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IS IT TRUE July 3, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE July 3, 2012

IS IT TRUE several members of the MOLE NATION are now telling the City County Observer that Vanderburgh County Democrat Party Chairman Jack McNeely is lobbying hard for the Evansville City Council to approve full funding for the Johnson Controls deal?…old ways really do seem to die hard for an old UNION BOSS who just can’t seem to grasp the breadth of his new job as Democrat Party Chairman?…the only reason for anyone to be lobbying so hard before this deal has been VETTED is self interest?…the self interest in this case is not profits for Johnson Controls or inside deals for consultants and attorneys?…this time the former UNION BOSS is lobbying for jobs for the brotherhood to do work that has not yet been proven to be beneficial to the people of Evansville?…that this deal like all deals should be VETTED completely and upon full transparent and honest approval let out for bids?…that it is insider dealing in closed door meetings and political arm twisting that has lead to a prolonged economic malaise in Evansville and even the country?…that McNeely’s tactics are part of the problem?

IS IT TRUE that attraction projects to get new factories into cities and regions can take years to bear fruit and that for the City of Mobile, Alabama one of those efforts had a major announcement yesterday?…that the European aerospace giant Airbus will be making jetliners in Mobile and will be employing 1,000 people in the plant?…that in the second paragraph of the announcement the words “RIGHT TO WORK” were placed prominently as one of the reasons for the decision to choose Mobile?…the Europe based plants were also called out for being “HEAVILY UNIONIZED”?…that even a company that was formed in a largely socialistic cross-borders agency is learning the lessons of free markets and migrating their workforce to right to work parts of the United States?…despite the right to work status of Alabama these 1,000 jobs will pay very well and demand high skills and a good work ethic?…that Boeing just last year put in a new jetliner facility in the right to work state of South Carolina?…the CCO hopes to see factories like these to start factories in Indiana which saw the same light that Airbus saw in 2012?…that in some ways the future is beginning to look a bit brighter for Hoosiers?

IS IT TRUE that in the field of manufacturing an official government report came out yesterday that shows the US manufacturing sector shrunk in June for the first time since July 2009?…the index is now below 50 for the first time in over three years which is an indicator of contraction as opposed to expanding?…that an index of 50 means staying the same?…the other industrialized nations including Germany, Spain, China, and the UK worse than ours and range from 41 to 48 as opposed to the USA’s 49?…this is not positive news for the economy and it in all likelihood an indicator that Friday’s jobs report will not be favorable?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO staff along with the rest of the our readers have awakened this morning to an unwelcome 25 cent per gallon increase in the price of gasoline?…this is just in time to have our pockets picked on any 4th of July travel that has already been planned?…that this is a suspicious move that is just enough to put a cool pile of money into the oil company (or local dealerships) coffers without breaking any of us but it is certainly infuriating?

The Johnson Control Approval Minutes: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EVANSVILLE WATER & SEWER UTILITY

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Another RUBBER STAMP

The City County Observer has finally obtained the minutes from the meeting when the Johnson Controls deal was approved unanimously by the board of directors of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board. The following excerpt shows that there was no discussion or questioning of the deal that commits the people of Evansville to $80 Million in spending and nearly 3% per year rate increases over the next 20 years.

Approve Agreement with Johnson Controls

ON MOTION by James Gribbins, seconded by Tina Murphy, and unanimously carried, the Board approved an agreement with Johnson Controls, Inc. for implementation of a guaranteed savings agreement per Indiana Code §36-1-12.5 to provide and oversee various efficiency-related improvements at the water filter plant and wastewater plants, installation of automated wireless water meters, and construction and implementation of fiber optic and wireless networks, recommended by Jim Garrard and Matt Arvay.
Approve IRC Petition for Johnson Controls

ON MOTION by Barry Russell, seconded by James Gribbins, and unanimously carried, the Board approved IRC Petition, recommended by James Garrard.

Full Minutes on Link

Evansville_Water_and_Sewer_Utility_Board_Meeting_Minutes_2011.11.15

Shirey earns prestigious Hispanic award in nursing

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Dr. Maria Shirey, associate professor of nursing in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Indiana, is the 2012 recipient of the Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Award for Education Excellence, presented by the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN). The award honors NAHN members who have distinguished themselves in any scholarship area and/or nursing education. Qualifications for the award include, outstanding contributions in nursing education, research, and practice, recognized commitment to excellence in nursing, or distinguished clinical expertise.

