Holiday Historic House Tour
Old Evansville Historic Association Holiday Historic House Tour
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Tickets may be purchased in advance from November 26th to the day of the tour at the Reitz House carriage house from noon-4pm. Tickets may also be purchased on our web site Old Evansville Historic Association.com using Paypal. The day of the tour tickets may be purchase at First Presbyterian Church (corner of Mulberry and Second St) , Reitz House carriage house , and at the door of the homes on tour. The $15 admission includes entrance to all four homes and refreshments at the Reitz Home carriage house. All proceeds to benefit our Historic Lighting Project.
Three of the homes have never been open to the public. All have been beautifully restored.
Homes on tour:
Shelby and Theresa Marshall 603 SE First Street (boyhood home of former Gov. Robert Orr)
Mrs. Veda Taylor 214 SE First Street (Thomas Garvin home)
Elmer and Judy Buchta 616 SE First Street (Built Frank Schlotter)
Ben Franz and Matt Rowe 22 Chandler (Bill Gumberts home)
EVSC Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Honorees
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and EVSC Foundation today announced honorees in the 2012 EVSC Hall of Fame. The EVSC Hall of Fame honors distinguished individuals who exemplify outstanding achievement in their life’s work and who have made a positive impact on public education in the greater community. It also emphasizes the importance of service to community and inspires EVSC students to seek excellence in their own education and careers.
The 2012 EVSC Hall of Fame honorees are:
Dr. Joey Barnett
Dr. Barnett graduated from Central High School and the University of Southern Indiana. Dr. Barnett continued as an undergraduate research fellow at Argonne National Laboratories and the University of Chicago, subsequently earning a Doctorate in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Barrett vigorously researches in his field as well as serving as the President of the American Heart Association Greater Southeast Affiliate and serves on the USI Foundation Board of Directors. He is currently serving as the Honorary Chair of the Central High School Annual Campaign and is a passionate supporter of the Medical Professions Academy at Central High School.
Senator Vaneta Becker
A graduate of North High School and University of Southern Indiana, Senator Becker was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1981 where she remained until 2005 when she was elected to the Indiana State Senate. She is a long time supporter of EVSC Foundation and EVSC. Senator Becker received the Celebration of Leadership Winternheimer/Lamar Public Service Award 2011; United Way Advocate Award; ARC Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education Legislator of the Year Award. Senator Becker is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the Office of Women’s Health, Indiana State Department of Health and is also involved in numerous community activities including the Indiana Commission for Women; Leadership Evansville Alumni; Commission for Excellence in Health Care; and the Board of ARK Crisis Prevention Nursery.
Wilfred (Bill) C. Bussing, III
Mr. Bussing, an attorney and the owner of the Evansville Otters, is a long time supporter of education in Evansville and Vanderburgh County. A major supporter of EVSC Foundation, Mr. Bussing is instrumental in providing an annual gift which provides extra support and programs for needy, deserving EVSC students as well as other EVSC programs and activities. He is the recipient of the Unsung Hero Award, Center on Philanthropy at IU; Niel Ellerbrook Community Service Award from the United Way of Southwestern Indiana; and the Jefferson Award for Community Service. He created and chairs the Southern Indiana Grantmakers (SING), a coalition of foundation directors and philanthropic companies in order to maximize their resources for the good of the community. Mr. Bussing serves on a large number of trusts which support education: Bussing-Koch Foundation; Cecil A. and Mabel Lene Hamman Foundation; Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation; Catholic Education Foundation; Evansville Police Department Foundation. He also serves on the Glenwood Neighborhood CDC, and the Jacobsville Initiative Steering Committee and the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council, an advisory council of distinguished corporate leaders, to help realize a vision of excellence in EVSC schools.
Karen and Niel Ellerbrook
Karen Ellerbrook graduated from Harrison High School, Indiana State University, and Butler University. Niel Ellerbrook is a Ball State University graduate who relocated to Evansville as the Chairman & CEO of Vectren Corporation. The couple has served the Evansville community by chairing major fundraising campaigns for EVSC, cMoe, University of Evansville, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, Wesselman Nature Society, and Joshua Academy.
