Evansville, IN – Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is pleased to introduce to the public two Mexican Gray Wolf pups.  The pups arrived at the zoo as part of a significant conservation effort for the most endangered of the wolf species. The pups made their debut with their foster parents in the public exhibit today.

The arrival of the first Mexican gray wolf pups in Evansville was not by conventional means. The wolf pups arrived on a LightHawk* flight at Tri-State Aero, Inc. and were immediately given into the care of Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden staff.

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden received its first Mexican Gray Wolves – a male and a female wolf pair – November 2012. Experienced parents, they were sent to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden to stand ready to help rear foster pups if the need should arise. A genetically important aged female wolf in the Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Program had repeatedly lost her litters. The decision to pull any pups she produced this year and foster them to an experienced pair was reached in July by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  (USFWS) and the Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan in consultation with Dr. Susan Lyndaker Lindsey, Animal Curator at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden and Behavioral and Husbandry Advisor to the USFWS Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program and the Species Survival Plan. Dr. Lindsey has previous experience rearing wolf pup litters that are not socialized to humans and fostering them to adult wolves to form packs. Selection of the initial wolf pair for Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden was based upon the need for an experienced pair of wolves and the unique conservation contribution that Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden could offer to the future of this critically endangered wolf.

The litter of pups was born at the Wolf Conservation Center in Westchester County, New York on May 8, 2013 and pulled within hours of their birth with the goal of being in the care of the Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden staff within 24 hours. The pups will be partially hand reared and then fostered to the resident pair at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden within a few months. Although their birth mother was successful with one litter in her lifetime, her other litters have been totally lost or large portions of her litters lost within the first few weeks of life. The reasons behind these deaths are not known so the arriving litter is considered fragile by the USFWS and Mesker staff. But being cared for by Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden staff, and the foster pair of wolves, is considered their best chance for surviving and contributing to the genetics of this endangered species.

The male wolf, Nagual, was born on May 4, 2005 at Wild Canid Survival and Research Center near Eureka, MO.  On May 22, 2009, he was transferred to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM.  Dr. Lindsey fostered two orphan wild born pups to this male later that year. The female was born on April 22, 2007 at the California Wolf Center near Julian, CA.  She was transferred to the USFWS Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM on Nov. 23, 2009 and later placed with Nagual.  This pair had pups in 2010 and 2011 and raised them all successfully in a large pack.  They have proven to be excellent parents.

Mexican Gray Wolves are a very significant addition to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s animal collection.  There are only approximately 300 Mexican Gray Wolves in captivity and 60-70 in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico.  These wolves have also been recently released in Mexico.

Audit: Heritage Hills extracurricular school treasurer must repay missing money

ROCKPORT, Ind. — Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s Office has filed a lawsuit in Spencer County to recover more than $83,000 from a former extracurricular school treasurer who, according to an audit, misappropriated school funds from Heritage Hills High School and Middle School in Lincoln City, Ind.  The Attorney General’s Office is seeking to freeze the former treasurer’s financial assets so that funds are available to reimburse the school corporation.

Named as defendant in the Attorney General’s lawsuit filed July 12 in Spencer County Circuit Court is Melissa Isaacs, who from June 2007 to February 2013 was extracurricular school treasurer at Heritage Hills middle and high schools in the North Spencer County School Corporation, where she was in charge of collecting school fees and depositing them.

According to a  June 27 certified audit report by the State Board of Accounts, Isaacs misappropriated $71,922.88 in school funds over a six-year period from 2007 to 2013, largely by failing to deposit money she collected into the school bank account and writing checks to herself that weren’t authorized.  Isaacs already has partially reimbursed the school system $22,502.17, including approximately $15,000 she repaid 56 days after her employment there ended, but she still owes the school system $49,420.71, the audit found.

In their investigation of the missing and misappropriated school funds, the State Board of Accounts examiners incurred another $34,134.43 in auditing costs. The Attorney General’s lawsuit seeks the auditing costs and the remaining missing funds, a total $83,555.14, from Isaacs.

“Although the vast majority of government workers are diligent and honest, when one individual who handles school money embezzles it instead, it creates mistrust toward all public employees by taxpayers, parents and students. My office will use all the legal tools in our toolkit to make this defendant pay back what she owes to the school system and the public,” Zoeller said.

The State Board of Accounts audit found that Isaacs collected textbook rental fees, extracurricular activity fees, proceeds from athletic ticket sales, parking permit fees and school lunch receipts, but did not always deposit them into school accounts as she was required to do.  The audit also found Isaacs issued unauthorized checks to herself.  Moreover, the school corporation incurred charges for bank research necessary to facilitate an investigation of missing and misappropriated funds by Isaac.

