STATEHOUSE – “As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I was pleased to be a part of the team that helped craft our state’s biennial budget. This session, our top priority is to pass an honestly balanced budget without raising taxes on hardworking Hoosiers, and I am pleased our budget accomplishes that goal. The budget also builds on Indiana’s envious fiscal condition while supporting the Hoosier workforce and helping fund projects that benefit southwest Indiana like the Southern Indiana Regional Medical Center.â€
Indiana National Guard Receives First of Three Cyber Teams
Indianapolis – The Indiana National Guard received approval today for a Cyber Protection Team (CPT) to be added to the FY-16 force structure.
Indiana is one of three states to receive this new force structure. Georgia and California will also each receive a CPT. Indiana will join with Michigan and Ohio to collectively resource and maximize utilization and capabilities of this new team.
The CPT will be trained on Information Technology and Cyber-specific skills. If mobilized, the CPT will provide surge support to the Army Cyber Command and support defensive cyberspace operations as assigned. When deployed in support of state active duty, the CPT will be used to provide support to law enforcement, homeland defense and support to civilian authorities.
The Indiana Army National Guard is uniquely postured to support the CPT mission based on skill-sets and experiences already present in Indiana. The Indiana National Guard has strong partnerships with the cyber community in the fields of research, security and law enforcement. Key academic resources in Indiana include Purdue University’s Cyber Center and Indiana University’s Center for Applied Cyber Security Research, which is a leader in the Army Cyber-Security Collaborative Research Alliance.
Indiana’s fully accredited 10,000 square foot Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility and the Muscatatuck / Atterbury cyber range made Indiana a strong competitor in this new force structure decision. The Indiana cyber range is a premier training facility for both public and private cyber endeavors and will host the 2015 Cyber Shield national-level training exercise.
Governor Pence to Keynote Japan-America Society of Indiana Event
Indianapolis – Tomorrow, Governor Mike Pence will keynote the Japan-America Society of Indiana’s (JASI) “Japan Update 2015,†an annual conference providing an economic and international relations outlook for the year for Japan, Indiana and Asia, with Consul General of Japan Masaharu Yoshida. Details below.
Wednesday, February 25:
12:30 p.m. EST – Governor Pence to keynote JASI’s “Japan Update 2015â€
*Media are welcome to attend.
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, 3rd Floor Cosmopolitan Ballroom, 1 S. Capitol Ave., Indianapolis
First Lady Karen Pence to Visit Schools in Marion, Boone, Tippecanoe Counties
Indianapolis – Tomorrow, First Lady Karen Pence will read to kindergarten students at Indiana Math and Science Academy (IMSA) West as part of their “Reading Like Rock Stars†program. Later in the morning, she will visit Traders Point Christian Academy in Boone County and Murdock Elementary School in Tippecanoe County. Details below.
Wednesday, February 25:
9:00 a.m. EST – First Lady Karen Pence to read to kindergarten students at IMSA West
*Media are welcome to attend and are asked to check in at the front desk.
IMSA West, 4575 West 38th Street, Indianapolis
10:00 a.m. EST – First Lady Karen Pence to visit Traders Point Christian Academy
*Media are welcome to attend and are asked to check in at the front desk.
Traders Point Christian Academy, 6600 South Indianapolis Road, Whitestown
11:30 a.m. EST – First Lady Karen Pence to visit Murdock Elementary School
*Media are welcome to attend and are asked to check in at the front desk.
Murdock Elementary School, 2100 Cason Street, Lafayette
Dr. Bucshon Statement on President’s Keystone Veto
(WASHINGTON, DC) –Today, President Obama vetoed a bill sent to his desk with bipartisan support from both chambers of Congress that approved the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) released the following statement after the President vetoed the pro-energy, pro-jobs, and pro-national security project:
“By vetoing this pro-jobs, pro-energy, and pro-national security project, the President ignored the will of an overwhelming majority of the American people,â€Â said Bucshon. “Republicans, Democrats, union workers, and industry leaders – over 60 percent of Americans – agree Keystone is a common-sense project that should be approved. I’m disappointed the President put the interests of a few ideological extremists over our national interests.â€Â
Â
Congressman Larry Bucshon, a physician from Southern Indiana, is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the 114th Congress, Bucshon will serve on the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The 8th District of Indiana includes all or parts of Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warrick counties.
