- On Friday, December 02, 2016 at approximately 2:44pm the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the intersection of US Highway 41 and Volkman Road upon report of a crash involving two motor vehicles, one of which had overturned.
On scene investigation and witness statements indicated that a grey Dodge Ram pick-up truck had been traveling west on Volkman Road before entering the intersection at US 41. The pick-up truck then collided with a white work van that was traveling south on US 41. The force of the collision caused the pick-up truck to roll over.
The driver of the Dodge Ram pick-up, Mr. Steven Michael Pfingston, died at the scene of the crash. The driver of the van was transported to an area emergency room for immediate medical care after firefighters with the Scott Township Fire Department and McCutchanville Fire Department extricated him from his vehicle.
Pursuant to state law regarding crashes involving serious bodily injury or death, the driver of the work van consented to a post-accident blood draw. The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Officewill perform toxicology testing on the deceased. The investigation will remain open pending a full crash reconstruction and toxicology results.
Southbound traffic will remain restricted to one lane until approximately 5:45pm while the crash scene is cleared of debris.
DECEASED:
Steven Michael Pfingston, 22, of Spottsville, KY.
DRIVER:
Jeremy Joseph Crochet, 24, of Boonville, IN.
Fatal Crash on North US 41 at Volkman Road
THE TRUMP TRANSITION TIZZY
THE TRUMP TRANSITION TIZZY
Making Sense by Michael Reagan
The liberal media has been in a frenzy all week.
It thinks Donald Trump and his transition team are taking too long to announce his cabinet picks and other appointees.
Let me check my calendar.
Yep. It’s been less than ten days since Trump shocked the world — and sickened the liberal media — by humiliating Hillary Clinton.
And already the media are working as hard as they can to make Trump look like he doesn’t know what he’s doing —- before he doesn’t even do anything.
I understand the liberal media’s pain. I understand they feel like their lives have been ruined for at least the next four years.
I remember having similar thoughts in 2012, 2008, 1996, 1992 and 1976.
But come on, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, etc., etc. Bill Clinton took his time picking his people. So did Bush II. So did my father. It’s part of the process.
So let’s back off a little and give Trump a little slack. He’s got to drain a pretty big cesspool in Washington. He has 4,000 positions to fill.
It’s been obvious for a long time he was not just going to make some phone calls and hire 3,993 Bush II administration alumni who’ve been making their livings as lobbyists for the last eight years.
The tizzy over Trump’s supposedly slow transition process is just another step in the liberal media’s agenda —- which is “Dump on Trump.â€
First they were cutting their wrists over his election win. Now it’s his appointments. Wait till they see his Supreme Court picks.
For the next four years, when it comes to President Trump, the liberal media are going to accentuate the negative, not the positive.
As much as I wasn’t a supporter of Donald Trump in the primaries, I said after the convention that I wasn’t going to allow him to lose because I didn’t show up to vote for him.
The fact is, I showed up and so did almost 70 million Americans.
My hat’s off to Trump.
He’s the president-elect. We Reagans support him. We had our time in the sun and now it’s time for Trump supporters to have theirs.
Godspeed, President Donald. Whatever I can do to help, I’m there. No cabinet post would disappoint me.
I hope he puts the right people around him. He’s done pretty well choosing people in the business world.
And let’s face it. We conservatives and others have been saying for a long time we needed a businessman in White House.
Last I looked, we were still $20 trillion in debt. Maybe President Trump can do something about that.
I’ll bet he’ll surprise us. Everyday I get more and more respect for him. He stands his ground.
Whether you agree with his positions or not, he stands his ground.
The great thing about my dad was that he knew what he believed and knew why he believed it.
I’m starting to feel that Trump knows what he believes, too, and he knows why he believes it, come hell or high water.
Meanwhile, I have a tip for our impatient media.
I’m not a journalist. But if I were, instead of doing dumb stories about why President-elect Trump is taking so long to make his picks, I’d start checking out the list of potential Supreme Court nominees he gave us.
———
Mother’s Suit Alleging DCS Caseworker Abuses Proceeds
Mother’s Suit Alleging DCS Caseworker Abuses Proceeds
Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com
An Indiana Department of Child Services case manager who allegedly pursued meritless child-abuse allegations against an Indianapolis mother must face a federal civil lawsuit, though her DCS supervisors will not, a judge has ruled.
The suit alleges DCS family case manager Nola Hunt conducted an illegal warrantless search, threatened to take the mother’s two children from her, and made false claims against her.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt this week ruled that Hunt must face Fourth Amendment and due process claims brought by Indianapolis veterinarian Beth Breitweiser. Pratt also dismissed complaints against DCS, director Mary Beth Bonaventura and another of Hunt’s supervisors.
Pratt adopted a magistrate’s report from earlier this month that found claims against Hunt should not be dismissed. According to Breitweiser’s complaint, she and her two children were temporarily living in an apartment in the basement of her clinic while the family home was being renovated. After receiving a report of suspected child abuse or neglect, Hunt and another DCS worker came to the office, refused to identify themselves, and demanded to interrogate Breitweiser, according to the record.
