 THIS SECTION SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ. WHEN YOUR  READY TO FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM, CALL  ATTORNEY ARNEAZ LAW @ 812-425-6247.
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY RECENT BOOKING RECORDS.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, January 10, 2014
Matthew Burden            Domestic Battery-Class D Felony
Strangulation-Class D Felony
Theodious Robinson     Felon Carrying a Handgun-Class C Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Tanner J. Hatton             Domestic Battery-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.
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Gunfire incidents send two to the hospital, leaves home damaged
Evansville Police are investigating two incidents that left two people shot and one home damaged by gunfire. Both happened around 2:00am and within minutes of each other.
The first incident happened at 116 W. Oregon. In that incident, two people were shot. Angie Mueller (25) was shot in the abdomen and Mark Baughn (52) was shot in the leg. Both were treated at a local hospital and both are expected to survive. Mueller was able to give investigators information on the possible suspects.
A second 911 call for shots fired was made just after the Oregon call. That call was made in the 400 block of S. Morton. A house was struck by at least two bullets, but nobody was injured. Based on initial information, investigators believe the Morton Ave shooting may have been retaliation for the Oregon shooting. Investigators believe the incidents are gang related.
At least one handgun has been recovered during the investigation. There have not been any arrests in connection with the shootings. The investigation is still on-going.
Anyone with information about these events is asked to call EPD at 436-7979 or the WeTip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.
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Wayne Parke’s “Hired Gun” Poll Suspect By: Brad Linzy
Wayne Parke’s “Hired Gun” Poll Suspect By: Brad Linzy. Â Posted without opinion, bias or editing.
Over the weekend Vanderburgh County Republican Party Chairman Wayne Parke released a poll taken by Public Opinion Strategies [POS], a polling firm started by former Mitt Romney and John McCain campaign pollsters.
This poll appears to show that Mayor Lloyd Winnecke himself and his idea of converting the old Roberts Stadium lot into a park enjoy widespread and overwhelming support in Evansville.
What Mr Parke did not say was that this pollster has been accused in the past of engaging in many questionable and biased polling practices such as “push polling” and “hired gun” or “advocacy polling”. Hired gun polling is defined as “Polls commissioned and carried out to promote a particular point of view. Hired gun polls are associated with reckless disregard for objectivity. A synonym for the term hired gun poll is the term advocacy poll—although the hired gun metaphor connotes a much sleazier and less professional image.
Selective reporting of poll results is one mark of hired gun polls. Another is questions worded to reflect the positions of sponsors. Both practices blatantly violate accepted ethical standards in the polling field.”[1] In one well documented example of POS’s hired gun polling practices, the pollster helped the liberal Robert Wood Johnson Foundation produce a poll that appeared to show that Floridians overwhelmingly supported Medicaid expansion.[2] In this classic example POS posed the following question to participants: “In order to cover more uninsured adults, the federal government would cover all of the increased costs to expand health care coverage through Medicaid for the first three years. The federal government would then cover 90 percent of the increased costs permanently with the state of Florida paying 10 percent.
Knowing this, would you say the state should or should not accept the federal money to expand health care coverage through the Medicaid program to cover more uninsured adults?”” The question is posed in a way that makes it difficult for even Medicaid opponents to answer in the negative. This is just one example of POS using hired gun tactics to illicit a desired result.
In other instances, POS has produced internal hired gun polls for political campaigns whose results differ significantly from the scientific polls produced by other independent pollsters. Here is an example: in the 2012 New Mexico Senate race between Martin Heinrich (D) and Heather Wilson (R), the POS polling showed the eventual winner, Heinrich, to be actually losing by 1%. At the time, most other polls had the Democrat winning comfortably. He eventually won by about 5.7% – a comfortable margin – winning 51% of the vote. [3]
Based on the available evidence, without the benefit of seeing the actual questions used in the Parke commissioned poll, it is this author’s belief that this poll is biased, untrustworthy, and unfit for serious publication. POS isn’t a “polling” firm. It’s a PR firm. As its name suggests, they are in the “public opinion” business. They are hired guns who help their clients – in this case Wayne Parke and Lloyd Winnecke – by providing an illusion of inflated support.
Sources:
1: http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/Renka_papers/polls.htm#Ugly_Polls
2: http://mediatrackers.org/florida/2013/02/08/timesherald-champions-medicaid-push-poll-hides-activist-influence
3: http://www.nmtelegram.com/2012/10/29/wilson-internal-puts-her-up-in-senate-race/
Bill to drug test welfare recipients will be back
Hannah Troyer
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS – A bill that would require some welfare recipients to undergo drug testing is not part of the House Republican agenda but is likely to pass the House again this year, a key lawmakers said Thursday.
House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the controversial bill is “one we’re going to enthusiastically endorse and move forward on.â€
“We’ve had this battle before and I think the time is right to move forward on that issue,†he said. “And we will see that bill move forward I think.â€
Last year, the bill passed the House but not the Senate. It would have required all recipients of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families – the state’s case-assistance welfare program – to take a written test to determine drug abuse tendencies. Those identified would be pooled together and half subjected to a random drug test.
