An Informational picket by union employees of Allied Waste/Republic Services has caused a one-day delay in trash and recycling pickup. Trash and recycling pickup will resume Friday for Thursday service and Saturday for Friday service.
Good Things that have happened at the Indiana House of Representatives here in Indianapolis.
INDIANAPOLIS – This week, let’s talk about some of the good things that have happened at the Indiana House of Representatives here in Indianapolis.
Too often, it has been difficult to find anything positive from this session. We continue to ignore the needs of our middle class. We have done nothing to help them find jobs. We haven’t helped shore up our local public schools. We’re about to spend more time than we should on divisive social issues.
But there have been some highlights here and there. Bad bills have been defeated or pulled from the calendar. We have tried to point out some of the mistakes in what the majority is trying to do, and sometimes they have listened.
And recent days have seen passage of two initiatives that have long been advocated by House Democrats.
For more than a year now, we have demanded greater accountability from the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS), which has been shown to be tragically bad in following through on its mission to protect abused and neglected children. To put it bluntly, too many kids have been dying and DCS has not demonstrated that it can work quickly to protect them.
After a summer of study and an unprecedented show of bipartisan cooperation, we now are considering a series of reforms to make DCS better. One of those reforms—contained in Senate Bill 125—passed out of the Indiana House a few days ago.
This bill calls for a more immediate review of reports of child fatalities, with committees of local officials taking the lead on review to recommend to the statewide review committee what can be done to better protect children. It calls for more legislative oversight of DCS to ensure improved responses to reports of children in trouble. Just as importantly, we begin the process of taking a long-range view through a Commission on Children in identifying the core problems that lead to abuse and neglect of children, and working to find solutions that can head off these problems before they start. Prevention is the goal.
Our second success comes in demanding more accountability from the state in job creation.
Recent years have seen a familiar pattern from administrations: loud talk about thousands of jobs coming to Indiana, to be followed by silence when it turns out the claims don’t turn out to be so truthful. In many instances, millions of dollars of taxpayer incentives have been used to attract companies, only to get little or nothing in return.
Senate Bill 162 injects a little truth in our economic development efforts.
It requires the state to tell us the actual numbers of jobs that have been created in return for taxpayer help. It makes sure that incentives are being used to create jobs. Finally, it calls for an independent review of our state’s job creation efforts.
These are all good things. It’s your tax dollars being used to pay for these incentives, and it’s high time we find out what we’re getting for the commitment we make.
As good as Senate Bill 162 is, it could have been even better if the majority had accepted our amendments to provide the same sort of accountability from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), another state agency that has lost some credibility in the public’s eye for questionable dealings in the recent past that involve billions of state and federal tax dollars.
All we asked for was that the Indiana attorney general review all road contracts from the past four years and recommend ways INDOT can conduct its contracting transparently. We requested that INDOT make all its land dealings public. Our ultimate goal was to get rid of the risk of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement and misconduct in the way INDOT does business.
These good government proposals were rejected by the House majority. I hope to see them revived before the end of this session.
We have a month to go before our April 29 deadline for this session. We have time to do more. As you have just seen, we can do more. I remain optimistic we will do more.
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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
Updated Information on Police Action Shooting – EPD Officers Identified
Updated Information on Police Action Shooting – EPD Officers Identified
The Evansville Police Officers involved in the police action shooting on Monday evening, March 25th in Posey County are identified as:
• Officer Dave Burris, 45, and a 22 year veteran of the Evansville Police Department
• Officer Aaron Bourland, 32, and a 6 year veteran of the Evansville Police Department
The investigation by the Indiana State Police is continuing.
Indiana State Police and US Marshal’s Service Track Down Two Wanted for Manufacturing Meth
Gibson County – Wednesday afternoon, March 27, Indiana State Police and the US Marshal’s Service were actively searching for George Smith, 31, and Ashley Holeman, 22, both from Princeton. Felony warrants had been issued for both of them for manufacturing meth and several other drug offenses in Gibson County. At approximately 2:15 p.m., officers received information they were staying at a residence located at 721 South Hart Street in Princeton. When officers arrived they were greeted at the door by the homeowner. Master Trooper Kevin Waters called for Smith and Holeman to come to the door or he would send his K-9, Andy, inside the residence. Within seconds, Smith and Holeman walked out from a bedroom and were taken into custody without incident. When officers searched Smith they found a black pouch that contained a small amount of marijuana and a corner baggie containing meth. While inside the residence troopers detected an odor of marijuana. Troopers searched the residence and found drug paraphernalia and a small amount of marijuana under a couch cushion. The homeowner, Jacquelyn McInnis, 33, was cited for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. Smith and Holeman were arrested and taken to the Gibson County Jail where they are currently being held on bond.
