IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer was called a fledgling blog by VenuWorks a few weeks ago yet according to them we “flooded their phone lines”?…that the CCO has been called much worse than that by at least one giant company yet the people of Evansville have lit up their phone lines and filled their email inboxes in response to some articles that have been published here?…that the Courier and Press has been respectful but has been annoyed by link postings to articles on the CCO some of which were placed by the CCO and some were not?…that the local TV stations have always been respectful and according to one prominent elected official keep the CCO website up all of the time to get in on Mole info?…that yesterday we returned the favor in posting links to the CP and to News25 for their stories about the disputes surrounding the Homestead Tax Credit?…that during the time that our article and the links have been posted that the websites that we linked to have gotten over 500 pageviews from our referrals?

IS IT TRUE that we suspended voting in our poll regarding truthfulness because in a couple polls in the past that have been offered by the CCO and the CP there have been overnight sensations where 200+ vote leads have completely evaporated or been lost overnight?…that in these instances nearly 100 percent of the overnight votes are for one particular position which is indicative of orchestrated mischief or robo-voting?…that robo-voting is easy to recognize and put a stop to during the day?…that if we see any robo-voting which thus far we have not we will shut this poll down immediately and freeze the results as final?

IS IT TRUE that the hard working employees of Vanderburgh County government know for certain now that they will not be getting a raise this year?…that if there has ever been a series of years that creates a need to hold the line on raises in both the public and private sectors that the years from 2009 until now are it?…that the City of Evansville employees are being granted a 2% across the board wage increase this year despite the howling over cut backs to other areas of the budget?…that the unfortunate political reality is that the employees of the City of Evansville are getting their 2% raise because the City is having an election year and the incumbents want every advantage that they can vote in?…that the employees of the County can expect to be seriously considered for raises next year when the County has elections?…that this is one silly artifact of having two governments that would disappear with consolidation?…that it will not save us a dime but it will shift a dime or two forward or backward in time and keep the ability of two sets of politicians from pandering to employees with raises?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer will be checking everyday from now until Halloween to see if the real estate taxes have been paid on the McCurdy Hotel? …that on the morning of September 29th, parcel #82-06-30-020-005.002-029 also known as the McCurdy Hotel and located at 100 SE Riverside in Evansville, IN indicates that there is still a delinquent tax amount of $12,274.76?…that if we can report that the taxes are paid on this property that the CCO will become more enthused about the proposition of this project moving forward?…that it has now been 9 full days since Mr. Steve Scott was advised that the taxes on the McCurdy Hotel have not been paid?

IS IT TRUE that this looks like it is going to be one of those beautiful fall days when the weather is perfect for a nice long walk along the Evansville Riverfront, the Newburgh trail, or even around your own neighborhood?…that many of our readers and ourselves will see you there?…that it is also a perfect opportunity to pick up some litter and beautify our home?

IS IT TRUE? September 28, 2011 Special Evening Edition

IS IT TRUE that we are a bit distressed by the two shootings in Evansville’s Southside in the last 24 hours?…that it is crime and schools that get F’s in the neighborhood that are keeping the Front Door Pride homes from selling?…that at the City Council meeting the other night there was a substantive discussion about a project to build 40 more homes in the FDP area that are slated to cost just over $200,000 each to build?…that these 40 homes are planned to be rental units for 15 years and then to convert to ownership?…that a similar program in Ohio was said to have only resulted in 3 actual purchases?…that building mansions in places that are filled with crime and failing schools never ever works any where?…that Evansville is spending tax money on the wrong things at this time?

IDEA IN FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH: PLEASE COMMENT

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has a proposal for the developer who is running the rental house project in the Front Door Pride area?…that we would like to suggest that the first $2 Million be spent to purchase the 9 existing Front Door Pride homes that are sitting empty with dust covered for sale signs in front of them?…that these could then be the first 9 rental houses and that only 31 more would need to be built?…that this would liberate $2 Million that the City of Evansville could use to a) pay down some debt, b) put back into the business loan fund that it was taken from, or c) seed an Angel Investment Fund to be administered by people with no political position?

IS IT TRUE that sometime during the night that some inconsiderate slop hog(s) littered the neighborhood that this writer lives in?…that about 3 or 4 times per week this seems to happen?…that it always seems to consist of a big empty bag from a fast food outlet and a several of those 44 ounce plastic soft drink containers that come through the same drive up window?…that dutifully I and other neighbors pick these nuisances up and discard them within 8 hours of the time that the slop hog(s) toss them out?…that we are fortunate to have a neighborhood where one bag and several cups stick out like a sore thumb and where the overwhelming majority of the residents have the pride of neighborhood to keep things clean?…that some neighborhoods have so much of a problem with litter that just a few people can keep it clean?…that the war on litter really can be won a block at a time?

IS IT TRUE that every month or so there is a wave of litter that is a result of a yard service provider leaving a little plastic column with a card to let the homeowners know they have put chemicals on the yard?…that these friendly little reminders are litter of the worst kind?…that the little black columns are made from the cheapest plastic there is and are not even accepted at many recycling centers?…that maybe these services should abandon this outdated practice and use email or twitter to advise their customers of services completed?…that it would save them the cost of the little reminders and add to their bottom line?

IS IT TRUE that the “absolute unique visitors” that have been recorded by Google Analytics during the last 6 weeks exceeds the number of votes recorded by Mayor Weinzapfel in the 2007 election for Mayor of Evansville?…that we are attracting enough local eyeballs to win every election on this year’s ballot?…that this is an increase on a monthly basis of 400% since last November when the CCO first started keeping detailed statistics on traffic?

