by Marilyn Odendahl, for www.theindianalawyer.com,

The Evansville legal community, worried that its monthly talk-to-a-lawyer program was losing popularity, turned to the place where it seems everyone gathers – cyberspace.
Calls coming to talk-to-a-lawyer had dropped to an average of 35 to 50 per month, according to Scott Wylie, president of the Evansville Bar Association. Also, the questions many of the callers asked had been shifting from the family law and landlord-tenant issues to estate planning and probate. Many attorneys wondered what was happening when they realized the program’s advertising was limited largely to newspapers which often attract an older demographic.

To engage younger people, the legal community began touting the free advice program on Facebook. The Evansville Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee wrote a blurb, giving the time and phone number of the talk-to-a-lawyer event and invited callers. Then members of the bar association, the Evansville Bar Foundation and the Pro Bono District posted the blurb on their Facebook pages.

In addition, the access committee also created a Facebook page, “Free Legal Advice Evansville.”

So far, the social media push has been successful. March 6 at the EBA offices in Evansville, the phones rang almost non-stop and call volume increased to almost 70 during the two-and-a-half-hour event. Wylie believes the message on Facebook not only alerted the public to the call-in program but also enabled attorneys to direct people, who they could not assist, to legal help.

The boost that appears to have come through social media, said Wylie, “has allowed us to remember that it’s important for us to reach all members of the general public. It’s more about being thoughtful and making sure legal help is available to everyone.”

Jason Gregorec brings over 20 years of experience to his new role

Tropicana Evansville today announced the appointment of casino executive, Jason Gregorec, to general manager of its popular riverfront gaming and entertainment complex.

“Jason (Mr. Gregorec) has both a proven industry track record and an innovative operational (corporate) vision,” said Tony Rodio, president & chief executive officer of Tropicana Entertainment Inc. “He’s exactly what we need to make Tropicana Evansville a continued success in our portfolio of thriving casinos.”

Gregorec began his gaming career as a gaming host at Harrah’s Joliet before climbing the executive ladder at Majestic Star Casinos and Hotel in Gary, Indiana with notable titles such as vice president of table games and VIP services. He then made the leap to the Vegas gaming market, serving most recently as Station Casinos’ vice president/assistant general manager of the Green Valley Ranch resort.

In addition to his impressive gaming career, Gregorec has also dedicated himself in service to his country and his community. He served in the 12^th Special Forces Group of the Army Reserve for eight years—a tour which included deployment to the Middle East for various operations. In addition to organizing casino night fundraisers for numerous charities throughout the Chicagoland area, Gregorec has held leadership roles with two leading organizations—sitting on the board of directors for South Shore Arts and TradeWind Services.

Gregorec, his wife and three young sons have recently moved back to the area from Henderson, Nevada to build a life and career in Evansville.

About Tropicana Evansville.  Tropicana Evansville is a $110 million entertainment facility that includes a 2,700 passenger riverboat casino, a 250 room hotel, a 96 room boutique hotel, an executive conference center, a 1,660 vehicle parking garage and Riverfront Pavilion housing pre-boarding facilities, retail shops, restaurants and lounge area.

About Tropicana Entertainment.  Tropicana Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded company that, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates eight casinos and resorts in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Aruba. Tropicana properties collectively have approximately 6,385 employees, 6,040 rooms, 7,090 slot positions and 218 table games. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

###

by Dave Stafford, for www.theindianalawyer.com 

The chief federal judge in Indianapolis quickly summoned lawyers to address a same-sex couple’s emergency request that Indiana recognize their Massachusetts marriage because one of the women is gravely ill.

Nikole Rai Quasney and Amy Melissa Sandler of Munster on Mondayasked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would enjoin the state from enforcing laws against same-sex marriage. The couple requested an expedited hearing because Quasney, mother of two young children, has stage IV ovarian cancer.

“Because of this aggressive cancer, Niki measures the rest of her life in weeks, not years,” a brief in support of the request says.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Richard Young of the Southern District of Indiana on Tuesday summoned attorneys for a telephone conferenceset for 2 p.m. Friday. Young advised them to be prepared to address the request for an injunction and temporary restraining order.

Quasney and Sandler also seek a court order that, in the event of Quasney’s death, the Indiana Department of Health be required to complete a death certificate listing her as married, with Sandler recorded as the surviving spouse.

Continued enforcement of the ban, the supporting brief argues, “will cause grave harm to a loving couple confronted with an impending tragic loss. The public simply has no interest in denying Amy the rights she is entitled to as a surviving spouse upon Niki’s death.”

