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FIX THE PARKS, NOT THE FEES
By Peter Funt
Three years ago this month, returning to my hotel room in Flagstaff, Arizona, I wrote:
At least once in a lifetime every American should lay eyes on the Grand Canyon, whose brilliant colors and dazzling erosional landscape inspire a kind of planetary patriotism. Stretching 277 miles long and a mile deep, it is perhaps our nation’s greatest natural treasure.
I went on to express sadness over a decision by the National Parks Service to raise admission from $25 per car to $30 – a five dollar hike! Our parks should be free, I argued, and Congress was being stingy by failing to pony up the relatively small sum needed to make that possible.
Which brings us to the recent announcement by the Interior Department that peak-season fees at our 17 most popular parks will jump to $70 per car, if the Trump Administration has its way. The cost to hike into one of the parks on foot would double to $30.
The new fees would raise about $70 million a year, according to government estimates. To help put that into perspective: Congress has allocated $120 million per year to provide security for Donald Trump’s family.
Under a formula established by Congress, each national park retains 80 percent of its admission fees, and shares the balance with other parks that do not charge fees. But according to the National Parks Service, the sole reason for charging fees in the first place is that Congress won’t allocate funds needed to maintain roads and essential infrastructure at the largest national parks.
In announcing the new visitor fees, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the additional money is needed for repairs to “help ensure that [parks] are protected and preserved in perpetuity.†Zinke’s misguided plan is to foist the higher fees on visitors during “peak season†– which is to say, when kids are out of school, their parents are able to vacation, and weather at the parks is at its best.
Under the proposal, new peak season entrance fees would be established at 17 locations. The NPS has the audacity to add, via its website, that the hikes are “part of its commitment to improve the visitor experience.â€
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has quietly proposed big cuts to the National Park Service budget.
What can you do? This is a rare case when public outcry might actually help. You can visit the NPS website at www.parkplanning.nps.gov and register a complaint. The window for comments closes Nov. 23.
“We should not increase fees to such a degree as to make these places, protected for all Americans to experience, unaffordable for some families,†said Theresa Pierno, head of the National Parks Conservation Association.
To which I’d add: If Donald Trump prefers a country-club nation of haves and have-nots, this new gambit fits right in.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and environmentalist Wallace Stegner called our national parks “the best idea we ever had.†Doubling the price of visiting them is clearly one of the worst.
IS IT TRUE NOVEMBER 3, 2017
We hope that todays “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?â€
IS IT TRUE that something that the City County Observer advocated for many years ago has finally come to be?…Evansville is going to get a new state of the art dog park and not one dime of public money is going to the dogs?…the new dog park fully paid for by the dog owners living in this area who choose to spend their own money will be adjacent to the soccer fields in the park on Vann Avenue that is between the Lloyd Expressway and Lincoln Avenue will be the site of the new pooch palace?…in the spirit of affection between man’s best friend and the Mayor’s office, the City of Evansville will be roughly $3 Million richer and the dog lovers will have the honor of paying their own way as opposed to having the taxpayer subsidize bowser’s recreational opportunities?
IS IT TRUE that a dog park paid by the users is how things are supposed to happen in a functioning society? …we hope this does not give Mayor Winnecke and the Evansville City Council the delusion that they have $3 Million to waste on some other nonsensical project?…we also hope that our elected officials  realize that good public policy practice by everyday day citizens has once again  saved them from themselves?
IS IT TRUE that the CCO also openly stated that a downtown hotel would happen without a subsidy when and if a medical school was becoming a reality?…as with the dog park, two hotels without the need for a handout have followed the medical school into downtown Evansville?…that is another $20 Million that the taxpayers of Evansville would have saved if we had a Mayor and Council with a shred of patience when it came to greasing an aspiring hotelier?…alas in the case of the Doubletree, the taxpayers saw that $20 Million plus go to waste unnecessarily?…we wonder who let those dogs out?…it must have been former Mayor Weinzapfel who boasted about how a Marriot would come to downtown Evansville without a subsidy if and only if a hockey arena was built?…that is turning out to be the gift that keeps on taking?…it takes about $9 Million per year that could have been used for some other useful purpose like sewers, water pipes, or road repairs?
IS IT TRUE that while we are on the subject of the City of Evansville borrowing money to build a downtown hockey rink, we noticed that buried in the fine print of President Trump’s proposed tax reform plan is a provision that will eliminate the tax free status of interest paid on municipal bonds issued for sports stadiums?…this is one provision of the proposed tax reform plan that the CCO heartily endorses as stadiums never perform up to expectations and allowing tax exempt debt to be utilized to fleece the taxpayers into building temples to sport was just wrong in the first place?…we wonder if this is going to apply to bonds that have already been issued?
