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.
VHS Pet of the Week: “Daisy”
Worlds Toughest Rodeo to Perform at Ford Center
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.
EVSC to Receive National Minds in the Making Grant
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.
IS IT TRUE May 22, 2012
IS IT TRUE May 22, 2012
IS IT TRUE
at 4:43 on Monday afternoon the Evansville Courier posted a story on their website announcing that the vote to rescind the loan approval for Earthcare Energy had been postponed until June 25th because two members of the City Council were not able to attend the meeting?…the Evansville City Council was not called to order until 17 minutes later at 5 o’clock and that the discussion regarding Earthcare did not come up until about 5:25?…for a newspaper to report news that has not happened yet when it comes to a vote of a city council either implies that someone in the know and in power told them what is going to happen?…that to post such an article even if a high ranking city official had gone out and solicited the votes undermines the purpose for the City Council to even exist?…that it is things like this that caused State legislatures across America to pass OPEN DOOR LAWS many years ago when vote buying and bid rigging was the standard operating procedure of city governments?…that we have to wonder just how such a thing could be reported as fact before a vote had taken place?…that the only other possibility is that the Courier reporting staff has Nostradamus or Prometheus on staff looking into the future?
IS IT TRUE that Brenda Bergwitz stood up during the public comments part of the Evansville City Council meeting last night to thank and congratulate Councilwoman Stephanie Riley on the courage and 100 hours of hard work that she had spent doing the private vetting of Earthcare Energy?…that upon hearing that City Council President Connie Robinson made a snide comment about how most of the members of the City Council don’t have 100 hours available to spend doing such things?…that such a condescending statement makes it clear that President Robinson does not respect her elected position enough to do what it takes to get her job done?…that Councilwoman Riley did her vetting over a 5 week period and that 100 hours over 5 weeks while a Herculean effort for a person with a job really is only 20 hours per week?…that Councilwoman Riley also has a job and 4 young children at home?…that if President Robinson can’t find 20 hours per week for 5 weeks to investigate a $5 Million loan underwritten by the taxpayers of Evansville that she has no business sitting on the City Council?…President Robinsons dismissive words and demeanor are an insult to every taxpayer in Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville website has finally posted a link so that people can see the March 26, 2012 meeting where the loan to Earthcare was approved?…claims regarding the DOD waiving testing and expecting an installation in San Diego in the summer of 2012 and that the phase out of 2 nuclear plants in New York will make a $1.3 Billion deal available to Earthcare Energy are right there for all the world to see?…it is also there to see and hear GAGE president Debbie Dewey admit that she had not actually seen any memorandums of understanding for orders, that not one of the Langson devices has been installed anywhere in a real world situation, and that of the alleged six loan applications that had been turned down she had only seen one?…that looking at that video after the events of the last 8 weeks really raises some serious questions about the judgment of anyone who supported the Earthcare deal at that time?
IS IT TRUE that both letters from the Chicago law firm representing Earthcare Energy read substantially identical to an article published in the City County Observer two days before the first letter was written?…we wonder if these guys are reading our so called blog to formulate their legal strategies?…that the language used in the latest letter elevated the dialog?…it is clear from reading these letters that Earthcare and their attorneys are not taking any prisoners and are looking to the City of Evansville to honor the contract as it was written and signed?
Signature School named 7th Best High School in United States
Signature School maintained its place in the Top 10 high schools in the United States in the 2012 rankings released yesterday by Newsweek.
The top ranked high school is the The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Bowling Green, Kentucky with Dupont Manual of Louisville coming in at #68 placing two of the top 10 and three of the top 100 within 100 miles of Evansville.
Link to Ranking
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/20/america-s-best-high-schools.html
Mayor Winnecke announced filing to extend 2013 Homestead Tax Credit
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.â€
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.
