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RIECKEN TO MOVE QUICKLY TO HELP VANDERBURGH, OTHER COUNTIES RECOVER POTENTIAL GAMING REVENUE LOSSES

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INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Gail Riecken (D-Evansville) said today she will move quickly to pursue legislation that will enable Vanderburgh County and other local units of government to recover potentially devastating losses in revenue that would result if suggested changes in state gaming laws take place.

Riecken said she will offer an amendment to House Bill 1540 to enable local units to recoup losses that would come from provisions in the legislation that take away nearly $58 million in support to the local governments with casinos and eliminate a casino admissions tax that provided added proceeds to local units.

“If these changes come to pass, Vanderburgh County, Evansville and the Convention and Visitors Bureau together will lose approximately $4.2 million in revenue after December 31, 2016 that is critical to the ongoing needs of residents in our area,” Riecken said.

“At a time when local units are suffering under intense financial burdens that make it difficult to do things like keep our roads clear, our streets safe, and ensure that residents get the regular daily services they deserve, it is entirely unacceptable to me and many others that we should accept some of the provisions that are contained in the current version of HB 1540,” she added.

“In that light, it seems only fair to provide a means for local units to get that revenue back, and in this current atmosphere, I must say that a wagering tax appears to be the best option available,” Riecken said. “I will move as quickly as possible to provide that option.”

HB 1540 will first become eligible for amendment by Riecken and other House members on Monday.

Breaking News: Information Pertaining To The Arrest of EFD, Firefighter Ed Parker Sent Out By Today’s Mainstream Media Is Incorrect.

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newspaper-720CCO sources stated that Evansville Fire Department firefighter, Ed  Parker was supposed to appear in court today at 1:00 p.m.

CCO just found out that he wasn’t in violation of his court appearance order. We have learned that the judged revoked the arrest warrant concerning Mr. Parker’s alleged no show. The mistake concerning Mr. Parker’s court date and time was caused by the Sheriff’s Office clerical department.

The Judge acknowledged the mistake.  We have learned that Mr. Parker is was present at his court hearing date that was set at 1:00 P. M. today.

This is a developing story. More information will follow. We urge you to Continue to read the City-County Observer for true and accurate information that you can rely on.

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.

http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx

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.

EPD Activity Report

Cartoon by Gary Varvel

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Bill Supports Funding For School Expenses

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I authored House Bill (HB) 1028 which would enable school corporations to continue to use money from their capital project fund (CPF) for insurance and utility expenses. Every two years, when the biennial budget is crafted, this bill is presented, and I was proud to author it again this year.

Currently, schools are able to use their CPF to pay the cost of insurance and utilities through Dec. 31, 2015. This legislation made it so schools could permanently use these funds instead of extending the law every two years. If schools didn’t have the ability to use their CPF for these expenses, they would be paying these costs from their general fund. These costs are nearly $200 million, across the state, every year.

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s utility costs alone would create a substantial deficit in their general fund. This one of the reasons why creating legislation that would allow the process of making CPF usage permanent is better for our school corporations.

The best part of being a state representative is knowing that the bills I’m working on can make an impact in Indiana and our communities. I am delighted to have authored this legislation that  will allow schools to continue to use their CPF dollars to pay for these statewide costs.

The bill passed with a vote of 96 – 0 out of the House and now moves onto the Senate for further discussion.

Office of State-Based Initiatives Releases Annual Report

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Indianapolis – The Office of State-Based Initiatives (OSBI) recently released its annual report detailing the economic cost of federal regulations, as well as how the federal government limits the ability of the states to implement creative solutions to problems they face. The report can be found attached.

“The cure for what ails this country will come more from our states’ capitals than it ever will from our nation’s capital,” said Governor Pence. “States like Indiana are the incubators of innovation in this nation, yet burdensome federal regulations hinder economic growth and negatively impact Hoosiers. With more flexibility from the federal government to implement efficient and effective services based on the needs of our people, Indiana’s success knows no bounds.”

