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VHS Pet of the Week: “Petey”

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Petey is a 2 year old American Staffordshire terrier mix. He is very friendly and already knows how to sit and shake. His adoption fee is $100 which includes his neuter, microchip and vaccines.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.
This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, October 01, 2012.

Tereasa Flener Domestic Battery – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions
Adam Freer Receiving Stolen Property – Class D Felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony (Two Counts)

Edward Garrison Domestic Battery – Class A Misdemeanor

(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictio
Kinze Morris Receiving Stolen Property – Class D Felony

Resisting Law Enforcement – Class D Felony Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor (Two Counts)
Reckless Driving – Class B Misdemeano
Chad Oliver Battery – Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor (Two Counts)

Paula Rainey Theft – Class D Felony

Steven Rodriquez Theft – Class D Felony

Josh Sanford Burglary – Class C Felony

Forgery – Class C Felony

Theft – Class D Felony

Brandy Wolfe Auto Theft – Class D Felony

Theft – Class D Felony

Daniel Wolfe Auto Theft – Class D Felony

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

SENTENCE CHART

Class
Range
Murder
45-65 Years
A Felony
20-50 Years
B Felony
6-20 Years
C Felony
2-8 Years
D Felony
½ – 3 Years
A Misdemeanor
0-1 Year
B Misdemeanor
0-180 Days
C Misdemeanor
0-60 Days

SBOA Audit: Evansville Wastewater & Sewer Utility

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CITY OF EVANSVILLE
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS

Section I – Summary of Auditor’s Results

Financial Statement:
Type of auditor’s report issued: Disclaimer
Internal control over financial reporting:
Material weaknesses identified? yes
Significant deficiency identified? none reported
Noncompliance material to financial statement noted? yes

Federal Awards:
Internal control over major programs:
Material weaknesses identified? no
Significant deficiencies identified? none reported
Type of auditor’s report issued on compliance for major programs: Unqualified
Any audit findings disclosed that are required to be reported in accordance with section 510(a) of Circular A-133? no

Identification of Major Programs:
CFDA
Number

Name of Federal Program or Cluster

CDBG – Entitlement Grants Cluster
14.256 ARRA – Neighborhood Stabilization Program
JAG Program Cluster
Highway Planning and Construction Cluster
66.458 Capitalization Grants for Clean Water State Revolving Funds
81.128 ARRA – Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG)
Dollar threshold used to distinguish between Type A and Type B programs: $449,039
Auditee qualified as low-risk auditee? no
Section II – Financial Statement Findings

FINDING 2011-1 – INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS AND REPORTING

We noted several deficiencies in the internal control system of the City related to financial transactions and reporting. We believe the following deficiencies constitute material weaknesses

1. Preparing Financial Statements: Effective internal control over financial reporting involves the identification and analysis of the risks of material misstatement to the City’s audited financial statements and then determining how those identified risks should be managed. The City has not identified risks to the preparation of reliable financial statements and as a result has failed to design effective controls over the preparation of the financial statements to prevent or detect material misstatements, including notes to the financial statements.

2. Monitoring of Controls: Effective internal control over financial reporting requires the City Council to monitor and assess the quality of the City’s system of internal control. The City Council has not performed either an ongoing or separate evaluation of their system of internal controls. The failure to exercise their oversight responsibility place the City at risk that controls may not be designed or operating effectively to provide reasonable assurance that controls will prevent or detect material misstatements in a timely manner. Additionally, the City has no process to identify or communicate corrective actions to improve controls. Governmental units should have internal controls in effect which provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial information and records, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, proper execution of management’s objectives, and compliance with laws and regulations. Among other things, segregation of duties, safeguarding controls over cash and all other assets and all forms of information processing are necessary for proper internal control.

Controls over the receipting, disbursing, recording and accounting for the financial activities are necessary to avoid substantial risk of invalid transactions, inaccurate records and financial statements and incorrect decision making. (Accounting and Uniform Compliance Guidelines Manual for Cities and Towns, Chapter 7

FINDING 2011-2 – INTERNAL CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE ISSUES – SCHEDULE OF EXPENDITURES OF FEDERAL AWARDS DEFICIENCIES

The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) is required by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133, Audits of States, and Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations for entities expending federal funds in excess of $500,000 in order to summarize the use of federal monies received. The City did not have procedures in place whereby grants applied for by the various City Departments and approved by the City Council are summarized and the information coordinated with the City Controller’s office in order for financial activity associated with federal grant funds awarded to be properly identified and recorded in the financial records.

