“READERS FORUM” JANUARY 19, 2018
WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that U. S. Congressman Larry Bucshon has represented the needs of the people of the 8th District?
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.
Chief Judge Of The Vanderburgh County Superior Court Leslie C. Shively Selected As A CCO “Outstanding Community Services Award” Winners For 2018
The City-County Observer is excited to announce our second (2)Â “Outstanding Community Services Award” winner for 2018.
The “Outstanding Community Services Award” winner for 2018 is the extremely popular and the very personable and the Honorable Chief Judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court, Judge Leslie C. Shively
Judge Shively graduated from Indiana University, B.S./Accounting. He earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Indiana University. He graduated with honors from the McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.
For 32 years he represented numerous clients in civil litigation involving significant land use and property rights issues. He also represented governmental organizations, including the Vanderburgh County Election Board, the Town of Chandler and the Warrick County Plan Commission. From 2001–2011, he served as a member of the Indiana State Board of Law Examiners and was its President for two years. Judge Shively was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to act as a hearing officer in attorney disciplinary proceeding. He is currently the Chief judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court.
The Boards And  Committees that Judge Les Shively has been involved in over the years are:
Board of Governors, Indiana State Bar Association (2014-2016)
Board of Managers, Indiana Judge’s Association (2014 – Present)
Board of Directors, Indiana Judicial Conference (2014 – Present)
Indiana University Board of Trustees – 1976-1977 (First Student Trustee)
Ivy Tech Community College (State Trustee) – 2009 – 2013
Indiana State Student Assistance Commission – 1986-1989
Indiana State Board of Law Examiners – 2001-2011; President 2009-2010
Vanderburgh County Election Board – 1991-1994
Evansville Bar Association, Secretary, 1982-1983; Board of Directors – 1982-1983
Indiana State Bar Association, Chair, Land Use Section, 2000-2004
Evansville Bar Association Board of Directors (1986) and (2013-2015)
Evansville Bar Association Foundation (2013-2017)
Publications That Judge Shively Has Authored are:
“Residential Transactions†for Lawson and Federoff’s Indiana Real Estate Transactions, 1995).
ICEF, Annual Real Estate Institute, November 6, 2003 (authored section on residential case law update).
ICLEF, Annual Estate Institute, November 1, 2006 (authored section on residential case law update)
ICLEF, Planning and Zoning, May 22, 2008, (authored “Establishing a Good Administrative Record in Your Zoning Case).
ICLEF, Planning, and Zoning, August 5, 2011; “Case Law Update†(authored section on residential case law update).
Some Of The Notable Awards That Judge Shively Received Were:
Elvis J. Stahr Distinguished Senior Award (1976)
EVSC Hall of Fame (2017)
Judge Shively Involvement In Area Boards And Organizations Are Nothing Less Than Impressive. Â He served on the following boards and organizations.
Youth First: Governmental Affairs Committee – 2011-2012; Board of Directors 2012-present. This is an organization which works with the schools in Southwestern Indiana to provide counseling and direction for at-risk children.
Methodist Youth Home Board of Directors: 2002-2010. This is an entity which provides services and housing for young people in particular young women who are either the subject of CHINS petitions and/or of juvenile court proceedings.
Leadership Evansville Board of Directors: 1988-1989. This organization provides training and direction for future community leaders.
YMCA Board of Directors: 1988-1992; YMCA Dunigan Branch Board of Directors: 2002-2010
Vanderburgh County 4-H Center, Inc., Board of Directors: 1995-2003
He was also honored with the Martindale–Hubbell Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards (2001) and was selected as a “Top Lawyer Indiana – Real Estate Law Indiana Monthly Magazine (2012)”
Judge Shively real claim to fame was from 1991-2009 he hosted a local current event/call-in radio show.  From 2000-2008, he co-hosted a weekly television show on PBS affiliate WNIN entitled “Shively & Shoulders†with fellow attorney and personal friend, Patrick Shoulders. On this show, they interviewed local and state public officials engaged in vigorous discussions on current issues and events.
When he has time he does some adjunct teaching at the University of Evansville and
Ivy Tech Community College.
In the next several weeks we shall be announcing other “Outstanding Community Services Award” winners for 2018. This year’s awards luncheon will be held at Tropicana-Evansville Walnut rooms A and B on March 22, 2018. The registration begins at 11:30 am, the event officially starts at 12 noon on March 22, 2018. Reservations for this event may be obtained by calling 812-774-8011. Deadline for registration is March 20, 2018. Last year’s event was a sellout.
