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IS IT TRUE APRIL 25, 2016

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IS IT TRUE  on Sunday only a hand full of people attended a political gathering at the local Democratic Headquarters to work on getting out the vote for Hillary Clinton?  … past Mayor Weinzapfel brought his son to this gathering so he could teach him more about politics? …Mr. Weinzapfel never made a comment during the meeting? …we commend Mr. Weinzapfel  for taking the time to give his son a teachable moment about politics?  …we wish other parents would do similar? …it looks like the “Join Senator Joe Donnelly for the Canvass Kickoff” campaign for Hillary Clinton was not that successful ?

IS IT TRUE it looks like there will not be a Congressional debate between Republican Congressmen Larry Bucshon and his primary challenger Dr. Richard Moss of Jasper?  …we wonder why the local media hasn’t arrange a formal debate between the two gentlemen?

IT TRUE Ann Ennis, candidate for State Representative District 64 has put more than 1,300 miles on her car odometer since filing on February 4 on strictly district-event and constituent meetings? …Ms. Ennis has attended 97 district government and school meetings, and events, dinners, auctions, parks, study groups and other events in the district since she announced as a candidate?

IS IT TRUE the President of the Vanderburgh County Commissioner, Bruce Ungethiem, is telling people that he feels former Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave is by far the most qualified of the three candidates running for that seat in the upcoming Republican primary?

IS IT TRUE the Mayor’s hand picked candidate Alex Schmitt has raised nearly three times as much as his opponents because of donors, contractors and consultants who have heavily supported the mayor in  his re-election campaign?


IS IT TRUE we are being told by many  of our Republican friends that they are offended by Mayor Winnecke’s wife, Carol McClintock openly promoting Alex Schmitt’s campaign on her social media pages?  …on May 3, 2016 Carol McClintock shall see how everyday people regard her political opinions?

IS IT TRUE we are surprised to hear that County Commissioner candidate Cheryl Musgrave enjoys the support of the Vanderburgh County Farm Bureau, Inc. and the Southwestern Indiana Builders Association political action committees?  …we are even more surprised that she has the early support of four past local GOP  Party Chairmen,  Jeff Hatfield, Bob Whitehouse, Brent Grafton and Joe Harrison  Jr.?  …this is what we call political courage?


IS IT TRUE Alex Schmitt had to get party chairman Wayne Parke’s permission to run as a Republican  for the County Commission seat because he voted in last year’s Democratic Party primary election?  …all we can say about this is “WOW”?

IS IT TRUE  Mayor Winnecke is telling people Alex Schmitt has the attributes of a bright young potential leader with a positive, collaborative message similar to his own?  …all we can say is “Really”?

BIRTHDAY DRAWING WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

Last weeks the lucky Birthday drawing winner is LISA BELL. anyone that knows Lisa please have her contact us at City-County Observer@live.com. so we can get his Birthday present to her.

For the next several months the City County Observer shall draw one lucky person name that appears in the April, and May 2016 CCO Birthday posts will be eligible for a prize. The winners will receive a copy of book written by six time Olympic Qualifier and World Record holder for the 5000 meter Anne Audian. Her book is entitled “UNCOMMON HEART.” The drawing will be held each Friday and announced on the following Monday. The retail value of Anne’s book is around $20.

FOOTNOTE: Todays “READERS POLL” primary election polling question is: Who do you endorse in the Republican primary for Vanderburgh County Commissioner?

 

CCO Reader To Tell Us Who They Are Endorsing In Upcoming Primary Races.

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The City-County has been watching the candidates in the upcoming primary election. When we see some of the whispering campaigns and dirty tricks certain candidates are rolling out, it gets tempting to endorse candidates who are not engaged in the nastiness. We are resisting the urge to do so, but we do think that our readers may want to express their thoughts on who they want to see emerge victorious from the May 3 primary races.

We have the highest confidence in the political judgment of CCO readers. Those who visit our site are the people who have a true interest in what is happening inside Evansville politics and government and they are much better informed than the average Evansvillian.

Because of our confidence in our readers of both parties, we are going to be asking our reader to tell us who you are endorsing in upcoming primary races. We will be posting our “unscientific but trendy” polls in the coming days to see exactly who appeals to those who are interested in good public policy and governmental transparency. We are looking forward to seeing what our polls show. While we do not pretend that there is any scientific basis in our polling, CCO bloggers do have a good record of predicting winners in local elections.

The primary election polling shall be conducted in our “Readers Poll” section.

Todays primary election polling question is: Who do you endorse in the Republican primary for Vanderburgh County Commissioner?

Please be sure to vote on CCO and at the polling place!!

Libertarian Party of Indiana Nominates Candidate for Governor

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Libertarian Party of Indiana Nominates Candidate for Governor

The Libertarian Party of Indiana held its annual convention at the Wyndham Hotel in Indianapolis April 22-24 to nominate candidates for state and federal offices which will be on the ballot in the November election. Along with national and state congressional positions, party members also selected Hagerstown businessman Rex Bell as their candidate for Governor. Bell beat out Fisher’s Jim Wallace in a spirited race.