Due to this internal control deficiency, we were unable to issue an opinion on the SEFA. We also could not determine if all major programs were identified.

Circular A133 Subpart C section .300 states:

“The auditee shall:

(a) Identify, in its accounts, all Federal awards received and expended and the Federal programs under which they were received. Federal program and award identification shall include, as applicable, the CFDA title and number, award number and year, name of the Federal agency, and name of the pass-through entity.

(b) Maintain internal control over Federal programs that provides reasonable assurance that the auditee is managing Federal awards in compliance with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements that could have a material effect on each of its Federal programs.”

Accounting records and other public records must be maintained in a manner that will support accurate financial statements. Anything other than an unqualified opinion on the Independent Auditors’
Report on the financial statements may have adverse financial consequences with the possibility of an increase in interest rate cost to the taxpayers of the governmental unit. (Accounting and Uniform Compliance Guidelines Manual for Cities and Towns, Chapter 7) We recommended that the City implement procedures and controls to ensure that required information is properly identified and available for preparation of the SEFA.

FINDING 2011-3 – COMPLIANCE ISSUE – BANK ACCOUNT RECONCILIATIONS

Fund balances were not reconciled to bank balances for the entire year of 2011. As of July 31, 2012, City officials were still unable to reconcile the ledger to the bank account and were still making corrections to the December 31, 2011 fund balances. New accounting software was implemented in 2011. The new accounting system is not producing accurate fund statements which can be reconciled to the bank account. Indiana Code 5-13-6-1(e) states: “All local investment officers shall reconcile at least monthly the balance of public funds, as disclosed by the records of the local officers, with the balance statements provided by the respective depositories.”

At all times, the manual and/or computerized records, subsidiary ledgers, control ledger, and reconciled bank balance should agree. If the reconciled bank balance is less than the subsidiary or control ledgers, then the responsible official or employee may be held personally responsibility for the amount needed to balance the fund. (Accounting and Uniform Compliance Guidelines Manual for Cities and Towns, Chapter 7)

Because the fund balances could not be reconciled to the bank balances at year end, the accuracy of any fund’s receipts, disbursements and balances, as reported in the financial statement, cannot be verified. We recommended that the City officials take steps necessary to reconcile the December 31, 2011 bank balance to the total fund balance. After 2011 has been reconciled, City officials should reconcile monthly on a timely basis.

http://www.in.gov/sboa/WebReports/B41037.pdf

Intervention Landscapes opens at New Harmony Gallery

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The New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art presents Intervention Landscapes by Armin Mühsam. The exhibit runs from October 6 through November 11. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. October 6. The reception is free and open to the public.

Intervention Landscapes is a series of paintings that combine traditional landscape painting with the presence of human-built objects.

“Technology in this sense encompasses all human activity to assert control over the land; in this process, technology also transfers its values and its symbols to architecture,” Mühsam said. “Because technology envelops us so thoroughly, we accept it as the only possible reality. The more we are enclosed by it, the less we notice that we lose touch with the natural, unmediated world.”

Mühsam is associate professor of art at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the University of Applied Sciences in München, Germany, and his Master of Fine Art degree in painting at Montana State University.

More information about Mühsam’s work can be found on his website at http://www.freshrod.com/armin/biography.html.

The New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is located at 506 Main Street in New Harmony, Indiana, and is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Nominations Now Open for 2012 EVSC Hall of Fame

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Nominations are now open for EVSC’s 2012 Hall of Fame, sponsored by EVSC Foundation. The deadline for accepting nominations will be Oct. 31, 2012. The selected honorees will be announced in November 2012.

Nominees should be:

· EVSC alumni whose lifetime achievements warrant consideration.

· Non-EVSC alumni who has made a positive impact on publication education in the greater community.

Nominations may be made by going to: http://www.evscschools.com/evsc-offices/office-development and filling out the online nomination form, or by stopping by the EVSC Administration Building, 951 Walnut Street, to pick up a form. Forms are due by Oct. 31 to the EVSC Office of Development, 951 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN 47713.

The EVSC Hall of Fame honors distinguished individuals who exemplify outstanding achievement in their life’s work. The Hall of Fame is intended to inspire EVSC students to seek excellence in their own education and careers and is intended to emphasize the importance of service to the community. A gala ceremony honoring the new inductees is being planned for March 20, 2013.

Co-chairmen of the 2012 Hall of Fame are: Wayne Henning, retired executive vice president regional chief operating officer for Old National Bank; Randy Miller, founder of South Western Communications, Inc. and former president of EVSC Foundation; and Ben Shoulders, assistant vice president commercial relationship manager for Fifth Third Bank.

