SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
EPD Activity Report December 11, 2014
Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Reports
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
Donnelly bill aimed at preventing military suicides could pass this week
By Olivia Covington
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — A bill aimed at preventing suicides among military members is expected to pass the U.S. Senate this week.
Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., authored the Jacob Sexton Military Prevention Suicide Act of 2014 because he believes the U.S. military needs to improve its mental health screening system.
“This will be a major step forward, because it will make mental health screening a requirement for all service members, every year,†Donnelly said. “We must do a better job of identifying those who are struggling with challenges.â€
The act has three main components. First, it will require yearly mental health screenings for active military members, as well as members of the guard and reserve. Right now screenings are only required for active members.
The second part of the bill focuses on the protection of privacy for soldiers who ask for help with their mental health problems.
“We must ensure that seeking help isn’t considered a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength,†Donnelly said.
Finally, the bill would require the Pentagon to look at existing mental health screening and treatment options for military members and issue a report on ways to improve the system. That report would be due within a year of the bill becoming law.
The Jacob Sexton Act is part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. The House passed the bill last week and Donnelly said he thinks the Senate could vote on it as early as Friday.
Donnelly also said he thinks President Barack Obama will sign the bill into law “very, very quickly†— most likely before the end of the year.
In 2013, 475 soldiers lost their lives to suicide, compared to 132 who were killed in combat.
In the first quarter of this year, 120 military members had already committed suicide.
“It’s become such an overwhelming issue, in terms of the numbers and the stark reality of, we lost four times more to suicide than in combat just last year,†Donnelly said.
Jacob Sexton was among the soldiers in 2009 who chose to end their lives. He was home in Farmland, Ind. on a 15-day-leave from Afghanistan when he shot himself in a Muncie movie theatre. He was 21-years-old.
Sexton’s family worked with Donnelly to create the bill in his honor.
“We owe it to the Sexton family, to Jake Sexton, to families across Indiana and across the country to make sure the numbers are reduced,†he said, “and that we can get them down to zero.â€
Olivia Covington is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Pro-Israel group to pay for Pences to spend Christmas in Jerusalem
By Lesley Weidenbener
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS – A non-profit Christian-based organization will pay to send Gov. Mike Pence and his wife to Israel to celebrate Christmas.
Karen Pence joins her hsuband, now-Gov. Mike Pence, just before the 2012 election he won. A pro-Israel group will pay to send the couple to Jerusalem to spend Christmas. Photo by Lesley Weidenbener, TheStatehouseFile.com
Karen Pence joins her hsuband, now-Gov. Mike Pence, just before the 2012 election he won. A pro-Israel group will pay to send the couple to Jerusalem to spend Christmas. Photo by Lesley Weidenbener, TheStatehouseFile.com
Pence will also use the trip for a three-day economic mission, for which he’ll be joined by members of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The delegation’s expenses will be paid for with private contributions to the IEDC.
“Hoosiers have cherished our relationship with the people of Israel for generations,†Pence said in a statement Tuesday. “As we look ahead, deepening our ties with the people, businesses and state of Israel remains a commitment that will empower us as partners.â€
Christians United for Israel will pay for Mike and Karen Pence’s expenses to visit Jerusalem and to tour a number of Christian holy sites. The governor – who is considering whether to run for the GOP nomination for president – and the first lady will personally pay for the travel expenses of their three children.
CUFI aims to “provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to biblical issues,†according to its website.
CUFI says it’s the largest pro-Israel group in the United States with more than one million members. And when the Obama administration was earlier this year urging Israel to practice restraint in its battle with Hamas, CUFI was encouraging the Jewish state to do what was necessary to defeat the militant group.
The goveronr’s trip will last a total of nine days, which includes the three-day jobs mission. Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith called Israel a “global entrepreneurial hotspot.â€
“Israelis are launching new businesses at a tremendous rate, and that’s triggering economic and job growth that’s primed to expand to the United States,†Smith said in a prepared statement.
“With Indiana’s strength in life sciences, technology and advanced manufacturing, our mission is to make sure that Israeli leaders know that Indiana’s business climate is innovative and always growing – similar to the business climate they’ve grown in Israel,†he said.
