THE REGULAR MONTHLY BOARD MEETING OF THE VANDERBURGH COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS COMMISSION WILL CONVENE ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 AT 8:00 A.M.
THE MEETING WILL BE HELD IN MAPLE ROOM B AT THE AZTAR EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE CENTER LOCATED AT 421 NW RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN EVANSVILLE, IN. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MEETING IS A REGULAR BOARD MEETING AND IS SCHEDULED FOR 8:00 A.M.
Enrollment in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation for the 2012-13 school year stands at a total of 22,986 students as of the official count day for the State of Indiana. This number includes students being served in EVSC schools, and in programs such as the EVSC’s Early Childhood Program, EVSC Virtual Academy, students attending the Southern Indiana Career &Tech Center from other counties and parochial schools, and those served at outside agencies such as Youth Day Treatment, Youth Care Center, Evansville Psychiatric Children’s Center, and Youth Day Treatment.
Increases in enrollment were again seen in the K-8 model with an increase in 129 students; as well as in second grade enrollment (+67); third grade (+67); sixth grade (+44); seventh grade (+4); and eleventh grade (+144). PreK numbers remain steady with 249 students enrolled as of count day.
The Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center has a total of 731 students – 440 from the EVSC and 291 from parochial schools in Vanderburgh County and the four out of county school districts the Center serves (Warrick, Posey, Gibson, and the southern half of Spencer counties).
EVSC School or Program Pupils Served
High Schools
New Tech Institute 205
Bosse High School 762
Central High School 1238
Harrison High School 1157
North High School 1550
Reitz High School 1355
Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center (out of county and parochial students only; EVSC students already included in home school count) 291 Non-EVSC students
440 total students enrolled
K-8
Cedar Hall Community School 619
Glenwood Leadership Academy 471
Lincoln School 378
Lodge Community School 498
Middle Schools
Helfrich Park STEM Academy 586
North Junior High School (grades 7 and 8) 802
Perry Heights Middle School 434
Plaza Park International Prep Academy 693
McGary Middle School 308
Thompkins 724
Washington 383
Elementary Schools
Caze 511
Cynthia Heights 520
Daniel Wertz 319
Delaware 457
Dexter 413
Evans 512
Fairlawn 452
Harper 465
Hebron 882
Highland 946
Oak Hill 778
Scott 768
Stockwell 584
Stringtown 520
Tekoppel 515
Vogel 651
West Terrace 649
Other
Academy for Innovative Studies (middle and high school students) 401
Evansville Psychiatric Children’s Center 16
Youth Day Treatment 11
EVSC Virtual Academy (total enrolled not served in EVSC high schools already) 22
86 total students enrolled
Youth Care Center 6
Total Students Served by the EVSC 22,986
EVSC’s innovative programs and other special offerings also are showing increases, as programs grow to serve more grade levels and students choose areas of study that interest them and their future goals.
Randall Shepard Academy for Law and Social Justice (open to juniors and seniors) 61
Medical Professions Academy (open to all grades – now in its second year, so only grades 9 and 10 represented) 92
Early College High School (open to all grades – now in its third year, so only grades 9-11 are
represented 105
Center for Family and Community Outreach (open to seniors only) 64
International Baccalaureate 82
JROTC 125
Enrollment numbers submitted to the state for school funding purposes for the EVSC show a total of 21,510.96 students – as there is no funding for pre-kindergarten students; partial funding for career & tech students from outside the EVSC; and funding for kindergarten students is calculated with each child counting as half.
The City County Observer endorsed Evansville’s Richard Mourdock over Senator Dick Lugar in the Republican primary. The words of candidate Mourdock of the last two days have convinced us that our endorsement while made with the available information at the time was not the right thing to do.
The CCO regrets its endorsement of Richard Mourdock in the primary and hereby endorses Mr. Mourdock’s opponent Joe Donnelly for the United States Senate seat from Indiana. It has become apparent that the beliefs expressed by Mr. Mourdock with respect to women’s rights and the crime of rape are not consistent with the City County Observer’s goals of seeing good public policy implemented locally and nationally.
