SCORE in conjunction with Congressman Larry Bucshon and WorkOne Southwest will present “Growing Your Business†including three seminars for entrepreneurs and small business owners from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at IVY Tech Community College, 3501 North First Avenue, in Evansville.
This weekend at Washington Square Mall approximately 35,000 items, including books, DVDs, and CDs, will occupy table after table at the annual Public Library Friends Book Sale. Sale hours are Saturday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm and Sunday, noon to 3:00 pm. Some items will sell for as little as $0.50, and most items will cost only $1 or $2.
Shoppers can bring their own bags or reusable bags can be purchased at the sale. Admission is free, and cash and checks will be accepted.
Proceeds from this event help fund Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library programs. The Book Sale is the largest fundraiser for the Public Library Friends, generating nearly $25,000 each year. For more information about the Public Library Friends, including how to become a member, visit evpl.org/plf.
Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, July 31, 2013.
Tiffany Boyd Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance-Class D Felony
Theft-Class D Felony
Charles Connolly Residential Entry-Class D Felony
Theft-Class D Felony
Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Trespass-Class A Misdemeanor
Interference with the Reporting of a Crime-Class A Misdemeanor
Christopher Debose Attempted Robbery-Class C Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Jordan Keith Operating a Motor Vehicle with an ACE of .15 or More-Class A Misdemeanor (Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Violator-Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Charlotte Kelley Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person with a Passenger less than 18 Years of Age-Class D Felony
Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .15 or More with a Passenger less than 18 Years of Age-Class D Felony
Gregory Lane Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Violator-Class D Felony
Joey Michel Child Molesting-Class A Felony (Two Counts)
(Habitual Offender Enhancement)
Vaughn Sumbles Jr Possession of Methamphetamine-Class D Felony
Corey Wharton Domestic Battery-Class A Misdemeanor Enhanced to D Felony
Demario White Resisting Law Enforcement-Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor
Possession of Marijuana-Class A Misdemeanor Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person-Class A
Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving-Class B Misdemeanor
Failure to Stop After Accident Resulting in Non-Vehicle Damage-Class B
Misdemeanor
Criminal Recklessness-Class B Misdemeanor
Brandyn Cox Felon Carrying a Handgun-class C Felony
Possession of Marijuana-Class A Misdemeanor Enhanced to D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia-Class A Misdemeanor
Todd Higdon Operating a Motor Vehicle after Forfeiture of License for Life-Class C Felony
Receiving Stolen Property-Class D Felony
Intimidation-Class D Felony
Disorderly Conduct-Class B Misdemeanor
Edgar Thomas Jr Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury-Class C Felony
Domestic Battery-Class D Felony
Lisa Walker 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.
A petition drive scheduled to start Tuesday (August 6) will be the opening salvo in a renewed push by area legislators and other Evansville and Vanderburgh County officials to enact new state laws regulating the use of motorized scooters across Indiana.
Leading the drive are State Reps. Gail Riecken (D-Evansville) and Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) and State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville). They are being joined by Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann, Evansville City Councilwoman Missy Mosby, Eastview Neighborhood Association President Chris Cooke, Oak Hill Neighborhood Association President Susan Harp, and Karin Montgomery with the Auto Theft Division of the Evansville Police Department.
“With the recent news of yet another person being seriously injured in an accident involving a motor scooter, we are again faced with the glaring lack of laws covering these vehicles, which continue to become more and more prevalent on roadways across this state,†the state lawmakers said in a joint statement.
“More needs to be done, and there are enough people concerned that something should be done that we feel the time is now to start building a consensus for legislation that covers registration, licensing, safety training, and insurance for motorized scooters,†they continued.
The first attempt at gauging public support will come with a petition asking state and local officials to update local and state laws regarding scooters and mopeds. The petition makes a simple statement:
           I think the state and local laws regarding scooters should be updated for the safety of those who use our roadways.
People will have the chance to sign this petition starting next Tuesday, when it will available at a booth during the National Night Out, which begins locally at 6 p.m. in Wesselman Park. Rep. Riecken, Councilwoman Mosby and members of the Evansville Police Department and the United Neighborhood Association will be at the booth to collect signatures.
