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Legislation protecting Hoosier homeowners signed into law

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STATEHOUSE – Legislation authored by State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) regarding mine subsidence insurance was signed into law by the governor.

House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1021 raises the maximum amount of available mine subsidence coverage to $500,000 per structure. Under current law, the Department of Insurance limits coverage to $200,000.

“This legislation is particularly important in southwest Indiana where many homes and businesses sit atop formerly mined property,” said Rep. Bacon. “Currently, structures valued at more than $200,000 cannot be insured for their full worth. This can lead to out-of-pocket expenses for homeowners and was an issue I felt we could easily address without having a significant fiscal impact on the state.”

The Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund has a current balance of $5.2 million. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2013, approximately $2.6 million in claims were paid out from the fund.

 

HEA 1021 will go into effect on July 1, 2015.

Daily Topic Forum April 22, 2015

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ENJOY YOUR NEW “OFF TOPIC FORUM” AS OF APRIL 22, 2015

For the last couple of month we have been watching our bloggers getting off topic. Sometime the posters got real personal and insulting. With much thought and planning we have decided to add a new section to the CCO so you can go off topic long as you want. The name of this new section is called “OFF TOPIC FORUM.”  We placed this new section in the upper right hand corner.  This site is ready for you to post your off messages on a daily basis.

Attached is the new CCO posting rules for your review and compliance.

CITY COUNTY OBSERVER New Posting Rules And Guidelines As Of April, 22, 2015

We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, threatening, abusive, or hateful.  Comments should further the discussion on a given subject or article and not veer off topic unless your posting on the “OFF TOPIC FORUM.”   We reserve the right to remove comments posted for sock puppeting purposes, where a user creates another persona to comment on their own previous comment.

You are legally responsible for what you post. Your anonymity is not guaranteed on this site. City County Observer will not share your private information with anyone unless you expressly instruct us to do so or we are required by law to do so.  We do not sell, rent, or give your information to any other company.

No solicitations are allowed. Links to other informational websites may be deleted if they are off topic or violate the substantive provisions of this policy.

City County Observer has created this privacy statement in order to better allow for the exchange and dialogue of ideas in promoting better public policy.  At the same time, we have a strong commitment to privacy.

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ OUR READERS POLL QUESTION AND CAST YOUR VOTE ACCORDINGLY. ALSO PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ TODAYS FEATURE ARTICLE POSTED ON THE UPPER LEFT HAND PAGE.

IS IT TRUE APRIL 22, 2015

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IS IT TRUE that we never put in a blogger post in our IS IT TRUE section?  …that a CCO posters Grateful Dead got our attention today and we felt compelled to share it with you? …we hope Grateful Dead post is over zealous, if not Evansville is real in trouble?

Grateful Dead
Apr 22, 2015 at 9:03 am
So, let’s add up the forthcoming tab: as of January 1, 2014 total City/Utility debt approximately $425 million.

Current Debt Balance For Evansville as of Jan 1, 2014 is $425,000,000

!. – Johnson Controls 42,000,0002. – ADA Crosswalks Projects 20,000,000

3. – Roberts’ Dog Park 8,000,000

4. – Master Storm Water Projects (23) 160,000,000

5. – Retiree Health Obligations 239,000,000

6. – Consent Decree EPA 540,000,000

7. – Ultimate Settlement (EPA) 135,000,000

8. – Hotel 28,000,000

9. – N. Main Street Project 15,000,000

10. – IU Medical School Project 57,000,000

11. – Mesker Zoo Project 40,000,000

12. – Water Pipe Replacement 200,000,000

Grand Total 1,909,000,000

Per Capita Future Obligations = $15,900

Detroit before mass exodus = $13,300 After Exodus = $17,000

Does anybody see some challenges ahead of this City?  Of course, there are some projects omitted from this list.

IS IT TRUE at the last City Council meeting Alan Mounts stated that the missing $400,000 from the Evansville Water and Sewer account cited in the 2013 SBOA audit review matter has now been taken care of?   …we look forward to Mr. Mounts providing the CCO details how this matter was resolved?  …if this matter wasn’t resolved in the proper manner then it looks like we have yet another campaign issue for the Mayor to defend?