IS IT TRUE October 25, 2012
IS IT TRUE the referendum for combining the governments of the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County into a single entity are beginning to heat up?…a TV commercial that was aired by CORE the group opposing consolidation drew some pretty tough words from Laurel Meny who is the communications guru for YES?…one of the claims that has Meny upset is a claim that the plan of reorganization will “increase the number of appointed bureaucrats?”…Laurel does not mince words in her response to this claim as she calls it a blatant lie?…Meny stated regarding appointed bureaucrats that “The number of appointed officials following reorganization will not increase at all. Although some titles will change, such as changing the title of “Director of Communications” to “Public Information Officer,” the plan creates no new appointed positions. The number of appointees will remain the sameâ€?…Meny was also critical of a claim that the reorganization plan will raise taxes?… Meny’s response to this claim was “The plan itself will not raise taxes at all. It actually will cut costs and make it easier to reduce taxes,?â€
IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer invites letters to the editor on the subject of consolidation and encourage our readers to ferret out the facts as they are available in the consolidation plan?…the CORE group would catch less definitive grief from the YES group if they would use words like “mayâ€, “couldâ€, and “have been proven to in other locations†as opposed to stating things that elicit responses like “blatant lieâ€â€¦we also welcome anyone from the CORE group who wishes to send us an article with direct quotes from the consolidation plan to back up the claims that the plan itself proposes tax increases or the numbers of political appointees now vs. later?…we support informed thought and encourage our readers and both campaigns to be accurate for the next 12 days?…one thing is for sure and that is some people will likely be better off with a YES vote and others with a NO vote while the benefits of the future are unknown in both cases?…it is difficult to project the future from a plan that for the most part dodged the responsibility of killing the sacred cows that keep per capita government spending in Evansville higher than peer cities?…if consolidation fails it will be traced straight back to a plan that showed no stomach for actually making the kinds of changes that really are possible?
IS IT TRUE that two checks totaling $1.64 Million were written in September of 2011 by the City of Evansville to cover construction costs incurred by the EVSC on the new North High School?…these checks were written on the Ford Center construction account and authorized by a blanket accounts payable voucher approval of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…this “honest mistake†as many in the chain of command are now calling it was just discovered and the $1.64 Million will soon be back in the hands of the City of Evansville as it should be?…this naturally happened during the last days of the Weinzapfel Administration at a time when the accounts of the City were not being reconciled monthly?…this is just the sort of thing that makes monthly reconciliation necessary and part of the laws of the State of Indiana?…that unfortunately it is not even surprising that the City of Evansville could misplace $1.64 Million and not even have the ability to know it?…we will also not be surprised if this is not the only such occurrence?…this is why AUDITS FOR PROJECTS LIKE THE FORD CENTER AND NHS need to be continuously updated?…it is just another day in Evansville when thing like this are discovered?…that City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. has told the CCO that this is a BANK ERROR?
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.
This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.
Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, October 23, 2012.
Logan Bates Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated – Class C Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Bruce Bauer Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator – Class D Felony
Michael Beach Dealing in Marijuana – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
Angela Beard Theft – Class D Felony
Criminal Trespass – Class A Misdemeanor
Jacob Boarman Residential Entry – Class D Felony
Public Intoxication – Class B Misdemeanor
Bobbie Cunningham Escape – Class C Felony
Battery – Class A Misdemeanor
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Recklessness – Class B Misdemeanor
Christopher Debose Receiving Stolen Property – Class D Felony
Sylvester Johnson Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon – Class C Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class D Felony
Theft – Class D Felony
Failure to Stop After Accident Resulting in Damage to an Unattended Vehicle –
Class B Misdemeanor
(Habitual Offender Enhancement)
Christopher Monks Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors with Intent to Manufacture a
Controlled Substance – Class D Felony
Timothy Pease Operating a Motor Vehicle After Forfeiture of License for Life – Class C Felony
Jason Opperman Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony
(Habitual Substance Offender)
Syrina Rankin Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator – Class D Felony
Marcus Sherman Resisting Law Enforcement – Class D Felony
Possession of Cocaine – Class D Felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor
Mallorie Siemers Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated –Class C Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Possession of Marijuana – Class A Misdemeanor
Charles Tate Dealing in Marijuana – Class D Felony
Possession of Methamphetamine – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
Russel Taylor Theft – Class D Felony
Janet Wenk Forgery –Class C Felony
Theft – Class D Felony
Fraud – Class D Felony
Obstruction of Justice – Class D Felony
Ashley Weyer Dealing in Marijuana – Class D Felony
Bradley Wheeler Dealing in Marijuana – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
Jeremy Wood Intimidation – Class D Felony
Battery – Class A Misdemeanor
(Habitual Offender Enhancement)
For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.
Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
SENTENCE CHART
Class Range
Murder 45-65 Years
Class A Felony 20-50 Years
Class B Felony 6-20 Years
Class C Felony 2-8 Years
Class D Felony ½ – 3 Years
Class A Misdemeanor 0-1 Year
Class B Misdemeanor 0-180 Days
Class C Misdemeanor 0-60 Days
The fall 2012 RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series will continue with a reading by Mako Yoshikawa at 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 1 in the second floor reading room of USI’s David L. Rice Library.
Yoshikawa is the author of One Hundred and One Ways, which was a national bestseller in the United States, and Once Removed. She is the winner of Southern Indiana Review’s 2012 Thomas A. Wilhelmus Nonfiction Award and has received fellowships from the Bunting Institute of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the MacDowell Colony.
Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Yoshikawa holds a master’s degree in Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama at Lincoln College, Oxford, and a doctorate degree in literature from the University of Michigan. She currently lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area where she is a professor of creative writing at Emerson College.
