IS IT TRUE it looks like our “INDY MOLES” came through when they informed us that State Auditor and Evansville native Suzanne Crouch would be selected as Eric Holcomb running mate?  …we must admit that it felt good that this “fledgling blog” upstaged the local main stream media about a week before her selection was make public?

IS IT TRUE the appointment of Evansville native and State Auditor as Eric Holcomb really has local Democratic party officials worried?  …people are saying by Suzanne Crouch being Eric Holcomb running mate has enhance Vanderburgh County chances of going Republican by a large percentage?  …It’s legend so goes Vanderburgh County so go the State?  …all we can say this is a major developing political story?

IS IT TRUE  Rep. Larry Bucshon has a problem with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump?  … last week Rep. Larry Bucshon stated he is going to vote for Donald Trump because he’s a Republican is almost laughtful? …Rep. .Bucshon stated that has some serious disagreements with some of the statements that Trump has made in the past. …we are hearing maybe Mr. Trump is also having problems with a few statements that Mr. Bucshon has made in the past?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that several Evansville City Council members are biting at the bit on how to spend future “Riverboat Revenue” once the casino comes on land?  …we hope that our elected officials will realized that Tropicana has a local gaming competitor called ELLIS PARK located in Henderson, Ky. and they also have several regional (100 to 200 mile radius) gaming establishments to compete with?

IS IT TRUE conventional wisdom suggests when Tropicana goes on land the overall gross revenue will be increased only in the short term?  … we have been  told that City Council shouldn’t expect that much of a long term financial growth in Evansville once the Riverboat expansion is complete?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing the city administration has already received an advancement of $12.5  million dollars from Tropicana for this budget year to pay current bills?  …we are hearing that our tax and spend  Mayor is already planning to spend the majority of the projected income from Tropicana for 2017?  …in a positive light we are pleased to hear that 3rd Ward City Councilwoman Anna Hargis, CPA said “she would like the lease advancement money to go toward long-term investments”?  …we would like for Hargis to push to increase the balance of Evansville “RAINEY DAY FUND”?

IS IT TRUE its time that our local elected officials stop relying on money generated from Tropicana as their own political patronage slush fund?  …it’s also time that our elected officials to stop dogging Tropicana to give them advanced on projected revenue to off set their bad spending habits?

FOOTNOTE: Todays READERS POLL question is:  Do You feel its time for Anna Hargis CPA to speak out on budget shortfalls?

Please take time and read our newest feature articles entitled “HOT JOBS” and “LOCAL SPORTS” posted in our sections.

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ITS TIME FOR ANNA HARGIS TO TAKE ON CITY BUDGET SHORTFALLS

Things don’t seem quite right at our Civic Center these days, They’re especially out of kilter on alternating Mondays at City Council meetings, when 1st Ward Councilman Dan McGinn chairs the finance meetings.  The City Council majority is Democratic, but Council President Missy Mosby (D) chose a Republican retired attorney for that powerful position on the City Council. We wonder what led her to make that decision. Maybe it was to emphasize the “collaborative” nature of her relationship with Mayor Winnecke and his wife.  But to be totally honest we just he don’t understand her thinking in this matter .

When the public tunes in on those City Council meetings every other Monday, they see money shuffled between accounts to cover expenditures, with plans to replace the juggled funds from yet-to-be collected payments.  Whats amazing is that Finance Chairman Dan McGinn rarely questions City Controller Russ Lloyd’s when he states that everything will come out okay in the end.

We can’t help but remember McGinn’s tenure as Mesker Park Zoo Director.  Amazonia was his pet project, he assured us it would turn the zoo’s finances around if we support this project.  We been told that he produced a six-figure cost over-run on the project.  We are now told that the Zoo is losing hundred of thousands of dollars every year, due in large part of the unexpected annual upkeep of the Amazonia.  We now understand why many of our readers worry about Mr. McGinn’s financial judgement.

Also, we can’t help but wonder if Ms. Mosby felt the need to appoint a Republican to be Finance Chairman why didn’t she choose 3rd Ward Councilwomen Anna Hargis.  Mrs. Hargis is a CPA and during last election  she promised  the voters that she will serve as a financial watchdog for the taxpayers but so far has failed to deliver on that promise.  We think its time for Mrs.Hargis to start challenging the deficient spending practices of the Winnecke administration.

In the upcoming 2017 budget hearings we hope that Anna Hargis, CPA will start challenging the city deficient spending practices and do a better job in questioning the continued waste of our hard earned tax dollars.

