DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
EPD Activity Report January 7, 2015
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Keystone Fight Is About Much More
The House is set to vote on the Keystone XL pipeline as their first order of business in the new Congress — and this time the newly-elected Senate is expected to have enough votes to break the anti-energy filibuster led by liberals Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, who is urging President Obama to stop the pipeline with a veto.
The merits of the project are well known, including over 40,000 jobs, more secure access to North American energy, and lower greenhouse gas emissions than the alternatives of moving oil to market by rail or tanker ships.
President Obama’s own jobs council famously advised: “Policies that facilitate the safe, thoughtful and timely development of pipeline, transmission and distribution projects are necessary†— and yet this permit process has stalled now for a stunning six years.
The president himself said: “The net effects of the pipeline’s impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project is allowed to go forward†— and then his own State Department, led by Hillary Clinton, concluded that all three “no action†scenarios would have significantly higher emissions than approving the pipeline.
Although oil prices have sharply declined recently, major infrastructure projects are for the long term, and backing off based on market conditions now would play directly into the hands of the Saudis and other OPEC producers who hope to use low prices to disrupt North American competitors so they can raise prices again later.
So what’s the problem? Why did Democrats go to such enormous lengths to block this project last Congress and why is the president even now considering a veto?
The principal opponent of the pipeline is San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, who made billions investing in fossil fuels abroad before becoming a crusading political activist opposing affordable energy in America — and heavily investing in taxpayer-subsidized green energy that competes with fossil fuels.
It was at an infamous fundraiser at his house nearly a year ago that he offered up to $100 million for Democratic candidates if they would block the pipeline. He largely made good on that promise, spending about $73 million, joined by a handful of like-minded donors but mostly from his own pockets.
In a 2013 talk at Berkeley, Steyer explained his obsession. “The biggest thing about Keystone is we have to make a change,†the biggest donor in American politics said.
“We have to make a decision to do something different… And if we do that, we’ll end up with a carbon tax or we’ll end up with some control of carbon. That’s a given,†Steyer said. “But the question is at what point do we decide we’ve had our Pearl Harbor moment?â€
Got that? Steyer believes that if he can stop a major infrastructure project against the weight of all facts and logic, his goal of a massive new energy tax becomes easy.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer lined up with Steyer’s “Pearl Harbor†for more expensive energy in a recent interview, in which he outlined a series of messaging amendments — mostly protectionist trade measures — that Democratic leaders would use to create excuses for their rank-and-file members to vote no.
When interviewer Bob Schieffer asked Schumer: “If these amendments pass, you would still urge the president to veto this legislation?†Schumer responded “Well, yes.â€
Are Democrats really willing to block billions of dollars of private investment and tens of thousands of union jobs on the hopes of future tax hikes and the wishes of a single mega-donor?
Let’s hope President Obama is willing to stand up to Steyer and sign the bill.
Copyright 2014 Phil Kerpen, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Mr. Kerpen is the president of American Commitment and the author of “Democracy Denied.†Kerpen can be reached at phil@americancommitment.org.
Miranda Lambert Shines Brightly at Ford Center
 Miranda Lambert’s Certified Platinum Tour hit the Ford Center on Thursday night performing to a sold-out crowd. RaeLynn began the evening getting the crowd going with her cover of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.†The energy continued as Justin Moore performed some of his hits including “Bait a Hook†and “Small Town USA.â€
The crowd was on their feet as Miranda Lambert stormed onto the stage with “Fastest Girl in Town,†then fired into “Kerosene.†She continued her string of hits with “The House that Built Me†and “Heart Like Mine.â€
“RaeLynn is an up-and-comer. By pairing her with Justin Moore and Miranda Lambert, the audience got to see three great headliners in one show,†said Ford Center Executive Director Scott Schoenike.
Upcoming events at the Ford Center include The Harlem Globetrotters January 18, Winter Jam 2015 January 29, Luke Bryan: That’s My Kind of Night Tour February 11, Disney on Ice: Princesses & Heroes February 19-22, and Volbeat May 19.
ARTSWIN NEWS
Art Noir Exhibit |
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Calendar:
Registration Deadline: January 27th Artwork Drop-off: February 6th Juried: February 9th Notification Email: February 10th Non-accepted Pick-up: February 11th Opening Reception: February 13, 5-7pm Exhibit Closes: March 13th Artwork Pick-up: March 13th All dates work within the Gallery’s regularly scheduled hours (10am-4pm), with the exception of the opening reception on February 13th (5-7pm).
