possible for outfits to stay home in Kentucky for the summer.
“This is like my home anyhow, this track,” said Bradley, whose late father, former Kentucky state senator Fred Bradley, was from nearby Providence. “I’m glad I have owners who want to stay here in Kentucky and run at Ellis Park. It’s been made possible with the purse increase. In the last four or five years, it’s just really gotten good here. You see a lot of the top jockeys standing here and quite a few of the best trainers are keeping stables here. It’s going to be very competitive. Kentucky racing has moved by (the elevation) of Ellis Park.”
The 2-year-old racing again will be a focal point of the meet. At least 22 horses who raced at Ellis Park as 2-year-olds the past 20 years have gone on to win or place in Grade 1 stakes.
John Hancock, a third generation horse trainer and owner from Henderson, said he has some nice 2-year-olds that got sick this spring and weren’t able to have the success he usually enjoys at Keeneland’s April meet. Those horses will be on full tilt for Ellis, he said, including a filly named Bivian B after Hancock’s mother who died last year.
“She’s the best 2-year-old I’ve ever hung a bridle on,” he said. “She could be the real deal.”
Hancock pointed to Chester Thomas, a two-time Ellis Park leading owner from Madisonville, and Evansville’s Mike Bruder as examples of local owners improving their stock.
“Steve Asmussen is coming with a couple of barns full. Brad Cox is coming with a couple of barns full,” Hancock said of the nationally prominent trainers who have accounted for the past three Ellis training titles. “But I don’t think it will be as easy for them. Local people … won’t be a pushover.”
“It takes a lot of luck to have the best horse on the day. It’s tough to win,” Thomas said. “There will be big-time barns here. But the local folks, don’t overlook them.”
Also at Media Day was Henderson product Jason Barkley, who began his training career last summer at Ellis Park.
“It’s nice to be there with your name on the program, doing your own thing,” said Barkley, the son of veteran Kentucky trainer Jeff Barkley. “The successes are great, and the failures are awful. You just learn from both and try to make the most of it.”
The favorite Ellis Park promotions are back, including the wiener dog races, restricted to Dachshunds, on Aug. 4, 11 and 25.
Other highlights:
Jockeys race aboard camels and ostriches on July 7.
Kids Days on July 15 and Sept. 2.
The Kentucky HBPA College Day, featuring drawings for laptops and $1,000 scholarships, on July 22.
Every Sunday after July 1 will be Value Days with deeply discounted draft beer, soda, hotdogs and more.

Holcomb shares report, recommendations & next steps for child services agency

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Gov. Eric J. Holcomb outlined the immediate steps he will take to improve the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS)—including tapping the state’s surplus to increase support to the agency in key areas and appointing a new associate director to implement the recommendations of a just-completed agency assessment.

The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG) conducted the six-month assessment of the agency and developed 20 recommendations based on its findings. Gov. Holcomb called for this thorough review of the agency in Dec. 2017.

“I directed this assessment so we would all know where we are, where we’ve been and where we need to go,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Now, we have the assessment, and we have a strong foundation to guide us into a healthier position for Hoosier families and children.”

The governor will direct the Office of Management and Budget to make available $25 million from the state’s surplus immediately. DCS Director Terry Stigdon will develop priorities, but the governor intends to improve salaries, training and opportunities for critical, on-the-ground DCS employees who work with vulnerable children and their families every day.

Former Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer has been appointed by Stigdon to serve as DCS associate director. Meyer, who started with the agency today, will focus on implementing the recommendations of the CWG report. During his time as prosecutor, Meyer founded Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center, which provides a full spectrum of care, such as prevention, intervention and follow-up, to support children in need.

“I’m honored by this opportunity to impact the lives of our most vulnerable,” Meyer said. “As a prosecutor, I worked collaboratively with the local DCS office and together we were able to tackle challenging cases. My mission in this new role is to ensure DCS implements and sustains these recommendations.”

Gov. Holcomb has asked Chief Justice Loretta Rush to work with DCS, the state’s Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana, and the courts’ Juvenile Justice Improvement Committee to review the CWG report and provide recommendations to the governor to improve court, DCS and family relationships.

The CWG report outlines 20 recommendations aligned to CWG’s findings regarding DCS’ strengths and challenges. The report identifies the following needs:

  • Treat and support families struggling with substance use disorders
  • Re-launch the family-centered practice model of care
  • Improve coordination among state agencies that support Indiana families and children
  • Refine state statute and regulations to serve Indiana families and children better and more efficiently
  • Revise internal DCS policies to serve families and children better and more efficiently
  • Engage stakeholders from all government branches as well as the provider community to gain important insights and guidance for improved DCS service to families and children
  • Improve use of data and technology to more effectively support DCS’ mission to serve Hoosier families and ensure child safety
  • Transform the culture at DCS to encourage better decision making, training, professional development and advancement—particularly for those employees working directly with vulnerable children and families

One of the main challenges in the CWG assessment includes the difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified staff members to help Indiana’s most vulnerable children and families. DCS Director Terry Stigdon will begin retooling the agency’s review process, allowing employees to feel safe and supported while giving them more opportunities for advancement.

“There are thousands of people in this state working tirelessly to make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most,” said Stigdon. “It is our job to make sure they have everything they need to help families and communities. We have to shift the agency’s culture to provide our staff the resources they need to succeed.”

