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Vectren Named Top Ranked Midsize Utility in the Nation for Electric Reliability

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November 19th: Last night, Vectren Energy Delivery (Vectren) was recognized by PA Consulting Group, Inc., as the recipient of the 2014 ReliabilityOneâ„¢ Award for Outstanding Midsize Utility, which awards electric utilities for outage prevention and reduction performance. This year, PA Consulting Group expanded its ReliabilityOneâ„¢ program to recognize the very best midsize investor-owned utilities in the United States, where in the past, they had only honored utilities with 500,000 customers or more. To be eligible for this recognition, a utility must deliver a reliability performance ranked in the top 95th percentile in the nation.

“ReliabilityOne™ Award winners have a common thread: customers come first,” said Jeff Lewis, PA Consulting Group’s ReliabilityOne™ program director. “Vectren has kept its customers’ needs at the forefront, hinging its business success on maintaining the highest level of reliability.”

Vectren electric customers are experiencing less electric outages and outages that occur are significantly shorter in length than in previous years thanks to the utility’s continued efforts in electric system upgrades, improved response time and outage prevention measures. Vectren tracks two key metrics, which measure outage frequency, or how often an outage occurs, as well as duration of outage, which is the length of time a customer is without power. System wide, on average, Vectren customers experienced a decrease in electric outages of over 35 percent since 2011. The average length of customer outages improved by 20 percent and now averages about 90 minutes as compared to 110 minutes in 2011. Vectren’s 2013 performance places Vectren in the top five percent nationwide as compared to other utilities of like size.

Note: PA Consulting Group’s ReliabilityOneTM award is based on using the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index, System Average Interruption Duration Index, and System Average Interruption Frequency Index excluding major storm events.
“It’s exciting to see our customer-focused improvements are paying off and are resulting in fewer outages over the course of a year – and when outages do occur, they are shorter in length,” said Brad Ellsworth, president of Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana – South. “While electric outages are not completely avoidable, the effort toward continued progress is apparent, as evident of us being awarded this honor.”

Customer-focused electric improvements include:

· Tree trimming/line clearance: Ensuring electric wires are easily accessible and not tangled within vegetation minimizes outages caused by nearby tree limbs and allows for quicker repairs. This single program is recognized by the utility industry and its regulatory agencies across the country as having the most impact on reliability.

· Reliability/maintenance programs: Efforts to focus improvement on poor performing circuits, an electric pole inspection program, fuse replacements and infrared light scanning of circuits to identify loose connections result in both fewer customer outages and shorter outage duration.

· System segmentation (outage isolation): The addition of remote and automatic controls on equipment allows for segmenting outage locations on transmission and distribution systems. Essentially, this allows the utility to isolate an outage whereby it impacts the smallest number of customers possible rather than the entire circuit. As such, only customers closest to the affected area must endure an interruption while repairs are made.
· Varmint protection devices: Squirrels, birds and even snakes can cause up to 20 percent of non-storm outages over the course of a year by coming into contact with energized electric equipment simultaneously, such as one of the transformers at the top of a utility pole, and a grounded piece of equipment. Vectren installs varmint guards, more than 10,000 over the past five years, near transformers on poles and within substations to prevent the animals from triggering outages.

Forward looking improvements include substation enhancements, which will include automated controls and system protection, as well as implementation of smart grid technology, which allows two-way digital communication between the utility and electric system, to better pinpoint outages and re-route power around trouble areas leading to faster restoration.

All Midsized utilities operating electric delivery networks in North America are eligible for consideration for the Outstanding Midsize Utility award. The selection of provisional recipients is based primarily on system reliability statistics that measure the frequency and duration of customer outages. After provisional recipients are selected, each company undergoes an on-site certification process which provides an independent review and confirmation of the policies, processes and systems used to collect, analyze and report a company’s reliability results.

Vectren serves 142,000 electric customers in Dubois, Gibson, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.

About Vectren
Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Ind. Vectren’s energy delivery subsidiaries provide gas and/or electricity to more than 1 million customers in adjoining service territories that cover nearly two-thirds of Indiana and west central Ohio. Vectren’s nonutility subsidiaries and affiliates currently offer energy-related products and services to customers throughout the U.S. These include infrastructure and energy services. To learn more about Vectren, visit www.vectren.com<http://www.vectren.com>.

