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LAURA MCKEE NAMED AS INDIANA WOMEN’S VETERAN COORDINATOR

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) has named United States Air Force veteran Laura J. McKee as its state women’s veteran coordinator.

Senior Master Sergeant McKee is an Air Force Reservist with the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. She is an Assistant Chief Inflight Refueler with the 72nd Air Refueling Squadron at Grissom. She has been deployed numerous times in support of operations during Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and has honorably served her country for 25 years. McKee has over 4,000 flight hours and almost 1,000 combat hours.

McKee, a lifelong resident of Indiana, earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and also graduated from the Community College of the Air Force with two Associate of Applied Science degrees in Aviation Operation Aircraft Technology and Systems Maintenance Technology.

“We are very pleased to announce the selection of Laura McKee for this vital role,” said Governor Mike Pence. “McKee’s service history is filled with honor, dedication and commitment beginning with Operation Desert Shield and Storm to the most recent Operation Inherent Freedom. She has an extensive and decorated record of service to our country. Her experience in the military and her extensive knowledge of the issues and challenges facing female veterans make her the ideal person to help them find the benefits and services due to them for their selfless service and sacrifice.”

The Indiana General Assembly in 2014 passed unanimously legislation authorizing this position during a session where Governor Mike Pence championed veterans’ issues.

“Being selected as the IDVA state women’s veteran coordinator is an extraordinary honor,” said McKee. “My career has provided me with the insight to understand concerns and questions shared by other female veterans. I have experienced, witnessed and have an awareness of the challenges that are often specific to female veterans. I am looking forward to continuing my service career by helping others in this role.”

McKee’s responsibilities will include performing outreach to improve women veterans’ awareness of eligibility for federal and state veterans’ services and benefits, serving as an accredited state service officer, reviewing programs and advocating for additional initiatives to address or meet the needs of Indiana’s women veterans.

Over 33,000 women veterans reside in Indiana. They served in every war period, including World War II, and 1,087 of them are military retirees. There are 2,335 women on active duty not including those serving in the Indiana National Guard or who are members of a Reserve unit.

 

McKee’s first day on the job will be January 26, 2015.

 

IS IT TRUE January 13, 2015

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IS IT TRUE that Anna Melcher will file for 3rd Ward City Council seat at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon? …Anna has the current 3rd Ward Councilwoman’s full support.  …that Anna is married to Vanderburgh County Commissioner Steve Melcher?

IS IT TRUE we just learned that highly respected and dedicated Vice Chairwoman of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party Central Committee Becky Kasha has just resigned her position?  …we are hearing that Mrs. Kasha resigned her GOP position because of a disagreement between her and Party Chairman Wayne Parke?   …we wish Becky Kasha  well and like to congratulate her for during an outstanding job for the Vanderburgh County Republican Party Central Committee?

IS IT TRUE we found Evansville Courier Editor Tim Etheridge’s Sunday Editorial extremely interesting?…that Mr. Etheridge spoke of disrespect shown by City Council members and City Attorney Scott Danks to Marco DeLucio, a City Administration Attorney and Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer?…the details are following but the ultimate disrespect is to withhold material information or to present a false narrative about an investment?…that part is material and chewing gum, rolling of eyes, or calling someone by their first name is not?

IS IT TRUE that the Editor of the Courier and Press indicated in his weekly editorial that Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley referred to Mayoral Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer by his last name was disrespectful?…while this manner of addressing the Chief of Staff may be outside of the bounds of Robert’s Rules of Order, we at the CCO watched this interaction and did not think there was any disrespect intended?…respect is a two way street and intentional disrespect has been directed toward Councilwoman Riley by Mr. Schaefer outside of the Council chambers on a number of occasions over the past few years when she exposed the Earthcare Energy LLC debacle for what it was?…it was Mr. Schaefer who aggressively demanded that the $200,000 up front payment to Earthcare be made without giving the City Council the courtesy of notice?…respect, is earned?…going behind the City Council’s back to hand a check to a group that was never vetted was about as disrespectful as it gets?…while we agree that using a last name may infer disrespect it may also infer familiarity as we have often heard Controller Russ Lloyd called “Russ” and Councilman Adams called “Doc” in the Council Chamber?…we wish for a day when the Office of the Mayor and the City Council have earned respect for one another as people and not just for the purpose of honoring an office without regard for the occupant?

IS IT TRUE that the remarks made by Editor Etheridge that City Council Attorney Scott Danks was lambasting the Administration Attorney Marco DeLucio is laughable?…we must advise Mr. Etheridge that we have heard many positive comments concerning the way City Council Attorney Scott Danks’ being assertive about asking pointed questions of the Mayor’s Chief of Staff at the last Council meeting?…we also hope that City Council Attorney Danks will continue to demand answers from the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, and we hope Mr. Schaefer provides the answers?…the question regarding how much actual money that Old National Bank will be paying for the naming rights is public information as the public is a co-investor in the project?…to assert that it is not our business as citizens makes no more sense than it would for ONB CEO Bob Jones to refuse to let one shareholder know the equity held by another shareholder?