Governor Pence signed Executive Order 13-20 in July of 2013 to transform the Office of Federal Grants and Procurement into the Office of State-Based Initiatives. The OSBI is tasked with coordinating with state agencies to perform a cost-benefit analysis on every federal grant opportunity to measure the grant’s fiscal and regulatory effect; working with agencies to develop block grant contingency plans; tracking the costs of federal regulations by studying data, surveying businesses, and talking to Hoosiers; and publishing an annual study of the effect of federal regulations and mandates and sharing it with Indiana’s Congressional Delegation, the Governor, and the Indiana General Assembly.

2015 OSBI Annual Report

Kenny Chesney’s “Big Revival Tour” Coming to Ford Center

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Kenny Chesney
With Special Guests, Jake Owen and Chase Rice THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015 AT 7PM TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 AT 10AM

Evansville, IN – Kenny Chesney’s “Big Revival Tour” will come to the Ford Center on Thursday, June 4. The tour, which includes special guests Jake Owen and Chase Rice, supports Kenny Chesney’s latest album of the same name. The Big Revival, Chesney’s 13th #1 Billboard Country Album debut, previously yielded his 25th #1 with the multiple week chart- topper “American Kids.”

Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 27 at 10am and will be available at the Ford Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

Disney On Ice presents Princesses and Heroes “Let’s Build A Snowman” With Make-A-Wish

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Disney On Ice presents Princesses and Heroes “Let’s Build A Snowman” With Make-A-Wish® Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana

The Ford Center; Evansville, IN

Thursday, February 19 5:15-5:30 p.m. Reveal of Craft and Meet and Greet

WHO: A group of 12 Evansville Make-A-Wish kids along with their families are invited to a “Let’s Build A Snowman” event to create special memories at Disney On Ice presents Princesses and Heroes Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt. The children will have the opportunity to complete a craft in honor of Olaf before a special meet and greet with the stars of the show. All the families in attendance will receive complimentary tickets to attend the opening night performance of Disney On Ice presents Princesses and Heroes.

WHEN: Thursday, February 19, 5:15-5:45 p.m.

WHERE: Meet and Greet room at The Ford Center—media will be escorted to designated room

WHY: Disney On Ice presents Princesses and Heroes skates into Evansville and plays at The Ford Center, Thursday, February 19-22 and is pleased to give back to the community with this special event.

CONTACTS: Racheal Coffman, Disney On Ice, 317-964-9251 mobile, coffman.racheal@yahoo.com Kelsey Barta, Make-A-Wish, 317-522-4063 mobile, Kelseyb@makeawishindiana.org

U.S. Department of State & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Launch Innovative International Air Quality Program

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of State John Kerry and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a statement of intent today to launch a new air quality partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The effort will provide U.S. citizens and government personnel with better information on air quality at select embassies and consulates around the world to reduce health risks from outdoor air pollution, and will offer greater opportunities for the United States to create partnerships on air quality with other nations. 

 • Air pollution is a serious and growing health threat worldwide, yet in many areas, real-time air quality data is not available.  The Department of State has a keen interest in providing sufficient air quality information to U.S. citizens and government personnel overseas to enable informed health decisions. 

 • The partnership will use EPA’s existing domestic AirNow system, which is an online platform that helps Americans understand how  clean or polluted their outdoor air is.  To build on this successful network, the Department of State plans to place air quality monitors at select American diplomatic posts where continuous fine particle pollution (PM 2.5) data is currently of limited availability, and to publicly share this data through EPA’s AirNow website. 

 • In the United States, state and local officials have considerable experience in developing and implementing programs to monitor, improve, and meet air quality standards.  A new fellowship program will enable technical experts here in the United States to visit our participating diplomatic missions to help transfer skills and build capacity for air quality monitoring data analysis and maintenance.  These visits will also include the opportunity for training and exchanges with the host governments and other participants.

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