Boehne is a 2-year-old male brown tabby. He was found as a stray by a VHS staff member (near Boehne Camp Road J) and never reclaimed. He’s very friendly and likes other cats! His $30 adoption fee includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
City County Observer Makes Arrangement With ProPublica Newsroom
The City-County Observer is pleased to announce that they have worked out an arrangement to use the contents published in the online award-winning ProPublica publication.
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. They dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust and they stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account. With a team of more than 50 dedicated reporters and editors.
ProPublica covers a range of topics including government and politics, business, criminal justice, the environment, education, healthcare, immigration, and technology. They focus on stories with the potential to spur real-world impact.
Among other positive changes, their reporting has contributed to the passage of new laws; reversals of harmful policies and practices; and accountability for leaders at local, state and national levels. Investigative journalism requires a great deal of time and resources, and many newsrooms can no longer afford to take on this kind of deep-dive reporting.
As a nonprofit, ProPublica work is powered primarily through donations. The vast bulk of the money they spend goes directly into a world-class, award-winning journalism. They are committed to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, and they practice transparent financial reporting so donors know how their dollars are spent.
ProPublica was founded in 2007-2008 with the belief that investigative journalism is critical to our democracy. Their staff remains dedicated to carrying forward the important work of exposing corruption, informing the public about complex issues, and using the power of investigative journalism to spur reform.
Partnerships are one of the ways that ProPublica can seek to maximize the impact of journalism. Since 2008, ProPublica has partnered with hundreds of other news organizations to report, edit, distribute, and create local content around their investigations. In the future, City-County Observer hopes to partner with ProPublica on doing investigative articles on local issues concerning the not so obvious.
FOOTNOTE: The MISSION of ProPublica is to expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing.
ProPublica is honored to have been recognized by their peers. ProPublica and members of their staff have been honored for the quality of our work, the ethics of our journalists, and the innovative spirit of our newsroom. Since they began publishing in 2008, ProPublica has received four Pulitzer Prizes, three Peabody Awards, two Emmy Awards, five George Polk Awards, three Online Journalism Awards for General Excellence and a National Magazine Award among others.
MAY 24, 2017 ‘READERS FORUM”
Whats on your mind today?
Todays “READERS POLL†question is Do you feel that the majority of the Evansville City Council members are knowingly withholding financial information about how much are the Thunderbolts debts for the 2016-17 season?
We urge you to take time and click the section we have reserved for the daily recaps of the activities of our local Law Enforcement professionals. This section is located on the upper right side of our publication.
If you would like to advertise or submit and article in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com
Law Suit Charges Firm Put Dubious Charges On Vectren Bills
Law Suit Charges Firm Puts Dubious Charges On Vectren Bills
DAVE STAFFOR FROM INDIANA LAWYERS
An untold number of Vectren utility customers were duped into paying dubious utility-line protection plan charges that went to a different company after Vectren presumably took a kickback on the charge, a proposed class-action lawsuit claims.
The suit filed Tuesday before Judge David Dreyer in Marion Superior Court Civil Division 10 alleges Nicor Energy Services Co. of Naperville, Ill., entered into an agreement to include unregulated charges on Vectren bills.
On those bills, “Nicor categorizes its charges as ‘Non Vectren Energy Delivery Charges’ in contrast to ‘Vectren Delivery and Supply Charges,’ which masks and fails to disclose what the charges are actually for,†according to the suit filed today by Cohen & Malad P.C. of Indianapolis.
“Utilities provide essential services and Hoosiers shouldn’t have to scour utility bills to see whether a private third party company has slipped charges onto their utility bills,†Cohen & Malad partner Lynn Toops said in a statement announcing the suit.
A Nicor spokesman said the company does not comment on pending litigation. A Vectren spokeswoman did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Lead plaintiff Kristyn Plummer alleges in the complaint that her bill for February of this year contained a charge of $45.50 for “Vectren Home Solutions†in addition to delivery and supply charges. The amount appears in the balance due section of the bill, but a fine-print disclaimer says nonpayment won’t result in service disconnection.
“You must directly contact your service provider at the number above to elect to cancel these optional services,†says the disclaimer, which does not name Nicor. “Your responsibility for these charges is dependent upon the terms of your agreement with the service provider.â€
The suit claims that regulators in Illinois and consumer-protection experts warn that the line protection plans are of little or no value. “Nicor’s plans are not insurance, but essentially valueless repair plans that consumers would not knowingly purchase because these plans are unnecessary, expensive, and provide very little coverage, if any at all,†the suit alleges. It calls Nicor’s arrangement with Vectren a “scheme to scam public utility customers.â€
The suit claims that the charges began appearing on Plummer’s bill last August when she moved and transferred Vectren service from one apartment to another, presumably opting into the service then. Even after Plummer called Vectren to opt out of the service when she noticed the fee last November, the charges continued to appear on her bills for the next several months, according to the suit.