Mr. Ellerbrook co-chaired the extremely successful $8.8 million dollar capital campaign at Ivy Tech Community College within months of his arrival in Evansville. The Ellerbrook’s were early supporters of EVSC Foundation. Mr. Ellerbrook was the moving force at Vectren for the initial major gift to EVSC Foundation, which continues to benefit the Foundation today. He was also the moving force at Vectren to establish the Evansville Diversity Lecture Series to promote and improve diversity in Evansville.
Under Mr. Ellerbrook’s leadership, Vectren Foundation focused on the importance of education in growing and sustaining a community through direct donations and volunteerism. He is also a dedicated advocate of public education through his work on boards, as a volunteer consultant, and through his company by setting volunteerism as an expected and important aspect of being a Vectren employee.
Mrs. Ellerbrook is a founding member of the Da Vinci Institute which is partnering with McGary Middle School to integrate Arts into the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) model at the school. She is a passionate supporter of early childhood education and the arts in the elementary schools as shown through her volunteer efforts at the Indiana Arts Commission, UE Theatre Society, and her time at Rocking Readers at Glenwood Leadership Academy.
Alan B. Graf, Jr.
Mr. Graf graduated from Harrison High School, and the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. He joined FedEx when the company was in its early stages and had few employees. Mr. Graf helped grow FedEx into a multi-billion dollar, worldwide operation and currently holds the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for all aspects of FedEx global financial functions and corporate development. Mr. Graf is a member of a five person Executive Committee which is responsible for strategic planning and implementation of business operations. Mr. Graf serves on the Board of Directors for Nike, Inc. and Mid- America Apartment Communities, a self-administered and self-managed real estate trust which owns, acquires, and operates multi-family communities. Mr. Graf also serves as a Trustee for the University of Memphis; the University of Memphis Athletic Board; the Herff Trust; and the Indiana University Foundation.
Bettye Lou Jerrel
Mrs. Jerrel graduated from Bosse High School. In addition to teaching at Washington School, she became a Republican precinct committeewoman at age 20-when the legal voting age was 21. Mrs. Jerrel was the first female Republican county chairperson and served as vice chair for five different Chairmen. Her work on the Vanderburgh County Commission during her six year tenure led to a major grant for early studies of Interstate 69. She was appointed to the Indiana Textbook Adoption Committee and on the Commission on General Education. Her early work produced initiatives such as statewide testing and the A-plus program. Mrs. Jerrel was also appointed to serve as a lay person on the Indiana Public Defender Commission and was instrumental in encouraging Vanderburgh County to establish a Public Defender program to replace the court-by-court appointment of public defenders. Mrs. Jerrel was named as one of the YWCA’s 100 Years, 100 Women honorees.
Robert G. Jones
Mr. Jones is the CEO and President of Old National Bancorp, and a member of its Board of Directors. He serves on the Board of Directors for Vectren Corporation and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Board of Directors. Mr. Jones changed the local landscape of corporate support, increasing support to public education and charities. He was instrumental in making a building available virtually cost free, to house EVSC’s Center for Family, School, and Community Partnerships, an innovative concept to bring together many community services for families in one location. Mr. Jones has also played a fundamental role in providing funding to jumpstart the EVSC’s marketing endeavors. He led the charge to honor teachers by personally calling on area business leaders to publicly thank teachers for their dedication to students through billboards and a reception in their honor. Mr. Jones personally is a major supporter of the Harrison High School Capital Campaign. During his tenure, Old National has been nationally recognized, receiving the Award for Excellence for Corporate Engagement by the Points of Light Foundation, the Employee Volunteer Program of the Year for outstanding innovation, commitment and leadership by VolunteerMatch, and has been acknowledged as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Mr. Jones is extremely active in the community, serving on the boards of the University of Evansville; Evansville Regional Business Council; The Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana; New Harmony Project; Evansville Police Department Foundation; Riley Children’s Hospital; Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana; the Evansville Business Leaders Roundtable for Education; the Evansville Sports Corporation; and the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council.
