IS IT TRUE September 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE September 21, 2012
IS IT TRUE that Americans lacking a high school diploma found disturbingly sharp drops in life expectancy for Caucasians since 1990?…that white women without a high school diploma have seen their life expectancy drop by five years while white males have seen a three year decline?…potential reasons cited among the contributors to this startling statistic are higher smoking rates, a dramatic increase in obesity, and a failure to maintain good health?…that the same University of Illinois, Chicago study found a steady increase in life expectancy among the uneducated members of other races?…that the stark reality of this study is that IGNORANCE KILLS?…every location in the United States does offer free public education through high school so this can’t be blamed on the high cost of high school?…if this is not a wake-up call to families across America we do not know what is?
IS IT TRUE that three Evansville City Council members were spotted having lunch with a high ranking IT consultant of the firm that is on call to handle the IT needs of the City of Evansville?…we hope at least one of the topics of the conversation is the Million Dollar software that has been reported to not be up and running yet?…while the failure to have this software up and running is of concern such projects do typically take longer than expected to integrate and most eventually work as even the most inept government purchasing agents insist on buying something that has been proven as opposed to being a guinea pig on the people’s dime?…the real decision that is mystifying is why an old clunker system that was still doing the job was not continued in parallel until the new shiny one was proven to be working for a period of at least 3 months?…the three members of the City Council whom we certainly hope were seeking to solve this problem as opposed to spinning a story were Jonathan Weaver, Dr. Dan Adams, and John Friend, CPA who is chairman of the budget committee and has expressed displeasure with the running of the City of Evansville IT department for about as long as the books have not been reconciled?
IS IT TRUE there is no Council Chamber large enough to accommodate a 15 member governing board in Vanderburgh County?…if consolidation passes there will be an immediate need for a remodeling job somewhere in the Civic Center to establish such a place?…we could not find any place in the cost analysis of consolidation that discloses the costs associated with facilities needs to function as a consolidated government as spelled out by Becky Kasha and her consolidation committee?…such a section should have been included?…it is very probable that expanding the Council Chamber to accommodate a council of 15 members is rumored to be in the Million Dollar range?…if this rumor has the same credibility of the widely promoted first Roberts Stadium demolition bid we can expect a 5 Million price tag for this remodeling job?…this is just one more example of a failure to disclose material information by the consolidation committee?…the identified savings from consolidation’s first year or two and maybe even up to five years will be eaten up by adding 6 chairs to the room?
IS IT TRUE that listed in the 2013 City Budget it looks like a new position shall be funded?…that the new position is called Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a budgeted salary of exactly of $81,000?…also listed in the 2013 City Budget is the General Manager of the Water Department who was paid a salary of $94,102 in 2012?…the proposed salary for this position in 2013 shall be a whopping $103,000?…we wonder why one thinks this person needs a $9,000 increase for 2013?…that the position of Accountant for the Water Department shall be paid a whopping $85,000 for 2013? …that this position was funded at $83,000 in 2012?…that this position pays as much as the City Controller earns each year?
New Riverside Cookery Serving up Southern Goodness at Casino Aztar
Riverside Cookery, located in Casino Aztar’s Riverfront Pavilion, offers the best down-home cookin’ and Southern hospitality around. Chef Nick Walls invites you to try the recently unveiled new menu featuring tasty items such as the Hot Brown, an open-faced sandwich with turkey, bacon and tomatoes, topped with a creamy cheese sauce; Shrimp Po’Boy, crispy fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and house-made remoulade served on a hoagie roll; Smoked BBQ Ribs, slow-smoked barbequed Cajun spiced ribs; Tuna & Macaroni Salad, Albacore tuna, peppers, onion, macaroni and lettuce with a creamy herb dressing; Classic Ham & Beans with cornbread; Crispy Southern Fiddlers served with jalapeno hushpuppies; and the mouth-watering BBQ of the Day!
Breaded Alligator, The Beale Street Sampler, Frog Legs, Chicken & Dumplings, and other guest favorites are still available as well as the choice of delicious side items including mashed potatoes and gravy, brown sugar baked beans, cheesy grits, baked mac & cheese, cole slaw, cream-style corn, and collard greens. Be sure to try the amazing Gooey Turtle Cluster or Peach Cobbler ala mode for a memorable end to your meal.
Chef Nick Walls was recently promoted to Kitchen Manager overseeing both Riverside Cookery and Max & Erma’s restaurants. The chef’s culinary history includes wheelman at Casino Aztar’s Temptations Buffet, manager of the Le Merigot Hotel kitchen, and Executive Chef for Clear Crest Pines Golf Club in Evansville, Indiana.
Click here for more information about Riverside Cookery http://www.casinoaztar.com/riverside-cookery
See the New Faces at Mesker Park Zoo. Sifaka!
