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IS IT TRUE February 6, 2015

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IS IT TRUE the interest and filings for seats on the Evansville City Council is hitting a fever pitch that has not been seen in River City for many years?…a 25 year old named David Ballard is taking on 5 term incumbent Connie Robinson in the 4th Ward, and schoolteacher Jim Brinkmeyer has filed to oppose incumbent Al Lindsey in the 6th Ward Democrat primary?…all of these candidates tossing their hat into the ring will not only spice up the primary season, it has the potential to promote a healthy dialog about the problems that plague our city?…maybe some of the promises unfulfilled by the victors of 2011 like an Angel Network, Technology Transfer, eradication on meth making materials, and transparency will take some real root with some young ideas tossed into the mix?

IS IT TRUE the recent news that Vanderburgh County had slipped to 3rd in Indiana in meth lab busts from it’s longstanding place at the top must not have been about the amount of meth being made as it was revealed today that about 40 people have been arrested after a two-year investigation into a drug trafficking operation with it’s main operation in Vanderburgh County?…the FBI, DEA and IRS all worked together over a period of 2 years to track and bust what is basically a locally run international drug ring for distribution of meth?…74 pounds of crystal meth, $400,000 in cash, 20 guns and two cars were seized seized by the feds when the bust went down?…it was also reported by the authorities that six arrests for attempted murder were also connected to this drug ring?…there will be more arrests?…this is the first giant international drug bust made in Evansville since mid 2006 when a meth manufacturing and distribution operation was discovered in the basement of the Orr Iron Building which housed the small business incubator before it was relocated to Innovation Pointe and shifted it’s focus to technology?

IS IT TRUE it has been said that Evansville is to meth as Napa Valley is to wine and this big time bust and the search for the rest of the operation members serves to reinforce that dubious distinction?…some local leaders have been looking for a brand and until they can find a way to tame the “Breaking Bad” image, t-shirts and videos will not succeed in putting forth a positive spin?…it could be spun that these industrious alleged criminals are entrepreneurs at heart and that Evansville needs entrepreneurs and funding?…maybe we will see some “HEISENBURG FOR MAYOR” signs and shirts on the walkway soon?

IS IT TRUE it has been about 2 years since the CCO has received routine news articles from the Office of the Mayor of Evansville? …we wonder how much the taxpayers pay each year to fund the operation of their Public Information Office? …we want to thank Public Information Officers who work for Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Herman, Vanderburgh Sheriff  Department, Evansville Water and Sewer Department, Evansville Fire Department, Congressman Larry Bucshon,  Evansville Parks and Recreation Director, Vanderburgh County Commission, EVSC School System, Indiana Attorney General Office, Gail Riecken, Holli Sullivan, Ron Bacon,  USI, IVY Tech,  U of E,  St Mary’s Hospital,  Deaconess Hospital and Governor Mike Pence office for doing an outstanding job in providing news to the CCO?

IS IT TRUE a Kentucky House committee has approved a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage?…the bill was passed by the House Labor and Industry Committee and is similar to last year’s proposal that passed the House but died in the Senate?…the bill proposes to incrementally raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 per hour in July 2017?…only about 400,000 Kentuckians (less than 10% of the population)currently earn less than $10.10 an hour, and a large number of those are teenagers in entry level service jobs?…the proposed bill exempts retail stores, service businesses, hotels, motels and restaurants with annual gross sales under $500,000 per year?…business representatives predictably said the bill would be a hardship for employers, even with enough exemptions to limit the overall impact to the total wages paid?…this is a step forward and will put Kentucky with it’s low cost of living way ahead of liberal progressive cities like San Francisco which is ratcheting the minimum wage up to $15 per hour in spending power from minimum wage jobs?…Kentucky still has opportunities for housing that can be bought or rented for about 30% of the gross monthly earnings for minimum wage workers while San Francisco’s entry level apartments cost more that the entire monthly gross earnings of minimum wage earners?

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.

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

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

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.

