IS IT TRUE December 18, 2013

12/18/2013

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission have agreed that January 23, 2014 shall be the day that elected officials and dignitaries will gather before a pile of fresh dirt at the corner of MLK and Walnut to don their golden hardhats and pierce the fresh dirt with golden shovels to officially break ground on the new downtown convention hotel?…this event is scheduled while design decisions are still being made for the structure and before there has been any announcement regarding the approval of a loan to complete the project by HCW of Branson, Missouri?…this announcement was also made on a day that Old National Bank was honored for an investment of $14 Million (up from $11.5 Million from private investors) that will result in ONB having naming rights for THE CENTRE?…the decision of ONB to put $14 Million into this project if that is really the case is a matter for the shareholders of that public company to deal with?…with the Ford Center that the City of Evansville spending $127 Million to build only to see the naming rights sell for $400,000 per year it is a stretch to imagine how a market analysis of the naming rights for THE CENTRE could possibly exceed $150,000 per year?…this project is something that we can start to believe in when detail drawings are approved for construction, permits are issued, and irrevocable loan approval has been secured by HCW?

IS IT TRUE the other requirement to start to get optimistic that this is reality will happen when the ONB dollars are placed in an escrow account as City Councilman John Friend demanded before voting for the City of Evansville to issue the $20 Million in bonds needed to complete the financing of the project?…the CCO shall be watching Councilman Friend very closely when this circus rolls into town?

IS IT TRUE that with respect to the RFP for the IU Medical Center it will be interesting to see exactly how bidding laws will be complied with?…the City of Evansville is expecting responses to its RFP by early January that does not provide sufficient time to comply with competitive bidding laws?…similarly the January 31, 2014 deadline in the IU RFP is too short of a time for a formal RFP process to be carried out?…we wonder if there is immunity from such laws for public medical schools?…in the absence of immunity we wonder just who the chosen construction company will turn out to be?

IS IT TRUE that The Daily Kos that is a left wing liberal blog has reported yet another unintended consequence of the Affordable Care Act aka ObamaCare?…this one is referred to as ESTATE RECOVERY?… estate recovery will be forced on millions of people who might have otherwise gone without insurance?… reason for estate recovery is that millions more Americans get health insurance by expanding Medicaid and implementing premium assistance (subsidies)?…when a person is found to be eligible for Medicaid, they will be automatically enrolled into their state’s Medicaid program?…those forced into Medicaid will, due to the federal law, also be forced into estate recovery?…their estates will be partly or fully taken over by the federal or state government when they die to recover the costs associated with providing these people with insurance under Medicaid?…under such a situation a perfectly healthy person of limited means who was forced onto Medicaid by ObamaCare could have their entire estate confiscated by the government upon their death due to having been forced into a system they wanted no part of and received no benefits from?…this is the ultimate death tax brought to you by the Democrat Party of 2010 that voted for this without bothering to read and understand it?

Breaking News – Indiana Supreme Court clears hurdle for Rockport coal-to-gas plant

12/17/2013

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By Lesley Weidenbener

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS â€“ The developers of a controversial coal-to-gas plant planned for Rockport say the Indiana Supreme Court has handed them a decisive victory in a battle over whether a deal to build it complied with state law.

But a utility company thatâ€™s been fighting the project argues the opposite.

The 5-0 ruling appears to eliminate a significant hurdle for Leucadia National, the plantâ€™s developer, which had all but given up the project after legislative action made it likely it would need a new review.

The Supreme Courtâ€™s decision essentially makes that need for review moot, said Leucadia project manager Mark Lubbers.

â€œWe won a complete and total victory,â€ Lubbers said. Still, company officials werenâ€™t ready to talk Tuesday about when or if theyâ€™ll move forward with the plant.