Breitweiser feared for her safety and left with her children, according to the complaint. Hunt later searched the clinic and apartment and took photos without permission or a warrant, the suit says. Hunt is accused of later going to the family’s primary home where she posted a notice that said “Your child(ren) have been taken into custody,†and that court proceedings had been initiated. Neither was true.
A short time later, DCS opened children in need of services proceedings that involved home inspections and interviews, but no evidence of abuse or neglect was found. Neverthless, Breitweiser claims DCS continued to insist she relinquish custody of her children and continued to press its CHINS case despite a lack of evidence.
About a month after the CHINS case opened, Hunt admitted in a deposition at least part of her report was inaccurate and false, according to the record.
Still, DCS continued to press its CHINS petition until the day before a scheduled evidentiary hearing in the matter, after which Breitweiser filed a tort claim notice with the state. Two months later, DCS filed a substantiation against her, placing her on the Child Protection Index. Another month later, after Breitweiser petitioned for administrative review, DCS reversed itself and the charges against Breitweiser were unsubstantiated.
Pratt adopted Magistrate Mark Dinsmore’s report and recommendation that Hunt “was required to have a court order before searching a private residence — at least absent the availability of some exception to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement,†and she was not entitled to qualified immunity as the state argued.
Likewise, Breitweiser’s due process claim against Hunt survives. Her complaint must be believed at this stage of the litigation, Dinsmore wrote, and the suit claims “at a minimum, Defendants knew in the immediate aftermath of receiving the report of abuse that the allegations contained therein were wholly meritless.â€
That the alleged threats came after Hunt’s initial investigation “makes the alleged conduct even more egregious because the threats followed an investigation that made the baselessness of the child abuse allegations crystal clear,†Dinsmore wrote.
Build With Us
Dear Friend,
House lawmakers are teaming up with Habitat for Humanity of Indiana to help build a home for a low-income family and raise awareness of the need for affordable housing.
We are currently collecting new and used tools at the Statehouse, and in March, we will trade in our pens for hammers on the south lawn of the Statehouse to build wall panels, which will be transported to a home site for a Hoosier family in need.
Habitat for Humanity of Indiana is a non-profit organization serving 75 counties. The organization believes in giving families in need a hand up, not a hand out, by having the families demonstrate their ability to pay a mortgage and manage their finances. Once they are accepted into the program, they contribute by helping build other families’ homes, and attend homebuyer education classes.
There are multiple ways to get involved with Habitat for Humanity of Indiana, including making a financial donation, volunteering to help with construction, and providing in-kind gifts or lunches at construction sites. For more information, visit www.habitatindiana.org.
COSMOGONIST by JIM REDWINE
Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week 05 December 2016)
COSMOGONISM
My great friend from our days at Indiana University, Dr. Walter Jordan, has an eclectic bent and a background in science. Over the years he has patiently striven to exposit for me numerous scientific phenomena. Occasionally I get it. However, even though I began college with the goal of defeating the Soviet Union in the space race, reality sat in during my freshman physics class.
It was not my fault that physics and I fell out of love when I was an eighteen-year-old freshman at Oklahoma State University. It was O.S.U.’s fault for seating the students alphabetically which resulted in my sitting right next to Dana Darlene Reno who was not only a fellow student but also Miss Oklahoma 1961. Somehow my mind never quite focused on the exciting mysteries of space and time. As for Miss Reno, I am fairly certain her ability to concentrate was not similarly impacted.
Regardless, it turned out that the formulation of sentences suited my abilities better than the formation of formulas. English and psychology were substantially less confounding to me than cascading atoms. However, my friend Walt has never given up hope that the light of scientific discovery might seep through my dark layers of linguistics. In fact, his most recent effort to lift the veil from my frontal lobe involved human speech and evolution. For Christmas Dr. Jordan sent me a copy of Tom Wolfe’s new book, The Kingdom of Speech, which points out that Charles Darwin’s claim that Natural Selection is the cosmogonism for the human race is disputable.
Darwin dearly wanted his theory to be the “Theory of Everything†(that’s the definition of cosmogonism) when it came to Homo sapiens. However, according to Tom Wolfe’s book, not only does Natural Selection not explain everything in Man’s development, Darwin was not even the first to have the idea. Wolfe posits that Darwin usurped the theory of Evolution from Alfred Russell Wallace and then spent the rest of his life, Darwin’s, trying to justify his chicanery.
The real problem for Darwin and numerous others such as the contemporary guru Noam Chomsby, was and is language. If Natural Selection is the total answer to Man’s rise from amoeba to atomic power, there should be gradations of speech such as from apes to humans; there are not says Wolfe.
Well, Gentle Reader, I know you might prefer, as did I, to daydream about things other than the lack of evidence for the progression of speech from specie to specie to us. If so, blame Walt. He is the one who sent me the book. I only read it because Peg threatened to have me clean the attic if she caught me with any idle time.
Dr. Bucshon Celebrates NSA Crane’s 75th Anniversary
Dr. Bucshon Celebrates NSA Crane’s 75th Anniversary
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) –From the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon congratulated Naval Support Activity Crane on the Southern Indiana Military base’s 75th Anniversary.