Bell has operated a custom home construction business in Wayne County for 42 years, and has represented the LP in state and federal campaigns in past years. “In 2010, I received almost 21% of the vote in a 3-way race for the Indiana House of Representatives District 54 contest.” said Bell. “That puts us 13% away from a win in a 3-way race, and we are seeing a lot more dissatisfaction with the incumbent governor than we saw with the incumbent representative in 2010. People are upset with government overreach, and the Libertarian Party offers them a chance to vote for less government and more freedom.”

Karl Tatgenhorst of Valparaiso was selected for the Lt. Governor position.

Indiana has one of the largest and most active Libertarian organizations in the nation, and LPIN Chair Joe Hauptman stated the party’s goal is to have 120 candidates on the ballot in Indiana this fall. More information is available at www.lpin.org or www.electrexbell.com

APRIL BIRTHDAY

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THIS MONTH BIRTHDAYS

DAVE HUFFMAN

Matt Happe

Ashley Renea

Eric Gill

Melody R Overton

                                                                              Matt Happe

MARY ELLEN COKER

STEVE HILL

BRANDON CAMPBELL

MELISSA NAKER REYNOLDS

TERRY WHITE

DAVID COSBY

JONATHAN BAKER

VICKI BRASEL

PATTI KNIGHT SILKE

MIKE BALL

JEFFREY WISEMAN

JOE TOWNSEND

KATIE FELKER

LLAURA SHAFER

MARK L. HEITKEMPER

LISA BELL

ALAN LEIBUNDGUTH

PEGGY WALTERS

CARRIE ELPERS

DAVID COSBY

SCHELL BAGGETT

MICHELLE NORTHERNER

ROBIN HAPPE

MICHAEL EGGLESTON

JODY ALVERSON

TAMMY M HARGRAVE

ASHLEY BROWN

JON TOWNSEND

FOOTNOTE: If you would like to announce someones Birthday please forward the name to City-County Observer@live.com. One lucky person whose name appears in the April, 2016 CCO Birthday post will be eligible for prize. Each week the CCO will draw the name of one person celebrating their birthday for the Month of April and the winner will receive a copy of six time Olympic Qualifier and World Record holder for the 5000 meter Anne Audian. Her book is entitled “UNCOMMON HEART.” The drawing will be held each Friday and announced on the following Monday. The retail value of Anne’s book is around $20.

Adopt A Pet

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Josie is a solid white cat of about 3 years old. She loves all people, including children, and gets along well with other cats. Her sister Layla (also white) is up for adoption, too! Adopt Josie for only $30 and she goes home spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, and FeLV/FIV tested. Call (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!

Governor Pence Announces Statewide Robotics Program for Elementary School Students

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Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence and Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Commissioner Steven J. Braun today announced a new partnership with TechPoint Foundation for Youth (TPF4Y) which will allow elementary schools across the state the opportunity to receive free robotics kits to use for afterschool programs. This partnership, which also includes VEX Robotics, NASA, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and the REC Foundation, will introduce Hoosier fourth and fifth grade students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) via a first-of-its-kind robotics program for elementary school students.

“Introducing students to STEM in elementary school has a positive impact on academic performance, and increases the likelihood that they will consider pursuing STEM degrees and careers,” said Governor Pence. “This innovative program will engage thousands of young Hoosiers in STEM education and inspire our state’s science and industry leaders of tomorrow.”

All public and private elementary schools in Indiana are eligible to apply, and 400 schools will be selected for participation during the inaugural year of the program (2016-2017 school year), with an additional 400 schools being selected during the 2017-2018 school year.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting opportunity to expose more young Hoosiers to the hands-on learning that robotics programming provides,” said Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TPF4Y. “The Governor’s commitment to building the STEM workforce pipeline is a real investment in our workforce of tomorrow and enables educators to prepare students for the state’s current and future in-demand jobs.”

The new statewide program builds upon the successful IndyVRC program. IndyVRC was established in 2013, under the guidance of former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, and sought to expose more Indianapolis high school students to STEM education. Due to the success of the robotics programs in Marion County, DWD and TPF4Y are confident this model can be replicated and scaled to serve elementary school students statewide.

“Indiana DWD was eager to partner with these visionaries in the STEM world,” said Commissioner Steven J. Braun.  “The program will help to create a comprehensive STEM program that will inspire the next generation of Hoosier innovators. As someone who comes from the tech sector, I am thrilled to see Hoosier students being introduced to STEM in new and unique ways.  It is not only vital to the future of our state and our workforce, but also expands the futures of these young Hoosiers.”

Utilizing funding appropriated by the General Assembly for innovations in career and technical education and workforce development, the goal of the program is to build top-notch STEM programs across the state that excite and inspire students to pursue high-wage, high-demand career paths in STEM fields.

For more information on the application process, please contact George Giltner atgeorge@techpointyouth.org.

ERM’s 13th Annual Golf Scramble

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So far, nearly 150 Tri-State children have signed up to attend our Summer Camp program at Camp Reveal. We don’t want families having to worry about finances, so we offer our Summer Camp program for free.

