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Sheriff’s Office Announces Passing of K-9 Ajax

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The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office announces passing of K-9 Ajax (pronounced “eye-axe”). Ajax was was placed in service in 2004 and was retired in 2013. A Sable German Shepherd imported from the Czech Republic, Ajax racked up some impressive numbers during his career. Ajax apprehended dozens of felons and located thousands of grams of narcotics during the nine years he spent assigned to his handler, Sgt. Robert Clark.

Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “We accept that these dogs will only be with us for a short time, which doesn’t make losing one any easier. Back in the 1990’s I considered my K-9 to be a true partner, we were two parts of the same team. I know Sgt. Rob Clark felt the same way about Ajax.”

The Sheriff’s Office thanks Ajax for his years of faithful service to the Sheriff’s Office and to the citizens of Vanderburgh County.

 

 

 

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx

Former Director Of Indy Land Bank Sentenced To 9 years In Federal Prison

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Reggie Walton Sentenced To 9 years For Role In Land Bank Scheme

Reggie Walton, the former director of the Indy Land Bank, was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison for his role in a scheme in which he received kickbacks for fraudulently directing the sale of abandoned or tax-delinquent properties.

U.S. District Judge William Lawrence also imposed a $250,000 fine on Walton, 32, who was found guilty by a jury last year on eight felony charges including wire fraud and bribery.

“The citizens of Indianapolis deserve better from their public officials,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler in a statement. “Betraying the public’s trust and wasting tax dollars is a crime we take very seriously.”

The sentencing comes after a federal corruption probe involving the city’s land bank, which managed the disposition of tax-delinquent, abandoned properties. Federal prosecutors charged five men, including two city employees, who used their government positions to transfer promising properties in exchange for cash.

David Johnson, executive director of the Indiana Minority AIDS Coalition, was also found guilty on five counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering during last year’s trial. He was sentenced in December to five years in prison. Three other co-defendants agreed to plea deals before trial.

Much of the federal government’s case relied on Walton’s own words as he discussed business moves with his partners in phone calls the government was secretly monitoring. The government also taped conversations between Walton and an undercover FBI agent wearing a wire and posing as an out-of-state businessman.

The purpose of the Indy Land Bank was to acquire abandoned and tax delinquent properties and return them to an economically viable use. The agency sold properties to not-for-profit and for-profit real estate developers. For-profit investors were required to pay at least the appraised value of the property. Not-for-profit purchasers, however, could bypass the auction process and buy real estate for a price between $1,000 and $2,500 per parcel, regardless of the appraised value of the property.

Prosecutors said Walton accepted bribes to arrange sales to not-for-profit organizations that would then sell the properties to for-profit businesses. After these “pass-through” transactions had taken place, Walton and Johnson would receive kickback payments from the not-for-profit organizations from the proceeds of the property sales.

Walton, a Purdue University engineering graduate who joined the city in 2008 after a layoff from Pepper Construction, had said on the stand during his trial that in retrospect, his side business—conducted with cash and without using his name on any documents—looked bad. But he had insisted his position managing the Land Bank did not give him an unfair edge buying and flipping Land Bank properties because the Metropolitan Development Commission eventually had to sign off on the land transfers.

Walton admitted, however, that he never disclosed he would personally profit from those transfers. The not-for-profit Renew Indianapolis now handles the former Indy Land Bank’s duties.

State Auditor Crouch Announces Launch of 21st Century Government Transparency Tour

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State Auditor Crouch Announces Launch of 21st Century Government Transparency Tour

State Auditor Suzanne Crouch will hold a press conference in Evansville to announce the launch of the 21st Century Government Transparency tour which will seek the public’s input and participation on ways the Auditor’s office can improve Indiana’s Transparency Portal.

What: Press conference announcing 21st Century Government Transparency Tour

When: Wednesday, February 10 at 12:30 p.m. CT
Where: Southwest Indiana Chamber – 4th Floor Lobby
318 Main Street, Suite 401
Evansville, IN 47708

Recap of Last Nights City Council Meeting Council

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Mosby Declares Granting Public 3 Minutes To Speak Is Merely A Favor That Could Be Rescinded 

We looked in on Monday night’s City Council meeting, expecting a very routine meeting. When we had last checked the agenda, it appeared that there were no issues of consequence to be discussed. That turned out not to be the case. After the meeting, we came away from our television sets not knowing whether to laugh, cry, or look for another city to move to.