Awards: Best of Show: $300 1st Place- $200 2nd Place- $150 3rd Place- $50
Juror:Â Dianne Albin, Owensboro, KYÂ www.behance.net/dalbin “We are constantly changed by life, and as an artist I am challenged not only to respond to what is most obvious, but also to those deeper, richer aspects that most define what it means to be human.” |
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
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 Monday, January 05, 2015
Tiffney Johnson              Operating a Motor Vehicle after Forfeiture of License for Life-Level 5 Felony
Whitney Washington  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
ST. MARY’S WELLNESS CENTER TO OFFER 
COUPLE’S SOCIAL DANCING
St. Mary’s Wellness Center at Epworth Crossing will present three different opportunities for a great date night.
Couple’s Social Dancing will be offering Night Club Two-Step Level Two, East Coast Swing Level One, and West Coast Swing Level One beginning in January and February. The classes are taught by David and Donna Koring, who have been instructors since 2003.
Each class lasts for five weeks and is $65 per couple. Pre-registration is required.
Dates and more information can be found below:
- Night Club Two-Step Level Two.
Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
January 12, 19, 26, and February 2 and 9. - East Coast Swing Level One
Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
January 13, 20, 27, and February 3 and 10. - West Coast Swing Level One
Friday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
January 16, 23, 30, and February 6 and 13
To register, please call 812-485-5725. For more information please visit StMarysEpworth.com/classes.
Board of Commissioners Agenda
AGENDA
Vanderburgh County
Board of Commissioners
January 6, 2015
5:00 pm, Room 301
- Call of Order
- Attendance
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Election of Officers
- Action Items
- County Treasurer: Board of Finance
- First Reading of Vacation Ordinance CO.V-01-15-001: Vacation of Public Utility Easements (PUE’s) and Rights-of-way in Orchard Heights Subdivision on Seib Road.
- Permission to Advertise Notice of Public Hearing for Vacation Ordinance CO.V01-15-001: Vacation of Public Utility Easements (PUE’s) and Rights-of-Way in Orchard Heights Subdivision on Seib Road.
- Contracts, Agreements and Leases
- Commissioners:
- 2015 Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville Service Agreement
- 2015 County Attorney Legal Services Agreement
- Jacob’s Village, Inc. Grant Agreement
- Chief Information Officer: WOW Backup Internet Connection Agreement
- Commissioners:
- Department Head Reports
- New Business
- Old Business
- Gostley Property / Burdette Park Purchase Offer
- Public Comment
- Consent Items
- Approval of prior meetings:
- Commissioners Meeting: December 16,2014
- Commissioners Special Meeting: December 22, 2014
- Employment Changes
- County Commissioners:
- Quitclaim Deed: 1112 Oakley Street
- Certification for the Number of Public Safety Answering Points
- Request to Surplus Various Office Furniture and Equipment
- County Assessor: Request to Surplus 5 Office Chairs
- Area Plan Commission: Transfer Request: Canon IPF 8000 Color Plotter to County Assessor
- County Auditor: December 2014 A/P Vouchers
- County Clerk: November 2014 Monthly Report
- County Treasurer:
- Year to date Investment Report: November 30, 2014
- November 2014 Monthly Report
- County Engineer: Department Head Report
- Weights and Measures: Nov 16- Dec 15, 2014 Monthly Report
- County Ozone Officer: November 2014 Monthly Report
- Approval of prior meetings:
- Adjournment
Vanderburgh County Followed
Drainage Board Agenda
January 6, 2015
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Previous Minutes
Election of Drainage Board Officers for 2015
Enclave review of Inspection
Ditch Maintenance Claims
Public Comment
Adjournment
First impression: Suspect’s recorded talk in police car admissible
Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com
What a South Bend man said to another suspect while they were alone in the back of a police cruiser was recorded by an in-car video camera and properly presented to a federal jury, a panel of judges decided in a matter of first impression for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The panel affirmed Tommy Webster’s drug and firearm convictions for which he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Webster owned a marijuana grow house and was convicted of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
Police followed an anonymous tip to Webster’s house in March 2011 and encountered him there. Webster was carrying about $2,300 in cash, and police noticed a strong odor of marijuana. Inside his house, they found 50 marijuana plants and cocaine after executing a warrant.