 

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Debra Shahan                  Battery against a Public Safety Official-Level 6 Felony

Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor

Michael Vaughn          Dealing in a Synthetic Drug or Synthetic Drug Lookalike Substance-Level 6 Felony

Daniel West                Operating a Motor Vehicle after Forfeiture of License for Life-Level 5 Felony

Brett Fussner               Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator-Level 6 Felony

Possession of Paraphernalia-Class A Misdemeanor

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

EVSC Offers Summer Engineering Camp for 7th and 8th Grade Students

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The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center (SICTC) is hosting a two-week summer engineering camp, iEngineering 2.0 Summer Experience, for students currently in the seventh and eighth grades in Evansville and the surrounding areas who are interested in exploring engineering-related fields. The camp, scheduled for June 1-12, 2015, is a half-day program that will focus on topics related to engineering, manufacturing and architecture. Students will learn about:

 

  • Soldering
  • Basic electrical circuits
  • Robotics
  • 3D scanning and printing
  • CNC machining
  • Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Software
  • Career awareness in science, technology, engineering and math
  • Architectural fundamentals
  • Electro-magnetic motors
  • Introduction to engineering concepts

 

Students also will attend a field trip to a local manufacturing company.  Cost for the summer camp is $40 per student. To register, visit www.sictc.com and click on the iEngineering link on the left hand side of the home page or visit our Facebook page at iEngineering 2.0 Summer Experience.  Individuals interested in participating in the camp must register by April 8, 2015.

 

Contact Andy Beadles, instructor at the SICTC, by phone at 435-8813 or by email atandy.beadles@evsc.k12.in.us or Kevin Williams, instructor at the SICTC, by phone at 435-8812 or by email atkevin.williams@evsc.k12.in.us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Noir Exhibit

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When discussing this exhibit, we must first say THANK YOU to all of the artists that have chosen to register for this juried exhibit. We have had an outstanding response to the exhibit, and we are so excited to see what the juror chooses for Art Noir. Over 80 artists have registered and there are over 120 entries for the juror to choose from. Your support means more competitive juried exhibits and with support like this, we can offer more to our members and to the community. Tell your friends, family, and co-workers, because you do not want to miss this exhibit!
Join the Arts Council for the opening reception for Art Noir on February 13th from 5-7pm at the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, located at 318 Main Street in downtown Evansville. Find out more about the exhibit at artswin.org/art-noir.

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: Dianne Albin, Owensboro, KY 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.”

 

Local Program Receives Community Awareness Project Funding for 2015 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

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The coalition of local Victim Assistance agencies (Albion Fellows Bacon Center, Holly’s House, YWCA, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, Lampion Center) has received funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2015 National Crime Victim’s Rights week.

The week of April 19-25, 2015, is National Crime Victim’s Rights Week (NCVRW). This annual observance, first designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, seeks to increase general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for the 2015 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Engaging Communities. Empowering Victims.”

Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 720 community projects that promote victim and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during NCVRW. Vanderburgh County was one of the 90 projects recommended by the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators and selected for funding by OVC for 2015 from the 194 applications that were submitted nationwide.

According to OVC Director Joye Frost, the Community Awareness Project helps generate widespread public awareness of crime victims’ rights and needs, and the importance of engaging all people in America in victim assistance efforts.

According to Ms. Frost, “This year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week theme reminds us of the importance to create a victim response system that is open and accessible to all survivors and victims of crime.” “It is very important that we build partnerships throughout our communities to better address all victims’ needs by believing them and offering support and resources regardless of where they disclose their victimization. Everybody plays a role.” Frost said.

According to Molly Elfreich, the Community Awareness that will be sponsored in Vanderburgh County will be informational tables at the Vanderburgh County Civic Center during the week of April through the 25th. The committee will also be distributing information and resources during this week to local businesses and agencies if needed. Local victim assistance agencies will be promoting not only National Crime Victim’s Rights Week but the rights of victims at all times.

“The support from the NAVAA and OVC for our 2015 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities will help us help crime victims.” Elfreich said. “Members of our community are encouraged to help promote justice through service to crime victims by joining or 2015 National Crime Victim’s Rights Week activities and supporting victim assistance programs throughout the year.”

For additional information about 2015 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Vanderburgh County, please contact Kyle Phernetton with the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office at 812-435-5688 or visit www.speakuptristate.org. For more information about national efforts to promote 2015 national Crime Victims’ Rights week, please visit the office for Victims of Crime website at http://www.ovc.gov

The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distributes money from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund to more than 4,000 direct victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes from fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes and not from U.S. Taxpayers.

