An intoxicated motorist struck a utility pole Sunday evening, disrupting power to several west side residents.
On Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 9:11 PM the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and the Perry Township Fire Department responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash with possible injuries in the 8500 block of Broadway Avenue. Once on-scene, deputies observed that a white Chevrolet Malibu had crashed into a utility pole in the yard of a residence. The impact downed cable and phone lines and caused minor damage to the fascia of the residence.
Firefighters extracted the driver from his vehicle, but he refused treatment. The driver was identified as Mr. Thomas Clark. The investigating deputy observed that Mr. Clark appeared intoxicated and transported him to the jail where he failed standardized field sobriety tests. Mr. Clark refused a breath alcohol test and was booked in the Vanderburgh County Jail on charges of Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated with Test Refusal.
Vectren responded to the scene of the crash and later restored power to the area.
ARRESTEDÂ
Thomas Eugene Clark (pictured above), 64, of Evansville.Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated with Test Refusal as a Class A Misdemeanor
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?
IS IT TRUE this is whats on our mind today?  We hope that the individuals involved in styling the new City of Evansville noise ordinance are aware that the Tortious interference liability laws will legally protect those business owners that are financially affected by an overreaching noise ordinance?
Todays “Readers Poll” question is: If the Republicans primary for Vanderburgh County Commission was held today who would you for?
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.
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Copyright 2015 City-County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 On the second reading of an ordinance that would create three, four-year term limits for the Evansville City Council, Evansville Mayor, and City Clerk, a surprise motion happened.
Justin Elpers was speaking for the ordinance he authored. He says he had been thinking about this since before he even took office. The conservative thinks that politics is by no means a career, but something that is limited. He says that by bringing in new leadership every so often, the city would be better for it and it may help “abysmal voter turnout.â€
He was quickly rebuffed by fellow councilperson Missy Mosby, who believes the process should be left up to the voters. Mosby thinks that the voters set the term limit by voting the members of the council in or out based on merit.
That idea may have sparked councilwoman Connie Robinson to come up with something the council agreed on. She wants to leave the decision on the term limits ordinance up to the people, so she motioned to table the discussion to have city attorney Joshua Claybourn look into putting the ordinance on a referendum, and maybe even the costs should they have to hold a special referendum.
Claybourn says he should have the answers at the next city council meeting.
City-County Observer “Outstanding Community Services Award” Winner For 2018.
Our third “Outstanding Community Services Award” winner for 2018 is the extremely popular and the very personable Evansville attorney, Patrick A. Shoulders.
Mr. Shoulders played a major role in bringing the I U Medical School to Downtown Evansville.  While some of our local political types were attempting to take credit for bringing the I U Medical School to Evansville Mr. Shoulders was quietly lobbying powerful state political and educational leaders in order to convince them to approve the I U Medical School for Evansville. In the end, Mr. Shoulders political connections and due diligence prevailed.
Mr. Shoulders is a partner in the firm who concentrates his practice in Litigation. He received his undergraduate degree in English from Indiana University in 1975, and his law degree from Indiana University in 1978, graduating magna cum laude. Admitted in both Indiana and Kentucky, Pat is an accomplished trial lawyer with sub-specialties in school law and appellate practice.
Pat has been elected to membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has also been elected to the Federation of Insurance & Defense Counsel, Litigation Counsel of America, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Pat is a co-chair and founder of the Trial Advocacy Skills College held annually by the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. He is a past chair of the Indiana Bar Association’s Litigation Section and a past council member of the State Bar’s Appellate Advocacy Committee. Pat has been recognized in every edition of Indiana Super Lawyers and has been one of the top 50 lawyers in the state of Indiana. He has achieved an AV certification rating from the Martindale & Hubbell legal directory, an elite peer rating recognizing him as performing at the highest level of professional excellence based on ethical standards and legal ability. He is also a frequent presenter for the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum and he has represented the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation as its General Counsel for more than 25 years.
Mr. Shoulders has served the legal profession as President of the Evansville Bar Association, as Chair of the Litigation and Citizenship Education Committees of the Indiana State Bar Association, as Chair of the Fellows of the Indiana Bar Foundation, and as a member of the State Bar Associations Board of Governors from 1998-2000. He is the recipient of the Evansville Bar Association’s highest honor—the James Bethel Gresham Award, in recognition of his service to the legal profession, and is a distinguished barrister in The Indiana Lawyer publications.
Pat’s volunteer activities in Southwestern Indiana have been numerous. He served as President of the Evansville Parks Foundation, Museum of Arts & Sciences, and the YMCA, Chair of the WNIN Auction, Founder & Director of the Arts Fest 12K River Run, a Member of the Board of Park Commissioners and a member of the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. He has served as a Civic Theatre Board Member, Public Defender Commissioner, and Member of the Mayor’s Unification Study Committee. His volunteerism has earned him the Kentucky Colonel, Sagamore of the Wabash and the Indiana Bar’s President’s Awards.
Pat has also served Indiana University with distinction. Pat has been a Trustee of IU since January 1, 2002. He is a past national President of the Indiana University Alumni Association and the IU College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Association. He also currently serves as a Director of the IU Foundation and is a past member of the Board of Governors of the IU Center on Philanthropy and the Indiana Public Policy Institute.
Mr. Shoulders co-hosted an extremely popular weekly television show on PBS affiliate WNIN entitled “Shively & Shoulders†with fellow attorney and personal friend, Chief Superior Court Judge, Les Shilvey. On this show, they interviewed local and state public officials engaged in vigorous discussions on current issues and events.
