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EVSC Board Of Trustees Will Meet In Executive Session

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EVSC

The Board of School Trustees of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will meet in executive session at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2014, in the John H. Schroeder Conference Centre at the EVSC Administration Building, 951 Walnut, IN 47713, Evansville, IN. The session will be conducted according to Senate Enrolled Act 313, Section 1, I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1, as amended. The purpose of the meeting is for discussion of collective bargaining, (2)(A);  initiation of litigation or litigation that is either pending or has been threatened specifically in writing, (2)(B); purchase or lease of property, (2)(D); and job performance evaluation of individual employees, (9).

The regular meeting of the School Board will follow at 5:30 p.m. in the EVSC Board Room, same address.

 

House, Senate settle on tax cut plan with lots of county options

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By Lesley WeidenbenerLesley-Stedman-Weidenbener-mug-The-Statehouse-File1-306x400

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Fiscal leaders from the Indiana House and Senate have a tentative deal to reduce corporate income tax rates even further and give counties the option of cutting property taxes on business equipment.

The compromise bill is meant to lure corporations to the state by boosting what is already viewed as one of the nation’s best business climates. The bill could also be the first step in what many Republicans – including Gov. Mike Pence – say is a top priority for the state: Eliminating the personal property tax.

“The folks who are the job creators and determiners of where they’re going to expand and locate are going to be buzzing about this,” said House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis.

Legislative leaders also said Tuesday they are closing in on deals to free up hundreds of millions of dollars for road projects and create a pre-K pilot program.

Bosma said Tuesday that leaders have deals “in principle” on those proposals but nothing yet in writing. By law, those bills must be finished by Friday to make it to Gov. Mike Pence for consideration but leaders said they hope to wrap up their work on Thursday.

Fiscal leaders outlined the business tax deal on Tuesday during a late afternoon conference committee meeting. Business and farming groups used that time to laud the compromise.

Indiana Farm Bureau lobbyist Katrina Hall said the personal property tax is a “disincentive to investment” and told lawmakers the effort to reduce it is important. And Barbara Quandt, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said the county option to help smaller firms “is a great start.”

Democrats, though, were critical.

“We don’t believe at this time we can justify asking for another tax reduction when we are showing lower revenues,” said Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, referring to lower-than-projected state tax receipts in recent months.

“We do not believe that this should be the priority for where we are spending our money – and it is a spend when we don’t take in revenue,” she said.

The corporate tax cut would reduce the state rate to 4.9 percent by 2022. Already, the rate is scheduled to drop to 6.5 percent in 2016.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, called that provision “very significant.”

“I think cutting the corporate tax to the second lowest in the country will pay dividends for us,” he said.

The property tax proposals would give local officials the option to:

-       Eliminate the personal property tax on all new equipment.

-       Eliminate the personal property tax for smaller companies with less than $20,000 worth of equipment. If implemented statewide, that could eliminate the tax for about half of all Indiana businesses.

-       Approve so-called “super abatements” that free individual companies of paying personal property taxes for as much as 20 years.

The decisions would be made locally by the County Option Income Tax board, which is made up of elected officials from various levels of government. No county would be required to offer any of the tax breaks, all of which could reduce local revenues.

In all, personal property taxes generate more than $1 billion for local governments, schools and libraries. If they were eliminated completely – and other tax laws and rules remained in place – local governments would lose about $600 million. The remaining tax burden would be shifted to other taxpayers.

That’s in part why lawmakers have been reticent to force the changes onto counties.

The compromise bill would also create a commission to study taxes and local government finances and pushes the implementation of most of the cuts until the group finishes its work.

And the proposal creates a tax break for Hoosiers who use propane, which has been especially expensive this winter.

“I think this represents a very strong merger of the ideas that were forwarded by the House and Senate and reflects input from a variety of interest groups,” said Senate Tax Chairman Brandt Hershman, one of the architect’s of the compromise.

“It allows the commission to do its work, but it does put Indiana on a path toward maintaining our leadership role in business taxation.”