USI’s Sue Ellspermann to be Pence’s Running Mate
Sources have confirmed to the City County Observer that Dr. Sue Ellspermann will be announced today as the running mate for Congressman Mike Pence who is the Republican candidate for Governor of Indiana.
The announcement is scheduled to take place in Ellspermann’s hometown of Ferdinand, IN at 9 AM. The Pence and Ellspermann will then travel to Evansville where they will have an announcement event at noon at Tri State Aero..
This is a developing story so check back often.
The Reality of the Earthcare Deal is in the Deeds and not the Spin
The Reality of the Earthcare Deal is in the Deeds and not the Spin
Mayor Winnecke authored an op-ed column that extolled the exhaustive process that was followed to determine the viability of the Earthcare Energy opportunity that was presented to the City of Evansville early in his administration. We still do not really know who made the introductions that lead to the now infamous March of 2012 that saw a deal struck, a marquee photo-op at the old Whirlpool Building, the advance of $200,000 against a loan that was not yet approved, and the 5 – 4 vote that divided the Evansville City Council.
Earthcare Energy even offered the City of Evansville an opportunity to make a loan of $5 Million with a potential not only to be paid back the $5 Million but to receive a commission on power produced that could be as high as $32 Million. The annualized rate of return calculated to roughly 100%. Deals like this while appealing to greed should also ring the caution bells, as guaranteed 100% returns on investments are typically only associated with midnight runs for the border.
Earthcare executives stood before the City Council and made claims of patents that are not yet issued, an exclusive license they never produced, and tests that were never published. They also claimed to be in danger of jeopardizing a big order with the DOD for installations of Langson devices that were scheduled to begin in the summer of 2012 and alluded that there were opportunities for Billions of dollars of business in New York to replace aging nuclear power stations. Private exhaustive vetting efforts eventually uncovered some of the claims that were made were not true and others were physically impossible.
These private vetting efforts led by Evansville City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley were made available to Mayor Winnecke, GAGE officials, and other Earthcare supporters soon after the 5 – 4 vote. In spite of these obvious shortcomings they pushed forward with the Earthcare deal like lemmings sprinting into the sea. In truth, the Mayor, GAGE, some City Council members, and some other self serving locals were dragged kicking and screaming by Riley’s findings and public opinion to even read the facts that they should have gathered themselves before calling that March press conference to congratulate themselves.
These people were in denial of the facts until the hour the decision to pull the plug was announced. The comment boards on the Courier and the CCO that day had over 500 comments against this deal and exactly one comment expressing support.
The contract touted by the Mayor as having the language that Earthcare failed to fulfill did not and does not require that Earthcare show an exclusive license. It only requires a letter from Richard Langson to Mayor Winnecke explaining the relationship between Langson and Earthcare with respect to intellectual property. As for the DOE loan guarantee, the program is not currently available to anyone and was not at the time the contract was signed between Earthcare and the City of Evansville. That requirement given the current DOE offerings made as much common sense as a requirement to apply for a loan from a bank on Mars.
In reality the Earthcare Energy relationship with the City of Evansville is not dead yet. Earthcare has a 30 day period to cure the two deficiencies. The City of Evansville has already been put on notice of pending litigation by Earthcare’s Chicago based law firm. The way this eventually plays out and the fate of the $184,000 that is still owed to the City of Evansville will be interesting to watch.
The Earthcare executives for all of the shortcomings in their loan application and the findings of the private vetting efforts really seem to believe they are the next Google. In the event that this lands in court they may very well ask for Google sized damages. If that happens the City of Evansville will get to spend more money on legal expenses in addition the mounting tab already accrued trying to close the deal.
Mayor Winnecke has written that the efforts to seek jobs are still going on as they should. It was not the lead generation process that failed with the collapse of the Earthcare deal. The process that failed was the failure of the City of Evansville to do a complete vetting of the Earthcare business model, their plans, the technology, and the executives themselves before letting the adrenaline of the deal stimulate that Kodak moment out at Park 41. It is not too much to ask of our elected officials and their surrogates to actually think and do some research before smiling for the camera and making premature job announcements. Actually it is expected that they do so. It is unfair for a handful of City Council members and some private individuals to have to do this vetting in an effort to save the City from itself.
