“Andy Dufresne, the memorable character from “The Shawshank Redemption,” has nothing on Gordon Flavia, 56, of Longview…”
Downtown Today: 8/5/2011
Time 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Subject DMD Code Enf.
Location Room 318
Reminder 15 minutes
Ron @ 7884
Time 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Subject DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the first Friday of every 1 month effective 8/5/2011 until 8/5/2011 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
BONNIE FOX @ 4927
Categories ROOM 301
Time 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Subject ANIMAL CONTROL
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the first Friday of every 1 month effective 8/5/2011 until 8/5/2011 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
SHARON EVANS @ 4982
Categories ROOM 301
IS IT TRUE? August 5, 2011
IS IT TRUE? August 5, 2011
IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville is joining the negotiation with the IceMen through the use of the Courier and Press to forward their position that the Arena’s needs for cash take a superior position to the IceMen’s need for a good business model?…that what the Icemen have been offered is essentially a deal that if they do poorly with attendance that they have to pay more but that if they exceed expectations that they will pay less?…that this is a formula to kill an emerging business?…that if things go poorly they have to pay a higher amount for rent but if they do great they get a break?…that anyone with a shred of business sense would shake their head and just say “give me a breakâ€?
IS IT TRUE that what is needed to help the IceMen grow is exactly the opposite of what the brilliant minds working for the City of Evansville have concocted?…that if ticket sales lag the IceMen need a big break?…that if ticket sales go better than expected (or should I say than the City projected) that the IceMen should pay more?…that we really are starting to wonder what is it about a win-win scenario that our community leaders just do not understand?…that if the IceMen win Evansville should win too?…that if the IceMen suffer at the box office then Evansville should share in the losses?…that we wonder if the deal between the City of Evansville and the IceMen is a partnership or a dictatorship?…that Ron Geary is a seasoned businessman who knows about win-win relationships?…that he is right now in the middle of a negotiation with a collection of simpletons that have never earned a dollar of private profit based money in their lives?…that the City County Observer would like to be a fly on the wall when Mr. Geary tells these guys where to stick this one sided, uncompromising deal that he has been offered?
IS IT TRUE that the leaders of the City of Evansville need to go back to some 8th grade class when the concepts of the free enterprise system and capitalism are taught?…that as long as municipalities elect leaders that know little about the practice of business that they will suffer the consequences of having decisions made and deals put together that would be more at home in the former USSR that they will ever be in a capitalistic society?
IS IT TRUE that there is another situation brewing down at the McCurdy that will reflect very strongly on the lack of business savvy that our Evansville Redevelopment Commission and Mayor Weinzapfel have agreed to?…that we are in the final stages of securing the details of the mortgage situation with respect to this historic property?…that a mortgage on this property is held by the City of Evansville on this property?…that another mortgage is also on the property and that a prominent bank on the Evansville skyline is the mortgage holder?…that the title was transferred to City Centre Properties after the City of Evansville incented CCP with $800,000 in cash and a $603,000 parking lot?…that about a year after the nothing down deal with public money footing the deal that City Centre Properties took out a private mortgage on the McCurdy Hotel in an amount that is larger than the incentive of the City of Evansville?…that if the contract that is now expired is rescinded and a foreclosure proceeding is pursued that the City of Evansville may get absolutely nothing back if the loan that the city holds has been subordinated to the paper held by the prominent bank?…that this arrangement could take years to work its way through the courts, could end up in an auction that brings less than the private mortgage, leaving the City of Evansville out $1,403,000 and with no hotel to show for this inept little exercise?
IS IT TRUE? August 4, 2011 Special Evening Edition
IS IT TRUE? August 4, 2011 Special Evening Edition
IS IT TRUE that in Big Sur, California there is a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean that is called Nepenthe?…that this restaurant with its World Renowned Ambrosia Burger takes its name from medicine of the ancient Greeks that is a natural anti-depressant?…that Nepenthe makes one forget the sorrows of life?…that what the people of the City of Evansville need after the last several years is a heaping portion of this mythical medicine so they can forget the aggressive malfeasance that has been wreaked upon them in the name of progress?…that after a period of forgetting and forgiving it will be time to move forward in creating a place that anyone from anywhere will recognize as a worthy place to live and work?
IS IT TRUE that we wonder just how many calls are being fielded at the employers of the members of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission over the rotten fruits of their labor and judgment?…that we suspect that all of them are getting an earful from the public?…that they can end the pain and aggravation at any time that they wish to by resigning from the ERC?…that all 5 of these members of the ERC are political appointees of the Weinzapfel Administration and/or its surrogate the Evansville City Council?…that come November we will know who the new Mayor and the new makeup of the City Council?…that any and all appointees of the Weinzapfel Administration would be well served to distance themselves from the throne as Councilman and Finance Committee Chairman John Friend seems to be doing?…that the resume’ padding that is normally associated with appointed service may not carry the same patronage benefits as it has in days long gone?