Instead, Lubbers pointed to an April 30 statement in which the company said that even if it won in the courts, â€œonly a clear reversal of position by the governor would enable the project to go forward.â€

The statement came just after Gov. Mike Pence had said he would sign a bill into law that was meant to provide a new review of the project.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Pence didnâ€™t elaborate on the governorâ€™s position on the plant or the decision. â€œWe are reviewing the case, the contract and the relevant law,â€ said press secretary Kara Brooks.

The $2.8 billion Indiana Gasification project is the result of a sort of public-private partnership brokered by the company with the administration of former Gov. Mitch Daniels, for whom Lubbers had once been a top adviser.

The state wouldnâ€™t take any ownership in the plant. Instead, under the deal signed by the Indiana Finance Authority, the state would purchase synthetic natural gas produced by the plant for 30 years at a fixed price and then resell it in the marketplace. The state would then pass the savings â€“ or the losses â€“ onto natural gas customers in the state.

Daniels argued that, over time, the cost of the synthetic fuel produced by the plant would be cheaper than natural gas. And meanwhile, the plant would use Indiana coal and provide jobs to Hoosiers.

But opponents â€“ consumer groups and some utilities, including Evansville-based Vectren Energy â€“ argued the state struck the deal before an explosion of shale gas extractions led the price of natural gas to plummet. The opponents say the deal is no longer a good one for Hoosiers.

Vectren Vice President Mike Roeder said the arrangement â€œis a loser in virtually all scenarios into the future. Given the fundamental changes that have occurred in the natural gas market since this project was proposed and the dated financial information in the contract, the project must be reviewed.â€

At issue in the court case, though, was the wording of the stateâ€™s contract with Leucadia. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved the deal in 2011 but the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed that decision the following year, saying the contract included a clause that violated state law.

The Indiana Finance Authority and the Rockport developers agreed to drop that language from the contract, but that raised questions about whether the revised document would need another round of regulatory review.

Then earlier this year, the General Assembly passed a law that required such a review â€“ but only if the Indiana Supreme Court had agreed with the lower court ruling or found the contract invalid.

That seemed so likely that Leucadia pulled the plug on the plant shortly after the legislation passed, despite having invested some $27 million in development. â€œWe have been disappointed by the stateâ€™s breaking its commitment to the plant and the project,â€ Leucadia spokesman Mike Murphy said in April. â€œThey have changed the rules in the middle of the game.â€

But on Tuesday, the stateâ€™s highest court appeared to uphold the authority of the Indiana Finance Authority and Leucaida to resolve what it called a â€œdefinitional issueâ€ in the contract. â€œThus the issue is moot,â€ the court said.

That means the law requiring a second look at the contract wonâ€™t kick in, Lubbers said.

But Vectren officials disagreed, saying they believe the court decision means the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will need to review the contract, Roeder said.

The law passed earlier this year â€œnow applies and, if the project is pursued by the developer, will govern consumer protection of any new contract.â€

Even if thatâ€™s not true, Leucadiaâ€™s path to building the plant is not totally open. The Indiana Finance Authority still has one final sign off on the project. And itâ€™s not clear how the Pence administration will approach that decision.

Also, Leucadia needs a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to move forward.

The Indiana Supreme Courtâ€™s decision came just about three months after it heard oral arguments in the case. The review had been controversial because one of the stateâ€™s newest justices â€“ Mark Massa â€“ declined to recuse himself even though he had been Danielsâ€™ general counsel when the Rockport deal was under consideration. Massa is also friends with Lubbers.

EVSC Students Advance to State Marketing Competition

12/17/2013

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Thirty-two students from the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation qualified for the 2014 Indiana DECA Career Development Conference in Indianapolis in March after competing in the district competition at Ivy Tech last weekend.Â More than 150 students from Evansville, Mt. Vernon, and Washington competed at the district event.

Students earn the right to advance to the state level by placing in the top five in their respective events.Â Each event required students to take a 100-question test covering basic business, marketing, economics, and specialized area concepts.Â In addition, students had to demonstrate their ability to “think on their feet” and apply their marketing knowledge and presentation skills through role playing and case study presentations.Â The state competition will be in the same format, except students will have to perform two role plays or case studies instead of one.

