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Pence Statement on Passing of Indiana University Professor William F. Harvey

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Indianapolis – Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement regarding the passing of William F. Harvey, the Dean Emeritus and Carl M. Gray Emeritus Professor of Law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law:

“Professor Bill Harvey was a personal mentor of mine and an intellectual giant who, throughout his distinguished career, garnered the respect and admiration of his peers, colleagues and students. His awards and recognitions were numerous, and his body of work will serve as a guide for those studying the law for generations to come.

“His affinity for the law inspired a generation of Hoosiers, myself included. Indeed, Indiana’s loss with the passing of this extraordinary man is my personal loss. I will always remember Professor Harvey as a champion of the Constitution, a mentor, a veteran and a man of faith.

“The Good Book tells us that the Lord holds his faithful servants in the moment of their passing, and as we mourn the loss of William F. Harvey, Karen and I offer our deepest condolences to those who knew and loved him.”

 

Air Quality Forecast

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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.

Thursday
November 17		 Friday
November 18		 Saturday
November 19		 Sunday
November 20		 Monday
November 21
Fine Particulate
(0-23 CST avg)
Air Quality Index		 moderate moderate good good moderate
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.

National and regional maps of current conditions are available through USEPA AIRNow

 

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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

David Matthew Gibson Domestic battery, Level 6 felony

Domestic battery by bodily waste, Level 6 felony

Renna Annette Rice Domestic battery, Level 6 felony

Battery, Class B misdemeanor

Volleyball to finish season at home this weekend

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 UE to play top two teams in the MVC

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Just one more weekend of action remains for the Purple Aces as they welcome the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference – Missouri State and Wichita State.  Evansville welcomes the Bears on Friday before playing host to the Shockers on Saturday with both games starting at 7 p.m.

Last weekend, UE took Southern Illinois to five sets before falling by a 3-2 final.  Rachel Tam led the way with 16 kills while Rocio Fortuny notched 12.  Mildrelis Rodriguez was credited with a team-high 15 digs.

Rachel Tam has been on a roll over the last five matches, averaging 2.47 kills per set.  That included a career-best of 19 kills against Bradley and 16 on Friday versus Southern Illinois.  A strong weekend saw UE freshman Rachel Tam average 2.90 kills per game along with 2.10 digs as the Aces won their first MVC match of the season on October 28.  Tam opened the weekend with a career-best 19 kills in the win over Bradley while hitting .406.  She added 10 digs and a pair of block assists.

Rocio Fortuny had her best collegiate match against Bradley on Oct. 28.  The sophomore posted 19 kills in 48 attempt, besting her previous high of 17.  She also matched her top mark of 13 digs in the triumph over the Braves.  Fortuny ranks second on the team behind fellow sophomore Mildrelis Rodriguez with 2.13 kills per set.  She has also done well on the defensive side with 0.45 blocks per set.  She had 15 kills in the 5-set home match against SIU.

The toughness of the Aces squad has been out in full force over the last six matches.  Over the first ten MVC matches, just two of those went past three sets.  The last six have seen the Aces battle to a fifth set on three occasions and a fourth in another instance.

Missouri State is on the cusp of clinching its third MVC regular season championship as they start the weekend at 23-7 overall and 14-2 in the MVC and will be Friday’s opponent.  The Bears need one more win to clinch.  Junior Lily Johnson leads the league with 4.64 kills per set, over a full kill ahead of anyone else in the conference.  Johnson also ranks second in the MVC in service aces.

Wichita State is one game out of first place in the MVC, standing at 13-3 in the league and 20-7 for the season.  The Shockers need to win both weekend matches and have Missouri State lose both this weekend in order to win the conference regular season champions

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

EDITORIAL: SUPPORT A “HOME OWNED AND HOME GROWN” UPSCALE RESTAURANT ON WEST FRANKLIN STREET

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SUPPORT A “HOME OWNED AND HOME GROWN” RESTAURANT-BAR ON WEST FRANKLIN STREET

In our 15 years in the publishing business we have never experienced such opened support for a project shown by average everyday citizens.  What is so impressive about this movement is that the majority of these people could care less about the political happenings at the Civic Center.

