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IS IT TRUE MARCH 1, 2017

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IS IT TRUE that the polls for the United States are conflicted as conflicted can be?…as was predicted President Donald J. Trump has the lowest approval rating of any president at this point of his term in office?…President Trump only has an average approval rating of 44% with some polls under 40% and only one close to 50%?…in spite of the low approval rating for President Trump, the Real Clear Politics average for “is the country moving in the right direction” is at a four year high and rising?…it is truly mystifying to have a President who inspires disapproval while his actions are getting much higher approval ratings than the actions of the very popular Barack Obama?…it seems as though the American electorate likes the actions but doesn’t care for the guy who is driving the actions?…given the choice of a popular president who does things that people disapprove of or an unpopular president who does things people like, the smartest choice is to go with the latter?

IS IT TRUE that ECHO Housing has plans to turn a vacant warehouse at 101 N. Garvin St. into 27 one-bedroom units of housing for the chronically homeless.  …the project is expected to cost $6.1 million?  ….that our hard earn tax dollars we send to the State of Indiana shall pay for this “Pork Barrel” project?  …ECHO Executive Director Stephanie TenBarge said “that her organization will also commission a “Mural” on the side of the building?  …we remember when Ms. TenBarge commissioned another “Mural” to be printed on the side of a building located just behind the McDonalds resturant located on North Main and the Lloyd Expressway?  …we recall when ECHO Executive Director Stephanie TenBarge declared that this “Mural” will enhance the opportunity of bringing economic development to the North Main Jacobsville area? …we were told that she hired an out of town artist to paint this abstract “Mural” costing many of thousands of dollars? …we urge you to drive to the North Main McDonalds and look at the building directly behind it so you can see if this “Mural” would motivate  you to locate a business on North main street?  …we wonder how many poor people could had used the many thousand of tax dollars spent on this less than attractive piece of exterior abstract art to pay electric bills and put food on the table?  …in our opinion putting a painted “Mural” on the side of apartment building for the homeless is a total waste of our hard earned tax dollars?

IS IT TRUE we wonder how many two bedrooms Habitat type homes that ECHO could had been built with this $6 million dollars State grant earmarked for providing housing for the homeless and economically disadvantaged of this area? …the answer is around 100 homes?   … can anyone tell us who are the Evansville ECHO-Housing 2017 Board of Directors members because we tried to locate them but failed?

IS IT TRUE it’s time for the City to find other locations to hold charitable fundraising activities events held on Riverside Drive because they  interfere with Tropicana-Evansville business activities?  …it’s guesstimated that that corporate citizen Tropicana-Evansville is losing around $50,000 a day when the city closes Riverside Drive for charitable events?  …in 2016 Tropicana-Evansville give the City of Evansville a $25 million dollar advancement from the projected gaming money profits from their 2017 budget to help fund the city  budget shortfalls?  … it’s obvious that Tropicana -Evasville is working with Evansville and it’s time we start working with them by keeping Riverside Drive open 24-7 so they can continue being a great corporate citizen?

IS IT TRUE that the lawmakers of the State of Indiana have set the stage for all governments at the state and local level to start getting less of the casino tax known in and around Evansville as “boat money”?…back when casino gambling was approved it was going to be the “manna from heaven” that funded education?  … later on our elected officials declared that those dollars could be redirected to help pay for infrastructure?…here we are more than 20 plus years later our city officials are now borrowing $25 million against future “boat money” to pay for fun and games projects that will not impact the economy any more than Weinzapfel’s folly Ford Center did? …State sources say that the Indiana Division of Mental Health will lose $2 Million per year due to the changes in taxation?

FOOTNOTE:  Todays ‘READERS POLL” question is: Do you think that the taxpayers should pay $225,000 per one bedroom apartment to house the homeless?

 

 

Channel 44 News: Indiana Senate Passes “Peeping Tom” Drone Bill

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Indiana Senate Passes “Peeping Tom” Drone Bill

The Indiana Senate passes a bill creating a new charge for anyone using a drone for voyeurism. State Sen. Eric Koch says the peeping drone bill “keeps the law ahead of technology.” The measure creates a remote aerial voyeurism crime and…

Attorney General Curtis Hill Visits White House

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Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill

 Photos of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House while visiting Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Davis Promoted to Captain at Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division

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On February 23, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter promoted Lieutenant Mark R. Davis to the rank of captain to serve as assistant commander of the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is responsible for enforcing both state and federal regulations on all commercial motor vehicles.