IS IT TRUE we do agree with the Courier Editor that Mayor Winnecke was sitting in his office across the hall from City Council chambers so as to let Mr. Schaefer take his licks for him rather than emerging to explain his actions directly to City Council himself?…we have learned after watching the Mayor over the last 3 years that his governing style isn’t open and honest dialogue with City Council or the public?…the Mayor’s preferred communication style is to use controlled press releases styled by his “Minister of Propaganda”?

IS IT TRUE that Editor Etheridge spoke about Councilwoman Connie Robinson, who represents a mostly African-American ward, who voted against a qualified African-American candidate for one of two seats on the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…we are glad she did not vote for the qualified African-American gentleman who was nominated by City Councilman Jonathan Weaver just to embarrass Councilwoman Robinson?…it is important to point out that Weaver’s attempt to put Councilwoman Robinson in an awkward racial and political position has back fired?…we predict that Councilman Weaver’s attempt to put Mrs. Robinson in a racial and political bind may have cost him from winning the powerful 4th Ward in his re-election bid?…if a Democratic At-Large candidate can’t win the 4th Ward they shall most likely lose the election?…we are extremely pleased that City Council elected Cheryl Musgrave as one of the ERC Commissioners and expect her to inject sanity and reason into what has been a rubber stamp for the last two Mayors to the point of incompetence?

IS IT TRUE we would like the first question that City Council asks the Mayor (if he decides to attend) or his Chief of Staff at the next City Council the following question?  …the question is, “has HCW received a formal License/Franchise agreement approval from Hilton Hotel National office?” …if the answer is yes please provide City Council with detailed written documents when HCW received this approval and signed the agreement from Hilton Hotel’s National office to build a downtown Hilton sponsored Hotel?…if there is no such document we think that an apology is in order and the truth needs to come out as to why we have been told by both HCW and Mayor Winnecke that this critical step in the financing process was misrepresented in several public forums?…the question of the year may just turn out to be “Did both Mayor Winnecke and HCW intentionally misrepresent the status of the franchise agreement, or did HCW lie to Mayor Winnecke who then parroted that misrepresentation to the people of Evansville?”…the one thing that is not in dispute is the fact that material information has been withheld from the funding agency (City Council) and other critical conditions have been intentionally released that were incorrect?…that Mr. Etheridge is the very definition of disrespect?…you may call someone by my last name anytime you like, but if you lie to someone about an investment in the real world that is called investment fraud?…investment fraud is both disrespectful and illegal?

Please take time and vote in todays “Readers Poll”.

Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Governor Pence’s 2015 State of the State Address Tomorrow

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 Indiana Governor Mike Pence will deliver his 2015 State of the State address on Tuesday, January 13, to a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly in the House Chamber. The address will begin at 7 p.m. (EST) and is expected to fit in a 30-minute window.

 

The House Chamber will be gaveled to order at 7:00.00 and the Governor will begin his remarks at approximately 7:02.00. Media must be in place by 6:45 p.m. EST. Access to the Chamber after this time will be prohibited.

 

Below is information for television and radio stations to access the pool coverage, produced by WIPB-TV, and information about accessing live streaming on the Internet. The feed will be HD 720p and will have embedded closed captioning.
Satellite: AMC 21
Transponder: 23
Downlink Freq: 12155.0 Ghz
Polarity: H
L Band: 1405.0 Mhz
Modulation: DVB-S2 8-PSK
FEC: 3/4, 188 byte data packets
Roll-off: 1.200 (Alpha)
Symbol Rate: 6.25 MS/s
Transport BW: 13.925974 Mbps

 

Program
MPEG Program Number: 3
PMT PID: 48 (0x30)
Video & PCR PID: 49 (0x31)
Video Coding: MPEG-4AVC

 

Trouble no.: 765-749-6511
Testing from 6:30 p.m. (EST)

 

PBS HD 05 Parameters

 

Network Indiana radio affiliates can access coverage on satellite channel one. Non-Network Indiana affiliates that want to broadcast the address can receive audio of the radio pool feed by dialing 317/684-8816. The anchored feed will go up at 7:00 p.m. For questions, contact John Emerson at WIBC/Network Indiana at 317/684-4171 or jemerson@emmis.com.

 

The State of the State address also will be available live on the Internet by visiting https://es.adobeconnect.com/Indiana.

