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Softball to face UT Martin Tuesday at Cooper Stadium

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Aces and Skyhawks to play single game

  On Tuesday, the University of Evansville softball team welcomes UT Martin to Cooper Stadium for a single game set to begin at 3 p.m

Evansville is coming off of a strong weekend where they picked up their first MVC win of the season, defeating UNI by a 6-1 final in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader.  Morgan Florey pitched the complete game, giving up just one earned run in the contest.  Florey has pitched at least seven innings in each of her last three appearances.

Not only did she get the job done in the circle, but Florey also helped herself at the plate, notching two hits while posting two RBIs.  Chandra Parr and Danielle Freeman also had two hits in the contest.

Saturday’s finale was another hard-fought game between the Aces and Panthers.  Florey and UNI starter Chelsea Ross each went the distance in another pitcher’s duel.  The difference came as UNI saw two runs cross the plate in the second inning.  Freeman was the offensive start for UE, hitting a home run in the first inning to give the Aces the early lead

UT Martin comes to Evansville with an 18-14 record.  The Skyhawks have won three of their last four games after losing six in a row.  The duo of Carly Gonzales and Katie Warrick lead the UTM offense, hitting .385 and .354, respectively.

Gonzales leads the Skyhawks with 13 steals, 18 walks and 24 runs scored.  Warrick leads the way with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs.

 

Armed 14 year old arrested after running from police

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An Evansville Police Officer working an off-duty loss prevention job at the Eastland Mall Dillard’s store arrested a 14 year old on weapon possession and resisting charges on Friday night.
The incident began when the officer saw a group of juveniles in the store. The officer recognized several members of the group because they had been involved in previous thefts.
One of the juveniles appeared to place an item into a trash can, only to retrieve it a short time later. While doing so, he appeared to be checking the area to make sure nobody was watching him. The officer, who was in full uniform, approached the group outside of the store and told the suspect he needed to talk to him. The suspect refused to stop and then ran across the parking lot. During the chase, the suspect threw a .45 caliber handgun. The suspect was caught and taken into custody without further incident.
The serial number on the gun had been altered, but officers determined it had not been reported stolen.
A check of the 14 year old suspect’s background showed he already has 6 felony arrest and is a convicted felon.
He was charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession of an Altered Handgun, Possession of a Handgun Without a Permit, and Resisting Law Enforcement.

 

Overnight shooting investigation hampered by inaccuracies in injured man’s statement and his lack of cooperation

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Evansville Police were called to the 2300 block of Sunburst Blvd around 12:30 Monday morning for a reported shooting.
Officers arrived and found the injured man, 18 year old KESHON HENSLEY. Hensley told investigators he was shot in the leg by an unknown person while he was walking in the parking lot.
During the investigation, police determined the injury could not have happened the way Hensley described it. When asked about the inconsistency between his story and his injury, Hensley refused to answer anymore questions. The investigation remains on-going.
On January 31st 2016, Hensley was arrested for possession of a handgun without a permit at the same apartment complex and was barred from the property following that arrest. He was trespassing at the time he was injured this morning. After he was treated a local hospital this morning, he was arrested fro trespass.

 

Several people injured in violent domestic dispute, police still investigating

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Evansville Police were called to 730 Bayard Park Dr. around 1:00am on Sunday morning for a domestic violence in progress call.
Officers arrived and found three people with serious injuries. Officers determined the three had been involved in a fight inside the house that involved several weapons. The weapons included 2 knives, a 2×4, a stun gun, brass knuckles, a shovel, and a wooden stick.
Officers determined all of the injured people knew each other and it was a domestic dispute that turned very violent.
All three people were taken to a local hospital for treatment. One of the injured people had multiple stab wounds and his injuries were considered life threatening.
Due to the medical condition of all of the individuals, no arrests were made at the time. The investigation is on-going.

Phone Scam: Fake FBI Agent Conducting Investigation

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The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of telephone fraud involving a caller claiming to be an FBI Agent.

The caller, who used the names Alex Morgan and Thomas Ryan in the scam attempt, left a message on the victim’s answering machine, indicating that he needed to speak with the victim regarding an investigation. The caller had the ability to “spoof” the victim’s caller ID to make it appear the call originated from the “US Government”.

