Annual Jail Inspection Report
While the report indicates that there are some deficiencies when it comes to routine staffing levels and that the facility has been over its rated capacity on a regular basis, the overall report is very positive.
The Department of Corrections Jail Division inspects all jails in Indiana on an annual basis. The inspections are very thorough and review the vast majority of the standards set for jails in Indiana. The inspection report is required to be provided to the County Courts, County Commission and the County Prosecutor, which it has. Additionally, it is regularly provided to many other stakeholders in the local criminal justice system.
One of the county sheriff’s main responsibilities in Indiana is the operation of the county jail. The annual inspection by the Department of Corrections is a very important annual assessment by which the county and the sheriff are graded. This year, the inspection report included the statement, “excellent operation and should be used as a model for other facilitiesâ€.
Sheriff Eric Williams said, “Having the jail inspector say we are model facility for others to emulate is very rewarding. It speaks volumes about the manner in which the facility is operating and more importantly, the quality of the professionals working in the jail. While there are some weaknesses, the staff works hard and assures the continual safe and secure operation. I am very proud of the Sheriff’s Office team.â€
A copy of the inspection report can be found at http://goo.gl/7EeRm8
Pet Of The Week
This gorgeous girl is 8 years young. Don’t you even think about that “O†word – cats can live for twenty-plus years sometimes, and so she’s not even halfway through her lifespan! Her previous family was moving and could no longer keep her. They only had her for 2 years and got her from another shelter, so Jaina has never really had a truly permanent home. Won’t you give her one in time for Christmas? She promises to bring warmth to your house in this bitter cold. Her adoption fee is $30, and she is already spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated, ready to go home TODAY!
Remaining thankful and giving back
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IS IT TRUE Thanksgiving 2013
IS IT TRUE Thanksgiving 2013
IS IT TRUE we wish all of our readers a Happy Thanksgiving weekend?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful for another year of growth in internet traffic with no red hot elections driving the growth?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful that all of the members of the CCO staff and their families have survived another year in good health?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful for the stop in the declining economy and are looking forward to a better future than the last 5 years have been?
IS IT TRUE we will be thankful when the City of Evansville installed rocks in the medians and streetlights along the annexed areas of Burkhardt Road in 2014?
IS IT TRUE we will be thankful to see the downtown convention hotel deal unfold and hope all goes according to the talking points?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful for the 5 – 1 start for this year’s Evansville Aces basketball team and are very curious to see how winning 25 games (cross your fingers) will help the attendance?  We are thankful that Evansville Aces have won two National NCCA  Championships?
IS IT TRUE we will be thankful to see some real progress with the McCurdy Hotel project next year?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful to have hosted another sold out Mole Awards luncheon and look forward to doing so again next year?
IS IT TRUE we are thankful hear that the Historical Indiana Landmark  group will finally begin to renovate the Greyhound Bus Station building as promised?
IS IT TRUE we will be thankful when the Evansville City Council and the Mayor will find common ground to work together  for the betterment of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE Â we are thankful to hear that the powers that be will attack the blight in the 600 block of East Franklin Street in the very near future?
IS IT TRUE Â we are very thankful that Mayor has finally realized how valuable the bars and restaurants located on West Franklin Street are to the overall economy of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE we  will be thankful if our elected officials  began to hire people based on qualifications and not political connections?
IS IT TRUE we will be thankful if the City of Evansville  finally receives an audit from the State Board of Accounts  without adverse opinions?
IS IT TRUE we wish only the best for our loyal readers in the coming year? Â Once again, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Government to Replace Verizon Web-Hosting Services on HealthCare.gov
The Department of Health and Human Services will replace Verizon Communications’s Terremark subsidiary as its Web-hosting provider for the federal health-insurance marketplace, presenting a new challenge to the rollout of the Obama administration’s signature health-care initiative.
HHS won’t renew its contract with Terremark and instead awarded a new contract over the summer to Hewlett-Packard to host the website.
HHS has awarded $55.4 million to Verizon for its work to support the health-law marketplaces since its contract began in 2011, including an award for $9.4 million of new website capacity this month.
This announcement comes on the day that the Obama Administration has aborted the marketing campaign for the site, discouraged people from trying to access it on the day it was promised to be fixed, and announced a 14 month delay in the website for small businesses to sign up for ObamaCare.
Vectren files plan to spend $215M on infrastructure improvements in Indiana-South natural gas system through 2020
This week, Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana – South (Vectren) – in a filing made with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) – outlined the robust gas infrastructure improveme
nt strategy the company will undertake over the next seven years to comply with federal pipeline safety rules and to ensure the company’s 110,000 gas customers in southwestern Indiana continue to receive safe, reliable gas service for decades to come.
The gas system improvements will result in upgrading portions of Vectren’s 3,200-mile network of distribution mains and transmission pipelines that serve nine counties in southwestern Indiana. The work will primarily consist of replacing 300 miles of bare steel and cast iron distribution mains with new mains, most of which will be plastic, as well as inspecting and upgrading Vectren’s transmission pipelines. These plans include acceleration of its pipeline replacement program and bolstering its transmission line integrity management work. Together, these efforts will call for an estimated $215 million in investments.
