IT’S CHOOSING TIME FOR THE GOP
Making Sense by Michael Reagan
Maybe Joe took my advice.
I told a friend of the VP’s recently that he should not run for president in 2016 but instead should leave the political stage as an elder statesman.
No matter why Biden really decided to let Hillary Clinton have the Democrats’ presidential nomination without a fight, it’s great news for the GOP.
At least it should be.
In an ordinary election season, the GOP should be thrilled to pieces at the chance to duke it out with Hillary and the U-Haul load of dirty old political baggage she and her husband are always dragging around with them.
But this is no ordinary season. It’s the upside-down season of Donald Trump.
What Trump has done to hurt the GOP’s chances so far is enough to make a conspiratorialist think Hillary and Bill paid him to run as a Republican.
But I forgot. Trump is so rich no one has enough loot to buy him off, not even Bill and Hillary.
What Trump is doing to the GOP continues to amaze me.
It’s bad enough he has infected what’s left of the party’s conservative brand with his Democrat-lite ideas.
But one-by-one he’s been biting his fellow Republicans like a liberal attack dog — even ones he’s not running against.
As part of his nonstop bullying of Jeb Bush, Trump tried to make it seem Jeb’s big brother George W. was somehow responsible for the 9/11 attack on America.
It was a cheap shot that knocked Jeb off his message — a message no one is hearing anyway — and forced him to defend his brother.
Democrats have been unfairly blaming George W. for 9/11 — and everything else that’s gone wrong in the world — for eight years. So now Trump piles on?
GW could have done nothing to stop the attack, which occurred just nine months after he replaced Bill Clinton in the White House.
People like Trump forget that in 2001 the U.S. Senate wouldn’t allow GW to appoint a new CIA director or appoint other people he needed who could have given him better intelligence information.
On top of Trump’s stupid 9-11 statement, Dr. Ben Carson came out with an even dumber one.
The GOP’s Mister Rogers candidate said he would have brought Osama Bin Laden to justice in two weeks without going to war in Afghanistan.
He said he simply would have told the Saudis we were going to become oil independent.
That threat to their bottom line, he said, would have caused the Saudi’s to rush out and capture Osama and turn him over to us.
These are the two top-tier Republican people trying to become President of the U.S.?
Trump and Carson may say things in the primary that some want to hear.
But the most important question is, “Can they actually do what you want them to do if they win?â€
To be a successful president, even a conservative one, in the real world you have to work with members of Congress, not call them names.  Trump will never be able to work with anyone in Congress — on either side.
The GOP desperately needs to save itself from being Trumped.
With Hillary and her heavy baggage as the competition, Republicans and conservatives have been handed a great chance to win in 2016.
But they also have a great chance to absolutely blow winning 2016 if they don’t stop Trump, who could cinch the nomination as early as next march on Super Tuesday.
Despite its dysfunction, the GOP still has time to derail the Trump Express. It has a deep bench of conservative politicians and leaders from around the country.
But if they’re going to beat Hillary and prevent the GOP from becoming the next Whig Party, Republicans have to unite behind someone like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich or Chris Christie.
They have to choose wisely — and they better do it fast.
Conservation Officer receives Master Instructor Certification
Indiana Conservation Officer Sergeant Bryan Knoy has achieved his Master Instructor Certification, the highest rating a Law Enforcement Instructor can achieve at the state level. He is the second Conservation Officer to be awarded this certification. To obtain this status, Sergeant Knoy first appeared before a board to petition to become a nominee. Once he was accepted into the program, he was then assigned a mentor to facilitate his progress. Sergeant Knoy then spent many hours completing instruction for basic police training, in-service training as well as instructor development.
After these tasks were completed, while showing a high level of competence, he then prepared a publishable research paper of a law enforcement topic. Sergeant Knoy chose to explore the Generational Theory and how it applies to law enforcement. His research paper, “Defining generations in law enforcement and ways to bridge the gapâ€, was very well received when presented to the reviewing board.  Sergeant Knoy then made an oral presentation to the Master Instructor Board consisting of law enforcement agency heads and other law enforcement training officers who are certified Master Instructors.