Over the last several months members of the Zoning Appeals Board and successful Restaurant-Bar owner and developer Kerry Chesser have been discussing the merits of a new West Franklin street Restaurant-Bar. Today Mr. Chesser and the Board shall meet at 4:00 P M on the 3rd floor of the Civic Center to discuss his petition to develop a Restaurant-Bar on West Franklin street.  At the last Zoning Appeals Board meeting the board was deadlocked with 3 for and 3 against vote.  One board member was absent.  We are expecting that all 7 board members will attend todays meeting.

Yesterday we posted on our site what we consider a simple “Readers Poll’ question concerning Mr. Chesser’s desire to open a Restaurant-Bar on West Franklin street.  Our ‘READERS POLL” questions was as follows: Do you feel that the Zoning Board of Appeals should approve the request to allow a new upscale Restaurant-Bar to be located on West Franklin street?  We are stunned by the number of votes this poll generated.  As of 2;00 A M the results were as follows: 1214 people voted on our ‘Readers Poll” question.  1137 people voted YES.  49 voted No and 28 said they had no idea.  This is by far the largest amount of votes every generated on any City County Observer “Readers Poll”.   It’s important to point out that this poll isn’t scientific but it should be considered trendy.

For many years all we heard from members of the Area Chamber of Commerce, elected , appointed City and County officials we need to have more “Home Owned and Home Grown” businesses in order that Evansville/Vanderburgh County can become an even more progressive community.  This is exactly what self made businessman Kerry Chesser is trying to do on West Franklin street.  This why we are surprise that all of sudden the Zoning Appeals Board is considering rejecting Mr. Chesser’s petition to establish an upscale Restaurant-Bar in the West Franklin Street area.

Today at 4:00 P M the Zoning Appeals Board shall meet and discuss the final fate of a much needed project for the West Franklin Street area.  We urge you to attend this meeting and stand up and express your desire for the Zoning Appeals Board to approve a Restaurant-Bar located on West Franklin street owned and developed by businessman Kerry Chesser!

FOOTNOTE:  Please take time and go to our “READERS POLL” and cast your vote on this issue. 

 

 

 

 

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CHANNEL 44 NEWS: Sierra Club Urges Vectren to Make Changes

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NOVEMBER 16TH, 2016

MATT PEAK EVANSVILLE, INDIANA

 Move beyond the expense and hazards of coal. That was the message of the Rally for a Clean Energy Future hosted by the Sierra Club Wednesday.

Evansville residents and Vectren customers gathered at the Four Freedoms Monument to urge the utility company to invest in clean energy.

Vectren is in the process of finalizing it’s 20 Year Energy Plan.

The Sierra Club presented a letter to the Vectren CEO.

In the letter, the group asks Vectren not invest $240 million into plants to keep them running, but instead retire them.

In a statement from Vectren, the Corporate Communications Director says the company has conducted a series of public meetings, and Vectren has modeled scenarios it will present at the final public meeting.

The final Vectren Public Stakeholder Meeting is November 29th at its headquarters.

USI Cross Country Ready For National Championships

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After successful showings at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships and the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships, both University of Southern Indiana cross country programs turn their attention to the NCAA II Cross Country Championships in St. Leo, Florida. The Screaming Eagle men toe the line at 7:30 a.m. (CST) for a 10k race, while the women begin their 6k-race at 8:45 a.m. (CST).

USI in the Rankings
The USI women are ranked eighth in the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association poll as it enters the season’s final meet. The Eagles began the year ranked 10th, before working their way to their highest national ranking since 2008, reaching sixth on two separate occasions.

On the men’s side, USI started the year ranked eighth in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. After falling to 13th in the second rankings of the year, the Eagles have climbed to seventh, where they have remained in the post two editions of the USTFCCCA Top 25.

Regional Recap
Senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan) earned her first collegiate victory while earning Midwest Region Runner of the Year honors by taking the top spot at the NCAA II Midwest Regional Championships. In the process, Reeves broke the USI 6k record with her time of 20 minutes, 8.90 seconds. Just seven seconds behind her, junior Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) also earned All-Region honors with a runner-up finish. Roberts owned the previous 6k school record which she set at the 2015 NCAA II National Championships.

Second-ranked Grand Valley State University was the top finishing team with 43 points, while seventh-ranked Cedarville University was next with 103. With 123 points, USI secured a third place finish, while 11th-ranked Northern Michigan University and 13th-ranked Hillsdale College round out the top-five teams advancing the National Championships.

