IS IT TRUE that the Oak Meadow Country Club has been sold to a new group of investors?…that the first official action of the new owners that has been made public is to change the name of the place to “The Oaks”?…that these investors must follow the example of the EVSC in thinking that a name change is the way to change things?…that the EVSC changed the perfectly good name of the Plaza Park Middle School to the Plaza Park International Prep Academy?…that the name change hasn’t really changed much other than the sign on the display board in front of the school?…that name changes are just name changes and have little effect unless the way of doing things is changed?…that while we wish the new owners of “The Oaks” well we hope they change more than the name?

IS IT TRUE that we could all vote in a name change for the McCurdy Hotel to “The Grand McCurdy” but if no work were done and no management changes were made it would still be a refuge for bats, pigeons, snakes, rats, and an occasional group of alley cats?…that we need a name for the vacant lot where the Executive Inn used to be and would welcome some suggestions?

IS IT TRUE that there is an uproar this week because the Vanderburgh County Council is electing not to fill positions vacated by departing employees?…that sometimes it is the right thing to do when someone departs a job to see if their duties can be assumed by the ones who are left?…that people are always whining about government being wasteful and having too many people on the payroll and when the County Council decides not to fill some openings they act like the sky is falling?…that maybe the is a case of rightsizing in local government?…that we all need to give this a little time to see if we miss any services before jumping on the County Council over not filling those slots immediately?

IS IT TRUE that we would like to congratulate the USI Screaming Eagles for their Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and wish them well in the upcoming NCAA Division II tournament?…that we also want to give a shout out to Evansville’s Kyle Kuric for his great career playing for Rick Pitino and the University of Louisville Cardinals?…that Kyle is having a little slump now but if he gets back to his normal superior shooting self the Cards look poised to give Syracuse a run for their money in the Big East championship and make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament?…that Kentucky is looking pretty unbeatable recently and that until the last week Syracuse was too?…that unless some team really gets hot that we may be in for a repeat of the 1996 NCAA final that saw Kentucky win the championship over Syracuse?…that the difference in the Kentucky teams of old and the ones now is that the old teams were actually made up of athletes who planned from day one to stay for four years and do their best to earn a diploma?…that this year people are dancing in the streets of Lexington because one of the super freshmen has stated that he will be back for his Sophomore year?

IS IT TRUE that every week it is looking more like Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate for President of the United States who will be challenging our current president Barack Obama?…that this will be a most interested presidential election as President Obama most certainly has the advantages of money and style but Romney has a history of fixing broken companies?…that between now and November we will have to decide if the USA is broken to the point of needing the skills of Mr. Romney in the White House or if we will endorse 4 more years for the President?

IS IT TRUE that Paducah, Kentucky Mayor Bill Paxton says the city is close to sealing a deal to replace the demolished Executive Inn with a new hotel?…that the mayor wouldn’t go into details about the developer the city is speaking with?…that Mayor Paxton but said they are “80 percent close” to securing an agreement with the unidentified developer?…that one of our Paducah based moles is curious to know if there will be public money subsidizing the hinted at hotel?…that the Evansville Mole Nation says “if the Mayor is doing the talking there will be a public subsidy”?…that for the sake of the people of Paducah and the political future of Bill Paxton he had better take a class in “how to totally screw up a hotel deal” using the previous administrations comedic performance as a case study in what not to do?…that Mayor Paxton gets an F on his first test for making an announcement about an unidentified developer and assigning an “80 percent close” comment on the deal he is hoping to make?

IS IT TRUE that we hear from a reliable source that the City of Evansville’s 3^rd Ward has only a couple road-paving projects scheduled for 2012?…that the City Engineer, Pat Keepes, told attendees of the recent road meeting that road projects are complaint-based?…that complaint-based means that solutions to road problems are only addressed when someone brings it to the attention of the city?…that if paving and patching of city roads are determined by complaints only that this practice should cease immediately?…that all roads in the city should be part of a planned and scheduled maintenance program?…that one has to ask how many unnecessary projects have been completed because the right person complained?…that if the City Engineer’s statement is correct than why is he suddenly holding public meetings to receive citizen input?…that if his complaint-based system has worked so well in the past then why did 2012 bring new public input?…that we are left with a conclusion that the new city administration is actively reaching out to voters for concerns regarding road repair projects?…that we are beginning to understand why the 4^th Ward City Council Representative pushed so hard for the re-appointment of Mr. Keepes?…that the 4^th Ward has been the recipient of many road repair projects over the last few years?…that these decisions should be left to the elected officials, because they are held accountable by their voters, and not an appointed department head?

IS IT TRUE that we are anxiously waiting to see if the new DMD Director of Evansville is going to allow the local media to attend the Evansville Brownfields Corp. meetings?…that we are also waiting to see if the new DMD Director will hold public meetings in order for him to recommend to City Council which homes should receive Front Door Pride funding for 2012?…that the practice of giving the vast majority of the Front Door Pride dollars to build Front Door Pride homes in the 4^th Ward should cease immediately?…that there are plenty of people in the other 5 wards in this city that are equally as deserving of affordable housing opportunities?…that we would like to publically invite the new DMD Director to provide our readers with his tentative list of recommendations for 2012 Front Door Pride homes and their locations to be built?

IS IT TRUE that with the recently trumpeted successes of the Ford Center and how it has transformed downtown Evansville we are interested in some real financial statistics?…that 5 years ago there were about 30 empty storefronts on Main Street and that the names on some may have changed the number of space available is virtually the same?…that when a gelato stand shuts down and a tapas bar takes its place the net change in number of businesses is zero?…that the same goes for wine bars, etc.?…that there is one for sale sign on a loft apartment that has been there for nearly 5 years?…that the few recent sales of lofts have been at prices at or lower than they were sold for new long ago?…that the Front Door Pride houses are still just sitting there and that some of them have been through three different realtors?…that yes we agree that the Ford Center is a Class A facility to be entertained in and that a few already existing bars are drawing crowds on event nights but this does not constitute either financial success or failure?…that in five years we will really know?

IS IT TRUE that we would very much like to see the financial results for the first 4 months of the Ford Center operation as compared to the same period at Roberts Stadium for any year other than the last couple of years when Roberts was intentionally neglected?…that would tell us if the regional economy has truly seen growth or if the entertainment venue just moved a couple of miles into a newer place?…that we must remind people again that moving 100 jobs from Boeke to Walnut does not constitute creating any new job at all as opposed to what the propaganda parrots were saying back in 2008?