- The Sheriff’s Office has caught a group of juveniles red-handed after observing them throw a water bottle at a moving motor vehicle. Dozens of victims are believed to have had their vehicles damaged as a result of the group’s activities over the past couple of weekends.
On Saturday, February 04, 2017 at approximately 6:57PM the Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of N. Red Bank Road and Upper Mount Vernon Rd upon report of criminal mischief. Victims reported that their vehicles had been struck with unknown objects. The owner of a passenger car described how the side mirror of his car “exploded†after another vehicle passed him on Upper Mount Vernon Road.
A deputy checking the area noticed liquid in the roadway. While traveling on Upper Mount Vernon Road, the deputy then observed a water bottle being thrown out of a passing SUV. The water bottle struck a vehicle in front of the deputy’s car and then struck the patrol car as well. The deputy turned around, stopped the SUV and made contact with the occupants.
Five juveniles were inside the vehicle along with an open case of water bottles. After speaking with the juveniles, deputies found out that another car load of juveniles in the area was also involved. Deputies located the second group of juveniles and learned that some had vandalized cars on previous nights. The vehicles were both equipped with CB radios for communication, with one vehicle sometimes functioning as a look-out for the other.
During the investigation other victims came forward, including one man whose vehicle mirror and fender were damaged as well as another man whose truck side mirror was completely destroyed.
The juveniles explained how the vandalism escalated over a period of a couple of weekends. The juveniles began throwing single use coffee creamer at passing cars before stepping up to water bottles. The investigation is ongoing and additional juveniles are being interviewed about their involvement. Due to the suspects all being under the age of eighteen, the juvenile division of Vanderburgh County Superior Court has jurisdiction over the case.
Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “Throwing a sealed water bottle from a moving vehicle represents a serious threat to other motorists.†Sheriff Wedding added, “A one pound object can do considerable damage, especially if a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction is struck.â€
The Sheriff’s Office recommends that parents speak with their teenagers about the risks and dangers associated with throwing objects out of a moving vehicle. As some of the juveniles learned after being interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office, over 1,100 pounds of destructive force can be generated by a mere 16 ounces of bottled of water.
Victims whose vehicles were struck may call 911 and a deputy will respond to investigate.
Picture above: Damage to side mirror struck by water bottle.
Sheriff’s Office Apprehends West Side Wet Bandits
IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 8, 2017
IS IT TRUE that the Board of Commissioners of Vanderburgh County will be attending the City of Evansville/Vanderburgh County Computer Services annual meeting on February 16, 2017 in the Mayor’s Conference room?  …we highly recommend that members of the local mainstream make sure they attend this meeting?
IS IT TRUE that former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Wienzafpel was on local TV recently trying to take credit for all new commercial expansion of Downtown Evansville? Â ,,..he was trying convince the viewers because the Ford Center was built under his watch it started major downtown commercial development to happened over the last served years? Â ,,,,all we have to say about Mr. Wienzapfel claim is bull? ,,,the bottom line is that the Downtown Commercial Development is happening under the watch of Mayor Winnecke?
IS IT TRUE that the automotive supply plant behind the Eastland Mall known as SRG Industries and was formerly called Guardian Automotive has been acquired by a big international conglomerate that most people are familiar with?…Koch Industries of the famed Koch family that causes Democrats to set their hair on fire are the new owners of Guardian Industries?…that means that Evansville has a Koch Industries owned facility that employees about 700 people making plastic parts and doing electroplating right here in town?…Koch Industries very much like Guardian Industries has been built on the skill and will of a determined and honorable family?…with Guardian Industries it was the late great entrepreneur Bill Davidson who created a privately owned international industrial giant?…Koch Industries is of course run by Charles and David Koch each of whom has a net worth of $52 Billion?…we do not believe the Evansville Koch family that is also quite successful is related to Charles and David Koch?
IS IT TRUE that another Evansville employer is about to be acquired too?…Mead Johnson Nutrition is being courted by Reckitt Benckiser in an all cash deal of $90 per share or $16.7 Billion?…E. Meade Johnson immigrated to Evansville from New Jersey and started this company 102 years ago?…MJN has not been locally owned for some time and relocated it’s headquarters to Chicago roughly 8 years ago to take advantage of the flight availability at O’Hare and the City of Chicago’s attractiveness to professional employees?…in both of these cases, the companies will be in stronger financial situations which makes expansion opportunities more likely and downsizing less likely?