IS IT TRUE it has been brought to our attention that Judge Shively has donated substantial funds to Lloyd Winnecke’s campaign both as a judge and a private citizen? …that documents show that Judge Shively before taking office in what is to be a nonpartisan position as judge, donated to Winnecke personally and through his law practice?  … that later this week Judge Shively and 6 other Judges will be hearing oral arguments in the City of Evansville Residency case?  …we want the people of Evansville to have not only receive a fair and impartial legal opinion based on law and not partisan politics? …yesterday we received a phone call from a legal friend who ask us to do additional research concerning if Judge Shively has any possible conflict of interest issues pertaining to the upcoming Residency hearing?

IS IT TRUE the CCO did additional research on this issue and found the following information? …in 2014  Judge Shively was on the ballot.   …the Code of Judicial Conduct allows a Judicial Candidate to engage in campaign activity which includes fundraising and attending political events starting one year before the election?  … in 2014 he attended political functions of  both Democrats and Republicans?  … he made contributions not only to the Mayor but also to Democrats Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley,  Jonathon Weaver, and Kathryn Martin.? . ..Judge Shively disclosed these contributions to the lawyers in the pending Residency  case on 2/10/15 in open court and none of the lawyers objected to his involvement in hearing this case? …Judge Shively also disclosed to Evansville City Council Attorney Scott Danks the above information and Mr. Danks had no objections?  …Its important to point out that Mr. Danks also served on Judge Shively  election committee?

IS IT TRUE we now believe that the Honorable Judge Leslie Shively has no potential conflict of interest in the pending Residency case given his track record of striving for, and apparently achieving  judicial excellence not only as an attorney in private practice but also as a Superior Court  Judge?

IS IT TRUE that we are pleasantly surprised to see the local Democratic Party Chairman, Rob Faulkner finally come alive by writing in your face letters to local Republicans about bad decisions being made on the State level? …we been telling for months that Mayoral candidate Gail Riecken is bringing splinter groups back together into the Democratic party?

IS IT TRUE the Vanderburgh County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner is scheduled for tonight?….the Lincoln Day dinner has traditionally been the party’s largest fundraiser of the year?….tomorrow’s dinner is scheduled for 7pm with a VIP reception beginning at 6:00pm?….the event will be held at Old National Events Plaza (formerly known as the Centre)?….we hear that there are plenty seats available and if anyone is interested in the Lincoln Day Dinner, they may call Republican Party headquarters at 812-425-8207.

IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTS PAUL BRENNER

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Ivy Tech Community College announces that Mr. Paul Brenner, Emmis Communications Senior Vice President/President NextRadio and Broadcaster Traffic Consortium, LLC (BTC), will be the featured presenter at its 2015 School of Business Speaker Series on Wednesday, April 22nd at 6 p.m. The annual event brings notable speakers to the College to present on various topics relating to business and leadership. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Brenner is a 1993 graduate of Ivy Tech Community College Southwest, and went on to complete a bachelor’s in Business and master’s in Information Systems. His work in media and entertainment focuses on business models for technology oriented consumer solutions. Brenner is President of NextRadio/TagStation at Emmis Communications, the 8th largest broadcaster in the United States.

 

Brenner was the recipient of the 2012 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement award and was previously listed as one of the Radio Ink 2010 Best Engineers in Radio. In 2010, he served on the FCC CSRIC council and was enlisted to write the revised C.F.R. 47 Part 11 for new EAS CAP standards, and is currently an active member of both the NAB Radio Technology Committee, NRSC and currently serves as Vice-Chair for the North American Broadcasters Association comprised of members in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

 

Paul Brenner, Emmis Communications Senior Vice President/President NextRadio and Broadcaster Traffic Consortium, LLC (BTC)

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Reception to be held at 5:00 p.m., presentation at 6 p.m. (CST)

Ivy Tech Community College Vectren Auditorium

3501 N First Avenue, Evansville, IN  47710
The event is free and open to the public.

UE 2015 Aces Concrete Canoe Team Qualifies for National Competition

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The University of Evansville 2015 Aces Concrete Canoe team has qualified for the National Concrete Canoe Competition. The team secured their spot by coming in second overall in the regional concrete canoe competition at the American Society of Civil Engineers Great Lakes Student Conference. That conference was April 16-19 at the University of Notre Dame. Out of the more than 250 civil engineering programs in the United States, only 25 schools qualify for competition at the national level.

