AGITO Consulting, a business services firm based in Evansville has recently located at Innovation Pointe, a high‐tech business incubator, managed by the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville.

AGITO, a Latin word meaning “to set in motion,” provides proven tools to help companies improve performance and achieve sustainable growth through innovation, leadership, and waste elimination. AGITO specializes in training, consulting, and facilitation in the areas of Value Driven Management, Lean Systems (based on the approach pioneered by Toyota), Leadership, and Six Sigma.

Offering specific tools and workshops to guide leadership executives and employees, AGITO strives to recognize and enhance the value proposition offered to customers, identify ways to generate growth, find key strategic business opportunities, facilitate innovation sessions, and eliminate waste from all processes to enhance productivity. AGITO’s services range from a one‐time training session to complete business assessments, program development and implementation.

Patricia Tirado joins the AGITO team as a business partner and President of the organization, bringing over 20 years of strategic business planning and general management experience. Her investment in the company is being used to expand the operations and add additional consulting and training resources. She is a customer and business‐oriented executive with expertise in process analysis and redesign. Through her experience, she has developed an excellent ability to solve complex problems and conflicts while driving effective change. In addition, her background in international experiences makes her highly capable of interacting and communicating in a variety of cultures.

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News Conference, Thursday December 6th, 11:30 a.m.

It’s that time of the year again when the leaves are replaced with bare branches, the days get shorter and a sweatshirt or jacket replaces your favorite t-shirt. With the unseasonably warm weather we’re having, it’s easy to forget that winter is fast approaching and there are several items that need to be addressed to keep you and your family safe for the winter season.

The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Commission and Evansville Fire Department will jointly hold a News Conference in front of the Civic Center on the plaza, to discuss the dangers of Carbon Monoxide. We will be joined by several area Heating & Air contractors whose knowledge and experience will yield valuable information.

EFD will have Holiday Safety Tips regarding cooking, heating equipment, candles & decorations as well as Christmas tree safety.

The news conference will be Thursday December 6th at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Civic Center, next to the Christmas tree.

Please come and join the fun and welcome Governor-elect Mike Pence back to Evansville on Friday

Time/Date: 10:30 to 11:30 AM (Evansville time) Friday December 7, 2012
Location: Call Bank “Victory Center” (GOP HQ Building) Office
815 John St
Evansville IN 47713
Phone: 812-425-8207 (GOP office)
Governor-elect Mike Pence will be Evansville to thank individuals for helping him get elected to be our next Governor. All volunteers and GOP supporters are invited to attend the event. Light refreshments and food will be served.

Please advise Mary Jo if you can attend. See below for her contact info.

Mary Jo Kaiser
VCRP Political Director
beamerjo59@gmail.com
Of (812) 425-8207

EVANSVILLE, IN – The City of Evansville will launch a branding initiative during the second Neighborhood Workshop hosted by the Haynie’s Corner Arts District. The meeting will be held in collaboration with Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates, Inc., and the Sustainable Evansville Area Coalition (SEAC) on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Center of Hope Church, 808 S.E 3rd St.
The Evansville Department Metropolitan Development (DMD) will spearhead the branding initiative through a partnership with the urban public design firm w/purpose. The branding and Neighborhood Workshop initiatives are both funded through federal planning grants and seek to collaborate on urban development strategy around the Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
The SEAC team will present draft recommendations from the first Neighborhood Workshop and facilitate a discussion about what residents would like to see in the community. The w/purpose branding initiative will work over a six-week period to interview residents, advocates and community leaders. The branding project will include video shorts, interactive map exercises, logo and brand creation, signage and banner design, and other urban design elements.
Department of Metropolitan Development Executive Director Philip Hooper said implementing these strategies will help attract businesses, residents, and tourists to the area. He said the area is gaining the attention of professional artists and artisan boutique owners such as Mary Allen, owner of Soap Solutions, a business specializing in handmade soaps. Her home at 44 Washington Avenue features a work space as well as the business’s first retail store. With a successful soft opening on Small Business Saturday (November 24) under her belt, the response of her patrons has been positive.
Hooper said artist Anna Maria Whetstine recently worked with DMD on a plan to convert a vacant single-family home at 22 Jefferson Avenue to a mixed-use property where she will house her art gallery along with rentable studio space on the first floor and live in an apartment on
the second floor. Whetstine has begun preparation for construction and hopes to be ready for studio tenants in fall 2013.
“We’re committed to continue the momentum of utilizing arts as a catalyst of community renewal in Haynie’s Corner,” Hooper said. “With the new movement and growing interest we are seeing, it is a perfect time to be working in partnership with w/purpose and the folks at Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates who are leading the SEAC planning process.”
The public is encouraged to attend the meeting and participate in the discussions. A light breakfast and refreshments will be served. Comments may also be submitted via email to Bob Grewe at RGrewe@blainc.com or by calling 812.479.6200 ext. 168.

