The City County Observer would like to make the guiding documents for the Human Relations Commission available for our readers to analyze and form their own opinions on. Our analysis of the document on the link below is that these words are quite positive. Yesterday’s allegations against this commission were focused on one person’s perception of the activities of the commission without any comment regarding the core mission. We encourage our readers to opine on whether this commission is meeting the goals of its mission in a fair and equitable manner.
IS IT TRUE July 26, 2012
IS IT TRUE July 26, 2012
IS IT TRUE the United Neighborhoods of Evansville will be holding a forum on the subject of consolidation that could be called dueling for ballots?…the meeting will be held at the C. K. Newsome Center at 6:30 pm tonight?…the advocates for opposition to consolidation are Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis and county resident Bruce Ungethiem who is a leader in the group called CORE?…that putting the gloves on to spar for the pro-consolidation team will be Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams who has been the focus of criticism by CORE for finding a way to keep law enforcement off the table for exploring consolidation related cost savings for 10 years?…the City County Observer encourages attendance at this event and truth from the mouths of the speakers?
IS IT TRUE national organizations are predicting the cost of food from vegetables to meat will see a price increase over the next couple of months by between 5% and 10% depending on one’s location?…the culprit causing the expected increase is of course the drought and extreme temperatures that have diminished the cash crops in the nation’s breadbasket that includes Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky?…that western states have not seen much change in typical weather?…the produce from the California Central Valley and Mexico should make up for some of the losses in the heartland but there will be transportation costs adding to the shelf price of what we buy?…mercifully the gas prices that were predicted to go over $5 per gallon this summer have not done so?…back in 2009 when we were moaning about paying $2.50 per gallon no one would have predicted a 2012 statement like “gas is going down, can you believe it is ONLY $3.50 a gallonâ€?…including food and energy in the cost of living index (why those things are excluded is mind boggling) would raise the “official†price increase from early 2008 until now upwards from the 10.7% shown on the inflation calculator?
IS IT TRUE that gasbuddy.com graphs show that gasoline at the beginning of 2009 averaged $1.61 per gallon across the United States?…that today gasoline averages $3.50 per gallon for an increase of 117%?…if you drive 1,000 miles per month in a car that averages 20 miles per gallon that you burn 50 gallons a month and your monthly gas bill has increased $94.50 per month to $175.00 per month?…that a typical family has two cars that do that meaning the gas bill for an average family with two workers is now spending $350 per month on gas which is $189 per month (a car payment) more than they spent 4 years ago?…the official cost of living increase is debunked by simply looking at gas that our government conveniently excludes from the discussion?
IS IT TRUE the Obama White House does not want to highlight the pending increases in payroll taxes that will raise the tax rates on everyone that works for a living by 2% when they expire in January?…the health-care law is still not especially popular, even with Obama’s victory at the Supreme Court?…it is not good politics to note that the looming increase in the Social Security payroll tax will reduce the size of the middle-class tax cuts that the president is promoting on the campaign trail?…for ordinary Americans, the net effect on the paycheck is ultimately what counts? …if the White House is going to brag about payroll tax cuts in a report touting its tax-cut plan for the middle class, it should openly acknowledge that a good chunk of those promised tax cuts will disappear when the payroll tax cuts lapse?…the net effect of the hyped tax cuts for the middle class is pretty much a big sham in which the right hand of the government (income tax) transfers money to the left hand of the government (FICA) leaving the government with the same amount of money and working families confused about how they got tricked into thinking they got a tax cut?
USI receives $60,241 National Park Service Grant
Established in 1717 by the French as a fur-trading and military post, Fort Ouiatenon is the site of USI’s 2013 Archaeological Field School to be led by Dr. Michael Strezewski, assistant professor of anthropology. Ten USI students will participate in the field school and a five-week excavation of the site next summer. The archaeological remains of the fort and the surrounding area are owned by the Tippecanoe County Historical Association.
“In previous investigations, we found evidence for a number of Native American houses in the vicinity of the fort and other possible fort-related activities,†Strezewski said, referring to work with Dr. Robert G. McCullough, formerly of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The fort was occupied until the 1780s. The Native American villages in the area were attacked and destroyed by the Kentucky militia in 1791, under the command of Charles Scott and after that, the area was no longer a hub of Native American trade, according to Strezewski.