In September 2010, the first class of inductees into the EVSC Hall of Fame was named and honored. They included:

Brent Beeler

A graduate of Harrison High School and Indiana State University, Beeler dedicated his career to building Berry Plastics into a multi-billion dollar international business.

Charles H. Bundrant

Bundrant followed his dream after graduating from North High School to Alaska, where he founded Trident Seafoods, America’s largest and most successful seafood company.

Gayle Cook

A graduate of Bosse High School, Cook and her late husband, Bill Cook, founded the medical manufacturing company Cook Group Incorporated and revitalized historic towns through their generosity and vision.

Lee Hamilton

A graduate of Central High School and former congressman for Indiana’s ninth district, Hamilton serves as the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University and previously served as the president and director for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.

Donald B. Korb

A graduate of Stanley Hall and Bosse High School, Korb was instrumental in the early development of Crescent, Cresline and Wabash Plastics companies and graduated from both Wabash College and Harvard Business School.

James A. McCarty, Sr.

A Bosse High School graduate, founder of Colonial Garden Centers, Inc., and a real estate developer, McCarty created the Bosse C.A.R.E.S. Program, which prepared high school students for post secondary careers and education, and inspired the district-wide Southern Indiana Career Access Network (SICAN) now in place in the EVSC.

William G. Mays

A graduate of Central High School, and attended Lincoln High School, Mays founded Mays Chemical Company which provides chemical products to the food, pharmaceutical and automotive industry and owns the nation’s fourth oldest surviving African American newspaper, The Indianapolis Recorder.

Mattie Miller

Miller was considered by many as a pioneer and bridge-builder for race relations in the 1960’s through today, and retired as a beloved principal from Harper Elementary School.

William Ridgway

After a distinguished career in his family-owned ophthalmology business, Dr. Ridgway established Harlaxton College in Grantham England for the University of Evansville.

John H. Schroeder

A graduate of Bosse High School, Wabash College, and Harvard Business School, John H. pioneered the plastics industry and developed Evansville as a nucleus of this country’s “Plastic Valley,” as well as championing many philanthropic organizations.

Randall Shepard

A graduate of Harrison High School, Judge Shepard was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1985 at the age of 38 and became Chief Justice in 1987. He recently retired from the position and is now executive in residence at the Indiana University Public Policy Institute in Indianapolis.

Matt Williams

A graduate of Reitz High School, Williams started his television career as a writer/producer for “The Cosby Show.” He has several movies and television programs to his credit, but may be best known as the creator and executive producer of the hit series “Roseanne,” and the co-creator and executive producer of “Home Improvement.” It was during this time that his work was honored with Emmy and Humanitas nominations, as well as sharing a Peabody Award for outstanding achievement in television writing.

IS IT TRUE October 2, 2012

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IS IT TRUE October 2, 2012

IS IT TRUE that McGraw-Hill Companies publishes financial research and analysis on stocks and bonds? …that Standard & Poor’s is a division of McGraw-Hill?…that Standard & Poor’s is one of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies that gauges the “credit worthiness” of potential debtors, including municipalities such as the City of Evansville?…that a representative from Standard & Poor’s called the Civic Center today asking for a copy of the State Board of Accounts Audit that was recently released?… that, coincidentally, the State Board of Accounts audit found the City of Evansville has not reconciled its books for the last 21 months? …that the employee at the Civic Center referred Standard & Poor’s to none other than www.City-CountyObserver.com to find the link to the audit?…that the Civic Center employee asked the Standard & Poor’s representative if this audit was going to be used to determine the City of Evansville’s next bond rating?…that the Standard & Poor’s employee said “Yes” emphatically?… that the employee left his name and number with Standard & Poor’s and asked that they call him when they know when the next bond rating for the City of Evansville will be issued? …that this Civic Center employee, a trusted friend of the City-County Observer, said he will turn that information over to the CCO the minute he knows Evansville’s new bond rating is released?…that Mayor Lloyd Winnecke recently released a statement that “the city’s fiscal health is strong and affirmed by the bond rating of ‘AA-‘ assigned by Standard & Poor’s?”…that the AA- rating means the city has a “very strong capacity to meet financial commitments,” according to Mayor Winnecke?…that we shall soon see?

