In a letter addressed to the attorney for the Office of the Mayor of Evansville and distributed to the entire Evansville City Council, Scott Schutte of the Chicago law firm of Morgan Lewis, opines that the City of Evansville has still not provided written notice of default to Earthcare Energy. He furthermore asserts that the contract between the City of Evansville and Earthcare provides Earthcare with a 30 day period to cure any deficiencies that are stated by the City in writing.

Schutte goes on to scold Mr. Ziemer for allowing Mayor Winnecke to publish the op-ed letter that was published in the Community Comment section of the Courier Press on Sunday May 20, 2012 and states that the Mayor’s letter makes “legal and factual misstatements”. Schutte continues that the Mayor’s column was “legally baseless, shockingly cynical”, and that the Mayor’s assertion that an exclusive license was required per the contract is “inexplicable”.

The City County Observer makes the letter available to our readers on the following link without bias, edit, or opinion.

Link to Letter from Earthcare Attorney to Ted Ziemer

Letter from Earthcare Lawyer to Ziemer 05212012

Greetings from Daisy, a 1-year-old spayed DSH. Daisy is as sweet as she can be. She came to the VHS with a litter of kittens. Still nursing the kittens, the best thing for Daisy and her crew were to spend some time in foster care away from the stress that can be found in the shelter. Daisy and her babies were lovingly fostered for several weeks until they were ready to find their furever homes. The kittens were adopted very quickly and now Daisy is looking for just the right family to call her own. She is very loving and thanks to her foster parents, used to being spoiled rotten. With over 150 cats and kittens available for adoption at the VHS, if you have been thinking about bringing a feline friend into your family, now might just be the time! For more information on Daisy or any of the wonderful cats/kittens at the VHS, visit our website at www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.

Evansville, Ind. – World’s Toughest Rodeo is BACK. World Champion Cowboys… they’re entered, award winning
bucking horses and bulls… they’re loaded… and you’ve seen them on TV, you can see Team Ghostriders LIVE… they’ll be
in the house as upcoming World’s Toughest Rodeo National Tour returns to Evansville September 1st for one show only!
Not only will some of the nation’s top Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bulls Riders be featured, but three of the most talented
cowboys to be performing with World’s Toughest Rodeo are the world famous COWBOY MONKEYS. Team Ghostriders
will saddle up their favorite ride… their canine partners….Yes that’s it monkeys riding border collies at the Ford Center.

Tim Lepard from Tupelo, MS and Team Ghostriders thrill audiences all over the United States as they are a true one of a
kind experience! Featured in Sports Illustrated, FHM Magazine, and on America’s Funniest Home Video, Tim, “the Wild
Thang” Lepard and his Team has won Comedy Act of the Year, Dress Act of the Year, and Barrel Man of the Year all in
the same year at the International Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, OK! What kind of Team are they you ask? How about
3 monkeys with their very own dogs making up teams named Charger and Rock, Mega and Dog, and last but not least,
Dakota and Spot! All work together with Tim, “the Wild Thang” and bring the Wild West to life as they feature their
special cowboy skills like no others!

Don’t miss this one of kind, spectacular opportunity to see at the World’s Toughest Rodeo in Evansville at the Ford Center
for one performance only September 1st at 7:30 p.m. The doors open from 6 – 7 p.m. for the Free Behind the Chutes
Preshow. Fans are invited to come down in the arena for Free Pony Rides, Autographs and meet and greet with
contestants, entertainers and World’s Toughest Rodeo Staff or you can get your pictures taken on Midnight the 2000 lb.
Live bull in the chutes. It’s the World’s Coolest experience only at the World’s Toughest Rodeo. Rodeo action starts at
7:30 p.m. with a beautiful patriotic tribute as the action heats up for the Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull
Riding, the beautiful horses and cowgirls in the Barrel Racing. Specialty entertainment with Team Ghostriders and
comedy with the hilarious Justin Rumford rounds out the lineup in the World’s Toughest Wild West Extravaganza. Tickets
are fan friendly with kids tickets always ½ price. Adult tickets start at $23 and go on sale Friday May 25th so get your
tickets early and don’t miss the return of the World’s Toughest Rodeo to Evansville.

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation has been named as one of three recipients in the nation for the competitive Minds in the Making $140,000 grant to help further its efforts in developing high quality early childhood classes for pre-kindergarten aged students. This was originally announced last week at the Coalition for Community Schools National Forum – where several EVSC administrators presented to the more than 1,500 in attendance.

Minds in the Making: The Science of Early Learning, was developed by the Families and Work Institute. It is a collaborative effort to share the science of early learning with the professionals who work with children and families. Minds in the Making has documented the science of early learning with children from birth to eight years old and focuses on what makes young children stay motivated and engaged in learning, and determines what are the essential skills children need. This grant – which was also received in its first year by school districts in New York, Tulsa and Portland; and this year by Providence, RI, Hartford, Conn., and the EVSC — is designed to help school districts further their early childhood goals.