“We are proud to support projects like this that safeguard and preserve American battlefields,†said Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “These places are symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage that we must protect so that this and future generations can understand the struggles that define us as a nation.â€
The grant is one of 27 National Park Service grants totaling $1.35 million to preserve and protect significant battle sites from all wars fought on American soil. Funded projects preserve battlefields from the Colonial-Indian Wars through World War II and include site mapping (GPS/GIS data collection), archaeological studies, National Register of Historic Places nominations, preservation and management plans.
Federal, state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for National Park Service battlefield grants which are awarded annually. Since 1996 more than $14 million has been awarded by ABPP to help preserve significant historic battleifleds associated with wars on American soil. Additional information is available online at www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp.
For the last several years, USI’s Archaeological Field School has been held in New Harmony, Indiana.
Terry White: Building a better Indiana now
Evansville– Indiana State Senate candidate Terry White outlined his plans for rebuilding Indiana’s crumbling infrastructure and fueling job creation. White’s proposal focuses on providing the resources needed to create an efficient infrastructure network that cut costs for Hoosier businesses and puts money back in working families’ wallets.
“We must seize the opportunity to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges while we can,†said White. “We reduce costs for businesses already established, attract new businesses and put Hoosiers back to work earning a living wage.â€
White’s proposes leveraging capital from the state’s $2 billion in reserves in the form of low interest loans to local governments to fund repairs to roads, bridges, sewers and other vital infrastructure. Interest on the loans will be reinvested back into the fund.
“Job creating through infrastructure development is a proven fact. Every dollar invested returns $1.59 in additional growth and every $10 million invested can create as many as 570 jobs and as much as $32 million in sales for Indiana businesses,†said White. “It is time to give our communities the tools that will help them put Hoosiers back to work.â€
Prospective employers list infrastructure and an educated workforce as major factors in locating their business. Hoosier businesses are saddled with extra costs from delays and damage caused by inefficient and inferior infrastructure.
“The Indiana General Assembly costs local businesses money and jobs by not providing for the state’s infrastructure needs.†White said. “I’m fighting for working families to provide the resources to our communities and businesses they need to hire more workers and get our economy back on track.â€
Ron Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill Passes in House with Bipartisan Support
H.R. 459 Passes House with More Than Two Thirds Majority! 327 – 98. This bill which was sponsored by Congressman Ron Paul had 271 co-sponsors but was able to attract a substantial number of the democrat members of the house to support it. The Senate will be the next stopping place for the bill that is not expected to be allowed the courtesy of a vote by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada who worked hand in hand with Representative Nancy Pelosi to pass Obamacare in a highly partisan vote.
Private Citizen Calls for Defunding of the Vanderburgh Human Rights Commission
This letter is published without edit, opinion, or bias.
Administration Building
1 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Evansville IN 47708
Dear Councilmen McGinn, Mosby, Brinkerhoff-Riley, Robinson, Friend, Lindsey, O’Daniel, Adams and Weaver,
Gary, Indiana and Richmond, Indiana have defunded their Human Relations/Rights Commissions, and it is time for Evansville (and Vanderburgh County) to likewise defund its Human Relations Commission. The Human Relations Commission (HRC) has been a stain on our community with its incompetence, misuse of tax dollars, introduction of illegal actions, extremism, elitism and divisiveness.
Incompetence: The HRC has pushed for passage of an age discrimination ordinance (in effect in Evansville only) which makes Senior Citizen discounts illegal for apartment complexes, and potentially other situations. The HRC now realizes the mistake, but should have thought through this issue before presenting it to the City Council and County Commission.
Misuse of tax dollars:
Cronyism: The HRC in April handed $500 to one of its fellow Human Relations Commissioners for his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, of which he is a board member. Similarly, in November, the HRC handed $500 to the YWCA at the behest of one of its own commissioners. Astonishingly, this $500 was used to fund an event where participants simply held hands around a building! (The “Stand Against Racism.”)
Immoral/Unethical Favoritism: Just last month the HRC gave $200 to homosexual activists for their homosexual party (“Pride Picnic”) at Burdette Park. These were the same activists who pushed the sexual orientation/gender identity ordinance.
Other examples of such misuse can be cited. Clearly the HRC has no mechanism in place to evaluate community monetary requests on an equitable basis. Indeed, what business does the HRC have handing out tax dollars to private groups?