Davis is a native of Fort Wayne and a 1973 graduate of Fort Wayne Northside High School. He attended Ball State University and graduated in 1979 with a BS in Criminal Justice.

Davis began his law enforcement career in 1983 upon graduation from the 41st Indiana State Police Academy.  He was assigned to the Lowell Post and patrolled Jasper and Newton Counties.  In 1987 he transferred to the Seymour Post.  In 1992, Davis was promoted to Squad Sergeant and supervised troopers in Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings Counties. August 2003, he was promoted to Lieutenant to serve as commander of the Seymour District. Upon the closing of Seymour he transferred to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division to serve as Lieutenant.

Captain Davis will be the Assistant Division Commander for the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Division. He will be the assistant commander to 120 employees, both enforcement and civilian, statewide.

Captain Davis resides with his wife, LuAnn in Bartholomew County.

Regional Cities Initiative to Support Campus Infrastructure, Medical Services in Southwest Indiana

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The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has approved Regional Cities Initiative funding to support housing and mixed-use developments at Oakland City University and the construction of a Regional Medical Center in Poseyville.
“As our state’s economy continues to advance, it is crucial that we address the greatest economic threat facing the state, population stagnation,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “The expansion of Oakland City University provides a means to grow enrollment, strengthen alumni relationships and spur economic opportunity in surrounding communities while the construction of the Regional Medical center will give residents quicker access to medical treatment, a core element of quality of place.”
“Both the Oakland City University Boulevard Commons and the Regional Medical Center perfectly align with the goals of the Indiana’s Great Southwest plan for attracting and retaining talent while building a better quality of place,” said Beth McFadin Higgins, president of the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.
OAKLAND CITY UNIVERSITY

Oakland City University will construct two structures - a student residence complex and an alumni lodge. The two-floor, 30,000-square-foot student resident hall, which will be located just west of the J. Michael Dunn Art Gallery on Williams Street, will allow the university to accommodate approximately 100 more students.

The second facility, a mixed-used space, will comprise commercial retail space and a 13,000-square-foot alumni lodge with overnight accommodations for guests, a conference center and hospitality suite. The new alumni lodge will be located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Williams Street on Oakland City University’s campus.

Total Project Investment: $14.9 million
State funding: $2.9 million

“Oakland City University is pleased to be a part of the Regional Cities Initiative,” said Dr. Robert Yeager, vice president for administration and finance at Oakland City University.  “We believe the outcome of this project will open up opportunity for students and the overall economy of Oakland City and Gibson County, as well as aid in the overarching goals of Indiana’s Great Southwest.”

REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

The Poseyville Medical Foundation will construct a medical facility to house two family practice physicians with room to expand. The Regional Medical Center will update local medical services, including laboratory services, for residents of Posey, Gibson and Vanderburgh counties.

The facility will be located at 40 West Fletchall Street in Poseyville. Located near I-64, the medical center will enhance the region’s quality of place by ensuring convenient access to medical treatment and will expand access to quality health care for rural residents in southwest Indiana.

Total Project Investment: $700,000
State funding: $135,247

“The Poseyville Medical Foundation Inc. saw a great need in our rural communities for quality medical care for area residents,” said Bruce Baker, vice president of the Poseyville Medical Foundation Inc. and Poseyville Town Council president.  “With assistance from the Regional Cities funding, the Regional Medical Center will be on its way to fulfill this need swiftly as well as helping retain resident doctors.”

Regional Cities Initiative in Southwest Indiana:
These projects were recommended for funding by the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) and are part of the region’s Indiana’s Great Southwest plan, which outlines a goal of 11 regional development projects in four counties totaling $926 million in quality of place investments.

Southwest Indiana was one of three Indiana regions selected to receive state funding through the Regional Cities Initiative, which will allocate a total of $126 million toward 100 quality of place projects totaling more than $2 billion in combined state, local and private investment in order to retain and attract top talent to the Hoosier state.

Adopt A Pet

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 Marty McFly is a 1-year-old male black cat. He’s extremely affectionate and loves to be held! He came into the VHS as a tiny baby on October 21, 2015 – on Back to the Future Day, hence the name! His $30 adoption fee includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!