The audit noted that Isaacs was released from her duties as extracurricular school treasurer on February 21.  Fifty-six days later, on April 17 — the day that an exit conference was scheduled between school officials and the State Board of Accounts field examiner — Isaacs went to a local bank and dropped off six school bank bags of money, mostly $100 bills, totaling $15,002.17.  The bank notified the school principal and the amount was applied toward paying back Isaacs’ misappropriation.  Previously, Isaacs had reimbursed the school for another $7,000 in unauthorized checks she had issued to herself, the audit said.

Zoeller’s office on July 12 also obtained a temporary restraining order in Spencer County Circuit Court against Isaacs to prevent her from selling, transferring or concealing financial assets, including real estate, nine vehicles, three trailers, bank accounts and retirement accounts. The court granted the temporary restraining order, which is in effect until a court hearing at 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 22, on the Attorney General’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which if granted would replace the TRO and freeze Isaacs’ assets indefinitely until the overall lawsuit is concluded.  The purpose of the temporary restraining order and injunction is to preserve whatever assets are available so that the State is able to recover something later to reimburse the North Spencer County School Corporation’s treasury for the amount owed.

If the court eventually enters a civil judgment against Isaacs, then the Attorney General’s Office can pursue a civil collections action against her to garnish wages, attach liens, or take other actions any creditor can take against a debtor to collect on a debt.

Also named in the Attorney General’s lawsuit is RLI Insurance Company of Peoria, Illinois, that provided employee-theft insurance coverage of $50,000 per school year over the extracurricular treasurer position.  By naming the company as a defendant, the Attorney General’s Office hopes to recover insurance to reimburse the school treasury. Any amount not covered by insurance would be Isaacs’ personal responsibility.

Decisions about filing criminal charges in audit cases are solely the jurisdiction of county prosecutors, not the Attorney General. Whether a public employee is civilly responsible for repaying misappropriated funds is a separate issue from whether they are criminally responsible for a loss. Through his role as collection agent for the State, the Attorney General has legal jurisdiction to file civil lawsuits to recover public funds based on State Board of Accounts certified audit reports.

Since January 2009, the Attorney General’s Office has collected more than $2.4 million from former local government officials whom the State Board of Accounts found had misappropriated public money. Many of the acts of misappropriation occurred because an individual had the ability to divert or embezzle public funds with no oversight or supervision. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that Attorney General Zoeller had recommended, House Enrolled Act 1333, which authorized a legislative study of requiring internal accounting controls – such as dual signatures – on public employees who handle public money.  Zoeller noted that if two or more employees were required to sign off on large transactions involving public funds, then misappropriation and embezzlement would be more difficult for one individual to commit without being detected.

Highly respected and well known citizen Bob Whitehouse recently retired Director of Sales for the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau, was injured eleven days ago as he fell downstairs at his home.  On Tuesday, July 9th at about 1:00 p.m., he was carrying several things down to the lower level of his home when he lost his footing and fell, breaking his neck.

His Level One Trauma is being treated locally at Deaconess Hospital downtown  beginning with a seven hour surgery last Monday.  He will have extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy when he is medically able to do so.  Mr. Whitehouse’s condition is guarded and being monitored closely.

Bob Whitehouse was the Republican County Chairman from 1980 to 1984.  He was Chief of Staff for former Mayor Russell Lloyd, Sr. and, at one time owned a downtown deli, The Butcher Block.  Mr. Whitehouse was the Director of Marketing at Evansville Regional Airport in the 1990’s, when the airport saw record-level boardings.

Notes may be sent to his wife, Caren, at her office at 3116 E. Morgan Ave., Suite F, Evansville, IN 47711.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said military service members, veterans and their families aren’t alone in the fight against financial fraud and scams.

Zoeller joined government agencies, advocacy organizations and private sector groups today to promote July 17 as the first annual Military Consumer Protection Day. This broad coalition is sharing tips and information about managing money, dealing with credit and debt, building savings, protecting personal information, recognizing identity theft and avoiding fraud.

“Scammers often target military service members because of their steady paychecks and mobile lifestyle,” Zoeller said. “Military Consumer Protection Day helps highlight the need for service members to learn how to spot a scam, understand their rights and use the free resources available to them.”

Zoeller said there are some important resources available to those in the military to help prevent financial harm including:

· Active-Duty Alerts: These alerts can be placed on a service member’s credit report to inform a business it is obtaining information from an individual away on active duty. The alert requires the business to first obtain permission from an authorized third party like a family member or friend before proceeding.