IS IT TRUE that Councilman Friend has taken Mayor Weinzapfel to the mat and pinned him flat regarding the allocation of $160,000 to audit the IT activities of the City of Evansville?…that the Mayor wants this to be a line item in the budget?…that our recommendation is that Councilman Friend should reject the line item way of introducing this money and insist on this being attached as part of the IT budget?…that if it is a standalone line item that Mayor Weinzapfel may just pull the old line item veto trick and SNEGAL Councilman Friend out of his requested audit?
IS IT TRUE that a board member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission also serves on the Evansville Historical Preservation Commission?…that both board members are appointed by the Mayor? …can’t the Mayor find at one other qualified person to replace ERC the member on one of these boards?
IS IT TRUE that it is rumored that people living in the Evansville Historical District are about ready to publically take on a businessman and real-estate developer concerning a dumpster issue? …many downtown residents are extremely unhappy with the Evansville Historical Preservation officer for not taking care of this issue in a timely manner? …the downtown residents are going to tell individuals running for public office their concerns about the lack of due diligence on his part?
IS IT TRUE? Part 2 August 4, 2011
IS IT TRUE? Part 2 August 4, 2011
IS IT TRUE that another $1.4 Million is going to be spent to tell Evansville what it needs to do to become a better place?…that this time an unknown entity called the Sustainable Evansville Area Coalition is the beneficiary of this government largesse?…that the kick-off meeting was yesterday and that no one identifying themselves from that organization attended?…that the attendees seemed to be a hodge podge of people rounded up by local government at public works construction companies?…that the parent organization has a history of suggesting that blight be removed?…that the City County Observer has been an advocate for urban renewal in which the first step is the use of a bulldozer for a long time now?…that we do not need to spend $1.4 Million of government money borrowed from China to know that is the right first step?
IS IT TRUE that we are curious to find out who this group is made up of?…that the last time that the Evansville region got a grant of such magnitude it was called WIRED?…that the wired money was spent on a collection of studies to tell us that we have terrible bandwidth, are not quite big enough for an intermodal terminal, have no venture capital, are too conservative, have infrastructure problems, etc. etc. etc.?…that the WIRED group was made up of the usual suspects from local government, USI, Vectren, economic development, the Chamber of Commerce, etc.?…that we will be very surprised if the Sustainable Evansville Area Coalition is any different when it comes to the players in the game?…that the answers are already well known?…that what we need is a political class with business support that has the brains and courage to do something other than wasting more borrowed money on a pile of dusty paper?…that as Herman’s Hermits said in the song Henry the 8th “second verse same as the firstâ€?
IS IT TRUE that “CCO Mole #3” has it on good authority that not only members of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission can start packing to leave when a new Mayor takes office but also key employees of the Department of Metropolitan Development may be part of a Chamber style reorganization?
IS IT TRUE we agree we with CCO Blogger, Joe Biden that it’s time that candidates Winnecke and Davis speak out publicly about the Arena-ICEMAN contract problems, the decaying historic McCurdy Hotel, the Front Door Pride housing projects and proposed downtown Arena hotel dilemma?
IS IT TRUE some of our readers are wondering why our local freedom fighters (Tea Party members) haven’t protested against the bad business decisions made by the Evansville Redevelopment Commission concerning the proposed downtown hotel, the Arena-ICEMAN contract problems, the front door pride housing projects and the decaying historical McCurdy hotel? …if our local Tea Party members had a mass protest in front of our decaying historical McCurdy hotel it could encourage members of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to resign their positions? …”when people fear the Government they have tyranny but when government fears the people when have liberty”?
City Management: Compliance or Non-compliance? By Alan Leibundguth
3rd Ward Republican Candidate Offers Position Paper
City Management: Compliance or Non-compliance?
The City and County elected officials will soon draft the budget for 2012. There is a lot of power in the purse, so we must be sure that our new budget is transparent. We, the people, need to know that our money, including federal money, is being spent wisely. All accounts and sub-accounts should be open for inspection.
I have taken a brief look at the 2009 Audit of City of Evansville, prepared by State of Indiana auditors in compliance with State Board of Accounts directives. This is Evansville’s yearly report card on where and how it accounts for money spent. This report is public record on the Indiana SBOA web page under resources and reports.
There are 5 discrepancies on the 2009 report, one of which shows 12 accounts had been overdrawn.
