FOOTNOTE:EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Vanderburgh County Commissioners Announce Free Storm Debris Disposal to be Offered at Burdette Park
EVANSVILLE, IN – April 5, 2024 – In the wake of the recent storm that has impacted Vanderburgh County, the Vanderburgh County Commissioners, Vanderburgh County Highway Department, and
Burdette Park are joining hands to assist Vanderburgh County residents by offering a natural storm debris dumping site at Burdette Park.
Starting Tuesday, April 9th, residents of Vanderburgh County are invited to utilize the designated drop-off point located at the front baseball field, located directly opposite the main entrance of Burdette Park. This
service is offered at no cost to Vanderburgh County residents affected by the storm. These services are solely for residential use and not intended for commercial purposes. Please note that only natural storm
debris such as tree limbs will be accepted; no other materials, including roofing shingles or house siding,will be permitted for disposal.
Event Information:
What: Free Natural Storm Debris Disposal for Vanderburgh County Residents
Dates: April 9th
– April 20th (excluding Sunday, April 14th) or until debris field is full
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST daily (site will be securely locked outside of these hours)
Location: Front baseball field across from Burdette Park’s main entrance at 5301 Nurrenbern Rd.,
Evansville IN 47712
Accepted Materials: Natural storm debris ONLY
Eligibility: Vanderburgh County residents ONLY (driver’s license or identification card required)
Support: Vanderburgh County Highway Department will be on site to direct residents and verify eligibility. Residents are responsible for unloading their own debris.
Additional Information: For inquiries, contact Burdette Park’s Main Office at (812) 435-5602.
Over $300,000 awarded to landowners to fund soil conservation in Western Lake Erie Basin
INDIANAPOLIS (April 4, 2024) —The Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the USDA- Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced conservation practices will be implemented on over 1,700 Indiana farmland acres through the Western Lake Erie Basin Regional Conservation Partnership (RCPP).
The Western Lake Erie Basin Tri-State Collaboration Effort allows three states — Indiana, Michigan and Ohio — to come together to work with farmers, universities and non-governmental organizations and offer financial assistance to producers. The primary goal of this multi-state project is to protect the western basin of Lake Erie by reducing phosphorus and sediment loading, and algal blooms by using a suite of conservation practices working towards a 40 percent reduction of dissolved phosphorus.
“This funding goes a long way in ensuring we are enhancing and protecting the Western Lake Erie basin and in turn, members of those communities and the fish and wildlife that live there,” said Don Lamb, Indiana State Department of Agriculture director. “Collaborations like this Regional Conservation Partnership Program are incredibly valuable as we can share our finances, time, skills and talents to better our environment.”
For 2024, more than $307,036 was awarded to Indiana landowners within the watershed to implement a series of conservation practices. These practices will work to implement over 125 new acres of cover crops, apply Gypsum to over 925 acres and use precision nutrient management on over 660 acres. The goal of these practices is to prevent nutrient runoff and decrease algal blooms in order to protect the Western Lake Erie Basin region.
“When partners come together to combine resources and contacts, they create a stronger force and set the stage for a collaborative journey marked by shared success,” said Indiana NRCS State Conservationist, Damarys Mortenson. “The Tri-State RCPP partnership is heightening the efforts already being done in the Western Lake Erie basin, helping to deliver conservation at a scale never before achieved in the watershed.”
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding comes from a 2021 agreement totaling $7.8 million. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio each receive a portion of the funding to assist producers in implementing best management practices in an effort to reduce downstream runoff and ultimately decrease harmful algal blooms and phosphorus levels. The Tri-State RCPP promotes the coordination between NRCS and ISDA partners to implement conservation to landowners in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Counties in the Western Lake Erie Basin include parts of Adams, Allen, Dekalb, Noble, Steuben and Wells.
RCPP funding was made possible by USDA, our fellow partnering states and more than 40 collaborating public and private organizations on the state and local level. Eligible producers and forestland owners who wish to implement conservation practices on their land should discuss their options with their local district conservationist. NRCS accepts program applications year-round, to be considered for the current RCPP-WLEB funding cycle. For more information or to submit an application, contact your local district conservationist by visiting Farmers.gov/Service-locator.