Four USI Men’s Cross Country runners earned All-Region honors with top-25 finishes to help the Eagles to a second-place finish at the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships. Senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) was the team’s top finisher in sixth, with fellow classmate Noah Lutz (Evansville, Indiana) also earning a top-10 finish. Junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) and sophomore Darin Lawrence (Indianapolis, Indiana) also earned All-Region honors with finishes of 23rd and 24th, respectively,

Third-ranked Grand Valley was the top finishing team with 45 points, while USI followed with 99. Also earning bids to the National Championships were 12th-ranked Saginaw Valley State University, 16th-ranked Hillsdale, and 20th-ranked Lewis University.

Postseason Success
Making their 12th appearance in the National Championships, and their second consecutive, the USI women look to add to their postseason success. This season, the Eagles brought the all-time totals to 79 All-Conference awards and 35 All-Region honors. Reeves and Roberts look to add to the 11 total cross country All-America awards the program has earned.

Earning their 12th-straight appearance in the National Championships, and 23rd overall, the USI men also look to add to their impressive post season award totals. This season, the Eagles brought their all-time All-GLVC and All-Region award totals to 135 and 63, each. In the last meet of the season, USI looks to add to their total of 26 all-time cross country All-America honors.

A look back at the 2015 National Championships
Roberts’ fifth-place finish overall propelled the women to a 10th-place finish as a team in last year’s event. The fifth-place finish was the highest for an Eagle runner since Mary Ballinger finished fifth in 2009.

Adams State University captured the team title with a score of 83 points, while Grand Valley (97 points) and Hillsdale College were second and third, respectively.

In 2015, the USI men earned a 10th-place finish in Joplin, Missouri, in a field of 32 teams. Johnnie Guy earned All-America honors, finishing in 23rd, while Lutz turned a top-50 performance, crossing the finish line in 45th.

Colorado Mines won the team title with 100 points, while Adams State and the University of Alaska-Anchorage were second and third, respectively. Shorter University’s Alfred Chelanga won the individual title with a time of 29:24.60.

A look at the 2016 National Championships
The field for both races will be compiled of 32 teams of seven runners, as well as 24 runners who advanced out of their regionals as an individual. Both races will take place on the Abbey Course in St. Leo, Florida.

New Poll: Indiana Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Closing Schools Based on Standardized Testing

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New Poll: Indiana Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Closing Schools Based on Standardized Testing

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana voters overwhelmingly oppose closing local schools based solely on the results of high-stakes, standardized test scores, according to a new statewide survey conducted by McLaughlin & Associates and released today by the Indiana Chapter of PublicSchoolOptions.org. Voters also view the state’s standardized test, I STEP, overwhelmingly unfavorably.

“Although Republicans and Democrats are often polarized on key issues, they overwhelmingly agree that public schools should not be closed based on standardized test scores alone,” said Stuart Polk, vice-president at McLaughlin & Associates. “Indiana voters are concerned about the quality of public education and improving schools, but the data shows Hoosiers believe closing public schools is not the solution.”

According to an October 16-18, 2016 McLaughlin & Associates poll:

  • More than 2/3 of voters, or 67 percent, view the I STEP standardized test unfavorably
  • Only 8% of voters think student performance on standardized tests is the most important indicator of a school’s quality
  • 85% of voters oppose closing a public school based solely on low standardized test scores
  • 80% to 15%, voters prefer a performance system that measures how well a school helps individual students versus standardized test scores
  • 95% agree that before a public school closes a formal hearing should be required so parents and teachers can discuss the impact of the closure
  • 90% of voters believe students who are succeeding should not be forced to leave their school just because other students are under-performing
  • 75% of voters believe new students in a school should not be included in school evaluations until they have attended a full year
  • 60% of voters are less likely to support education reform efforts by wealthy special interests who push legislation that would close public schools without parental input

These results should help guide legislators and education officials as they consider drafting charter school reform legislation that could have a broad impact on the state’s public charter schools.

Many viewed last week’s election results, and the defeat of Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, as a referendum to the increased emphasis on high-stakes, standardized testing in evaluating the state’s schools, teachers and students. These poll results confirm that sentiment.