The complaint seeks a class action for all Vectren customers who were billed for a “Non Vectren Energy Delivery Charge.†It asserts these charges violate the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, the Indiana Telephone Solicitations Act, the Indiana Commercial Solicitation Act, and represent unjust enrichment for Nicor.
The suit notes Nicor also operates in Indiana under the assumed names of Vectren Services, Pivotal Home Solutions, NIPSCO Home Solutions, Nicor Home Solutions, Nicor National, Nicor Services, Service Protection Group, D.M. Dykstra, Hawthorn Heating & Air Conditioning, and Tradewinds Heating & Air Conditioning.
The suit is Kristyn Plummer, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, v. Nicor Energy Services Co., 49-D10-1705-PL20673.
Vectren’s Official Statement Concerning The Nicor Energy Services Law Suit
Vectren’s Official Statement Concerning The Nicor Energy Services Law Suit
Nicor Energy Services Co. (doing business as Pivotal Home Solutions) offers ancillary home services for multiple utilities throughout the U.S., including Vectren Energy Delivery. Examples of these optional services include appliance repair and maintenance plans and indoor/outdoor piping or plumbing repair plans in which customers pay for insurance to cover expenses to repair, maintain and/or replace equipment in their home. This sort of home warranty/service plan cover issues typically not covered by homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
Pivotal Home Solutions and similar companies have been offering these services to Vectren customers for more than 10 years. They are typically offered to new customers during the move-in process or through direct mail pieces delivered directly to the customer’s home. Enrollment is completely voluntary, and the customer must proactively and affirmatively agree to enroll in the service(s); these services are not part of a default plan when becoming a Vectren customer.
The charge for the service(s), should a customer choose to enroll, is added to the Vectren bill to provide the customer a convenient bundled payment option. These charges are listed separately from the energy service charges as “Non Vectren Energy Delivery Charges†in both the bill summary section and a separate, bolded section on the bill, along with the phone number to contact the warranty company should the customer have questions or need to cancel the service(s). Likewise, the following description is listed below the bill line item.
“Non Vectren Energy Delivery charges, including charges for Vectren Home Solutions, are separate from the regulated utility charges of Vectren Energy Delivery. Failure to pay these optional services will not result in the disconnection of your utility service. You must directly contact your service provider at the number above if you elect to cancel these optional services. Your responsibility for these charges is dependent upon the terms of your agreement with the service provider.â€
CHANNEL 44 NEWS: Former Evansville Firefighter Michael Loveless Reaches Plea Deal
Former Evansville Firefighter Michael Loveless Reaches Plea Deal
A former Evansville firefighter accused of rape reaches a plea deal. The jury was seated Monday in the case, but Michael Loveless reached a plea deal. Loveless was on trial, facing charges of rape, criminal confinement, intimidation and battery,…
National Championships Arrive for USI Track & Field
The 25th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s track & field team will send four student-athletes to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships Thursday through Saturday, May 25-27 in Bradenton, Florida. Junior Jessica Lincoln (Palatine, Indiana) will also make the trip as the only qualifier on the Screaming Eagles’ women’s team.
Moving into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top-25 Computer Rankings for the first time in four weeks, the men will be led at the national championships by junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany). He Will bec ompeting in the 1,500-meters where he is seeded fourth and the 5,000-meters where he recorded the fifth fastest time in NCAA II this season. Grau will look to add to his championship resume after capturing the national title in the mile at the indoor championships this past winter.
Two Eagles will appear in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) seeded 11th. Broughton finished sixth in the event at the 2016 national meet en route to his first All-America honors. Junior James Cecil (Owensboro, Kentucky) will make his first appearance in an NCAA II Track & Field Championship event after earning the 20th and final seed in the steeplechase.
Also making his first appearance in an NCAA II Track & Field Championship event, senior Noah Lutz (Evansville, Indiana) owns the 12th-fastest time in the 10,000-meters. Lincoln will also compete in the 10,000-meters in the women’s event where she is seeded 19th.
Preliminaries for the 1,500-meters will be held Thursday, May 25 at 5:10 p.m. with the finals taking place Saturday, May 27 at 4:45 p.m. The 3,000-meter steeplechase preliminaries will also be run on Thursday at 6:55 p.m., while the finals are set for Friday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. Â Lincoln and Lutz will compete in the finals of the 10,000-meters to end Thursday’s slate with Lincoln competing at 7:55 p.m. and Lutz running at 8:35 p.m. Grau will compete in the 5,000-meter final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the final event of the Eagles’ track & field season.