Indiana Senate Panel Votes Against Expanded Cold Beer Sales
IL for www.theindianalawyer.com
Indiana will likely remain the only state that restricts who can sell cold beer after a Senate panel voted Wednesday to uphold a closely guarded law that protects the interests of liquor stores.
The measure, the first to ever receive a hearing in the Senate Public Policy Committee, was voted down 9-1, all but dooming the effort this legislative session. A House committee voted 12-1 earlier Wednesday to support lifting Indiana’s decades-old ban on Sunday carryout alcohol sales.
In Indiana, grocers, convenience stores, and pharmacies can sell cold wine and warm beer. But the sale of cold beer is primarily restricted to liquor stores, whose owners have donated generously to lawmakers’ campaign funds while battling fiercely to maintain the status quo.
“A vote to expand cold beer sales†is a vote to “put liquor stores out of business,†testified Jon Sinder, who is a co-owner of Crown Liquors, a chain of central Indiana liquor stores.
During Wednesday’s hearing, both sides portrayed the other as greedy.
It pitted convenience store owners, purporting to stand up for consumer interests and free markets, against liquor stores that portrayed themselves as mom-and-pop businesses that are the state’s trusted purveyor of alcohol.
Indiana’s past embrace of temperance movement was an undercurrent that ran throughout, with opponents warning a change in the cold beer law would lead to social ills fueled by a proliferation of street corner alcohol stores.
“Alcohol and gas do not mix. So let’s go ahead and use Hoosier common sense and be different from the other 49 states,†said Knightstown resident Sarah Ward, who is president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Indiana.
Jay Ricker, the owner of the Ricker’s chain of convenience stores, vowed to keep pushing the proposal this session, though he acknowledged it was an uphill fight.
“You know who gets left out?†asked Ricker. “It’s the consumers in Indiana. And everybody seems to ignore that.
Ricker said he offered a number of concessions to lawmakers and liquor store owners. He proposed raising the age of cashiers to 21, mandating alcohol training and increasing fees that convenience stores would pay to help cover additional enforcement.
But supporters of the measure, including Ricker, said Republican committee Chairman Ron Alting would not allow any of their proposals to be heard during the committee.
An Associated Press review last year found liquor store interests have spent at least $150,000 on lobbying in recent years while donating more than $750,000 to lawmakers since 2010. Alting topped the list.
The cold beer measure is one of two major alcohol proposals before the Legislature this session. Earlier in the day, the House Public Policy committee approved a bill that would repeal Indiana’s Prohibition-era ban on Sunday carryout alcohol sales. That measure appears to have much broader support.
The added sense of urgency lawmakers are approaching alcohol matters with this session was touched off by Ricker last year.
He found a legal loophole and started serving burritos at two stores, enabling him to obtain an alcohol license typically reserved for restaurants. That set him up to sell carryout cold beer — until lawmakers intervened.
They passed legislation last spring that Ricker said will make it virtually impossible to renew his licenses.
“I have to sell what my customers want,†he said, “And my customers want a cold beer.â€
Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura To Join Staff Of AG Curtis Hill
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced today that Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura is joining his staff to serve in the position of Special Counsel.
Previously, Judge Bonaventura spent more than 30 years in judicial roles in Lake County. She worked as Magistrate in the Juvenile Court for more than a decade until 1993, when then-Governor Evan Bayh appointed her to serve as Senior Judge of the Lake County Superior Court, Juvenile Division.
In 2013, then-Governor Mike Pence appointed Judge Bonaventura to serve as Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), which works to ensure the financial support of children and, foremost, to protect children from abuse and neglect. Judge Bonaventura served in this role until December of 2017.
She joins the Office of the Attorney General effective Monday, January 22.
“I’m extremely pleased to bring aboard a leader of such caliber as Judge Bonaventura,†Attorney General Hill said. “Her breadth of experience and depth of knowledge will continue to prove indispensable assets to the citizens of Indiana as she steps into this next phase of her distinguished public service.â€
Judge Bonaventura expressed eagerness to begin her new role.
“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with AG Hill on continuing the fight against the opioid crisis and tackling the many challenges facing Hoosiers and their families,†she said.
Judge Bonaventura has led or served on many boards and commissions as part of her advocacy for children. In addition, she has received many awards and citations for her work. A Lake County native, she earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, and received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree from Marian University.
