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Former Death Row Inmate to Speak at UE on October 30

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30 Years on Death Row: A Call to Action for Criminal Justice Reform

Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton will speak at the University of Evansville as part of the Honors Program Lecture Series on Monday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m. in Eykamp Hall Room 251. This event is free to the public and seating is limited—first come, first served.

Hinton was falsely accused of committing two murders outside of Birmingham, Alabama, in 1985. He was wrongly convicted and spent nearly 30 years on Alabama’s death row before he was exonerated and freed in April 2015. A deeply compelling speaker, he has become a community educator and powerful advocate against the death penalty who speaks nationally about the urgent need for criminal justice reform.

Hinton was featured in the book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by author and attorney Bryan Stevenson.  Stevenson, who managed Hinton’s sentencing appeal, is also the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system.

Taco Tuesday Savings!!

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UE men’s golf heads to Kansas City

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Aces to play on Monday and Tuesday 

 The final event of the fall season is set for early next week as the University of Evansville men’s golf team travels to Overland Park, Kan. for the Bill Ross Intercollegiate.

Milburn Country Club is the host for the 54-hole tournament.  Two rounds will be played on Monday with one more set for Tuesday.  Other schools taking part include: Wichita State, Grand Canyon, UMKC, South Dakota, Bradley, Missouri State, Nebraska-Omaha, Oklahoma Christian, UNI, Creighton and SIU Edwardsville.

Par for the tournament is 72 while the yardage is 7,054.

For the second year in a row, University of Evansville golfer Tyler Gray was the champion of the Butler Fall Invitational as the Purple Aces took second place at the tournament on Tuesday at Highland Country Club.

Gray defeated Graham McAree from the University of Indianapolis by two strokes.  Gray’s rounds checked in at 67-69-68 as his 2-under on the final day gave him the win with a 204.  He finished the tournament at 6-under par.  Last year, Gray scored an even 210 en route to the victory.

Also bringing home a top ten finish was Noah Reese.  After two rounds of 72 on Monday, Reese carded a 74 on Tuesday to finish with a 218, putting him 7th in the final order.  Matthew Ladd tied for 12th place.  A solid 3-over 73 in the final round gave him a 221 for the event.

Cameron Weyer tied for 22nd.  He lowered his score in each round of play, finishing Tuesday’s 18 holes with a 73 to complete the tournament with a 227.  Jessie Brumley did not see action on Monday, but finished with a 74 on Tuesday.

UE’s individuals were led by freshman Gabe Rohleder.  He tied for 26th with a 3-round total of 228.  Spencer Wagner tied for 32nd on the strength of a 230 while Robert Waggoner came home in a tie for 40th following a total of 235 shots in the event.

 

TILLERSON AND MORON

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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 Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Devon Michael Stevens: Burglary (Level 3 Felony), Attempt Robbery resulting in bodily injury (Level 3 Felony), Conspiracy Robbery (Level 5 Felony), Criminal confinement (Level 5 Felony), Conspiracy Burglary (Level 4 Felony)

Jordan Turner: Burglary (Level 3 Felony), Attempt Robbery resulting in bodily injury (Level 3 Felony), Conspiracy Robbery (Level 5 Felony), Criminal confinement (Level 5 Felony), Conspiracy Burglary (Level 4 Felony)

Jackie Wayne Hamaker: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony)

Dustin Lane Clark: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor)

Tosha Sue Carson: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)

Cesar Hernandez Contreras: Public indecency (Level 6 Felony), Public indecency (Level 6 Felony), Public intoxication (Class B misdemeanor), Public nudity (Class C misdemeanor)

Body cam footage refutes former City Council member’s claim of unethical behavior by EPD Officer during car stop

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 On October 4th, local attorney and former City Council member Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley used her personal Facebook page to post her version of a car stop made by an Evansville Police Officer. In the post, she claimed the officer encouraged her to improperly use her connections as an attorney to get the ticket taken care of. She went on to compare the officer’s behavior to a rogue cop from a TV show.
Her post read:
–I was pulled over for failing to stop fully at a stop sign. It was a young officer who noted he knew who I was but still had to give me the ticket. He told me “you can probably go talk to a judge and take care of it. I’m sure you know plenty’. He was so clueless in his suggestion to act improperly, I didn’t say anything. However, I immediately saw a Law and Order episode. He was the young cop who due to inexperience and naivety gets caught up in a police crime ring. He doesn’t have the courage initially to say no. Of course then he wa nts out and can’t live with the guilt. –-
Due to the serious nature of the claims made by Mrs. Brinkerhoff-Riley, the Evansville Police Department looked into the situation as soon as the post was shared with a department supervisor.
The traffic stop happened back on August 23rd and was captured on the officer’s body worn camera. The video shows her claims of unethical behavior are false. It also shows her attempt to relate his behavior to a young, naive cop destined to be caught up in a crime ring is as fictional as the TV show she referenced in her post.
While the officer acknowledged he knew who she was, he explained she was still receiving the ticket because the intersection where she ran the stop sign was a location of concern for traffic violations. He also told her the ticket was not “pointable”, meaning her license would not be impacted by the ticket.
The reference to her knowing plenty of judges was not made as a suggestion that she particip ate in improper behavior as she claimed in her post. The comment was made as a reply to her direct question of “is it deferrable?” Meaning can she do the traffic ticket deferral program instead of paying the ticket. As a licensed attorney, she knows about the program and was asking if she could participate in it. The officer told her that because she did not have any previous traffic convictions, she would be able to participate and that she should talk to a judge about it. In her Facebook post, Mrs. Brinkerhoff-Riley failed to mention her question about the deferral program, thereby setting the stage for her false claim.
At no time did the officer imply or instruct her to improperly use her position as an attorney to get the ticket dismissed or “taken care of”. The officer was professional in his dealings with Mrs. Brinkerhoff-Riley. He was ethical in his handling of the situation and was concise in his explanation of the ticket and how she could proceed once the tick et was issued.
The body cam video will be posted in its entirety on the Evansville Police Department page and YouTube Channel for public viewing.

