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Senate Committee Passes Billing Legalizing Sale Of CBD oil

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Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com

A bill that would allow Hoosiers to purchase a marijuana-derived product over-the-counter from any retailer is headed to the full Senate floor.

The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee have passed Senate Bill 52, which would allow any person to purchase cannabidiol, or CBD, oil without a prescription or medical reason, if the oil contains no more than 0.3 percent THC. Purchasers would not have to put their names on a registry, but all CBD oil containers would have to be labeled and certified as having no more than 0.3 percent THC.

The original language of SB 52 allowed for the sale of CBD oil with zero THC, but based on a two-hour session of testimony last week, the bill passed Tuesday defines “zero THC” at the 0.3 percent limit. Additionally, an amendment to the bill would provide immunity to state contractor employees who test positively during a drug test but have legally purchased the oil.

Sen. Rod Bray, R-Martinsville, raised concerns about that amendment, questioning how employers would know when an employee tests positive for THC – the substance that causes the euphoric effects of marijuana – because of the legal use of CBD oil. The bill’s author and committee chair Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, acknowledged that issue did raise questions, but said he thinks it’s important for immunity to be available to employees abiding by the law. Bray suggested that issue could require further study to come to a more concrete answer to this question.

 Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, celebrated Tuesday’s version of SB 52 as a “common sense bill,” considering it would allow consumers to purchase CBD oil over-the-counter and without having to put their name on a state registry. Another of Young’s bills, SB 294, would allow patients on a state registry to purchase CBD oil to treat certain cases of epilepsy if they can prove their presence on the registry. Testimony was also heard on SB 294 last week, but Young did not bring it before the committee for a vote on Tuesday.

The committee passed SB 52 with a 7-2 vote, with Sens. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, and Eric Koch, R-Bedford, opposing it. The vote comes after Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an advisory opinion last year that said CBD oil remained illegal in Indiana, despite legislation in 2017 that allowed the oil to be used to treat intractable epilepsy.

SB 52 now heads to the Senate floor, where it can be amended and passed.

REPRESENTATIVE HATFIELD VOTES YES FOR SUNDAY SALES

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Representative Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) issued the following statement after the Indiana House approved House Bill 1051, a bill allowing carryout alcohol sales on Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.:

“I am happy to endorse a bill that can be good for our convenience stores, our business revenue, and our citizens. Indiana is one of twelve states that bans alcohol on Sundays, and I am glad the legislature is making a positive change on our alcohol sales.

“These are the first steps toward bringing Indiana’s alcohol laws into the 21st Century. These changes, which are long overdue, reflect a public sentiment that believes our state should not be stuck with archaic laws that reflect thinking of the Prohibition Era, when they were first enacted.

“Considering the large margins of support that this proposal received in both its House and Senate versions, I would say that lawmakers are finally ready to follow the public’s wishes on this issue.

“This should not be the last move we make in this area. There is much more that can be done, and we should have the time and the will to do it.”

 

Disney Dreams Come True For 48 Students Thanks To Cops Connecting With Kids

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Community: Disney Dreams are about to come true for 48 students thanks to Cops Connecting With Kids

Members of the Evansville Police Department and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will be taking 48 EVSC students on the trip of a lifetime on Tuesday. As part of the Cops Connecting With Kids program, they will team up with teachers for their 4th annual trip to Walt Disney World.

The trip is funded through sponsorships and fundraisers. To date, the group has provided this experience for 118 students from Glenwood, Cedar Hall, and McGary. 

The group will depart from Glenwood Leadership Academy on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. There will be a send-off ceremony beginning at 12:30 pm.

They will visit all 4 Disney Parks before returning home on Sunday. On the trip back to Evansville, they will visit the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in Atlanta Georgia.

Democrat William Tanoos Is Running For Indiana’s 8th Congressional District

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Tanoos Whats To Restore Middle Class And Bring Good Paying Jobs To District

Terre Haute, IN – Several months ago via an online video, local attorney William Tanoos announced his candidacy as a Democrat for Indiana’s 8th Congressional District.