The reading is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception and book signing.
Publications by Yoshikawa are available for purchase at the USI Bookstore and Barnes and Noble Booksellers.
Presented by USI’s College of Liberal Arts, the RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series is made possible through the support of RopeWalk Writers Retreat, Southern Indiana Review, USI Society for Arts & Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Indiana Arts Commission, and USI Student Writers Union.
City Councilman John E. Friend, CPA is the 5th and final person selected by the City County Observer to be honored with a MOLE AWARD for 2012. Councilman Friend is being honored for his diligence during the last several years in calling for an audit of the IT Department of the City of Evansville and for calling for accountability in local government. Councilman Friend also provided much advice from a financial perspective to first time MOLE AWARD winner Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley.
Councilman Friend was graduated from the Indiana State University School of Liberal Arts with a degree in Economics and from the School of Business with a degree in Accounting. Friend has achieved much in his career including accreditations as a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and as a Chartered Global Management Accountant, affiliated with the AICPA.
Councilman Friend is a member of the American Institution of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, the Indiana CPA Society and has served as the Vice Chairman of the Leadership Council of the National Association of Independent Business
He serves currently as the President of John Friend & Company, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants- Friend Financial Group.
John Friend serves on the City Council of Evansville, IN as its Finance Chairman, is a Board Member of the Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging, and as a Board Member of the Evansville Museum where he has been the Treasurer and a Levy Board Member
Councilman Friend is married to Marty Friend, has three children, four grandchildren and is a member of the Oak Hill Bible Fellowship Church.
It is with great pride that we honor Councilman Friend with his second Mole Award.
IS IT TRUE October 24, 2012 PART 2
IS IT TRUE that a new home grown family owned Westside business is getting ready to opening its doors to the people of this region? …that this business didn’t seek any public assistance such as grants or tax credits from GAGE, County Commission, City Council or Mayor Winnecke? …that the family of Andy Davidson has invested about $5 million dollars of their own money to bring Tin Man Brewing Company to Evansville? … that this new brewery shall be an earth friendly business that has a Mash Filter system that helps conserves both energy and water? …this type of filter uses about 40% less water and 15-20% less natural gas than a traditional Lager? …that this local Brewery shall create and produce a Robust Porter, Irish Red Ale, America IPS, Irish Dry Stout and a Bohemian Pilsner craft beers on site? …that the Davidson family has work miracles in renovating the building that shall house this upscale Brewery?…it’s about time our local elected officials drop by the Tin Man Brewery located on West Franklin street and thank the Davidson family members for locating this soon to be employer of 75 local people? …the City County Observer would like to be one of the first to thank the Davidson Family for bringing this one day regional multi-million dollars business to Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that Roberts Stadium did not “break even” most years? …if you look at the financials reports (this is public record) it often made money? …that SMG who managed Robert’s Stadium had no income from a hockey team, no naming rights, no start up loan from the city, and no loge seating “never†lost $300,000 per year? …that we wonder why VenuWorks seemly withheld their profit and loss statement until after they were awarded the Victory Theatre management contract? …that under the management of Roberts Stadium by SMG they not only made money but also able to pay for some of the losses of the Victory Theatre? …that with the Ford Center financially underperforming and no income left to support Victory Theatre losses the Parks Department had to dump the $350,000 a year debt off of their books and bury them within the DMD and hiding the $350,000 from their books to help fund Roberts Park?
IS IT TRUE with the vote on consolidation looming and both sides making their case it is difficult not to dream about just how much good saving could have been implemented if the consolidation committee had not taken the cowards way out and forbidden some of the biggest opportunities from being considered?…that with a current combined City-County budget that spends roughly $1,800 for every resident of Vanderburgh County when Fort Wayne-Allen County is spending closer to $1,200 per year, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME REAL TANGIBLE SAVINGS?…just scaling could have saved up to $100 Million per year IF EVANSVILLE-VANDERBURGH HAD THE COURAGE TO SIMPLY COPY OTHERS?…at this point the decision to support consolidation looks very much like the Obama Campaign of 2008 that was swept into office on the promise of HOPE AND CHANGE?…it is very difficult to justify trusting any group of candidates to do the right thing when entrusted with nothing by HOPE?…it is regretful that the consolidation plan is so protective of sacred cows that HOPE for real CHANGE has been forcefully deferred for 10 whole years?…that would’a, should’a, and could’a are the most regretted words in the English language but they are a perfect description of the consolidation plan through the eyes of one who believes in the concept but is in disbelief at just how toothless the reality is?
IS IT TRUE that the CCO encourages the City Council to put a moratorium on further spending on things that are non-revenue generators of a playtime nature?…this means Centennial Park and Roberts Park both of which will eat up a total of more than $10 Million and cost maintenance fees that Evansville does not have?…the City of Evansville needs to get its own financial house in order before it expects to be an attractive candidate for consolidation with the county or even with a place like Darmstadt?