Webster and another suspect were placed in the back cage of a police cruiser before and during the search for about two-and-a-half hours, according to the record. Most of that time a police corporal was in the car with them, but when he left for about eight minutes, Webster made several statements that connected him to the house.
Because Webster’s defense counsel strategically did not object to the admission of the recording, the panel reviewed only for plain error. For purposes of their analysis, the judges assumed Webster had a subjective expectation of privacy while alone with another suspect in the back of the police car.
“(T)he insurmountable obstacle to his claim is in the objective portion of the test – whether the expectation is one that society accepts is reasonable,†Circuit Judge Ilana Rovner wrote for the unanimous panel. “Although our circuit has not yet addressed this question, six circuits have done so over the last two decades and all have held that there is no objectively reasonable expectation of privacy in a conversation that occurs in a squad car.
“… Given the nature of the vehicle and the visible presence of electronics capable of transmitting any internal conversations, the expectation that a conversation within the vehicle is private is not an expectation that society would recognize to be reasonable. We agree with those circuits, and hold that conversations in a squad car such as the one in this case are not entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, and therefore the recording of the conversation is not a violation of the Fourth Amendment.â€
Rovner wrote that the holding applied only to squad cars similarly equipped and not, for instance, to a design in which officers were separated from suspects by Plexiglas that allowed them to see, but not hear, conversations.
The panel affirmed the convictions and sentence handed down by Judge Robert L. Miller of the District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division. The 7th Circuit also rejected Webster’s other arguments that the court erred by allowing into evidence lab results on the seized drugs and his argument that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction.
IS IT TRUE January 7, 2015
IS IT TRUE the testy meeting of the Evansville City Council on Monday night has now had an overnight to sink in and there is something first and foremost that is now blatantly obvious?…the Winnecke Administration has withheld material information from the City Council and from the people of Evansville for an extended period of time regarding the complications of the financing?…they have not only withheld material information, but they are now engaged in what some would call a “bait and switch” tactic where a $71.3 Million project that included a high rise hotel, a parking garage, and an apartment complex is devolving into a twin version of Riverhouse style hotel buildings and nothing else?…the Winnecke Administration is pursuing this “bait and switch” in a secret negotiation involving the City, HCW, and Old National Bank?…the source for this information is none other than Mayoral Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer from his testimony before the City Council?…it also seems as though they have every intention of moving forward with some watered down non-expandable deal with the authority to commit the full $20 Million that the City Council approved for a subsidy for A $71.3 MILLION PROJECT?
IS IT TRUE the City Council, or at least all of them who are not named McGinn, Mosby or Weaver, were visibly disturbed by the willful misrepresentation by omission that the Mayor has committed and let Mr. Schaefer know it?…the problem with what happened next is however typical of this Council when it comes to rolling over for the Mayor’s desires?…once again this Council showed lots of bark but no bite?…like an aging toothless dog this City Council erred on the side of giving the Mayor what he wants and failed to even bring Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley’s motion and Connie Robinson’s second rescind the approval for the $20 Million subsidy to a vote?…they barked allot over the Earthcare Energy LLC debacle but rolled over and ratified what could have been a $5 Million waste of the taxpayer’s dollars?…they barked allot over the Johnson Controls space age water meters that Weinzapfel shoved through during his last hours as Mayor, but rolled over for Winnecke who took up Weinzapfel’s cause?…the barked allot over the failure to VET the principals of HCW, but rolled over when the vote was taken?…they just did the same darn thing?…the only member of the Council who has consistently showed some courage in opposing Mayor Winnecke’s hair brained financial schemes has been Councilwoman Riley?…with no consequence to pay for entering into nonsensical agreements without VETTING other than Mr. Schaefer taking a tongue lashing for his boss, there is no reason to expect anything else during 2015?…the modus operandi for this Council is and has always been BARK, BARK, BARK, and then ROLL OVER?
IS IT TRUE there was no mention of one of the most important players in the hotel game by Mr. Schaefer last night?…that would be the actual construction company that would build whatever amended kluge is brought forward?…one would think that the Ford Center “golden child” Hunt Construction would be part of the negotiation as without a firm quote all the words of Mayors, bankers, and developers are about as worthless as the City Councils barking?