Illegality: The HRC worked sneakily to push a sexual orientation ordinance which criminalizes Christians and violates freedom of association. Neither the City Council nor County Commission have legal authority to pass such an ordinance. Further, in the past two years, the HRC illegally dragged a faith-based institution, St. Mary’s Medical Center, to court, only to be blocked by the Vanderburgh Superior Court judge.
Extremism: The HRC shamelessly pushed a gender identity ordinance which mandates that men dressed as women be allowed to use women’s restrooms, and other women’s changing rooms.
Elitism: The HRC never once went out into the community to face parents, school teachers, churches, pastors, businesses to defend their pro-homosexual agenda and ordinance.
Divisiveness: The HRC has invited racially divisive speakers, like Cornel West, to address its annual banquet. Its advocacy of programs and funding decisions is virtually oriented toward one race, as evidenced by:
– $3800 for a trip in 2008 to the Social Status of African-American Males Annual Conference
– $1500, $1500, $750 for Family Day in the Park (2009, 2010, 2011), put on by WEOA and Black Women’s Task Force.
– sponsorship of Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program to screen black males for hypertension and diabetes (2011, 2012)
– HRC was the legal applicant for $75,400 of federal funds from Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for the Boom Squad, whose application targets African American juvenile delinquency, which is less than 30% of juvenile delinquency in Evansville.
For these and other reasons, the Human Relations Commission should be immediately defunded. My tax dollars should no longer be wasted on its activities.
Glen Kissel
GAGE’s Tech Transfer Program Honored by Federal Lab Consortium
The Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville earns 2012 Partnership Award
EVANSVILLE, IN (July 25, 2012) – The Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville was awarded the 2012 Partnership Award from the FLC: Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (Midwest Region). Nominated by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division Laboratory Representative, John Dement, the partnership between the Growth Alliance and Crane was evaluated on a scale of 100 points and categories such as; unique efforts demonstrated, benefits to organizations as a result of the nominee’s actions, and the impact on the federal lab technology transfer program.
In the past year, the Growth Alliance provided leadership in supporting and promoting Crane’s Technology Transfer program within the region, as well as nationally by:
• The Growth Alliance coordinated a “Get on the Bus†event which brought over 50 community and business leaders, investors, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, and University of Southern Indiana President, Linda Bennett to Crane for a day to discuss Technology Transfer opportunities.
• Piloted two Technology Transfer Commercialization workshops, a process where Crane, the Growth Alliance and the University of Southern Indiana exploit for new Technology Transfer processes to help local companies.
• In May of 2012, Growth Alliance President, Debbie Dewey attended and presented during Crane’s Technology Transfer session at the National Federal Lab Consortium in Pittsburgh, PA.
• The Growth Alliance participated at Crane’s Small Arms Innovation Discovery event which identified 16 potential invention disclosures and 30+ commercialization opportunities.
• The Growth Alliance sponsored the local Startup Weekend event that was wildly successful with over 50 potential entrepreneurs pitching their ideas at the University of Southern Indiana.
• The Growth Alliance’s Technology Transfer Committee provided direct support and leadership towards the University of Southern Indiana’s Technology Commercialization Academy (TCA) – a five week crash course with six engineering students and six business students from the University working full time to develop ideas and business strategies to commercialize three Crane patents.
“What makes this {the partnership between GAGE and Crane} really special is that Evansville is not a traditional technology based economy but has the major ingredients to use innovation as an accelerator for local jobs. GAGE is leading the way to change the culture and infrastructure to support this type of future in Evansville and they see T2 with Crane as a major platform – a reason – to drive that change,†said John Dement, ORTA/Technology Transfer, (NSWC) Crane Division.
The Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville, (GAGE) has four focus areas within their mission, one of which is Technology Transfer, or T2. The Technology Transfer program is a three way partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (Crane) and the University of Southern Indiana. The Growth Alliance has both a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) and a Technical Assistance Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, (CRADA) with Crane. Through this partnership, businesses within the region can access military technology, scientific capabilities, expertise and patents. These valuable resources can be used for creative commercialization that will strengthen and elevate revenue and profits in the Tri-State region of Southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois, and western Kentucky.
“It is extremely satisfying to know that our efforts in technology transfer with the federal labs is recognized and appreciated. Incubation of new technology-based businesses is important to sustainable economic growth and we must be innovative in exploiting regional assets like Crane,†said Debbie Dewey, President of the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville.