There also will be an on-line version of the petition available for people across the state to sign. That petition can be accessed at:
“While we know that this is an issue affecting the lives and property of people in our area, we also believe it is a problem in many other communities across Indiana,†the lawmakers said in their statement. “We want to give everyone a chance to make their voices heard.â€
Montgomery noted, “Current state laws covering motorized bicycles — or scooters, as the retailers call them — are outdated and compromise the safety of the riders and other users of our public roadways. We need to have changes in our laws, and my hope is that this petition drive will help show lawmakers that something must be done.â€
Statewide statistics show an alarming increase in the numbers of people killed and injured in accidents involving scooters and mopeds over the past decade. From 2004 to 2012, the numbers of accidents across the state involving the vehicles rose from 310 to 1,177, according to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
The increase was even more noticeable in Evansville, rising from nine accidents in 2008 to 246 in 2012. The numbers do not include single moped/scooter fall-over accidents.
“There are laws on the books in the city of Evansville covering the use of mini-bikes, but I also know that there is confusion here because no one is too sure exactly what types of cycles are covered under the definitions,†Mosby said.
Efforts to regulate scooters at the state level were made in both the 2012 and 2013 sessions of the Indiana General Assembly, but both failed.
“There are laws on the books covering mopeds, but we need to update those laws to include better definitions of what scooters are, and we believe we need to make it clear that scooters must be registered and their owners must be licensed, take safety classes, and have some proof of insurance,†the lawmakers said in their statement.
“We cannot afford to see more people driving scooters who are being hurt and killed on our roads,†they added. “We believe people across this state want these changes in place, and now is the time to start moving toward laws that will help keep us safe.â€
Hector is a 1-year-old Boxer mix! His previous family could no longer afford him, so they surrendered him. He is a very loving and well-behaved boy once he warms up to you. His first owner said he enjoyed baths and sits very nicely for car rides! While he tends to be slightly shy at first, he is not aggressive or visibly nervous at all. He simply wants to be sure you’re nice before he will approach you. Hector is already neutered, so he’s ready to go home with you TODAY! His adoption fee is $100, which includes his neuter, microchip, vaccinations, and a sample bag of food to take home.
Call Keep Evansville Beautiful to join a Clean Team
 Volunteers with Clean Evansville will be on the city’s East Side this Saturday, Aug. 3, from 8 to 10 a.m. picking-up litter in neighborhoods near Wesselman Park to help spruce-up the area in time for the annual National Night Out on August 6. Mayor Lloyd Winnecke invites everyone who enjoys Wesselman Park, especially those who live near the park, to join a Clean Team.
Team One, led by Mayor Winnecke, will meet at Wesselman Park Nature Preserve; Team Two at Swonder Ice Rink; Team Three at the Hardee’s parking lot on North Boeke Road; Team Four at the G.D.
Ritzy’s football field parking lot near the corner of Stockwell Road and Division Street; Team Five at
Vogel School parking lot; and Team Six at It Takes a Village parking lot at 1417 Stockwell Road. Clean Team volunteers will work their way toward Wesselman Park Nature Preserve for the wrap-up ceremony that will begin around 9:45 a.m.
Keep Evansville Beautiful is still recruiting volunteers for the August clean-up. To register, call Keep Evansville Beautiful at 812-425-4461. For information about future Clean Evansville events, contact Deputy Parks Dir. Michael Below at 812-435-6164.
Indiana State Police at Evansville held its very first Safe Schools/Active Shooter Training session today for school administrators. The training session was conducted at the Old Princeton High School and was attended by 50 school administrators from Warrick, Vanderburgh, Gibson, Knox and Pike Counties.
During the training session, troopers instructed school personnel on proper tactics for survival during an active shooter event. Troopers also conducted an active shooter scenario using blank ammunition. The scenario was designed to give the administrators a feel of what it might be like during an actual active shooter situation.
The training session was the result of several months of preparation by Indiana State Police in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Education to provide training for school administrators on the proper response to an active shooter.
The Indiana State Police has been tasked to serve as the lead agency in coordinating active shooter training with local school corporations throughout the entire state. Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter and Governor Mike Pence want to ensure that every effort is being made to provide the safest possible environment for all children in the State of Indiana.
This coordinated effort was launched early on with the Department of Education to create and implement a statewide training program that would involve all parties responsible for the care and safety of our children. This program, which was already in the developmental stages before tragedy in Newtown, CT, has come to be known as the “Safe Schools/Active Shooter†program. Dr. Rich Hogue of the Department of Education has been assigned as a liaison with the Indiana State Police to assist in this endeavor.