Critics of the bill, including Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, said they see the bill as unfair and, to some, unconstitutional.
“The problem is that we are assuming people using food stamps and TANF are doing drugs and that’s not true,†said Pryor. “It is not fair to stereotype anyone. My second concern is that it affects kids. If you cut assistance to parents, you harm the kids. I hope they don’t introduce the bill and focus more on preventative measures.â€
Bosma brushed off the bill’s critics, saying the argument about constitutionality is a typical complaint.
“If we didn’t take action because one party or another said it’s not constitutional, we wouldn’t do much around here,†said Bosma.
Hannah Troyer is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
IS IT TRUE January 13, 2014
IS IT TRUE that after two years of wailing and gnashing of teeth Mayor Winnecke has finally gotten to spend some money in a city park?…it seems as though there was enough money left over in the budget of the Parks Department at the end of 2013 to provide the Mayor with sufficient funds to build three jungle gyms in select city parks?…the photo op for the new jungle gym in Lorraine Park that had its swimming pool closed a few years ago over lack of maintenance was so irresistible to City Councilwoman Missy Mosby that she made her own little youtube video to commemorate the new jungle gym?…having state of the art equipment for children is a part of running a functional and attractive parks program?…for that we congratulate the Parks Department for not using their budget and for making this new equipment possible?…we do wonder just what was neglected to find this money because it has only been a few months since the Parks Department was complaining about having insufficient funds to maintain the existing parks?…Evansville’s population has fallen since the parks were established?…if the park acreage were reset to the levels that reflect the population losses, about 400 acres of parks need to be repurposed?…we hope that the Parks Department finds a way to properly maintain these new jungle gyms and the parks where they have been installed? …we hear that corporate citizen Vectren donated a sizable amount money towards the purchase of the jungle gym equipment at Lorraine park?  …we wonder if  Vectren also donated money towards the play ground equipment purchased for the two 6th Ward parks?
IS IT TRUE the water mains of Evansville continue to break at an alarming rate causing road closures, boil advisories, and requests to use as little water as possible?…the water pipes of Evansville are the non-EPA-mandated elephant in the room?…everyone knows about the EPA mandate for the City of Evansville to spend over $540 Million to make repairs to stop dumping raw sewage into the Ohio River every time it rains more than an inch an hour?…what people are not as aware of is that the main water lines in Evansville are older and in worse shape than the sewers?…the fiasco of the last week with the mains breaking is rooted in another multi-generational legacy of neglect?…many of the water pipes in the ground that deliver water to the customers of the Evansville Sewer and Water Department are over 60 years old and are made of cast iron?…cast iron is not very resistant to shear forces or impacts and tend to fail often in adverse weather?…when they do break chaos comes with it because of the locations being under roads?…water main breaks are the perfect storm of neglected infrastructure destroying roads with cave ins and disrupting service to a population that just this month was hit with a 38% price increase?
IS IT TRUE that fixing all of the decrepit water mains has been estimated to cost more than $500 Million just like the sewers?…with the sewer repairs expected to raise water bills in Evansville into the $300+ per month range and the water main repairs that are needed yet not mandated forcing that number perhaps to double that, Evansville is headed to a very uncertain future?…maybe it is time to consider a managed abandonment of some of these old lines and declare certain parts of the town to be wilderness?…we should all rest easy though because Mayor Weinzapfel’s Johnson Controls deal will make sure we have a shiny new meter to measure the water that makes it through these dilapidated pipes?…doing the meters first makes about as much sense as buying a new state of the art speedometer for a car that won’t start and has a cracked engine block?
IS IT TRUE that last week’s jobs report was disappointing not only in the anemic hiring numbers but with the growing number of able bodied workers who have just dropped out?…the United States now has a labor participation rate of only 62.8% and 91.2 Million people who are of working age who are not working?…some of course are by choice but others have used their benefits up and have statistically ceased to exist as far as the nonsensical 6.7% “official†unemployment rate suggests?…there are only 155 Million people in this country on a payroll?…that is only half of the population and 62.8% of the potential workforce?…for our government to concoct a calculation that equates that to 6.7% and to publish it with a straight face while demanding an extension of unemployment benefits is psychotic?…if the unemployment rate were really 6.7% and falling by 0.3% per month there would be no reason to extend unemployment benefits?…perhaps the most appropriate compromise to assure the real unemployed group of near 20% can continue to function would be for the congress to first proclaim that the official unemployment rate is absolute rubbish?
Bill ensures students can attend Indiana State Fair – even if school has started
By Ally Marlow
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS – A Republican who serves on a committee that advises the Indiana State Fair has introduced legislation meant to ensure students can attend the annual event – even if it means missing school.
Thirteen-year-old Madison Stevens from the Michigan City area participated in last year’s state fair. Under a bill filed in the House, she and other students couldn’t be denied the chance to go to the fair even if school was in session. Photo by Megan Banta, TheStatehouseFile.com
Sate Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, said the success of the fair is threatened by more schools changing to “balanced calendars.†A balanced calendar begins earlier in the summer to allow time for longer breaks throughout the year, which leaves a shorter summer.