IS IT TRUE that the Mole Nation tells us that the newly formed “Mainstream Democrats” have distributed the money they raised at the upper level of the Maingate last month?…that it is our understanding that every Democrat running for office except Rick Davis, Al Lindsey, and Dr. H. Dan Adams was given a contribution?…that counter to popular belief that no money was handed to any Republicans even though this group includes some people who openly support some Republican candidates?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Regional Airport got a shot in the arm yesterday with a grant of $500,000?…that this grant is reportedly going to be used to subsidize direct flights to the Washington DC area?…that this is a decision with potential to impress Southwest Airlines that is scheduled to acquire the little known carrier that will be experimenting with the Evansville to DC route?…that if we the people of Evansville keep these flights filled to reasonable capacity that Southwest will take note of this and we may actually have just found a back door way to get a discount carrier to try out EVV?…that this writer has been to Washington DC on many occasions but my wife has never seen our nation’s capital?…that during this period of subsidy we will be scheduling a trip to DC and we will be using the EVV – DC connection?…that this is our way of supporting our local airport and that we encourage our readers, friends, school field trip planners etc. to do the same?

IS IT TRUE that in the game of growing or attracting corporate headquarters that the business friendliness of flight schedules is at or near the top of the list for decision makers?…that in today’s Wall Street Journal that the decline in flights and the high cost of flights to and from the Cincinnati airport (that is in KY) is cited as responsible for the corporate headquarters of Chiquita Brands to consider moving to a city with a more accommodating flight schedule?…that the Cincinnati airports excessive pricing is cited as the reason that Toyota’s team members opt to drive the 520 mile round trip to their engineering offices in Ann Arbor, MI?…that the Cincinnati airport at its high point had 600 flights per day and is now down to 190?

IS IT TRUE that making EVV a headquarters friendly airport will not be easy but if the efforts are strategic, the fares are cost effective, and the schedules work for business it is a worthy effort?…that the $500,000 in free money is a drop in the bucket but it does buy us a lottery ticket that may just earn us some success on the direct flight to DC map?…that the technology transfer program at GAGE that was established 3 years ago in 2008 was patterned after the highly successful program at TEDCO that is between Baltimore and Washington?…that the area in and around DC is ripe with Federal Labs with current and available patents that are open season for GAGE?…that if Republican Mayoral candidate Lloyd Winnecke who is a vocal supporter of the GAGE technology transfer program as a platform to transform the local economy just hit the lottery with subsidized direct flights to DC?…that anyone and everyone who is in the business of furthering technology transfer as a solution in Evansville should realize the window of opportunity that this flight will offer?…that if we do not take advantage of this opportunity that the window shall surely close within a year or so?

IS IT TRUE that if we can just get moving on those 4 Jetways that we can make these flying experiences even more business friendly?…that it will be more tourist friendly too?
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IS IT TRUE that the events are starting to stack up at the Ford Center and that a little browsing of the ticketmaster website is a good place to learn about prices and availability?…that there are still good seats in the lower part of the lower bowl are still available for the Bob Seger concert?…that of a more athletic interest that on October 4th that Evansville Icemen tickets will be going on sale?…that single game tickets including fees are from $14.40 to $47.05 per game?…that season tickets for adults are available for price ranges from $343 to $917 per seat for the entire season?…that you should be able to save some money by using the VenuWorks ticket booth or the Icemen website?…that we wish all of the events great success?

IS IT TRUE that gasoline in Henderson tonight was $3.06 or about 30 cents less than Evansville stations?…that this guy was across the river anyway and filled up with 15 gallons saving $4.50 over what the cost would have been over here?…that a nickel of that 30 cents is taxes but the rest is something else?…that the difference in gas prices between Kentucky and Indiana really should not be more than 7 cents to 10 cents?…that as much as Henderson seems to be prone to gas wars that Evansville is becoming the land of price fixing?

IS IT TRUE that a disturbed man deliberately set his own house on fire in North Evansville yesterday?…that it was the foregone conclusion with many people that this fire was meth related?…that we have every reason to be predisposed to believe that when a house explodes in Evansville that it is meth related?…that this time it was not meth but it was a disturbed person?…that it remains to be seen if this explosion and this persons demise will be classified as an accident or as suicide?…that either way another exploding home is not a statistic that we are pleased to see?

IS IT TRUE that the fact that the Firefighters Union has chosen to endorse Rick Davis and that the Policemen’s Union chose Lloyd Winnecke is proof of the closeness of the upcoming election for Mayor of Evansville?…that the Mole Nation is pretty sure that if the election were held today that the Evansville City Council will contain 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans but that there is disagreement over which 2 Republicans will prevail in the contested races?…that the Mole Nation is a clustercoinflip on the Mayor’s race with a bevy of opinions on why Mr. Davis will prevail and a similar amount who are betting on Mr. Winnecke?…that perhaps as many as a third of the moles have not yet made their choice?

IS IT TRUE that we received many questions about the statistical salary for attorneys and paralegals in Evansville so we did some research on Salary.com?…that the median salary for an attorney is reported to be $80,080 per year?…that a paralegal in Evansville is reported to command a median salary of $42,800?…that it seems as though we shall stand beside yesterdays analysis that hiring an attorney and a paralegal to work directly for the City of Evansville as opposed to farming this out at $150 and $95 per hour is a vastly better deal for the taxpayers?…that we agree with some of our posters and those who sent us emails that these pay levels in the national scheme of things are pretty insulting?

IS IT TRUE that Mole #5 tells us that several City of Evansville employees that serve at the pleasure of the Mayor are bidding on jobs in other departments?…that while this is understandable that some of these people may be well served to stay where they are and to serve the next Mayor?…that Evansville is not like Washington DC during a change of administrations and that it should be no stigma upon anyone for doing a good job during the reign of Mayor Weinzapfel?