IS IT TRUE a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission who took to the lectern last night to plead for moving forward so “we don’t lose the $2 Million we have already spent” seems to have forgotten what the money was spent on?…part of the money was spent on a detail design of a high rise hotel, an apartment building, and a parking garage?…it seems to reason that if the design of the hotel is changes dramatically and the other two structures will not be built at all that the $1 Million or so spent on design is ALREADY WASTED WHETHER THE PROJECT MOVES FORWARD OR NOT?…the other part of the money was supposedly spent on core drilling and analysis on the lot?…that constitutes characterizing the GEOLOGY OF THE LOT prior to construction?…that part of the work will not be changing anytime soon unless a John Kish frightening earthquake happens, so that money has not been wasted even if it takes 20 years to start construction?…this has always been the problem with the ERC?…they have exhibited no knowledge of finance, never heard of VETTING, and this guy seems to think that obsolete plans have value and that the geology of the lot changes with the phases of the moon?…it is our hope that newly appointed ERC Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave will bring a large helping of sanity and competence to an appointed commission that has been devoid of such things for at least 10 years?
IS IT TRUE that the City Council can ratify a new bond issue very quickly if the Mayor ever comes back with a plan that will work?…based on that one fact the only reasonable action considering the shameless way that material information has been withheld and theatrics have driven the process is to rescind the prior approval with the option to amend or reinstate should an achievable proposal ever come from the Mayor and his compadres?…one of those compadres in the form of Councilman Jonathan Weaver is reported to have once again requested a police escort to his car after a Monday’s Council meeting?  …it is laughable that a young man in good physical condition like Councilman Weaver should fear a member of the graying Geritol Mafia for him telling what they think of him?
STATE REPRESENTATIVE GAIL RIECKEN SCHEDULED TO ANNOUNCE HER PLANS TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF EVANSVILLE
This coming Saturday,  January 10,  2015 at 11:15AM at the C. K.  Newsome Community Center, 100 Walnut Street Evansville, IN 47713 State Representative Gail Riecken will be making an announcement concerning her political future.
Many political insiders expect Representative Riecken to announce that she shall be running for Mayor of Evansville on the Democratic ticket.
We are also told that Mrs. Riecken has the backing of many powerful people inside and outside of local politics.  Sources tell us that Representative Riecken has amassed an impressive group of campaign staff and volunteers from all walks of life and shall introduce some of them at this Saturdays event.
If Mrs. Riecken is elected , she will be the first female Mayor in Evansville 202 year history.
State Representative Gail Riecken invites you, Â your family, Â and friends to attend to hear her special announcement about her plans for the future of the City of Evansville.
FACTS ABOUT GAIL RIECKEN STATEÂ REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT 77:
Current Indiana House of Representatives Committees Include:
Financial Institutions Committee
Statutory Committee on Ethics
Government and Regulatory Reform Committee
Ways and Means Committee
Serve as the Democrat appointment to the Commission on Improving the Status of Children and appointed to the Education Subcommittee.
Serve on the Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Committee.
Advocated for other bills for the improvement of our neighborhoods and our local community, in particular, the moped bill and the new vacant and abandoned housing bill.
Contributions/accomplishments in 2013 as State RepresentativeÂ
Worked with legislators in 2013 for a comprehensive program for at risk children:
- Worked with legislators and advocates to form the only State Commission on Improving the Status of Children.
- Worked with legislators and advocates to form the Child Services Oversight Committee.
- Principally worked on the new statewide and local child fatality review committee.
- Advocated for a revised child abuse hotline systemnow being implemented statewide.
Previous work serving individuals and families in crisis
- As a state legislator fought for accountability to Medicaid clients.
- Co-founded the Ark Crisis Child Care Center, approximately 28 years ago.
- Helped develop several years ago Little Lambs http://littlelambsevansville.com/
- Served as a volunteer rape crisis volunteer years ago in a rape crisis line program
- As a member of the Welfare Board (now not part of the system) fought for better services and better environment for the children living at Hillcrest Washington Home.
- Have served as leadership in neighborhood association issues, and continuous improvement of our community
- Present memberships
- Member of the Green River Kiwanis, the African American Museum, Angel Mounds Society and Wesselman Preserve. Serve on advisory committee of ARK Crisis Child Care Center. Member of First Presbyterian Church and serve as substitute cook for Potters Wheel breakfasts. Member of COIN and Glenwood neighborhood associations.