Many Indiana schools have switched hoping to improve test scores and keep students from forgetting what they’ve learned through the summer. A balanced calendar also limits the amount of time in the fall teachers must spend reviewing old material. But it cuts into the state fair’s 17-day calendar.
Cherry said that’s a problem, especially for those who participate in 4-H, which gives students a chance to grow crops,
“The 4H Fair is an educational opportunity,†Cherry said.
Cherry authored House Bill 1052, which would enable students to miss school to attend the Indiana State Fair.
“We are so happy that legislature is finally looking at and addressing this,†Andy Koltz, a spokesman for the fair said. “Ever since schools have been starting earlier in the summer, parents have been agonizing over the decision whether or not to pull their kids from school in order to go to the fair.â€
Cherry and Koltz both said the bill is not a new idea and many groups have been waiting for this. According to Cherry, the fair is an extension of the classroom that holds many educational opportunities for students. However, the student may still be held accountable for the excursion.
“For students to work all year on a project and to not be able to show it in the fair just is not right,†Cherry said. “It’s educational. The students can write reports at school the next day of what they saw, did or learned, but that decision is left to the individual school corporationâ€.
Koltz agrees with Cherry that there is tremendous educational value to be found at the fair.
“Oh my goodness, there are so many educational outlets for students at the fair from the animals, exhibits and the public who put it all together. I think this bill is especially going to have an impact on the 4H and FFA kids who show exhibits and compete against each other,†Koltz said. “These are thousands of kids from across the whole state striving for the same thing.â€
Cherry said he hopes the bill will enlighten people on the benefits the fair has to offer educationally and recreationally. He said schools should recognize the State Fair as an excused absence, because it is an extracurricular educational activity.
“I’m not just talking about the kids who are showing animals or projects, but also those who want to go with their family for the day. They should be allowed to go, but how they make up that absence is left up to the individual schools,†Cherry said.
With an increasing number of Indiana schools adopting balanced calendars and dropping the traditional schedule, Cherry said he values keeping the tradition of the fair alive, and wants to keep the option open for everyone to attend.
Ally Marlow is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
New Tech Institute Hosting Open House This Week
New Tech Institute: Academies of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership is hosting an open house on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 6-7:30 p.m. The event will be in the south wing of the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center at 1901 Lynch Road. The open house is for any student who will be entering grades 9-12 next fall and their parents
The New Tech Institute is a small, high school campus of 300 students focusing on STEM education and entrepreneurial leadership with a culture based on trust, respect, and responsibility. The primary instructional practice is project based learning with an emphasis on 21st century skills. Students learn content by solving authentic, real world problems and projects while working in collaborative groups in a one to one technology environment.
To learn more about New Tech Institute, go to:Â Â sites.evscschools.com/newtech
IS IT TRUE January 12, 2014 (Weekend Editon Part # 2)
IS IT TRUE –Weekend Part IS IT TRUE that more than 275 people attended the “Meet Your Legislators” session held at Central library yesterday?  …the main topic of discussion was the issue of the “same-sex marriage” resolution that would amend the state constitution?
IS IT TRUE State Representative Wendy McNamara stunned those in attendance when she stated that she has no idea how she is going to vote on this most important civil rights issue?  …many people at this meeting are saying she is just playing political games but shall to vote to put this resolution on the state ballot?
IS IT TRUE we commend Dr. Robert Dion, Chairman of the U of E Political Science Department for taking State Senator Jim Tomes to task on his misguided opinions on this most important civil rights issues? …it was obvious that Dr. Dion’s knowledge concerning this subject was light years beyond Senator Tomes? …don’t be surprised to see Mr. Tomes vote to put this issue on the state ballot also?
IS IT TRUE that State Representative Tom Washburne stated the lack of data is why he is having trouble voting not putting this issue on the state ballot?  …Washburne comments was considered to be laughable by most in attendance because of his right wing political views? …it is obvious that Mr Washburn shall vote to put this issue on the state ballot?
IS IT TRUE we are really surprised that newly elected State Representative Holli Sullivan didn’t attend her first official “Meet Your Legislators” meeting because many of those in attendance what to hear how she stands of this issue?  …people in attendance at this meeting were told she couldn’t attend because of a prior commitment?  …we expect her to vote the same as Wendy McNamara, Tom Washburne, Jim Tomes and Ron Bacon on this issue?
IS IT TRUE that State Senator Vaneta Becker is leaning to vote to put this issue on the state ballot?  …that State Representative Gail Riecken shall vote to keep it off the ballot?
IS IT TRUE if you wonder why Indiana is often thought to be filled with knumbskulls more reminiscent of the “Old South” just sit back and examine what our elected officials spent last Saturday waffling around over?…anyone in favor of trying to legislate away the United States Constitution at the state level is unworthy of holding public office?…the mindless opinions expressed by Tomes, Washburne, and McNamara on this personal issue with no ill side effects makes many Hoosiers ashamed of this state?…there are plenty of problems that need to be solved that are not destined to waste money and be struck down by the United States Supreme Court?…these fools would be better served to attend to real problems and let people live their lives in peace?
IS IT TRUE we expect public showings of “reefer madness” to be the next stupidity to come from this group?