The FBI never calls people to threaten arrest, ask for money or request personal information. Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “If you have any doubt about the identity of an official who calls you on the phone, get the official’s name, hang up, and then call the agency back at a phone number you know to be correct.” Sheriff Wedding added, “The victim in this most recent case did the right thing by treating this message with skepticism and immediately notifying law enforcement. Once you become known as an easy mark for these scammers, you may be targeted for future scam attempts.”

Residents should not be deceived by callers who already have a date of birth or other piece of personally identifiable information. This basic information is sometimes used to bolster the credibility of the caller in hope of obtaining even more information from the victim.

The FBI is aware of this scam and issued a statement encouraging “…anyone who receives a telephone call from someone representing to be from the FBI, to verify the information provided in that call with their local FBI field office.”  The phone number for the FBI field office in Evansville is (812) 423-4486.

Pictured above: Fake FBI Agent Clark Westerfeld from the FX TV Show “The Americans”. (Image courtesy of Fox Television Studios / Amblin Television).

 

 

IS IT TRUE MARCH 28, 2016

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IS IT TRUE  since President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba, we thought it would be fun to reveal fascinating facts about this intriguing nation?

IS IT TRUE in Cuba healthcare is free and seen as a fundamental human right, guaranteed by the state. Despite spending a fraction of what the United States spends on healthcare (the World Bank reports Cuba spends $431 (£303) per head per year compared with $8,553 (£6,000) in the US) Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the US and a similar life expectancy?

IS IT TRUE despite not having much access to the internet, Cubans are a smart bunch. In fact, there are so many doctors in Cuba they’re often sent to other countries that have a shortage. The country has 90,000 of them to serve its population of 11 million. That’s eight for every 1,000 citizens – which according to the World Bank is more than double the rate in the US (2.5) and the UK (2.7).

IS IT TRUE while reports vary on whether it’s actually illegal or not, taking photos of anything associated with the police or military is certainly frowned upon and could result in you losing your camera?

IS IT TRUE that Cuba is the most populated country in the Caribbean, with more than 11 million residents?

IS IT TRUE while many of us use search engines a dozen times a day to find out everything from the weather to how to cook a steak, Cuba is one the least connected countries in the world with only 5% of Cubans enjoying access to uncensored internet at home.

IS IT TRUE that the  average state salary in Cuba is just $20 (£14) per month even though the cost of survival runs around $50 (£35) a month?

 

IS IT TRUE that Cuba has not one but two currencies. The Cuban peso (CUP) and the Cuban convertible peso (CUC) are both legal tender on the island with the latter worth 25 times as much as the CUP. While most Cubans are paid in CUP, nearly all goods are priced in CUC, making the gap between the haves and have nots glaringly obvious?

IS IT TRUE In 2012, current Cuba president Raul Castro (Fidel’s brother) reinstated Good Friday as a public holiday at the request of Pope Benedict XVI for the first time since the 1959 Cuban revolution?

IS IT TRUE In recent years, the government of Cuba has eased its stronghold on internet censorship with more than 40 government approved wi-fi hot spots around the capital city Havana and other major cities. Although the price of wi-fi access in public places has recently dropped to $2.25 (£1.58) an hour, it is still prohibitive for the vast majority of Cubans.

IS IT TRUE CUBA has one of the lowest birth rates in the Western Hemisphere. Falling dramatically since the 1970s, in 2013 only 9.51 babies per 1,000 Cubans were born?

IS IT TRUE in Cuba Christmas did not become an official holiday in Cuba until 1997. This was introduced by former leader Fidel Castro as a gesture of goodwill in honor of Pope John Paul II’s visit.

IS IT TRUE that the United States pays Cuba approximately $4,085 (£2,875) a year to lease the 45 square miles that holds the controversial Guantánamo Bay Naval Station. Cuba has reportedly only cashed a check once, and by mistake, according to an essay written by Fidel Castro.

IS IT TRUE in CUBA blowing your nose in public in Cuba is considered extremely rude?

IS IT TRUE Cuba is often called El Caiman or El Cocodrilo (Spanish for alligator), because that’s what the island resembles from an aerial view?