“Each year, we consistently invest in our gas infrastructure to ensure we maintain a safe, reliable system,†said Carl Chapman, Vectren’s chairman, president and CEO. “Over the next decade, this labor-intensive work will increase as federal regulations raise safety standards even higher ensuring the Hoosier state’s gas industry continues its excellent safety track record.â€
The filed plan, along with other expected capital expenditures, will have significant benefits for the economy according to a study conducted by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, including:
- generating about $1.5 million annually in increased state and local government revenue effects through 2020;
- supporting approximately 475 jobs annually; and
- resulting in an economic ripple effect that will lead to an additional $25 million in spending
annually over the seven-year period, including a statewide impact outside Vectren’s service territory.
Vectren filed this seven-year gas system modernization plan with the IURC, which seeks to recover $215 million of the planned capital expenditures through 2020. Under Senate Enrolled Act 560 and Senate Enrolled Act 251, which focuses on federally-mandated infrastructure needs, Indiana utilities are encouraged to submit their forward-looking capital investment plans to the IURC for review and cost recovery as provided for by this legislation. The IURC will have review, oversight and approval authority in this process.
For an overview of the seven-year gas system modernization plan outlining the infrastructure upgrades, visit www.vectren.com/safety.
If the plan is approved as filed, gas bills will not be adjusted for these expenditures until 2015 – a year following the plan’s expected approval – and those adjustments will continue with modest increases in subsequent years as the improvement projects are completed. In year one, 2015, the typical residential natural gas customer would see an average increase of about $1 to $1.50 per month. In 2013, the
average residential customer will pay a total of $570 for gas service. Even with the expected bill impacts for these gas infrastructure investments, due to considerably lower natural gas commodity costs, bills should remain substantially lower than they were during the late 2000s. For example, in 2008, the average annual residential gas bill was $985. See chart.
The filing has no impact on electric rates.
“While these infrastructure
enhancements are vital to meeting
federal requirements and ensuring the safety of our system, affordability of our gas service remains top of mind,†added Chapman. “Natural gas bills sit at decade-lows thanks to low, stable natural gas prices. Furthermore, Vectren South has among the lowest gas rates in the state. Of the 20 gas companies in Indiana, Vectren South is in position #18, meaning only two companies offer lower rates. As these investments continue, we will always strive for a safe and reliable system with a focus on customers’ bills.â€
So far, Vectren has conducted pipeline replacement work in six of the nine cities that have bare steel and cast iron mains in the company’s southwestern Indiana service territory. These include Evansville, Francisco, Loogootee, Montgomery, Oakland City, Petersburg, Princeton, Vincennes and Washington. Since 2008, more than 45 miles of gas mains have been replaced, which has led to a 12 percent reduction in leak calls and a reduction in natural gas emissions from our distribution system.
In addition to pipeline testing, maintenance and replacement, other portions of the infrastructure investments will go toward needed system upgrades, such as replacing vintage plastic main installed in the 1960s with today’s more durable standard of plastic and removing gas lines that are attached beneath bridge crossings and relocating those lines to underground locations.
Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana – South delivers natural gas to approximately 110,000 natural gas customers in Daviess, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
About Vectren
Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Ind. Vectren’s energy delivery subsidiaries provide gas and/or electricity to more than 1 million customers in adjoining service territories that cover nearly two-thirds of Indiana and west central Ohio. Vectren’s nonutility subsidiaries and affiliates currently offer energy-related products and services to customers throughout the U.S. These include infrastructure services, energy services and coal mining. To learn more about Vectren, visit www.vectren.com.
Rep. Bacon to hold local town hall meetings
STATEHOUSE — Prior to the start of the 2014 legislative session, State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) will be hosting two town hall meetings in Spencer and Warrick counties.
What:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Town hall with Rep. Bacon
When:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wednesday, December 11 at 6 p.m.
Where:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Rockport City Hall Council Chambers, 426 Main Street in Rockport
What:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Town hall with Rep. Bacon
When:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Thursday, December 12 at 6 p.m.
Where:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Warrick Count Courthouse, 1 County Square Room 303 in Boonville
Rep. Bacon will be available to listen to constituents, discuss concerns and provide further information on the upcoming legislative session. He encourages all members of the community to come out and participate in the discussion.
White House Discouraging Use of Healthcare Website on Sunday out of Fear that it Will Crash
White House officials, fearful that the federal health care website may again be overwhelmed this weekend, have urged their allies to hold back enrollment efforts so the insurance marketplace does not collapse under a crush of new users.
At the same time, administration officials said Tuesday that they had decided not to inaugurate a big health care marketing campaign planned for December out of concern that it might drive too many people to the still-fragile HealthCare.gov.
Sunday marks the day after November 30, the day that President Obama and HHS Director Kathleen Sebilius promised that the website would be humming along like Amazon or Kayak. The most recent claim by the administration is that the website should be capable of handling 50,000 users at a time. As a point of comparison the City County Observer with a single server under contract is capable of handling 300 users at the same time for a monthly fee of roughly $200.
The Obama Administration has also deemed an 80% success rate to be exemplary which would get them a C+ in most American universities and constitute failure in a private enterprise.