IS IT TRUE while higher education is on our minds, it is impossible to ignore the violence that occurred on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley last Wednesday night?…students gathered to protest a speech that was scheduled to be made by a provocative supporter of President Donald Trump?…it is most ironic that the same student body that fought hard for free speech in the late 1960s has established itself as a place where free speech is oppressed today?…the student protesters were joined by a group of violent thugs wearing black ninja costumes who proceeded to set fires and demolish three retail stores doing $100,000 of damage?…there is no information on whether the ninja clad thugs were students or not?
IS IT TRUE at last Monday night City Council meeting they voted 7-2 to give a preliminary tax abatement phase-in for 5 years to a Eastside Shopping Center?  …if approved this tax abatement means the Shopping Center would get a  property taxes phase-in of 20 percent every year for the next five year? …this tax phase-in may be worth around $80,000 dollars to the Developer?  … Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville has estimated that the economic impact/value of the newly renovated store will be $42 million dollars over the next 10 years?  …this sound similar to the prediction that Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville made during the $200,000 EARTHCARE deal several years ago? … …we found it extremely interesting that Developer of this project told members of Council that the store opening will go forward even if the council doesn’t approve abatement?  …all we can say is “forget the tax credit and go ahead and open the store””?
FOOTNOTE: Â Todays ‘Readers Poll” Â question is :Do you feel that the Evansville City Council should give a Developer of an existing Eastside Shopping Mall a $80,000 tax credit phase-in so he can renovate it?
University of Evansville to Offer Transfer Assistance to Displaced St. Joseph Students
University of Evansville to Offer Transfer Assistance to Displaced St. Joseph Students
With St. Joseph’s College closing after their spring semester due to budget concerns, The University Of Evansville is offering assistance to these soon to be displaced students. UE Vice President Shane Davidson wants St. Joseph students to know…
House Supports Sullivan’s Pre-K Expansion Bill
STATEHOUSE (Feb. 7, 2017) — State Rep. Holli Sullivan’s (R-Evansville) legislation to expand the On My Way Pre-K pilot program passed out of the Indiana House of Representatives today.
House Bill 1004 would expand the state’s On My Way Pre-K, a pilot program that was established in 2014 and currently serves nearly 2,300 students in five counties. Under this proposal, up to five more counties would be added, nearly doubling the amount of low-income families who could benefit from the program. Sullivan said only high-quality programs and providers in the new counties would be eligible to participate.
“Research shows that low-income children will often arrive at kindergarten academically behind their classmates by up to 18 months,†Sullivan said. “Offering this high-quality program to those students gives them a strong foundation to help close the achievement gap they may face during their educational career.â€
In addition, this legislation co-authored by Sullivan would revise the program’s eligibility requirement and threshold from 127 percent of the federal poverty level to 150 percent of the federal free or reduced lunch program. Sullivan said priority would be given to children who are most in need.
House Bill 1004 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Visit iga.in.gov to learn more about this legislation.
Indiana Legislature Stays Busy
Indiana Legislature Stays Busy
submitted by Joshua Claybourn
Numerous bills continue before the Indiana legislature this session that would have the potential to substantially impact Hoosier municipalities and local governments. Accelerating Indiana Municipalities (AIM), formerly Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, offers its latest bill tracking list here. The road funding bill (HB 1002) has met some resistance from conservative lobbying groups due to the increase in gas taxes, but it appears to be headed to passage in some form.
Senator Proposes Dramatic Changes To Annexation
Senator James Buck of Kokomo authored SB 381 in an attempt to dramatically change the process of annexation in Indiana. SB 381 allows county commissioners to stop an annexation from taking place if the annexation ordinance is adopted by a city or town after June 30, 2017. If the commissioners deny the annexation, the annexation proceedings are terminated. The bill also adds requirements to what must be included in the annexation fiscal plan. SB 381 is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Local Government Committee on February 8th.