About PA Consulting Group
PA Consulting Group, Inc. (PA) is an employee-owned firm of over 2,500 people, operating globally from offices across North America, Europe, the Nordics, the Gulf and Asia Pacific. PA has experts in energy, 7 financial services, life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing, government and public services, defense and security, telecommunications, transport and logistics. PA’s deep industry knowledge, together with skills in management consulting, technology and innovation, allows them to challenge conventional thinking and deliver exceptional results with lasting impact. PA has partnered with energy clients for over 25 years to help them understand the challenges they face and define and implement an effective strategic response. PA’s ReliabilityOne™ awards are presented to electric utilities providing their customers with the highest levels of reliability in the industry. PA’s ReliabilityOneTM study is based on standard industry reliability statistics that measure the frequency and duration of electric power outages and has been analyzing electric utility performance since 1987. For more information about PA Consulting
Group, visit www.paconsulting.com/energy<http://www.paconsulting.com/energy>.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Jeffery Burch                 Resisting Law Enforcement-Level  Felony
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-Class C Misdemeanor

Obie Davis Jr                 Resisting Law Enforcement-Level  Felony
Neglect of Dependent-Level 6 Felony
Reckless Driving-Class B Misdemeanor
Operating a Motor Vehicle without ever Receiving a License-Class C . Misdemeanor

Edward Sharp              Dealing in Methamphetamine-Level 2 Felony
Possession of Cocaine-Level 5 Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia-Level 6 Felony
Unlawful Possession of Syringe-Level 6 Felony
For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Kyle Phernetton at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at kphernetton@vanderburghgov.org

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

Adoption Case Presents Issues of First Impression

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Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

Adoption laws are evolving, as evidenced by a case before the Indiana Supreme Court and a separate push for a pre-birth abandonment bill aimed at biological fathers who don’t support their baby’s mother during pregnancy.

Justices on Nov. 10 traveled to Purdue University to hear arguments in Jason and Justina Kramer v. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, 71A03-1308-CT-301. The case arose from a formalized adoption that should not have been approved.

adopt-arguments-15col.jpgThe Indiana Supreme Court heard oral argument Nov. 10 at Purdue University concerning potential negligence liability for adoption agencies. (Photo courtesy of Indiana Supreme Court)

Jason and Justina Kramer adopted a newborn girl but had to return the baby seven months later. The baby’s father had twice registered with the Putative Father Registry kept by the Indiana Department of Health, a fact that Catholic Charities didn’t know until after the child was placed with the Kramers. The registry is designed to allow single men who think they may be the father of a child to obtain notice in the event of an adoption proceeding.

As courts around the state conducted special events to celebrate National Adoption Month, justices grappled with Kramer, which poses at least two issues of first impression. One issue: Can adoption agencies face negligence claims when a child mistakenly has been placed with an adopting family? A second issue: What is the precise duty of care an adoption agency owes to its clients?

The adoptive parents argue they have a negligence claim against Catholic Charities, but the agency says it complied with applicable state statutes. The agency noted that its earlier checks of the registry found no record of the father, even though he had registered. Catholic Charities also argued

the Kramers had signed a waiver accepting the potential risk of a contested adoption.

A divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Catholic Charities, and the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to grant transfer in this case.

“I don’t think the Court of Appeals went far enough,” South Bend attorney Charles Rice argued on behalf of the Kramers. He said the waiver his clients signed did not absolve Catholic Charities of possible negligence liability.

“Other states have found a fiduciary relationship with regard to adoption agencies and adoptive couples,” Chief Justice Loretta Rush interjected. “Are you asking this court to adopt that?”

“Absolutely,” Rice replied. Adoption agencies are the only entities with access to all the pertinent information about all parties because of confidentiality laws, he said. “With that responsibility by Catholic Charities there is an incredible amount of trust and confidence imposed upon them by the adoptive parents and the birth parents,” Rice said.

Catholic Charities, though, claims it is entitled to the summary judgment it won at the trial court and that it did everything the law requires for an adoption. “We did not breach any duty that we owed to the Kramers in terms of this placement,” South Bend attorney Thomas Vetne argued for the agency.

But pressed by Justices Brent Dickson and Robert Rucker on the duty of care an adoption agency owes its clients, Vetne said, “I’m not sure this court has ever decided what that duty is.