Shirey will receive the award at a reception and gala on Friday, July 20, 2012, during the NAHN Annual Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Dr. Rhode was a pioneer nurse leader, educator, and researcher. She was an inspiration for countless nurses and I am thankful to receive an award named in her honor,” said Shirey.

Shirey, a nurse executive with more than 30 years of experience in the health care field, teaches in the graduate program focusing on leadership and management in both the Master of Science (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. Her research focuses on nurse manager work complexity to provide a better understanding of the nurse manager role and its unique contributions to health care systems. Her work on the relationship between leadership and the practice environment of nurses is considered a seminal contribution to the nursing literature.

She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Florida State University, a master’s degree in nursing from Texas Woman’s University, a Master of Business Administration from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. in nursing science from Indiana University. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in advanced nursing executive practice, and board certified in health care management and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Her experience includes roles as staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, academic faculty, nurse manager, nursing director, hospital vice-president, and entrepreneur. She is active in multiple professional organizations such as the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Indiana Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Healthcare Executives, and The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS).

Dr. Shirey is active as a regional, national, and international speaker on various evidence-based leadership and management topics. She is a prolific author, editor, and scholar frequently contributing to peer-reviewed journals and professional venues. She is the recipient of multiple professional honors including two national awards from the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and three Circle of Excellence awards from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. In recognition of her national and international contributions to nursing and health policy, she was selected and inducted as a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.

Source: USI.edu

4th of July Wagon & Stroller Parade

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Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden

Bring the kids to the Zoo for some old fashioned 4th of July family fun! Decorate a wagon or stroller and enter it in the Zoo’s 4th of July Wagon and Stroller Parade! Enter your stroller or wagon in either the Patriotic or Animal Themed category. Be creative as you decorate your parade entry to compete for a first place prize of a Family Zoo Membership and a second place prize of four free Zoo tickets, to be awarded in each category. If you wish to enter, please arrive at the Zoo at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 4. You will be given an entry number and the parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. Participants will be led by members of the Boom Squad in a parade as a group to the paddleboat dock and stop on the Lake Victoria dam for judging. Then, contestants will parade back to the Entry Plaza where prizes will be awarded. There will be several great door prizes, including a large gift set from Toys to Treasure, Children’s Place gift cards, treats from Family video, and coupons for everyone from Lic’s Deli and Ice Cream and Gattitown!

Please note: One entry number will be given to each wagon or stroller. There is no limit to the number of children in each wagon or stroller. The prize of one Family Membership to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden can either be used to purchase a Family Membership or renew an existing Family Membership, no exceptions. The use of live animals, balloons, or any type of fireworks is prohibited on parade entries. Zoo admission or valid zoo membership are required to enter the parade. Please call (812) 435-6143 ext. 409 with any questions.

Zoeller: Indiana to receive $6.3 million in settlement with drug-maker GSK

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Largest healthcare fraud settlement: $2B civil damages, $1B criminal penalty

INDIANAPOLIS – The State of Indiana will receive more than $6.3 million as its share of a $2 billion civil settlement that drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline will pay various states and the federal government to resolve Medicaid fraud allegations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced today. The $2 billion national civil settlement with GSK is the largest civil recovery in a health care fraud investigation in U.S. history, and the company has also agreed to pay a $1 billion criminal fine to resolve federal charges.

Zoeller said Indiana will join in the national settlement and GlaxoSmithKline will pay the state $6,386,277.19 to resolve allegations that Indiana Medicaid was wrongly billed for ineligible claims for certain drugs GSK manufactures. The civil settlement is based in part on four whistleblower lawsuits filed under the False Claims Act that exposed illegal drug marketing practices, and the whistleblowers will be eligible to receive a state portion of the recovery specifically related to the Indiana claims, approximately $245,000.

“The False Claims Act has shown itself to be a powerful tool whistleblowers can use to stop fraud against the Medicaid program and the state can use to recover Medicaid funds that had been wrongly paid out. The broader national settlement, the largest ever involving a health care fraud investigation, sends a powerful message that state governments and our federal partners will not tolerate overbilling and wrongful billing of Medicaid,” Zoeller said. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) participated in the settlement.

A British pharmaceutical manufacturer with a U.S. subsidiary in Delaware, GlaxoSmithKline or GSK has agreed to pay $2 billion in damages and civil penalties to compensate various other states, Indiana and the federal government in a combined civil settlement to resolve the allegations.

