VHS Pet of the Week: “Zack”
Greetings from Zack! Zack is a 1-year-old, neutered Am Staff Mix. This handsome boy is super sweet and is looking for a loving family. He is very treat motivated and can sometimes take things he wants a little too eagerly. He might be too much for small children because of his eagerness. Basic obedience will help him fine tune his manners and make him the awesome pet he really wants to be. Zack might enjoy having a K9 companion but he insists on meeting any potential roommates prior to going home. For more information on Zack and how to make him a member of your family, visit www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.
EVSC Employees Face Welborn Health Insurance Changes
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Board of School Trustees heard information tonight (5/7/12) about changes that are being implemented to the Welborn Health Insurance plan that most EVSC employees have, that would reduce employee premiums, but increase deductibles. The change in plan is due to the corporation’s desire to not be forced by Indiana State Statute to be a part of the Indiana State Health Insurance Plan, which would potentially cost the corporation more money, offer fewer benefits to employees at greater cost, provide the corporation no possibility for input into cost savings measures or benefits, and also force the corporation’s employees to be on the plan for a mandatory two-year enrollment period before being permitted to exit.
“Due to the provisions of our collective bargaining agreements employees pay between 12 and 15 percent for access to their EVSC Welborn Health Insurance. That provision, coupled with our desire to provide the best health insurance possible, mandated a change in our plan design,†said Superintendent David Smith. “I understand health insurance is an extremely important benefit afforded to our employees and trust that all will understand the dynamics that led to this change.â€
Under the new plan design announced, premium levels paid by employees will be reduced by nearly 23 percent from the May 1 renewal rate and office and generic drug co-pays will remain the same. There will, however, be an increase in health insurance deductible amounts. Effective June 1, the deductible levels go to $1,500 (individual)/$3,000 (family). The maximum out-of-pocket (which includes office co-pays and deductibles) will be $3,000 (individual)/$6,000 (family). In essence, the EVSC was looking for a change in plan design that would impact the fewest number of individuals. Fortunately, 87% of EVSC’s health insurance participants did not reach their maximum out of pocket at our previous lower out-of-pocket levels.
During the meeting, Smith explained that there is a trigger that is mandated by law that forces a public school corporation onto the State Plan. This trigger is based upon the employer’s share of the cost of the health plan compared to the funding the state provides for its employees. Under the EVSC’s collective bargaining agreements, the EVSC will exceed this trigger if no changes are made to the current plan. The only way to avoid the mandatory move to the Indiana State Health Insurance Plan is to reduce our health insurance expenditures.
Options to reduce expenditures that have been investigated by the EVSC include: excluding a spouse who has access to health insurance through their employer; mandating biometric testing and wellness initiatives that would aid in the detection of health issues; instituting higher unhealthy habit premiums; auditing employee enrollment to verify qualified enrollees; implementing an EVSC Health Clinic to treat illness on site; and modifying the plan design.
If the EVSC was forced to go to the state plan, expenditures for access to health insurance most like EVSC’s current plan would grow to nearly $41.8 million (up from the new EVSC rate of $23.4 million). Total employee contributions would grow from $2.8 million to $16 million for that same plan.
On the state plan, an individual employee who by contract pays 12 percent of the premium would pay $3,283.02 annually (up from the new EVSC rate of $723.51 annually). The state plan does not offer an Employee+1 plan that many EVSC employees currently have, so they would be forced to pay for the “family†plan offered by the state. Employee+1 and families on the family plan would pay $9,136.40 annually (up from the new EVSC rate of $1,363.71 for Employee+1 or $1,645.83 for the Family Plan annually).
The EVSC is also still extremely competitive with area school districts by having the lowest employee premium cost for health insurance. Employees in neighboring districts now pay from $5,880 to $13,179 annually to access health insurance family plans, while EVSC employees will pay $1,645.89 annually for access to our family plan.
All EVSC Netbooks to Include Accidental Damage Insurance
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Board of School Trustees tonight (5-7-12) approved the purchase of accidental damage insurance from Dell Financial Services, for the Dell netbooks that high school students use. Not only will parents no longer have to obtain insurance coverage or pay for repairs themselves, but the district will also save money on repair costs.