 Lafayette Trooper is a Finalist for National Award
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Senior Trooper Ryan Winters, of the Lafayette State Police Post, has been named as a finalist for the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police)/Motorola Trooper of the Year for the North Central region. Winters was picked from applications submitted to the North Central region by a majority of votes of IACP Colonels. The other regions are North Atlantic, Southern and Mountain Pacific. The four regional finalists will receive an all expense paid trip to be honored at the 2014 IACP/Motorola Trooper of the Year banquet in Alexandria, VA on March 27, 2015, where one of them will be named as the 2014 IACP Motorola Trooper of the Year.
Senior Trooper Winters was nominated by Lafayette District Commander, Lieutenant Thomas McKee for his actions on April 10, 2014, when he was leaving his house to begin his regular shift just before 7:00 a.m. As he got in his patrol car, he noticed the house at 226 N. Walnut Street was on fire. Knowing that the residents of that house were elderly with limited mobility, Trooper Winters notified Regional Dispatch Center 1 (RDC 1) of the location of the fire, so that the fire department could be in route. He then went to the residence himself.
The following information is based on a report written by Trooper Winters, media interviews with the survivors and firefighters, and a written statement from Lt. Mike Hunley of the Ladoga Volunteer Fire Department. Trooper Winters initially found the southwest corner of the house was engulfed in flames. He pounded on the front door and got no response. Finding the front door unlocked he went inside and located the homeowners’ grandson, 11 year-old Colin Roe, sleeping on a couch in the living room. Trooper Winters said the sound of the fire was so loud he could not hear the smoke alarms going off, and Roe was sleeping with headphones on.
Smoke from the fire was beginning to build up in the house and was now just a few feet from the first floor ceiling. Trooper Winters woke up Roe and took him outside. He learned from Roe that his grandparents were asleep in their bedroom on the second floor. Trooper Winters re-entered the home and went to the second floor, where he located Warren and Deny Bowling, who are both in their 70’s.
According to an interview that Deny Bowling gave to the media, there was thick black smoke in the house when Trooper Winters woke up her and her husband. Trooper Winters guided them through the smoke and assisted them down the stairs and out of the house. At this time, Trooper Winters directed the family to a safe area and then quickly performed a safety check around the outside of the house to see if there was a propane tank or any other hazardous material that would have been threatened by the fire.
When he returned to the front of the house, Trooper Winters discovered that Warren Bowling had re-entered the house. Trooper Winters then entered the house for a third time, to locate Mr. Bowling. By this time, the thick smoke was only a few feet from the floor, and when Trooper Winters located Bowling, he could only see him from the waist down. Winters guided Bowling out of the house to the rest of the family and made sure that they were at a safe distance from the fire. By this time, the Ladoga Fire Department arrived and began to fight the fire. The Ladoga Fire Department eventually needed the assistance of the New Market and Walnut Township Fire Departments to extinguish the fire.
After making sure there was no one left in the house, Trooper Winters remained on-scene to assist with scene control and traffic. It was not until Lt. Mike Hunley of the Ladoga Volunteer Fire Department called the State Police Post in Lafayette that ISP was made aware of Trooper Winters’ heroic actions. Lt. Hunley is a former Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy and current Ladoga Town Marshal. He is a full-time fireman with the Purdue University Fire Department, and a Lieutenant with the Ladoga Volunteer Fire Department. Lt. Hunley reported that it is the opinion of the members of the Ladoga Fire Department on the scene that were it not for Trooper Winters’ actions, there would have been at least one, if not multiple, fatalities from this fire. Lt. Hunley went on to say that, as a person with experience as both a police officer and a fireman, Trooper Winters is deserving of recognition for his bravery and life-saving actions.