COMMON CONSTRUCTION WAGE HEARING – Demolition Roberts Stadium
COMMON CONSTRUCTION WAGE HEARING – Demolition Roberts Stadium
In accordance with Indiana Code 5-16-7-1 et seq., the City of Evansville, Department of Parks & Recreation has scheduled a hearing to determine Common Construction Wage Rates that will be held at the time, date, and location prescribed below:
Levee Authority office
1300 Waterworks Rd.
Evansville, Indiana 47713
Date: Monday, July 30, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. CDT
The hearing will be held to determine wage rates to establish wages for public works construction projects in Vanderburgh County covered by the Indiana Common Construction Wage Act and awarded by the following awarding government agency:
City of Evansville, Board of Park Commissioners
Scales of wages adopted in these meetings apply to any public works construction projects covered by the Indiana Common Construction Wage Act for which each awarding government agency awards bids not later than three (3) months after the date the committee adopts a wage scale.
Thanks,
Indiana Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division
IS IT TRUE July 25, 2012
IS IT TRUE July 25, 2012
IS IT TRUE Evansville is experiencing a rash of restaurant closings this summer along with some new ones starting up?…that the restaurant turnstile rolled around again yesterday with the sudden closing of the Black Buggy at Lynch and Green River Road?…this particular Black Buggy seemed to have plenty of cars in the parking lot and people in the seats?…that the restaurant business is a tough one to succeed in and the margins are thin?…that it is very possible that demand was not a problem but that demand at a price point that would cover the rising costs of operating a restaurant finally caught up with the Black Buggy that has long been known as a good value when it comes to how much food one can get per dollar spent?…this comes on the heels of the unexpected closing of the Grand Traverse Pie Company at the corner of Burkhardt and Vogel?
IS IT TRUE the free dental clinic that is a part of the legacy of Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and former resident and Vanderburgh County Council member Royce Sutton experienced a serious setback yesterday when the support staff all resigned?…this occurrence was made known to the Vanderburgh County Commissioners at their regular meeting last night by Dr. Ray Nicholson?…this free clinic that was started in 2006 may turn out to be another one of those things that make a good ribbon cutting ceremony and flattering headline for politicians at the startup that somehow are not made sustainable by the very politicians that smile for the camera at the opening?…there are those who would argue that free anything is always unsustainable and that in the absence of a passionate group of benefactors such opinions are the truth?…of all the things that could be considered to be preventable maintenance with a predictable payback dental care is perhaps the biggest bang for the buck?…this summer has been a classic for exposing the legacy problems of the City of Evansville’s inability to take care of what it has?…from the mouths of the poor to the resting places of the dead, to the parks, to the streets, etc. ad nauseum the cry of “why was I neglected†screams out at elected officials and oligarchs alike?…that the CCO encourages those who can to do something to make this dental clinic sustainable?
IS IT TRUE the Courier and Press poster Puchin was banned from commenting yesterday for the second time this month?…that Puchin (Joe Wallace) did not use any bad words or violate any of the terms of the long agreement?…the point made that seems to have gotten Joe’s avatar Puchin banned from the Courier was a response to letter to the editor that was calling for Mitt Romney to publish more tax returns?…that Puchin simply stated that while seeing more tax returns may satisfy some people’s thirst for a sound bite that they will not show us anything we did not already know?…we already know that Romney is very rich, takes advantage of every legal loophole that the federal government offers, spreads his money offshore, and pays a lower percentage of taxes than some middle class families?…Puchin then asked for President Obama to release his college transcripts so we may have the opportunity to learn something new?…Puchin invoked the name of Rick Perry as having been branded as an idiot because it was discovered he got an F in college chemistry?…that F referred to a grade deemed too low to be considered passing as opposed to a word starting with F that may have been misinterpreted by one of the flunkies at the CP who decided to ban Puchin?
IS IT TRUE the Big Ten Conference did the right thing by laying one whopping punishment on the Penn State football program?…Penn State and Ohio State are now both going to be sitting out this year when it comes to competing for the conference championship?…those teams play in the same division leaving only Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin eligible to compete in a four team mini-conference to make the title game?…the CCO would have to bet on Wisconsin but this really does leave the miracle option open for both IU and Purdue?…that there is a path to the Big Ten championship game for a team that has a 3 – 9 record this year?