Ira T. Neal
Dr. Neal graduated from University of Evansville and Indiana University with a Masters degree in education. He taught at EVSC’s Chestnut-Walnut Elementary School and Lincoln High School. After working with CAPE, Dr. Neal began his long history with EVSC, becoming the Integration Advisory Specialist in 1970, working to eliminate minority group segregation and discrimination. When he retired in 1993, Dr. Neal was the Director of Federal Projects, managing grant funds approaching 4 million dollars annually, and had continued his work in race relations. Dr. Neal is credited for the organization of the EVSC African American Chorale Ensemble interstate performances and EVSC African American Saturday Academy of Black History. Dr. Neal’s work was honored with two community-wide appreciation celebrations in 1988 and 2010. Out of these initiatives, the Ira T. Neal Community Volunteer Development Scholarship Fund (1988-2007), New Hope Music Academy, EVSC Elementary African American Chorale Ensemble, and the USI Multicultural Center were formed. Dr. Neal served as a Trustee of Vincennes University, member of the IU Medical Center Advisory Committee and corporate scholarship application committees. He currently serves on the USI Foundation Board.
Dr. Rodney Perkins
Dr. Perkins attended Bosse High School, Indiana University, and undertook his surgical residency at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Perkins is an internationally known otologic surgeon who has founded and developed multiple successful medical device companies. He is the founder of the California Ear Institute at Stanford and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at Stanford. Dr. Perkins has created a number of surgical procedures and techniques that are widely practiced by ear surgeons throughout the world. He is a founder of three public companies: Collagen Corp. (collagen-based implant materials), Laserscope (surgical lasers) and ReSound Corp. (digital hearing devices). Dr Perkins was Founder and Chairman of Cohesion Corp. (bioadhesives, sealants and hemostats) and Novacept (women’s health). Dr. Perkins is the Founder and Chairman of Sound ID (hearing science company) and Pulmonx (interventional pulmonology and emphysema treatment) and was Chairman of Surgrx (electrosurgical instrumentation) which was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2008. Currently, he is Founder and Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of EarLens Corporation which is developing new method of sound transduction for hearing improvement. Dr. Perkins is Co-Founder and chairman of Procept, a company developing a biorobotic minimally invasive solution for benign prostatic hypertrophy. He is also the Founder and Chairman of SoundHawk Corporation, a company which is developing a new, low cost hearing device. Dr. Perkins received the Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award from Indiana University, has eighteen issued patents and is a member of the BioX Advisory Board at Stanford University.
Ron Romain
Mr. Romain graduated from Harrison High School and the University of Southern Indiana. He is a major supporter of public education and of the EVSC Harrison High School Multipurpose Complex Campaign. As the Owner and President of United Companies, Mr. Romain also serves as the Owner and President of United Leasing, Inc., Romain Automotive Group, and Professional Transportation, Inc. Under his leadership, United Companies, Inc. supported more than 30 community-wide, nonprofit organizations in the past year. Mr. Romain created an innovative fundraising program in concert with the United Leasing Championship golf tournament that offered the opportunity to raise funds with no administrative costs or obligation to more than 600 area charities, with over $102,500 raised and distributed to the 80 charities that chose to participate. Currently, Mr. Romain serves on the board of the University of Southern Indiana, the Welborn Foundation; St. Mary’s Medical Center; the Signature School Foundation; the Evansville Regional Business Committee; the Evansville Police Department Foundation; and the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council.
Steven Sater
Mr. Sater attended Harrison High School, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis, and received a Master of the Arts in English Literature from Princeton University. An exceptionally talented poet, playwright, lyricist, television writer, author and screenwriter, Mr. Sater won two Tony Awards, Best Book and Best Musical Score, for his work on Spring Awakening. With his creative partner, Mr. Sater received the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. In addition, Mr. Sater was awarded The Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award, the Outer Critics Circle, the Drama Desk, the Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics’ Circle, the Drama League Award, and the 2008 London Critics’ Circle and Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Musical. Mr. Sater’s Spring Awakening recently concluded its second national tour, and has opened internationally in over 35 countries, including Australia, Sweden, Japan, Israel, Serbia, Brazil, Korea, Argentina, Norway, and Great Britain.