The team’s 190-lb, 19.9-ft long canoe Julie, is named in honor of UE civil engineering alumna Julie (Elpers) Otis, who led Aces Concrete Canoe to its first Nationals Competition in 2005. Otis lost her battle with breast cancer in 2013, and the team found inspiration in her fight and in her strength.

The canoe will be on display at UE’s annual Engineering Excellence Day on Friday, April 24, 1:00-5:30 p.m., East Terrace lawn next to Ridgway University Center. This event is free and open to the public

In all four areas of the competition, design paper, product display, oral presentation, and races, the team came in second behind only the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which has won the National Competition five times.

Aces Concrete Canoe placed second ahead of the University of Illinois at Chicago, in design paper, where the technical and project management aspects of the year-long project are discussed.

On Friday, April 17, the Aces Concrete Canoe team used their product display to highlight the construction quality, aesthetics, and durability of their canoe, and to honor its namesake’s fight against breast cancer. In product display, the team placed second ahead of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The presentation team delivered a summary on Saturday, April 18, of their year-long work to a panel of civil engineering judges, answering questions based on their presentation and design paper, and coming in second, ahead of third-place Northwestern University.

Race day was Friday, consisting of the two-man 600 meter slalom and endurance race, the two-woman slalom and endurance, the two-woman 200 meter sprint race, the two-man 200 meter sprint race, and two-man/two-woman co-ed 400-m sprint race. Except for one race, the paddling team came in second beating out third-place finishers that included Notre Dame (women’s sprint), Marquette (men’s sprint), University of Southern Indiana (co-ed sprint), and Northwestern University (men’s endurance).

But in the women’s slalom and endurance, the paddling team beat out the University of Wisconsin-Madison team by nearly a minute to take first place, the only time in 15 years that any school has ever beaten the women’s team from Madison.

All 18 schools in the Great Lakes Region fielded canoes this year and included, in addition to the above: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Purdue, Valparaiso, Trine, Purdue University-Calumet, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Bradley, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Illinois Institute of Technology.

Commissioners Meeting Agenda April 21, 2015

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AGENDA
Vanderburgh County
Board of Commissioners
April 21, 2015
5:00 pm, Room 301

Call to Order
Attendance
Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation
Action Items
Road Race Requests:
St. Wendel Men’s Club Grillin’ and Chillin’ 5K
Logan Brown Promise Foundation Walk to Remember
Carver Community Organization Senior Corp Volunteers National Service Day Proclamation
Heritage Federal 50th Anniversary Proclamation
Area Plan Commission: Purchase of 5 New Computers
Superior Court: Partnership with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff to run the work release portion of community corrections as a therapeutic venture
County Clerk: 2015 Vote Center Location Change
Contracts, Agreements and Leases
County Treasurer: Renewal of Service Contract with Southern Business Machines, INC.
Computer Services: United Leasing Agreements for Multifunction Devices for Vanderburgh County Health Department
Commissioners:
Teamsters Local 215 Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Confinement Officers and Civilian Support Staff
Amended Old National Bank Naming Rights Agreement Regarding the Centre and Escrow Agreement
County Health: Agreement and Business Associate Contract with Apptoto
County Sheriff: Phone Service Contract with AT&T
Department Head Reports
Board Appointments
Emergency Management Agency
New Business
Old Business
Public Comment
Consent Items
Approval of prior meetings minutes: April 7th, 2015
Employment Changes
Soil Water Conservation District: March 31st, 2015 Regular Meeting Minutes
County Clerk: 2015 March Monthly Report
County Sheriff: Surplus of Vehicles
County Health Department: Request to Surplus Equipment
County Engineer: Department Head Report
Road Hearing
Adjournment