Adopt A Pet
George is a 2-year-old male tuxedo cat. He is FIV+, but can live just fine with other cats even if they don’t have FIV. In fact, he currently lives in the Cageless Cat Lounge with no problems at all. He’s very playful and loves mousey toys! George’s fee is $40 and he’s already neutered, microchipped, and ready to go home today. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org for details!
Evansville native to share homelessness journey as part of annual Symposium
USI to host screening of “Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home†documentary
Evansville native Terri “Detroit†Hughes will share her remarkable journey from Skid Row to the movie screen during a public screening of the documentary film “Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home†at 6:30 p.m. Monday, February 19, in Carter Hall in the University Center at the University of Southern Indiana. This free, public event is associated with the Symposium on Homelessness, a student activity earlier in the day for which Hughes is the keynote speaker.
Hughes travels the country, conducting presentations on homelessness, poverty, mental illness and drug addiction. In 2014, she first shared her story at USI during the Symposium on Homelessness, and she also answered questions following a screening of “The Soloist,†in which she plays herself: a homeless, 88-pound woman with a drug addiction and mental illness living on Skid Row in Los Angeles.
In “Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home,†viewers will follow the journeys of Hughes and seven other individuals who lived in the area of downtown Los Angeles, California, that contains one of the largest populations of homeless people in the United States. The documentary, narrated by Catherine Keener, also spotlights outreach programs that are helping many to recover from mental illness and substance abuse and to find stability.
“Hearing Terri Hughes speak is a unique opportunity to learn from someone’s personal experience of being homeless,†said Julie St. Clair, clinical assistant professor of nursing and chair of the symposium committee. “Her story of overcoming many obstacles in her life is remarkable. We hope this film and the symposium will keep the dialogue going about strategies to combat chronic homelessness.â€
This is the sixth year that USI will host this event to educate senior-level students on the challenges related to homelessness they may face when they enter the workforce. The symposium is a collaboration between USI, Indiana University School of Medicine – Evansville, Ivy Tech Community College Evansville Campus and the University of Evansville.
Last year, nearly 400 student participants from all four academic institutions attended the Symposium on Homelessness, which included representatives from a wide variety of health-related fields as well as social work, teacher education and others. The event will include a volunteer fair that will offer opportunities for students to get involved with local community agencies that address homelessness directly. Representatives from local agencies will be on hand to answer questions and sign up volunteers.
St. Clair said the Symposium on Homelessness grew from Destination Home, an effort begun in 2004 to end homelessness in Vanderburgh County.
“In addition to raising awareness in the community, we also want to educate students about the needs of this group of people they will most likely encounter in their careers as teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc.,†said St. Clair. “Knowing something about the challenges homeless men and women face every day will help our students know how to best care for them.â€
For more information, contact St. Clair at 812-465-1169 or jstclair@usi.edu.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Jurel Oneil Bennett: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Auto theft (Level 6 Felony)
Rian James Poag: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Thomas S. Gibson: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Walter Daniel Rainey: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor)
Katie Michelle Wilson: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 4 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 4 Felony)
Christopher Lee Hall: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of marijuana (Class A misdemeanor)
Kent Lee Stevens:Â Conspiracy Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)
Justin Ray Miller: Conspiracy Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe
Harold Allen Bales: Failure to register as a sex or violent offender (Level 5 Felony), Failure to register as a sex or violent offender (Level 6 Felony)
Joshua C. Absher: Maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances (Level 6 Felony), Strangulation (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor)
James Michael Leslie: Maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances (Level 6 Felony)
Justin T. Pickens: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Thomas L. Clayton: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Theft (Class A misdemeanor)
Cameron Keyshawn Cuoto: Theft of a firearm (Level 6 Felony), Dealing in marijuana (Level 6 Felony)
Joseph John Sisco: Domestic battery (Level 5 Felony)
Ronnie Eugene Sanders II: Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon (Level 4 Felony), Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life (Level 5 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Theft of a firearm (Level 6 Felony)
Brandy Lynn Bruce: Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony)
Terry Gene Bruce: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a passenger less than 18 years of age (Level 6 Felony), Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony)
Brian Keith Thornton: Domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury (Level 6 Felony), Battery resulting in moderate bodily injury (Level 6 Felony)
John Andrew Kuntz: Residential entry (Level 6 Felony)
Joshua Aaron Williams: Maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances (Level 6 Felony)
Brandy Marie Granderson: Criminal trespass (Level 6 Felony)
Sara Lijanilik Kibin: Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Armed robbery (Level 3 Felony), Aiding Armed robbery (Level 3 Felony), Armed robbery (Level 3 Felony)