Pence plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other government officials, as well as leaders of Israeli companies and potential investors in key innovation sectors, including life sciences, technology and advanced manufacturing, in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
He also plans to visit executives at aerospace technology developer Israel Aerospace Industries and automotive electronics manufacturer Taditel, which has operations in Anderson, Ind.. The governor will also give remarks at an event hosted by the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce.
Israel is the only country with free trade agreements with both the United States and the European community and more than 70 Hoosier companies do business there, including Magnavox, Alcoa, Allied-Singal, Biomet and ITT Aerospace.
In 2013, Indiana exports to Israel totaled more than $57.2 million.
This will be Pence’s fifth international trade mission as governor. He led his first gubernatorial jobs mission to Japan in September 2013, followed by trade missions to Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada this year.
Lesley Weidenbener is executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Appeals court upholds teen’s 55-year sentence for murder
Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianalawyer.com
In a case of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the 55-year sentence imposed on a juvenile waived into adult court for the murder of a friend. The teen claimed he should have been sentenced under the alternative sentencing scheme available for juveniles.
Then 16-year-old Donta Legg and an unidentified person went to the home of Darren Kirk, who was a friend of Legg. Kirk went on the porch with Legg and the other person and got into a physical altercation with the man. The unidentified person pulled a gun out of his waistband, gave it to Legg and told him to shoot Kirk. Legg shot Kirk once, who stumbled inside and died.
Kirk was shot in front of his 17-year-old brother and while his 2-year-old brother was home.
Legg was waived into adult court and convicted of felony murder and Class A misdemeanor carrying a handgun without a license. The trial court denied his request to issue a sentence under the alternative sentencing scheme for juvenile offenders, finding the nature of the offense and that Legg’s character rendered sentencing under that scheme unsuitable.
“This appears to be a case of first impression, as we have been unable to find other cases interpreting the alternative sentencing statute. The statute itself offers no guidance regarding when the alternative sentencing
scheme should be implemented. It is well established that the purpose of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation so that the juvenile will not become a criminal as an adult,†Judge John Baker wrote in Donta Legg v. State of Indiana, 49A02-1404-CR-279.
The alternative sentencing scheme under I.C. 31-30-4-2 provides that a court may impose an alternative sentence for the juvenile based on certain conditions, but imposition is not mandatory.
“When the alternative sentencing statute applies, as it does here, a trial court may choose to apply it, the necessary corollary being that it may also choose not to apply it,†Baker wrote. The judges found the factors outlined as to when the juvenile court may waive jurisdiction over a juvenile offender to be instructive, although trial courts are not required to consider those factors nor is the state required to prove those factors in order to warrant the implementation of the alternative sentencing scheme.
“We acknowledge that Legg is a young offender. We also acknowledge that Legg has been faced with many obstacles in his short life. But we must also consider the nature of the crime he committed here. He took the life of another person — a friend — in the presence of that person’s family. He has already shown a propensity for skipping school and breaking the law. Under these circumstances, we do not think that the advisory term of fifty-five years is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and Legg’s character.â€
USI, IU McKinney Announce Partnership, Law Scholar Program
The University of Southern Indiana and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law have teamed up to create the “University of Southern Indiana Law Scholar†program. The first two students from USI will be chosen and begin their legal educations at IU McKinney in fall 2015.
Each year, USI will nominate two students or alumni for admission to McKinney Law, following the University’s nomination procedures.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our students and we’re very pleased to initiate this partnership with the McKinney School of Law,†said Dr. Nicholas LaRowe, USI assistant professor of political science and public administration and pre law coordinator. “McKinney is a strong law school and will give USI students an added advantage when it comes to internships and opportunities to work with leaders in government, business and law. USI students are talented, well-prepared and ready to succeed in this rigorous academic environment.â€
“I’m pleased about this new agreement with the University of Southern Indiana,†added Andrew Klein, IU McKinney dean. “USI scholars will have the ability to take part in our wide range of learning opportunities, differentiating their legal education and allowing them to sample variety of potential career paths as they pursue their law degrees.â€
Applicants must be nominated by USI, and the University’s representatives will review academic performance, letters of recommendations, volunteer and leadership experience and areas of interest in the legal profession. Scholars will receive a minimum of a half-tuition scholarship, will be designated a program fellow in the student’s chosen area of study with a chance to meet with faculty during the first semester for help in determining a course of study should the student wish to seek that kind of guidance, paid employment as a research assistant after completing 30 hours of law school, and guaranteed experiential learning opportunities. The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2015.