Sgt. Knoy currently serves as a Training Sergeant for the Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources. He serves the Division out of his office at Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. “Sergeant Knoy’s accomplishment is the result of hard work and determination. I was extremely proud of him and his representation of our division.†stated Danny L. East, Director of Law Enforcement.
MVC Cross Country Championships set for Saturday in Evansville
UE to host conference championships this weekend
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The Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships return to Evansville on Saturday as the ten league institutions make their way to Angel Mounds for Saturday’s meet.
Action gets underway on Saturday morning as the men take to the course for their 8K race at 10:30 a.m. before the women run their 5K race at 11:30 a.m. Admission is just $5.
In the Pre-Championship Polls, Bradley was picked to sweep the races. The Braves received five first place votes and a total of 77 points in the men’s race. Indiana State was picked second with three top votes and a total of 66 points. Wichita State took third in the poll.
On the women’s side, the Braves garnered nine out of ten first-place votes for a total of 99 points. Wichita State grabbed the other top vote and was chosen second with 87 points. Illinois State was third with 81.
Evansville is set to run its third home meet of the season. The Purple Aces began the season with the Early Bird Invite in September before running the UE Invitational on October 17. In that meet, Evansville’s women were paced by freshman Sienna Crews. Her 5K time of 18:56.0 was her best collegiate time, besting her previous mark set last time out at Louisville by almost three seconds. She came home in 18th place overall.
Second for UE was senior Elizabeth Kingshott with a final of 19:27. It was her best time of the season and put her 30th in the finishing order. Third across the line for the Aces was Michelle Karp. The sophomore has improved each and every week and set her PR for the fourth week in a row, running a 19:38.4. That topped her 19:52.97, which was Karp’s previous best that she ran two weeks ago in Louisville.
Ross Frondorf led the Aces men with a season-best time of 28:07.3 in the 8K race. He finished in 54th place out of 103 participants. Ben Woolems was next, running a 28:57.6 to come in 64th. Setting a new PR by 27 seconds was Paul Schwartz at 29:04.2. His old time of 29:31.2 was set at the Bradley Intercollegiate. Even more impressive has been his improvement as the season has gone along. His time on Saturday was 5 minutes and 12 seconds better than his first race at Angel Mounds in September.
Holly’s House Recipient of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley’s Grants Program
Holly’s House, 750 North Park Drive, Evansville, IN, will hold a special recognition ceremony on Wednesday, November 4th at 10:00 a.m. to recognize the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley grant award supporting the growth of the “Child Sexual Abuse Medical Exam†program. This project will benefit children living in the Tri-State area, helping to extend the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley’s mission to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
Ronald McDonald House Charities has awarded Holly’s House $10,000 to support the expansion of the “Child Sexual Abuse Medical Exam†services which will allow sexually abused children to have an opportunity to receive a medical exam at Holly’s House which is coordinated with the completion of the child’s forensic interview. Since opening in 2008, over 3,500 children from nine Southwest Indiana Counties have received free services in the comfortable and safe setting at Holly’s House. Sidney Hardgrave, Holly’s House Executive Director says “The Sexual Abuse Medical Exam†program is an example of the high quality of care and compassion that Holly’s House offers our community’s children in order to support both their physical and emotional recovery from abuse. We are excited by this opportunity to partner with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley, Inc. with our parallel efforts to provide a positive impact on the lives of children.â€
“Thanks to our local McDonald’s Owner/Operators sponsorship and the matched dollars from Ronald McDonald House Charities “Globalâ€, we are able to expand our reach through our Grants program. Together they allow us to impact the lives of children whose family may not necessarily have a need to stay at our Ronald McDonald House, but are still touched by our charity through our Grants program,†explained Theresa Floyd-Maas, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley Executive Director. “Their generosity allows us to partner with other area non-profits to continue to support our mission through their established programs and projects.â€
Holly’s House is a non-residential child and adult advocacy center providing services for victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault in Southwest Indiana. The mission of the organization is to empower victims of intimate crime and abuse by providing support, promoting justice and preventing violence. For more information, please visit www.hollyshouse.org.Â
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Tips for a safe Halloween
Walk Safely
•Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
•Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
•Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
•Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
•Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
•Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Trick or Treat With an Adult
•Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.
Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe
•Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
•Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
•Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
•When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
Drive Extra Safely on Halloween
•Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
•Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
•Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
•Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
•Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
•Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.
THERE ARE NO SET HOURS FOR TRICK OR TREATING IN EVANSVILLE. BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN.
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Compton Brings Experience and Depth to Evansville
Jackson Kelly PLLC is pleased to welcome Charles A. Compton, former Senior Vice President and General Counsel of White Oak Resources LLC, to its Evansville, Indiana, office. Compton will focus his practice in the areas of commercial and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and natural resources.
Compton is returning to private practice after spending four years as General Counsel to White Oak Resources. Prior to joining White Oak, Compton was in private practice for two decades. His practice focused on mergers & acquisitions, commercial and real estate transactions, finance and mineral law. In addition to his client work, Compton has provided leadership to the coal industry as a principal and contributing drafter of industry-related Indiana legislation and has represented the Indiana Coal Council as amicus curiae before the Indiana Court of Appeals. Compton is also a Trustee of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation.
Upon joining Jackson Kelly, Compton states “Jackson Kelly has nationally recognized practices in several disciplines, and that is certainly the case with its energy practice. I look forward to helping Jackson Kelly’s clients navigate the headwinds and take advantage of the opportunities presented by these unprecedented times in the energy industry. At the same time, Jackson Kelly has one of the largest full service practices in Evansville. It is exciting to be part of that dynamic; marrying a broad local presence with the firm-wide resources, capabilities and experience in all areas housed in a firm of Jackson Kelly’s size.â€
Jackson Kelly CEO, Ellen Cappellanti, applauded the hire of Compton recalling that the Firm first entered the Evansville market in 2011, initially to serve its growing energy practice. Since that time, the Firm has expanded significantly in Evansville, with now over twenty attorneys who provide a full range of business, litigation, employment and other services to several of the region’s leading businesses.
Marc Fine, Managing Member of the Evansville office, concurred. “I have known Charles for many years, and he is an excellent lawyer. We are excited to add him as part of the team.â€
Client Focus, Industry Insight, National Reputation. Jackson Kelly PLLC is a national law firm with more than 175 attorneys located in twelve offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado and the District of Columbia. With a focus on companies working in and around the energy industry, the Firm works with its clients to help resolve their operating challenges by teaming to develop and implement strategies that minimize risks, quickly and effectively. Focusing on clients’ industry-specific needs, the Firm serves a wide variety of corporate and public clients and enjoys a national reputation in business, labor and employment, litigation, government contracts, tax, safety and health, permitting, natural resource and environmental law. The Firm’s clients and peers recognize its commitment to providing superior client service as Jackson Kelly has repeatedly been selected as a Go-To Law Firm for the Top 500 Companies in the U.S. and is regularly named to BTI’s Client Service A-Team.
SLOW AND JERKY by Jim Redwine
Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week of 02 November 2015)
SLOW AND JERKY
It is time to leave the Osage and get back to JPeg Ranch in Indiana. The family said goodbye to our old church, both the movie theater and the pool hall are long closed and they tore down our old school. We really can’t go home.
In small towns across western America fifty years ago those four institutions were the town. This was especially true in my small hometown out on the prairie. What time we boys did not spend at those institutions we could not avoid, school and church, we spent at the Saturday movie or the pool hall. I’m not sure where I got more education.
As Professor Harold Hill said in The Music Man:
“I consider the hours I spend with a cue in my hand golden. Help you cultivate horse sense and a cool head and a keen eye.â€
One lesson I learned from the movie theater was that Black kids had to sit in the balcony. In legally and de facto segregated Oklahoma, the races could not and almost always did not mix.
In 2015 the vestiges of slavery are subtle. But before the race riots of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s from Boston to Los Angeles, the sins of our forefathers were clearly evident. White people made the rules, both commercial and social, and Black people obeyed them or paid a heavy price.
When African Americans became Black Panthers or Black Muslims or litigants in civil rights cases such as Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954), white Americans at first reacted badly then slowly let the mantra of “No Justice, No Peace†permeate our collective psyches.