The purpose of this program is to educate school administrative personnel on proper response to an active shooter situation, how law enforcement responds to active shooter situations and what school personnel can do to mitigate injury and the loss of life in an active shooter situation.
If you are interested in having a Safe Schools/Active Shooter presentation at your school or want more information about the program, contact Sergeant Todd Ringle at 1-800-852-3970.
Indiana State Police Detective Alan Sherretz initiated a criminal investigation in June after receiving information that Frances Sue Terrell, 78, of Mt. Vernon, was allegedly stealing money from an estate. Terrell became the trustee of an estate after her employers died in March 2010. Terrell was to be paid $50,000 from March 2010 to March 2012.
Terrell allegedly resigned from her position as trustee of the estate after discrepancies were discovered by family members. During the investigation, Detective Sherretz was able to determine Terrell had compensated herself through the checking accounts of the estate and allegedly embezzled over $155,000 without authorization.
Terrell was arrested at approximately 10:30 this morning at her residence without incident. She’s currently in the Posey County Jail and being held on a $50,000 surety or $5,000 cash bond.
IS IT TRUE August 1, 2013
IS IT TRUE that a former high ranking State of Indiana official has resigned from his position in the wake of allegations of changing the grade earned by a charter school from a C to an A?…the players in this recent scandal are not from Evansville and have no ties to Information Technology assessment but the allegations are quite similar?…former Indiana Schools Superintendant, Tony Bennett has resigned from his appointed position reporting to the Governor of Florida in the wake of the alleged grade changing that is said to have occurred during his time in Indiana?…Mr. Bennett asserts his innocence and no criminal charges have been filed but even the allegation of changing a grade for a crony has driven him from his position?…we will be interested to see how this plays out and do support accountability for those who cover the tracks of their cronies by deceiving the public when it comes to earned grades of any kind from education to IT assessment?
IS IT TRUE there is a new Facebook page that has been set up by some Evansville people that is quite amusing?…the site is called “Scooter People of Evansville†and features odd uses of scooters as primary transportation and asks readers to “caption†the pictures?…one of the funniest pictures shows a fellow pulling a canoe with a scooter and appears to be on North First Avenue?…this is patterned after the free entertainment website called www.peopleofwalmart.com that features all sorts of zany characters that shop at WalMart stores across the country?…that “Scooter People of Evansville†has collected 4,500 likes in its short time in existence?
IS IT TRUE that the last several days of having reviewed the contents of both the April 8th McGladrey study and the July version of the McGladrey study has led the CCO to wonder just what checks and balances have been in place over the last several years with respect to the IT solutions implemented by the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County?…one would expect that there would be a standing committee or even a commission established of competent people to report to elected officials on the performance of the IT solutions implemented AND more importantly to chart a strategic course for future upgrades?…given the budget and importance of IT in the operation of a city it would be astounding if there has never been any such oversight group formed?…this is a subject of interest that we are going to ask some questions about?
IS IT TRUE that IT solutions may not be the only part of local government that needs its governance reviewed for competency?…the impact that the City and County have on local surrogate organizations that were set up to be at arm’s length like Evansville Brownfields, GAGE, and the CVB all could use a third party assessment of just how exposed local government could be by exerting an undue amount of influence making these entities “alter egos†of local government or even certain elected officials?…the McGladrey studies results may just be the catalyst to investigate the efficacy of each and every thing the City of Evansville has influence over?…it is sort of comical for a City that has dilapidated sewers, pot holes galore, needles in the parks, but continues to spend money like a drunken sailor could be granted much influence over anything?
IS IT TRUE it is time for the people of Evansville to force the Office of the Mayor to operate in a transparent manner and to honor the separation of powers between the Mayor and the City Council?…the time for errors and buffoonery like Earthcare Energy, the McCurdy debacle, the Executive Inn dilemma, the $603k parking lot, McGladreyGate, and the recent controversy over crosses on the riverfront where a sneaky tactic initiated by local government led to an ACLU lawsuit that the City of Evansville lost hands down?…there has just been too much utter incompetency to tolerate?…we are interested to see if the people of Evansville are interested enough to do anything about it?