 

COA Affirms Damages Award To State

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COA Affirms Damages Award To State

Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com

The state of Indiana was entitled to more than $1 million in costs and treble damages after a township auditor criminally misappropriated funds, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Tuesday, though it reduced the total amount of damages owed to the state.

In 2010, Alan Mizen, chief financial officer for Center Township in Marion County, deposited a check for nearly $350,000 into an account held by “Alan S. Mizen DBA Attorney’s General Clearing Tr.” He transferred the funds into his personal accounts and used the money to make various personal purchases. The check was supposed to be made payable to the treasurer of the state of Indiana, but instead was made payable to “Attorney’s General Clearing Tr.”

A routine audit of the township in 2014 revealed discrepancies related to the check, and Mizen was subsequently charge with theft in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He pleaded guilty and agreed to pay restitution in the full amount of the check.

Then in June 2015, the state filed a complaint to recover public funds against Mizen, seeking nearly $55,000 in costs related to the State Board of Accounts’ special investigation into the township, as well as roughly $1 million in treble damages, court costs, attorney fees and other costs under the Crime Victims Relief Act.

Both parties moved for summary judgment, which was granted to the state in April 2016. The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed that decision in part Tuesday, with Judge Patricia Riley first noting that, despite Mizen’s argument to the contrary, the state’s CVRA claims were filed within a two-year statute of limitations because they earliest the state could have known of the criminal misappropriation was January 2014.

Further, Riley wrote that the attorney general had specific authority to recover the nearly $55,000 because Indiana Code 5-11-5-1(a) gives his office authority to recover public funds that are diverted as a result of a public employee’s malfeasance.

Finally, Riley wrote that the state is entitled to recovery treble damages that equal no more than three times its actual damages. But because Mizen has already paid the nearly $350,000 in restitution, the case was remanded for the $1 million treble award to be reduced to roughly $687,000, plus attorney fees and costs.

The Gabriel Iglesias Show has been cancelled

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To view this email as a web page, go  here.

THE GABRIEL “FLUFFY” IGLESIAS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

The Saturday, March 4th comedy show featuring Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias at the Old National Events Plaza has been cancelled. Garbiel has always been grateful of the loyalty and support from his fans and it is very important to him that he performs when he is at his best which is why he needs some time to refocus and recharge from his intense travel and work schedules. He is thankful for your understanding and is looking to reschedule as soon as possible. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Fans who have purchased tickets may receive refunds through the respective outlets they purchased from. If tickets were purchased through the box office, please call 812-435-5770 ext. 211 for details of your refund.
Gabriel Iglesias Website   |  SMG Evansville Website
Old National Events Plaza, 715 Locust Street, Evansville, IN. 47708
812-435-5770 – Box Office ext. 211

PELATH ON 2017 SESSION’S FIRST HALF: DESTINED TO BE LITTLE-KNOWN AND LONG-FORGOTTEN

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath from Michigan City today issued the following statement on the first half of the 2017 session of the Indiana General Assembly:

“I don’t think Ronald Reagan would recognize the Republican Party of today in Indiana.

“While I’m sure that the Indiana House Republicans are pleased with what they’ve done this session, I’m not so sure anyone else is joyful.

“They rammed through a road plan that taxes too much and gives unlimited power to toll.

“They passed a budget that certainly will be applauded by the testing companies who will get millions for ISTEP or ILEARN or whatever bogus name they can conjure up to try and make people forget they are selling the same old test that no one liked. However, the same budget doesn’t do enough for our public schools, and returns to the same old formula of diverting more and more toward private subsidies and charters.

“They said that the people of Indiana do NOT have the right to choose who serves as the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“They simply could not resist the impulse to interfere in the private health care decisions of women across Indiana.

“Yes, they may feel they’ve done a wonderful job, but the storm clouds for the remainder of the session have formed.

“Already we have heard the rumblings from the Senate gurus that the House Republican road plan takes too much from Hoosier taxpayers, and the House Republican budget isn’t that great, either. And as for the idea that the people of Indiana shouldn’t elect a Superintendent of Public Instruction…well, the Senate went bipartisan to vote against that idea.

“As the people of Indiana watch the warring Republican factions in the House and Senate prepare for battle, House Democrats remain ready and able to help.

“Our road plan doesn’t raise taxes or tolls.

