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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.

Monday
December 19		 Tuesday
December 20		 Wednesday
December 21		 Thursday
December 22		 Friday
December 23
Fine Particulate
(0-23 CST avg)
Air Quality Index		 good moderate moderate moderate 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.

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

Tax Court: Orbitz doesn’t have to pay additional sales, innkeeper’s taxes

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Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com

A popular travel and booking website will not have to pay the state more than $200,000 in back taxes after the Indiana Tax Court held that the website is not considered a retail merchant.

During the time between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2006, an Orbitz LLC regional market manager traveled to Indiana to build relationships with Hoosier hoteliers, who subsequently executed contracts with Orbitz that allowed the travel company to provide its services for hotels in Allen, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Marion, Scott and Shelby counties.

As part of those contracts, the hoteliers delegated some of their responsibilities to Orbitz, including marketing, tax collecting, payment processing, reservations and customer service functions. The hoteliers also established wholesale rates for their hotel rooms, but agreed to allow Orbitz to charge customers at higher rates when it facilitated pre-paid reservations. Orbitz, in turn, agreed to, among other things, collect sales and innkeeper’s taxes for customers based on the wholesale rate of the hotel rooms alone.

In December 2007, the Indiana Department of Revenue issued sales and innkeeper’s tax investigations reports to Orbitz, showing that the travel company owed more than $200,000 in sales tax, innkeeper’s tax and interest for the period between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2006, because it should have collected taxes based on the retail rate of the rooms, not just the wholesale rate.

After the revenue department denied Orbitz’s protest filing and request for rehearing, Orbitz appealed in Orbitz, LLC v. Indiana Department of State Revenue, 49T10-0903-TA-10, in March 2009, and both parties moved for summary judgment in August 2013.

Indiana Tax Court Judge Martha Blood Wentworth granted Orbitz’s motion for summary judgment Tuesday, writing that the travel company was not considered a “retail merchant” under Indiana tax law.

To be a retail merchant, state statute requires Orbitz to “rent” or “furnish” rooms to others for less than 30 days at a time. Although Orbitz’ agreement with the hoteliers gave the company the rights to market, sell or rent hotel rooms, Wentworth wrote that the agreement “merely provided Orbitz with the right to confirm a pre-paid reservation for a hotel room, while the hoteliers themselves…were alone able to transfer possession or control.”

The tax court judge based that opinion on the case of 2625 Building Corp. v. Deutsch, 385 N.E.2d 1189 (Ind. Ct. App. 1979), which held that a hotel’s obligation to transfer possession of its hotel rooms to customers who make pre-paid reservations with the hotel or a third party remains executory until the customer checks in or cancels.

“The facts in this case establish that the hoteliers, not Orbitz … delivered or transferred possession and control of hotel rooms to customer during the check-in process,” Wentworth wrote.

Further, she held that the fact that Orbitz is not a retail merchant relieves the travel company of liability for sales or innkeeper’s taxes “regardless of the statutory proclamation that each rental or furnishing of a hotel room is a unitary transaction.”

Adopt A Pet

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These guys are Chubbers and Wilson, and they’re brothers! They’re a 3-year-old bonded pair of male ferrets. They have lived together their whole lives and must go home together. They are both very friendly & like being handled! Ferret lifespans are roughly 8-10 years, so they are certainly still young. The adoption fee is $80 for both. Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org to inquire!

 

Eagles are 23rd in preseason poll; release 2017 schedule COMPLETE 2017 USI BASEBALL SCHEDULE ; COLLEGIATE BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL

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University of Southern Indiana Baseball was ranked 23rd nationally in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll as it prepares for the first pitch of 2017 on February 17 versus the second-ranked University of Tampa. The Screaming Eagles have been ranked seven times in the last 10 years, topping the poll in 2011 and 2015 after winning national championships.

USI throws out the first pitch in eight weeks when it travels to Tampa for a three-game series with Spartans February 17-19. The Eagles open the 2017 home schedule with the Dunn Hospitality Classic February 24-26, featuring match-ups with Wayne State University (Michigan) and Notre Dame College.

The 2017 slate also includes another trip to the Perfect Game’s Spring Swing in Emerson, Georgia, March 7-8. USI’s opponents in the Spring Swing are still to be determined.

The non-conference schedule also includes series versus the GLVC West Division’s Drury University (March 10-12), 22nd-ranked Quincy University (17-19), and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (March 22 and April 11). UMSL and Drury both received votes for the Collegiate Baseball Preseason poll.

Locally, the non-conference schedule includes a home game with Oakland City University (March 29); the cross-town match-up with the University of Evansville; and a home-and-home series with Kentucky Wesleyan College (April 18 and April 25).

The 2017 GLVC Schedule features a 28-game conference slate against teams only from the East Division. League play starts March 25 in Louisville, Kentucky when the Eagles visit Bellarmine University (March 25-26).

The conference home campaign includes the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (April 8-9); McKendree University (April 14-15); and the 13th-ranked University of Indianapolis (April 29-30). USI Senior Day will be April 30 versus UIndy.

The GLVC Tournament is moving to U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Missouri, this season and is scheduled for May 11-14.