When these computers were purchased two years ago, the insurance costs were prohibitive. Last year when the middle school netbooks were purchased, insurance was a more affordable option to add at that time, and the corporation did so. Through the work of several offices in the EVSC, and negotiations with Dell, it was determined that adding insurance at this time to the high school units is a more cost-effective solution for netbook repairs due to accidental damage. This does not apply for netbooks that are deliberately damaged, lost, or stolen.
“Now, when accidental damage occurs, students will still turn the computer in at their school, and it will be repaired by our own EVSC personnel, or by an outside company – but paid for through the insurance,†said Stacy Mauser, EVSC chief technology officer. “No longer will parents have to fill out paperwork, find serial numbers, or pay remaining balances not covered by insurance. We have had high school parents asking for this since we started the program and now it is monetarily feasible.â€
Textbook, netbook, and netbook insurance costs are paid for through a combination of funding sources, including the EVSC Book Fund, state reimbursement for students who qualify for free and reduced textbooks, student rental fees, and other granting sources.
Currently, costs for repairs are paid by the student’s family, through any insurance they have purchased, or a combination of the two. The EVSC worked with Student Insurance Partners in the past and annual premiums ranged from $43 to $52, depending on the deductible amount desired (from $100 to $25). Some families also purchased insurance from other providers.
The EVSC began the 1:1 netbook initiative in 2009 at the high school level, when the state defined a computer to be the same as a textbook for reimbursement purposes. In Fall 2011, the initiative rolled out to middle grades students.
The purpose of the laptop initiative is to ignite a passion for learning, inspiring all students to become self-motivated, enthusiastic participants in their education. The EVSC’s goal is for all students in grades 6-12, regardless of income or family background, to have access to a laptop computer for use at both school and home. The EVSC believes that individual ownership will help promote concepts of self-motivation and enthusiastic participation by providing all with access to a powerful technological tool to enhance learning. Since computer use is required in nearly all post-secondary programs and professions, a natural and constant access in high school will better prepare students for this inevitable future.
The Indiana Department of Education last year awarded a Classroom Innovation Grant of $200,000 to the EVSC and this year, the EVSC received a second grant of $100,000. The most recent grant is for the Community of Digital Educators (CODE), which selects 30 teachers to have extensive professional development and access to other resources and conferences, in order to develop online curriculum for use in the classroom. These teachers will then become teacher leaders throughout the corporation training others to develop their own digital content.
City Announces Tochigi City Tornado Relief Fund
EVANSVILLE, IN – Mayor Lloyd Winnecke announced the establishment of a fund at Old National Bank to accept donations to provide assistance to families and individuals impacted by tornados that hit Tochigi Prefecture (state) Sunday. The violent storms, which are rare in Japan, killed one person and damaged buildings in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures just days after Tochigi City Mayor Toshimi Suzuki and four other delegates from Tochigi City returned to Japan following a visit to Evansville.
“Although Tochigi City was not directly impacted by the storms, I feel it is important for the City of Evansville to support our sister city and her neighbors as they recover from storm damage,†Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said. “The money will be sent to Tochigi City in care of Mayor Suzuki for distribution to those who might not otherwise receive help.â€
Old National Bank has graciously donated $500 to the tornado relief fund. Old National Bank Senior Vice President Kathy Schoettlin said donations to the Tochigi City Tornado Relief fund can be made at any Old National Bank location.
IS IT TRUE May 8, 2012
IS IT TRUE May 8, 2012
IS IT TRUEthat yesterday the State of Indiana stepped in and shut down the Kunkel Square apartments for a couple of violations that raise some serious questions about just how something like this could have happened?…that the violations that lead to the closing of the building were first a communication system that did not have vocal directions to talk people out of the building in the case of an emergency and secondly because there was only a single staircase going to the top floor/attic?…that the building only started accepting tenants into the apartments in early March?…that projects like Kunkel Square are certainly subject to building codes but that prior to getting an occupancy permit that should have been issued before people could move in there is a very well defined process that starts with approved plans, then proceeds to a permit, then through a series of inspections all of which must be signed off on before the issue of an occupancy permit?…that what happened yesterday should have had no probability to have ever occurred if all involved did their job?…it will be interesting to see this little downtown drama unfold because with the kind of redundancy in the whole process this should not have been possible?