Slowly, painfully, incrementally, that’s how we in America addressed the “Negro Problemâ€. Our approach to the “Indian Problem†was different. Absolute power over indigenous, multi-tribal peoples enabled industrialized white Americans to either eliminate or marginalize Native Americans. This latter approach is what Israel’s Jewish citizens have tried with Palestinians since 1948. It has not and cannot work, as there are many more Arabs than Jews and, unlike Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 40’s, the whole world is now watching.
What might work is the former approach. Starting from an attitudinal change that justice is a better plan than extermination, Palestinians and Jewish Israelis could perhaps climb that same mountain we continue slowly working to summit.
AG Zoeller announces grant program to fund surge in naloxone distribution
Zoeller also recognizes first responders who have saved lives with naloxone
INDIANAPOLIS – At the sixth-annual Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Symposium today, Attorney General Greg Zoeller focused on the importance of expanding access to and use of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone as a response to rising overdose deaths in the state. The two-day symposium is the pinnacle event for the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, which Zoeller founded in 2012 and which he currently co-chairs.
At the symposium today, Zoeller announced a new grant program to fund a surge in naloxone distribution, with the goal of ensuring all first responders are equipped with the life-saving treatment and trained to administer it. He also presented six awards to law enforcement officers and medical professionals in the state who have helped save lives by administering naloxone or training individuals to do so.
Naloxone, usually in the form of a nasal spray, works by counteracting the effects of an overdose of heroin or other opiate, and that in turn gives first responders additional time to get the unconscious patient to a hospital.
According to a 2015 Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) report, the number of heroin overdoses in Indiana more than doubled from 2011 to 2013. Three out of four new heroin users report having abused prescription opioids prior to using heroin.
On behalf of his Task Force, Zoeller has advocated for expanded availability and use of naloxone. In 2014, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that provides immunity from civil lawsuits to law enforcement and other first responders who administer naloxone to overdose victims in the course of their duties. In 2015, further legislation was passed that allows medical professionals to prescribe naloxone to family members and others who provide care or services to those at risk of overdose.
To date, 55 law enforcement agencies across the state have been trained and equipped with naloxone, including county sheriffs’ departments, municipal police departments and campus police departments. At least 165 lives have been saved by law enforcement administering naloxone in Indiana.
Naloxone grant program
Beginning today, nonprofits registered with ISDH to distribute naloxone kits and provide training on the use of naloxone to law enforcement and other first responders can apply for grant funding from the Attorney General’s Office.
The new grant program is funded by a recent pharmaceutical settlement reached between the Attorney General’s Office and Amgen for deceptive drug promotion. The initial wave of available funding is set at $100,000.
“We cannot sit by as more and more people die from opioid overdoses,†Zoeller said. “The Task Force, Legislature and other leaders on this issue have paved the way for greater availability of naloxone, but these efforts are meaningless without the boots-on-the-ground response to get this antidote into police cars, EMS trucks and addiction treatment facilities where naloxone can be administered immediately to overdose patients to save lives. This is a public health emergency and demands an immediate response.â€
To apply for a grant, eligible nonprofits must submit a plan to the Attorney General’s Office detailing which first responders in their service area are in need of naloxone, whether any jurisdictions in their service area are high risk, whether any jurisdictions have a demonstrated financial need to fund naloxone programs, and an estimated count of naloxone kits needed in the service area. The nonprofits must also detail their plan and timeline for training first responders on naloxone kits.
The individual award amounts will be determined based on the geographic service areas the nonprofit can reach, and the quantity of law enforcement agencies and first responders within that specific area per approved application.
A naloxone kit containing one dose costs approximately $75. The Attorney General’s Office anticipates the first wave of the grant program to fund the distribution of at least 1,000 naloxone kits to first responders. Zoeller said the program may be expanded depending on future need.
The Attorney General’s Office is accepting applications for the grants now through Dec. 1, 2015. Grants will be awarded at the start of 2016.
For more information about the grant program and how to apply, visit www.BitterPill.in.gov and click on “Harm Reduction – Naloxone Training for First Responders.â€
Naloxone award recipients
Also today, Zoeller recognized first responders who have played a key role in equipping law enforcement and first responders with naloxone, training them to administer it to overdose victims and saving lives so that overdose victims can get access to treatment.