“We have a statutory mandate to contact the registry no earlier than one day after the father’s deadline to register. That’s what we did. That’s due care. … We were entitled to summary judgment based on the clear language of the release” the Kramers signed, he said.

“There is an inherent risk in any adoption proceeding that the biological father could step forward and claim custody, the mother could changer her mind, any one of a number of things could happen to upset the adoption apple cart,” Vetne argued.

 

adopt-family-15col.jpgKendra and Susie Fisher adopted baby Grace Nov. 10 during a National Adoption Day event in the court of Vanderburgh Superior Juvenile Judge Brett Niemeier (Photo courtesy of Channel 14-WFIE)

But several justices challenged the notion that a waiver in this kind of case was sufficient and noted the language in the release said nothing regarding negligence. Rice argued that adoptions qualified as the sort of special relationship in which there should be no exculpatory clauses for adoptive parents to sign. Further, he said the Kramers didn’t sign the release until several days after the child had been placed with them.

“The harm occurs when the placement is made” in a case such as this, Rice argued. “When that child is placed to (adoptive parents), the emotional attachment begins.”

Rice argued summary judgment was inappropriate because the duty of reasonable care is a question for a jury to decide. “That duty is no different than (for) any other actor under tort law,” he said. While the agency may have complied with the legal requirements, Rice said, “There’s wisdom in doing more than the bare minimum.”

Vetne said Catholic Charities wasn’t seeking immunity in the case and pointed out that despite the mistaken placement, the Putative Father Registry ultimately worked.

“The child ended up with her biological father,” he said. “That’s a good outcome, and in the state of Indiana we ought to encourage that and not hold adoption agencies liable when that happens.”

‘Abandoning’ fathers

Biological fathers who don’t support their putative child’s mother during her pregnancy could lose their right to contest an adoption under a proposal that received mixed reviews during the General Assembly’s Interim Study Committee on Courts and the Judiciary.

Advocates, including Adoptions of Indiana, asked the committee in September to endorse a pre-birth abandonment law. Adoptions of Indiana Executive Director Meg Sterchi implored the committee to endorse a bill that would eliminate the ability of fathers to block an adoption “out of a desire to control and spite the expectant mother.

“Over the last two decades I’ve seen women who were pursuing adoptive placement become completely overwhelmed after a biological father filed for paternity or filed with the registry and therefore in effect stopped their adoption plan,” Sterchi wrote in a letter to the committee. “His desire wasn’t to be an engaged father, but only to control her. These women and their babies need the protection of Indiana law.”

Sterchi wrote that the result in some cases was women who were forced into single parenthood without support of the child’s biological father.

But as president of the Indiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Henry Circuit Judge Mary Willis urged the committee not to endorse the proposal to amend I.C. 31-19-9-8. The council concluded that current law adequately covers concerns and that “abandonment” wasn’t adequately defined, among other things.

Willis said she believes the proposal is well-motivated but would remove discretion of judges and strip fathers of due process.

The juvenile judges council also expressed concern that the pre-birth abandonment proposal wouldn’t take into consideration instances in which the birth mother has refused contact with or financial assistance from a putative father without justifiable cause.

The interim study committee made no recommendation on the proposed pre-birth abandonment law.

leach-nate-mugLeach

Adoption attorney Nathan Leach with the Indianapolis firm Bleeke Dillon Crandall P.C. attended the interim study committee hearing at which the abandonment proposal was discussed. He noted Indiana law currently doesn’t address pre-birth paternal abandonment.

“If worded properly, I do like the opportunity for a birth mother to place her child for adoption,” Leach said, “and be able to do so over the objection of an alleged father who is not providing any support and is refusing to do so. I think it would benefit Indiana’s adoptive parents as well as Indiana women who want to make an adoption plan.”

He said concerns about due process for fathers must be balanced against a woman’s right to make an adoption plan and the child’s best interest. “Nobody’s in the business of taking children away from a father who wants to be a father,” Leach said.•

Organization Day

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Organization Day
November 18 marked the ceremonial beginning of the 2015 Legislative Session for the Indiana General Assembly.


Click here to watch House Speaker Brian Bosma’s Organization Day Speech

Thank you very much, my fellow members of the General Assembly. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to be with you. Madame Chief Justice, it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to say that Madame Secretary, my fellow members of the 119th General Assembly and we have many guests here today, some of which I’ll recognize. We have a lot of family and friends here, and it’s my pleasure, my honor and privilege to be before you today as the Speaker of the 119th General Assembly.

