If the phrase male a cappella group conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on Ivy League campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. They are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape.

Click here for tickets and more information.

Today I had to take a deep breath. A friend of mine told me that he was changing his mind and withdrawing his support from a candidate that I favor. I found his reasoning to be faulty and was furious. I was about to tell him just what I thought about him, and then it hit me.

Each race is like two armies that have engaged one another with weapons firing. As we blow each other to bits, much blood is being drawn. We’ve called each other everything from liars to lunatics. The other side’s followers are nothing more than idiots who are out of touch with reality. Yet on Wednesday, they make the long journey back to being our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. There’s a giant fool in my life that after Tuesday goes back to being more commonly known as my father.

If only it were so easy as to clearly label one side as wrong. There are reasons why each of us supports certain candidates, and many of those reasons are based on personal experiences. What we live largely dictates our belief system. From there, we pick candidates that are most comparable to those beliefs. To say that someone is wrong in their choice is to render that person’s life experience meaningless.

Our lives are so varied, and the chasm between sides so great, that the big challenge of our time is to find middle ground. The ability to truly see and understand someone else’s perspective is a requirement for compromise. After all, I’m not changing my beliefs anytime soon, and I doubt that those who are in opposition are either. Ultimately, the focus on winning, while necessary in an election, is misplaced. How many times have you won an argument only to lose the relationship?

Someone will win each race on Tuesday, but the true test is how the winners treat the losers afterwards. Hopefully, the winners will take a deep breath like I did and focus on bridging the gap. Our community and country depends on it.

Evansville, Ind. — Nov. 1, 2012 — Rudolph, Fine, Porter & Johnson ranked as a Tier 1 “Best
Law Firm” in mediation practice in the Evansville Metropolitan area and Workers’
Compensation Law – Employers practice in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area by U.S. News
Media Group and Best Lawyers® for a second consecutive year. RFP & J was evaluated with
more than 10,000 U.S. law firms by practice and metropolitan areas.
“We are honored to have been ranked first-tier and achieve this recognition for a second
consecutive year in the practice areas of mediation and workers’ compensation,” said Marc Fine,
managing partner of RFP & J. “This achievement showcases our dedicated, experienced
attorneys who consistently perform at a level of excellence – recognized by not only their peers
but also, more importantly, their clients.”
RFP & J has six registered Indiana Civil Mediators, including Ross Rudolph, Stacy Newton,
Angela Freel, Lauren Dimmitt, Donald Wright and Timothy Klingler. RFP & J attorney Diana
Wann in the Crawfordsville, Ind., office specializes in Workers’ Compensation defense.
Presented in tiers, the 2013 rankings showcase more than 10,000 law firms ranked nationally in
one or more of 80 legal practice areas and by metro or state in 118 practice areas. U.S. News and
Best Lawyers combine quantitative and qualitative performance data, using peer reviews and
client assessments to develop the thorough and accurate rankings, which are posted online at
http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com.
“Achieving a high ranking is a special distinction that signals a unique combination of excellence
and breadth of expertise,” as stated in the U.S News’ and Best Lawyers’ press release that
November 1, 2012 announced the 2013 rankings. “The mission of ‘Best Law Firms’ is to help guide referring
lawyers and clients — from the country’s largest companies requiring corporate legal advice to
individuals seeking counsel regarding personal legal issues.”
National and metropolitan first-tier rankings, including RFP & J, are featured in the “Best Law
Firms” publication this month, and the national first-tier rankings will be featured in U.S. News
& World Report’s Money issue Nov. 20.

Barry Blackard, Candidate for Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge in the Juvenile division, has announced his “5 Point Plan” that promises to bring sweeping and positive changes to the Juvenile Court. As an experienced criminal attorney, Blackard understands both the causes and solutions needed to close the revolving door of young offenders under the current Juvenile court system. “An effective Juvenile Court should divert troubled youth from a life long journey through the criminal justice system, while assisting them in becoming contributing members of society. My plan will accomplish that,” Blackard said.

ü Juvenile Mentoring Program

ü Juvenile Court Community Task Force

ü Juvenile Intensive Probation

ü Juvenile Online Tracking System

ü Mental Health Court

Part One: Create a Juvenile Mentoring Program. The single most pressing issue in Juvenile Court is a total lack of parental involvement. Parental accountability is so important, but you simply cannot force a parent to care about their child. A comprehensive Mentoring Program that emphasizes respect and personal responsibility will fill this missing void in their lives. Without a positive adult role model, young people coming before the Juvenile Court will be destined for a life of crime and government dependency.

Part Two: Form a Juvenile Court Community Task Force. The task force will be comprised of local leaders from our education, legal, health care, law enforcement, and business communities. This collaboration will provide increased access to well-performing programs while improving the quality of juvenile justice.

Part Three: Implement Juvenile Intensive Probation or “JIP.” This specialized form of probation will divert non-violent second time juvenile offenders from out-of-home placement or overcrowded and costly institutions into a highly structured, closely supervised program. “JIP” will emphasize the importance of work, education, and personal responsibility.

Part Four: Create a Juvenile Online Tracking System or “JOLTS” to utilize widely available information technology. Similar systems are being used around the country and are very cost effective. The system acts as a centralized computer database of juvenile offenders to increase access to all agencies. “JOLTS” will remove the “wall” that currently isolates our courts, local law enforcement, probation officers, and DCS from juvenile offender related information.