This is echoed by the Ladoga Fire Chief, Reggie Perry, who said, “We believe Officer Winters saved the family in the nick of time. I am afraid we would have had a fatal fire with multiple deathsâ€. Lt. Hunley also said that even after the fire was out, he would not let his firemen into the structure without wearing oxygen tanks and breathing apparatus, because of the toxic smoke that was present. Trooper Winters made three trips into this environment without any kind of breathing apparatus, which put his own health and safety at risk, in addition to the risk to his life posed by the fire and the risk of the structure collapsing around him. Further proof of the risk to his life is evidenced by the fact that Trooper Winters had to go to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Speaking about the four regional finalists the IACP Project Coordinator, Brandon Gardner, said “Congratulations to these troopers for showing incredible heroism, professionalism, and dedication.â€
The Indiana State Police Lafayette District Commander, Lt. Thomas McKee said, “Senior Trooper Winters has been very humble about this nomination and was just glad to be in the right spot at the right time.â€
“As an agency we are grateful the IACP and Motorola sponsor such a prestigious award event as this that brings deserved public attention to the selfless acts of troopers from across the nation.â€, said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter.
IS IT TRUE February 25, 2015
IS IT TRUE the Welborn Foundation was the first organization to publish the state of greater Evansville with respect to health and well being in 2008 in one of the first public meetings held in the Media Room in Innovation Pointe?…this writer was in attendance and congratulated Kevin Bain who was relatively new to his job as Executive Director of the Welborn Baptist Foundation at the time, for producing a well designed study that had the courage to point out obvious needs for improvement among the populace?…this study was published before the Gallup organization had ever placed Evansville on the “Miserable Places” list or national designations for “The Obesity Capital of America” had come to be?…having lived in Evansville after many years in California gave me a different view of Evansville and two of the most obvious to the naked eye were obesity and smoking?…it is hard to miss such things when one has spent lots of time in places that had smoking bans in place for years and a higher concern for maintaining a healthy weight?…it was easy to surmise through mainstream media outlets (this was before my CCO days) that there were drug use and alcohol abuse problems that were higher than other places?…it was even easy to run the numbers with respect to suicide that would easily lead to a conclusion that there were mental health issues that were either endemic to the population or unmitigated by the mental health community?…having a strong belief based on observations the 2008 Welborn Study and it’s frank conclusions were sufficient to make this writer optimistic that things would change in Evansville as a result of the scientific nature of the study and the courage exhibited by Welborn to make the study public?
IS IT TRUE many of my friends and co-workers at the time who did not have the benefit of having lived elsewhere were mostly indignant about the 2008 Welborn Study and dismissed it as wrong and irrelevant?…a few years later when the Obesity Capital and the Misery Index started hitting the airwaves some people started to believe the statistics?…even with the Welborn Study and the numerous awards for poor lifestyle, there are many among us who scoff at the ugly reality that these studies have thrown on the table?…Mayor Winnecke even made a youtube video of an exercise dance to try and inspire some positive activity, while scoffing at the Obesity Capital designation as though it “couldn’t be true”?…DENIAL of statistical facts does not make them any less true?…it will be interesting to see if the latest Welborn Study will fall on deaf ears again?
IS IT TRUE to summarize the 2015 Welborn Study there are several things that are called out as problems that were called out in the 2008 Study that are covered in the statement in the Executive Summary that states, “Nevertheless, the same concerns and strengths observed in the last survey still prevail?”…when one delves into the depth of the study greater Evansville is still performing poorly relative to other places by smoking more, abusing drugs and alcohol, letting ourselves get obese, and eating unhealthy diets?…we are even specifically called out for feeding our children so poorly that pre-school childhood obesity here is 220% higher than the national average?…that translates into 32% of our pre-school kids being so fat that it is a health problem?…when the numbers were tallied adults with substance abuse problems in greater Evansville are DOUBLE the national average?…adult smoking is 26% higher than the national average?…these are all preventable conditions and are enough to just perplex the daylights out of an outside observer?…it makes one wonder if the bulk of the population is disinterested or indifferent to their own health and the health of their children?…it has been 7 years since the first Welborn study and the clear conclusion is that NOT A DAMN BIT OF POSITIVE CHANGE HAS COME OF IT?
IS IT TRUE this is sufficient to help one accept the fact that the elected officials have failed to pass a smoking ban, failed to prioritize the repair of the decrepit sewer system that continues to spread feces and disease, while funding every fun and games suggestion that comes along?…if there were a country song written about Evansville it would be along the lines of the Willie Nelson classic stating “there’s more old drunks than there are old doctors, so I guess we better have another round”?…it makes one wonder if the heavy metals in the soils of Jacobsville have contaminated the minds of the people of Evansville to the point that as a whole they are incapable of connecting cause and effect?…it is disappointing to say the least to watch a fully capable population ignore the explicit warnings of the professionals at Welborn?…we must ask ourselves “if I wanted to start a business or raise a family, would I do that in Evansville knowing all of this?”…to many the answer is a quiet polite NO, as they pack their bags for other places or ignore what opportunities that Evansville may offer?
