EVANSVILLE, IN – The Traveling City Hall meeting for July will be held Wednesday, July 25th, from
5:30 to 7 p.m. at Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Avenue. Traveling City Hall is an opportunity for
residents to meet with Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and various city department heads to ask questions
or simply discuss the status of our community. Among those attending the meeting will be Evansville
Police Chief Billy Bolin, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly and Philip Hooper, executive director of
the Department of Metropolitan Development.
Evansville EPA Director Derrick Ohning and Sustainability Director Dona Bergman will provide a brief
presentation on air quality at the beginning of the meeting. The public will have a chance to ask
questions about local air quality issues and talk one-on-one with EPA and SEEQ officials following the
presentation.
Traveling City Hall meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month at different locations in
neighborhoods throughout the city. All residents are invited to attend any session.
The next Traveling City Hall meetings will be held on August 29th at Helfrich Park STEM Academy, 2306
W. Maryland St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Greetings from Mallie, a 1-year-old spayed DSH. Mallie is probably one of the sweetest cats you’ll ever meet. She will do wonderfully in a home with children and other pets. Mallie craves attention and her new owner can bank on finding her right next to them almost all the time. Mallie has come a long way from the day she arrived at the VHS. Despite Mallie being a pretty awesome cat, she needs a little TLC as she is a bit on the skinny side due to a rough life before arriving here at the VHS. This wonderful cat will be the perfect addition to any family looking to add a ray of sunshine to their lives. For more information on Mallie, visit us on the web at www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.
EVANSVILLE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Evansville Redevelopment Commission will hold an Executive Session on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 318 of the Civic Center Complex, 1 NW Martin Luther King Jr, Blvd, Evansville, Indiana.
This Executive Session will be held pursuant to Indiana Code IC 5-14-1.5-6.1 (b) (2)(B) regarding pending litigation.
Local Businessman Alan Brill who has been a vocal proponent of using Roberts Stadium as an events center has launched a lawsuit to stop the demolition of the stadium. In the suit Brill accuses Mayor Winnecke of using deception to get the authority to move forward with the demolition. You can read the suit as filed on the link below.
INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State University was heavily sanctioned on Monday by the NCAA as the result of top university officials covering up child sex abuse allegations against a retired assistant coach.
NCAA officials announced that Penn State will be fined $60 million, be banned from football bowl games for four years, and lose 40 scholarships over four years. Penn State’s football victories from 1998 to 2011 will be stricken from the record book.
NCAA President Make Emmert said he had “never seen anything as egregious†as the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
The $60 million fine is the amount the football team grosses in a year. The funds will go to organizations that assist the victims of sex abuse.
Penn State football players an incoming players will be allowed to transfer to other schools and be eligible immediately.
Emmert said the athletic program will be on a five-year probationary period and that the NCAA reserves to right to institute a formal investigation and issue sanctions against individuals.
By: Martha Crosly
There is a catastrophe of huge proportions in Evansville right now and good public policy is not being applied to intervene. Vetting is needed but is not being applied to solve this problem. The problem is uncaring and/or ignorant cat owners. My stance is that the cats definitely need to be fixed (and in some cases it probably wouldn’t hurt the owners either). Please let me explain.
There are two types of animal shelters in the area: Open Admission and “No-Killâ€. I put “No-Kill†in quotes because euthanasia still does occur in these shelters in various forms. Some, like the new “It Takes a Village†shelter, selectively take dogs out of Evansville Animal Control (EAC) and places them in foster homes and now in their new shelter. They then leave EAC to euthanize the animals that are viewed as not adoptable or for which ITAV has no room. ITAV will reach a point where they will need to stop taking in animals due to limited capacity and can only continue when openings are created through adoptions.
Warrick Humane Society also is a “No-Kill†shelter who does recognize the need for euthanizing and does address this issue at times. They control their numbers by very selectively taking in animals and stop when they reach capacity which in their case I believe is a pretty low number. They refer all others to either Vanderburgh Humane Society or Evansville Animal Control letting these organizations deal with that which they can’t or do not choose to.
In contrast to Warrick and ITAV, both non-profits, we find Vanderburgh Humane Society (also a non-profit) and Evansville Animal Care and Control. Both of these are Open Admission shelters, Evansville AC because by law it must be, and VHS because it chooses to be, in part to give people an option to AC and to give healthy, well-adjusted pets a chance for a new home. I will also add that VHS’s intake is not limited to Vanderburgh County residents only. They receive animals on a consistent basis from Posey, Gibson, Warrick, Spencer, Daviess, and Dubois Counties and from time to time other Indiana counties as well. They also take in animals from Kentucky counties and from some counties in Southern Illinois. Most of these counties have their own AC and/or humane organization.