IS IT TRUE OCTOBER 6, 2017

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We hope that todays “IS IT TRUE” 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?

IS IT TRUE in order to balance the 2018 city budget council members Justin Elpers and John Hayden are recommending $1.8 million dollars in budget cuts?  …we are pleased that we have at least two conservative members serving on the Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that community leader and highly successful business woman Amy Word Smith is seriously considering running for the At-Large seat on the Evansville City Council in 2019?
IS IT TRUE that the budget amendment process is being executed and much of the City of Evansville support for non-profits and fun and games is being proposed for ZERO funding? …the oft maligned Penguin exhibit may be on the chopping block to be defunded to ZERO as are 14 non-profits which will possibly lose $105,500?…the seldom ridden Highway 41 trolley is finally getting a serious look at because of lack of ridership?  …we hear that Mayor Winnecke is against making this budget cut? …cutting this unappreciated route will save the City $102,500?
IS IT TRUE the taxpayers of Evansville still do not know where Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke stands on the proposed  COIT tax increase? …we hope that Mayor Winnecke will make a public statement if he’s for or against the COIT tax increase before City Council votes on this issue next Monday?
IS IT TRUE that our Civic Center “Moles” tell us that Mayor Winnecke has decided to not to mess with the “HOMESTEAD TAX CREDIT” in 2018?
 IS IT TRUE that very little has been said on how Mayor Winnecke plans to pay for the Evansville Thunderbolts Hockey 2018 team operating expenses?  …we can’t find any reference in the proposed 2018 City operating budget?  …we been told that some of the 2018 Thunderbolts operating expenses may have been quietly added to the Evansville/Vanderburgh County Building Authority 2018 operating budget?
IS IT TRUE we wonder why City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr hasn’t informed members of City Council how much did it costs the taxpayers of Evansville to subsidized the Evansville Thunderbolts operating expenses during the 2017 hockey season?
IS IT TRUE we look forward to City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr giving members of City Council a detailed and accurate breakdown on how much it will costs the city taxpayers to subsidized the Evansville Thunderbolts during the 2018 hockey season?
IS IT TRUE that the reporting of open government activities may be taking a major hit in 2018?  …Mayor Winnecke has recommended that City Council eliminate the funding of WINN TV from the 2018 city budget?  …it looks like the Mayor feels that the taxpayers can watch the live and unedited City Council meetings vie streaming them on their personal computers?
IS IT TRUE we are told on Monday that the Evansville City Council will formally vote to raise the County Option Income Tax (COIT)?  …we predict  that any member of  the Evansville City Council who votes for the County Income Option Tax will be putting their future political career in jeopardy?
IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville doesn’t have a revenue problem they just have a spending problem?
IS IT TRUE if you want to contact members of the Evansville City Council to discuss your concerns pertains to the proposed 2018 City Budget listed below are their contact information?

WARD 1- DAN MCGINN-FINANCE CHAIRMEN

(H) 812-4796336- or dmcginn@evansville.in.gov

WARD 2 – MISSY MOSBY-PRESIDENT

 (C) 812-453-6479 or mmosby@evansville.in.gov

WARD 3 – JOHN HAYDEN

(C) 812-618-2122 or jhayden@evansville.in.gov

WARD 4 – CONSTANCE  ROBINSON

(C) 812-204-3869 or
(H) 812-425-2372 or connie@hmrdistribution.com

WARD 5 JUSTIN ELPERS-VICE CHAIRMAN

 (C) 812-454-3479 or jelpers@evansville.in.gov

WARD 6 – JIM BRINKMEYER

(C) 812-480-6909 or jbrinkmeyer@evansville.in.gov

AT- LARGE -DR. H. DAN ADAMS

 (H) 812-425-4220 or (C) 812-459-4221 or drhda501@aol.com

AT-LARGE MICHELLE MERCER

 (C) 812-568-5393 or mmercer@evansville.in.gov

AT-LARGE JONATHAN WEAVER

 (H) 812-568-0562 or jweaver@evansville.in.gov

 FOOTNOTE: This contact lists was provided to the City County Observer by City Clerk Laura Windhorst.

Todays READERS POLL question is: Do you feel that Mayor Winnecke should make a public statement if he’s for or against the COIT tax increase before City Council votes on this issue next Monday?

 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.
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EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City County Observer or our advertisers