Federal tax reform and bonds
The National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) has raised the specter of the new administration and Congress scaling back tax-exemption of government bonds. That would mean curtailing or eliminating the exclusion of interest on state and local bonds, which encourages private investment in the bonds and allows state and local governments to borrow at reduced rates. The NABL Board of Directors met in Washington January 25th to 27th and visited the members of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, the co-chair of the House Municipal Caucus, and the staff of the committees. The reception was generally favorable but, as one Republican staff member rather bluntly pointed out, his boss would support a bill repealing some or all tax-exemptions. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that tax-exempt governmental bonds will cost the federal government $194 billion dollars for fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
Battle over local control continues
Indiana’s “Home Rule” grants to local municipalities any powers “…not expressly denied by the Indiana Constitution or a statute, or granted to another entity.” In other words, cities, towns, and counties generally have wide authority to govern their own jurisdictions. However, over the years that authority has been restricted and reigned in. First it was a ban on local governments setting a local minimum wage or regulating guns. Then came prohibitions on paid sick leave, housing regulations, worker schedules, and even plastic bags.
This session the legislature has targeted local regulation of short term rentals like Airbnb in HB 1133. The bill greatly restricts local control, especially with regard to zoning. A second reading amendment that would have made the bill less restrictive failed by only one vote and the third reading vote will likely be very close. Meanwhile, SB 213 would restrict local control and permitting of telecommunication projects like small cell towers or other projects on publicly owned utility poles, traffic signals, or signage structures. In addition to restricting local permitting, SB 213 also regulates the fees that a local unit may charge for the utilization of utility poles by telecom providers. This may impact existing contracts and rate structures that local units are currently operating under.
FOOTNOTE: This article was submitted by Joshua Claybourn.  Joshua is Counsel in Jackson Kelly’s Evansville office. He advises clients in matters of business and corporate law, governmental services, and public finance.
Groth Asks Supreme Court To Order Release Of Pence EMails
Growth Asks Supreme Court To Order Release Of Pence E-Mails
IL for www.theindianalawyer.com
An Indianapolis lawyer is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to order the release of emails sent to Vice President Mike Pence when he was governor.
William Groth’s appeal asks for access to emails sent to Pence in 2014 in which a staffer for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott outlined a legal strategy for challenging then-President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration.
The Indiana Court of Appeals last month found the documents are privileged attorney-client communications. Groth’s appeal, filed Monday, argues that Pence did not solicit legal advice from the Texas attorney, who is now that state’s governor, and that they therefore have no privileged relationship to protect.
On his petition for transfer, in addition to seeking the emails, Groth asks whether the Court of Appeals improperly expanded the common interest doctrine to impose confidentiality on a communication that was not generated in an attorney-client relationship and that was shared outside the relationship with non-clients. Groth also wants the justices to determine whether the COA improperly expanded the deliberative materials exception in the public records law to include information received from outside an Indiana government agency.
The Associated Press left a message Tuesday seeking comment from Pence’s attorney.
The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether it will consider the appeal.
Air Quality Forecast
Air quality forecasts for Evansville and Vanderburgh County are provided as a public service. They are best estimates of predicted pollution levels that can be used as a guide so people can modify their activities and reduce their exposure to air quality conditions that may affect their health. The forecasts are routinely made available at least a day in advance, and are posted by 10:30 AM Evansville time on Monday (for Tuesday through Thursday) and Thursday (for Friday through Monday). When atmospheric conditions are uncertain or favor pollution levels above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, forecasts are made on a daily basis.
Ozone forecasts are available from mid-April through September 30th. Fine particulate (PM2.5) forecasts are available year round.
| Monday February 6 |
Tuesday February 7 |
Wednesday February 8 |
Thursday February 9 |
Friday February 10 |
|
| Fine Particulate (0-23Â CST avg) Air Quality Index |
moderate | good | good | good | NA* |
| Ozone Air Quality Index |
NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* |
| Ozone (peak 8-hr avg) (expected) |
NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* |
* Not Available and/or Conditions Uncertain.