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Responsive employerBiden-Harris Administration Announces $20 Billion in Grants to Mobilize Private Capital and Deliver Clean Energy and Climate Solutions to Communities Across America
EPA announces eight selections under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda
WASHINGTON – April 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its selections for $20 billion in grant awards under two competitions within the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), which was created under the Inflation Reduction Act as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The three selections under the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund and five selections under the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator will create a national clean financing network for clean energy and climate solutions across sectors, ensuring communities have access to the capital they need to participate in and benefit from a cleaner, more sustainable economy. By financing tens of thousands of projects, this national clean financing network will mobilize private capital to reduce climate and air pollution while also reducing energy costs, improving public health, and creating good-paying clean energy jobs in communities across the country, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will announce the selections under these two grant competitions in Charlotte, North Carolina. While in Charlotte, the Vice President and Administrator will meet with a homeowner in a historically Black community, where a local nonprofit, Self-Help, worked with community partners to finance, renovate, and construct energy-efficient, affordable homes for low- and moderate-income families. Thanks to that partnership, this first-time homeowner pays significantly lower energy bills and has a healthy and comfortable place to raise his family. The selections the Vice President is announcing will ensure more families can experience those same benefits. In fact, one of the selections being announced today will allow Self-Help and its partners as part of the Climate United Fund’s application to deliver similar home efficiency projects to over 30,000 homes across the country.
Collectively, the selected applicants have committed to driving significant impact toward the program’s objectives. They will reduce or avoid up to 40 million metric tons of climate pollution per year, making a significant contribution to the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate goals. They will mobilize almost $7 of private capital for every $1 of federal funds, ensuring that each public dollar is leveraged for significant private-sector investment. And they will dedicate over $14 billion of capital—over 70% of the selections for awards announced today—toward low-income and disadvantaged communities, making the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund the single largest non-tax investment within the Inflation Reduction Act to build a clean energy economy while benefiting communities historically left behind.
To date, the eight selected applicants have supported thousands of individuals, businesses, and community organizations to access capital for climate and clean energy projects. With their awards, selectees will unleash tens of thousands of more projects like these across the country for decades to come:
- When her water heater died, Mildred Carter in DeSoto, Georgia could not immediately afford to replace it. With the support of Power Forward Communities coalition member Rewiring America, Mildred was enrolled in a whole-town demonstration program that would combine Georgia Power incentives of up to $5,000 with philanthropic support for energy efficiency upgrades in her home. Her brand-new heat pump water heater was installed on December 23, just in time for the holidays.
- The National Trust Community Investment Corporation, Appalachian Community Capital’s partner, recently led the charge on a $5.7 million sustainable rehabilitation of the historic National Guard Armory building located in one of Owosso, Michigan’s underserved communities. Alongside the Shiawassee Chamber of Commerce, the organization helped transform the space into an incubator for Owosso’s small businesses and local nonprofits complete with high-efficiency, all-electric heating and ENERGY STAR certified appliances.
- Opportunity Finance Network member Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) operates in Florida, which has experienced some of the most disastrous effects of the climate crisis. SELF, a U.S.-Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), recently partnered with Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience to invest in solar power, window and roof upgrades, and aging-in-place upgrades—including the installation of solar panels and battery backup systems for Gibson Plaza, a 65-unit affordable senior housing project. These investments have helped the community reduce energy costs while also building resiliency, ensuring residents can stay in their homes and remain protected against future climate impacts.
“When President Biden and I made the largest investment in our nation’s history to address the climate crisis and to build a clean energy economy, we made sure that every community would be able to participate and benefit,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “The grantees announced today will help ensure that families, small businesses, and community leaders have access to the capital they need to make climate and clean energy projects a reality in their neighborhoods.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have put communities at the center of their Investing in America agenda. Today, we’re putting an unprecedented $20 billion to work in communities that for too long have been shut out of resources to lower costs and benefit from clean technology solutions,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The selectees announced today will deliver transformational investments for American communities, businesses, and families and unleash tens of thousands of clean technology projects like putting solar on small businesses, electrifying affordable housing, providing EV loans for young families, and countless others. That translates to good-paying jobs, energy bill savings, and cleaner air, all while delivering on President Biden’s historic agenda to combat climate change.”