· Caps on interest bearing debt: Those on active duty may cap the interest rate on most outstanding loans at 6 percent under the provisions of the Service members Civil Relief Act. To have your interest rate reduced to 6 percent, you must write a letter to each creditor letting them know about your orders and your intent to invoke the 6 percent cap.

· Vehicle and property lease terminations: Deployed military members are able to legally terminate some vehicle and property leases. If you are currently leasing a vehicle or home/apartment and wish to terminate your lease, contact the leaseholder and inform them of your deployment.

· Foreclosure and eviction relief: Under the Service member Civil Relief Act and the National Mortgage Settlement, service members are granted special relief when facing foreclosure. For example, a person may be able to obtain a “stay” or temporarily delay in a foreclosure or other civil court proceeding if he or she is called up to active duty. In addition, service members have special eligibility for loss mitigation relief such as a modification of their loan or a short sale. Similarly, service members and their families who rent their home may obtain a temporary stay of eviction proceedings while the service member is on active duty.

Military service members can also visit www.IndianaConsumer.com/military/ or military.ncpw.gov for free resources including sample letters to creditors and leaseholders.

Zoeller recently helped launch a legal toolkit to assist state attorneys general in cracking down on those who prey upon military service members. Zoeller worked with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Consumer Protection Working Group of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force and attorneys general from Kentucky, Illinois and North Carolina to develop the toolkit. The kit outlines issues impacting the military community and how states’ consumer protection officials can effectively combat these types of financial predators and scammers.

The toolkit is intended to serve as a guide for relevant statutes and regulations, as well as a platform to discuss best practices and developing trends. Zoeller said his colleagues in offices of state attorneys general nationwide will be better equipped to navigate the diverse issues and complex laws concerning the military community.

This past week, I was extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Boonville’s own, Jim Miller. For the last 55 years, Jim served as the owner of Miller’s 5 & 10 Cent Store located on the historic Boonville Square.

Boonville has one of the few intact squares remaining in Indiana, and Jim’s store was a staple there. People from all over Warrick County would come to Boonville for the chance to shop at his store and experience an old-fashioned tradition. It allowed people to temporarily escape from the commonalities of our world today: big money retailers looking to get customers in and out as quickly as possible. For many, its presence took them back to their youth and reminded them of a quieter, simpler time.

His store always carried a special significance for me because I grew up in a corner grocery store. My grandparents owned the store and later, my parents bought it. I began working there when I was just 11 years old and while I did not carry on the tradition, when I opened my own medical supplies facility, I based it off of my experiences at the corner store.

It was important to me to draw people in without being a big dollar store. I wanted to find my own niche and offer the products that people want and need but that big stores do not want to carry. This is precisely the type of customer service that Jim has provided over the years.

When I look back on my first few months in Boonville, back in 1975, Jim was one of the first people that I met. Right away, I could tell that he was a very easy going, likeable person but at the time, I could not have imagined the impact he would have on my life.

If we’re lucky, we all have someone who serves as a mentor, pushing us to branch out and try new things. For me, Jim was one of those people. He had strong conservative values and was very community oriented. As a new member of the community, he took a special interest in introducing me to people around town. He also played an integral role in getting me involved in the local Jaycees, a leadership training and civic organization for young adults.

In that respect, Jim helped to shape me and encourage my passion for civic engagement, something which led me to where I am today. While I am unsure of what Jim’s passing means for the future of his store, one thing is for sure: he was an icon in Boonville, and he will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him. He offered an unparalleled commitment to the betterment of our community whether it was through personalized service and a smiling face at the cash register or through his participation in organizations like the Boonville Elks Lodge.

As I reminisce, I know that I am just one of many people who have special memories of Jim, and I hope that we can all learn one last lesson from him; that lesson being that sometimes, we just need to slow things down a little. Despite our hectic lives, I hope that we remember the things that we learned from his example and continue to give back to our community in his memory.

Sincerely,

State Representative

Ron Bacon

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Mayor Winnecke will attend the “Summer of Swimming” free aquatic aerobics session at Lorraine Pool, 2399 Adams Ave., from 9-11 a.m. This will be the second of three free pool exercise programs sponsored by the Mayor’s Energize Evansville Fitness in the Park initiative. The final session of the summer will be at Rochelle-Landers Pool, 701 Lincoln Ave., on Saturday, August 17, from 9-11 a.m.

Mayor Winnecke will be the guest speaker at the annual Vanderburgh County Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The relay begins at 6 p.m. at the Metro Sports Center, 5820 Metro Ave., and continues until 6 a.m. Sunday. Activities include a cake walk, tug of war contests, a scavenger hunt, corn hole tournament, a luminaire ceremony and much more.