Patrick A. Shoulders
Mr. Shoulders graduated from Harrison High School and Indiana University with a Bachelors degree and a Juris Doctorate, Magna Cum Laude. He has dedicated his time to serving the Evansville community while building his law career. Mr. Shoulders is a major supporter of public education and the arts in the community. He is involved with many EVSC programs and activities including the We the People program for middle and high schools. Recognized as a Super Lawyer in Indiana, Mr. Shoulders has achieved an elite peer rating as performing at the highest level of professional excellence based on ethical standards and legal ability. Mr. Shoulders currently serves as the Vice President of the Indiana University Board of Trustees as well as a Director of the IU Foundation, a member of the Board of Governors of the IU Center on Philanthropy, and a member of the Well House Advisory Committee. He has served as the President of the Evansville Parks Foundation, Museum of Arts & Sciences, and the YMCA; as Chair of the WNIN Auction; Founder & Director of the Arts Fest 12K River Run; and is a Member of the Board of Park Commissioners; Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; a Civic Theatre Board; and is a Public Defender Commissioner. His volunteerism has earned him the Kentucky Colonel, Sagamore of the Wabash, and the Indiana Bar President’s Awards. He is a major supporter of Indiana University, EVSC Foundation, Harrison High School, and EVSC.
This distinguished group joins 12 members of the inaugural class of EVSC Hall of Fame members from 2010: Brent Beeler, Chuck Bundrant, Gayle Cook, Lee Hamilton, Don Korb, William Mays, James McCarty Sr., Mattie Miller, William Ridgway, Randall Shepard, John H. Schroeder, and Matt Williams.
Honorees were selected following nominations made during October to EVSC. Five judges reviewed biographical material to make their selections. Judges were: Superintendent David Smith, members of the inaugural Hall of Fame Mattie Miller and Brent Beeler; School Board President Mike Duckworth; and President of EVSC Foundation Amy Barron.
The 2012 Hall of Fame inductees will be honored on March 20, 2013 at a celebration dinner sponsored by EVSC Foundation at 6 p.m. Co-chairing the celebration are community leaders Ben Shoulders, Wayne Henning, and Randy Miller. For information on the event, please call Amy Dressel at 812-435-0229.
IS IT TRUE November 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE November 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer filed a “Free of Information Act” request with the City of Evansville Water & Sewer Utility requesting 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 check register summaries?… that, although the CCO paid for the years requested, (nearly $44 for over 400 pages), the 2011 information was missing?…that the 2011 year is the period that the Utility could not reconcile the bank accounts?… that Jenny Collins, the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Evansville Water and Sewer Utility told Evansville City Council Finance Chairman, John Friend, that the bank accounts were reconciled and balanced?…if that is the truth and we have no reason to believe that it is where are those records for 2011?… that there may be issues with this particular year?…that we request that the Finance Chairman Friend and Mr. David Garrett, CPA, CMA, accounting liaison for the City Council start their procedures in the Utility commencing starting with 2011?
IS IT TRUE the Hostess Corporation that has been making tasty treats like Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, and Ho Hos for many generations agreed to sit down with its Baker’s Union that staged a strike that became a catalyst for the decision to shut down yesterday?…at the end of the day no resolution was reached to the impasse and the liquidation is set to begin?…in a Wall Street Journal article a Hostess truck driver from Detroit was interviewed and stated that his union had agreed to an 8% wage cut and that the 8% cut that he was in favor of would reduce his paycheck by $200 per week?…that figure raised a few eyebrows as if one divides $200 by 0.08 one finds that this truck driver must have been taking home $2,500 per week?…that is equivalent to take home pay of $130,000 per year?…to take home that much money per week after taxes and union dues this truck driver had to have been earning $200,000 per year ($100 per hour) plus benefits?…that is one eye popping amount of money for a truck driver unless the work location is in Afghanistan where hazard pay justifies such a paycheck?…Detroit, where this driver worked has a cost of living that is about equivalent to Evansville’s and we bet if truck drivers were making $200,000 per year here that there would be a long line of medical doctors, lawyers, tenured college professors, and even some elected officials stand in line to apply for the job?…if one really wants to understand one of the reasons (mismanagement being another) that Hostess was not competitive then $200,000 per year truck drivers are a real symptom of a broken business model?…such compensation packages for getting Twinkies from south Detroit to east Detroit and having the basic qualifications of punctuality and a driver’s license when highly qualified professionals that add much more value to the economy are earning well under half of that amount are unsustainable with or without collective bargaining?…if this is widespread we can expect the bankruptcy courts to be backed up for many years into the future as such plans are not practical, efficient, fair, or competitive?
