IS IT TRUE the Mayor stated during the Ford Center press conference that the five-year lease offered to the new Evansville Hockey team has the same terms as the one rejected in January by the IceMen? …the Mayor also stated that details of the contract between Mr. Hall and the City were not available, but Winnecke said the terms benefit both the city and the team? …all we can say is we will believe the Mayors statement when we see the signed contract?
IS IT TRUE the new owner of the Evansville Hockey team said “I will own the team, and (VenuWorks) came in to help me.”? …Mike Hall made it clear that he will own the team, not VenuWorks? Â … we heard a rumor that the new owner of the Evansville Hockey team might have a silent partner? …when we get a copy of the officially signed contract between Mr. Hall and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission we shall find out if this rumor is true or not?
IS IT TRUE if the City of Evansville’s books and records are so clean according to the Mayor and his City Controller so why does it take one year and five months for the people of Evansville to read the findings of the 2014 State Board of Accounts audit for the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE we are hearing that officials from the Division of the Office of the Special Inspector General For The Troubled Asset Relief Program are planning to re-revisit Evansville at the end of this month? …they have ask past and present city employees and vendors if they will be willing to answer questions concerning what they know about Evansville Brownfield Corp activities and the disbursement of Federal, State and Local TARP FUNDS?
IS IT TRUE one of our readers is thinking about contacting the United States Attorney’s Office,  Washington, D,C, Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Investigations Division, Washington, DC , the Director of the FBI Washington Field Office to Combat Public Corruption Division and 60 Minutes hosted by CBS Evening News alleging Evansville Brownfields Corp may have spent Federal, State and local taxpayers money Inappropriately?
IS IT TRUE we wonder how many more of our past and present local officials and vendors are considering getting lawyered up concerning the investigation of the Evansville DMD alleged mis-use of Federal, State and local TARP Funds?  …we are hearing that a few individuals are even inquiring about the details of the Federal “Whistle Blower” program?
IS IT TRUE why the Evansville City Council unanimously agreed that Evansville Brownfields Corp. would hold the lease on the downtown parking garage and hotel?  …we wonder why Council made this decision when there are  serious questions about the alleged inappropriate use of Federal, State and local taxpayer monies?
IS IT TRUE  Gala Celebration of the Publication of The Book of David by local attorney David V. Miller will be held on Friday, 19 February at 6:00 P M at Blush Ultra Lounge, Le Merigot Hotel, 615 NW Riverside Drive, Evansville, Indiana? …a Cash Bar shall be available and Hor D’oeuvres will be served?  …we urge to come and bring your friends to meet the author and celebrate his literary portraits of the smiles, challenges and mysteries that give color, substance and meaning to life?  …signed copies of The Book of David Will be available for purchase?
IS IT TRUE that if the City of Evansville’s books and records are so clean according to the Mayor and his City Controller why does it take one year and two months for the people to really know the findings of the State Board of Accounts audit of the City of Evansville?
We are asking our readers to “like us” on Facebook and encourage friends and family to do so, as well?  Our next IS IT TRUE will be posted on this coming Wednesday? If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com.
Todays “Readers Poll” question is:Â Do you believe that the new owner of the Evansville Hockey team has the financial whereabouts to make this venture successful?
Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Cash Bar and Hor D’oeuvres Will be Served
Come and bring your friends to meet the author and celebrate his literary portraits of the smiles, challenges and mysteries that give color, substance and meaning to life.
Signed Copies of The Book of David Will be Available for Purchase
by State REPRESENTATIVE HOLLI SULLIVAN Â DISTRICT 78
The Indiana General Assembly recently reached the mid-point of the 2016 legislative session. The House of Representatives approved 116 proposals for new laws, sending them to the Indiana Senate for consideration. The Senate has sent 150 bills to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Among these bills are proposals to fund Indiana’s infrastructure needs, support educators and curb illegal drugs.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 1001, a comprehensive plan to fund Indiana’s infrastructure needs at the state and local level. The bill uses multiple resources to tackle the issue by tapping into the state’s excess reserves and devoting the funds to roads and bridges and also indexing the gas tax to reflect the change in buying power from 2002 to today.