“So many families face the same challenges: something breaks, you can’t afford to replace it, and the short-term solution is really no solution at all,” said homeowner Mildred Carter of DeSoto, Georgia. “I’m grateful for the help I got to install a brand-new heat pump water heater that provides me all the hot water I need while saving energy and money. And I’m grateful that there’s now going to be more options for families that will make these new appliances affordable and bring the benefits to them too.”
Together, the eight selected applicants have committed to delivering on the three objectives of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: reducing climate and air pollution; delivering benefits to communities, especially low-income and disadvantaged communities; and mobilizing financing and private capital. As part of this collective effort, selected applicants have committed to:
- Fund projects that will reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year—equivalent to the emissions of nearly 9 million typical passenger vehicles—making a significant contribution to the President’s climate goals of reducing emissions 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels in 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.
- Dedicate over $14 billion toward low-income and disadvantaged communities, including over $4 billion for rural communities as well as almost $1.5 billion for Tribal communities—ensuring that program benefits flow to the communities most in need and advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative.
- Achieve a private capital mobilization ratio of nearly 7 times, with every dollar in grant funds leveraged for almost seven dollars in private funds over the next seven years—turning $20 billion of public funds into $150 billion of public and private investment to maximize the impact of public funds.
These commitments have been taken or derived from the application packages that selected applicants submitted to EPA and adjusted for the amount of funding received. Moving forward, EPA will work with selected applicants to revise their application packages into workplans that reflect formal commitments through the award agreements. Read what the eight selected applicants have committed to deliver on in their application packages.
“After more than a decade of hard work, our vision to create a national climate bank is a reality. Thanks to the $20 billion we secured in the Inflation Reduction Act, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will draw on the experience of public, semi-public, and non-profit community leaders to unleash tens of billions of dollars to deliver more than money, but also justice, to disadvantaged communities. As the single largest climate investment in the Inflation Reduction Act, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will cut emissions, protect health, and create job and economic opportunities so that communities won’t just survive but thrive for generations to come. Even more than money, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is delivering hope – hope for justice and for a livable future. I applaud the Environmental Protection Agency’s work to quickly stand up this critical program while ensuring transparency and collaboration,” said U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, Chair, Senate EPW Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, and co-author of the National Climate Bank Act.
“Fifteen years ago, we laid out our vision for a national climate bank that would bolster our efforts to combat global warming by accelerating investment in clean energy. We turned that vision into reality by establishing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund through the Inflation Reduction Act – and today’s deployment of $20 billion from that Fund is a pivotal moment in America’s fight to confront the climate crisis while driving inclusive economic growth. These funds will serve as a catalyst for private investment in job-creating projects to cut carbon emissions, spur clean energy innovation, and advance environmental justice in underserved communities that have borne the brunt of climate change. Today’s investments are just the beginning – they will be multiplied seven times over to turbocharge our transition to a clean energy economy,” said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who first introduced legislation to create a national green bank in 2009 when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“These awards are making clean energy financing accessible to low-income and underserved communities that have for far too long carried the brunt of environmental pollution, helping us attack the climate crisis head on and creating jobs while lowering energy costs. These investments will fund projects that otherwise would not have been possible, and will mobilize nearly seven times as much in private capital. I’m proud to have helped author and pass the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and look forward to continuing to invest in the most impactful and urgent projects to reach our climate and environmental justice goals,” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06).
Selected Applicant Information
The eight selected applicants across the National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator will create a first-of-its- national clean financing network that will finance climate and clean energy projects, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) Selectees
Under the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, the three selected applicants will establish national clean financing institutions that deliver accessible, affordable financing for clean technology projects nationwide, partnering with private-sector investors, developers, community organizations, and others to deploy projects, mobilize private capital at scale, and enable millions of Americans to benefit from the program through energy bill savings, cleaner air, job creation, and more. Additional details on each of the three selected applicants, including the narrative proposals that were submitted to EPA as part of the application process, can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund NCIF website.
All three selected applicants surpassed the program requirement of dedicating a minimum of 40% of capital to low-income and disadvantaged communities. The three selected applicants are:
- Climate United Fund ($6.97 billion award), a nonprofit formed by Calvert Impact to partner with two U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Self-Help Ventures Fund and Community Preservation Corporation. Together, these three nonprofit financial institutions bring a decades-long track record of successfully raising and deploying $30 billion in capital with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. Climate United Fund’s program will focus on investing in harder-to-reach market segments like consumers, small businesses, small farms, community facilities, and schools—with at least 60% of its investments in low-income and disadvantaged communities, 20% in rural communities, and 10% in Tribal communities.