As I pledged in the past and I’ve pledged again to Representative Pelath, I will do my very best to treat each of you with fairness regardless of where you’re from or what party you’re affiliated with, and to uphold the Constitution and laws and the rules of this Chamber to the best of my ability.

To read the rest of the Speaker’s Organization Day address, please click here.

IS IT TRUE November 20, 2014

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IS IT TRUE the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil-rights leader who has become a close confidant to President Barack Obama and New York City Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, has more than $4.5 million in state and federal tax liens outstanding against him and his for-profit businesses?…in spite of these tax liens the Reverend Sharpton has drawn a fabulous salary from MSNBC that includes first class air travel to places he goes on news assignments?…most recently he has been a visitor to Ferguson, Missouri to cover and opine on the controversial shooting where a grand jury will soon rule if charges will be filed?…the CCO would like to propose a new law for acting as an advisor to the President of the United States?…we do not think anyone who owes the government more than $100,000 in undisputed back taxes should be eligible to advise the President in any capacity at all?…Presidents are of course human beings and can choose their own friends but who they choose as friends most certainly tells us something about their own character?

IS IT TRUE A report from the Internal Revenue Service reveals that 36 of President Obama’s executive office staff owe the country $833,970 in back taxes?…these people working for Mr. Fair Share apparently haven’t paid any share, let alone their fair share?…Forbes has furthermore reported that Federal employees are behind in their tax obligations?…that the fact is, 318,000 of them owe back taxes And the dollars that are due aren’t exactly a rounding errors?…the taxes owed by federal employees alone add up to $3.3 billion?…The CCO wants to know if federal employees should pay their taxes or should the get a pass to the good life like the Reverend Al Sharpton?

IS IT TRUE that the reality of the situation is that whether any political appointee to a City of Evansville is from the City or County there is apparently no vetting done prior to an appointee being assigned to their chosen commission?…this failure to VET has been haunting Evansville like a poltergeist in recent history?… Earthcare Energy LLC,  the Johnson Controls fiasco, and now a herd of political appointees are creating heartburn for the City of Evansville which still does not have a competent vetting process in place?…whichever way this idea of where on must live to serve as a political appointee goes, the candidates need to be vetted appropriately for the commission they are nominated to serve on?…if the appointees are not VETTED the song will remain the same and the deterioration and depopulation will continue?…as with Detroit, Evansville is headed toward an intervention but it will be the people of the city that resurrect the place if a resurrection is to occur?

IS IT TRUE Steve Schaeffer, Mayor Winnecke’s Chief of Staff has taken to the Facebook site Evansville Transparency to take on the assertion that the negative trending of the Sewer and Water Utility Bonds constitute a problem for the City and a lie from the mouth of Mayor Winnecke?…since the Standard & Poors report with the negative trending opinion was released after the Mayor made his rosy bond statement, his words cannot by definition be a lie?…choosing not to announce that particular piece of information after eagerly announcing the AA- rating affirmation in May was somewhat misleading by omission, but it was not technically a lie?…as for negative news having no impact, that is simply not the case?…a negative trending opinion does indeed raise a caution flag to bond investors and set the stage for a future downgrade if the fund balances that triggered the negative trend warning are not replenished?…Mr. Schaffer correctly pointed out that the balances in question were depleted by former Mayor Weinzapfel?…the reality is that under Mayor Winnecke, the balances have continued to be depleted so do not be surprised if more negative news is forthcoming following future audits?…we shall remind our readers that a 1% change in interest rates on an $800 Million sewer bond issue amounts to $8 Million more per year which is a sum of money worth looking the other way on public health hazards for according to the Evansville City Council?

POINTED LETTER TO COUNCILWOMAN ROBINSON FROM COMMERCE BANK PRESIDENT LUKE YAEGER

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Dear Connie,

I’m hearing more about the proposed ordinance that would require only citizens of Evansville to serve on boards and commissions. This is pretty disappointing indeed. I thought as a community we were moving forward with an embrace toward the ideals of regionalism and a movement away from the parochialism that has kept the tri-state from moving forward at the pace of many other communities.