“Our budget cuts excessive state spending, and assures that our schools don’t see funding cut…again.

“Whenever the Republicans get finished deciding whichever plan of theirs is in more trouble, give us a call and we’ll lend a hand.”

 

Kentucky Senate Agriculture Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Designating Horses as Livestock

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The Kentucky Senate Agriculture Committee today unanimously passed a bill that would designate equines as livestock, an action that if approved will provide tremendous benefit the entire horse industry. Securing livestock classification of horses and equine has been among the top policy priorities of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), since being founded in 2004.

Sen. Robin Webb of Grayson County sponsored Senate Bill 139, which she said she’d been working on for several years.

“Our statutes have been historically inconsistent with the designation of the horse as livestock. We have the support of AAEP, which has taken this position publicly, as well as our major horse-industry groups,” Webb told her fellow committee members before their vote, referencing the American Association of Equine Practitioners, which represents veterinarians of all horse breeds and disciplines. “Seven years ago today, I got my favorite horse. He’s a big part of my life, and I love him. He’s my companion, but he’s not a companion animal. He’s livestock. It’s important to myself as an owner and him as a horse to be so designated, and designated consistently for protections that designation does allow.”

Sen. Damon Thayer, the Republican’s majority floor leader from Georgetown, hopes the bill can go to the Senate floor later this week. “I think it has a great chance to pass the Senate,” added Thayer. ”Then

we’ll send it on over to the House and see if we can get agreement from them.”

“SB 139 would be a great step forward for the horse industry as a whole,” stated KEEP executive director Joe Clabes. “Designation as livestock is the most reflective of the realties of breeding, owning and caring for horse and we’re proud to stand in support of this bill with the AAEP and the numerous Kentucky horse organizations from across the state.”

Webb stressed the designation is important to make sure that horses are not classified as companion animals, similar to household pets. She emphasized that her bill did not deal with taxation, with the state’s 6-percent sales tax required when buying feed, bedding and equipment used for equines, with all other livestock exempt.

“We hope to address that at another time, with tax reform or in another measure,” Webb said. “It’s designation of the horse being what it is: And that’s livestock.”

Several of the committee members clearly were sympathetic toward tax equality for the horse industry.

“As chair of the horse farm subcommittee in the Senate, I couldn’t vote any other way on this legislation,” said Sen. Steve West, who lives in Paris and whose district includes some of the most famous Thoroughbred farms in the world. “Basically, it’s equity and fairness for the horse industry.”

“In this state, for years, there seemed to be walls and barriers between one livestock group and another. But this seems to be a way we can bring some of our producers together and put equine on the same page as all the other livestock groups. It’s not a complicated thing. Horses are livestock. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to taxes, but as we go into tax reform in the fall, maybe we can take a look at that.”

Said Thayer: “I think horses are livestock, and should be treated as such in the tax code. I’m hopeful some day, when we do tax reform, we can get tax parity for the equine industry. I think this bill is a good step in the right direction.”

Agriculture commissioner Ryan Quarles, who represented Scott County as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, applauded the action.

“It’s a clarification that has been attempted for several years now,” Quarles said. “As agriculture commissioner, I always remind people of the economic impact that horses have in Kentucky. It’s a

signature industry, one that creates literally tens of thousands of jobs, and billions of dollars of investment here in Kentucky. As I continue my term as commissioner, I will be supporting not only our family farms, but our family horse farmers as well.”

Said Sen. Dorsey Ridley of Henderson, whose district includes Ellis Park: “It just puts them all (livestock) in one classification. It’s an effort to make sure that horses are certainly not taken advantage of, but by the same token, it’s to protect our property. I was glad to be a part of it. It is a big thing for the Thoroughbred industry — and for all horses.”

“This legislation is a significant step for the horse industry and our membership,” said Martin Maline, executive director of the Kentucky division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, which represents about 6,000 owners and trainers involved in horse racing in the commonwealth. “The livestock designation offers other important protections for everyone who owns and works with horses. We applaud members of committee, and hope Senator Webb’s bill sails through the full Senate and state legislature.”

Clabes added, “I’d like to congratulate Senator Webb, Chairman (Paul) Hornback, and Majority Floor Leader Thayer in advancing this long awaited legislation. Success in Frankfort doesn’t happen overnight and they and many of their colleagues in the Senate and the House have put in a lot of work on this issue over the years.”

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