IS IT TRUE that the CCO is pleased to see President Obama embrace the idea from the Romney campaign about how to increase revenues by limiting deductions to some maximum amount without letting Congress delve into the details about which deductions are more worthy or less worthy than others?…this was a simple plan that made sense and could be constructed to spare most of the middle class a tax increase with simple arithmetic and one line added to IRS form Schedule A?…the CCO did the math and to determined that just under $50,000 would be the correct amount to choose for an across the board deduction limitation to have the same net effect as letting the so named Bush tax cuts expire for the so designated millionaires and billionaires?…we encourage the President to embrace practical and simple to implement ideas for tax reform and to avoid the fiscal cliff no matter where the ideas came from?…with overtime the truck driver from Detroit profiled above may even be tapped for millionaire taxation rates going forward if he can replace the job that he had with Hostess somewhere else?
IS IT TRUE at last night’s meeting of the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners, Joe Kiefer finally got his request to fund the County’s share to start the IT audit?…that the President of the County Commission only wanted to invest a mere $10,000 towards the audit after she committed to City Councilman, John Friend, CPA to fund $20,000?…we are pleased that Commissioner Kiefer pushed through a whooping $50,000 approval to assist the Evansville City Council in paying for this expensive but long overdue audit of this most important department of city and county government?…we want to also thank County Commissioners Abell and Melcher for finally agreeing to approve this funding request?…we also want to thank Commissioner Joe Kiefer for making a “good public policy” decision?
DEMOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY – RED VERSUS BLUE
Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
Peg, who was born a New Yorker and spent some of her formative years in Massachusetts, has a favorite tee shirt that says on the front “A Bostonian’s View of America†and on the back has an outline of the U.S. showing the east coast states and the west coast states with nothing in between. I thought of this image election night when I saw all the blue states on the coasts separated by all the red states in the middle.
Except for the occasional outlier, from west of the Alleghenies to the crests of the Rockies nary (as we Hoosiers are wont to say) a blue state appeared. And, from California to Washington by the Pacific and New York south along the Atlantic Ocean red was as rare as truth in war.
Now I have no idea what, if anything, this distribution signifies. I did note that every now and then some television wag would paint a toss up state kind of pinkish/robin egg blue. Indiana actually fell within that spectrum thanks mainly to the ouster of a Rhodes Scholar by a regressive in the primary.
One thing I do take from the Blue/Red/Blue portrait of our fair land is that those of us who live in less densely populated states are pretty much bystanders in presidential elections where the Electoral College is king. President Obama and Governor Romney took up residence in Florida, but hardly darkened our door in Indiana.
That would be just fine with me if the IRS would take the same attitude. I say we who are deemed irrelevant in the decision making process ought to be able to opt out of the financing of the dreams and schemes of the chosen ones. If we are not good enough to be invited to the party, we should not have to pay for it.
I know Joan Baez once tried this approach with the Vietnam War and the IRS was not amused. However, perhaps as her buddy Bob Dylan sang, “The Times They Are a Changingâ€. Why don’t we in the hinter lands test my theory? You go first and let me know if it works.
Journey Rescheduled for February 12, 2013
Evansville, IN – The recent Journey concerts that were previously postponed due to lead singer Arnel Pineda’s
illness have now been rescheduled as follows:
The November 14th, 2012 concert at the Tyson Center in Sioux City, IA has been rescheduled to
Tuesday, February 5, 2013.
The November 13th 2012 concert at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL has been rescheduled to
Wednesday, February 6, 2013.
The November 10th 2012 concert at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI has been rescheduled to
Saturday, February 9, 2013.
The November 11th 2012 concert at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN has
been rescheduled to Sunday, February 10, 2013.
The November 8th 2012 concert at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN has been rescheduled to Tuesday,
February 12, 2013.
All tickets for the originally scheduled concerts will be honored for the new shows. Refunds will be available at
point of purchase.