Mt. Vernon Man Arrested after Battering Girlfriend

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
 At approximately 9:30 this morning, Posey County Dispatch received a 911 call regarding a female that was being battered at a residence located at 920 East 5th Street in Mt. Vernon. Indiana State Police and Posey County Sheriff’s Department immediately responded and arrived within a few minutes. Troopers discovered the suspect, Stephen Eaton, 26, had already fled the area in his vehicle. During the investigation it was revealed that Eaton and his girlfriend, Kyrra McMichael, 24, were involved in an argument when he physically battered her. She received injuries to her eye, face and lip. Eaton also allegedly threatened his girlfriend with a hammer. McMichael did not require medical attention.

Troopers received information approximately 30 minutes later that Eaton was at a friend’s residence located at 610 Pearl Street in Mt. Vernon. Officers from the Indiana State Police and Posey County Sheriff’s Department immediately responded to the residence and found the homeowner and several of his children outside. Troopers obtained information that Eaton entered his friend’s residence without permission. Eaton also barricaded himself inside the residence and refused to come out. The homeowner’s one-year-old son was still inside the residence. Approximately 5 minutes later, Eaton opened the front door and surrendered. The child was not injured. Eaton was arrested and taken to the Posey County Jail where he is currently being held on bond.

Arrested and Charges:

• Stephen Eaton, 26, 920 East 5th Street, Mt. Vernon, IN

1. Domestic Battery, Level 6 Felony

2. Intimidation, Level 5 Felony

3. Residential Entry, Level 6 Felony

IS IT TRUE- PART 2-APRIL 21, 2015

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IS IT TRUE the Vanderburgh County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner is scheduled for tomorrow night?….the Lincoln Day dinner has traditionally been the party’s largest fundraiser of the year?….tomorrow’s dinner is scheduled for 7pm with a VIP reception beginning at 6:00pm?….the event will be held at Old National Events Plaza (formerly known as the Centre)?….we hear that there are plenty seats available and if anyone is interested in the Lincoln Day Dinner, they may call Republican Party headquarters at 812-425-8207.

IS IT TRUE Governor Mike Pence has taken a beating in the polls since the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act?….answering specific questions about his political future, the embattled governor has not yet indicated whether he will run for re-election in 2016?

IS IT TRUE in order for the Governor to sign the RFRA into law, it first had to be passed out of the Indiana General Assembly?….the most powerful member of the General Assembly and the one who dictates the body’s action is Speaker Brian Bosma?….Speaker Bosma has long been considered to be an possible candidate either for the Governor’s Office or one of Indiana’s U.S. Senate seats?

IS IT TRUE despite the controversy surrounding the RFRA and its passage through the legislature, Republican Party Chairman Wayne Parke elected to invite Speaker Bosma to give the keynote address at the Lincoln Day Dinner?….this selection has put some politicians into some interesting political positions?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Lloyd Winnecke is the Master of Ceremonies for the Lincoln Day Dinner?….the Mayor is no stranger to tough political positions?….Just last week, we saw the Mayor have to explain his undying loyalty support of local unions as the very candidates the he helped get into the state legislature repealed the State’s Common Construction Wage?….many of these same legislators voted in favor of the RFRA?

IS IT TRUE there have been rumors of planned protest for the event tomorrow?….some union members have discussed protesting over the repeal of the Common Construction Wage law?….there are also rumors of individuals protesting the RFRA?

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Record

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

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

North High School to Host Challenge Day event

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Tuesday, April 21

7:45 – 8:45 a.m. and 2 to 2:30 p.m.

North High School

 

More than 100 students and 25 adult volunteers from North High School will participate in Challenge Day on April 21, an event that helps students and adults recognize peer pressure, oppression, violence, labels and more and turn this recognition into acceptance and tolerance. The day-long event is just the first day of a student-led initiative to “Be the Change” in their school and community. Students are challenged to inspire people to be the change they wish to see in the world, starting with themselves and be the driving force to creating the school and community of their dreams. While the event will take place throughout the school day, media are invited between 7:45 and 8:45 a.m. and then again from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

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