One component of the civil agreement settles the four whistleblower lawsuits, called qui tam lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. The lawsuits alleged GSK engaged in illegal off-label marketing of some of its drugs to induce physicians to prescribe them for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration; and as a result, ineligible claims for those prescriptions then were submitted to Medicaid for reimbursement.

While it is not illegal for physicians to prescribe drugs for uses not approved by the FDA, it is illegal for the drug manufacturer to market drugs for non-approved uses. The whistleblowers alleged that GSK paid physicians illegal kickbacks – such as speaker programs and trainings and gifts of travel, entertainment and cash – to induce them to prescribe the drugs for non-approved uses.

The whistleblower lawsuits alleged GSK illegally marketed off-label the following products: the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, the respiratory drug Advair, the anti-seizure drug Lamictal and the anti-nausea drug Zofran. The lawsuits also alleged GSK offered illegal kickbacks for promoting and prescribing those drugs as well as four other GSK products – Imitrex, Lotronex, Flovent and Valtrex.

GSK will pay $1.042 billion in that part of the national civil settlement. Indiana Medicaid will recover $3.4 million for the off-label marketing and kickbacks involving claims paid for the drugs.

The national settlement agreement resolves two other investigations initiated by the government and not whistleblowers. One involves allegations that GSK engaged in misleading and improper promotion of its diabetes drug Avandia, through false representations made about the drug’s cardiovascular effect to physicians and providers. GSK agreed to pay a total settlement of $657 million involving claims paid by Medicaid for Avandia, of which Indiana will recover $1.75 million.

The settlement also resolves allegations that GSK failed to comply with federal “best price” requirements for drug reimbursements by underpaying rebates to state Medicaid programs. GSK agreed to pay $300 million in the national settlement, from which Indiana Medicaid will receive $1.22 million.

As part of the settlement, GSK also agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges that it violated the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The federal government alleged that GSK introduced Wellbutrin and Paxil into interstate commerce when the drugs were misbranded, meaning they contained labels not in accordance with their FDA approvals, and that GSK failed to report certain clinical data regarding Avandia to the FDA. GSK has agreed to pay a $1 billion criminal fine in connection with those allegations.

Funds the state recovers through the civil settlement will go back into the Indiana Medicaid program and pay for investigations of other providers.

Since January 2009, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has joined in 17 settlements of whistleblower lawsuits against drug manufacturers for illegal off-label marketing that has resulted in approximately $35 million in recovery to the Indiana Medicaid program.

As part of a public awareness effort called “Blow the Whistle on Fraud,“ Zoeller and deputy attorneys general from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit have spoken to groups of workers from the health care industry to explain their legal rights as whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. If a whistleblower files a qui tam lawsuit alleging fraud on a government contract, then under the False Claims Act the whistleblower is eligible for a percentage of any damages or settlement recovered at the end of the litigation. The whistleblowers in the GSK case will be eligible for a portion of the national settlement funds, not yet calculated.

“Whistleblowers who have the courage to file these types of lawsuits and expose Medicaid fraud are typically company insiders, and the False Claims Act provides them a percentage of settlement funds as a reward for their effort and hardship in bringing a lawsuit against their employer and to possibly help them transition to new employment,” Zoeller said.

To learn more about how whistleblowers can file suit under the False Claims Act, visit this link:

http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2807.htm

Members of the public can report fraud against the Medicaid program or Medicaid patient abuse and neglect by contacting the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at (800) 382-1039.

Civic Center Events Calendar – July

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CC MEETING ROOM EVENTS July Calendar

IS IT TRUE July 2, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE July 2, 2012

IS IT TRUE the City of Evansville made the national news two times last week?…that historically when Evansville finds itself featured in the national news it seldom sheds positive light upon us and last week’s two trips to the spotlight kept with that outcome?…one recent bit of national exposure this time highlighted what would be classified as general buffoonery in line with last year’s worlds ugliest criminal, the most obese city in America, and the incident when a guy was stuck in a chimney?…that another would-be thief go stuck in another chimney making Evansville the fodder of jokes for doing dumb things yet again?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville’s second trip into the national spotlight was a bit more serious and followed on the Daily Show’s characterization of Evansville as “the crap in the street capital of America”?…that story and the recent one are not only damaging to our reputation but point out not only buffoonery but absolutely poor public policy?…the incident of real importance that merits investigation and a change in policy involves the shock and awe stun grenade attack by the Evansville Police Department at the residence of Ira Milan and his family?…that this over the top incident happened to a family that is liked and respected by many people?…the “evidence” used to make the decision to attack was based on an internet protocol address registered to the Milan home that was set up as an open network meaning anyone who was within range of the gear could have logged on an posted the threat on a blog that inspired the aggressive move?

