Click on link to read indictment
Evansville Redevelopment Commissioner Indicted for Alleged Laundering of Drug Money
Federal prosecutors published an indictment Tuesday charging Evansville Redevelopment Commission member Jay Carter with laundering drug money for local marijuana dealers.
Joseph Hogsett, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana said that Carter’s indictment stemmed from an investigation into Carter and is a part of his office’s campaign to combat public corruption.
Federal prosecutors allege that Carter agreed to assist the men in their efforts to launder drug money by facilitating real estate, business, and financial transactions. At least one case Carter allegedly testified before the Evansville Public Safety Committee in support of the awarding of a city contract that provided benefit to drug dealers.
Carter was appointed to the ERC in January 2011 by the Evansville City Council during the last year of the Weinzapfel Administration. He is a member of the Memorial Community Development Corporation, a non-profit inner city development arm of Memorial Baptist Church that is under the pastorship of the Reverend Adrian Brooks.
The Evansville Redevelopment Commission, a five-member board with appointees by both the mayor’s office and City Council has been at the center of controversies such as the continuing saga of the choice of a developer for a downtown convention hotel, the McCurdy parking lot debacle, and other local high dollar public works projects like the Ford Center. The ERC deals with planning and construction within the city’s redevelopment area including Downtown Evansville and the Front Door Pride area.
There are no formal requirements for knowledge of either construction or finance required for being appointed to the ERC.
This is a developing story
America’s 10 Happiest (most content) Cities
1. Lincoln, NE
2.Boulder, CO
3. Burlington, VT.
4. Provo, UT
5. Fort Collins, CO
6. Barnstable Town, MA
7. Honolulu, HA
8. Ann Arbor, MI
9. Washington, DC Metro
10. San Luis Obispo, CA
http://247wallst.com/2013/03/26/americas-most-content-and-miserable-cities/2/
Evansville #8 on List of America’s Most MISERABLE CITIES to Live In
On the heels of a pollyannaish state of the city address by Mayor Winnecke and in the midst of an expansion of parks we can’t maintain and a “smart cities” expenditure that is not explained Evansville, Indiana has been selected by a Gallup Poll as the eighth most miserable city in America. Of course Detroit is #1 but Evansville shares the stage with some real hell holes in the top ten.
City officials of course claim that the poll is bogus and that the details are not available but the truth of the matter is the details are available for those who are willing to dig into the data. The following link is to a site that when mined has those answers. Enjoy the read but please resolve to think this through and make a real positive difference before it is too late.
Pablum and temples to sport are not a way to a prosperous and blissful future. Jobs, working infrastructure, healthy habits, and education are the magic tonic for what ails Evansville. Reading water meters through a fiber optic cable will not solve even one of these problems.
http://247wallst.com/2013/03/26/americas-most-content-and-miserable-cities/4/
County Commissioners Executive Session Noticeâ€
The Vanderburgh County Commissioners will meet in Executive Session on Thursday, April 4th at 4:30 pm. in room 305 of the Civic Center Complex, 1 NW MLK Jr. Blvd. for the purpose of receiving information concerning the alleged misconduct of individuals over whom the County has jurisdiction under IC 5-14-1.5-6.1 (b) (6) (A)
House has adopted legislation strenthening local responses to child fatalitiesâ€
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House members today joined State Rep. Gail Riecken (D-Evansville) in passing legislation that helps strengthen state and local responses to cases of child fatalities, abuse and neglect.
Senate Bill 125, co-sponsored by Riecken, is a key component in reforms that the Evansville lawmaker helped formulate during a study last summer of ways to improve how the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS) protects the interests of abused and neglected children.
“One of the key concerns we had last summer was the state’s failure to provide adequate protection for our children, particularly when the cases involve the death of a child,†Riecken said.
“It was the belief of many of us that we needed to redesign local fatality review committees that would be able to respond more immediately to a death, and have greater knowledge of local circumstances that will enable them to develop prevention strategies at the state level,†she continued.
These committees would include representatives from law enforcement, emergency medical services, local health care providers, and schools in the area.