Air Quality Action Days
Ozone Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when maximum ozone readings averaged over a period of eight hours are forecasted to reach 71 parts per billion (ppb), or unhealthy for sensitive groups on the USEPA Air Quality Index scale.
Particulate Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when PM2.5 readings averaged over the period of midnight to midnight are forecasted to reach 35 micrograms per meter cubed (µg/m3).
Current conditions of OZONE and FINE PARTICULATE MATTER are available in near real-time on the Indiana Department of Environment Management’s website.
Eagles visit St. Louis to play UMSL & Maryville USI rises to 15th in national poll
The 15th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team travels to St. Louis, Missouri, this week to play the GLVC West Division’s University of Missouri-St. Louis Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Maryville University Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
Game coverage for this week’s games, including live stats, video streams, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on WEOA 98.5FM/1400AM and 95.7FM The Spin.
The Screaming Eagles (21-2, 11-2 GLVC) start the week in sole possession of second in the GLVC East Division, a game behind seventh-ranked and first place Bellarmine University and a game ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. UMSL (10-13, 4-9 GLVC) begins the week fifth in the GLVC West Division, while Maryville (8-17, 2-11 GLVC) is in last place.
Following this weekend’s action, the Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the Physical Activities Center for the final two home games of the 2016-17 regular season. USI concludes the regular-season home schedule February 16 when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield and February 18 when it welcomes McKendree University to the PAC for Senior Day.
USI Men’s Basketball vs. Week 15 Quick Notes:
- USI in national rankings.The University of Southern Indiana stopped its slide in the NCAA Division II rankings this week, rising two spots to 15th in the NABC Division II Top 25 and remaining 14th in the D2SIDA Media Top 25. USI also is ranked 11th in the HeroSports.com and 12th in the NCAA Division II power rankings.
- 20-Win Season.USI surpassed the 20-win mark with victories over Missouri University of Science & Technology, 86-78, and Drury University, 77-51. The Eagles have won 20 games for the first time since 2013-14 and reached the 20-win plateau for the 22nd time since 1992-93. USI has won 20-or-more games 26 times in the history of the program, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament 23 times in the previous 20-win seasons.
- Watson gets No. 100 in GLVC play.USI Head Coach Rodney Watson won his 100th game in the GLVC with the victory over Drury. Watson is 100-39 in the GLVC regular season, a .719 winning percentage.
- USI on the road.USI is 5-1 on the road this year, compared to 4-5 in 2015-16 and 5-4 in 2014-15. The Eagles also are averaging 96.2 points per road game.
- Washington is heating up.Junior guard Marcellous Washington, who posted his first USI double-double with 17 points and a season-best 10 rebounds versus Missouri S&T, has reached double-digits in scoring each of the last five games and is averaging 14.4 points per game. He ranks fifth on the team with 9.0 points per outing this season.
- Taylor posting double-digits.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor, USI’s leading scorer with 21.8 points per game, has reach double-digits in points in 21-straight games and 21 of his 22 games this year. He also has scored 20-or-more points 12 times this season. The USI single-season scoring average record is 21.4 by Stephen Jackson in 1984-85.
- Taylor closing on 1,000 points.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor needs 34 points to reach 1,000 career points and become the 19th Eagle all-time to reach the milestone. He also would be the first since Geoff Van Winkle in 2007.
- Lighting up the scoreboard.USI is lighting up the scoreboard this year, averaging a GLVC-best 92.4 points per game. The highest scoring average by an Eagles’ team was 1993-94 when the squad averaged 101.7 points per game and reached 100-or-more points 18 times. The last time a USI squad averaged 90-or-more points a game was in 2001-02 (90.3 points per game).
- USI vs. UMSL.USI leads the all-time series with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 35-11, and has an advantage on the road, 14-7. The Eagles, who have won 13-straight versus the Tritons and 21 of the last 22, won last year’s meeting, 86-76, at the PAC and was led by  T.J. Tisdell‘s double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- USI vs. Maryville.The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Maryville University Saints overall, 8-2, and on the road, 2-0. Maryville, however, has won the last two meetings, including last year’s match-up, 89-80, at the PAC. Senior guard Jeril Taylor led USI in the loss with 24 points.
Hot Job in Evansville
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