IS IT TRUE Bacardi, the spirit maker of rum, Dewar’s Scotch and Grey Vodka, was actually founded in Cuba. However, the brand moved its operations to Puerto Rico after Fidel Castro came to power.

IS IT TRUE in Cuba sex change operations have been permitted since 2008.?  ….they’re also covered under the National Health Care System for qualifying citizens?

IS IT TRUE in 2015 the half-century ban on purchasing Cuban cigars as lifted,?  …it was revealed that then US President John F. Kennedy bought 1,200 Cuban cigars for himself hours before he ordered the US trade embargo?
IS IT TRUE that Cuba is one of two countries where the sale of Coca-Cola is prohibited?  … when the Castro government began seizing private companies in the 60s Coke made a swift exit, with not a drop being served in the country since?

IS IT TRUE some say former president Fidel Castro grew his signature beard because the US stopped exporting razors, other reports say he did it as a time-saving measure, boasting that he saved himself 10 working days per year by not shaving his beard?

IS IT TRUE that two of Cuba biggest passions are baseball and ballet. The latter is funded by the government, which pays for ballet training and subsidizes tickets to performances.

IS IT TRUE on New Year’s Eve, it’s tradition for Cubans to burn dolls in order to symbolize forgetting bad times and looking forward to new and good times during the New Year?

IS IT TRUE It’s said that when Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, he immediately ordered all sets of the game Monopoly to be destroyed?

IS IT TRUE one of Cuba’s most distinctive anachronisms has always been streets full of classic cars like Chevrolets, Buicks and Fords.  …the reason why is because up until 2014 it was forbidden to purchase cars manufactured abroad?

IS IT TRUE in Cuba you can forget buses because lots of Cubans engage in the Nationalized Hitchhiking system which came about in the 1990s?  … at the time buses were scarce and it was illegal to buy cars with the only automobiles running with regularity being state-owned cars and trucks?  …the government made it mandatory for government vehicles to pick up hitchhikers?

FOOTNOTES: Our next “IS IT TRUE” will be posted on this coming Wednesday?

Please take time and read our newest feature article entitled “HOT JOBS”posted in this section are from Evansville proper.

If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us citycountyobserver@live.com

Todays “Readers Poll” question is:  If the election was held today for the Republican primary for the 8th Congressional seat who would you vote for?Copyright 2015 City County Observer.

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

CUBA’S NEW MOMENT

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By Peter Funt

Most of us have never been to Cuba and yet we easily conjure images of brightly colored vintage American cars, of deeply creased yet smiling faces, of bare-chested young athletes bounding in the bright sun, of cigar smoke wafting above crowded dance floors.

President Obama’s wise decision to try a different approach in relations with the Castro regime is likely to improve things for Cuba’s economy and its people. A nation frozen in time will change, but many Americans — especially tourists — hope the images are preserved.

Photographer Lorne Resnick understands, having spent the last 20 years chronicling the island nation and its people. His large and striking book, “Cuba: This Moment, Exactly So,” could not be better timed nor more useful in depicting the Cuban experience.

Resnick’s 250 photographs, culled from over 400,000 he took during more than 50 trips to Cuba, are truly remarkable. And I would say that even if Resnick were not my brother-in-law. His photographic passion can be examined at www.ThisCuba.com.

“Just like the buildings have exposed their raw structure as the paint peels away from decades of wear and lack of funds for upkeep,” Resnick observes, “it seems to me that the Cuban people’s social masks have also faded away to reveal honest, open, kind, warm humans who will engage you in intense, frank conversations about politics, religion and life.”

“The Cubans are incredibly family and friend centered,” he continues. “If you spend enough time in a family home it makes you weep at how beautiful their closeness is. The warmth and love is really extraordinary.”

Much of Cuban life is an enigma. For instance:

“Health care is free in Cuba. They have world-class doctors and not enough tongue depressors — largely due to the embargo. They have a Parkinson’s treatment center that people fly to from all over the world. They have cutting edge cancer research. But the hospitals are old.

“Fidel Castro actually admitted not long ago that he made a mistake and over-educated Cubans, so that now they have too many doctors and not enough mid-level service people.”