Reporter Erika Brock contributed to this report. Lesley Weidenbener is executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

 

Supreme Court: Father’s consent not needed in adoption

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Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com  indianalawyer

 

A father who had been incarcerated and failed to keep up with support payments wasn’t denied due process when the children’s mother remarried and her new husband adopted the children.

The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed the adoption petition out of Allen Superior Court in In re Adoption of T.L. and T.L.; M.G. v. R.J. and E.J., 02S03-1308-AD-528. Justice Mark Massa wrote that the trial court findings and conclusions of law, and cited statute that provide a natural parent’s consent, is not required if the parent knowingly fails to provide care and support of his children.

“Based on Father’s history of payment (and non-payment), we cannot say the trial court’s finding that Father was able to pay … but chose not to do so was unsupported by the evidence. Therefore, it was not clearly erroneous,” Massa wrote for the unanimous court.

“That finding supports the trial court’s judgment that Father’s consent to the adoption was not required under Indiana law; thus, the judgment is also not clearly erroneous, and we must affirm.”

Reitz High School Sophomore Receives President’s Volunteer Service Award

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Setzekorn_Molly_920

Because of her exemplary volunteer service, Molly Setzekorn, a sophomore at Reitz High School, has been awarded with a President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama.

Setzekorn, who started her first campaign when she was only six, was nominated for the national honor by Reitz High School as another way to recognize her for all her hard work and contribution over the years.

According to Setzekorn, she heard a radio commercial when she was just six years old about an organization wanting to give Christmas gifts to children who had been sexually or physically abused. Since she didn’t have any money, she decided to ask for money instead of presents for her birthday and then donated that money to the organization. That was more than 10 years ago and Setzekorn’s volunteer service is still going strong.

“The recipients of these awards demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial.  “By recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community.”

Prudential Spirit of Community Award applications were distributed nationwide last September through middle level and high schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and HandsOn Network affiliates.  These schools and officially-designated local organizations nominated Local Honorees, whose applications were advanced for state-level judging. In addition to granting President’s Volunteer Service Awards on behalf of President Barack Obama, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards selected State Honorees, Distinguished Finalists and Certificate of Excellence recipients. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

Information used to obtain search warrant splits Court of Appeals

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indianalawyerMarilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com

Although the statements from three individuals were hearsay and initially led law enforcement to enter the wrong apartment, a split Indiana Court of Appeals found, collectively, the information supported probable cause.

Brian Bradley was convicted of Class D felony dealing in marijuana after Ripley County law enforcement, based on tips from informants, entered his apartment and found marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Officers learned Bradley was selling marijuana from a woman they arrested for possession of marijuana. The woman told officers she purchased the marijuana from a man nicknamed Shrek but, according to friends, was actually named Brian. She said he lived on the second floor of an antiques store in Batesville.

At 1:24 a.m., police entered the second-floor residence but found the apartment belonged to a couple. Separately, the couple told officers they had also purchased marijuana from Shrek, also known as Brian, who lived on the third floor.

A few hours later, police were able to obtain another warrant and searched Bradley’s apartment.

At a hearing on Bradley’s motion to suppress evidence, the woman changed her testimony, saying she never directly bought marijuana from Brian, but rather her friends did so for her.

Later in the trial, the man who lived in the second-floor apartment backtracked from his original statements to police, saying he never purchased drugs directly from Bradley.

However, the Court of Appeals found the warrants were legal because they were based on what police knew at the time and not on the statements the informants gave in court. That information, the COA ruled, was enough to support Bradley’s conviction for Class D felony dealing in marijuana.

“We find that (Ripley County Sheriff’s Department) Detective (Abraham) Hildebrand’s probable-cause affidavit contains information that establishes that the totality of the circumstances corroborates the hearsay,” Judge Nancy Vaidik wrote for the majority in Brian Bradley v. State of Indiana, 69A04-1306-CR-268. “…Here, there are bits and pieces of evidence tending to show probable cause that marijuana would be found in Brian’s third-floor apartment. Although each declarant, standing alone, may not have conclusively established probable cause, the evidence in the affidavit, when fitted together and viewed collectively, is sufficient to support the trial court’s finding of probable cause.”