ARRESTED AND CHARGES:
• George Smith, 31, 1121 SE Seminary Street, Princeton, IN
• Ashley Holeman, 22, 3211 West Birch Street, Apt. 78, Princeton, IN
1. Manufacturing Meth, Class B Felony (Warrant)
2. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony (Warrant)
3. Possession of Precursors, Class D Felony (Warrant)
4. Possession of Marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor (Warrant)
New Charges for Smith:
1. Possession of Meth, Class D Felony
2. Possession of Marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor
3. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor
New Charges for Holeman:
1. Possession of Marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor
2. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor
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All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IS IT TRUE March 28, 2013
IS IT TRUE March 28, 2013
IS IT TRUE we all learned yesterday that the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC) has given the City of Evansville approval to go ahead with a bond issue to enable $53 Million PLUS INTEREST to be spent to give former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel his way once again with the taxpayers of this city’s money?…the real question at hand is now not whether or not the IURC is going to stand in the way of spending $53 Million for water meters that can be read without meter readers, it is whether or not either the Winnecke Administration and the current Evansville City Council will have the guts to defer or eliminate this unnecessary expense until real necessary expenses have been implemented?…what the City County Observer refers to here is the HALF A BILLION DOLLAR EXPENSE that it staring us all right in the face to get our DILAPIDATED SEWER SYSTEM into EPA compliance?…spending that $500 Million is not an option?…this is going to happen and the only variable is the timing?…we must remind our readers that a big capital project like the $500 Million sewer refurbishment delayed is a project that will see massive price increases?…if one magically wants to turn a $500 Million project into a $1 Billion project the way to do it is to kick that can 20 years down the road for the next generation to deal with?…at the end of the day what the Johnson Controls deal jammed through by former Mayor Weinzapfel will accomplish is to hang new water meters that sort of read themselves onto an Evansville Municipal Water and Sewer system that is crumbling like the Roman catacombs?…the marketing folks even have the audacity to call this a “SMART CITY†improvement?…this is about as “Smart†as putting a $3,000 set of chrome plated spinner rims on a $500 piece of crap jalopy?…this is the kind of idiotic logic that would make the rational American philosopher Will Rogers turn over in his grave?…we have chosen a few quotes from Will Rogers that seem particularly appropriate for a government that believes that this “Smart City†deal from Johnson Controls is really smart?
“Advertising is what makes people buy things they don’t need with money they don’t haveâ€
“IF STUPIDITY got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?â€
“Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.â€
“It’s easy being a humorist when you’ve got the whole government working for you.â€
“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.â€
IS IT TRUE that the use of the term “SMART CITY†to bamboozle local governments into believing that a water meter or any other so called improvement that does not accomplish anything of value for an everyday citizen is simply marketing?…this time it seems as though the marketing worked?…this project purports to replace every water meter in the City of Evansville that is less than 5 years old with a new “smart meterâ€?…for this to make sense a simple water meter would have to be expected to fail in 5 years or less?…we question the logic of choosing 5 years as a replacement time for an asset that typically works well for 30 years or more?…even if these new meters are SMART, this is a DUMB IDEA and a misappropriation of taxpayer dollars in a City that cannot even be assured that flushing the toilet will not end up in the basement or the front yard?…another old saying that the present and former leaders of Evansville need to be schooled in is “FIRST THINGS FIRSTâ€?…when the City of Evansville follows places like Detroit down the primrose path of bankruptcy we hope the voters of this place will awaken from their coma and do something about it because the people that have been elected lately sure as heck never will?…they are too busy getting bamboozled by advertising and gimmicks?
21st Century Healthcare
It is no secret that the landscape of the American healthcare system is changing. With higher rising insurance premiums, the looming 2014 deadline for health insurance under Obamacare, and the busier everyday lifestyles of most people many alternative forms of healthcare have begun to surface around the county. One such model that is growing increasingly popular is the Concierge form of healthcare. According to CNBC (December 12, 2012) there are approximately 4000 such practices in the US now, with 1000 new practices being added in 2012 alone. Concierge medicine grew 33% in 2012. Though a quick Google search revealed only one such practice in the Southwestern Indiana area, there is soon to be another come April.
21st Century Healthcare is a Primary Care Internal Medicine practice in which patients pay a fee for an expanded and more personal range of services. The man providing these services is Dr. Roy M. Arnold. A Cum Laude graduate of the University Of Alabama Birmingham School Of Medicine, Dr. Arnold is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease and has over 20 years of experience in Wellness and Preventative Medicine. The idea behind his practice is to provide longer face to face appointment times, wellness consultation, and access to remote healthcare for patients that travel frequently or find themselves in need of medical advice while out of town. While most primary care providers see an average of 2000 patients, Dr. Arnold’s practice will see three to five hundred patients enabling a personalized healthcare experience as well as fewer instances of patients waiting hours in the lobby. Dr. Arnold also offers virtual consultations via a secure, HIPAA compliant video telecommunication program that cannot be hacked. This service is useful for those patients with reoccurring symptoms and for those medical non-emergencies that don’t require an in-office visit. This application is ideal for those patients whose job requires frequent travel such as sales personnel, executives, long-distance truck drivers, or even students away at college. Patients also have access to Dr. Arnold through secure email, and his inbox is always open.
The fee for these more streamlined services is one-hundred dollars per month, or about the cost of a latte a day. Patients also must carry some form of insurance but this insurance can often be a high deductible plan with a Health Savings account, which ends up being more affordable in the long run. The monthly retainer for these services also covers all insurance co-pays and coinsurance for services rendered. Medicare patients are also welcome under this new structure.
New patients hoping to pursue this form of healthcare must be over the age of 14 covered by a commercial insurance plan or Medicare. The patient is scheduled for a one hour visit during which the patient and doctor review medical and surgical history as well as risk factors, diet and physical regimen. Based on this information and the wishes of the patient a personalized wellness plan for the patient is implemented. This may include changes in diet and exercise regimen. A follow up visit is then scheduled to review the effectiveness of the plan with the patient. Dr. Arnold expects all patients to have a comprehensive evaluation each year and one follow up visit. He also anticipates two to three additional contacts per year, either office visits or electronic conference with patients to discuss their acute and chronic medical problems. In the event that a patient may require in patient care, Dr. Arnold has pre-established agreements with both St. Mary’s and Deaconess Hospital groups.
Those wishing to inquire about this innovative new model for healthcare are encouraged to jump to www.21centuryhc.com, or the practice may be contacted via email at info@21centuryhc.com and by phone at (812) 402-2003.
HAL HOLBROOK IN MARK TWAIN TONIGHT
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY, APRIL 5 AT 7:30 PM
THE AIKEN THEATRE AT THE CENTRE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Jam Theatricals and The Centre are thrilled to present the award-winning Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! for one performance only at The Centre’s Aiken Theatre on Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7:30 PM. Tickets for Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! are on sale now and start at $21.00. Tickets can be purchased at The Centre, by visiting Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Discounts are available for Broadway at The Centre subscribers and groups of 10 or more by calling (812) 435-5544.
Actor Hal Holbrook breathes life into the legendary author in one of the most successful one-man shows in American Theatre history. Mark Twain Tonight! originated from a characterization that was part of Holbrook’s college honors project. His first solo performance as Twain began in 1954 at a nightclub in Greenwich Village where he gained national television exposure after Ed Sullivan saw him perform. Soon after, Holbrook had an off-Broadway run followed by an engagement at the Great White Way, earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966.
Nearly 50 years later, Mark Twain Tonight! continues to enthrall audiences around the nation. Holbrook merges man and material, using Twain’s own words and wry wit, to comment on contemporary American culture. During the course of his one-man show, Holbrook reads excerpts from some of Twain’s most famous works, and offers the author’s point of view on subjects ranging from prejudice, politics, religion, and human history. As Holbrook states, “What [Twain] had to say over a hundred years ago is more powerful today.â€
Jam Theatricals (www.jamtheatricals.com) is proud to present Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! as part of the 2012-13 D. PATRICK PRESENTS Broadway at the Centre season with media sponsors The Evansville Courier Press and WFIE-TV.
About Jam Theatricals
Jam Theatricals (Presenter) is a Chicago-based entertainment company that presents and produces Broadway engagements throughout North America. Under the direction of co-founders Arny Granat and Steve Traxler, Jam Theatricals manages subscription seasons in more than 30 cities. Jam Theatricals and its principals are the recipients of five Tony Awards® for producing Glengarry Glen Ross (Best Revival of a Play, 2005), Monty Python’s Spamalot (Best Musical, 2005), The History Boys (Best Play, 2006), August: Osage County (Best Play, 2008) and Hair (Best Revival of a Musical, 2009). Additional Broadway credits include: One Man Two Guvnors, Spiderman, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, The Retreat from Moscow, The Wedding Singer, Talk Radio, Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Seafarer, The Homecoming, November, Sunday in the Park with George, Speed-the-Plow, 9 to 5, Blithe Spirit, Race, Come Fly Away and The Addams Family. Jam Theatricals is proud to produce this season’s 30th Anniversary revival of Glengarry, Glen Ross by David Mamet starring Al Pacino. For more information, please visit www.jamtheatricals.com.
ST. MARY’S TO HOLD 5TH ANNUAL “SPRING IN TO FEED THE HUNGRY†FOOD DRIVE
St. Mary’s Health is proud to host its 5th annual “Spring in to Feed the Hungry†food drive to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Donations will be accepted Tuesday, April 9th through Thursday, April 11th.
The public is invited to join St. Mary’s employees in contributing to this food drive. Visitors can drop-off non-perishable food items or monetary donations at the entrance of the Center for Advanced Medicine, located on St. Mary’s main campus in Evansville. Valets with the Courtesy Services department will come to your vehicle to take the donations. Drop off times are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.
This food drive is part of the Feinstein Challenge, a national competition in which one million dollars will be divided proportionately to agencies across the country, based on the amount of food and cash donations each organization receives during the months of March and April.
Over the last four years:
* St. Mary’s has collected about 4,450 pounds of food and nearly $2,900.
* Combined with the Feinstein Challenge, a total of 5,573 pounds of food and $4,028 has been donated to St. Vincent de Paul.
In 2012, the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry served an average of about 1,100 households – or 2,770 people – per month.
IS IT TRUE March 27, 2013
IS IT TRUE March 27, 2013
IS IT TRUE the Evansville Museum should be high fiving and rethinking their strategy with regard to the forgotten Picasso they found in a box last year?…it was just revealed that Steven Cohen, the billionaire behind SAC Capital who just paid over $600 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over alleged insider trading purchased a famous Picasso painting?… the price tag on the masterpiece was a whopping $155 million?…in 2006 Casino mogul Steve Wynn, originally paid $48 million for the famed painting, not only sold the Picasso to Cohen but he made a hefty profit along the way?…that somehow this piece of art by Picasso managed to appreciate by 223% in only 7 years most of which was during the second worst depression in over a century?…with the customary buyers premium of 10% this Picasso called “Le Reve†set Mr. Cohen back by a total of just over $170 Million?…when compared to the $48 Million price paid by Wynn in 2006 the profit from enjoying this art for 7 years alone is about the same amount of money that the City of Evansville borrowed to build the Ford Center?…the $170 Million for one painting is enough to pay cash not only for the Ford Center but for a convention hotel as well?…that the first thing we hope is that the Evansville Museum after 50 year of oblivion has the Evansville Picasso under secure lock and key in an atmosphere that will maintain its value?…the next thing is that it is time for the Museum to rethink its naïve strategy of selling the Picasso off and hire some professionals to send the Evansville Picasso on tour at a fabulous annual rental?…selling off an appreciating asset like the “found Picasso†while pursuing a government ambition to build depreciating assets until the City of Evansville is broke is just insane?…the Evansville Picasso if managed correctly could bring more money to Evansville than all of the temples to fun and games combined?
IS IT TRUE that the last 5 out of 8 Evansville Firefighters hired were not official residents of Evansville or even the greater Evansville region?…we wonder if this is a wise hiring policy?…while it is disappointing to see local people not hired into these positions we do recognize the possibility that no local applicants met the qualifications?…we wonder how so many applications from far away were even submitted?
IS IT TRUE the Indianapolis Star reports that on a mid-February Tuesday, Indiana state legislators streamed into the Downtown Hyatt Regency to an invitation-only party hosted by the state’s banking industry. One of the first lawmakers to arrive also was among the most important: Sen. Travis Holdman, chairman of the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions?…in addition to working for the banking industry outside of the Statehouse, Holdman helps it within the General Assembly?… a few weeks ago, he signed on as chief Senate sponsor of legislation that would lower taxes on banks in Indiana by $18.8 million a year when fully implemented?… conflicts of interest are as routine in the General Assembly as partisan spats, and the atmosphere of coziness between lawmakers and special interests is both deeply entrenched and widely accepted?… some call conflicts of interest business as usual, but the heavy influence exerted by well-connected lobbyists and industries makes it nearly impossible for average citizens, or those with fewer connections and less clout, to compete for attention when the laws that shape Indiana are written?…he CCO wonders if this atmosphere of graft makes any of our local state representatives or senators feel like the house band in a bordello?
Firefighters Give Back to Community
Last year marked the 200th Anniversary for the City of Evansville. This year the Evansville Fire Department is proudly celebrating 125 years of service to the community and its citizens. EFD is celebrating their anniversary by “serving†some young citizens in a different way, with lunch that is.
On Wednesday March 27th, EFD will provide and serve lunch to the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville (BGC), located at 700 Bellemeade Avenue. Since this is Spring Break and the kids are out of school, the Boys & Girls Club is providing additional fellowship and activities for “their kids†during this time. Providing a nutritious lunch was just an obvious choice.
Lunch will be served at 2 pm by Firefighters at the BGC on Bellemeade. EFD and BGC staff will provide interviews if requested.
MEDIA: This is not an open invitation for kids to come eat. This has been coordinated with the BGC for about 150 of their kids.
We hope to see you there.
Questions? Dan Grimm, 436-4428 or Richard Johnson, BGC, 425-2311