“The local committee would review every incident if the death of a child is sudden, unexpected, or unexplained, if DCS officials determine that abuse or neglect resulted in the child’s death, or if the local coroner rules that the death is undetermined or the result of a homicide, suicide, or accident,†Riecken said.
Data from local committees would be reported to a Statewide Child Fatality Review Committee that also would make recommendations on initiatives that would help children be safe and prevent serious injuries or deaths.
“While most of the attention on this bill has focused rightly on the improved local responses to child fatalities, I must note that there are other provisions contained in Senate Bill 125 that take a long-range view of identifying the core problems that lead to abuse and neglect, and work to find solutions,†Riecken said.
In particular, the legislation creates a Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana to work on these issues. The 18-member commission would include judges, lawmakers, the superintendent of public instruction, a representative of the governor, and officials with experience in youth services and mental health issues.
“In addition, I must note that this bill provides a needed opportunity for legislative oversight of DCS through a Child Services Oversight Committee that will review reports from the agency and its ombudsman, and make recommendations to improve the delivery of child protection services,†she noted.
“Senate Bill 125 is a perfect example of legislators from both sides of the aisle coming together out of a concern that the needs of abused and neglected children were not being handled by the very agency charged to protect them,†Riecken said. “This legislation helps protect Hoosier children, and I am pleased to be playing a role in achieving that very worthy goal.â€
The measure now returns to the Indiana Senate for concurrence with changes made in the House.
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As always, please contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns related to our state government. Here is how you can stay in touch: call my office toll-free at 1-800-382-9842; write to me in care of the Indiana House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204; or email me at h77@iga.in.gov.
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State Representative Gail Riecken
Indiana House District 77
IS IT TRUE April 2, 2013
IS IT TRUE April 2, 2013
IS IT TRUE the Johnson Controls deal that replaces every water meter in the City of Evansville that is over 5 years old in the name of progress and puts some fiber optic cable in the ground to read the meters through now seems to have been successfully marketed to the mainstream media as “SMART CITYâ€?…through the effective use of propaganda the spin machine in the Civic Center that is bound and determined to drop $54 Million plus interest to replace water meters seems to have pulled the wool over the eyes of everyone in Evansville that draws a regular paycheck from writing articles?…when the free press becomes a mindless lapdog for politicians most hope for an honest future is lost?…there are plenty of cases where “SMART CITY†types of initiatives have turned out to be as the peg jump game at Cracker Barrel labels poor performance “JUST PLAIN DUMB†or even an “EGG-NOR-A-MOOSEâ€?…what the mainstream media should be doing is booking a trip to Hollywood, Florida and ask those people just how those great savings have worked out for them?…the City County Observer published that over a year ago and will dig through the archives for the purpose of reminding the taxpayers of Evansville just what kind of wool is being forced over your eyes?
IS IT TRUE we also wonder just how in the devil one could save $54 Million by putting in new water meters and putting fiber optic cable in the ground that WON’T COMPETE WITH CURRENT PRIVATE BUSINESSES THAT COMPETE IN THE CABLE TV INDUSTRY?…we bet lots of folks have forgotten that old claim that this NON-COMPETITIVE fiber will take Evansville from second to last in the country to the top 100 without competing?…the marketing around this “SMART CITY†initiative would make the propaganda machine of the now defunct USSR blush?…there are two ways to save money by putting in new water meters that can be read by fiber optic connection?…the first and most obvious is to layoff the skeleton crew of City of Evansville workers who currently read water meters?…the second is the small possibility that the current meters are consistently underreporting water use turning this into a way to make the ratepayers PAY MORE without a rate increase?…laying off the meter readers has been ruled out so scratch that one until they retire?…even if they were all laid off the savings would not even cover the interest on $54 Million and maybe not even on the $17 Million that the IURC approved the city to borrow to pay for this supposedly FREE project?…similarly for increasing the water bills by reading higher use?…for the math to work here it would mean that each of the ratepayers for water and sewer in Evansville would have to pay an approximately $10 per month more for the same use they currently have?…of course that would have to happen WITHOUT A RATE INCREASE to fulfill the SNEGAL promises?