- Coalition for Green Capital ($5 billion award), a nonprofit with almost 15 years of experience helping establish and work with dozens of state, local, and nonprofit green banks that have already catalyzed $20 billion into qualified projects—and that have a pipeline of $30 billion of demand for green bank capital that could be coupled with more than twice that in private investment. The Coalition for Green Capital’s program will have particular emphasis on public-private investing and will leverage the existing and growing national network of green banks as a key distribution channel for investment—with at least 50% of investments in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
- Power Forward Communities ($2 billion award), a nonprofit coalition formed by five of the country’s most trusted housing, climate, and community investment groups that is dedicated to decarbonizing and transforming American housing to save homeowners and renters money, reinvest in communities, and tackle the climate crisis. The coalition members—Enterprise Community Partners, LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity, and United Way—will draw on their decades of experience, which includes deploying over $100 billion in community-based initiatives and investments, to build and lead a national financing program providing customized and affordable solutions for single-family and multi-family housing owners and developers—with at least 75% of investments in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) Selectees
Under the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, the five selected applicants will establish hubs that provide funding and technical assistance to community lenders working in low-income and disadvantaged communities, providing an immediate pathway to deploy projects in those communities while also building capacity of hundreds of community lenders to finance projects for years. Each of the selectees will provide capitalization funding (typically up to $10 million per community lender), technical assistance subawards (typically up to $1 million per community lender), and technical assistance services so that community lenders can provide financial assistance to deploy distributed energy, net-zero buildings, and zero-emissions transportation projects where they are needed most. 100% of capital under the CCIA is dedicated to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Additional details on each of the five selected applicants, including the narrative proposals that were submitted to EPA as part of the application process, can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund CCIA website.
The five selected applicants are:
- Opportunity Finance Network ($2.29 billion award), a ~40-year-old nonprofit CDFI Intermediary that provides capital and capacity building for a national network of 400+ community lenders—predominantly U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI Loan Funds—which collectively hold $42 billion in assets and serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories.
- Inclusiv ($1.87 billion award), a ~50-year-old nonprofit CDFI Intermediary that provides capital and capacity building for a national network of 900+ mission-driven, regulated credit unions—which include CDFIs and financial cooperativas in Puerto Rico—that collectively manage $330 billion in assets and serve 23 million individuals across the country.
- Justice Climate Fund ($940 million award), a purpose-built nonprofit supported by an existing ecosystem of coalition members, a national network of more than 1,200 community lenders, and ImpactAssets—an experienced nonprofit with $3 billion under management—to provide responsible, clean energy-focused capital and capacity building to community lenders across the country.
- Appalachian Community Capital ($500 million award), a nonprofit CDFI with a decade of experience working with community lenders in Appalachian communities, which is launching the Green Bank for Rural America to deliver clean capital and capacity building assistance to hundreds of community lenders working in coal, energy, underserved rural, and Tribal communities across the United States.
- Native CDFI Network ($400 million award), a nonprofit that serves as national voice and advocate for the 60+ U.S. Treasury-certified Native CDFIs, which have a presence in 27 states across rural reservation communities as well as urban communities and have a mission to address capital access challenges in Native communities.
Save the Date: The 2024 Annual Book Sale
Mark your calendars because the biggest book extravaganza of the year is just around the corner! Willard Public Library invites you to our Annual Book Sale on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024
Times: 9AM – 1PM
Location: Willard Public Library
Join us for a treasure trove of gently used books spanning all genres and categories. Whether you’re into gripping mysteries, heartwarming romances, informative non-fiction, or captivating children’s tales, there’s something for everyone at our sale.
For just $1.00 per book, you can fill your shelves with literary gems. And as the sale progresses, prices drop even further, making it an unbeatable opportunity to stock up on your reading list. Plus, we’re offering an incredible deal of 5 children’s books for just $1.00!
But that’s not all – the Friends of Willard Library will also be selling WPL merchandise, allowing you to show your support for our mission to provide free access to books, resources, programs, and events for the community.
Remember, every purchase you make at the Annual Book Sale directly benefits Willard Public Library, helping us continue our vital work in the community.