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, December 04, 2012.

Cory Adams Operating a Vehicle with a BAC of .08 or More – Class C Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated – Class C Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Resisting Law Enforcement –Class D Felony

Trey Berkley Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
Resisting Law Enforcement –Class D Felony

Jon Borden Dealing in Methamphetamine – Class B Felon y
False Informing – Class B Misdemeanor

Shawna Borden Dealing in Methamphetamine – Class B Felony

David Brown Attempted Robbery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury – Class A Felony
Attempted Armed Robbery – Class B Felony

Donavon Cassidy Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator – Class D Felony

Cody Cowan Dealing in Methamphetamine – Class B Felony
Dealing in a Narcotic Drug – Class B Felony
Dealing in a Schedule IV Controlled Substance –Class C Felony
Dealing in Marijuana – Class D Felony
Dealing in a Synthetic Drug – Class D Felony
Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
False Informing –Class B Misdemeanor

David Jenkins Neglect of a Dependent – Class D Felony
Public Intoxication – Class B Misdemeanor

Calven Johnson Criminal Recklessness – Class D Felony

Jason Johnson Theft – Class D Felony

Jerrell Lewis Intimidation – Class D Felony

Zachary McCool Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon – Class C Felony
Attempted Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon – Class C Felony
Intimidation – Class C Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor
(Habitual Offender Enhancement)

Matthew Peavler Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Class D Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor
Possession of Marijuana –Class A Misdemeanor

Clarence Terry, Jr. Theft –Class D Felony

Anthony Ulm Dealing in Methamphetamine – Class A Felony
Theft – Class D Felony (Two Counts)

Colten Woodard Batter Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class D Felony

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

Last Thursday, the White House proposed their “solution” to address our country’s debt crisis in the form of a widely panned plan delivered to Capitol Hill by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Openly mocked as “absurd” and “unserious,” this plan and its messenger reveal more about the true priorities of the administration than they may have realized it would. While Republicans have offered proposals to protect small businesses (and the Americans they employ) from tax rate increases, Geithner — the champion of Wall Street whose financial services “reform” enshrined “Too Big to Fail” as law — is once again advancing proposals to protect the corporate elite at the expense of the taxpayer.

In addition to billions in new “stimulus” spending that our country can’t afford, the Geithner plan also contains billions in tax increases on small and family-owned businesses while protecting the tax preferences of wealthy, multinational corporations. In short, the Geithner plan benefits Costco at the expense of the locally owned corner store. Small businesses already struggle to compete with big businesses that enjoy the luxury of a tax code filled with corporate loopholes. The Geithner tax policy, if implemented, will further devastate our local communities and ultimately the middle class.

Before I came to Congress, I was a small business owner. I started a deli in my hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., that I creatively named “Kevin O’s.” As any small business owner knows, starting a business is not glamorous work. I made the deli countertop in my garage with my dad, and counted on my friends and family to “volunteer” their labor until I could afford to pay them. While it wasn’t a gold mine, people in Bakersfield seemed to like the sandwiches and after a couple of years I was able to sell the business so I could go to college.

My story is not unique. America is nation of people striving to make life better for themselves and for their families. The entrepreneurial spirit is a cornerstone of our national identity — we’re risk takers, we’re innovators, we’re daredevils. That’s why America harnessed electricity, pioneered flight and made pictures talk.

But what if we changed the rules?