IS IT TRUE that Henderson is about to see the K-Mart that has been there forever close as it was on a list of upcoming closures issued by the parent organization aka Sears and Roebucks?…the brick and mortar retail stores continue to get Amazoned on a regular basis?…some but not very many brick and mortar stores are finding new ways like making deals with towing companies to make up for the lost revenue?
IS IT TRUE that last night our first responders worked a scene of two shootings? Â …its was reported that a suspect was reported to be fleeing the scene of the shootings? …it was also members of the EPD were holding another possible suspect at gunpoint? Â …we are proud of our man and women in blue for help keeping our community safe from bad people?…the next time you see our first responders please give them a “thumbs up” for doing a great job in protecting us?
As of 9:40 p.m. AMR, police and fire units were still on scene.
At about 10:10 p.m., according to scanner traffic, the suspect vehicle was seen near Taylor Avenue turning onto Garvin Street. Police were working to locate the vehicle over the next two hours.
We will update as more details become available.
IS IT TRUE starting next week you will be able to read articles posted in the CCO articles written by Franklin College School of Journalism students about the current happenings at the State Capital? … articles that we will be publishing from the StatehouseFiles are; Courts and Crime, Drug Epidemic, Education, Environment, Health, immigration, Jobs-Economy and Labor, Local Government, Poverty, Roads and Construction, Social Issues, Taxes and Budgets, Technology, Commentary, Videos, Elections and News from Across Indiana? …we would like to thank long time supporter and friend Joe Wallace for stating that “this is a big win for the CCO. Congratulations on making this deal. This is a game changer”? Â …it look like Mr. Wallace understands that The StatehouseFile and the City COUNTY OBSERVER partnership agreement really is a big deal?
Todays READERS POLL question is:Â Do you feel that the partnership agreement between the STATEHOUSEFILE and the City COUNTY OBSERVER is really a big deal?
Please take time and read our newest feature articles entitled “LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTS†posted in our sections.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com.
EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City County Observer or our advertisers
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Coming to Evansville
Channel 44 News: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Coming to Evansville
NOVEMBER 2ND, 2017Â 
 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
 Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee will make a stop in the Tri-State.
He’ll be in Evansville April 19th, 2018 at the Vanderburgh County right to Life Banquet.
That’s the largest banquet of it kind in the nation.
Huckabee will serve as the featured speaker at the event.
Public Law Monitor
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USI Board Of Trustees Approves Conferral Of Fall 2017 Degrees
At its regular meeting on Thursday, November 2, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approved the conferral of master, baccalaureate, and associate degrees for the 2017 Fall Commencement Ceremonies, to be held on Saturday, December 9 in the Physical Activities Center.
The commencement speaker for the College of Liberal Arts and Romain College of Business ceremony will be Dr. Steven Zehr, professor of sociology and 2017 recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award. The commencement speaker for the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education and College of Nursing and Health Professions ceremony will be Robert Millard-Mendez, professor of art and 2017 recipient of the H. Lee Cooper Core Curriculum Award.
Additionally, Trustees received a report from Phil Parker, director of Career Services and Internships, on the 2016 Graduate Destination Survey. Among the results, 88 percent of responding degree recipients from the class of 2016 said that they found employment after graduation, and 25 percent reported they had enrolled in either a graduate program or professional school.
In other business, the Trustees heard reports on student financial assistance, insurance renewals and current construction projects.
PRICE IS RIGHT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY!
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First Security Bank Grand Opening Includes Donation to HOPE of Evansville
week with Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce, bank directors and customers, and HOPE of Evansville.
The bank chose to recognize and honor HOPE of Evansville with a $3,000 donation during the grand opening ceremony of the new banking center.
“HOPE of Evansville, and its mission to provide, promote, and sustain affordable housing and credit counseling opportunities for low-to-moderate income families, aligns perfectly with our “Why†at First Security Bank. Our Why is “Transforming lives through mutual trust†and watching HOPE working with families on homeownership is powerful and important work in our community,†said Jeff Jackson, EVP – Chief Commercial Banking Officer.
“We appreciate Mayor Winnecke and the Chamber joining us to celebrate our commitment to Evansville with this new banking center opening,†said Ty Swisher, Banking Center Manager.
The grand opening also included cash prizes for many customers and prospects, and tours of the banking center, which is the first location for First Security Bank’s new brand and customer experience.
First Security Bank, with $600 million in assets and more than 130 employees, has 11 banking centers in four major markets inc