That being said, it does cost the ERM about $150 to send a Tri-State child to Summer Camp. To help offset these costs, your ERM organizes an annual golf scramble fundraiser.
Our 13th annual golf scramble will take place on Monday, May 9th at Rolling Hills Country Club in Newburgh.

To help support your Evansville Rescue Mission’s Summer Camp program, would you consider being a Green Sponsor ($100 level)?

Uber drivers’ $100M deal may set pace for gig economy

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IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

cUber Technologies Inc. resolved the biggest threat to its business by settling with California drivers suing to be treated more like traditional employees, a move that could have broad-ranging implications for companies across the sharing economy.

The agreement calls for Uber to pay as much as $100 million to drivers in California and Massachusetts and allows them to solicit tips from riders, but keeps them classified as contract workers instead of formal employees, according to statements by a lawyer for the drivers and the company.

With a valuation of $62.5 billion, Uber is the biggest firm in the sharing economy where a fight has been brewing over how companies classify workers. The settlement could guide other companies in the gig economy trying to address worker unrest.

The definitions of employees and contractors have grown blurry in the sharing economy, which is caught in a hazy zone of laws and regulations written decades ago. Worker advocates remain divided over whether those who labor in the app-enabled casual workforce demand a new legal category. The California drivers’ lawsuit was one of the biggest and most advanced challenges to Uber’s ride-sharing business model, which is still under attack worldwide by the taxi industry, local governments, unions and even passengers.

“Uber avoids the collision and an adverse finding that these folks are employees,” James Evans, a lawyer who defends companies against employment suits, said about Uber’s efforts to settle the matter. “They leave it an open issue, and that’s desirable from their standpoint. This maintains the status quo, without figuring out if these people should be treated differently or not.”

The class-action lawsuit, set for trial June 20 in San Francisco, had grown to cover about 240,000 current and former Uber drivers in California over claims they were wrongly classified as independent contractors and should be reimbursed for expenses and tips. Those claims under state law would have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars if the world’s biggest ride-hailing service lost at trial. Additional penalties against the company might have added several hundred-million dollars more to the cost of a losing verdict.

Under the agreement filed Thursday, which requires court approval, Uber will initially pay $84 million to the drivers, with another $16 million contingent on Uber’s valuation continuing to grow in coming years, according to driver attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan’s statement. A quarter of the payout will go toward attorney fees, according to Liss-Riordan.

USI’s Pence earns provisional mark at Bellarmine

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University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field senior Tyler Pence (Springfield, Illinois) posted a strong NCAA Division II provisional mark in the 5,000 meters Saturday at the Bellarmine Classic.

Pence finished first in the event with a season-best time of 14 minutes, 8.98 seconds, a mark that ranks 13th, nationally.

The first-place finish was one of 10 top-five finishes for the No. 23 Screaming Eagles. Joining Pence with a first-place finish was junior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana), who posted the top time in the 1,500 meters. Fellow classmate Marius Ulrich (Wesseling, Germany) was fourth in the 1,500 meters, while senior Johnnie Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) was fifth in the same event.

Junior Jace Hartz (Evansville, Indiana) posted a third-place effort in the high jump, while sophomores James Cecil (Owensboro, Kentucky) and Logan Paris(Wabash, Indiana) posted third-place finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and javelin, respectively. Hartz also was fourth in the javelin, while junior Micheal Hammonds (Evansville, Indiana) was fourth in the hammer throw.

Freshman DeAvion Sullivan (Evansville, Indiana) rounded out the Eagles’ top-five efforts with a fifth-place showing in the 400 meters. Sullivan’s time of 49.69 seconds ranks third all-time at USI.

USI returns to action April 29-30 when it competes at the Hillsdale “Gina” Relays in Hillsdale, Michigan. Guy also will compete at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California, May 1.

USI’s Roberts, Duty earn first-place finishes at Bellarmine

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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field sophomores Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) and Kate Duty (Owensboro, Kentucky) recorded first-place finishes to lead the Screaming Eagles at the Bellarmine Classic Saturday.

Roberts finished first in the 1,500 meters with an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying time of four minutes, 32.24 seconds, while Duty was first in the steeplechase with a time of 11:18.96. Roberts’ time ranks third all-time at USI in the 1,500 meters.

Including their first-place finishes, the Eagles racked up eight top-five efforts on the day. Senior Kaylen White (Clarks Hills, Indiana) was second in the 400-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 1:05.02, while seniors Jamie Adkins (Owensboro, Kentucky) and Jordan Jones (Bargersville, Indiana) posted third-place finishes in the 1,500 meters and javelin, respectively.

Sophomore Jessica Lincoln (Palatine, Illinois) was fourth in the steeplechase, while junior Jenna Martin (Evansville, Indiana) and freshman Kate Henrickson(Boonville, Indiana) posted fifth-place finishes in the long jump and 800 meters, respectively.

Freshman Hilary Paxson (Liberty City, Indiana) also turned out a notable performance as she broke the program’s record in the hammer throw with her sixth-place toss of 142 feet, six inches.

USI returns to action April 29-30 when it competes at the Hillsdale “Gina” Relays in Hillsdale, Michigan.

 

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