Pressed at an awkward news conference on Monday, Raul Castro mentioned free health care as he sought to deflect questions about Cuba’s rights violations. Cuban “rights,” he declared, include health care, free higher education and equal pay for women.

That brought a reply from President Obama summing up this turn in U.S.-Cuban relations. “I actually welcome President Castro commenting on some of the areas where he feels we are falling short,” he said, “because I think we should not be immune or afraid of criticism or discussion as well.”

Over time, shiny new American cars will line the streets of Havana, in front of tall, modern hotels and rows of U.S.-owned businesses. Eventually Havana’s photo album might look more like San Diego’s.

Photographer Resnick probably won’t care as much about those images, but he’s developed a keen appreciation for the Cuban people.

“I was in Cuba on December 17, 2014, when the Obama announcement came that things were going to change,” he says. “Everywhere I went people were quietly celebrating, each raising a glass to a potential bright future, hugging and kissing everyone.”

For Cuba, that is the bigger picture.

 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA MARCH 28, 2016 ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER 5:30 P.M.

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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA MARCH 28, 2016 ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER 

ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

APPROVAL OF MEETING MEMORANDUM

REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

CONSENT AGENDA
FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

ORDINANCE G-2016-16 A.S.D. MOSBY

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 3.110 (Accounts and Transfers) of the Code of Ordinances

ORDINANCE F-2016-06 FINANCE McGINN

An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Additional Appropriations of Funds within Various Accounts (DMD)

ORDINANCE F-2016-07 FINANCE McGINN

An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Repeal and Re- Appropriations of Funds within Various Accounts (DMD)

CONSENT AGENDA
SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

ORDINANCE G-2016-11 PUBLIC WORKS WEAVER

An Ordinance to Vacate Certain Public Ways or Public Places Within the City of Evansville, Indiana, Commonly Known as the Right-of-Way of Third Avenue, in the City of Evansville, Indiana

ORDINANCE G-2016-12 PUBLIC WORKS ELPERS

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 13.05 (Sewers) of the Evansville Municipal Code

ORDINANCE G-2016-13 PUBLIC WORKS ELPERS

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 13.15 (Water) of the Evansville Municipal Code

ORDINANCE G-2016-14 AMENDED PUBLIC WORKS MOSBY, WEAVER, ADAMS

An Ordinance Establishing Chapter 15.30 (Responsible Bidding Practices and Submission Requirements) of the Code of Ordinances

ORDINANCE G-2016-15 PUBLIC WORKS WEAVER

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2.150 (Emergency Management) of the Evansville Municipal Code

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA MARCH 28, 2016 ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER 5:30 P.M.

ORDINANCE F-2016-04 FINANCE McGINN

An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing the Issuance of Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds, Series 2016 (Consolidated RAD Projects)

REGULAR AGENDA
THIRD READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

ORDINANCE G-2016-11 PUBLIC WORKS WEAVER

An Ordinance to Vacate Certain Public Ways or Public Places Within the City of Evansville, Indiana, Commonly Known as the Right-of-Way of Third Avenue, in the City of Evansville, Indiana

ORDINANCE G-2016-12 PUBLIC WORKS ELPERS

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 13.05 (Sewers) of the Evansville Municipal Code

ORDINANCE G-2016-13 PUBLIC WORKS ELPERS

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 13.15 (Water) of the Evansville Municipal Code

ORDINANCE G-2016-14 AMENDED PUBLIC WORKS MOSBY, WEAVER, ADAMS

An Ordinance Establishing Chapter 15.30 (Responsible Bidding Practices and Submission Requirements) of the Code of Ordinances

ORDINANCE G-2016-15 PUBLIC WORKS WEAVER

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2.150 (Emergency Management) of the Evansville Municipal Code

ORDINANCE F-2016-04 FINANCE McGINN

An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing the Issuance of Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds, Series 2016 (Consolidated RAD Projects)

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS

The next meeting of the Common Council will be Monday, April 11, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. Committee meetings will begin at 5:15 p.m.

Approval of Youth Grants
Officer Chuck Knoll, Evansville Police Department & FOP: Police Contract

ADJOURNMENT