Bottom line, we have become more concerned about the City’s finances with the passing of every City Council meeting, and urge all of our readers to keep a closer eye on what is being done with our hard earned tax dollars.

We have a gut feeling that the city finances are in bad shape.  We feel that City Council Finance Chairman Dan McGinn or City Controller Lloyd,  Jr may not be giving the taxpayers of this community a true and accurate picture of our financial condition maybe Anne Hargis, CPA will.

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The special election will be during the general election November 8th between Republican James Comer and Democrat Sam Gaskins.

Bevin released the statement below following Whitfield’s resignation:“Both personally and on behalf of the Commonwealth, I want to thank Congressman Ed Whitfield for his many years of service to our state and our nation. He has served the people of Kentucky’s first district admirably, and we wish him all the very best in the years ahead. I will issue a proclamation declaring that the special election to fill this vacancy will be held on the same date and time as the General Election, which is November 8, 2016.”

FOOTNOTE: First elected in 1994, Whitfield announced his retirement last year in the midst of a House Ethics Committee investigation. The committee ultimately rebuked Whitfield for violating House rules, but said it was unintentional.

The Red Cross partnered with area media outlets, including 44News, to raise money for the victims of the Kokomo tornadoes and flooding in Louisiana.

By 7 p.m. Wednesday night, the effort had raised $17,730, the goal was $15,000.

Organizers say they will accept donations anytime even after the telethon has ended.

To donate, click the link provided here.

Tyrades! By Danny Tyree

Every Monday night in the fall of 1975, I ran until I was out of breath.

Despite rushing home from my afterschool job, Ialways missed the first five minutes of “All In The Family.”

I could certainly have used an iconic device that wouldn’t go into distribution in the U.S. for another two years: the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR).

I bring this up because USA Today reported that Funai Electronics, the last known manufacturer of VCRs, will no longer make them after this July.

The Japanese company cited declining demand (750,000 units sold last year, versus the peak of 15 million units annually) and the difficulty of procuring parts.

Parts? Given how outdated the device had become, I wonder if the parts were horseshoes so the Pony Express could deliver them?

Who is still buying 750,000 VCRs a year? One source said the Chinese, but I suspect that some distant tribe is sacrificing them to the volcano god. (“And here is a copy of Cheech & Chong’s ‘Up In Smoke’ for good measure.”)

There are probably a LOT of Third World nations proudly using the analogue technology. (“Maybe I earn only a quarter a day, but you can bounce that quarter off these abs after I finish all those Jane Fonda workout tapes!”)

In its day, the VCR was hailed as revolutionary. Yes, “revolutionary” in that the wobbly, ever-degenerating images made the characters all fidget like they were waiting for the GUILLOTINE.

Okay, the VCR was also revolutionary in that it offered an explosion of options for home entertainment. As a precursor of today’s Redbox, “time-shifting” and streaming media, it saved us from being at the mercy of theater owners and network programmers. Instead, we were at the mercy of idiot family members who forgot to program the thing or idiot family members who left the dog unattended to chew the cord. Even Bob Hope wouldn’t go near THOSE war zones.

The VCR spared us from sprinting to the bathroom at every commercial break. Sure, the Surgeon General issued a preliminary report that this change sparked a rise in cardiovascular disease; but he somehow got distracted from issuing a final draft. (“Who’s the idiot who taped over the ‘M*A*S*H’ finale????”)

The “leisure” device actually provided new things to stress out over. (“I’ve still got 567 hours of game shows to catch up on. I think Bob Barker should have promoted spaying or neutering ‘The Price Is Right’ instead of pets!”)

Remember the war between the VHS and Betamax formats of recording? And how leaked index cards in cursive handwriting revealed that the Democratic National Committee was involved in swinging support to VHS? (They even got Pres. Jimmy Carter to tell “Playboy” magazine, “I have lusted after grainy home movies in my heart.”)

The VCR was such a big deal that the Supreme Court had to rule on the technology in 1984, deciding that it was NOT illegal to copy TV shows for home viewing. In a sidebar, the Court also declared that videotapes are PERSONS, with the free speech rights to donate to political campaigns and demand reparations for being stuck in dusty bookcases or grungy yard sale boxes.

When the last shiny new VCRs have worn out, it’ll really be time to bury the technology. But don’t dig a shallow grave. The &^%$# things will probably CHEW their way out!