“This funding will help us get to the core of our work,” said Cathlin Gray, associate superintendent of family, school, and community partnerships. “It will help deepen the work we are doing with community schools, work hand-in-hand with Response to Intervention efforts – and in general add to how we support the whole child.” This common framework will help everyone speak the same language of meeting student needs and preparing them for the workforce, Gray added.

The $140,000 EVSC will receive, distributed over a three-year period, will help the corporation build on the current early childhood alignment and strengthen instructional strategies in the elementary schools, reinforce priorities in the mental health services, engage families and encourage relevant course work for future teachers via higher education.

The early childhood initiatives in the EVSC are aligned and work in conjunction with EVSC Community Schools, 4C of Southern Indiana, Inc., the Early Childhood Development Coalition, and The Welborn Baptist Foundation.

EVSC will strengthen the approach of best practices through the entire school district by embedding the seven essential skills. According to research by Minds in the Making, these skills exhibit what every child needs in order to succeed. They are:

Seven Essential Skills

· Focus and Self Control: children need this skill in order to achieve their goals – especially in a world that is filled with distractions and information overload. In involves paying attention, remembering the rules, thinking flexibly, and exercising self control.

· Perspective Taking: Perspective goes far beyond empathy – it involves figuring out what others think and feel, and forms the basis of children understanding others’ intentions. Children who can do this, are less likely to get involved in conflicts.

· Communicating: More than understanding language, speaking, reading, and writing – it is the skill of determining what one wants to communicate and realizing h our our communications will be understood by others.

· Making Connections: This is the heart of learning – figuring out what’s the same, what’s different and sorting these things in categories. It is those who can go beyond knowing information to using this information that will succeed.

· Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is the ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide beliefs, decisions and actions.

· Taking on Challenges: Life is full of stresses and challenges. Children who are willing to take on challenges (instead of avoiding them or simply coping with them) will do better in school and in life.

· Self-directed, Engaged Learning: It is through learning that everyone realizes their potential. As the world changes, so can we, as long as we continue to learn.

Funding will also be used for Master Facilitator Training in which education departments at the University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville and Ivy Tech Community College will take part to help equip new teachers with the research on how children learn best.

Two mental health institutions – Lampion Center and Southwestern Mental Healthcare — will also send their mental health professions to the training. This approach will help to align priorities among the medical field and education field.

The Early Childhood Development Coalition will also be involved. It already has exhibited a strong focus to provide a framework for quality early childhood experiences. They are committed to working with the EVSC to help create awareness of the initiatives and to advocate for community-wide support for policies, initiatives and projects. They will also bring together logical partners and resources to move the goals forward.

EVSC Pre-K classes for next fall will be located at: Daniel Wertz Elementary School, Cedar Hall Community School, and Culver Family Learning Center, Evans School, and the newest – at Caze Elementary School.

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
LLOYD WINNECKE

May 21, 2012 Contact: Ella Johnson-Watson
For Immediate Release 812-436-4965

Resolution to Extend Homestead Tax Credit Filed

EVANSVILLE, IN – A resolution establishing the Vanderburgh County Homestead Tax Credit for 2013 at the maximum amount allowed by law has been filed with the Evansville City Clerk’s Office with the support of Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. The resolution seeks to have the Evansville City Council adopt an ordinance setting the Homestead Credit Percentage at an amount not to exceed a net of 8 percent.

The resolution and supporting ordinance will go before the City Council tonight. If the Council approves the resolution, the Homestead Tax Credit ordinance will receive a first reading, and a second and third reading could be set for the Council’s June 11 meeting.

“The Homestead Tax Credit allows homeowners to reduce their annual property tax bills,” said Mayor Winnecke. “In today’s economy many homeowners are seeking ways to reduce expenses, and this is one way local governments can help. Throughout my public service career in county and now city government, I continue to support homeowners’ right to a Homestead Tax Credit.”

The Vanderburgh County Homestead Credit amount for 2013 will be approximately $3.5 million, which will be spread over 48,000 Homestead eligible property tax home owners. The tax credit applies to owner-occupied homes-only. Rental property is not eligible. The estimated share for City homeowners only is 55 percent of the total $3.5 million, or approximately $1.9 million.

The ordinance will be considered by the Vanderburgh County Council on July 5 and the Town Board of the Town of Darmstadt on July 10. The County Council and Town Board are expected to take final action on the ordinance on those dates.

According to state law, the ordinance must be passed by August 1 in order to take effect on January 1, 2013.