What if we made it harder to succeed? Harder to innovate? Americans have always optimistically believed that future generations will be better off than generations past — what if suddenly that was no longer true? That’s what the Geithner plan means for America. Big business forever replaces Kevin O’s and the corner store and the local lumber yard. It’s not just about the homogenization of the American landscape and the loss of community identity — small businesses create seven of every 10 new jobs and they employ just over half of the country’s private sector workforce. They are the job-creation engines of America and are the key to our economic recovery. These people aren’t wealthy Wall Street executives; they’re the people getting America back to work. So why does the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who arranged the rescue and sale of Bear Stearns and helped engineer the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, want to make small businesses less competitive against multinational corporations?

Instead of raising taxes on job creators to protect corporate profits, we need fundamental tax reform. By closing special interest loopholes and lowering rates on individuals and small businesses, we can usher in a new era of economic growth for our country. We also need to rein in the excessive government spending that is responsible for the debt burden jeopardizing our economy. It’s no mystery what happens to a country that can no longer afford to pay its bills — we needn’t look further than Greece or Spain for terrifying case studies of this reality. The spending cuts in the Geithner plan were cosmetic and disingenuous. Refusing to cut politically popular but ineffective and wasteful government programs while ignoring the severe financial problems facing Medicare and Social Security is cowardice, not leadership; continuing to borrow 40 cents of every dollar we spend from countries like China is reckless. We need real spending cuts and reforms to government programs to make sure that they are effective and efficient, and provide the health care and retirement security for today’s seniors and generations to come.

Republicans understand the dire circumstances facing our country’s economy and the small businesses that drive its growth, and as a result, have put forth serious and sensible solutions to avert the fiscal cliff. We want to protect job creators and the millions of Americans they employ. The Geithner plan protects special interests and bloated government budgets, while providing a refuge for spineless career politicians.

Kevin Owen McCarthy, who represents California’s 22nd Congressional District, is the Republican whip in the House of Representatives.

December 4, 2012

News Release

Indianapolis, Ind. — A formal Request for Information was issued today seeking ideas from private sector engineers, contractors and financing experts to reduce the cost and accelerate the construction of Interstate 69 Section 5, which involves upgrades to the existing State Road 37 between Bloomington and Martinsville.

“INDOT is exploring innovative ways to deliver needed safety improvements for the citizens of Bloomington while reducing uncertainty and inconvenience for motorists and businesses,” said Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Commissioner Michael B. Cline.

I-69 Section 5 is currently in an extended formal comment period following publication of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. INDOT will conduct a public hearing this Thursday, Dec. 6 in the Monroe County Fairgrounds Auditorium at 5700 W. Airport Road, just west of the S.R. 45 and Airport Road intersection in Bloomington. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the formal presentation begins at 6:30 p.m., after which the public is invited to provide comments.

The new Interstate 69 between Evansville and Indianapolis is widely regarded as a key component to the future economic vitality of southwestern Indiana, and will connect an entire region of the state with improved access to jobs, education and healthcare. The 142-mile I-69 corridor was divided into six independent sections with the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Study, which was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in March 2004.

Sixty-seven miles of new interstate highway are now open – ahead of schedule and under budget – between I-64 near Evansville and U.S. 231 near Naval Support Activity Crane. Construction is underway on the 27 miles of I-69 Section 4 between Crane and Bloomington.

Pending federal approval, I-69 Section 5 construction could begin as early as 2013 with safety improvements to existing S.R. 37 intersections and interchanges in Bloomington. The safety improvements are intended to coincide with the opening of I-69 Section 4 to traffic southwest of Bloomington.

Indiana is a national leader in leveraging private capital to deliver needed transportation projects sooner, and at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers. Governor Mitch Daniels’ Major Moves program accelerated construction of I-69 and other long-term transportation projects across the state with the $3.8 billion lease of the Indiana Toll Road

INDOT today published a formal Request for Information on two delivery models that would share with the private sector the cost and risk to design-build-finance (DBF) or design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) I-69 Section 5. The state would use existing revenue sources to repay the contractor’s investment over time upon completion of key construction milestones and/or meeting performance standards following construction.

The Request for Information may be viewed at http://www.in.gov/indot/3119.htm. Responses from private sector firms are due by the end of December. For more information about I-69 in Indiana, please visit www.i69indyevn.org.

Source: Indiana Department of Transportation