The couple is one three who sued the state March 10 backed by the national organization Lambda Legal. The case is Baskin et al. v. Bogan et al., 1:14-cv-00355, and names as defendants the clerks of Boone, Porter and Lake counties, along with Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

Zoeller has vowed to defend Indiana’s prohibition on same-sex marriage in at least four cases to date, including Baskin, that seek to overturn Indiana’s ban in federal court.

Young presides in all the cases. He has also set a phone conference on Friday for scheduling purposes in the related matters.

 Freedom, IN- Republican Congressional Candidate Andrew McNeil had a busy week meeting with the voters of the 8th District. With only Sunday off for rest and Monday spent writing letters, Andrew spent every day on the road.

Saturday began bright and early with a GOP breakfast in Warrick County. From there Andrew took the opportunity to visit the Evansville Gun Show at the Vanderburgh fairgrounds. Saturday afternoon was capped off with Andrew speaking with the Vanderburgh Tea Party Patriots at the Evansville Public Library.

Tuesday saw Andrew stopping to visit with the residents of Loogootee and Shoals in Martin County. Many townspeople aired their discontent with the unresponsiveness of Washington. The night ended with Andrew at a Tea Party meeting at Hulman Street Wesleyan church in Terre Haute.

On Wednesday Andrew braved the cold snap to visit businesses in Jasper and Huntingburg. One of the many highlights of the day was a visit to Sturm Hardware, which has been in operation since 1886.

Boonville, Mount Vernon, and Chandler each saw Andrew walking downtown on Thursday. Many enthusiastic Hoosiers came out to meet with Andrew and thanked him for running.

On Friday Andrew traveled back to Newburgh to visit with more businesses. While there Andrew met Dennis Webb, a physical therapist in the area who was closing up his business after more than 20 years operating in Newburgh. Mr. Webb was closing up shop because the new insurance provisions being implemented through Obamacare could no longer sustain his business. Mr. Webb was excited to hear that Andrew is for defunding and repealing Obamacare as soon as he can.

Saturday brought Andrew back to Dubois County for two meet and greets. Azura in Jasper hosted Andrew for lunch and Cool Beans in Huntingburg hosted breakfast. Between meals Andrew again went door to door in the neighborhoods of both cities in the pouring rain.

“I have met so many wonderful people while out traveling. People take great pride in their businesses and love showing them off. They are proud of the work they have put into their businesses and the benefit they have brought to their communities. I am for anything that will promote the strong work ethic and sense of responsibility that I see in Hoosier families—even if that means doing nothing more than stepping out of the way and letting small business owners run their own businesses.”

I spoke recently to two college classes of poli science, political science classes. And one of the things that I found about young people is they don’t have any idea why we think they should be involved in our system. And in talking to them, I said I can think of three really good reasons.

You see at my age it isn’t going to be long and I’m going to retire so I won’t be paying that local option income tax any more. And at my age, it won’t be long and I won’t be looking at a two story home. I’m going to look at a little small one story home that won’t pay big taxes. And at my age I won’t have a mortgage on that house so the banks are not going to be getting my interest on a mortgage.

So we need young people to stay here to pay local option income taxes, to build their homes here, to mortgage their houses here to keep this community moving. This community cannot survive on retired people. We don’t put into the system what we pull out of it. It has to have young people. The only way to get young people here is a firm belief if mine and I happen to know a firm belief of the mayor and the county councils is you have to have the jobs here for them to work. They can’t stay here just because they like it. They’ve got to be able to find a place to work.

We’ve been very, very fortunate in the last few years to bring in PGP to the local VIP park, Wayne Supply decided to not go to Louisville where the owner lives but to expand here in Vanderburgh County, and those are the kinds of jobs that keep our people working here, our people have our career tech centers.

You know it’s really nice to talk about those high tech, good paying jobs, but high tech computer people, do not produce one dime. They support production. We have to have production for those jobs to follow. And those are the Wayne Supply jobs and the PGP jobs and the jobs that are going to come when we continue the expansion of University Parkway up to I-64 and we can pull more business into this area.

That is the number one job of government. Not to provide a job for you but to provide an environment where a job can grow in your community. That is exactly what these county commissioners are working on right now. What we continue to work on. We have so many things in the pipeline. I am so excited about what’s going to happen in Vanderburgh County in the next few years with the leadership of our mayor and the leadership of the county council and county commissioners that are in there right now.

You will see an Evansville in the next 10 years that you won’t recognize. You will say my gosh why didn’t we get there before now. We didn’t get there before now because you didn’t have good solid republicans running it but you’ve got ‘em now. So let’s go forward and I appreciate your vote May 6.

FOOTNOTE:  The above speech was recorder and professional transcribed and posted by the City County Observer without opinion, bias or editing.  If Ms. Abell would like to respond to the above post we shall post it on her behalf without opinion, bias or editing.