in Evansville on Saturday, April 9
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Below is a list of the felony cases filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office yesterday and today.
Drake Alexander Whitney Maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony
Possession of marijuana, Class B misdemeanor
Illegal consumption of an alcoholic beverage, Class C misdemeanor
Possession of paraphernalia, Class C misdemeanor
Charlene Yvonne Byram Theft, Level 6 felony
Andrew Nell Berry Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony
Theft, Class A misdemeanor
Possession of paraphernalia, Class C misdemeanor
Quentin Jacob Gregory Dealing in a Schedule I controlled substance, Level 5 felony
Maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony
Possession of paraphernalia, Class C misdemeanor
Christopher James Debose Attempted battery by means of deadly weapon, Level 5 felony
Attempted battery with moderate bodily injury, Level 6 felony
Criminal mischief, Class B misdemeanor
Luis Velaquez-Gonzalez Battery resulting in serious bodily injury, Level 5 felony
Battery with moderate bodily injury, Level 6 felony
Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Domestic battery, Class A misdemeanor
Michael David McCool Jr. Possession of methamphetamine, Level 5 felony
ANN ENNIS SPEAKS OUT
ANN ENNIS SPEAKS OUT
When we open a water tap, local county government is involved. When an uninsured motorist hits our car, local government is involved. Whether it is sanitary practices of restaurants, a rickety bridge, rehabilitating first time drug offenders or getting married, our county governments are the underpinning that holds our communities together, keep order and assure safety.
The General Assembly directed budgeting when mixed into county and education affairs mucks it up. Big federal and state government need to stay out of local taxpayer and local government’s pocketbooks, out of schools and away from unfunded mandates.
County councils, county commissioners, town councils, and school boards are hometown heroes. With much of county and local tax money being sucked up to Indianapolis it is on a detour before coming back home. County officials then have to work long and hard to find ways to keep our communities functioning.
They do not need or want the glitz and glamor of Indianapolis. They don’t get entertained by lobbyists. The county voter knows where elected county leaders live, go to church, eat and shop. As a result, elected county leaders hear the complaints and concerns of everyday people. The party caucus does not come calling on the county councilman. The state-wide party campaign committee does not fund the councilwoman’s election. But these two catch the heat of the voter.
In District 64 at least, the five counties’ officials catch the heat that comes from actions by our remote, un-known, disconnected General Assembly. The officials tell me they are not called for advice from representatives before those reps. head up-state to vote every winter. A representative should seek input from the community served.
My experience has been that attending a county council meeting is good for a voter and taxpayer’s morale. Being a county council person is not necessarily good for the council persons’ morale! They work hard to navigate stripped down budgets after Indianapolis has taken its share and state mandates.
But what you see in town and county councils are hardworking people holding their communities in good social order, while trying to also improve services, function and quality of life. You see nickel and dimes matter – and even more so when the dollars are in Indianapolis.
That is what you see in the City Halls. Now, what we must begin to see in the General Assembly are state representatives who are more familiar with their districts’ elected leaders than they are with their respective caucus or lobbyist of the moment. I pledge to provide that type of representation.
Governor Pence Ceremonially Signs Bills Aimed at Helping Hoosier Farmers and Businesses
Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today joined representatives from the agriculture community to ceremonially sign Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 308 and SEA 238 at the Statehouse. SEA 308 provides property tax relief for farmers. SEA 238 will help make local soil and water conservation districts more impactful when it comes to watersheds and areas of conservation. Governor Pence signed SEA 308 into law on March 24 and SEA 238 on March 22. Both bills go into effect July 1, 2016.
“I was pleased to sign into law Senate Enrolled Act 308 and Senate Enrolled Act 238, and I’m thankful for the bipartisan support in the Indiana General Assembly who helped get these bills to my desk,†said Governor Pence. “Indiana is blessed to have a rich agricultural tradition that starts on the farm and extends to thousands of agribusinesses, and these bills will help ensure the Hoosier farmers and businesses across our state receive the tax relief they deserve, and can better work together on soil conversation practices across our state.â€
Governor Pence was joined by Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb, Department of Agriculture Director Ted McKinney, Indiana Office of Tourism Development Director Mark Newman, Farm Bureau President Randy Kron and former president Don Villwock.
“I commend the Governor, members of General Assembly and all those involved with the passage of these two laws, which are major victories for Indiana agriculture,†said Ted McKinney, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “We have nearly 60,000 farming operations in our state, so by making tax relief available, while strengthening our conservation efforts, these laws go a long way to ensure that Indiana agriculture not only remains strong, but also sustainable for future generations.â€
Also in attendance were Senators Brandt Hershman (R – Buck Creek), Susan Glick (R – LaGrange), Eric Bassler (R – Washington), and Representatives Tim Brown (R – Crawfordsville) and Jeff Thompson (R – Lizton).
Adopt A Pet
 Rose is a 1-year-old female red brindle American Staffordshire Terrier! She’s a great girl who loves people, but no cats please. Her $100 fee includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and she’s heartworm-negative! Call (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!
Big Blue Invitational up next for men’s golf
Tournament to take place on Monday and Tuesday
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The President’s Reserve Course at Hermitage Golf Club will be the venue as the University of Evansville men’s golf team heads to Nashville, Tenn. for the Big Blue Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.
Tennessee State is the host for the 54-hole event, which will see 36 holes of play on Monday and 18 more on Tuesday. Action commences with an 8 a.m. shotgun start on both days.
The tournament field will consist of 14 teams plus individuals from Jacksonville State University. Teams participating are: Belmont, Detroit, Evansville, Murray State, SIUE, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, John A. Logan, North Greenville, Walters State, West Alabama and West Georgia.
A great all-around team effort saw the University of Evansville men’s golf team jump into fifth place in the final round of the Hoosier Invitational on Sunday afternoon. All five Purple Aces golfers finished with rounds of 76 or lower to make the jump into the top five.
Leading the way once again was Rick Voyvodic, who notched another 73 to finish in a tie for 11th with a final score of 146. Tyler Gray matched Voyvodic’s effort, recording a 73 of his own. He tied for 16th with a 148.
Wil Pahud carded the low round of the day for the squad, notching a 72. He tied for 21st with a 149. Will Knights finished the second round with a 75 and tied for 36th place while Joseph Addante notched a 76 and finished the event with a 160.
Aces women head to ISU Spring Invitational
Tournament to take place on Sunday and Monday
 A trip north on Route 41 will see the University of Evansville women’s golf team head to Terre Haute to take part in this weekend’s ISU Spring Invitational.
Opening round action begins on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET with Monday’s final round set to start at 9:30 a.m. ET. Par is 72 and the yardage for the tournament is 6,055.
The field for the event includes: Indiana State, Chicago State, Dayton, SIUE, Loyola, Bradley, UNI, Butler, Evansville, Drake, Oakland, Western Illinois, William Woods and Eastern Illinois.
Evansville finished the wind-shortened Bradley Invitational in 9th place on Sunday at WeaverRidge Golf Club. Originally scheduled for three rounds, wind halted play in Saturday’s first round. On Sunday, the squads finished their opening round before playing the final set of 18.
Leading the Purple Aces was Kayla Katterhenry. Fighting windy conditions for the second day in a row, Katterhenry posted rounds of 85 and 80. She tied for 27th place with a 165. Just one behind her was Maggie Camp. Her low round came on the first trip of 18 as she notched an 80. Sunday’s final round saw her card an 86. The tied for 31st place. Maria Pickens was third on the team. Rounds of 86 and 81 saw her finish the event with a 167. She tied for 34th.
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Indiana’s ban on political robocalls withstands court challenge
AG Zoeller: Indiana’s ban on political robocalls withstands court challenge
Zoeller: Ruling is big win for Hoosier telephone privacy rights
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A federal court has ruled to uphold Indiana’s comprehensive ban on automated robocalls to peoples’ phones without their consent, issuing a big win for Hoosiers’ telephone privacy rights.
The ruling, issued late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, was in response to a legal challenge filed in 2010 by nonprofit Patriotic Veterans, attempting to carve out an exception to the robocall ban for political messages.
“This important ruling ensures Indiana’s strict telephone privacy laws remain intact. Hoosiers value their privacy and do not want to be bombarded with unwanted robocalls. As I’ve said many times, robocalls are the tools of scam artists. There are plenty of legitimate, lawful ways to contact people and disseminate political information, but blasting out pre-recorded messages to thousands of numbers at a time with no regard for privacy is not one of them,†Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said.
Zoeller’s office enforces the state’s telephone privacy laws and investigates complaints about robocalls and other unwanted calls, which remain the top complaint received by his office. Last year, the office received nearly 14,000 complaints about unwanted calls, a majority of which were about robocalls.
In its ruling, the U.S. District Court credited the state’s role in restricting robocalls:
“Because ADAD [auto-dialed] calls intrude on the privacy and tranquility of the home and the recipient does not have the opportunity to indicate the desire to not receive such calls to a live operator, the government has a substantial interest in limiting the use of unsolicited, unconsented-to ADAD calls.â€
While this lawsuit was pending, Indiana’s Auto Dialer law, Ind. Code 24-5-14, remained in effect. The law restricts the use of technology that automatically dials residential phone numbers and plays prerecorded messages, also called robocalls, with few exceptions. The penalty for violating the Indiana Auto Dialer law is up to $5,000 per call.
Last month, Zoeller warned political campaigns to adhere to state telephone privacy laws and refrain from robocalling residents leading up to the 2016 primary election on May 3 and the general election on Nov. 8.
The attorney general said his office will not hesitate to go to court to seek enforcement action against those who violate Indiana’s statute.
Campaigns and political groups are allowed to make traditional “live†calls, even to numbers registered on the Do Not Call list, as long as the calls are not sales calls.
Zoeller said if someone receives an unwanted campaign call, simply ask to be removed from the caller’s list. To block general telemarketing calls, sign up for the Do Not Call list at www.IndianaConsumer.com or by calling 1.888.834.9969.
Indiana residents who receive a political robocall or any other unwanted call can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or calling 1.888.834.9969.
Zoeller thanked Solicitor General Thomas M. Fisher and Deputy Attorneys General Heather McVeigh and Marguerite Sweeney for their work on this case.