STATEMENT FROM LETRISHA WEBER, INDIANA PUBLICSCHOOLOPTIONS.ORG CHAIR AND PARENT: 

“Simply looking at high-stakes, standardized test scores to determine a school’s success isn’t reliable. We want successful and proactive schools for every Indiana child, but families and schools deserve a thoughtful, thorough approach to evaluating schools and individual students. We want policy makers and education leaders to look for better solutions that don’t lock students out of a school because of test scores. And we need schools that are evaluated on students’ progress, not a poorly acquired academic snapshot.”

STATEMENT FROM TILLIE ELVRUM, PRESIDENT OF PUBLICSCHOOLOPTIONS.ORG: 

“As parents we know every child learns differently, even within the same family, and every class setting may not be right for every student. School accountability is very important, but it must be done in a way that focuses on individual students and less on school-wide average test scores. Further, we can’t punish students by closing schools based solely on high-stakes, standardized tests.”

The Indiana Chapter of PublicSchoolOptions.org is an alliance of parents that supports and defends parents’ right to access the best education options for their children.

Click HERE to view the executive summary

Click HERE to view the survey deck

Poll Methodology:  McLaughlin & Associates completed a statewide survey of 600 likely voters in Indiana. The survey was conducted October 16-18, 2016 and has a margin of error of +/ 4% at a 95% confidence level. 

Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Plans New Headquarters in Bloomington

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Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Plans New Headquarters in Bloomington

Bloomington – Tsuchiya Group North America, a supplier of plastic molded components, printed/formed graphics and traded products for the automotive and transportation markets, announced plans today to expand its operations in Indiana, investing $9.2 million to construct a new headquarters and R&D center in downtown Bloomington.

“In Indiana, we are proud to be home to an international economy with nearly 800 foreign-based businesses like Tsuchiya Group operating in the Hoosier state,” said Governor Mike Pence. “As a state, we have worked hard to build a business climate that now ranks first in the Midwest and fifth in the nation by cutting costs, taxes and regulations. Tsuchiya Group’s decision to expand and grow here in Indiana signifies a confidence in our fiscally-predictable economic environment and, more importantly, in our hardworking Hoosier workforce.”

Tsuchiya Group, which operates four TASUS Corporation manufacturing facilities, will build the new facility to serve as its first North America engineering and design center, supporting the company’s manufacturing operations across the U.S. and Canada. The new headquarters will allow the company to advance its products, develop new processes and enhance its services to customers, including leading manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corporation, Tesla Motors, Honda Motor Co. and Subaru of Indiana Automotive.

The company plans to break ground on the new facility in 2018 and begin relocating from its current facility at 1151 W. 2nd St. in 2019. As part of its growth, Tsuchiya Group plans to create up to 18 new jobs by 2020 at its Bloomington headquarters, which currently houses approximately 34 associates.

“Indiana is a state that has made economic development and creation of Hoosier jobs a priority,” said Melanie Walker Hart, chief executive officer of Tsuchiya Group North America. “For Tsuchiya Group and TASUS, this is an ideal location to open a manufacturing technical and design center. We are surrounded by the likes of Ivy Tech, the Hoosier Hills Career Center, Vincennes University and of course Indiana University. Since beginning operations in 1989 with nine employees, we have grown to nearly 600 in North America, with over 200 of those talented individuals coming from right here in south central Indiana. The city of Bloomington and Indiana University’s partnership in the development of the Trades District is an excellent example of how a city can grow its local economy through increased technical-based job opportunities.”

Tsuchiya Group is the North American division of Japan-based Tsuchiya Co. Ltd. and employs nearly 600 associates, including more than 200 in Indiana. The company expects to begin hiring for engineering at all levels, including interns, as well as sales and executive positions in 2018.

“This is an exciting day for Bloomington. TASUS is a proven company with deep roots in this community,” said Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. “We are deeply gratified that they have chosen to locate their North American design and development center and corporate headquarters in the Bloomington Trades District. This tech-savvy employer will, we hope, inspire additional investment in the area and bring the kind of vibrant energy and 21st century jobs we want to see there.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered TASUS Corporation up to $300,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $43,750 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Bloomington will offer additional incentives.

Tsuchiya Group is one of more than 260 Japanese business facilities that operate in Indiana today, supporting more than 53,000 Hoosier jobs. Among all U.S. states, Indiana has the largest amount of Japanese investment per capita and is the only state that is home to three Japanese automotive original equipment manufacturer companies.

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