Currently, the equivalent of only one cent of the gas sales tax is dedicated to the Motor Vehicle Highway Account. HB 1001 would dedicate an additional 4 cents of the gas tax solely to roads and bridges. It’s important that we change the way the gas tax money is allocated. Hoosiers need to know that their user fee, the gas tax, is going to go to roads. I am advocating for all roads and transportation taxes to be used solely for roads and transportation from this point forward.
Leadership from both the House and Senate worked with Gov. Mike Pence and the superintendent of public instruction to address issues from last year’s ISTEP test. Legislators moved quickly so the governor could sign House Enrolled Act 1003; which ensures the more stringent standards do not unfairly penalize Hoosier teachers and schools. Gov. Pence also signed Senate Enrolled Act 200 into law, which holds schools harmless for their A-F accountability grade for the 2014-15 school year.
The House has also taken a tough stance when it comes to drug offenses. We have supported legislation that would increase penalties for drug traffickers, restrict access to meth precursors and establish a reporting requirement to combat meth fires.
In the same realm, House Republicans have championed proposals to curb meth addiction by enhancing substance abuse and addiction treatment, and cracking down on the flow of pseudoephedrine to meth cooks.
These bills will now move to the Senate where they will go through the same legislative process they did in the House. In the coming weeks, House members will be debating and voting on Senate bills.
If you have input or questions, please call (317) 232-9648 or 1-800-382-9841, or email H78@iga.in.gov. You can also find more information about the session on the Indiana General Assembly website at iga.in.gov.
I welcome and encourage feedback from members of our community on this legislation or any other issues you may have. I would also be happy to host those families from Southwest Indiana who would like to visit the Indiana Statehouse during session.
Evansville hangs on for 74-73 win
CHICAGO – D.J. Balentine hit the game winner while a monster game by Egidijus Mockevicius saw him finish with 24 points and 16 rebounds as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team hung on for a 74-73 victory over Loyola at Gentile Arena on Sunday.
Mockevicius led UE (20-7, 9-5 MVC) with 24 points and 16 boards, both game highs. He drained 11 of his 14 shots and had a season-high seven blocks. D.J. Balentine finished with 16 points while Jaylon Brown (12) and Blake Simmons (11) also registered double figures. For the Aces, it marks the first time they have won 20 regular-season games since 1999.
“I’m awful proud of our guys, its been a tough stretch for us. The first half was one of the best we played in a while. Give Loyola credit, they battled back and never gave up,†UE head coach Marty Simmons said. “We did not execute as good at the end of the game, but I told the team after the game that they bailed us out.â€
Pacing the Ramblers (12-14, 5-9 MVC) was Devon Turk. He tallied 22 points, hitting seven shots and all six of his free throw attempts. Earl Peterson also finished in double digits, posting 15.
Egidijus Mockevicius had a dominant first half of play, draining 9 of his 12 attempts to finish with 19 points and 7 rebounds in his 17 minutes of first-half action. Blake Simmons got the squad rolling, hitting a pair of triples to give the Aces an early 11-2 lead.
Just as fast as UE got the quick start, the Ramblers battled right back. Devon Turk notched two triples of his own to help LUC tie the score up at 15-15. With the game standing at a 17-17 tie at the 11:16 mark, the Aces scored 14 points in a row. Mislav Brzoja had a triple in the run while D.J. Balentine converted an and-one as UE hit 6-of-7 attempts in the stretch.