Since its formation in 1973 in San Francisco, JOURNEY has earned 19 Top 40 singles and 25 gold and
platinum albums. The band’s Greatest Hits album is certified 15 times platinum, bringing Journey into the elite
club of Diamond-certified album holders. Journey was awarded the prestigious “Legend Of Live Award†at the
2011 Billboard Touring Awards in honor of the band’s significant and lasting contributions to live music and the
touring business, and in acknowledgement of their commitment to the fans and the art of performing live. The
2011 Eclipse World Tour was one of the band’s most successful tours ever, drawing nearly a million fans and
ranked in the Top 15 Tours of the year. 2011 also marked the 30th anniversary of the band’s seminal anthem,
Don’t Stop Believin’, which was honored as the top-selling digital classic rock song in history by Nielsen
SoundScan. The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. For more information, visit
www.journeymusic.com.
Plant S’more Trees at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden
Evansville, IN – Girls Scouts from Troops #80, #65, and #458 will be helping plant seven native bald cypress trees at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden this Saturday, November 24 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The trees are part of an initiative to plant 2012 trees in celebration of Evansville’s bicentennial. The Girl Scouts will be decorating the seven bald cypress trees as well as many of the other trees at the Zoo with birdseed ornaments, many of which they made themselves. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden staff will be providing instruction on proper tree planting for the Scouts in hopes that they will plant trees at home and around their communities.
A portion of the trees were donated by Combs Landscaping and others were purchased through a Vanderburgh Soil and Water Conservation District Grant. The Evansville Audubon Society, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Pedia Research donated supplies for the Scouts to make the ornaments. Botanical Curator Paul Bouseman stated, “Native trees provide crucial habitat for resident and migratory song bird by providing shelter and food. The work these Scouts are doing will have positive impact for many years to come.†The 2012 Trees in 2012 campaign continues through the end of the year. There is a 2012 Trees in 2012 Facebook page where participants can upload pictures of their trees. The public is invited to watch the November 24 tree planting at the Zoo.
3.6 Earthquake Rattles the Tri-State
The US Geological Survey website is reporting an earthquake of a magnitude of 3.6 on the Richter scale occurred at 5:29 PM 38 miles NNW of Evansville at a depth of roughly 0.3 miles. No injuries or disruptions have been reported as of yet. The following link is to the USGS interactive earthquake tracking site.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/270_40.php
Do Not Call sign-up deadline extended to ‘Cyber Monday’
AG Zoeller says joining the state’s protected
list is best holiday deal, a gift that keeps giving
INDIANAPOLIS – Attorney General Greg Zoeller said shoppers taking advantage of online sales can add one more item to the list – sign up for Indiana’s Do Not Call registry.
Zoeller said he extended the registration deadline from today to midnight (EST) on Monday, Nov. 26, to give Hoosiers more time during the busy holiday to sign-up their cellular and landline phone numbers.
“More than 2 million phone lines are registered on the state’s protected list,†Zoeller said. “Signing up will at least fend off legitimate telemarketers from calling or texting you and allow you to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office if you receive an unwanted call.â€
The Attorney General’s Office has obtained 50 settlements or judgments since 2009 against robocallers and Do Not Call violators. The total awarded to the state since 2009 is more than $4.8 million and the total collected is more than $670,000.
Consumers, who have not registered before, can register their landline, cell, VOIP or prepaid wireless numbers at no cost. Zoeller said the updated list will take effect Jan. 1, 2013.
To sign up or to confirm a number is already on the list, visit www.IndianaConsumer.com or call 1.888.834.9969.Out-of-state area codes can also be added as long as the billing address is located in Indiana. Consumers do not need to re-register unless their addresses have changed.
Indiana’s Do Not Call registry is updated quarterly on the first of each January, April, July and October.
Zoeller recently launched a new portion of www.IndianaConsumer.com that includes information on robocalls. Consumers can find out what the Attorney General’s Office is doing to combat the calls and what to do if you receive a robocall by visiting http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2976.htm.
In September, Zoeller conducted a series of roundtable discussions with industry experts, elected officials and consumer groups to find more effective ways to prevent Hoosiers from receiving unwanted calls and text messages. Zoeller recently presented ideas from the roundtables during a key panel at the Federal Trade Commission’s Robocall Summit in Washington, D.C.