It became clear early that the sole function of the majority of the Councilors is to be present in order to compose a quorum and to respond with “aye” when their name is called by City Clerk Laura Windhorst. Most of the action was handled by Councilors McGinn, Mercer, Weaver, and Hargis, presided over by Missy Mosby.

The un-funny “funny business” began with the appearance before Council of John Graybill, who was apparently placed on the agenda after the deadline, which is noon on the Wednesday before the Monday meeting. Mr. Graybill’s name may be familiar to some of our readers, from the rather spirited discussion that took place on CCO of what investigators say was the arson at Inland Marina. Mr. Graybill has apparently been grinding an ax for a number of years with Ron and Gail Riecken and their family over having his boat “evicted” from their marina.  He now has shown up at City Council proposing a series of ordinances governing the operation of privately owned marinas, some of which would be expensive and appear unneeded according to the two current members of the Marina who appeared to speak in favor of not changing ordinances concerning the safety of the operation of the facility.

The City-County Observer is not taking sides in the matter of Mr. Graybill’s plan.  We were surprised when Mr. Graybill was given ten minutes to present his suggested ordinances, but the two gentlemen who appeared to refute Mr. Graybill’s proposal were limited to only three minutes. We were taken aback when Ms. Mosby announced that it had “been reported” that she had “put in” the Graybill ordinance proposal, but she denied having done so. We are not aware of such a report, but will surely explore the possibility now.

She then went on to remind the public that the Council does not “have” to hear them at all, and that the three minutes they are granting was merely a favor that could be rescinded at any time. Unlike Ms. Mosby, we believe that it is in the public interest to respect the right of the free speech in all matters of government.

We were also amazed that when a lady rose to ask a question about whether or not allegations in the Courier and Press by Editor Tim Ethridge concerning the behavior of Councilman Jonathon Weaver were true, Ms. Mosby broke in before the woman could finish her question, stating that the Council did not have time to deal with “slander.” The questioner replied that she was asking that Mr. Weaver confirm or deny the allegations, and Ms. Mosby asked the lawyer for Council his advice. He advised that no answer be given, and Weaver complied.

The Evansville City Council did strike one more blow against transparency and accountability during last nights meeting, that Ms. Mosby brought up. She suggested that verbatim minutes no longer be kept by the City Clerk, but only that “summaries” of meetings be written by employees in that office. Mosby assured the Council that it is an antiquated practice and not necessary since digitized recordings of the meetings are available to the public. Councilman McGinn actually questioned whether or not a vote was even needed, telling Mrs. Windhorst that “You got elected, you can do whatever you want.”  We realize that McGinn no longer practices law, but we wonder if he truly believes that being elected to an office allows the officeholder to do whatever they wish. We do not believe that, and neither should any public servant. Whether they are elected or appointed, they owe their jobs to the taxpayers. We, the people do not believe that any “mandate” our current officials claim overrides their obligation to fair, open hearings of both sides of issues that come before them, nor does it make them above the law.

Todays “Readers Poll” question is “You Agee with Missy Mosby That Granting The Public 3 Minutes To Speech Is Merely A Favor”?

Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

 

Meet Mike Hall New Owner Of Evansville Professional Hockey, LLC

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Meet Mike Hall New Owner Of Evansville Professional Hockey, LLC 

Mike Hall lives in St. Wendel, Indiana, a small suburb of Evansville where he resides with his wife of 20 years, Laura, and their three kids Mitch (16), Emma (11) and Ethan (9).  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Evansville in 1994.  During his professional career, he has owned successful businesses in the professional staffing and engineering consulting industries, earning multiple patents for his engineering designs.  Mike is also highly regarded and sought after as a business solution consultant.

He was a three-sport varsity athlete at North Posey High School in Poseyville, Indiana, winning the “Elks Athlete of the Year” his senior year. Mike continued his athletic career at the University of Evansville where he played football.  He has also raced Unlimited Hydroplanes for the past 28 years. The Unlimited class boats he is involved with hold every major speed record for reciprocating engine powered boats.

Above all, Mike enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his son’s hockey teams, and also coaching his daughter’s basketball team.  He is a member of St. Wendel Catholic Church and is active in several activities at church.  In his spare time, he enjoys racing boats and participating in the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane and ACHA racing circuits.

Mike’s analytical and business practices have earned him high praise in the business community.  His love of hockey and technology, along with his problem solving abilities and his innate talent for selecting highly motivated and qualified people, make him the ideal person to lead the new professional hockey team in Evansville.

FOOTNOTE:  This profile of Mike Hall was taken from the Southern the Professional Hockey League web site.