Doesn’t it make more sense to be inclusive and seek out talent rather than be divisive and chase it off? I wonder how many of our community’s 20 under 40 winners live outside the city limits? Irrespective of where they live, wouldn’t we want to get them engaged and invested in the decisions our community is making so they don’t bolt for another locale?

It is indeed disappointing to know that my personal efforts of volunteerism with a mind toward bettering my community are not needed inside the city limits. It further puzzles me as to why my residency causes me to be cast out from city boards and commissions meanwhile my bank, located on 4th and Sycamore, and its tax dollars are happily accepted by the city. I wonder who we’re casting aside by such a proposed measure.

I’ll be happy to discuss this with my peers, like Bob Jones, CEO of Old National Bank who also lives outside the city limits. Or his Chief Banking Executive, Jim Sandgren who also is a Warrick County resident like me. Perhaps we should exclude Christy Gillenwater, the head of our regional chamber of commerce who is outside the city limits. I’ll make sure our CEO Tom Austerman, who happens to be a New Harmony resident, realizes this is the approach some of our local elected officials prefer. My CFO, John Schenk, would also be interested to know we’re moving in this direction given that he is a Warrick County resident.

It is my hope that we can all see the forest above the trees….which brings to mind the money others and I raised for the city of Evansville—about $1.5mm that is—for the benefit of Wesselman Woods and Wesselman Nature Society (which happens to manage a city owned asset). Should my philanthropic efforts and others be only directed at the city or town in which we claim a residency?

I truly hope we’re not thinking of taking this approach to government.

Luke J. Yaeger

President

Commerce Bank

FOOTNOTE:  THIS LETTER WAS SENT TO BOTH CONNIE ROBINSON AND STEPHANIE  BRINKERHOFF RILEY BY MR. YAEGER TODAY VIA PHONE TEXT.   CITY COUNCILWOMAN CONNIE ROBINSON  SENT THIS LETTER TO FELLOW CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE CCO ALIKE.  THIS LETTER IS POSTED WITHOUT OPINON,  BIAS OR  EDITING.

PLEASE GO TO OUR “READERS POLL” AND TELL HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

Main Course Restaurant Challenge Winner to be Announced on Friday, November 21

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The Southwest Indiana Chamber and Evansville’s Main Course Restaurant Challenge Committee will announce the winner of an almost $281,000 incentive to open a new restaurant at 330 Main St, immediately following a cook-off scheduled for Friday, November 21 at approximately 4:15 p.m. CST .

WHO: Southwest Indiana Chamber Downtown Alliance and Main Course Restaurant Challenge Committee

Evansville’s Main Course Restaurant Challenge Cook-off and Winner Announcement

Friday, November 21 at approximately 4:15 p.m. CST.

Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center 1901 Lynch Road, Evansville, Indiana 47711

The Finalists are:

Cantina del Oscar: a fun ‘Mex-arribean’ concept with quick-service lunch, dinner and late night bar; presented by Oscar Velez.

Kenny’s Korner: a twenty-four hour diner; presented by Ken Rust.

The Speakeasy Restaurant & Bourbon Bar: 20th century American classic food and drink; presented by Jase Aders, Chris Cole and Grant Wiseman.

A prize package valued at almost $281,000 will be awarded to a finalist restaurateur, to assist with the opening of a new eatery in downtown Evansville at 330 Main Street. Evansville’s Main Course Restaurant Challenge is a unique, privately-funded incentive designed to enhance the vitality of downtown Evansville while creating jobs in our region.

About Southwest Indiana Chamber

For nearly a century, the Southwest Indiana Chamber has been a trusted ally of the regional business community. Today, we’re one of the state’s largest, strongest, and most impactful nonprofit business organizations, representing a total membership of nearly 1,700 businesses, organizations, and agencies. About one-third of members have invested in our organization for 10 or more years. While nearly all major employers in our region are members of the Southwest Indiana Chamber, 71% of our members have fewer than 25 employees.

Learn more about the Southwest Indiana by visiting www.swinchamber.com.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

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Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will welcome the start of the holiday season with the lighting of the Official City of Evansville Christmas Tree in front of the Civic Center on Thursday, November 20, at 5:15 p.m. The Central High School Choir, led by Choir Director David Murphey, will perform two holiday songs and Mayor Winnecke will offer a few remarks before starting the countdown to turn on the lights. The public is invited to attend.

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Report

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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

EPD Activity Report November 19, 2014

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

EPD Activity Report

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