For more information contact Dr. Nicholas LaRowe at nllarowe@usi.edu or 812-464-1727.
PHONE SCAM: Fake Sheriff’s Deputy Claims Money is Owed
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has received a report of attempted telephone fraud involving a caller claiming to be a Sheriff’s Deputy.The caller claimed that someone in the household had an unpaid traffic ticket. The caller knew the correct name of the resident, but did not appear to possess any personally identifiable information. The caller attempted to get the victim to purchase a pre-paid re-loadable money card and then provide the “deputy” with the card number over the phone to settle the fine.The Evansville Police Department received a similar complaint and both agencies are now investigating. This attempted fraud is similar to a scam reported to us last July.The Sheriff’s Office does not solicit the payment of fines or fees on behalf of the court. Area residents are advised to treat any unsolicited caller who requests payment or access to personally identifiable information with extreme skepticism, regardless of who the caller claims to represent. When in doubt get the caller’s name, hang up, and then call the business or government entity back at a phone number you know to be correct.
USI Ideation/Innovation course offers real-world solutions for hospital
Students at the University of Southern Indiana will present information this week that could potentially result in huge savings for a local hospital. The final pitches for USI’s Romain College of Business Ideation and Innovation course will be presented from 3-5 p.m. Thursday, December 11, in USI’s Business and Engineering Center, Room 0035 to a panel, including the dean of the College and a team of managers from Deaconess Health Systems.
At the beginning of the fall semester, Linda White, president and CEO of Deaconess Health Systems and USI’s 2014 Executive in Residence, along with several of her colleagues posed three issues to the class that the hospital has been struggling with. These three areas include:
· What could be designed to minimize the number of patient falls out of beds?
· What could be designed to automate menu ordering for patients to replicate room service?
· What kind of device could be used to do blood testing at home, with results sent to the physician?
These issues can, and do, result in millions of dollars in added costs to Deaconess. Seven USI student teams worked on innovative ideas to address these issues. They visited the hospital to gain primary research information and performed a lean feasibility/market analysis to support ideas to address specific needs within the problem areas.
The Ideation and Innovation course offers students opportunity for immersion into entrepreneurial mindset development; innovative thought, openness to new ideas, recognizing opportunities, collaboration and team coaching. “The entrepreneurial mindset is not just about being an entrepreneur,†said Bryan Bourdeau, USI instructor in business. “It’s about possessing unique thought processes and the actions of complete ownership of whatever you’re involved in; it’s also about effectively and efficiently communicating your ideas.â€
This course is designed to provide students with foundational ideation/innovation concepts, as well as engaging them in reality-based ideation. “The objective is for the student to develop an awareness and ability to understand the role ideation and innovation play in today’s value creation process,†said Bourdeau.
Ideation and Innovation is one of three unique courses that make up the USI Romain College of Business Entrepreneurship Minor, nationally recognized in 2014 as an Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Program by the Unites States Association for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs in its Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education competition.
“We invite other companies, large and small, that have ongoing problems and pains, to potentially resolve those issues by tapping into the creative intellectual capital that our students possess,†said Bourdeau, who sees the potential to grow the program at USI.
For more information contact Bryan Bourdeau at bbourdeau@usi.edu or 812-461-5247.
ST. MARY’S WELLNESS CENTER TO OFFER DANCE THRU THE DECADES CLASS
St. Mary’s Wellness Center will bring the decades together through a dance class. Whether it’s the festive flappers of the roaring 20’s, the twist of the 50’s, the disco of the 70’s, or the beats of recent tunes, this class will widen your horizons of what you realize you can do with your dance moves. Come join others, and support yourself for a fun-filled, healthier you in the New Year.
The class will be Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. beginning January 8th and ending February 12th. The cost is $54 per person, and pre-registration is required by Tuesday January 6th. Please call 812-485-5725 to register. For more information, visit StMarysEpworth.com/classes.