“Getting opioid addicts connected with treatment is key to curbing this crisis in Indiana. A treatment opening is of no avail if the addicted person has already died of an overdose,†Zoeller said. “Law enforcement and first responders have stepped up to the plate, and they are saving Hoosier lives.â€
Zoeller presented the following individuals with award plaques during a ceremony at the symposium today:
Officers Lauren Carmack and Lona Douglas, IMPD Southwest District. Between the two of them, Carmack and Douglas have saved nine lives using naloxone. In each of the cases, they administered naloxone to individuals who were found unresponsive and unconscious. In a particularly noteworthy case, Douglas entered a home where a woman was calling for help. She found a man unconscious in a bathtub, pulled him out, administered naloxone and saved his life. Both Douglas and Carmack were part of the initial naloxone training for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) in March 2014.
Sgt. Jay Frederick, Columbus Police Department. A member of the Task Force, Sgt. Frederick played a critical role in securing legal immunity for law enforcement and first responders who administer naloxone. Recognizing the perceived threat of lawsuits as a barrier to public safety agencies making wider use of naloxone, he presented the idea to the Task Force which led to the recommendation to include it as part of the law in 2014. Largely thanks to Sgt. Frederick, the Columbus Police Department was one of the first law enforcement agencies in Indiana to be trained on naloxone administration. Sgt. Frederick’s high school-aged daughter Emma raised money to fund the kits for the department. Sgt. Frederick has also trained other law enforcement agencies on naloxone, including officers in Scott County responding to the HIV and intravenous opioid abuse crises.
Deputy Chief Bryan Roach, IMPD. Deputy Chief Roach was instrumental in piloting IMPD’s naloxone training and administration program in the Southwest District in March 2014. Since then, nearly all IMPD officers have been trained on the proper use of naloxone, and the department has saved nearly 150 lives. The success of this program in saving lives helped set the stage for passage of the 2015 legislation allowing lay persons access to naloxone as well.
Dr. Daniel O’Donnell, medical director with Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services and Indianapolis Fire Department. Dr. O’Donnell also played a key role in the naloxone pilot program, which provided research and data on lives saved using naloxone. A key data point found that more than 93 percent of IMPD officers involved in the training had been at the scene of an opioid overdose within the past year, and nearly 50 percent had been at such a scene within the past month. Dr. O’Donnell provided information and data to the Legislature to help secure passage of naloxone-related legislation.
Donna Purviance, nurse practitioner. A member of the Task Force, Purviance has studied intranasal naloxone education as part of her Doctorate in Nursing. She has trained four law enforcement agencies, including Indiana State University Campus Police, on her own time and supplied them with naloxone kits.
At the symposium, Zoeller also distributed pins to anyone who has been trained to administer naloxone so that they can wear the designation when responding to emergency situations.
More information on naloxone efforts can be found at www.BitterPill.IN.gov under “Harm Reduction.â€
Visit www.BitterPill.IN.gov for more information about the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force and the 2015 Prescription Drug Abuse Symposium.
MONKEY ON YOUR BACK
Acclaimed Author to Visit Plaza Park
Monday, November 2
9:30 a.m.
Plaza Park International Prep Academy, 7301 Lincoln Ave.
Acclaimed Author Vince Vawter will visit Plaza Park International Prep Academy Monday morning to talk about his book, Paperboy. Vawter will speak with students for about 20 minutes, then take questions.
Vawter, former president and publisher of the Evansville Courier and Press, received a Newbery Medal for the book in 2014. (Paperboy was one of only 4 novels selected as Newbery Honors Books in 2014.) The book is a semi-autobiographical novel set in Memphis during the summer of 1959. In the story, Victor, a young boy, takes over a friend’s newspaper delivery route for the summer. Victor, who stutters, finds himself alone much of the time, apart of friends. The book goes through how Victor grows and learns more about life during that summer.
The visit comes after teachers Cathy Voelker and Kaitie Ely received a grant from the Public Education Foundation to bring Vawter to the school after their seventh grade students read the book.