Another part of the assessment looks at the importance of recruiting and retaining foster families to provide a safe, stable and timely placement for children. DCS will begin work to make sure foster families have adequate support while also increasing efforts to add more foster families by the end of 2019. To give young adult Hoosiers in need more help, Stigdon said the agency will work to extend the age so that foster youth can receive services from 21 to 23.

These immediate actions are just the first steps in a longer process to transform the agency. Director Stigdon and Associate Director Meyer will provide a progress update on the effects of these immediate actions and will offer additional recommendations in advance of the 2019 legislative session.

 

ADOPT A PET

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Farley is a 2-year-old male hairless Chihuahua! Like many small breeds, he can be nervous around new people & situations. He also came from a hoarding situation with a large number of Chihuahuas. Because of these things, he may prefer a quieter adult home. But with some patience and love, he warms up to those who have an open lap! Farley’s adoption fee is $130. He’s neutered, microchipped, up-to-date on vaccinations, and ready to go home today! Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!

NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF JOINT VANDERBURGH COUNTY/WARRICK COUNTY DRAINAGE BOARD MEETING

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Notice is hereby given that the Joint Vanderburgh County/Warrick County Drainage Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 307 of the Civic Center Complex located at 1 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., in Evansville, Indiana has been cancelled.  

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING

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BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS

REGULAR MEETING

KEVIN WINTERNHEIMER CHAMBERS

ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018

12:00 NOON

 AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. MEETING MEMORANDUM   JUNE 6, 2018

3. CONSENT AGENDA                                                

                             

4.         OLD BUSINESS  

 

5.          NEW BUSINESS  

  

  1. Request Re: Approve and Execute Amendment One with EVSC Summer Adventures program

-Holtz

     b.    Request Re: Approve and Execute Amended Agreement with Lochmueller Group for Mid-

            Levee Corridor.

            c.    Request Re: Any Other Business the Board Wishes to Consider and Public Comments

6.        REPORTS

          

  1. Brian Holtz- Executive Director

            

7.        ACCEPTANCE OF PAYROLL AND VENDOR CLAIMS

 

8.        ADJOURN

USI Women’s Basketball adds D-I transfer Williams to 2018-19 mix

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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball announced that 5-foot-6 sophomore guard Kennedy Williams (Marshall, Illinois) is transferring to play for Head Coach Rick Stein‘s Screaming Eagles in 2018-19.

Williams, who will have three years of eligibility at USI, spent her first collegiate year of basketball at Bowling Green State University, where she played in 29 of the Falcon’s 30 games last season.

In 2017-18, Williams averaged 3.1 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 8.3 minutes per game. She had a season-high 10 points in Bowling Green’s loss to Kent State University in January and dished out a season-high two assists on three occasions.

Prior to Bowling Green, Williams was an Illinois Basketball Coaches’ Association (IBCA) first-team All-State honoree as a junior and senior at Marshall High School. She was fourth in the state in scoring as a junior, averaging 24.4 points per game and setting a single-season program record with 659 points—she broke former USI standout Kaydie Grooms’ single-season mark.

As a senior, Williams racked up 556 points, helping MHS to a 23-6 record and a regional title in 2016-17.

Williams concluded her prep career, which included two years at Terre Haute South High School, with 1,662 career points.

“We are excited to add Kennedy to our USI family,” Stein said. “Kennedy is an explosive guard that can produce in so many ways. She can fill it up from three-point range and can get to the rim, finish and draw fouls.

“Kennedy really understands the game and has a great knack for getting her teammates the ball at the right time,” Stein continued. “Her collegiate experience is a real positive and definitely helps us fill some gaps lost to graduation.”

Williams joins an incoming class that includes 6-foot-1 freshman forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) and 6-foot-1 guard Samantha LaPlaca (Parma Heights, Ohio).

Brown was the Northern Lakes League (NLL) and Division I District Player of the Year as well as a first-team All-Ohio performer as a senior in 2017-18 after averaging 17.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She shot 54 percent inside the arc, helping Perrysburg High School to a 22-4 overall record, an appearance in the regional semifinals and a 14-0 mark in the NLL.

LaPlaca earned first-team All-Conference honors and won the Parma Amateur Athlete Award as a senior after averaging 23 points and 13 rebounds per game in 2017-18. She broke the all-time scoring record (both boys and girls basketball) at Normandy High School and set a single-season record for made three-pointers.

USI is coming off its second straight Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division title after going 26-5 overall and 16-2 in the GLVC. The Eagles advanced to the championship of GLVC Tournament and to the NCAA II Tournament for the second time in four years.

 

Aviation Show

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Less than a decade after brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first gasoline-powered “aeroplane” in North Carolina, Evansville hosted its first aviation meet at the county fairgrounds on the city’s east side, an area that was developed into Akin Park a few years later. Over ten thousand spectators from around the Tri-State gathered to witness the much-publicized two-day event in June 1911, which was sponsored by the Evansville Courier. They were eager to watch the “birdmen” soar into the air, and the crowd was not disappointed. After several mishaps, pioneer aviators Lincoln Beachey (pictured here) and Charles Witmer performed death-defying stunts amid cheering so deafening that it drowned out the drone of the aircraft. 

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