Of all these organizations in the Evansville area, Evansville Animal Control is the only one who receives your tax dollars. All the others rely entirely on donations from the local public. They get nothing from the Humane Society of the United States for example. I also believe that it is still the policy that all owner surrenders to AC are euthanized immediately and only strays are required to be kept for 7 days to allow for claiming by the owner. This policy may be waived under certain circumstances however. (Please check with AC for their rules and regulations.)
What does all this have to do with cats and their irresponsible owners? I will use VHS as an example although AC has this problem as well. In this coming week VHS will take in their 1000th cat this year and this is in addition to the cats that were already in house at the start of the year.
Here are some statistics: 1) 36 of these animals were brought in by their owners to be euthanized, which shows up on VHS stat board. 2) 143 have gone to rescue organizations mainly in Chicago and VHS is very grateful. It is VHS dollars that transport these neutered and spayed cats to Chicago, usually in a marathon up and back in one day trip. 3) Here’s the sad stat – 431 cats were euthanized for various reasons including illness, behavioral problems or for lack of space to put them and lack of personnel to care for them.
Here are some facts:
1) VHS has the capacity for about 52 adult cats and 104 kittens. This includes animals in foster care and is an approximation that varies on the size of the animal and the size of the enclosure. AC can care for a much lower number.
2) Many shelters take in only dogs not cats and some are able to take in only a limited number of cats.
3) Frequently both dogs and cats come in intact, meaning that they did not benefit from being spayed or neutered. Because of this, multiple animals are brought in together i.e. a mother cat and 6 kittens, with kittens often being too small to survive on their own and cannot be placed up for adoption right away. They either take up space that could be used for adoptable animals, are lucky enough to go into foster care (and there is a shortage of foster homes), are squeezed into the last corner of cat isolation, or they unfortunately must be euthanized.
4) It is not unusual for animals to be surrendered to AC or VHS in an unhealthy condition. A couple of days ago, four dogs were surrendered to VHS over the course of the day. Two of the 4 were suffering from heart worm, a horrible death sentence and one that is preventable. To cure heart worm requires a long time and considerable expense. (This reflects back to the uncaring and/or ignorant owners above.) The same issue occurs with cats.
5) The shocking situation with cats now is that with the moderate weather their reproduction, which has always been out of control, has now far exceeded that point. What AC and VHS are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what is out there.
6) I will highlight this very important fact: THIS CAT PROBLEM MUST BE SOLVED AND IT CAN ONLY BE SOLVED BY CITIZENS ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. This is very difficult as many know because some folks only wish to pass problems for all public good on to others. And this is a public health and welfare issue. It must however be addressed in a humane manner.
Here are some suggestions:
1) EVERYONE MUST SPAY OR NEUTER THEIR PET, CAT OR DOG. It is healthier and safer for the animal and will reduce tax dollars spent on AC. This includes that cute kitty that wandered up on your porch last winter and you began to feed who now has kittens under your laundry basket. You have been caring for her for months. She is your cat now and you need to get her as well as her kittens fixed. Kittens can be fixed at a very young age. At the VHS Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic the kitten must weigh at least 2 pounds.
2) Some of you may be familiar with a program called TNR, Trap, Neuter, and Return. This is a program for feral cats. These cats are trapped, fixed, and returned to their familiar environment to live out their days and not reproduce. This allows for natural attrition of the cat colony. But this program needs to be a city-wide effort. Non-profit feral cat organizations can be established to pay for the spay or neuter of these cats.
3) GOOD PUBLIC POLICY MUST BE APPLIED. Modify the city and county animal ordinances and empower Animal Control to enforce them diligently. This may require patterning our laws and practices after cities where this has been done with a great degree of success. Vanderburgh Humane Society is able to take cats to rescue to Chicago because that city has and utilizes a progressive spay/neuter law. This should be a no-brainer for our city and county. And before people start screaming about costs to do this, think of the costs that will be saved in the future by cleaning up this mess now in the correct manner for both dogs and cats. I will add it will cost a lot less than some of the other failed ventures that have been attempted lately in this area.
4) Most importantly DO NOT ACQUIRE A PET THAT YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO CARE FOR. This is pretty basic. A cat or dog is a commitment for the entirety of their life. Period. Amen. No excuses. Too many people do not keep their promises in life. It is a big problem in government, private enterprise, and in personal lives. These animals are the innocents who suffer the most and have the most to lose when you break your promise to them. Be an adult. Don’t make promises you cannot keep.
The Board of School Trustees of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will meet in
executive session at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 23, 2012, in the John H. Schroeder Conference Center in
the Superintendent’s office in the Technology and Innovation Center, 951 Walnut, Evansville, IN 47713.