He and his Wife, Lisa; a daughter and son-in-law in Newburgh, Indiana, and a son and his partner in New York City, and three granddaughters.
FOOTNOTE: This year’s awards luncheon will be held at Tropicana-Evansville Walnut rooms A and B on March 19, 2018. The registration begins at 11:30 am, the event officially starts at 12 noon on March 19, 2018. Reservations for this event may be obtained by calling 812-774-8011.  We have only one (1) tables left to sell.  Deadline for registration is March 17, 2018. Last year’s event was a sellout.
On June 28th, 1981 in Portland, Oregon after the Cascade Run Off 15K, I made a decision that changed my life and the lives of hundreds of Track and Field athletes around the world and future Olympians from all sports.
I was 25 years old and had arrived in the USA from my native New Zealand a few months prior, to try my luck racing on the newly formed USA road racing circuit.
My first 10 years as a competitive runner had been spent as an amateur, belonging to a local athletic club, finishing high school, going to teachers college, and teaching elementary school for 4 years.
During those years I was very competitive in my sport representing New Zealand at World Cross Country Championships (5 times), Commonwealth Games (1974), and Olympic Games (qualified in 1972, 1976, and 1980, but only went to Montreal in ’76). I was a multiple New Zealand Champion and record holder.
The hardships came as an amateur trying to combine the training with school, college, and eventually being a school teacher (at age 20 years!). I caught all sorts of bugs from the kids, didn’t have a car, and rode buses to school each day! I would get up at 5:00am to run a few miles and then do a hard training session at the club track after school. If I was lucky, folks with cars would drive me to and from the bus station which was 2 miles from my home. Otherwise I walked.
In 1980, after the USA boycott of the Moscow Olympics, supported by New Zealand and other allies, I quit the sport entirely, got out of shape and overweight.
After some months, I was encouraged to start again and joined my second coach John Davies
In early 1981, I made my 5th New Zealand cross country team to Madrid, Spain. While there, I heard about the USA road racing scene and how women were being allowed to race the longer distances. At this time the 800m and 1500m were the longest distances in the Olympic Games for women.
I told my parents I would not be coming home but had decided to try my luck in the USA. I arrived in New Orleans, from London, in March of 1981 and raced the first 10K of my life finishing 3rd. Many people involved in the circuit were extremely supportive, letting me stay in their homes, paying me a few dollars (against all the amateur rules) to speak in running stores so I could support myself a little. After New Orleans, I raced in Eugene, Spokane, Boulder, New York, Denver, and Colorado Springs with so much success! I was born again!
There was a great deal of excitement surrounding this “new world†of road racing and it brought us all to Portland, OR in June to compete in the Cascade Runoff, a 15K sponsored by Nike.
Start of the 1981 Cascade Run Off 15K
Phil Knight, Nike’s founder, wanted the sport to be professional, as did many of the race directors. Nike put up $50,000 as prize money to be equally distributed between the male and female top ten finishers. First place was $10,000. The night before, all the athletes were assembled and told of the risks of accepting the money (i.e., being banned from the sport!). I was confident that if I finished in the top six I would have enough money to stay a little longer in USA. I had no doubt about my decision, as I had witnessed so many male athletes on the European track circuit being paid “under the tableâ€! I wanted the opportunity to pursue a professional career and to see how good I could be!
Race day turned out better than I thought and I won! I was presented with the check for $10,000 and was immediately in a lot of trouble. I received a telegram – yes a telegram – from the New Zealand Federation banning me from the sport. I was only in the USA on a visitor’s visa, so accepting the money was illegal too. My parents just wanted me to get on a plane and come home!
The telegram I received from the New Zealand Federation declaring me ineligible
Fast forward
After so much support from so many, Nike, my coach, race directors, immigration lawyers, and fellow athletes, I was able to continue racing on the road circuit and went on a 20-race win streak, which took me into 1983! During that time I broke the World Record for the 5000m and won the Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games 3000m in Brisbane, Australia (1982).
I was reinstated to race on the track one week before winning the Commonwealth Gold Medal and retroactively awarded the World Record.
Track & Field News reporting on my 5000m World Record
There is obviously so much more to this story, but simply said, the Cascade Run Off 15K win changed my life! I became a full time professional runner which enabled me to completely control my environment to enable success. I retired in 1992, having been named the most successful road racer, male or female, in the 80’s!
I often say that if it wasn’t for that small group of runners in June of 81, Michael Jordan and the Dream Team would never have competed in the Olympics, as no professional athletes were allowed prior to that.
It was scary at the time but the risk was SO worth it!
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric J. Holcomb awarded the 2018 Sachem Award today to Vietnam veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1st Class Sammy L. Davis of Freedom, Indiana at the Indiana War Memorial. Attached are the governor’s remarks, and below are photos from the event. Learn more about the life of Sgt. Davis and the history of the Sachem award on the governor’s webpage.Â
Pictured left to right: Maj. Gen. Erika Steuterman, Pastor Terry Webster, Indiana War Memorial Executive Director Brig. Gen. (ret) Stewart Goodwin, Former Indy 500 Broadcaster Paul Page and  Gov. Eric Holcomb applaud  the 2018 Sachem award recipient,  Sgt. 1st Class Sammy L. Davis  of Freedom, Indiana.
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Gov. Holcomb and Sgt. Davis with the 2018 Sachem award.
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Following the official ceremony, Sachem recipient Sammy L. Davis played “Shenandoah†for friends, family and guests. See video of his performance at www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_CWebul1U.