 

 
Location Information:
Statewide
IN
Contact Information:
Name: Bridget Cleveland
Phone: 317-233-4721
Email: bcleveland@gov.in.gov

ST. MARY’S HEALTH OFFERS ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE APPOINTMENTS

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St. Mary’s Health is offering one more chance for open enrollment assistance for insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.

As the Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period begins, MedAssist representatives and St. Mary’s Health Access Advocates will be available to assist the uninsured. They will offer help regarding different health plans available and how to navigate the application process. Two opportunities are available for enrollment advice. Those interested are encouraged to schedule an appointment by calling 812.485.5864. Walk-ins are welcome.

St. Mary’s Center for Advanced Medicine

Fourth Floor, Room 4

901 St. Mary’s Drive, Evansville, IN

Tuesday, January 13, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

 

Two men arrested on gun and drug charges during Monday morning traffic stop

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Evansville Police arrested 23 year old KAMION MELTON and 28 year old DARNELL HOLMES during a car stop early Monday morning. Melton and Holmes were passengers in a car that had been stopped for a broken tail light. When officers approached the car, they detected a strong smell of marijuana coming from the passenger compartment. The car also matched the description of a car involved in several recent shots fired runs.
During the stop, Melton gave officers a false name. He was also in possession of 6 individually packaged bags of marijuana. During a search of the car, officers found a handgun under Melton’s seat. Melton was arrested for Dealing Marijuana, False Informing, and Possession of a Handgun without a Permit.
During the stop, officers also found a gun in the trunk. The trunk was accessible to the rear passenger area where Holmes was seated. Holmes was convicted of Armed Robbery in Vanderburgh County in October of 2012. The gun had been reported stolen in Gibson County. Holmes was arrested for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
The driver was issued a traffic ticket and released.
Image #1 Kamion Melton user30769-1421069746-media2_9f9e9c_192_240_PrsMe_user30769-1421069744-media1_aaa8ad_192_240_PrsMe_
Image #2 Darnell Holmes

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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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 January 12, 2015

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

NOMINATION DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING FOR 20TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF LEADERSHIP AWARDS

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  • Saturday, January 17, 2015 last day to submit nomination for community award
  • Event is largest celebrating community leadership in Evansville

    Leadership Evansville (LE) Executive Director Lynn Miller-Pease reminds the Evansville Community that Saturday, January 17th is the final day to nominate a worthy individual, business, group or project for a Leadership Evansville 2015 Celebration of Leadership (COL) Award. The recipients will be announced at the popular and diverse awards program’s 20th-annual event in March 2015.

    Nominating deserving people and projects for their inspiring leadership and collaborative accomplishments that significantly improved our community in 2014 is easy. Simply visit Leadership Evansville’s website COL section here: http://leadershipevansville.org/contact/nomination-form

    2015 Celebration of Leadership Awards – 20th Annual

    Mark your calendar! Leadership Evansville’s 20th annual Celebration of Leadership awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2015 at Old National Events Plaza in downtown Evansville.

    Last year’s COL awards program set records for the number of award nominations and attendance, with 900 community members on hand to help celebrate the presentation of 43 group and individual awards from 158 nominations for outstanding community and public service. Even greater participation is expected at the 20th-anniversary event.

    “It has become increasingly harder for our awards committee to select the winning recipients, because all of the nominees deserve praise for their inspiring work to help improve our community,” said Leadership Evansville Executive Director Lynn Miller-Pease.

    -more-

NEWS RELEASE

“The past year has seen so many positive examples of servant leadership and transformative change throughout our community. LE’s 20th annual COL Awards is the ideal forum to acknowledge the people and organizations that are making a positive change in our community, so we expect another record number of nominations this year,” Miller-Pease added.

Celebration of Leadership is your opportunity to recognize examples of outstanding community and public service in the following categories: Arts, Education, Environment, Government & Public Service, Health & Social Service and Neighborhood & Community.

ABOUT CELEBRATION OF LEADERSHIP

The Celebration of Leadership awards is Leadership Evansville’s conscious effort to recognize servant leaders in our community. The remarkably diverse and inclusive program gives awards to recognize individuals, businesses, organizations and projects for going above and beyond the call of duty to improve and transform our community.

ABOUT LEADERSHIP EVANSVILLE

Leadership Evansville was founded in 1976 by a group of future-thinking local leaders, whose original commitment to community-wide betterment remains unique and strong. Leadership Evansville brings together people with different talents, gifts and perspectives and transforms these individuals into leaders who embrace the concept of community trusteeship and the collaborative process. They help develop in them an understanding of how today’s leaders function and teaches them the skills to apply this knowledge in provided real life opportunities through practice and performance. These attitudes, skills and processes are taught to adults, youth, organizations, not-for-profits, businesses, educational institutions, neighborhood associations, churches and other leadership programs.