IS IT TRUE the people of Evansville can wallow in the blissful ignorance that city government and the mainstream media wants them too and let this pass OR they can hold the feet of the City Council to the fire and demand honest answers and informed votes?…the people of this town have chosen a temple to sport over fixing the sewers in a proxy election once already?…that sort of took a Pinocchio thought process to follow the tricky fox to Pleasure Island but hopefully this time some rational thought will be injected into the process?…the new mantra should be SEWERS BEFORE ANYTHING?
IS IT TRUE the government of Vanderburgh County is now on record with the confession that the number of miles of road that will be resurface this year will be less than 10 down from 35 just 5 years ago?…that 5 years ago $1.1 Million repaved 35 miles which works out to about $31,500 per mile?…this year a lower budget of $600,000 will only go 10 miles which works out to $60,000 per mile or nearly double the cost only 5 years ago?…repairing roads in the Great Recession must have increased in price by 100% since 2008?…we wonder how this can happen when the federal government tells us there is no inflation?…we would guess that the materials are oil based, the equipment to do the work and transport the materials all use gasoline, and since energy costs are excluded from the official government calculation that this price increase officially does not exist?…this is just another case of blissful ignorance on the part of the American people aided by a press that not only drinks the propaganda Kool-Aid but makes it as well?
Catch the Latest Edition of “The Indiana State Police Road Showâ€
Indiana – Catch the latest addition of the “Indiana State Police Road Show†radio program every Monday morning at your convenience.
Download the program from the Network Indiana public website at www.networkindiana.com. Look for the state police logo on the main page and follow the download instructions. This 15 minute talk show concentrates on public safety and informational topics with state wide interest.
The radio program was titled “Signal-10†in the early sixties when it was first started by two troopers in northern Indiana. The name was later changed to the “Indiana State Police Road Show†and is the longest continuously aired state police public service program in Indiana.
Radio stations across Indiana and the nation are invited to download and air for FREE this public service program sponsored by the Indiana State Police Alliance and Cops for Kids, a subsidiary of the Indiana State Police Alliance.
This week’s show features Major Douglas Shelton, Commander of the Indiana State Police Records Division. Major Shelton discusses the Indiana State Police firearms license responsibilities and the changes to the license application.
Drunk Driver arrested after driving 100mph on Lloyd
Evansville Police arrested 18 year old WESLEY ALAN VANMETER for OMVWI and other charges after an officer stopped him for driving 100 MPH on the Lloyd Expressway near Main St early Sunday morning.
VANMETER failed a series of Field Sobriety Test and tested .10BAC on a certified breath test. Officers found opened beer and liquor containers in the car.
VANMETER was arrested on the following charges:
OMVWI CL-A Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving CL-A Misdemeanor
Minor in Possession of Alcohol CL-C Misdemeanor
Johnson Controls Municipal WiFi Project in Hollywood, FL called a FLOP
Excerpts:
“More than three years ago, the city of Hollywood borrowed $16 million to pay for a wireless communications platform, which would give residents free computer network service, as well as provide an automated water meter reader system and solar-powered parking meters. But the system doesn’t fully work. The idea was simple: install transmitters throughout the city that would allow water meters to be read and transmitted digitally and parking meters that would accept credit cards and work for all spaces. There would also be a secure network for police, fire and code enforcement officers. The bonus was a wireless network for the residents. But Johnson Controls, the company hired to handle the project, ran into problems installing enough access points — similar to antennas — throughout the city that would allow the system to work . . . Johnson Controls was met with problems. The automated meter reader system would not work because the digital equipment would not transmit through concrete caps. The company then placed the caps with plastic ones, but when it rained the caps floated away . . . After months of trying different caps and methods, the automated reader system should be online any day . . . the parking meters are also working, but with cellular modems instead of wireless, which is being paid for by Johnson Controls. The Wi-Fi portion, however, will likely not work . . .”
http://www.muniwireless.com/2011/09/07/hollywood-fl-muni-wi-fi-network-a-flop/