“…Crane is also a regional economic powerhouse supporting five thousand civilian employees and contributing two million dollars a day to Indiana’s economy,†said Bucshon. “This critical military asset is a national treasure for research and development and an outstanding Hoosier neighbor. I proudly salute the men and women who call it home.â€
The full speech can be viewed by clicking here or by clicking the image below.
FULL TEXT:
Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of a premier US military base in my district, Naval Support Activity Crane.
75 years ago today – December first 1941 – Crane Naval Installation officially opened.
One week later, Pearl Harbor was bombed and the need for an ordnance facility safe from attack on the coasts became obvious.
Today, at 100 square miles, Naval Support Activity Crane is the U.S. Navy’s third largest installation in the world.
The base is home to two vital tenant commands: Naval Surface Warfare Center, a center of excellence in strategic systems, electronic warfare, and expeditionary systems.
And Crane Army Ammunition Activity, through which 25 percent of Department of Defense conventional munitions passes each year.
Crane is also a regional economic powerhouse supporting five thousand civilian employees and contributing two million dollars a day to Indiana’s economy.
This critical military asset is a national treasure for research and development and an outstanding Hoosier neighbor.
I proudly salute the men and women who call it home.
Thank you and I yield back.
Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. is a physician and Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee serving his third term representing Indiana’s 8th Congressional district. The 8th District of Indiana includes all or parts of Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warrick counties.
Caze Teachers Named EVSC’s December Cause for Applause Recipients
Two Caze Elementary School teachers – Brian Nelson and Kara Zimmer – were named the EVSC’s Cause for Applause recipients for December. The award seeks to recognize individuals who go above and beyond their normal job responsibilities.
Both teachers were nominated by Tri State Community Clinics for their work with the Caze Running Club. For the past two years, both Nelson and Zimmer have led the club. Throughout the week, students have the opportunity to run up to four times a week, running in the surrounding neighborhood or doing interval training on the school playground. According to Caze Principal Jared Turney, students train the first semester for the YMCA kids half marathon and in the second semester they begin cross training to compete in the YMCA kids triathlon. “Our students begin to gain a love of the sport and some even come back to train with our group as students at McGary,†Turney said.
Most recently, Zimmer and Nelson worked to ensure the Caze running club was able to participate in the EVSC 5K, allowing them another opportunity in which to compete.
Anyone can nominate an employee of the EVSC for the award. Deadline for nominations is the third Friday of each month. To nominate an EVSC employee, go to www.evscschools.com and click on About Us and see Cause for Applause under Community. Paper forms are available at the schools for those without access to the Internet.
MVC/Mountain West Challenge returns to Evansville on Saturday
MVC/Mountain West Challenge returns to Evansville on Saturday
An exciting matchup is on tap as the University of Evansville welcomes Boise State to the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game as the MVC/Mountain West Challenge makes its way back to Evansville on Saturday.
Wednesday night against Wabash, the Purple Aces made it a perfect 3-for-3 at home this season with an 83-39 win over Wabash. Three UE players hit double figures, led by Ryan Taylor’s game-high 21; Willie Wiley finished with 14 tallies while Jaylon Brown checked in with 11. The Aces had a stellar defensive night, limiting the Little Giants to just 22.2% shooting on the night, including 2-for-26 (7.7%) in the second half.
For the second time in three games, Willie Wiley reached double figures in the win over Wabash. Wiley was extremely efficient, knocking down 6 of his 7 attempts on his way to 14 points; he also blocked three shots. The native of Springfield, Ill. had his best collegiate game against UNC Wilmington as he posted 15 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting in his 33 minutes of action.
Ryan Taylor continued to rack up the points against the Little Giants, finishing with 21 to move his season average to 15.4 points per game, sixth in the MVC. Over the last three games, Taylor has averaged 20.3 PPG while connecting on at least eight shots in each contest. In the game against Middle Tennessee State, Taylor knocked down his first seven attempts on his way to a career-best 22 points. After going 2-14 from the field against Louisville, Ryan Taylor kicked it into high gear, hitting 36 of his 70 attempts in the six games since while averaging 17.2 points over that span.
Saturday’s contest against Boise State will mark the fifth time UE has played in the MVC/Mountain West Challenge. The Aces are 1-3 in their first four games, earning an 85-77 road win at Fresno State last season.
12/20/15 – at Fresno State – W – 85-77
12/1/12 – at Colorado State – L – 72-79
12/3/11 – vs. TCU – L – 68-70 (OT)
12/5/10 – at Air Force – L – 56-57
Boise State comes to Evansville with a record of 4-3 following an impressive win over SMU on Wednesday night. Chandler Hutchison paced BSU with 21 points while James Reid notched 18 in the victory. Hutchison is the leading scorer on the season for the Broncos, currently standing at 17.3 per game; he is also their leading rebounder with 9.1 caroms per contest. Paris Austin and Nick Duncan have each averaged 10.6 points per game through their first seven outings.
The Aces and Broncos have met just once with Broncos earning a 75-69 win in the 2011 CBI. Played at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, the Broncos shot 51.2% on their way to the victory. Ned Cox scored 17 points to pace the Aces in the game while Kenneth Harris notched 16.