The bottom line here is that the efforts of Councilwoman Riley and the courage she showed to go public with the information after being rebuffed in private by the very people who are now patting themselves on the back for killing the deal is what killed the deal. Evansville needs a vetting process and some money set aside to pay for it. During the past few years the taxpayers of Evansville have seen the McCurdy project, the downtown hotel, the $18 Million ball fields, and now the Earthcare Energy loan fail due to a deficiency in whatever vetting process that the powers that be actually have.
Make no mistake, if some process is not defined, approved, and funded that is professional and competent this will happen again. One of the accepted definitions of insanity is to continue doing the same thing and expecting a different result. It is time for the City of Evansville and Mayor Winnecke to stop the insanity and establish a real vetting process that will work. Failure to do so will violate the campaign promises of transparency and will severely blunt the job attraction efforts that we all agree are important. Many times during the campaign, Mayor Winnecke touted his experience as a banker. It is time that he starts to act like one.
IS IT TRUE May 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE May 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE that the Mesker Amphitheatre is in Evansville’s 6th Ward?…Al Lindsey is the elected representative on the Evansville City Council for the 6th Ward?…Councilman Lindsey was not told in advance about the closing of Mesker Amphitheatre and that he learned about it in the newspaper like the rest of the people of Evansville did?…not giving at least an hour of notice to the elected representative of the people of the 6th Ward before announcing this closure was insulting and in poor taste?…it was also not even close to being transparent and will be remembered by the people of the 6th Ward for many years?
IS IT TRUE the Evansville City Council will be meeting tonight at 5:30 in the Civic Center?…the agenda includes the 2nd and 3rd reading of Ordinance G-2012-9 that simply states that it is to rescind Ordinance G-2012-1?…there is no reference whatsoever in the agenda as to what Ordinance G-2012-1 is or why it is being rescinded?…every other item on the agenda without exception has a written description of what the Ordinances are about?…leaving the fact that Ordinance G-2012-9 is to rescind the approval for the $4.8 Million loan previously approved by a 5 – 4 margin off of the agenda is just one more verification that the City Council is trying to slide this through under the radar and is cowardly when it comes to cleaning their own messes?…it is better to have a flock of chickens clean the mess than it is for the mess to go without cleaning so if the only way to do this is like a chicken then so be it?…City Council members Stephanie Riley and Dan McGinn got in front of this thing and did the due diligence that GAGE and the Mayor’s office should have done?…that those two are certainly not cowards like many of the others who woke up last November and found themselves elected to office?
IS IT TRUE we encourage those of our readers who are disgusted with how this went down to pack the room tonight and let the City Council know that passing things without reading or understanding them in the style of Nancy Pelosi is not an acceptable way to govern?…unless the people who supported this have a consequence for their cavalier actions and condescending demeanor that this sort of idiocy is certain to happen again and again as it did under the Weinzapfel Administration?…that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?…that it is time for the government of the City of Evansville to cease with the insanity?
IS IT TRUE the minutes from the Evansville City Council meeting on March 26, 2012 when the loan for Earthcare was approved are finally available on the City of Evansville website?…that the CCO has them posted under a separate heading?…if one reads the transcript of those minutes and pays close attention to the words of Councilman Conor O’Daniel it is nearly incomprehensible to understand how he could have turned around and voted YES?…what would be more interesting to read would be a transcript of the meetings in the hallway when Councilman O’Daniel was “convinced†into voting YES?…Councilman O’Daniel could have saved the City of Evansville much embarrassment by voting to extend that night so the VETTING which was underway in private circles could have been completed?…that someday we will know the cost in real dollars of this emotion driven fiasco?