The contest remained in double figures for the duration of the half as Mockevicius capped it off with a tip in at the buzzer to give UE a 50-36 advantage. Turk was the star for Loyola in the opening period, posting 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Mockevicius helped the Aces score the first five points out of the break to take their largest lead at 55-36 with 18:26 remaining in the contest. Neither offense was able to keep up its torrid first-half pace as the Rambler defense helped carve into the UE lead. With just over six minutes remaining, Loyola cut the gap to ten points for the first time since the first half as a Milton Doyle 3-point play made it a 65-55 game.
Simmons ended the stretch with a pair of free throws to enter double figures for the day, but Loyola kept battling. With 3:10 left, Turk struck again. His and-one cut the deficit to just seven (70-63) with three minutes on the clock. On the ensuing possession, things got even closer. Turk connected on two free throws following a UE technical foul and Montel James hit two more to make it a 70-67 game.
The lead was cut down to just one on a James layup with 1:29 left that made it a 72-71 game. He hit another one with 30 seconds left that gave LUC its first lead at 73-72. Balentine punched back seconds later as his teardrop in the lane put Evansville back on top. With ten seconds left, Loyola got the ball back down by one before being called for a 5-second call, giving the ball back to the Aces. On the inbound pass, the Ramblers wrestled the ball away to get one final possession with six seconds left. Tenacious defense by the Aces saw them force a tough Milton Doyle shot that fell just short, giving UE the 74-73 win.
A trip to Des Moines, Iowa awaits the Purple Aces as they will head there to play Drake on Wednesday evening in an 8 p.m. contest.
(Cincinnati scores two in the third period, game-winner in final seconds of overtime.)
Records:Â Â Evansville: 18-23-5-1; Cincinnati: 25-19-3-2
Goalies:  CIN – Iles (W), 10-7-1-0, 34 saves
              EVN – Bengtsberg (OTL), 6-9-3-1, 41 saves
Scoring:
1st Period: 1. EVN – Wideman 7 (Leonard. Fawcett, 19:37)
2nd Period: 2. CIN – Huard 15 (PP, Downing, Wysopal, 5:01); 3. EVN – Sims 11 (Dunn, Rutkowski, 8:20); 4. EVN – Leveille 18 (Harrison, 13:18)
3rd Period: 5. CIN – Budish 19 (PP, Huard, Noonan, 11:15); 6. CIN – Quenneville 7 (unassisted, 11:53)
Overtime: 7. CIN – Mele 15 (Noonan, 4:53)
EVANSVILLE, IN – The Evansville IceMen saw a two-goal lead diminish in the third period, before the Cincinnati Cyclones capped the comeback in the final seconds of overtime to stun the IceMen 4-3 Sunday at the Ford Center.
The IceMen flipped the script from Saturday’s game in Cincinnati and peppered Cyclones goalie Andy Iles with 20 shots. Evansville finally broke the tie with 23 seconds left in the first period when Alex Wideman lifted a shot over Iles from the left circle.
After killing off two straight penalties, Cincinnati converted on its first power play, when Nick Huard beat IceMen goalie Christoffer Bengtsbergfrom between the circles 5:01 into the second period. Jordan Sims put Evansville back in front when his shot from the top of the right circle fooled Iles up high. Daultan Leveille made it 3-1, when he broke free behind the Cyclones defense and slid a backhander between the legs of Iles.
Cincinnati capitalized on another power play in the third period, when Zach Budish scooped up a loose puck in front and spun it into the net to cut the IceMen lead to one. 38 seconds later, Peter Quenneville picked the pocket of an Evansville defender in the IceMen zone and fired the game-tying goal past Bengtsberg.
The IceMen appeared to win the game late in overtime when the red light went on, but the shot hit the side of the net, which led to the ensuing Cyclones rush. Tommy Mele completed the comeback when he scored the winning goal with seven seconds left in the extra frame. Bengtsberg stopped a career high 41 shots in the overtime defeat, while Iles made 34 saves in his second straight win over the IceMen.