Tanoos currently works as a disability attorney, getting help to those most vulnerable. He pledges to take that spirit with him to Washington and work for the people of the Eighth District.

He said; “I’m running because I believe our middle class is what has made America the greatest country in the world for generations. It’s clear to everyone that those currently in Congress have lost their way. They no longer work for the working families in their communities, but instead for the special interests that have come to define Washington. I want to go to Congress to change that.”

He also added that the “The American dream is not dead. Together, we can rebuild the middle class and support working Hoosiers who have proven to be the backbone of this great country,” said Tanoos. “That’s what families all around our state have valued and relied on for generations and we have no intention of letting it go without a fight.”

Tanoos is an alumnus of South Vigo High School and Indiana University, where he graduated cum laude with concentrations in History and Political Science. He earned his Juris Doctorate from IU’s McKinney School of Law and practices law in the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.

Away from his practice, Tanoos is interested in film, writing, and spending time with his family. William and his family have been active members of St. George Orthodox Christian Church for generations. William and his wife, Katie, reside in Terre Haute with their beautiful 11-month old son, Jack, and Truman, the family dog.

Speaker Applauds Legislators For K-12 Support Bill

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By Erica Irish
TheStatehouseFile.com

 INDIANAPOLIS — Lawmakers in the House passed a “top priority” measure to provide additional funding to K-12 schools Thursday.

Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, celebrated House Bill 1001’s passage as a victory for House Republicans.

“Our top priority for the House Republicans passed unanimously today with House Bill 1001, fully-funding local public schools this year and next,” Bosma said. “That was our very top priority.”

Rep. Sally Siegrist, R-West Lafayette, describes her bill to fund K-12 schools. Photo by Bryan Wells, TheStatehouseFile.com

The bill, authored by Rep. Sally Siegrist, R-West Lafayette, is a response to the unexpected enrollment of 6,000 additional students in Indiana’s public schools.

“Under House Bill 1001’s provisions, not a single Hoosier student in the K-12 would experience a reduction in their tuition support,” Siegrist said.

Siegrist said these numbers were not accounted for in the state’s biennium budget last session, creating a $16 million shortfall in funding student tuition. Without a solution, schools experiencing growth could lose around $15 per student, she added.

Her bill includes a transfer of up to $25 million from the state’s tuition reserve fund in 2018. By 2019, that transfer limit would increase to $50 million.

The purpose of the $348 million tuition reserve fund is to assist in situations like the one Indiana schools now face, Siegrist said.

“This is an opportunity for all of us, on both sides of the aisle and from every walk of life, to stand shoulder to shoulder to shoulder to ensure education remains fully funded for every student in every school in the K-12 in Indiana,” Siegrist said.

House Minority Leader Rep. Terry Goodin, D-Austin, supported the initiative, but later questioned the bill’s overall assessment of K-12 funding.

“I don’t think every school corporation would agree their students are fully funded,” Goodin said. “I think there will be some questions about the actual growth of public schools.”

Rep. Sheila Klinker, D-Lafayette, directed lawmakers to appreciate the wider impact this funding initiative may have on the public’s involvement in education.

“We’re hoping that this will encourage not only our students and our administrators, but also our young people—our best and brightest—to go into the education profession,” she said.

HB 1001 passed 96-0. Its counterpart, Senate Bill 189, is advancing in the Senate.

FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

STATUS: THE HARMONY WAY BRIDGE

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STATUS Of THE HARMONY WAY BRIDGE

by Dan Barton, Publisher Of The New Harmony Gazette 

Lora Arneberg has been acting as a liaison between Indiana Landmarks and The Economic Development Coalition of SW Indiana. She now heads a nine-member committee to reopen the Harmony Way Bridge. Lora recently responded to some questions from the New-Harmony Gazette regarding the progress of her efforts to bring forces to bear on this very important issue.