More than 1,400 DECA students from across Indiana will compete at the state level.Â The top three in each event will qualify for the International DECA Career Development Conference at the beginning of May in Atlanta, Georgia.

Students from the EVSC who are advancing to the state competition include:

StudentÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â PlaceÂ Â Â Â EventÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â School

Haley GrubbsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2ndÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Accounting ApplicationsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Alex LueckeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2ndÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Hotel LodgingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

Megan McNamaraÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2ndÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Retail MerchandisingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Olivia DeVoy & Casey BirgeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2ndÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Financial Services TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Morgan Wright & Dalton MorrowÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2ndÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Travel and Tourism TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Lee WalkerÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Accounting ApplicationsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Kennedy KolbÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Business Financial SeriesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

McKayla SeyffarthÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Business Services MarketingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Ryan NolanÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Food MarketingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Sam RutledgeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hotel LodgingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Miaja KingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Quick Serve RestaurantÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

Alex NortonÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Retail MerchandisingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

Jordan Loving & Phoenix ThomasÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Financial Services TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

Makenzie Christian & Sammi Jo MorrowÂ 4^thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Buying & Merchandising TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Cory SimmonsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sports and Entertainment SeriesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Central

MaKayla SeyffarthÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3rdÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Business Services MarketingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Taylor BabbsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Restaurant and Food ServiceÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Fae Wirtjes & Anna HarlÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hospitality Services TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Megan Keown & Kayla KnappÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Marketing Communication TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Central

Nicole Chandler & Emily KielÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Travel and Tourism TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Brandon JohnsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Principles of MarketingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reitz

Nicole Grayson & Alexus Medina 5thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Buying & Merchandising TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

Watez Phelps & Kenyatta FoxÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5thÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hospitality Services TeamÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Bosse

EPD ACTIVITY REPORT 12.16.2013

12/17/2013

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EPD ACTIVITY REPORT 12.16.2013

IS IT TRUE December 17, 2013

12/17/2013

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IS IT TRUE December 17, 2013

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville received the RFP [request for proposal] from Indiana University to construct the medical school that it hopes to attract to downtown Evansville?…that on page 8 of the RFP it is stated the developer must provide evidence of ten years of experience, the developer must provide the legal structure, i.e. corporation, partner, limited liability company, the developer’s management structure, the major shareholders, members, or partners, resumes of the key individuals in addition to references?… THE DEVELOPER MUST ALSO SUBMIT INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR FINANCIAL CAPABILITIES EVIDENCED BY THEIR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, INCLUDING A COPY OF A CURRENT OR MOST RECENTLY AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT OR EACH OF THE FIRMS PART OF A CONSORTIUM AND EACH MAJORITY OWNER THEREOF, I.E. PERSONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, TOGETHER WITH BANKING REFERENCES AND CONTACT INFORMATION AND DESCRIPTION OF ANY MONETARY CLAIMS MADE AGAINST ANY DEVELOPER OR MEMBER OF A CONSORTIUM OF FIRMS BY ANY COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY?…during the hotel debate, Evansville City Councilman John Friend, the finance chairman requested the same information from the proposed hotel developer and was labeled â€œan obstructionist, an unreasonable man, openly asked, how dare him to ask for such information?â€â€¦â€How will we ever attract developers to our fair city if we are demanding such dataâ€ was also used as an excuse to tar and feather Friend for asking for personal financial records?… we wonder if the â€œHOTEL AT ANY PRICEâ€ crowd believes that Indiana University is being an obstructionist by requesting the same information that Councilman Friend requested during the great hotel debate?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville has proven time and time again that it has no concept of the meaning of the word VETTING, how to VET, or even the will to VET correctly when they have a plan openly published for their use?…the news that IU is asking for the very things that the powers that be in Evansville were either ignorant of or lacked the courage to ask for proves again that the VETTING process in Evansville needs to be outsourced to protect the people of this town from its own government?…at least we now know that IU knows what they are doing?

IS IT TRUE that by the time most people read this the golden hardhat and shovel day should be announced for the groundbreaking of the hotel?…this news is reportedly to be coming from todayâ€™s report before the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…we do hope this announcement is for real but offer some cautionary advice?…if this announcement is not accompanied by the news that a) HCW has loan approval for their part of the deal, and b) that the $11.5 Million that ONB is aggregating from certain high net worth individuals that the hotel project is still not assured of going forward?…if this announcement does not come with the proven news that these two financial milestones have been met then we wonder what the announcement was made for anyway?…with a six month delayed audit, the still reconciliation of the books still up in the air, and the judgment day for the Earthcare Energy loan looming during the next couple of months, making early announcements may have the purpose to distract?…we certainly hope todayâ€™s announcement is based on reality and it not just another seasonal feel good announcement?

IS IT TRUE Evansvilleâ€™s own and former Bosse High basketball star JaQuan Lyle who decommitted from Rick Pitinoâ€™s University of Louisville Cardinals was in the national news recently?…this time Lyle who is playing is last year of high school ball at a private academy in West Virginia was named as one of only three of the nationâ€™s top 100 prep stars that are not yet signed to play college ball?…in the article Lyle is quoted as stating he is still looking for the right fit for himself?… two schools mentioned as on Lyleâ€™s radar were UCONN and Memphis?…we wish JaQuan good fortune in his basketball and education related future?

Thai Cuisine Restaurant-Home Grown And Home Owned

12/17/2013

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Profile of Thai Cuisine Home Own and Home Grown RestaurantÂ

By Scottie Thomas

Open since July 2008, Thai Cuisine opened on Virginia Avenue courtesy of Owners Joe & Thim Potchanant, and their son, Nicholas.Â Immigrants of Thailand and now citizens of the United States, the Potchanants started their restaurant business in the midst of the â€˜Great Recession.â€™

Born in 1955, Joe is a former student of Lockyear College for two years, having studied Business Administration.Â He married his wife, Thim, twenty-five years ago.Â She learned to cook back in her native country from her father.Â Their restaurant, now at a new location since August, is off Tutor Lane and maintains a staff of about sixteen part-timers and full-timers.Â Their son, Nicholas, works on as the Manager.Â His mother, Thim, serves as the Kitchen Manager.Â The family boasts a long standing history in the restaurant industry.

Thai Cuisine provides an authentic Thai menu as they prepare dishes with exotic herbs such as lemon grass, basil and galanga.Â Their dishes can be custom-made to accommodate a vegetarian or gluten-free diet, as well as other allergens.Â The staple of any Thai Menu as Joe & Nick Potchanant shared is the Phad Thai.Â The plate consists of stir fried thin noodles with your choice of beef, chicken, pork or shrimp that come mixed with tofu, egg, sweet turnips, bean sprouts, red and green onions and a sweet sauce.

Another signature dish is the Som Thum Thai which is a premium Thai Papaya Salad.Â The Som Thum Thai consists of shredded raw green papaya mixed with shredded carrots, tomatoes, grounded peanuts, lime juice, garlic and chili peppers.Â It is served on a lettuce and cabbage bed.

The establishment also features Lunch Specials, served until 2:30 p.m. In addition to their Lunch & Dinner service, Thai Cuisine provides Carry-Out, a full-sized Bar & Grill and an Outdoor Patio for the warmer weather.Â For dessert, they make a homemade Coconut Ice Cream with sticky rice.Â It is the perfect conclusion to your Thai Cuisine experience.

The Potchanants and Thai Cuisine are proud members of the community as they support various non-profit organizations such as Riley Hospital for Children, the American Cancer Society and Evansville ARC.

Thai Cuisine is open seven days a week, Mondays â€“ Sundays, from 11:00 a.m. â€“ 9:00 p.m.Â Located on 1434 Tutor Lane on Evansvilleâ€™s east side by the intersection of Burkhardt Road & Oak Groove Road, you can call (812) 477-THAI [8424].