IS IT TRUE that was just the start of the buffoonery?…that after the fact the judge, the police, the clerk, and what seems to have been the entire criminal justice system stonewalled reporters who were trying to do their jobs?…it took a lawyer and a Freedom of Information Act request to get the powers that be to finally cough up stamped public documents?…obstruction of the First Amendment while a violation of the law is just the way things have been done in the Civic Center for so long that it seems like the powers that be do not even know right from wrong?…the CCO has had to deal with this kind of obstructionism over and over again and that while it is good to learn that we are not alone in being treated like red headed stepchildren the oppression of information that is public information is not an acceptable way for this or any city to be run?…as politician after politician has had to learn the hard way, from Jonathan Weinzapfel and his Homestead Tax Grab, to President Richard Nixon with Watergate, to Attorney General Eric Holder and the “Fast and Furious” gun running operation, IT IS THE COVERUP THAT GET YOU?…the best course of action for the powers that be in Evansville should cease their obstructionist ways and come completely clean on this incident before it really gets out of hand?

IS IT TRUE that Florida and nine other states have openly stated that they will not be complying with the Affordable Health Care Act that is also known as Obamacare?…this will be a most interesting thing to watch unfold as the Supreme Court may have found a way to uphold the law but also neutered the federal government’s power to use the purse as a whip on the states?…we are certain that we will all be hearing all of the good and bad of Obamacare in the next 4 months?…that it seems as though the VETTING and READING that should have been done in 2010 may finally happen this year?…the VETTING ability of the US Congress and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission are about the same?

VHS Urges Public to Protect Pets on Independence Day

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Our nation’s birthday is right around the corner, and while
celebrations with fireworks are exciting for people, those same booming fireworks can terrorize dogs
and cats. What’s the best way to keep your pets safe during this exciting holiday? Leave them at
home in the air conditioning! This will make the Fourth of July happy and stress-free for you and your
pet!

Nationally, the first business day following July 4th is the busiest at animal shelters for lost and found
pets. “The thunderous noise from firework displays often frightens and disorients pets, and as a
result they will often bolt from their owners or yard trying to get away from that noise,” says VHS PR
Coordinator Sydney Long. “Even the most social, easy going pets are often affected.”

Typically, the VHS receives 3 times the normal calls for lost pets following the explosive holiday.
When fireworks begin, dogs have been known to jump fences, dig out of their yards, break chains,
and even bust through glass windows because of their wild fear. When pets are left alone to panic
while owners are at holiday celebrations, ordinarily well-behaved pets may become destructive and
unpredicatable. Make sure your pet is inside confined to a crate or safe area of your home where they
cannot destroy contents of your home or harm themselves. If your pet’s anxiety is serious, contact
your veternarian in advance to discuss ways to alleviate the fear and anxiety.

Pet identification is a necessary factor in ensuring your pet’s safe return if it does go missing. A
proper-fitting collar, ID tags, and microchip will greatly increase your chances of getting your beloved
pet home safely and promptly. Make sure that all of your contact information is up-to-date.

Let’s make this a safe and happy Independence Day for people and pets by starting with prevention!

The VHS will be closed Wednesday July 4th in observance of the holiday. For more information,
contact Kendall Paul at 426-2563 ext. 214. Sydney Long will be on vacation the week of July 4th.

Adult Only Lifeguard Classes

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(EVANSVILLE, IN)- Are you a sun worshipper? Do you like the water? How about kids
and the smell of chlorine? If you answered “yes” to these questions do we have a deal for
you!

The Department of Parks and Recreation is offering an Adult Only Lifeguard
Certification class at Lloyd Pool, 6101 N. First Avenue. The class schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, July 10 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday, July 12 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday, July 14 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tuesday, July 17 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday, July 19 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday, July 24 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Lifeguards candidates must be at least 18 years old and able to swim 300 yards
continuously, tread water, complete a timed event and swim to a depth of 10 feet. To
successfully complete the course, candidates must attend all classes, participate and
demonstrate competency in all required skills and pass the written test at 80%. The cost
for the class is $129. Call Lloyd Pool at 435-6085 by July 6, 2012 to register and pick up
required forms.

Evansville Brownfields 2010 Audit

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Brownfields Audit 2010

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