Judge Patricia Riley dissented finding probable cause did not exist for the probable cause affidavit. The only details corroborated by all three informants are the name and nickname of the individual from whom marijuana was purchased. Also, the police did not substantiate the information and material facts are missing from the affidavit.

“In cases like this – where the officers ultimately found marijuana, but only did so by disregarding the mandates of probable cause – our justice system pays the price,” Riley wrote. “The ‘privacy of all Hoosiers’ is put in jeopardy when constitutional protections are circumvented in order to secure evidence.”

James Mayhugh Sentenced

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nick herman Judge David Kiely sentenced James Levi Mayhugh III to 50 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections this afternoon. The 19 year old Mayhugh pleaded guilty to a murder charge in October of 2013.

 

James Levi Mayhugh III is the third and final defendant to plead or be found guilty of murder stemming from the death of Keith Vaughn. Mayhugh’s Co-Defendants Hubert Mayhugh and Megan Mecum were both found guilty by juries and received 60 and 55 years, respectively.

 

Vanderburgh County Chief Trial Deputy Mike Perry : “The third and final defendant has been convicted and sentenced for the murder of Keith Vaughn. In all, the parties responsible for the murder received a cumulative 165 years in prison. I want to again thank all members of law enforcement and the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office for their work on this case.”

Peer-Reviewed Study Finds Dramatic Increase in Economic Impact of U.S. EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program for 2012

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Peer-Reviewed Study Finds Dramatic Increase in Economic Impact of U.S. EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program for 2012
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CHICAGO
A new economic impact study commissioned by the Association to Invest in the USA (IIUSA) finds that the U.S. EB-5 immigrant investor visa program contributed $3.39 billion to U.S. GDP and supported over 42,000 U.S. jobs during fiscal year 2012. This is more than a 2-fold increase from the average annual impact result reported in 2011.
Congress created the EB-5 program in 1990 to benefit the U.S. economy by attracting investments from qualified foreign investors. Under the program, each investor is required to demonstrate that at least 10 new jobs were created or saved as a result of the EB-5 investment, which must be a minimum of $1 million, or $500,000 if the funds are invested in certain high-unemployment or rural areas.

“As the industry trade association for the EB-5 Regional Center Program, IIUSA is committed to accurately measuring the positive impacts of the EB-5 Program in terms of job creation, GDP growth, and tax revenue,” said IIUSA Executive Director Peter Joseph. “The results of the 2012 assessment unequivocally demonstrate that the EB-5 Program is delivering on its promise of regional economic development and U.S. job creation at no cost to the taxpayer.”

The report uses a comprehensive dataset on EB-5 investor applications and EB-5 Regional Center investments along with well-established economic modelling methods to determine overall positive impacts on GDP and job growth as well as federal, state, and local tax revenue from EB-5 investments in U.S. economic development projects, household spending by immigrant investors and other EB-5 related spending. Economic benefits are measured by state and by impacted industry sector.

Key findings of the report include:

• Total economic impact, combining the benefits of EB-5 investments, household spending of immigrant investors and other EB-5 related spending, was $3.39 billion to U.S. GDP and supported over 42,000 U.S. jobs.
• Investment represents the largest component of EB-5 spending, with approximately $1.8 billion invested by EB-5 Regional Center investors. These investments contributed $2.5 billion to U.S. GDP and supported 33,134 American jobs.
• Over 85 percent of EB-5 investment capital – $1.55 billion – was invested in the construction sector. Other sectors seeing EB-5 investments include chemical manufacturing, mining, manufacturing and power generation.
• Pennsylvania, New York, California and Illinois top the list of states with the largest level of investment, and these saw the largest investment impacts. For example, more than 8,000 jobs were supported in California.
• Household spending by immigrant investors and their families contributed approximately $383 million to US GDP and supported more than 4,700 jobs in 2012. The economic impact of household spending represents a permanent impact on the U.S. economy, as these families maintain spending patterns year after year.
• Spending on EB-5 related immigration services contributed approximately $477 million to U.S. GDP and supported nearly 5,000 jobs in 2012. These expenditures include spending on flights, moving services, cars, investment and legal services and government fees.

