Meet Cass, a 1 ½-yr-old male tuxedo cat. He’s been at VHS longer than all the other cats. Right after the shelter was emptied, he was surrendered and has been waiting ever since. He’s only $30 to adopt and goes home neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped for that cost! Call (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption information!
WABX PRESENTS THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY WITH PINK FLOYD’S “THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” AT VICTORY THEATRE 4/15
THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PRESENT
PINK FLOYD’S THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH, 2016 – VICTORY THEATRE
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH AT 10AM TICKETS ARE $30.00 & $25.00 IN ADVANCE ALL TICKET PRICES INCREASE $2.50 DAY OF SHOW
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT TICKETMASTER.COM, BY PHONE AT 800-745-3000, OR IN PERSON AT FORD CENTER TICKET OFFICE
Evansville, IN – The Black Jacket Symphony offers a unique concert experience through recreating classic albums in a live performance setting. A selected album is performed in its entirety by a group of handpicked musicians specifically selected for each album, with no sonic detail being overlooked–the musicians do whatever it takes to musically reproduce the album.
The performance is separated into two sets. The first set features the album being recreated as a true symphonic piece. The second set, which features a selection of the album artist’s “greatest hits,” opens in full contrast to the first set with an incredible light display and the symphony being much more laid back. The tone is set very quickly that the show will feature the high level of musicianship of the act being covered and will also be accompanied by all the bells and whistles of a major rock and roll show.
For more information, please visit http://www.blackjacketsymphony.com
– EMPORIUM PRESENTS –
www.emporiumpresents.com // www.facebook.com/emporiumpresents // www.twitter.com/emporiumlive For more information please contact:
Aaron Reynolds, 615-301-8728, aaron@emporiumpresents.com
Prioritizing food safety
As a legislator, I know there are a few things nearly everyone can agree on in this world, and fried chicken is most definitely one of them. It almost takes precedence over bacon. Almost.
Although the tastiness of fried chicken is not up for debate, proper handling of locally sourced, farm-fresh poultry sold to restaurants, schools and nursing homes is being examined by lawmakers.
As the popularity of purchasing and serving locally sourced food grows – which is a good thing – state policies must be updated in order to make sure our food continues to be safe. If enacted into law, House Bill 1267 would require state inspection of all poultry served in food establishments. This measure would enhance food safety for consumers because poultry, when improperly inspected, has the potential to cause food-borne illness in humans.
Improperly inspected poultry also speeds up the spread of diseases in birds, particularly the avian flu, which has recently emerged in Indiana. Inspections could help stop the transmission of these types of infections and result in earlier detection.
It’s important to protect Hoosiers from disease spread by food that is improperly prepared or not sufficiently inspected, because when it comes to public health, we can’t afford to wing it. This bill is now being considered by the Senate. I welcome your feedback and ideas. Please contact me at (317) 232-9833 or email h75@iga.in.gov. To follow this bill, visit www.iga.in.gov.
Indiana State Police Announce Education Program to Reduce Online Victimization of Youth
The Indiana State Police are announcing the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) statewide youth education initiative designed to reduce cyber victimization of youth between the ages of eight and eighteen.
Three specially trained ICAC Youth Educators will be available to present the program in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.  While it is anticipated program requests could exceed availability of the Youth Educators, an aggressive plan is being developed to provide at least 300 training programs to the target age group by the conclusion of 2016. Past high profile instances of youth being victimized by sexual predators demanded a proactive program be developed and implemented in an effort to inoculate youth against such criminal acts.
There are 61 ICAC task forces in the United States. And, the Indiana ICAC Task Force is the first to have full-time Youth Educators. Each Youth Educator will work within the structure of the Indiana ICAC Task Force with presentations specifically designed to prevent victimization in the areas of:
- Online child sexual solicitation
- Online child extortion, also known as sextortion
- Online production of child pornography
- Online bullying, also known as cyberbullying
- Online radicalization mitigation to reduce the recruitment of youth by terrorists and criminal extremists.
The Youth Educators are trained to present a consistent, timely, up to date program that is age appropriate within the target audience group of eight to eighteen year old adolescents. Â Programs can be customized to accommodate both large and small groups, and can last from less than an hour to a full day.
The Youth Educators and training curriculum were the result of a grant awarded to the Indiana State Police by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Since the program is covered by a grant, there is no cost to a school, youth organization or other youth group. For more information or to schedule a presentation, please email the request to:  ICACYouthEd@isp.in.gov.
BREAKING NEWS: FLANDERS Announces Restructure And Reduction In Workforce
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FLANDERS Announces Restructure And Reduction In Workforce
EVANSVILLE, IN, USA
FLANDERS announced today a restructure of their organization, resulting in a global workforce reduction of approximately 80 employees. The majority of employees affected are concentrated in the Evansville area.
Chief Operating Officer Allen Patterson states: “This restructure is in response to declining market conditions in some of the core industries FLANDERS serves such as coal mining and oil/gas. These industries and several others are experiencing the most severe challenges in recent history, and it is critical for FLANDERS to plan accordingly.â€
“We are sensitive to the impact this restructure and workforce reduction will have on FLANDERS’ employees, their families, and the communities they serve.â€
“I am confident this restructure will enable FLANDERS to continue as a sustainable business, a dependable employer, and an active member in our communities. FLANDERS is committed to our core values, producing quality products and serving customers with excellence.â€
About the Company: FLANDERS serves heavy industries, such as mining, mills, and utilities with world class products, power systems, and automation solutions in addition to new motor manufacturing, motor repair and field service. FLANDERS’ solutions deliver high return on investment and the lowest total cost of ownership to bring value to our customers. FLANDERS is a privately owned, third-generation company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, USA. It maintains global operations in the United States of America, Africa, Australia, Canada and South America. For more information, visit flandersinc.com
IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 15, 2016
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
Gala Celebration Of The Publication Of The Book Of David By David V. Miller
Gala Celebration of the Publication of The Book of David by David V. Miller
- Friday, 19 February at 6:00 P M
- Blush Ultra Lounge, Le Merigot Hotel, 615 NW Riverside Drive, Evansville, Indiana
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
Funding, Infrastructure, Supporting Educators, Curbing Illegal Drugs
Funding, Infrastructure, Supporting Educators, Curbing Illegal Drugs
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.
Aces win 20th Regular-Season Game In Dramatic Fashion
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.