The NCAA Division II Tournament begins with the Midwest Regional on May 18-21 (site to be determined), while the NCAA II Championship Series is May 27-June 3. The NCAA II Championship Series also has a new location in 2017, moving to The Ballpark at Grand Prairie in Grand Prairie, Texas.

 

The Eagles are coming off a 38-21 season a year ago, winning their fourth NCAA Division II Midwest Regional and tying for fifth at the NCAA II Baseball Championship. USI also rallied in the last two weeks of the 2016 regular season to lay claim to the GLVC East Division title.
Collegiate Baseball’s 2017 Pre-Season Poll (USI’s ranked opponents are bold and italics)
Rank     Team (2016 Final Record)
1. Nova Southeastern (44-16)
  2. Tampa (41-10)
3. Central Missouri (43-15)
4. Southern New Hampshire (50-7)
5. Millersville (53-7)
6. Cal. Poly Pomona (42-19)
7. Franklin Pierce (48-9)
8. Angelo St. (39-22)
9. Mercyhurst (43-14)
10. S.C. Aiken (40-18)
11. St. Edward’s (46-12)
12. Colorado Mesa (43-13)
13. Indianapolis (38-21)
14. California Baptist (42-13)
15. Dixie St. (40-14)
16. Minnesota St. (36-18)
17. St. Cloud St. (43-10)
18. Belmont Abbey (39-16-1)
19. West Florida (36-17)
20. Florida Southern (32-17)
21. Catawba (34-21)
22. Quincy (39-18)
23. Southern Indiana (38-21)
24. U.C. San Diego (31-21)
25. Grand Valley St. (36-18-1)
26. West Georgia (42-16)
27. North Georgia (32-20)
28. Lander (44-16)
29. Ashland (33-22)
30. Emporia St. (39-19)
31. Arkansas-Monticello (40-16)
32. West Chester (37-14)
33. Mount Olive (33-21)
34. West Alabama (36-15)
35. Missouri S&T (39-16)
36. St. Thomas Aquinas (37-17)
37. Chico St. (35-22)
38. Seton Hill (40-18)
39. Lubbock Christian (37-19)
40. Point Loma Nazarene (32-16)

Ivy Tech to Offer New Diesel Certificate Beginning in January

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Ivy Tech Community College Southwest will begin offering a new certificate in its Automotive Technology Program with the start of the 2017 spring semester. Ivy Tech Community College Southwest is now offering a Diesel Certificate, in order to meet the demand of employers in this area, said Chris Kaufman, program chair.

The certificate will consist of six courses in Diesel repair. The courses include:

  • Air Brakes
  • Preventive Maintenance Inspection
  • Diesel Engine Repair Fundamentals
  • Basic Electricity
  • HT Transmissions and Drive Line
  • HT Steering and Suspension

Automotive Technology is a fast growing field and is one of the Hoosier Hot 50 careers. Job opportunities in the Tri-State area are plentiful in these fields, said Chris Kaufman, program chair. Through the use of equipment used in the automotive industry today and ASE master certified instructors, students learn how to diagnose and repair today’s high-tech vehicles. This program will prepare students for entry level employment with companies that require training in areas such as: electrical systems, engine performance, transmissions, brakes, steering and suspension systems, air conditioning systems, and engine repair. Students are prepared to take industry standard certification exams from ASE.

To learn more, email J. Chris Kaufman, Program Chair, at jkaufman13@ivytech.edu or call (812) 429-0593. Spring semester classes begin Jan. 17. Registration deadline is Jan. 9.

 

 

 

h to Offer New Diesel Certificate Beginning in January

 

Ivy Tech Community College Southwest will begin offering a new certificate in its Automotive Technology Program with the start of the 2017 spring semester. Ivy Tech Community College Southwest is now offering a Diesel Certificate, in order to meet the demand of employers in this area, said Chris Kaufman, program chair.

The certificate will consist of six courses in Diesel repair. The courses include:

  • Air Brakes
  • Preventive Maintenance Inspection
  • Diesel Engine Repair Fundamentals
  • Basic Electricity
  • HT Transmissions and Drive Line
  • HT Steering and Suspension

Automotive Technology is a fast growing field and is one of the Hoosier Hot 50 careers. Job opportunities in the Tri-State area are plentiful in these fields, said Chris Kaufman, program chair. Through the use of equipment used in the automotive industry today and ASE master certified instructors, students learn how to diagnose and repair today’s high-tech vehicles. This program will prepare students for entry level employment with companies that require training in areas such as: electrical systems, engine performance, transmissions, brakes, steering and suspension systems, air conditioning systems, and engine repair. Students are prepared to take industry standard certification exams from ASE.

To learn more, email J. Chris Kaufman, Program Chair, at jkaufman13@ivytech.edu or call (812) 429-0593. Spring semester classes begin Jan. 17. Registration deadline is Jan. 9.

 

 

 

Trump and daily intelligence briefings

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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

April Michelle Elpers Unlawful possession of a syringe, Level 6 felony

Aiding, inducing or causing dealing in a synthetic drug or synthetic drug look-alike substance, Class A misdemeanor

Edmundo Martinez Torres Domestic battery, Level 5 felony

Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor

Sean Michael Enlow Unlawful possession of a syringe, Level 6 felony

Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony

Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor

Supportive Back Seat Driver

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EPD Activity Report

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EPD Report

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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

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