IS IT TRUE that on Page 41 of the audit it is noted that the City of Evansville entered into a contract agreement with SMG, effective Jan. 1, 2006, to manage Roberts Stadium, Victory Theater, and Mesker Music Theater?…that the contract required an independent annual audit of SMG?…that on Sept. 5, 2007, an addendum to the contract was added, amending the contract from requiring an “audit” to requiring a “review”?…that the audit results recently released show that as of July 2012, a review of SMG had not been completed by the City of Evansville for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011?… that the recently released SBOA audit reads: “Without the independent review of SMG’s financial records the accuracy of amounts paid to or received from SMG cannot be verified?”…that on Jan. 31, 2011, then-Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel issued a memo to City Council members (https://city-countyobserver.com/2011/01/31/mayor-weinzapfels-unedited-memo-to-the-city-council-regarding-the-decision-on-the-management-of-the-arena/) explaining why the City was going with a new company, VenuWorks to manage the Ford Center?…that then-Mayor Weinzapfel stated in that memo that a committee “concluded that SMG was a highly successful and skilled company, but that their long-term focus on the success of the new arena was a concern,” and “It is not possible to consider the selection of a management company without a hard look at the performance of the incumbent”? …we wonder if we can take then-Mayor Weinzapfel’s words to heart now that we know a State Board of Accounts audit finds that not a single review of SMG was held from the years 2006 through 2011.

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke has been quoted as saying that all of the problems uncovered by the 2011 SBOA Audit have been solved?…we wonder if the problem of having a controller put into the position of having to reconcile over 100 accounts by hand every month constitutes a solution to the City of Evansville’s problem in Mayor Winnecke’s mind?…this failure to parallel the software packages to put the City into such a compromised financial position is not a forgivable transgression?…unless the MIPS system that the City of Evansville has already burned over a Million Bucks trying to integrate is installed and flawless there is not yet a solution?…we will assume that this Mayor who comes from the banking world has the good sense to understand that an unaudited set of books that were manually balanced with no real time reconciliation software is not a solution?…it is barely a band aid for a gaping wound?…the people of Evansville and the Evansville City Council need to take this BULL by the horns and find the responsible parties so that an appropriate consequence can be administered?…if this Mayor gets in the way of investigating this fiasco of all fiascos (so far) then the people of this town and the City Council need to override his authority and go forward with an investigation, a finding, and of course a financial accounting solution that works?…if someone has to answer to a court over what caused this then so be it?…the time for protecting sacred cows has passed?…Evansville cannot afford to go forward without making this right?…the City of Evansville and the people of Evansville deserve not to be lied to, stolen from, to wallow in Bee Slough, and to smell like it if this endemic idiocy is not challenged?

Tax Policy Center: 90 percent of Americans to face higher taxes if Congress doesn’t act on fiscal cliff

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Nearly 90 percent of Americans would face higher taxes next year if Congress permits the nation to hurtle over the “fiscal cliff,” the year-end precipice of tax hikes and spending cuts that threatens to throw the nation back into recession.

A study published Monday by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center finds that taxes would go up by a collective $536 billion next year, or about $3,500 per household, reducing after-tax income by about 6.2 percent.

For most taxpayers, the bulk of the increase would be triggered by the scheduled expiration of tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 during the George W. Bush administration. The expiration of President Obama’s payroll tax holiday, which shaves 2 percentage points off payments to Social Security, comes in a close second.

But the lowest earners would be hardest hit by the expiration of tax breaks enacted as part of Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus package, the study found. Those losses would include an expansion of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit for working families, as well as a $2,500 credit for college tuition, which would shrink to $1,800 and be available for only two years instead of the current four.

New taxes in Obama’s health-care initiative, levies that are set to take effect for the first time, such as a new 3.8 percent tax on capital gains for high-income households will bring the hit up to $412 for low income earners, to $2,000 per middle class household to $120,000 per household for the so called top 1%.

It was recently calculated that confiscation of all of the income (100%) from the top 1% of earners would only run the government for about a month.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.
This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, September 28, 2012.

Gary Cartwright, Sr. Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Public Intoxication – Class B Misdemeanor

Donald Mosher, Sr. Operating a Vehicle After Forfeiture of License for Life – Class C Felony

Divarious Rockmore Operating a Vehicle After Forfeiture of License for Life – Class C Felony

Patrick McFadden Criminal Recklessness – Class D Felony (Two Counts)

Russell Summers Theft –Class D Felony

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
SENTENCE CHART

Class Range
Murder 45-65 Years
Class A Felony 20-50 Years
Class B Felony 6-20 Years
Class C Felony 2-8 Years
Class D Felony ½ – 3 Years
Class A Misdemeanor 0-1 Year
Class B Misdemeanor 0-180 Days
Class C Misdemeanor 0-60 Days