Evansville, IN – It is with great excitement that Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden announce a new animal species that has been added to their collection. Three Coquerel’s sifakas, a father and two sons, are now exhibited in the Zoo’s Lemur Forest. Dean, the father, was born in 2001 at the Los Angeles Zoo. His sons Sebastian and Kelyfamata were both born in 2009. Kelyfamata (meaning “small but mighty†in Malagasy) and Sebastian are easy to tell apart due to Sebastian’s shorter tail. All three sifakas came to Mesker Park Zoo from the Houston Zoo, where the two sons were born. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is one of only ten institutions with Coquerel’s sifaks. There are currently only about 57of these animals in the captive population in the United States.
Sifakas are a species of lemur within the Indriidae family and named after its alarm cry “shi-fak.†These interesting creatures are native to the island of Madagascar and reside in its northwest deciduous forests and can also be found in secondary growth forest. Sifaka’s International Union for Conservation of Nature classification is endangered because the population is decreasing due to habitat loss and hunting pressure. Adult sifaka are similar in coloration with thick coats of white dorsally and on their head and tail with brown and maroon ventrally and on shoulders. They also have a toothcomb for grooming similar to other lemurs. The average adult is 100 cm in length with a weight of 4 kg. This species usually lives in family groups with females being the dominant gender. One very unique characteristics of the sifaka is the way they move using vertical leaps and they can hop forward when traveling on the ground. Sifakas are herbivores, surviving in the wild on a diet that includes leaves, flowers, bark, and fruit. In captivity, a sifaka can live up to 18 years.
UE President Kazee to Appear on Statewide TV
President Kazee will be a special guest on Inside INdiana Business in broadcasts that will air throughout the state beginning Friday and running through Sunday. He will be interviewed by program host Gerry Dick, one of the co-founders of this powerful source for Indiana business news. A list of stations and times for the weekly broadcast is available at www.insideindianabusiness.com/listings.asp?action=TV.
The president will talk about The Big Freeze tuition and career initiatives, as well as other timely topics related to the University of Evansville. Inside INdiana Business, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, delivers daily content that can be watched, heard, and read beyond the borders of Indiana – extending into Michigan, Illinois (including Chicagoland), Ohio, Kentucky, and markets around the globe. For those who miss the broadcast or cannot access it, it will be available for viewing on www.InsideINdianaBusiness.com after it airs.
IS IT TRUE September 20, 2012
IS IT TRUE September 20, 2012
IS IT TRUE that the only city in Indiana with a consolidated government is Indianapolis?…that Indianapolis consolidated under special legislation that is written so that no other city or county in Indiana can employ due to population criteria?…Evansville is the only other city in Indiana currently in the referendum process to unify city and county government?…if Evansville and Vanderburgh County consolidate under this statute, this community may be the only Indiana community to ever do so because the statute language has been amended to include a rejection threshold?,,, voters in the unconsolidated area of Vanderburgh County may be the only voters in the state of Indiana ever to be subjected to a shotgun wedding style consolidation process under the now amended statutory process?
IS IT TRUE that the Mole Nation tells the City County Observer that Evansville “First Lady” McClintock has been calling Neighborhood Association officers and “strong arming” them in attempts to intimidate them into supporting Yes! for Unification?… her efforts in large part have met with no success and have actually created some ill will in the community?…Hillary Clinton made Tammy Wynette’s song “Stand by Your Man†famous when her husband enlisted her to do his bidding and it looks like in modern day Evansville that “First Lady†Carol McClintock is doing her own Tammy Wynette or even a Hillary Clinton imitation?
IS IT TRUE local favorite employer and Evansville success story Berry Plastics announced yesterday that they will be offering shares to the public in an IPO in early October at a price that will make the company have a value of about $2 Billion?…the current majority owners are reported to have paid just over 10% over that in 2006?…if they were to unload their shares with the IPO which they likely can’t they would have to absorb a loss of over $200 Million?…that does now sound to great of a proposition but it is way better than the United States government has done with their investment in General Motors?…the USA would have to see the shares of GM increase from its current $22 price to roughly $53 per share (a 165% increase) just to break even?…at a respectable growth rate of 6% per year it will take the USA 16 years to get back its investment without taking inflation or a declining currency into consideration?…with those things considered the payback time may be over 30 years in the best case?…the management of GM was quoted last week as wishing the government would dump their shares at a loss so they could GET ON WITH RUNNING THE COMPANY LIKE A BUSINESS?…we wish Berry Plastics well with their IPO and are looking forward to getting a look at the prospectus to understand what the real financial condition of Berry really is and whether or not this is a good investment to consider?
IS IT TRUE that after two political conventions, planted videos from both campaigns, and gaffes from both candidates for President that the polls with decent track records are right back to where they were before all of this hoopla?…that if these polls are correct and the election were held today that both the popular vote and the electoral vote in enough swing states are within the margin of error and the end result could depend on what people had for breakfast before voting?…that candidates have both been floating in the 45% – 47% range when the Kool-Aid has found its way to the water treatment plant for a couple of months now?…the next opportunity for either candidate to move the needle favorable will come at the first debate in two weeks?…of course everyday is an opportunity for both candidates and their running mates to pull a Biden and say something incredibly stupid?…that incredibly stupid remarks do not seem to be making much difference in that 45% – 47% window that each candidate consistently gets?…that maybe just maybe if the candidates will start talking about them, economic plans will be what moves the needle and allows a cognizant choice to be made for president?…in the absence of understandable economic plans decisions will continue to be made on the basis of hate and envy which are despicable ways to choose the leader of the free world?