Finally, Part Five: Create a Mental Health Court that focuses on young offenders fraught with mental health related challenges. The Juvenile Court will partner with local health care providers to offer a cost effective way of both evaluating and treating our youth that have these issues.

This election presents a clear choice and an important one: Will Vanderburgh County take a stand and make a positive change in the struggling Juvenile Court? Or will it continue to allow young offenders to be shuffled through the “system?” Our community needs a change in leadership in the Juvenile Court, as Judge, Barry Blackard will deliver it.

Reagan Day Celebration At The Centre
November 5th at 7:00pm

Evansville, IN – Reagan Day Celebration with Keynote Speaker Dinesh D’Souza will be held Monday, November 05, 2012 at The Centre. The program begins at 7:00pm.
Dinesh D’Souza, bestselling author, FOX News commentator, and producer of the critically acclaimed film 2016: Obama’s America, will be the keynote speaker. D’Souza has been called one of the “top young public policy-makers in the country” and served as President Reagan’s Policy Analyst. His recent film has risen to the second-highest grossing political documentary ever made. Additional attendees include Republican candidates, officeholders, and activists from across the community.
The evening’s schedule consists of Candidate Introduction, Office Holder Introduction, Speakers, Congressman Larry Bucshon and Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock, followed by Keynote Speaker–Dinesh D’Souza.
Tickets for the program from 7:00pm to 9:00pm are $16.50 and $36.50. Tickets for the D’Souza Reception and the program are $151.50. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 WILL BE THE LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS.

Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week of 3 November 2012)

ROBERT OWEN TO GEORGE RAPP

In his Documentary History of the Indiana Decade of the Harmony Society 1814 – 1824 at pages 89 – 90 of Volume II, Karl J.R. Arndt sets out a letter from Robert Owen to George Rapp dated August 4, 1820. The letter was sent from New Lanark, “North Britain” and any response was to be sent through “Mr. Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State for the American Home Department”.
Arndt was unable to locate any response to this particular letter from Rapp, but Owen’s early interest in New Harmony, Indiana apparently grew out of his reading about Rapp’s first communal living endeavor in Harmonie, Pennsylvania.
Owen wrote:

“Most worthy Sir: Having heard much of your society, & feeling a peculiar interest respecting it I am induced to solicit a correspondence with you, in the expectation of procuring a correct account of your establishment.

My first attention was called to it by some travels published in America by a Mr. Mellish (John Mellish, Travels in the United States of America in the Years 1806 to 1807, and 1809, 1810 and 1811) who visited the original settlement near Pittsburgh – and who gave many details which to me appeared to promise many important future advantages.”

Owen was looking to Rapp for guidance mainly in converting a society from one based on private and individual ownership to a collective, communal one. His letter continued:

“You have since had an opportunity of creating a second settlement under the full benefit of the experience derived from the first & the particulars of the result of these two experiments would be of real value to me in order to ascertain the practical inconveniences which arise from changes to society from a state of private to public property …”
Rapp’s vision for a communal society was based on Christianity and a belief the Second Coming was imminent. Owen’s vision was of a purely secular society based on principles of the Enlightenment. What Owen sought from Rapp was advice, not as to their respective visions, but practical information on how a day to day collective community can be made feasible. Owen shared with Rapp information about Owen’s own nascent movement:

“There is a colony here of about 2400 persons who I have already placed under new circumstances preparatory to a still more improved arrangement from which incalculable advantages to all classes may be expected. I am now in the midst of preparing a further development of the system I have in view & it will give me pleasure to send you a copy of it the earliest opportunity after it shall be ready.”

Owen’s 1820 letter gives no indication either Owen or Rapp was thinking of a purchase of New Harmony by Owen. But, Owen’s interest in a new world order fit the atmosphere of the New World and opened up possibilities neither Owen nor Rapp may have previously considered. George Rapp was every bit the business man Robert Owen was. Owen’s letter may have been the catalyst for Rapp’s new vision that a sale of New Harmony and a return to Pennsylvania was called for.

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 Thursday, November 1, 2012.

Jason Banks Burglary Resulting in Bodily – Class A Felony
Strangulation – Class D Felony
Intimidation – Class D Felony
Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class A Misdemeanor

Joseph Floyd Strangulation – Class D Felony
Domestic Battery – Class A Misdemeanor

Lonnie Johnson Possession of Marijuana – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)

Oscar Solis Receiving Stolen Property – Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class D Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor
Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a License – Class A
Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving – Class A Misdemeanor

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

Saturday, November 3, 2012
Mayor Winnecke and First Lady Carol McClintock will each lead teams during the monthly Clean Evansville litter pick-up tomorrow from 9 to 11 a.m. Six teams of volunteers will spread out across the area bounded by Green River Road, Morgan Avenue, Burkhardt Road and the Lloyd Expressway. They will meet at Sam’s Club parking lot, 6770 E. Virginia St., around 10:30 a.m. to see how much trash was collected before Allied Waste hauls the debris to the landfill.

Mayor Winnecke will be at the Ford Center Saturday afternoon to watch the UE men’s Aces take on Illinois-Springfield. Tip-off time is at 4:05 p.m.

Sunday, November 4, 2012
Mayor Winnecke will attend an interfaith service at Neu Chapel on the University of Evansville campus Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The theme is “Celebrating Diversity and Giving Thanks.” The service will include a processional with UE President Dr. Thomas Kazee and participants representing community interfaith traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity.