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Troopers conduct Safe Schools/Active Shooter Training for School Administrators

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ISP

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.

Citizen’s call to 911 helps police locate missing Evansville man

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EPD PATCH 2012

 

Evansville Police were able to find Jason Smith yesterday afternoon thanks to a 911 call from a concerned citizen.
Information about Smith was released to the media and shared on social media sites. A motorist saw Smith near Broadway and Barker yesterday afternoon and officers were able to locate Smith in the Howell Wetlands.
After speaking with Smith, officers determeined he was not in any danger.

Crash With Injury

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Sheriff LogoOn Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at approximately 8:35 pm, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to a crash in the 7100 block of St. Joe Avenue. When deputies arrived on scene, they discovered a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, crashed against a telephone pole off the east side of the roadway. The vehicle had heavy damage to the driver’s side area. The investigation and cleanup caused St. Joe Avenue to be shut down for approximately 45 minutes.

Deputies were unable to interview the driver of the Mitsubishi, Rebecca Jean Decarli, due to her being in and out of consciousness at the scene of the crash. Ms. Decarli was transported to Deaconess Hospital with a broken collar bone and head injury.

The investigation is ongoing; however, drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.

Red Panda Welcome Addition to Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden

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mesker zoo

 


Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden welcomes a red panda for the first time in the zoo’s history.  The female red panda new home is in the recently renovated Discovery Trail located outside of the Discovery Center.

 

Erik Beck, Operations Director at the zoo, says, “It’s great to have a new species for our visitors to encounter; it’s like opening a window to another part of the world.” Red Pandas are native to the Far East being most prevalent in China and Mongolia.

 

The red panda is the original “panda” having been discovered 48 years before the giant black and white panda.  Red pandas are officially classified as carnivores. They occasionally eat an egg, insect or small animal but mostly stick to a diet of bamboo leaves, grass and fruit. (A red panda eats approximately 200 leaves of bamboo daily!) Red Pandas have lived up to 14 years in zoos with a typical lifespan of 7 to 8 years in the wild.

 

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is open 365 days a year from 9 AM – 5 PM; with last admission at 4 PM.  Admission for adults is $8.50 and children ages 3-12 are $5.50.  Children under 2 and under are free.  In recognition of their support, Vanderburgh County residents receive $1 discount.

 

Evansville to Participate in the Million Father March 2013

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nick herman

 

City of Evansville
City of Evansville

On August 14, 2013, Evansville will be one of more than 800 cities across the country to participate in the Million Father March 2013, a project to encourage fathers to take their children to school on the first day of classes. The event is sponsored by the Black Star Project and Evansville Commission on the Social Status of African-American males.

The project will involve an estimated 1.1 million men. Organizers of the Million Father March believe that by fathers taking their children to school, they will provide an escort of safety, support, and encouragement to their child that will translate into better grades, higher scores, and a greater appreciation for education.

“I see this as a first step for many fathers and father figures to be brought into the fold as it relates to advancing a community-based approached to improving educational outcomes for our children,” said David Wagner, chairman of the Evansville Commission on the Social Status of African-American Males.

Phillip Jackson, executive director of The Black Star Project, U.S.A., said, “Fathers’ involvement in education is one of the best ways to improve the academic performances of children. Gang recruitment, bullying and random violence goes way down on any day that a group of men are at a school.”

Local businesses are being asked to give fathers two hours off on August 14, with pay, to take their children to school. If you have any questions or would like more information on the Million Father March 2013, please email hrc@evansvillegov.org or call (812) 436-4927.

CCO, APRIL 8, 2013 McGLADREY I T ASSESSMENT REPORT

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City Council Attorney, Scott Danks
City Council Attorney, Scott Danks
OVER THE YEARS THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER HAS STRIVE TO SERVE AS A “COMMUNITY WATCHDOG” BY SOUNDING THE ALARM WHEN OUR CITIZEN RIGHTS ARE IN DANGER OF BEING VIOLATED BY OUR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS.  WE ENCOURAGE OUR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS TO ALWAYS CONSIDER THE WELFARE OF THIS COMMUNITY.  WE REALIZE THAT A COMMUNITY CAN  HAVE NO GREATER AMBASSADOR OF GOOD WILL THAN ONE WHICH KEEPS IT’S CITIZENS INFORMED ABOUT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS , FAILURES AND TRIUMPHS OF THEIR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION STATES-“CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OR OF THE PRESS, OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.”
WITH THIS  IN MIND THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER HAS DECIDED TO RELEASE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND EXHIBITS PROVIDED NOT ONLY TO US BUT ALSO TO MEMBERS OF THE EVANSVILLE COURIER AND PRESS PROVIDED  BY SCOTT A. DANKS, ATTORNEY OF LAW FOR THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE.
WE SHALL BEGIN TO RELEASE OFFICIAL EXHIBITS AND DOCUMENTS GENERATED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS  PERTAINING TO THE McGLADREY, LLP APRIL 8, 2013  IT ASSESSMENT REPORT APPROVED AND ENCOURAGED BY THE EVANSVILLE CITY COUNCIL EARLIER THIS YEAR.
THE E-MAIL EXHIBITS SHALL BE POSTED BY THE CCO BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THESE FILES.  ABOUT EVER COUPLE OF HOURS WE SHALL POST AN UPDATE SO YOU WON’T BE OVERWHELMED WITH INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE.
FINALLY WE WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK CITY COUNCIL ATTORNEY SCOTT DANKS FOR  NOT ONLY TAKING THE BOLD STEP IN BRINGING THE PEOPLES BUSINESS TO LIGHT.  WE POST TO FORTH COMING INFORAMTION WITHOUT BIAS, OPINION OR EDITING.
WE SHALL LEAVE IT UP TO YOU THE READERS OF THE CCO TO DETERMINE HOW OUR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIAL HANDLED THE APRIL 8, 2013 McGLADREY I T REPORT ISSUE.

Breaking News: City Council Attorney Demands Transparency from Mayor in letter instructing on the sunshine laws of Indiana

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City Council Attorney, Scott Danks
City Council Attorney, Scott Danks

City Council Attorney Scott Danks sent a letter to Mayoral Attorney Ted Ziemer outlining just what the laws are with respect to the obligations and powers of the Mayor when it comes to deciding what is public information and what is not. The letter is on the link at the end of this article.

Among the items Danks addressed are first that the Mayor of any Indiana city DOES NOT have the authority to withhold information of any sort pertaining city business from a city council. Mayors furthermore do not have the power or authority to mandate confidentiality on anything provided to the city council. Thirdly once any document is in the possession of the city council it is the responsibility of the city council to make documents public according to the laws of Indiana without interference or admonishment from the mayor.

Exhibit_#1_Letter_of_permission_from_City_Council_Attorney_to_release_the_following_exhibits_pertaining_to_IT_assessments_report (1)

EPD Activity Report July 29, 2013

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EPD PATCH 2012

EPD Activity Report July 29, 2013

IS IT TRUE, July 30, 2013

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE, July 30, 2013

IS IT TRUE according to the itemized billing statement dated 3-24-2013 and acknowledged as received by the City of Evansville on April 1, 2013, on 3-8-2013 a Strategy and Advisory Assessment/Planning meeting was held with T Morehead of McGladrey LLP and two local elected officials?… invoice #4054542 that was sent by McGladrey LLP to the City Controller office for payment states that two of our local elected officials met with Mr. T Morehead for 11 hours on 3-8-2013?…we wonder why the Mayor of Evansville and the President of the County Commission needed to meet with Mr. Morehead of McGladrey for 11 hours on 3-8-2013?…the one thing we are certain of is that it could not be about the details of any recommended IT changes as neither of these people have any technical background at all?

IS IT TRUE the dates associated with the April 8th study which our Civic Center Moles tell us does exist and is not referred to anywhere as a draft or preliminary copy are a real point of curiosity?…given the rather large difference in the size of the April and July reports and the alleged differences in the narrative of the April and July reports, there was considerable work done in abbreviating and softening the language between March 24 and July 23?…with the words of the invoice being chosen to indicate the April 8th report was the final report and the invoice being as detailed as any law firms bill you have ever seen it makes sense that one of two things are possible?…the first possibility is that McGladrey just forgot to stamp the April 8th report as a draft and messed up with the language on their invoice?…the second possibility is that the allegations of the Winnecke Administration exercising influence over the content of the July report are true?…we are also interested to learn if there will be another invoice from McGladrey for the hours spent on massaging the report during the months of April, May, June, and July?…if there is another bill it will be interesting to see the words chosen for the invoice?…Mayor Winnecke campaigned hard on a platform that included transparency and collaboration?

IS IT TRUE this fiasco (ReportGate) and the strong assertions of the City Attorney that the April 8th document is not public property even though it was clearly paid for with taxpayer dollars is the antithesis of transparency and collaboration?…the easiest course of action for Mayor Winnecke at this point in time rather than dig his heels in over legal details is to just release the April 8th study and let the chips fall where they will?…the Mole Nation tells us that aside from the language chosen and the length there is little difference in the real content or the recommendations?…the language differences in the words “little Johnny is thick headed” and “little Johnny has some challenges in this subject that he just can’t seem to rise up to solve” may sound different to little Johnny’s loving mother but the F in IT remains the same?

IS IT TRUE the sanitization of constructive criticism that both of the McGladrey studies clearly were seems to be standard operating procedure for local government and promoter types in all cities?…this type of spinning happens all over America in the name of political correctness every day?…little Johnny may have gotten and F in IT but an A in spin and therein lies the problem?…a culture of unrealistic positive spin all the time has a debilitative effect on the ability of a population to make good voting decisions?…it could be argued that most elections and decisions of public importance are made without an honest discussion of the real issues needing to be resolved?…before long if all one hears is lies, platitudes and political spin one begins to believe them to be the truth?…unfortunately the damage done by such miscarriage of honest dialog is how many American cities have rationalized themselves into the Detroit death spiral?…even today civic leaders and their surrogates in Detroit will say “it’s a great place to raise kids” and “we have a good quality of life”?…every place uses such platitudes and a few of them are telling the truth?…you can tell which ones are telling the truth by real statistics on educational attainment, upward career mobility, earnings, crime, and fiscal strength of both families and government?

IS IT TRUE the CCO admonishes the Office of the Mayor to lift the embargo on the April 8th study so more people can start thinking from a realistic snapshot in time about what needs to be done to establish a world class IT department within the City of Evansville?…having exclusively elected officials none of which have a technical background and their attorneys on this case will not be sufficient to implement or sustain the recommendations that McGladrey has made in both studies?

Link to the April 8th McGladrey Study

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Here is a link to the full April 8th version of the McGladrey study that is clearly labeled as the IT Assessment for the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County.

http://media.courierpress.com/media/static/IT_Services_Report.pdf

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