Firefighters responded to a house fire at 1301 S. Evans at 10:00 a.m. this morning and upon arrival found smoke coming from the front of the structure. The fire was quickly extinguished with minor fire damage to the structure itself although the contents in that area were totally destroyed by the fire. There was moderate smoke damage to the adjourning rooms with minor to none throughout the rest of the house.

Fire Investigator Richard Howard stated that the occupant had been home approximately 30 minutes prior to the blaze. His investigation revealed that the fire started in the corner of the living room near a computer desk and he believes it was caused by an overloaded electrical circuit in that location.

The Red Cross was called to provide shelter for the occupant.

Monday, April 22

1:30 – 2:40 p.m.

Harrison High School

Indiana Attorney Greg Zoeller will stop by the EVSC’s Randall T. Shepard Academy for Law and Social Justice to talk with students about the roles and responsibilities of the Indiana Attorney General as well as engage students in a question and answer session.

The Attorney General is one of many speakers that visit the Shepard Academy, which is a half-day program for juniors and seniors who are interested in law and social justice. The program integrates social studies and English curriculum and is named the former Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Randall T. Shepard.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., scolded Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday over the implementation of President Obama’s health care law. Complaining about confused individuals and small businesses in his state and warning of a coming “train wreck,” at times Baucus sounded more like a Tea Partier than one of the key authors of the legislation that would become known as Obamacare. But his posture during the Finance Committee hearing is also a telling sign that Democrats up for reelection in 2014 are increasingly worried that mangled implementation could put their jobs in jeopardy.

In 2009, five different health care proposals made their way through the relevant committees in the House and Senate. The Finance Committee bill that Baucus authored was the closest to the finished product that Obama signed. Go back and look at Baucus’s bill, and you’ll see most of the law’s key components there – taxes on insurers, drug companies, medical device manufacturers and high value health care plans; exchanges; the Medicaid expansion; IPAB. Also significant is what wasn’t in the Baucus bill – a public option, which had been a central component of the other proposals circulating through Congress, but was ultimately abandoned.

Yet despite his intimate involvement with crafting the legislation, when Sebelius appeared before his committee to discuss the health care provisions in Obama’s latest budget, Baucus used it as an opportunity to rip into her and other administration officials for what he described as the bungled implementation efforts.

Under the timeline of the law, health care exchanges are supposed to be open for enrollment on Oct. 1 and ready to dole out benefits at the start of 2014. But Baucus expressed skepticism that exchanges would actually be open in every state, including Montana. He also spoke of the confusion about the law he encounters when he goes back home.

“The administration’s public information campaign on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act I think deserve a failing grade,” Baucus told Sebelius. “You need to fix it.”

He continued, “I am very concerned that not enough is being done so far. Very concerned. When I am home, small businesses have no idea what to do, what to expect. They don’t know what affordability rules are, they don’t know what penalties may apply, they just don’t know.”

Baucus said that a CPA told him that small business clients are “throwing their hands up” and the CPA doesn’t know what to tell them.

“I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Baucus warned. “You and I have discussed this many times and I don’t see any results yet.”

The key context is that Baucus is up for reelection in Montana next year in a state that went for Mitt Romney by a more than 13 percent margin and Cook Political Report rates him as vulnerable. Though the race is still considered to lean in his direction, if the implementation of Obamacare goes as disastrously as many expect, it could put him at risk.

Because his fingerprints are all over the law, Baucus cannot really run away from it. So what’s happening now is that Baucus is laying the groundwork to blame any failures on implementation, rather than design. Though the “train wreck” comment drew the most headlines, more telling may have been his comment that, “If the administration implements it correctly, millions more Americans will gain access to health care as a result of the law.” In other words, the law itself is fine, but the bureaucrats are screwing it up.

Politically, the strategy is similar to the one many Republicans who voted for the Iraq War pursued when the public soured on the war. They’d defend their support for the war effort while finding a way to distance themselves from elements of President Bush’s strategy, such as troop levels. Ultimately, this didn’t shield many Republicans from the Democratic wave in 2006 and I imagine if Obamacare implementation fails, a Baucus-style pivot won’t save vulnerable Democrats.

Source: Max Baucus Watch

The suspect in the Tuesday night home invasion robbery has been identified as 48 year old Dennis Anderson.

Anderson remains in the hospital after he was shot by the 80 year old homeowner, Ted Miracle.
Anderson will face several Felony charges related to the robbery and assault when he is released form the hospital.

Charges against Anderson include Robbery-Strong Armed, Burglary, and Criminal Confinement.
Anderson is on parole for theft and is also a lifetime registered sex offender.

Devo – Devo is a sweet, lovable 7-month-old pitbull puppy who just can’t wait for you to fall in love with him! He is very playful and tolerant of handling, and he would need a home where he would get plenty of exercise. Devo is very social with people and does very well with car rides. He was given as a gift to someone whose lease doesn’t allow pets, but he and his endearing floppy ears are waiting to become a permanent member of your home! His adoption fee is $120, which includes his neuter, microchip, age-appropriate vaccines, and a bag of food.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced the March Against Hunger food drive competition generated $55,455 and 10,065 pounds of food for local food banks.

The fifth annual food drive competition was between 44 participating law groups from Indiana and Kentucky. To help coordinate the donations, Zoeller teamed up with the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) and the nonprofit group, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIsH), which is the umbrella organization for 11 regional food banks.

“All food drive participants deserve recognition for their efforts to serve their local communities by selflessly giving their time and money to a worthy cause,” Zoeller said. “Too many Hoosiers, including children, face hunger on daily basis and it’s heart-warming to see the members of my profession step up in such a big way.”

Zoeller said this year’s monetary and food donations combined is the equivalent to 143 tons of food.

“As a fellow lawyer, I am particularly proud of the fact that lawyers from all corners of the state rose to the occasion to serve Hoosiers in need,” said ISBA President Daniel B. Vinovich. “It’s opportunities like this annual food drive that allow us to serve beyond our clients.”

Winners from all six divisions will receive a trophy known as the Attorney General’s Cup for collecting the most donations:

Extra Large Division – Barnes & Thornburg LLP (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Elkhart) – 784 pounds of food and $16,190 in monetary donations

Large Division – Burke Costanza & Carberry LLP (Merrillville) – 1,675 pounds of food and $7,153 in monetary donations

Medium Division – Wilkinson Goeller Modesitt Wilkinson & Drummy LLP (Terre Haute) – $2,510 in monetary donations

Small Division – Tuesley Hall Konopa LLP (South Bend) – 29 pounds of food and $1,570 in monetary donations

Sole Proprietor – Steven Douglas Law Office (Elletsville) – $1,685 in monetary donations

Public/Non-Profit – Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office (Evansville) – 2,295 pounds of food and $5,000 in monetary donations.

“We are grateful for the participation and generosity of so many Hoosier lawyers, as well as for the leadership of our state’s attorney general to raise awareness of hunger,” said Emily Weikert Bryant, FIsH Executive Director. “One in six Hoosiers is at risk of hunger, and for Hoosier children just one in four. The pounds contributed through the food drive this year will provide the equivalent of nearly 240,000 meals to Hoosiers in need, with nearly 1 million pounds donated since the program was created in 2009.”

The 11 regional food banks that serve Indiana and are members of FIsH include: Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana Inc., Food Finders Food Banks, Gleaners Food Bank, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Food Bank of Northern Indiana, Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank and Tri-State Food Bank Inc. Also, Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati and Dare to Care Food Bank of Louisville also participated and serve some Indiana counties.