Evansville hits the road next weekend for three games in three days. First, the IceMen travel to Tulsa to take on the Oilers at 7:05pm Friday at the BOK Center. The team then travels to Independence, MO for games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon against the Missouri Mavericks at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
—
THIS WEEK
Fri. 2/19 – Evansville at Tulsa (7:05pm) – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
Sat. 2/20 – Evansville at Missouri (7:05pm) – Silverstein Eye Centers Arena – Independence, MO
Sun. 2/21 – Evansville at Missouri (4:05pm) – Silverstein Eye Centers Arena – Independence, MO
Â
UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Fri. 2/26 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Paint the Ice
Sat. 2/27 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Jersey Auction
Â
GARRET MATHEWS PRESENTS “SANDRA’S STORY” A TWO ACT DRAMA/COMEDY
“Sandra’s Story†is a two-act drama/comedy that examines urban poverty through the eyes of a precocious 10-year-old girl. Only one child in Sandra’s class does not qualify for the free-lunch program. Few caregivers graduated high school. Many have problems with drugs and alcohol.
A dozen or so years ago, she invited me to volunteer at her fourth-grade class at Cedar Hall Elementary, an at-risk school in Evansville. It was truly an eye-opening experience. Many of her kids had never been to the mall or a ball game or a museum. So I took them, usually in groups of two or three. Occasionally I wrote metro columns (Evansville Courier & Press) about our adventures.
Not only did Mindy welcome me into her classroom, she facilitated our excursions by clearing the way with the children’s caregivers.
While “Sandra’s Story†is a work of fiction, several things that transpired in Mindy’s classroom and on our little field trips are in the play.
I dedicate this production to Mindy, and educators like her in the ongoing struggle to impart knowledge and wisdom to their young charges when the home front isn’t always what it should be.
Toni Schaperjohn directs “Sandra’s Story.†Jasmine Withrow is stage manager.
The eight-person cast includes veteran performers Rick Kersting, Candi Vincent, Mark Atchison and Jim Hunter.
Show dates are March 18, 7 p.m.; March 19, 7 p.m.; March 20, 2 p.m.; March 24, 7 p.m.; March 25, 7 p.m.; March 26, 7 p.m.  at Studio 321 on the East Side near Eastland Mall. Evansville-area agencies that work with at-risk young people have been invited to set up informational booths in the theater lobby.
EDITORS NOTE: Â Garret Mathews is retired from writing the metro column for The Evansville Courier & Press. He came to the newspaper in 1987 after writing for the Bluefield (W.Va.) Daily Telegraph for 15 years. He penned more than 6,500 columns on subjects ranging from mail-order brides and Appalachian snake-handlers to a female bootlegger from Western Kentucky who was still selling wine and beer on the sly at 91.
Michael O’Machearley, who makes custom knives in Wilmington, Ohio, earns half what he did before he was laid off from a shipping job in 2008. The loss of blue-collar jobs has helped hollow out the middle class in Ohio and almost every other state.
Since the turn of the century, the middle class has shrunk in every state but Hawaii. But in 42 states, more people have moved up than down, according to a new Stateline analysis.
The upward movement, however, comes with a huge caveat: Families that have risen above the middle class may still be doing worse than they were in 2000 because the inflation-adjusted median income has declined in all but four states — North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The story is more straightforward — and negative — in the six states where median income was down and more people fell below the middle class than rose above it: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and West Virginia. In North Dakota and South Dakota, the other two states where more people moved below the middle class than rose above it, the increase in median income brightened the overall picture.
The “middle class†includes people making between two-thirds and twice a state’s median household income, according to a definition developed by the Pew Research Center (Pew also funds Stateline). Median incomes vary widely, from $39,680 in Mississippi to $73,971 in Maryland.
“People are shifting out of that middle category to a higher category, but whether they’re better off or not is not as clear,†said Harry Holzer, a Georgetown University professor and the chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Clinton administration.
To many economists, the shrinking middle class is worrisome regardless of whether more people are rising above that category or falling below it. Either way, the result is more income inequality, which may reduce intergenerational mobility — the ability of children from low-income families to do better than their parents.