I have two reasons for concern here, (1) the City of Evansville, in this report, was cited for violations of state statutes; one has carried over for two or more years. These discrepancies should have been cleared in a timely fashion, and then re-inspected. Has this been done and by whom?, and (2) it seems logical to me that a new budget cannot be correctly prepared with open discrepancies, items that should have been fixed in early 2011. How about first things first? It seems like the City Council should have taken the lead here, fixed the problems, filed the appropriate reports of completion with the State Board of Accounts, and then informed the public of what they had done. Do we have any record of this?
For example, there is a discrepancy in the 2009 report citing that parking meter fees continue to be deposited into the general fund, “As stated in several prior reports†… meaning that someone in City Council has repeatedly ignored this discrepancy which states that these funds are to have a separate account. This is a repeat write-up. Placing designated money in the general fund makes it too easy to spend it unwisely. In a year when every tax dollar counts, don’t we all want to eliminate sloppy management, caring even in the small things, and directing dollars appropriately?
Where has the Evansville City Council been on following this up, since they approve all budgets? Granted this is a small thing, but it may represent a lax attitude of council members with respect to oversight of community revenues. With Democrats in control of the council for the past few decades, are they telling us that this is how they do the business of the city?
I am the Republican candidate for City Council, Ward 3 and I have had experience in the inspections and management of military units. It was my job to know higher headquarter directives and ensure compliance. When discrepancies were found, it was my job to fix them quickly. The military had a good system and it worked well.
I think Evansville government would benefit by changing the way it does business.
I wonder if accounts are still being overdrawn and the parking meter fees are still being deposited into the general fund?
We are Evansville, watch us grow.
USI College of Nursing and Health Professions receives $2.2 million in HRSA grants
“The HRSA grants provide the opportunity for our college to expand our graduate nursing programs,” said Dr. Nadine Coudret, dean of the college.
A new psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program and a new clinical nurse specialist program (CNS) will be offered.
“We’ve used similar funding to start the family nurse practitioner program and the acute care nurse practitioner program and, we are excited to be able to have these new programs at USI,” Coudret said.
A master’s degree program and a post master’s certification will be available in both areas. Each grant is for three years. The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program will be funded with a $720,850 grant. A $705,980 grant will fund the development of the clinical nurse specialty program.
Family psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners are able to provide children and adults with primary mental healthcare. “There is a major shortage of psychiatric-mental health care providers at both the regional and national level,” Coudret said. Graduates of this program will provide urgently needed services to patients in our community. Dr. Kathy Riedford, associate professor of nursing and a practicing psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, will direct the program development. Dr. Riedford holds a Ph.D. in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from Indiana University and is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner(PMHNP).
Clinical nurse specialists are expert nurse clinicians in a specialized area of nursing practice, such as geriatrics, oncology, critical care, and emergency room care. Their practice setting is typically in a hospital or extended care facility. Research has demonstrated the importance of nursing to patient care outcomes. The clinical nurse specialist is prepared to provide care, lead, educate and consult with the nursing staff to advance the level of nursing care in our hospitals. Dr. Judi Kuric is the project director of the clinical nurse specialty. Dr. Kuric earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Rush University.
A grant of $748,805 will provide funding to expand the doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) program which began in 2008. The first class of 15 DNP students graduated this spring. The influence and leadership of DNP graduates in addressing major health problems is evidenced in the numerous publications and presentations that describe the graduate projects that were carried out in schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and in the community. Dr. Ann White, associate dean of the college, is the project director and serves as director of the program.
A fourth grant of $77,049 will be used to fund nursing traineeships. This funding is available for full-time students and for students in their last year of graduate study. Dr. Mayola Rowser, director of the graduate nursing programs, is the project director.
Four nursing specialties are currently offered at the master’s level in the College of Nursing and Health Professions including acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, nursing education, and nursing management and leadership in addition to the doctoral degree in nursing practice. The college also offers master’s degrees in health administration and occupational therapy. Total enrollment for the college is 2,218 undergraduates and 458 graduate students.
Chamber to Kick off Fun Steps Program
Thursday, August 4
11:30 a.m.
The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana, 318 Main Street, 4th Floor of Innovation Pointe
Tomorrow, approximately 65 volunteers from Evansville’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) and fourth grade teachers from three EVSC elementary schools will be at The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana to kick off the Fun Steps Program, a program that teaches students the importance of healthy living and exercise. The program, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Kosair Children’s Hospital, The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana’s Young Professionals Network, and the EVSC Center for Family, School, and Community Partnerships, is aimed at fourth grade students at Hebron, Stockwell and West Terrace.
The kick-off event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a check presentation for the funding of the program. Then trainers from Kosair will explain the program to volunteers and teachers and teach them how to implement it in classroom lessons and other activities.