IS IT TRUE that GAGE president Debbie Dewey responded to Evansville City Councilwoman Stephanie Riley’s 6 pages of vetting that Dewey should have done with a little missive of her own?…that the most astounding part of the response was the one-two punch from Dewey where she sent the message that when it comes to making $4.8 Million loans to a businesses to move to Evansville that the personal history and past business successes or failures of the management team DO NOT MATTER AND ARE NOT EVEN LOOKED AT BY GAGE WHEN VETTING PROJECTS FOR THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE?…given the sheer number of bankruptcies, shell businesses, failed ventures, resume gaps, and even an arrest that were discovered by Councilwoman Riley that were dismissed by Dewey as though they were of no more consequence than throwing spit balls in elementary school?…that this part of Dewey’s response is the most shocking and amazing opinion expressed?…that if Charles Manson submitted an acceptable plan to the oligarchy of Evansville that we must assume that Ms. Dewey and GAGE would recommend Mr. Charles Manson for a $4.8 Million loan?…that after all it seems that CHARACTER MEANS NOTHING TO MS. DEWEY WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY?
IS IT TRUE that Ms. Dewey was also trite an dismissive in her assertion that Earthcare Energy has no competitors and stated that comparing a turbo expander to a worm screw device is like comparing a tractor trailer to a bicycle?…that while there is a difference in the size and capture device that drives a generator that both devices have an inlet and outlet for pressure that turn an off the shelf generator to make electricity?…that a better analogy given the energy generation capacity would have been to compare the turbo expander to an SUV and the Langson generator as a compact car?…that these do indeed compete with each other for the same customer base?…that Dewey can’t defend her assertion that these two devices will never compete with one another in the marketplace unless the Langson device abandons all markets where the pressures are high?…that as simple and unprotected as the Langson device is it will be copied at the first sign of success anyway?…that the quickest way to turn a venture investor off is to claim no competition?…that such statements are seen as naïve and weak minded?
IS IT TRUE that Dewey has continued to assert that a patent has been applied for?…that no one has ever disputed that but that Mr. Ken Haney stood before the Evansville City Council and claimed to have the rights to “the patent†to the Langson device?…that in truth there is no patent and that there is no guarantee that there will ever be one?…that this device is as Mr. Haney said “not rocket science†and that there are lots of ways to spin a generator so any patent that ever is issued will not have the ability to keep competitors at bay?
IS IT TRUE that Ms Dewey asserts that a study by Concurrent Technologies that was commissioned by the DOD vetted and recommended the Langson device?…that this statement if it is referring to the Concurrent Technologies report dated September 6, 2011 then this statement is simple not true?…that this study makes no reference to the Langson generator in its recommendations and even acknowledges in its second sentence that a turbo expander does the same thing?…that what this study does say is that there is a significant amount of energy that may be able to be recovered near DOD facilities and that it merits further investigation?…that Earthcare’s “investment summary†explicitly states that a real study to vet the technology was to have been completed before March 31, 2012?…that as of this date that no such study has been made available to the Evansville City Council?…that if there is a study that has confirmed the statements made by Ms. Dewey and Earthcare that we are certain it would have been made available?…that we challenge them both to produce that study and that we are skeptical that it has ever been done?
Breaking News: Kunkel Square Apartments Closed by State Fire Marshall
A sign was posted at the Kunkel Square apartment building at 4th and Main Streets in downtown Evansville today by the Indiana State Fire Marshall advising tnants that they must be out of the builidng by 6 PM Tuesday. The issues that lead to the shutting down of Kunkel Square have to do with the security system and the fact that only one stairway leads into the 12th floor.