These economists argue that rising inequality dampens the demand for goods and services — and harms the overall economy — as affluent households save more and spend less. It also prompts lower-income families to borrow more to sustain their own consumer spending.
In another indicator of growing inequality, the Stateline analysis found that in 44 states, income has grown fastest for households in the top 20 percent of earners — whether at the 80th, 90th or 95th percentile.
But Scott Winship, an economist at the conservative Manhattan Institute, argues that no matter where American families stand on the income ladder, more of them enjoy middle-class living standards than ever before, thanks to technology and more choices for all kinds of goods and services.
“What people really care about is whether fewer people have middle-class living standards over time, and whether they are falling out of the middle class into the lower group,†Winship said.
If any states are in trouble, Winship said, it’s the eight where more people are falling out of the middle class than rising above it. But even in those states, he said, focusing exclusively on income ignores other measures of financial well-being, such as health insurance and investments.
“Today’s middle class remains the richest in American history, and more or less the richest middle class in global history,†he said.
Ohio at ‘Epicenter’
Ohio, one of the 42 states where more people rose above the middle class than fell below it, illustrates the dark side of that seemingly sunny statistic.
Ohio has lost 350,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000. Now, health care is the state’s largest employer, and those jobs pay less than the factory jobs that vanished. Adjusted for inflation, the state’s median income has declined from $57,748 in 2000 to $49,308 in 2014. Since 2000, Ohio’s middle class has shrunk more than any other state’s.
Even those Ohio families that have risen above the middle class are feeling the pinch.
Consider an Ohio household that increased its income from $75,000 in 2000 to $100,000 in 2014. That 33 percent increase enabled the family to rise above the middle class, according to the Stateline definition. But because inflation was 41 percent, the household had less purchasing power despite the higher income.
The state’s economy has made progress in recent years, according to Will Cooley, a history professor at Walsh University in Ohio who specializes in labor relations and social mobility. But the loss of manufacturing jobs has had a huge impact on middle-class incomes.
“We’re at the epicenter of the decline,†Cooley said.
Many of the Ohio manufacturing jobs that disappeared were union jobs. The share of household income going to the middle class in Ohio has dropped at about the same rate as union membership since the 1970s, said David Madland, who published a book last year on the hollowing out of the American middle class.
“Unions are central to rebuilding the middle class,†said Madland, a fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress. “The system is only working for people at the top.â€
Downward Movement
The disappearance of union jobs also may be a factor in some of the states where more people fell out of the middle class than rose above it.
Historically, poverty rates have been high in West Virginia, but the loss of mining jobs has exacerbated the problem. Competition from cheap natural gas, which employs fewer people, has “kicked the bottom out†of the state’s coal market, said economist Roger Congleton of West Virginia University.
“When people are used to those unionized, pretty-well-paying coal mining jobs and they disappear, they don’t know what to do,†Congleton said.
Jobs of any kind are relatively scarce in New Mexico, which has the country’s highest unemployment rate (6.7 percent) and a poverty rate (21.3 percent) second only to Mississippi’s. As other parts of the country have recovered from the recession, many New Mexicans have left the state for opportunities elsewhere, according to Adelamar Alcantara, a senior demographer at the University of New Mexico.
“When they start hearing that the economy is good, that’s when people start leaving,†Alcantara said.
Delaware has struggled to bounce back from the loss of jobs in manufacturing and finance — more people are working in lower-paying retail and health care. Delaware’s biotech industry also is in a slump, said James Butkiewicz, an economics professor at the University of Delaware.
“High-wage jobs are shrinking and low-wage jobs are growing,†he said.
Marcell is a 5-month-old baby male rabbit! He’s an agouti satin mix. He’s sweet and good with being handled. Best of all, he’s neutered, so he can go home today! His $30 adoption fee includes a cardboard carrier. Visit www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563 to save a life!