IS IT TRUE the only good news in the Welborn study is that Evansville people seem to do a good job of looking after their teeth and their rear ends, with good statistics on visiting the dentist and getting a colonoscopy?…in all seriousness if we as a people are going to smoke, abuse drugs and alcohol, and get so fat that we have an epidemic of suicides, arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes despite repeated warnings by Welborn, Gallup, and others, we had just as well tap another keg and take the ride across the River Styx together, or better yet maybe the 40% or so that are creating these terrible statistics will snap out of their booze and cheetohs comas and take their own lives seriously?
IS IT TRUE that if you liked the fact that the CVB Board of Directors was outed for spending over $4,000 on dinner for 14 at the Opus One Cafe’ you can thank Ron Cosby for having the courage to publish it?…that was the first day that the CCO ever had 1,000 pageviews?…the tip for the story along with the receipt for the dinner was handed to the CCO by a reporter at the Courier & Press who was pushed not to say a thing?…the rest is history and the board was substantially replaced?
EPD Activity Report
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
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 Friday, February 20, 2015
Robert Payne            Domestic Battery-Level 6 Felony
Jonathan Nussmeier   Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More-Level 6 Felony
Mack Tinsley            Theft-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
Accomplishments made as mid-point of session nears
The legislative session is nearly halfway done, and I am proud of all that has been accomplished to improve our area of the state. I have worked diligently to serve our community and want to take this opportunity to discuss some of what has been accomplished so far.
The first bill I authored to pass out of the House was House Bill (HB) 1362. This bill would benefit Hoosier taxpayers and motorists by extending the amount of time that Indiana is required to reissue license plates. Currently, our license plates must be issued in Indiana every five years which was necessary in maintaining the plate’s quality. With the technology we use today to produce license plates, they are more durable, lasting several years longer and need to be replaced less often as we do now. Extending the life cycle of license plates is an innovative and effective strategy, and if enacted, HB 1361 could save taxpayers around $10 million per year.
As a budget session and member of the Ways and Means Committee, I remain committed to protecting Hoosier taxpayers and working to pass an honestly balanced budget that allows the state to live within its means. I am pleased to be a part of the team tasked with crafting our state’s budget and proud to support the amendment that delivers on the priorities outlined by the House Republicans in October. Those budget priorities include protecting taxpayers, significantly increasing our investment in education and funding our strategic priorities like public safety, while maintaining healthy reserves and a strong structural surplus.
The budget amendment utilizes Indiana’s envious fiscal condition to help fund projects including $36 million for the Southern Indiana Regional Medical Center, benefitting our community and the state. This project will play an essential role in our local healthcare system while impacting economic development in southwest Indiana.
The Safety P.I.N. (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) grant program, legislation I authored, would also be funded through our proposed budget, calling for $13.5 million over the biennium. This program allows groups to apply for grants that aim to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate, administered through the Indiana State Department of Health. Preference would be given to groups that address some of the leading factors of infant mortality like smoking during pregnancy or lack of prenatal care.
Another large focus for me, as a professional and business woman, is to increase workforce development. I authored legislation that addresses a situation that has been prematurely ending and sometimes entirely preventing mineral development projects when the mineral rights owner cannot be found while at the same time protecting the owner’s interests. Currently, if a developer of mineral rights, such as oil or natural gas, runs into a tract of land in which the mineral owner cannot be found (the owner of the surface and minerals are most often different individuals), the developer has to attempt to go around that property or entirely cease production. This legislation will help save good paying jobs, as developers will be able to continue their work and not prematurely terminate projects and providing protection for individual’s rights.
This session is flying by, and I am excited that many of the priorities and projects in our proposed budget will benefit southwest Indiana. I look forward to debating this legislation on the House floor as well as discussing Senate legislation as it moves over to our chamber. As always, it has been a privilege to serve our community this session, and I look forward to the rest of the coming months.