Can’t wait until June 1st? You can contribute to the success of our sale by donating books year-round. Visit our website for more information on how to donate.
Don’t miss this chance to snag amazing deals on books while supporting your local library. We look forward to seeing you there!
NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE SESSION OF
THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
The Common Council of the City of Evansville, Indiana issues the following meeting notice in
accordance with Indiana Code:
WHO: The Common Council of the City of Evansville, Indiana
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
TIME: 2:00 p.m., CST
LOCATION: 1 NW Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Room 318
Evansville, Indiana 47708
PHONE: (812) 436-4993
AGENDA:
An Executive Session will be held beginning at 2:00 p.m. pursuant to I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1
for a discussion of strategy regarding its intervention in pending litigation.
Bally’s Evansville Announces Re-opening of Poker Room
Ribbon was cut today to celebrate the re-opening of the Bally’s Evansville Poker Room. The non-smoking Poker Room features six tables, each accommodating eight players. Texas Hold ‘Em is offered daily. Pot Limit Omaha will be offered initially on Mondays with additional games being added based on demand. Players will also find a Bad Beat of 4 Of A Kind, with losing being the qualifier, both cards must play.
Poker Room Hours
11AM – 4AM CT, Monday through Thursday
Open 24 Hours: 11AM on Friday through 4AM on Monday morning
Food is not allowed in the Poker Room.
Since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in early 2020, the Poker Room has been used as a smoke-free slot room. To learn more about Bally’s Evansville, visit BallysEvansville.com.
Hoosier History Highlights
April 7 – April 13This Week in Indiana History
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Indiana Quick Quiz1. What was the campaign slogan for William Henry Harrison when he ran for President in 1840? 2. What city serves as the seat of Harrison County? 3. What relation to William Henry Harrison was the 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison? 4. How did Kosciusko county get its name? Answers Below
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Answers1. Tippecanoe and Tyler, too 2. Corydon 3. Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison. 4. It was named for General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish soldier who served with George Washington in the Revolution.
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Trailblazers drop pitchers’ duel at Wabash Valley
- CARMEL, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball team hit the field for the first time in a full week Friday afternoon, heading down to nearby Wabash Valley College for a single nine-inning game.
The Blazers found themselves in another close ballgame with a tough NJCAA Division I program and unfortunately came out on the wrong end of a 2-0 final score.
The VU offense was held in check by some really good pitching by the Warriors, with VU getting their first base runner in the third on a walk by sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.).
Wabash Valley would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 3rd before VU got into the hit column for the first time in the top of the fourth after a walk by sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and a single by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.).
The Warriors would add to their lead in the sixth, which VU again responded back with some action on the bases in the seventh after a leadoff single by Blake Heyerly, his second hit of the game.
Heyerly was followed by a four-pitch walk by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.) and sophomore Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) reaching on a bunt fielder’s choice.
Vincennes got another runner on in the eighth after freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) reached on a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a balk, but was unable to come around to score.
The Trailblazers were held off the scoreboard as the Warriors pitching staff closed out the 2-0 victory.
“Tough way to get going again,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “Ran out against probably the best pitcher we’ve seen all year, who is going to South Carolina next year. He did his job and we obviously struggled against him.”
“But we ran nine guys out on the mound,” Barney added. “We had a plan to keep everybody fresh for the upcoming Conference series at Heartland Monday and Tuesday. So we ran nine guys out there trying to get them ready and back on the dirt and all nine of them did a great job. We had one mistake with a pickoff play at third base or we would have been out of that inning. But those guys came in and threw strikes and battled. They had command and had a feel for where they wanted to throw the baseball. So you tip your hat and that’s the thing that we take out of this.”
“We’ve got to do a better job in the couple of innings when we had opportunities to score,” Barney said. “Somebody has to step up with a big hit and we’ve just got to continue to work on that.”
VU looked to get some arms back in action on the mound and opted to throw nine different pitchers during Friday’s game.
Sophomore Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start on the mound and was able to get through the first inning allowing one hit and striking out one.
The Trailblazers got a clean second inning out of freshman Alex Wandersee (Centerville, Ind.), including a strikeout, before turning it over to sophomore Max Lines (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the third.
Lines would get through the inning after allowing two hits and one unearned run while also picking up a strikeout.
Freshman Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) was able to work himself out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth before freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) took over in the fifth and struck out a pair.