Ms. Arneberg indicated that the project is still moving forward and they are hoping to hold a public forum in the near future. Perhaps in March, she said. It will be an opportunity for the public to ask and get answers to questions about the direction of the committee and what progress is being made. Currently, they are working on legal issues and raising the matching funds for the Regional Cities money.

Lora stated that, with regard to repopulating the White County Bridge Commission, with only one Commissioner actively involved at the present, the Federal General Services Administration (GSA), that appoints new Commissioners, has not yet shown any solid movement. She said that they are still in contact though, and she and Indiana Landmarks, President Marsh Davis, are still working with several elected officials on that issue. The officials have all been supportive, she said.

The other idea that Lora and the new committee are working on has to do with developing some type of Port Authority instead of staying with the original Bridge Commission concept. This idea doesn’t seem to be fully developed at present, but she indicated that if the Port Authority idea is feasible they, “won’t need the [Bridge] Commission to transfer ownership [of the bridge].”

Lora reiterated that she is, “keeping in contact with the GSA, so we have that base covered as a backup plan. We did finally make a good contact at GSA but they had been waiting for the appointment of their new Head and that just happened finally in mid-December.”

It sounds like Lora and the Committee are moving forward according to the schedule she discussed with me back in December. It’s reported that she and the ad hoc committee are meeting weekly. It doesn’t look like Ms. Arneberg is letting the grass grow under her feet on this one. It’s a tough project but good reports have been coming into the Gazette. All we can do at this point is with her and the Bridge Committee the best and offer our support.

FOOTNOTE:  The City-County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias, or editing.

USI Baseball picked to win GLVC East

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The 13th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team is picked to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s East Division, in a poll voted on by the league’s head coaches.

The Screaming Eagles received eight first-place votes to tally 91 points. Bellarmine University was picked second in the East with four first-place votes and 83 points, ahead of the University of Illinois Springfield in third, who received the other three first-place votes and 76 points.

Rounding out the East Division, the University of Indianapolis is fourth (60 points), Lewis University fifth (46), McKendree University sixth (29) and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside last (28).

In the West, 16th-ranked Quincy University received 13 first place votes and 111 points, topping second-place Drury University, who received 96 points and one first-place vote. Missouri University of Science & Technology was picked third (78), followed by William Jewell College (63), and Maryville University (59), which received the final first place vote. Rockhurst University and Truman State University tied for sixth (47), while the University of Missouri-St. Louis rounded out the division with 31 points.

On the mound, USI returns senior right-handers Kyle Griffin and Devin Williams. Griffin was named first-team All-GLVC East Division in 2017, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.45 ERA, setting the single-season school record with 86 strikeouts. Williams, who missed 2017 due to injury, was named to the second-team All-GLVC East Division in 2016 after posting a 5-3 record with 50 strikeouts and a 1.95 ERA.

Looking to lead the Eagles at the plate will be senior infielder Sam Griggs and senior outfielder Drake McNamara, along with junior infielder Jacob Fleming. McNamara led the team in average, home runs and RBIs a year ago, hitting .368 with seven homers and 43 RBIs, earning first-team All-GLVC East Division and first-team All Midwest Region honors.

Griggs batted .293 last season with 40 RBIs on his way to being named second-team All-GLVC East Division, while Fleming was a first-team All-GLVC East Division performer scoring 29 runs, stealing 11 bases, driving in 14 runs and batting .298 in the leadoff position.

USI begins the season with a doubleheader February 16 at top-ranked Delta State University, before a neutral site, non-conference matchup against Quincy the following day. The GLVC Tournament will be May 10-13 at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Missouri.