SOCIAL MEDIA: CONNECT WITH LEADERSHIP EVANSVILLE

Twitter: #COL2015, @LeadershipEVV, @evansvillevoice Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leadershipevansville

Dr. Bucshon Votes to Approve Keystone XL Pipeline

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(WASHINGTON, DC) – On Friday, Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. voted for and the House passed H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, which will approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

 

Dr. Bucshon released the following statement after H.R. 3 passed the House:

 

“The Keystone XL pipeline is the most studied pipeline in American history,” said Bucshon. “After 6 years and 22,000 pages of review, the President’s own State Department tells us that construction of this pipeline will support over 42,000 good-paying jobs and do nothing to harm the environment. And, pipelines have been shown to be the safest way to transport oil! This pro-jobs, pro-energy, pro-national security project has bipartisan, wide-spread support from Democrats, Republicans, industry leaders, and labor alike. Just today, a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling upheld the route of the Keystone pipeline, clearing a roadblock the President has repeatedly used to stonewall the project. I look forward to this bill passing the Senate and making its way to President Obama’s desk.”

 

Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), H.R. 3 passed with a bipartisan vote of 266 to 153.  More information on the bill can be found here and letters of support can be found here.

 

Congressman Larry Bucshon, a physician from Southern Indiana, is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Indiana’s 8th Congressional District. Bucshon sits on the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The 8th District 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.

Letter to Editor by Laura Blackburn

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For many weeks The City-County Observer has read a lot of comments that very popular  State Representative Gail Riecken will be making an announcement that she will seek the office of Mayor of Evansville this year.
I went to her announcement event last Saturday.  I was extremely impressed by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd that showed up on a very cold morning to support Gail and her message of “Common Sense and Inclusiveness” for leadership in Evansville.

I believe that there were close to 500 people present for Rep. Riecken’s formal announcement speech, and that the local Democrats left the CK Newsome Center with a renewed sense of unity within their party. That new reunified sprit is due in no small part to Gail’s reputation for honesty and conscientious service to constituents, and her unwavering support for the late Rick Davis in the last City election.

Her reputation for hard work, common sense, and respect for the people she serves is made even stronger by the tone of her announcement speech, when she repeatedly stressed that while Evansville faces some big challenges, “We can do better.”  That brief statement offers a keen insight into the character of Gail Riecken. She has a long record of working for the security and safety of our children and families. That fact that is undeniable when her history of civic service and legislative involvement are taken into account.  She clearly signaled that she is ready to roll up her sleeves and do the hard work that the people of this city identify with, instead of depending on “rainbows and fairy dust” political promises to make the city grow and prosper again.

One of the loudest responses from the crowd came when Rep. Riecken said, “Frankly, too many families in Evansville struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, child care, food, and health care. “We can do better.”  That venture into the reality for many Evansvillians seemed to be particularly resonant with the “regular people”, who composed most of the audience. She also acknowledged the “brain drain” that plagues the city, when she added  “We must develop an environment where young people feel hope for a bright future here in Evansville, and where there are jobs and good paying jobs” which drew enthusiastic applause, too. When it comes to the concerns of Evansville families, Gail Riecken has proven that she “gets it.”  After 3 years I have my doubts about the current administration’s ability to identify with everyday family worries.

I frequently overheard conversation in the room took place between groups of women of all ages. It seems the ladies think the time has come for a woman to step in and “clean up the mess all of those men have made.”   However, I think some older entrenched political types have underestimated the appeal for Evansville to elect their first woman mayor in its 202 years history would be a grave mistake by any political party.  Evansville women are well known for being independent, strong willed, hard workers, and an extremely intelligent and a qualified candidate of their gender will appeal to women of all political persuasions turn out to vote to elect Gail as Mayor of Evansville.

I noticed that there was a strong showing of rank and file union members in the crowd, although few if any, “union bosses” attended,  Many of the long time party leaders were at the gathering, and they were joined by an impressive number of young, new faces.  Diversity was the order of the day, as young and old, male and female,  African American and white, and both professionals, blue collar groups, and many in between were strongly represented in the upbeat crowd. I saw groups of Democrats who have been at odds with each other since the last City election embracing and laughing together.

I congratulated Riecken Campaign Chairman Attorney Mike Woods on the turnout and unbridled joy for the event. Mr. Woods, who was beaming happily, told me how proud he is to be associated with the return of unity to the Democratic Party and the promise of Gail’s campaign. Excitement and anticipation among the crowd was palpable in the room. The only thing that was missing was “Happy Days Are Here Again” playing in the background. Thanks to Gail Riecken and Mike Woods, the Democratic “sleeping giant” is awake again and on the march.

Sincerely,

Laura Blackburn

Evansville

Please take time and vote in todays “Readers Poll”.

Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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