A FOND TRIBUTE TO BETTY KNIGHT SMITH BY GAIL RIECKEN

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BettyKnightSmith

It was at the St. Joseph Catholic Church cafeteria on Virginia the first time I met Betty Knight Smith. 

Bigger than her name and more influential than any man I’ve known in Evansville politics, Betty Knight Smith commanded respect from everyone there. I could feel it, walking into that caucus.  I was an outsider that evening at the church, new to Democrat politics, running for Frank McDonald’s City Council seat.  He was our new mayor.

Betty Knight had her favorite female that night. It wasn’t me.  But, not long after, I witnessed what anyone who knew Betty could attest. If you were interested in making this a better city, she would be there to help you. 

Betty Lou Jarboe, her longtime friend and “the other Betty” wrote, “Betty pushed women in the Democrat Party to get more active in their city’s development. She loved helping people and when they were in need she saw that they got it, sometimes putting them up in her home until she was sure they were cared for.”

Betty didn’t leave politics after she retired from office. She helped out one more candidate, Rick Davis. Betty took him under her wing and served as his mentor. Although he was a tribute to her fine political skills, I just imagine his is the only race she ever lost.

Betty Lou wrote me this evening, “Evansville has lost a great lady.  Many tears will fall tonight.”

May Betty Knight Smith  “Rest In Peace”!

Written By State Representative Gail Riecken

ST. MARY’S HEALTH OFFERS HIP 2.0 APPLICATION ASSISTANCE APPOINTMENTS

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St. Mary’s Health is offering application assistance appointments for insurance through the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP 2.0).

Applications for HIP 2.0 are being accepted now. MedAssist representatives and St. Mary’s Health Access Advocates will be available to assist the uninsured. They will offer help  navigating the application process. Low-income, non-disabled adults ages 19 to 64 with incomes of up to $16,297 annually or $33,307 for a family of four are generally eligible to participate in the Healthy Indiana Plan. Two opportunities are available for application assistance. 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, February 10, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

 

St. Mary’s Warrick Hospital

Phillips Room

1116 Millis Avenue, Boonville, IN

Tuesday February 17, 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Majority finds no error regarding potential electronic monitoring

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Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianalawyer.com

The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a man’s argument that a trial court had improperly delegated to a community corrections program the authority to decide whether he should be subject to electronic monitoring.

Chad Madden entered into a plea agreement on several charges while he was on probation for another incident and had charges pending in a separate case. As part of the agreement, he could petition to the trial court for a sentence modification after successful completion in a therapeutic community program. He did so, and the trial court ordered him to report to the Jefferson County Community Corrections Department and comply with all rules for community correction, including electronic monitoring if recommended or required by the JCCCD.

Madden acknowledged at the modification hearing he understood and agreed to comply with the terms of probation. But he later filed a motion to correct error, claiming the court improperly delegated its authority by allowing JCCCD to decide whether and for what duration he should be placed on electronic monitoring as a condition of his probation. The record does not say whether Madden was ever actually placed on electronic monitoring. The trial court denied his motion.

“Here, the trial court ordered, as a condition of probation, that Madden be subject to home detention as supervised by the Community Corrections program, which is authorized by the home detention statutes. Also, the Community Corrections program is required by statute to place such a probationer on electronic monitoring. Given this statutory authority, we cannot say that the portion of the trial court’s order requiring Madden to comply with all rules established by the Community Corrections program, including electronic monitoring, improperly delegates the trial court’s sentencing authority to the Community Corrections program,” Judge Paul Mathias wrote in Chad A. Madden v. State of Indiana, 39A01-1404-CR-173. Mathias and Judge Terry Crone also found the trial court order did not deprive Madden of procedural due process, as he claimed. They noted Madden was provided a hearing regarding the sentence modification and if he is referring to any future finding by the JCCCD that he violated his probation, that question is not ripe for review.

Judge Patricia Riley dissented, writing the probation and home detention statutes explicitly establish the duty to outline the conditions of probation resides with the trial court, and there is no language in these statutes allowing the court to delegate its authority to define a defendant’s terms of probation.

She also found it was an abuse of discretion to require electronic monitoring as a condition of the probation because the trial court’s initial sentencing decision and basis for modification were controlled by the plea agreement, which is silent regarding any terms of probation.

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