 

 

 

Rep. Bacon Welcomes Student Page To The Statehouse

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Rep. Bacon welcomes Student Page To The Statehouse

STATEHOUSE (Feb. 5, 2016) – State Rep. Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) recently welcomed the following student page to the Statehouse:

  • Andrew Perry, from Newburgh, attends Castle North Middle School.

As a House page, Perry toured government offices, helped staff with daily duties and joined Bacon on the House floor as he conducted the people’s business.

Bacon said although openings for this year’s page program have been filled, students aged 13-18 should consider participating next session.

For more information, visit www.indianahouserepublicans.com/page-program or call 1-800-382-9841.

State Rep. Gail Riecken’s Report From The Statehouse

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State Rep. Gail Riecken’s Report From The Statehouse

INDIANAPOLIS — Every legislative session defines itself by the bills it hears.

This session, the Indiana House of Representatives has passed out notable bills on transparency and access to public records and efficiency measures.

A favorite bill of mine, House Bill 1164, has been killed as per some in the Senate relay to me and it truly protected elected officials from being wrongly accused of fraud by the State Board of Accounts by giving them access to data bases they cannot access now. It got wrapped up in politics and turf battles—pure and simple.

House Bill 1019, the body camera bill, is in the Senate and is scheduled for hearing this Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. EST. The bill still needs balance. I would like to see the public (other than media) reimbursed for court costs; and I like the senior judge amendment that didn’t get accepted. Here the judge has a hearing and his decision is binding. Now the public access counselor’s opinion is non-binding.

The issue of transparency and accountability was the reason I offered the amendment on 2nd reading to House Bill 2015. These particular historic preservation grants are now an equity grant awarded at the time of loan approval.

It was presented in the Ways & Means Committee without any guidelines or clawbacks for non-performance. Thanks to support of the Republican majority, that amendment is in the bill. Let’s hope it makes it through the Senate that way.

The amendment that is now included requires that these historic preservation grants from the Office of Community & Rural Affairs have an agreement with certain minimum requirements included:

a proposed timeline,  the financing plans,  construction improvement plans, and remedies, if the project does not substantially comply with the proposed plans approved by the office.

I will continue to update you on the progress of these and other legislative issues of importance to the citizens of Indiana House District 77.

Sincerely,

Gail Riecken

State Representative for District 77

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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 Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Lache R. Seales Neglect of a dependent, Level 6 felony

Kylor Lee James Battery against a public safety official, Level 6 felony

Tyrone Smith Williams Domestic battery, Level 6 felony  

EVSC’s New Tech Institute Named National Demonstration Site

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EVSC’s New Tech Institute Named National Demonstration Site

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s newest high school, New Tech Institute, was selected as a National Demonstration Site by the New Tech Network (NTN), a non-profit that works nationwide with schools to develop innovative public schools. Demonstration sites epitomize the best example of the New Tech mission – to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, college and the careers of tomorrow.

“These schools have achieved a very high honor.  We consider them exemplary schools within the New Tech Network. They have shown enormous dedication to the key aspects that makes a great New Tech school as is evidenced by the students. Through the schools hard work, students are not only better prepared for life and college, they have achieved a deep love of learning and a fundamental understanding of the deeper learning skills needed to succeed in life after high school,” said NTN President and CEO, Lydia Dobyns.

In order to be named a Demonstration Site, NTI had to develop a clear set of student learning outcomes consistent with skills required to succeed in college, career or civic life. These include content mastery tied to state standards as well as work ethic/collaboration, critical thinking and oral and written communication. All courses at the Demonstration Sites must demonstrate rigorous and relevant Project-Based Learning (PBL) to amplify deeper learning while engaging students in the classroom. The deep integration and use of technology must be present in all classrooms. Finally, a school culture that establishes students at the center, built on trust, respect and responsibility must be evident throughout the school.

“We are very grateful to our students and staff for their hard work every day, and to the EVSC and New Tech Network for their continuing support,” said New Tech Institute Principal Chris Gibson. “We strive each day to put our mission into action: to provide students with relevant project-based learning in an atmosphere of trust, respect and responsibility. We have worked together as a collaborative team to improve our practice continually, and this recognition helps reaffirm our efforts to provide our students a relevant 21st century education.”

As a Demonstration Site, New Tech will play a key role in the development and scale of the New Tech Network. NTI will host tours for national, state and local school districts interested in learning more about project-based learning and the integration of technology.

New Tech Institute opened in Fall 2010 with its first class of freshmen and last year, had its first official graduating class. Individuals interested in learning more about NTI can visit www.evscschools.com/newtech.

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