It has been reported that the Evansville Fire Department had previously inspected the building and found no issues calling into question the possibility that these two public safety entities could be working with different sets of rules.
There has been no time to re-open the building released.
Earthcare Deal May Fund Tomorrow
Sources have advised the City County Observer that Earthcare Energy representatives are in Evansville today for the purpose of going over final details that could lead to the signing of documents and the closing of the deal as early as tomorrow. Other sources have reported to us that several questions regarding issues like the license agreement with Langson Energy, intellectual property (patent) issues, the planned uses of the $4.8 Million loan, a Power Purchase Agreement with Vectren Corporation, and the detailed plans for the Evansville operation have been requested by Evansville officials in advance of the meeting.
This development comes on the heels of a private vetting effort report released by City Councilwoman Stephanie Riley that revealed some material information that was not previously disclosed. Public support for the City of Evansville making this loan as indicated by online polls conducted by both the City County Observer and the Courier Press is hovering around 5% with over 90% expressing the opinion that this deal should not be consummated.
Councilwoman Riley has has also announced that she is having a resolution prepared for the May 14, 2012 meeting of the City Council that would ask the Council to rescind the previous vote for the loan that was held under duress and without the benefit of her findings.
If the deal is rushed through this week there will be no opportunity for the City Council to consider the new material information prior to the closing.
IS IT TRUE May 7, 2012 Part 2
IS IT TRUE May 7, 2012 Part 2
IS IT TRUE that during the discussion at the Evansville City Council back in late March that Earthcare Energy officials emphatically stated and included in writing in their “investment summary†that final testing of the Langson device would be completed by March 31, 2012?…that the company both stated and written that would be doing this testing was Concurrent Technologies Corporation that is a legitimate company that has a field office at the Westgate Park of the Crane Naval Weapons Center?…that these test results have never been made available to the media and have not been posted on the Earthcare Energy website either?…that we wonder if the City of Evansville had the good sense to make the release of any dollars to Earthcare contingent on them showing proof that the Langson device was tested by a legitimate 3rd party business that is actually in the business of testing for a living?…that we suspect that the haste with which this deal was done didn’t allow for that important paragraph to have been written but IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN?…that once again rushing a $4.8 Million deal has painted the City of Evansville into a corner?
IS IT TRUE that on page 9 of the loan agreement under section (g) there is some language that may give the City of Evansville an out on the basis of newly introduced material information that could impact the borrower’s ability to repay the loan?…that then again it may not since the borrower had no assets at the time that the loan agreement was written?…that the loan agreement also has absolutely no reference to any Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Vectren that has been widely advertised to be providing collateral for the loan?…that a word search of the loan agreement does not reveal the name of Vectren mentioned anywhere at all?…that it seems that as far as the paperwork is concerned that all Vectren is doing is signing an agreement that will allow them to triple their money on any power produced by Earthcare Energy and keep some of their coal in the ground in the process?…that it seems as though Vectren is in a no lose situation with the PPA?
IS IT TRUE that City Attorney Ted Ziemer is on public record as stating that the Earthcare Energy loan can be closed this week?…that in private the Mayor Winnecke has stated that the requirements to close the loan are several weeks away from being completed?…that any way you analyze those two statements someone comes out looking like a purveyor of an untrue statement?…that we do not know which one of these guys is spewing untrue statements but one of them certainly is?…that we also have no way of knowing if the untruths are lies or just naiveté?
IS IT TRUE that if this loan gets jammed through with over 90% of the poll respondents in both the CCO and the Courier calling for a halt to this that it will mean that the Winnecke Administration has no regard whatsoever for the will of the people who elected him?…that at this point over 300 comments have been posted on the combined articles of the CP and the CCO without a single post that is supportive of this loan?…that even David Nixon got 15% of the vote in his landslide loss to Jonathan Weinzapfel in the 2007 City of Evansville elections?…that ignoring the will of over 90% of ones constituents will be fatal to the political careers of Mayor Winnecke and the 5 City Council members who supported this loan, especially the 3 at-large members all of whom voted yes?