Gift cards are also available as they make the perfect Holiday gift.Â Private rooms are also available for parties and business meetings.Â For more information, you can visit Thai Cuisine on-line at www.thaipapayacuisine.com.

The Merry-Go-Round Gives Back to Local Families

12/17/2013

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Â Â Â This week proves to be a special one for those working at one of Evansvilleâ€™s oldest home owned, home grown family dining establishments – The Merry-Go-Round. From Monday, December 16^th until Wednesday, December 18^th the Merry-Go-Round will be hosting its 7^th annual â€œVisit with Santaâ€ from 4pm until 8pm. Kids from ages one to ninety-two will have the opportunity to meet and speak with Santa Claus! Families will also have an opportunity to win a $50 Wal-Mart gift card as well as Merry-Go-Round gift certificates and other fun prizes for coming out.

Eric and his staff have reached out to many of the schools city wide from the north to south sides and have plans to reach out to the west side in the coming year. During their trips they gave each student from grades k – 3, approximately 6,000 in number, an invitation to join in the three day festivities at their diner. The students were invited to fill out wish lists for Santa and were encouraged to bring their invitations to receive a free cheeseburger, French fries and soft drink while they waited to sit on Santaâ€™s lap.

Eric and his wife, Natalie, own the Merry-Go-Round and employ their entire family at the restaurant. They started the â€œVisit with Santaâ€ program as a way for them and their staff to give back to the community that has supported their restaurant for nearly 70 years. â€œItâ€™s awesome,â€ said Eric, â€œTo see the look on the kids faces and to know that they are feeling truly special is just such a joy.â€ Past attendance of the event is evidence that the community is very honored and privileged to have such an outstanding corporative citizen in our midst.

Friday evening of the 20^th will feature a live performance by artist Abby Kunkle from 5:30 until 7:30 as well as half priced spaghetti dinners throughout the evening. This coming Saturday the 21^st the Merry-Go-Round will also be hosting its â€œWinter Cruise-inâ€ event. From 4pm until the lights go out guests are invited to visit the diner and show off their vintage cars in the parking lot.

The Merry-Go-Round is located at 2101 N Fares Ave. on Old Business 41. Inquiries may also be directed to their staff by calling (812) 423-6388.

91 Students to Receive Degrees at UEâ€™s Winter Commencement

12/17/2013

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Posted: Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Ninety-one University of Evansville students will receive degrees during the Winter Commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 18 in the Student Fitness Center.

This yearâ€™s Winter Commencement speaker is Mark L. Valenzuela, associate professor of civil engineering, who received the 2013 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award at Mayâ€™s commencement ceremony. The University of Evansville Alumni Association presents this award annually to a faculty member who is nominated by students, faculty, or administrators for his or her exemplary teaching abilities. Valenzuela is the first UE faculty member to win this prestigious honor two times.

Valenzuela came to UE in 1999 and holds a PhD and Master of Science in structural engineering from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Engineering in civil and environmental engineering from Vanderbilt University. In addition to his teaching duties, Valenzuela advises several student organizations (including the Concrete Canoe team, which has qualified for nationals four times in the last five years) and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Indiana.

The Winter Commencement ceremony will also include the announcement of the recipient of the 2013 Exemplary Teacher Award, presented by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.

Following the Winter Commencement ceremony, a reception sponsored by the UE Alumni Association will take place in the Class of 1959 Gallery and Lounge in the Ridgway University Center.

For those who cannot attend Winter Commencement in person, a video of the ceremony will stream live atwww.evansville.edu/commencement/live.cfm.

E. Coli ‘Superbug’ May Pose Major Health Threat: Study

12/17/2013

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Drug-resistant H30-Rx strain can lead to blood infection, researchers say

TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2013 (HealthDay News) — A single strain of antibiotic-resistantÂ E. colibacteria has become the main cause of bacterial infections in women and the elderly worldwide over the past decade and poses a serious health threat, researchers report.

Along with becoming more resistant to antibiotics, the “H30-Rx” strain developed the unprecedented ability to spread from the urinary tract to the bloodstream and cause an extremely dangerous infection called sepsis.

This means that the H30-Rx stain poses a threat to the more than 10 million Americans who develop a urinary tract infection each year, according to the study authors.

They said this strain of appears to be much more able than otherÂ E. coliÂ strains to move from the bladder to the kidneys and then into the bloodstream. H30-Rx may be responsible for 1.5 million urinary tract infections and tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States, according to the study published Dec. 17 in the journalÂ MBio.

Genetic analyses revealed how H30-Rx came into being. More than two decades ago, a strain called H30 developed mutations in two genes. This resulted in a clone called H30-R, which was resistant to the antibiotic Cipro. Soon after, H30-R gave rise to H30-Rx, which is resistant to several antibiotics.

By focusing on H30-Rx, it might be possible to develop a vaccine that could prevent many infections, according to the study authors.

“This strain ofÂ E. coliÂ spreads from person to person, and seems to be particularly virulent,” study co-author James Johnson, of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Minnesota, said in a journal news release.

“This study might help us develop better tools to identify, stop or prevent its spread by finding better ways to block the transmission of the superbug, or by finding a diagnostic test that would help doctors identify such an infection early on — before it might have the chance to turn lethal,” he explained.

“We now know that we are dealing with a single enemy, and that by focusing on this strain we can have a substantial impact on this worldwide epidemic,” study co-author Evgeni Sokurenko, of the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in the news release.

Victory Theatre Welcomes Gov’t Mule

12/17/2013

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GOVâ€™T MULE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 2014

VICTORY THEATRE â€“ EVANSVILLE, IN

(Evansville, IN) â€“ Few bands have a reputation for making music as consistently honest, organic and daring as Govâ€™t Mule. Now the enduring group fronted by visionary singer-guitarist Warren Haynes returned with their first album in four years â€” their Blue Note Records debut Shout!, a breath-taking, exploratory double-disc set released on September 17.

â€œThis album puts a spotlight on the songs and the way that we interpret them, which hinges on the unique chemistry weâ€™ve developed as a band,â€ explains Haynes, who along with Mule co-founder and drummer Matt Abts, multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson charted Shout!â€™s adventurous contours.

Shout!â€™s second disc shines a beam on a guest list of famed interpreters Elvis Costello, Dr. John, Ben Harper, Toots Hibbert, Glenn Hughes, Jim James, Myles Kennedy, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter, Ty Taylor and Steve Winwood, who each delivered an alternate vocal performance of one of the first discâ€™s new Govâ€™t Mule tunes.

â€œNo oneâ€™s done this before, which is exciting,â€ says Haynes, â€œbut itâ€™s even more exciting actually listening to these artists sing our songs. Their performances bring new ideas, energy and sometimes even different meanings to every number.â€

Govâ€™t Muleâ€™s journey has been full of surprises. â€Thereâ€™s no way I could have anticipated the way weâ€™d grow when we started,â€ Haynes remarks. â€œEveryone in Govâ€™t Mule brings their own personality to the music, and weâ€™re always looking for opportunities to expand and excite ourselves. Shout! is proof of that, as well as an album I could never have predicted weâ€™d make even five years ago.â€

In 2000, when founding bassist Allen Woody passed away, Haynes and Abts discussed the possibility of putting Govâ€™t Mule out to pasture. Instead the band went on to become part of the tradition they had always intended to honor. â€œThat,â€ says Haynes, â€œis something we could only have dreamed to achieve and never expected in a million years.â€

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20 | 10 A.M.

Reserved Seat Tickets: $27.50 advance / $35 DOS

Buy tickets at any of the following locations:

Ford Center Ticket Office | All Ticketmaster Locations | www.ticketmaster.com | (800) 745-3000