IS IT TRUE December 11, 2014
IS IT TRUE as it sinks in that the Old National Bank headquarters in downtown Evansville, which is a world-class building with the absolute top of the line office space with an adjacent parking tower has been assessed at only $31.7 Million, we must consider just what effect that assessment will have on other downtown properties?…knowing by virtue of public records that this property sold for approximately $67 Million in 2006, it must be assumed that the review committee of the assessors office agreed that the value of the property has fallen by $35.3 Million in the last 8 years?…the ONB headquarters is one building in downtown Evansville that has pristine maintenance, a marquee location, and a stable long-term tenant?…if the ONB headquarters has fallen in market value by 53% we shudder to think about what some of the other buildings like the McCurdy Hotel has fallen by?…the assessment of the ONB headquarters will by definition inspire other challenges to assessments which will reduce the flow of cash to the downtown TIF fund that was being counted on to finance other projects?…with an estimated refurbishment cost of over $10 Million for the McCurdy Hotel, using the ONB headquarters as a comp may just eliminate any possibility to fund both the McCurdy and the old Jackson House next door through conventional financing methods?…the same will apply to the downtown convention hotel which was promised to us for no public subsidy by then Mayor Weinzapfel 2,372 days ago?…this may even cause problems for the IU Medical School building which is slated to be owned by private investors?
IS IT TRUE one of our financially astute moles has pointed out that since the City of Evansville’s $20 Million bond commitment to subsidize the hotel was once approved there is a logical train of thought that leads to the conclusion that HCW does not have their loan in place yet?…assuming that ONB is good for their $14 Million contribution under the guise of naming rights and that the City of Evansville really can sell these bonds, that there is only one thing that could be holding this project up and that is the remainder of the funding?…outside of funding issues which along with valuation has been a monumental problem from day one, there are several moles that tell us that the hotel is still way over budget due to the reluctance of local firms to work with Hunt Construction that was the prime contractor for the Ford Center?…the one thing that is for certain is that the start date to avoid inclimate weather has passed and if the truth was told by Mayor Winnecke back in October we are now looking at a Spring 2015 start date if there is one at all?
IS IT TRUE the Mayor’s office must have been in some real need of a positive day of spin to have staged a publicity stunt out at Sigma Packaging over an announcement to hire 17 people?…one would think that incentives and golden shovels would not be necessary when a company expands by only 17 people with jobs that pay just over $20,000 per year?…this did not make anyone forget about the troubles down at MLK and Walnut, where the City is fighting like the dickens to spend $77 Million and end up owning nothing?
IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced that it will be providing a matching grant in the amount of $300,000 for the Mesker Park Zoo to use to purchase a merry-go-round and an aviary?…the cost estimate for these items is $3 Million?…we wonder exactly where the other $2.7 Million is coming from?…we wonder if a city that can’t afford to change the oil in the police cars seriously afford to consider dropping $2.7 Million on a merry-go-round and a bird cage?…these are nice little cutesy things that we are sure the children will like but spending money like this when one can’t change the oil in a fleet of squad cars is just plain stupid?…that said, if some private individual is willing to come up with the $2.7 Million balance, we will be the first to thank them?
IS IT TRUE we are relieved to learn that the United States Congress seems to have reached a deal that will avoid another government shut down?…there are things in this bill that the democrats are angry about and there are things that republicans are angry about, but the good news is that these suckers finally seem to have worked together to get something done for the American people?…we have little worry for the grandstanding of either side about what is not perfect about this continuation resolution for the ideals of their side?…it is about time this particular congress took a shot of courage and sent something to the President for a signature that is a compromise that will work?
IS IT TRUE we are all benefiting substantially by the drop in gasoline prices and it could not come at a better time?…it is estimated that the average American family is saving about $120 per month on gasoline relative to the price last summer?…that money and the positive attitude adjustment that always comes with falling gas prices should be good for the Holiday season when we all typically give gifts to our loved ones?…whether we like it or not this drop in gas prices was brought to us by added production in the United States of both oil and gas?…we are sure that someday oil will be over $100 a barrel but for now this collapse of prices has been just like getting a raise?
FOOT NOTE: Please take time and go to our “Readers Poll” and cast your vote on the question of the day.
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