The session will be conducted according to Senate Enrolled Act 313, Section 1, I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1, as
amended. The purpose of the meeting is for discussion of collective bargaining, (2)(A); initiation of
litigation or litigation that is either pending or has been threatened specifically in writing, (2)(B);
purchase or lease of property, (2)(D); and job performance evaluation of individual employees, (9).
The regular meeting of the EVSC Board of School Trustees will follow the executive session at
5:30 p.m. in the EVSC Boardroom, 951 Walnut Street, Evansville, Indiana.
University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball players Brandon Hogg (Edwardsville, Illinois) and Ben Jones (Robinson, Illinois) were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for academic excellence during the 2011-12 season. The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts these players possess off the court and the hard work exhibited in the classroom.
In order to be named to the NABC Honors Court, an athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. The student athlete must be a junior or senior academically and a varsity player; have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year; have matriculated at least one year at their current institution; and be a member of an NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA institution.
Hogg, a senior guard and a physical education major, earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Division II Bulletin after averaging a team-high and career-best 16.5 points per game. He also was named NABC first-team All-District and Daktronics second-team All-Region, while being selected for the first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference squad.
Jones, a junior guard and sport management major, averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest off the bench during his first year at USI. Jones scored a season-high 11 points twice in 2011-12, while dishing out a season-best four assists against Berea College and grabbing season-high six rebounds versus Saint Joseph’s College.
IS IT TRUE July 23, 2012
IS IT TRUE that we have good news for two candidates in the upcoming November election?…that Democratic County Commissioner, Steve Melcher and Republican County Commissioner, Joe Kiefer are both unopposed in this upcoming November General election?…both Commissioners are known for fairness, honestly and hard work?…that Mr. Kiefer and Mr. Melcher both listen with objectivity when gathering information about local problems and concerns of their constituents? …that both gentlemen get along very well with each other and act as a buffer for Commissioner Marsha Abell when she shows an aggressive demeanor?…that both Commissioners Melcher and Kiefer approach issues in a conservative and non-partisan manner?…we look forward 4 more years of “good public policy” decisions made by Mr. Melcher and Mr. Kiefer?
IS IT TRUE that two sons of Evansville will be on the national stage during the month of August?…that local blues guitarist Boscoe France who plays at the Lamasco Bar and many other Tri-State locations has played his way into the final 6 in the Guitar Center Blues contest?…that the finals will be in Hollywood, CA at the Club Nokia on August 18th and that the City County Observer’s California based columnist Joe Wallace will be there to cheer Boscoe on and report back on the competition?…that Boscoe will be sharing the stage that night with Joe Bonomasu who is fresh off of a concert in Evansville?…that Boscoe is really from Madisonville, KY and is a graduate of Madisonville-North Hopkins High School but that Evansville has embraced his talent and claims him now that he is in the big time?
IS IT TRUE that John Nunn, a proud Harrison High School graduate and son of USI Professor Dr. Les Nunn and his wife will be wearing the colors for Team USA at the London Olympics?…that Nunn will be competing in the 50k (31 miles) race walking event that will be held on August 11th?…that we can all feel a sense of pride on Friday when John Nunn of Evansville, IN enters the Olympic Stadium representing our country in this world class event?…we also encourage other local media and especially the TV stations to cover the 50k race walk event so this native can be watched in his hometown?
IS IT TRUE that back before he became the Mayor of Evansville that Lloyd Winnecke was very instrumental in a team effort with the well liked and former Evansvillian Royce Sutton to establish a free dental clinic for local residents who need that service?…that last week that dental clinic made the news for being in tough shape financially?…that the CCO would like to encourage Mayor Winnecke to take a little time out of one of his days and put his marketing talent to the test to come up with a way to make this dental clinic solvent and sustainable?…that proper dental care can save lots of money by preventing trips to the emergency room when something goes wrong with ones dental health?…that this clinic is a very positive part of the legacy of Mayor Lloyd Winnecke?
IS IT TRUE that David Wessel published an extensive article about the budget of the United States of America last week and the CCO would like to share some of the bullet points?…the individual income tax revenues made up just under 50% of the revenue sources in 1960 and that the percentage today is still about the same?…that payroll taxes on the other hand have risen from being 15% of revenues in 1960 to nearly 40% now?…that spending on benefits and entitlements has risen from just over 20% of federal spending to over 50% today?…if every federal employee was fired tomorrow it would not even be enough to cover half of the federal deficit?…that the entire payroll expense for Uncle Sam is only $435 Billion per year including benefits?…the federal government borrowed 36% of every dollar spent in 2011 and little change is presently on the horizon?…that the source for all of this data is the White House Office of Management and Budget?