EAST
Place School Points (1st)
1. Southern Indiana 91 (8)
2. Bellarmine 83 (4)
3. Illinois Springfield 76 (3)
4. Indianapolis 60
5. Lewis 46
6. McKendree 29
7. UW-Parkside* 28
WEST
Place School Points (1st)
1. Quincy 111 (13)
2. Drury 96 (1)
3. Missouri S&T 78
4. William Jewell 63
5. Maryville 59 (1)
6. Rockhurst 47
6. Truman State 47
8. Missouri-St. Louis 31

 

Vanderburgh County Drainage Board Agenda January 23, 2018

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Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Previous Minutes
Schedule of Meeting Dates and Times for 2018 Construction in Floodway-Midwestern Pet Foods Encroachment Agreement 2217 St Joe Industrial Park

Change to Final Drainage Plan-

  • ï‚·  Deaconess Sports Park
  • ï‚·  Goebel Soccer Fields

    Ditch Maintenance Claims Other Business
    Public Comment Adjournment

Men’s Basketball Opens Season Series Against Valparaiso

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For the first time as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, the University of Evansville and Valparaiso clash on the hardwood with a game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Valparaiso, Ind.

Prior to the Crusaders joining the MVC, the two teams have met on 83 occasions with the Purple Aces winning 66 of those meetings.

On Saturday, UE lost its third game in a row, dropping a 66-53 game at Bradley; the Braves opened the game on a 14-2 run and held on as the Aces got within a point in the first half.  The third 3-pointer of the first half pushed senior Blake Simmons over the 1,000-point mark in his UE career.  Simmons became the 49th player in program history to reach the mark.  He finished the contest with a team-best 12 points and has reached double figures in 11 of his last 13 games.

In his last five games, junior Dainius Chatkevicius has averaged 7.2 rebounds per game while hitting double figures on two occasions.  Chatkevicius has finished with double digit rebounds in two of the last four games, including a career-best of 11 against Missouri State.  His 5.5 boards per game ranks 15th in the MVC while he is one of the most accurate shooters in the league, sitting at 52.2%.

After being held scoreless in the first half at Bradley, Ryan Taylor erupted with 10 in the final 20 minutes to make it a perfect 14-for-14 this season in reaching double figures.  Taylor holds the MVC scoring lead with 19.6 points per game while averaging a league-best 35.4 minutes per contest.

Valparaiso enters Wednesday’s game with a record of 11-10 and 2-6 in the MVC.  The Crusaders opened the season winning their first eight games, but have gone 3-10 since that time.  Pacing the squad is Tevonn Walker with 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest; he also has a team-high 35 steals.  Bakari Evelyn checks in with 11.1 PPG and scored a team-high 19 points on Sunday against Loyola.  Center Derrik Smits is the son of former Indiana Pacers start Rik Smits.

Supreme Court To Consider Sentence Modification Question

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IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

The Indiana Supreme Court will consider a sentence modification question that is also getting attention from the Indiana General Assembly when it hears oral arguments this week.

The high court will hear the case of State of Indiana v. Pebble Stafford, 39S04-1712-CR-00749, at 9:45 a.m. Thursday. The central question in the case is whether courts have discretion to modify sentences that both parties agreed to pursuant to a fixed-sentence plea agreement.

In an October opinion, the Indiana Court of Appeals said “Yes,” determining that language in Indiana Code section 35-38-1-17(l) prohibits all forms of sentence modification waivers, even waivers that are inherent to the nature of fixed pleas.

The language of section (l) came about as part of the 2014 criminal code reform legislation, and lawmakers are now saying the appellate court’s interpretation of that language did not align with their legislative intent. Thus, Senate Bill 64 was filed to allow for fixed plea modifications only with prosecutorial consent.

Also on Thursday, the justices will consider whether to grant transfer to the case of Christopher K. Kesling, et al., v. Andrew C. Kesling, et al., 46A03-1701-MI-00064. That case addresses the question of whether three siblings who co-own a family business with their brother, Andrew Kesling, can pursue a direct action against Kesling.

A divided Indiana Court of Appeals upheld summary judgment for TP Orthodontics, Inc. – the Kesling family business that Andrew owns 51 percent of – finding Andrew’s three siblings failed to prove the exception under Barth v. Barth, 659 N.E.2d 559, 560 (Ind. 1995) allowed them to bring a direct action against their brother. Judge Michael Barnes dissented.

Oral arguments in the Kesling case will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday.

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