Old National Bank – Boo at the Zoo
Pre-Sale Tickets Now Available!
Evansville, IN – Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is the perfect place to enjoy a safe family Halloween experience on the evenings of 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28 during Old National Bank Boo at the Zoo. Trick or treat your way through the Zoo visiting candy stations and enjoying craft activities, giant inflatables, a Mad Scientist, murals, face painting, creepy critters, games, AAZAK’s Tent of Terror, and a magician. Dress up in your favorite costume and arrive anytime between 5:00 & 8:00 p.m. Take a peek at creatures of the night in the Zoo’s Nocturnal Exhibit and trek through AMAZONIA. Visitors of all ages will have a frightfully good time, leaving the Zoo with a bag full of goodies.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Zoo, on www.meskerparkzoo.com, and Old National Bank downtown, One Main Street. Tickets are $6 for Zoo members and $8 for non-Zoo members. $1 off coupons are available at all 13 Evansville area Old National Banks.
Another exciting feature at this year’s Old National Bank Boo at the Zoo is the Scarecrow Decorating Contest, Sponsored by Monsanto. Contest categories include family/individual or business/organization. Prizes include $250 cash for first place in both categories, $50 for second place in both categories, as well as prizes valuing more than $500 along with a prize pack from Monsanto. Entry forms can be downloaded on www.meskerparkzoo.com.
Zoo gates will close at 2:00 PM on each night of Boo at the Zoo and reopen at 5:00 PM for Boo at the Zoo. Special thanks to Old National Bank, Townsquare Media, Channels 7 & 25, Monsanto Company, Alcoa, Deaconess Clinic, Heritage Federal Credit Union, Prairie Farms, and PCI Skanska and Industrial Contractors Skanska. Please visit www.meskerparkzoo.com for more information.
Letter to the Editor From Rep. Gail Riecken
Dear Editor:
It never seems to fail.
Confronted with concerns about the effectiveness of a hotline that fails to address the needs of abused and neglected children, officials with the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS) respond by throwing around some big numbers.
More than 14,000 calls received in August. An average of 544 per weekday and nearly 200 on Saturdays or Sundays.
Fans of bureaucracy must be thrilled. Look at those numbers! Boy, just think of all the reports that are filed as a result. What a bunch of paperwork, huh?
This, of course, is part of the problem with the DCS and the administration that spawned it.
Set aside the large numbers of calls, and the underlying events that provoked them. We all should be shocked that abuse and neglect of our youngest and most innocent Hoosiers continues at such a high volume.
What is more important is what is being done with these calls. That is where the failure has occurred, and that is what has led to the ongoing investigation of DCS by a legislative study committee.
When the changes to the child welfare system were made in Indiana, the administration chose a direction that satisfied the needs of bureaucrats, but failed Hoosier children.
In response to continuing challenges of dealing with poor and inadequate computer systems, instead of just instituting better technology, the administration broke the system into pieces.
The administration wanted standardized forms for employees answering the abuse and neglect calls coming in. Instead of educating locals, the state hired people to staff a new call center in downtown Indianapolis.
Why do so many of us think this is the wrong direction?
Call centers can be very stressful work environments. An employer told me that it takes a special person to work in that kind of environment: isolated, sitting with head phones on eight hours every work day listening to complaints. Add to that the immediacy of making decisions that abuse and neglect call workers must make with every call and you have an even higher potential of stress on the job and eventual high turnover.
The philosophy of one call center for child abuse and neglect calls just doesn’t work.
A second criticism is that call center workers, despite their training, have little to no experience in the field. If a neighbor calls in a report suspecting that a child is being beaten, that call will not be immediately sent to local officials for assessment. More than likely, the call will be stored away. The local office eventually may review the call and find that it needs to be assessed, but the immediacy of the incident is lost.
Indianapolis workers don’t have relationships in this area. I have heard from professionals that their calls aren’t honored. One public defender in another county said that, of the 10 calls she has made on children she is personally aware of, only 1 call was investigated.
Call center workers should be the most experienced, best trained employees.
What should happen?
Instead of continually trying to justify a failed system, the administration should fess up, pick up the pieces of the puzzle and change direction.
I think a hybrid system of call centers closer to home would answer both criticisms of call centers. Rotate workers in and out. If there aren’t enough employees, eliminate the jobs in Indianapolis and bring them home.
Or bring in an independent contractor to evaluate how to answer the administration’s need for better record keeping and maintain a system that is cost effective and meets the needs of those Hoosiers who use it.
And stop thinking that big numbers automatically mean success. They don’t.
Sincerely,
Gail Riecken
State Representative
Indiana House District 77