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Canoe Evansville
The Arts Council announces winners of the 2016 Mayor’s Arts Awards
The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana announced the winner of the 2016 Mayor’s Arts Award and seven other arts awards at a press conference last week. The Arts Council’s annual Arts Awards honor individuals, groups, and institutions that have made significant contributions to the advancement of the arts in Evansville and the surrounding counties. The winners this year are as follows:
Mayor’s Arts Award Steve and Susan Worthington
Arts Advocate Award Robert O. Shetler
Young Artist Award Ross Hanson
Artist Award Ann Fiedler
Educator Award Joan deJong
Ensemble Award The Eykamp Quartet
Project Award Will Read and Sing for Food
Regional Award Warrick County Summer Musical
A reception and awards presentation will be held Thursday, August 18, 2016, at the Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville. Tickets are $100 a person, of which $50 is a tax-deductible donation. Theatre Row Sponsorships are also available. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to be listed as a sponsor, call the Arts Council at 422-2111.
The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana makes it their mission to enhance quality of life and support economic development through advocacy and promotion of the arts, arts education, and arts organizations in Southwestern Indiana. For more information, please go to www.artswin.org.
Marketing Tech Platform Commits to Indianapolis for Growth
Indianapolis – Sigstr, an email signature marketing platform, announced plans today to expand its operations in Indiana, investing $1.4 million to double its downtown footprint and creating up to 111 new jobs by 2020.
“Sigstr’s news that it is choosing Indianapolis to grow its tech platform and add more than 100 new jobs is the latest in a long line of great announcements from our state’s rapidly growing tech community,†said Governor Mike Pence. “With the hard work of companies like Sigstr, Salesforce and Determine – which is moving its headquarters here from Silicon Valley, Indiana is adding new technology jobs faster than the national average. Here in Indiana, entrepreneurs and innovators benefit from low costs, low taxes, reduced regulations and a highly-skilled workforce, making the Hoosier state the best place to start and grow a business.â€
The company, which allows businesses to market via employee emails, has doubled its revenue in the first quarter of this year and has more than doubled its customer base since December, growing from 90 to now 185 customers. To accommodate growing demand, the tech firm will double its office space on the 10th floor of the Circle Tower Building on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The company has outgrown its current offices on Monument Circle and will expand to add another 4,000-square-foot space connected to its current office.
Sigstr is a portfolio company of High Alpha, an Indianapolis-based venture studio managed by former ExactTarget CEO Scott Dorsey. The company serves national and global clients including Indiana-based Angie’s List and Delta Faucet, Georgia-based SalesLoft, New York-based ReturnPath and Arrow Electronics and Switzerland-based Roche. Sigstr is led by Dan Hanrahan, a veteran of the marketing tech industry with experience in leadership roles at iGoDigital and ExactTarget.
“The decision to scale our business in Indianapolis is a huge part of our competitive advantage,†said Hanrahan, founder and chief executive officer of Sigstr. “I personally came up through iGoDigital and ExactTarget with amazing mentors and connections to some of the brightest, most accomplished people in marketing tech. As a growing tech company we had many location options; however, scaling quickly, you need access to capital, customers and talent, which we were able to successfully find right here in in Indy.â€
Founded in 2015, Sigstr has hired 20 Hoosiers within the last year, including three this month. The company is currently hiring for account management, marketing and software engineering jobs, and plans to add 59 positions by the end of 2018. Positions are expected to pay average wages more than 25 percent above the state average. Interested applicants may apply online at www.sigstr.com/company.
With Sigstr’s technology, companies have the power to consistently brand their employees’ email signatures and to unlock a new marketing channel via employee email. Because employees on average send 10,000 employees each year to clients, suppliers and other important business contacts, Sigstr’s platform for managing email signatures allows companies to promote their most important initiatives and to maintain a consistent, professional brand from each employee email.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Sigstr Inc. up to $1,000,000 in conditional tax credits 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 Indianapolis supports the project in partnership with Develop Indy, a business unit of the Indy Chamber.
“We commend the rapid growth of Sigstr over the last year and are excited to welcome this expansion in the heart of our city,†said Angela Smith Jones, deputy mayor for economic development. “Supporting the tech ecosystem is vital to the continued growth of the Indianapolis economy and further diversification of our workforce.â€
Indiana’s technology sector added jobs at a rate of 18 percent from 2012 to 2014, which is three times faster than the national average. Sigstr’s growth follows announcements within the last year from technology companies including Salesforce, Determine, Emarsys, Blue Horseshoe Solutions, Lumavate, PolicyStat, iLAB, Appirio, GyanSys, Rook Security and Eleven Fifty Consulting, which together are committing to create thousands of tech jobs in Central Indiana. According to TechPoint, technology jobs in Indiana pay an average salary of upwards of $75,000 a year.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Below is a list of the felony cases filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office this week.
Gly Shane Fulkerson Possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Mark Christopher Hillyer Battery by bodily waste, Level 6 felony
Kelsey Gail Lefler Conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Tamika Lynn Thompson Conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Alexandrea Carol Johnson Conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Troy K. Strothman Conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in bodily injury, Level 3 felony
Damien Dewayne Wilder Battery resulting in serious bodily injury, Level 5 felony
Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Kayla Lynn Carter Possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Possession of marijuana, Class B misdemeanor
AG Zoeller: Indiana E-book purchasers to receive $8.6 million from Apple price-fixing victory
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Hoosiers who purchased electronic books (E-books) from April 1, 2010 to May 21, 2012 should now be receiving account credits or checks totaling approximately $8.6 million, as a result of the successful prosecution of a price-fixing case against Apple, Inc. Credits range from $1.56 to $6.93. Apple paid $400 million in nationwide consumer compensation after the United States Supreme Court denied Apple’s request to review the decision of a lower court finding Apple had violated the antitrust laws. “Indiana and its partner states worked diligently to refund consumers negatively impacted by this price-fixing scheme,†Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said. “Attorneys general will continue to fight on behalf of the public to ensure this type of anti-consumer collusion is deterred in the future.†Indiana joined 33 states in investigating and prosecuting Apple for its participation in the conspiracy to artificially inflate E-book prices. In June 2013, the states, along with the United States Department of Justice, tried the case against Apple. In July 2013, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that Apple conspired with the following five major U.S. Publishers: Penguin Random House, Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC, Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC and Simon & Schuster, Inc. In June 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed that ruling. And in March 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Apple’s request to review the Second Circuit’s decision. Under a contingent settlement agreement between the states and Apple, the Supreme Court’s decision triggered Apple’s obligation to pay the maximum consumer compensation amount of $400 million. All five of the conspiring publishers settled prior to trial, paying a total of approximately $166 million in nationwide consumer compensation. Most of that money was distributed to consumers in March 2014. The distribution that began this week consists of the $400 million Apple payment and additional funds remaining from the publisher settlements. The $566 million total nationwide compensation to consumers is more than twice the estimated amount of actual damages. Indiana consumers account for approximately 2 percent of E-book purchasers nationwide, and thus are expected to receive approximately $8.6 million from this distribution, in addition to the $2.9 million already paid to Hoosiers. The amounts received by E-book purchasers will be based on the number of E-books purchased between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. For each E-book that was a New York Times bestseller, consumers will receive $6.93. For all other E-books, the payment will be $1.57. Distribution process for E-book purchasers Distribution of the consumer payments began this week. Customers who purchased E-books through Sony or Google will receive checks in the mail. Customers who purchased E-books through Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo will automatically receive credits in their accounts (unless they previously requested to receive checks). Customers receiving account credits should expect to receive an email this week or shortly thereafter, indicating that the credits are available in their accounts. Credits can be used to purchase anything sold by these retailers, not only E-books. The Settlement Administrator has set up a website and toll-free phone number for consumers with questions about this distribution. Please visit www.ebooklawsuits.com or call (866) 686-9333 for more information. For consumers with questions about this distribution, please visit www.ebooklawsuits.com or call (866) 686-9333 for more information. Zoeller thanked Deputy Attorney General Amanda Lee and former Deputy Attorneys General Luminita Nodit and Jeremy Comeau for their work on this case. |
Adopt A Pet
Jabba is a very handsome male chocolate Lab. He’s just over a year old. He has lived with children, dogs, a cat, & a guinea pig in his previous home & did well! He had free run of his home with no accidents. Jabba’s adoption fee is $100 and includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and heartworm test. Call the Vanderburgh Humane Society in Evansville at (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!
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State Sen. Vaneta Becker to Serve on Roads and Transportation Study Committee
 STATEHOUSE (June 23, 2016) — State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) will serve on the Interim Study Committee on Roads and Transportation during the summer and fall months to help prepare for the 2017 session of the General Assembly. She will also serve on the following study commissions and council:
- Commission on Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises
- Indiana Commission for Women
- Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Interagency Coordinating Council
“When the Indiana General Assembly is not in session, legislators have an opportunity to examine state issues in depth,†Becker said. “In the coming months, we will hear testimony from experts and citizens as we discuss ways to keep our roadways safe and ensure the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is best serving Hoosiers.â€
When Indiana’s part-time legislature is not in session, lawmakers serve on interim study committees that meet to review the state’s top issues, as identified by the General Assembly during the prior legislative session.
Study committee topics are assigned by the bipartisan Legislative Council, comprised of 16 voting members — eight from the Senate and eight from the House of Representatives.
To view interim committee agendas and stream hearings online, visit www.in.gov/iga. More information about topics that will be examined can be found here.
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THURSDAYS “READERS FORUM”
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
“IS IT TRUE†will be posted on this coming Friday.
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