The study, which was conducted by David Kay of IMPLAN Group, LLC and peer-reviewed by Professors Eric Thompson and Hart Hodges of Association for University Business Economic Research (AUBER), was commissioned by the Association to Invest in the USA (IIUSA), the national trade association representing EB-5 Regional Centers that account for 95 percent of the capital flowing through the EB-5 program.

This is the second comprehensive economic impact report commissioned by IIUSA based on comprehensive data-sets of I-526 and I-829 approval/denial statistics for each Regional Center in the country for fiscal years 2010-2012, obtained through a vigorous process of data collection and subsequent analysis of I-924A filings. A breakdown of the “new commercial enterprises” and “job creating enterprises” that Regional Centers fund throughout the year, along with North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes to track industry sector impacts adds further context to the data.

A Thank You from the Evansville Sports Corporation

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On behalf of the Evansville Sports Corporation (ESC) I would like to thank the community for its generous support of the 2014 Deaconess GLVC Basketball Tournament. Events like these enhance vibrancy in the community, build civic pride, and drive economic impact and media exposure.

This year’s event featured 16 teams from schools as far as 400 miles away. The tournament as a whole had an Estimated Economic Impact of more than $120,000 on the local economy as our hotels, restaurants, attractions and retail outlets felt the impact throughout the event. All of this was coordinated and operated through private, non-profit entities like ESC and the Great Lakes Valley Conference, along with the help of VenuWorks and their fantastic staff at the Ford Center along with the University of Southern Indiana.

The ESC is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Evansville region through events we bring to the community, and a big part of our mission involves community and youth engagement. For the second year in a row the tournament played host to the Vectren Youth Clinic for local YMCA kids, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Carver Academy. Through this, GLVC players and coaches worked with hundreds of kids to help teach them basketball skills, life lessons on the importance of working with a team, and good sportsmanship.

We’re pleased that everyone from GLVC commissioners to athletic directors, coaches, and players had positive things to say about Evansville and the GLVC tournament. The Ford Center in particular is building a reputation within the NCAA as one of the premier sporting event venues and we’re excited about what the future has in store.

With another successful Deaconess GLVC Basketball Tournament concluded, we’re gearing up for the 2014 Men’s Division II Elite Eight Basketball Championship March 26-29. The final game on Sunday, March 29th will be broadcast nationally on CBS and we view it as an excellent opportunity to showcase our community to the rest of the country. We’ll do everything we can to pack the Ford Center and send a message to the teams in attendance, and to the country watching at home, that our community is a vibrant, supportive place to be.

As the Evansville Sports Corp’s events like the Elite Eight and the United Leasing Championship gain steam and receive praise from fans and officials of national sporting organizations like the NCAA and PGA, we hope to send a message that sports is synonymous with Evansville. It’s one of our calling cards and in the fabric of our DNA.

The success of ESC events would not be possible without the tremendous support of everyone in our community which includes our great sponsors and our unbelievable volunteer base. We sincerely thank you for teaming with us to enhance Evansville’s vibrancy, build civic pride, drive economic impact and media exposure, and encourage opportunities for youth.

Warm regards,

Jason Sands
Executive Director
Evansville Sports Corporation

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.nick herman

 

Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, March 10, 2014.

 

Christopher Keith            Dealing in Marijuana-Class C Felony

Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance-Class C Felony

Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug-Class D Felony

Possession of Marijuana-Class D Felony

Possession of Paraphernalia-Class A Misdemeanor

 

Brandon Cavins                Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug-Class D Felonies

(Two Counts)

 

Karen Norman                 Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance-Class D Felony

Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug-Class D Felony

 

Alex Peterson                   Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance-Class D Felony

Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class D 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 considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

 

Arrest made after late night stabbing

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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 22 year old Jacob Cobb on Felony battery charges after he allegedly stabbed another man in the head.
Christopher Compton, 31, was brought into Deaconess Hospital with a stab wound to the head. Compton told investigators that he had been arguing with Cobb when Cobb stabbed him. Compton said the incident happened at 233 W. Michigan. Investigators located Cobb at the Michigan St address and took him into custody.
Compton is expected to survive. 

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