GAGE
Only 48 hours after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with GAGE, the office of Mayor Winnecke, and the Evansville Controllers office, GAGE has rejected the FOIA request through attorney Krista Lockyear. The letter to Tim Eckels, the Publisher of the CCO from GAGE asserted that GAGE in not a public entity and is completely separate from any government entity and therefor is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
There has been no response to the identical requests that were served upon Mayor Winnecke’s office and the office of City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr.
The request was for information gathered in the vetting process by GAGE which lead to president Debbie Dewey’s recommendation that the Evansville City Council should approve a loan of $4.8 Million to Earthcare Energy. All of the proceeds for such a loan to be made by the City of Evansville to Earthcare Energy will be from taxpayer dollars. GAGE reportedly receives a total of $375,000 per year in financial support from the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County. It is not known at this time what percentage of GAGE’s overall funding is from public funds. GAGE also derives income by leasing out space in the Innovation Pointe Building. It has been reported that GAGE pays the Evansville Redevelopment Commission $10 per year in lease payments. The extent of GAGE support from private sources has not been disclosed.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and Ed Hafer of the Evansville Regional Business Committee
will host a Summit on the Economic Benefits of Early Childhood Education on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Culver Family Learning Center, 1301 Judson Street. The Summit will bring
together community business leaders, government leaders and other key community leaders to learn
and discuss the economic benefit of Early Childhood Education.
The Summit will feature national speakers Rob Grunewald, Associate Economist with the Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Tanny Crane, President and CEO of the Crane Group and Co-Chair of
the Ohio Business Roundtable Early Learning Initiative.
Crane serves as the Board Chair of the Columbus City Schools Education Foundation and is the past
Board Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Grunewald is the co-author of “Early Childhood
Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return,†an economic policy paper which has
been featured in the media, legislative hearings and seminars throughout the United States.
The summit will conclude with a question and answer session, and speakers will be available for one-
on-one interviews at 11 a.m. The media is welcome to attend the entire session to learn why early
childhood education is one of the most cost-effective and potent economic development tools available.
Headliner Eric Church with special guests Brantley Gilbert and Blackberry Smoke brought their special
brand of southern-fried country rock to the Ford Center on April 19. Church proclaims in “How Bout You,†one of his
most popular hits, “Give me a crowd that’s redneck and loud, and we’ll raise the roof.†This sold out audience was eager
to comply as voices and lighted cell phones alike were often raised during the entirety of the three and a half hour show.
“Evansville continues to show great support for top country acts such as Eric Church,†said Executive Director Scott
Schoenike. “This will continue to attract elite country performers to the Ford Center in the future,†stated Schoenike.
Ford Center continues to stay active with a strong list of upcoming performance such as; All Time Low & Gentlemen Hall
April 20, Guns and Hoses April 21, Cirque Du Soleil presents Quidam April 26-29, Staind & Godsmack May 6, Hank
Williams Jr. May 11, WWE SmackDown on June 26 and James Taylor July 11.
Ford Center is managed by VenuWorks of Evansville, LLC
IS IT TRUE that it was refreshing to learn yesterday that some people in control at the Secret Service have been fired from their positions over the recent WHOREGATE scandal that happened in Cartagena, Columbia?…that it still is shocking to accept the fact that the advance team whose job it is to protect the president of the United States got off the plane and headed straight to a whorehouse to drink top shelf whiskey and partake of the paid companionship of Columbia’s “best whoresâ€?…that makes one think “Holy Puta Batmanâ€?…that we expect that the Secret Service will quickly clean the sandbox and get right back to their long tradition of professional service to the United States?
IS IT TRUE that no such thing is occurring at the General Services Administration where smiling government bureaucrats were having their pictures taken in hot tubs and some taking over 100 trips per year to exotic locations?…that no heads have rolled there but that the top head has pleaded the 5th on everything from being in the town to what he had for dinner?…that there is now a hotline established for other GSA employees to report inappropriate spending without fear of retribution?…that several actually were afraid to turn in the wasters to save the taxpayer’s money and that veil of fear has now been lifted?…that the website for reporting waste crashed yesterday?…that we predict that what is now being promoted as a $1 Million self indulgent scandal will rapidly escalate to a Billion Dollar Plus scandal and will take down the entire GSA?…that this is truly an division gone wild and it needs to be reigned in?…that we are waiting to see if and when any real action will be taken as thus far the hearings have mostly been photo-ops for smug politicians (congressmen) to grandstand for the poor folks back home who did not get a government paid trip to Vegas?
IS IT TRUE that the City of Dixon, Illinois is scratching its head today and trying to figure out just how a city employee was able to steal $30 Million and live the life of a Rockefeller right in Dixon without anyone knowing it?…that such a thing tells you allot about the Controller’s office in Dixon, the Dixon City Council, and the Mayor of Dixon running a very loose ship?…that when a civil servant that does not come from wealth and earns an average salary starts collecting exotic things like horses and cars that someone should have enough sense to wonder why?…that only happens when people are engaged enough to have a competent sense of awareness?…that Dixon, IL is not the only city in America that seems to have gone to sleep at the wheel when it comes to oversight of public money?
IS IT TRUE that we would like to recommend those who are interested in the whole Earthcare Energy deal including the market and the competition should read the following report and pay particular attention to the section on harvesting energy from gas let down stations?
The USI Chamber Choir and Women’s Choir will perform a Spring Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 216 S.E. Third Street in downtown Evansville.
The combined choir will perform Volkmar Leisring’s “O filii et filiae” for double choir from the church’s two side balconies. They also will perform John Rutter’s “Te Deum” for choir, brass and percussion.
The Chamber Choir will perform selections from their upcoming tour to Ireland, May 8-16, 2012. Included will be several arrangements of Irish Traditional music, and the choir will be accompanied by members of the Rowan Tree Irish Traditional band and traditional players from the ranks of the Chamber Choir.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Daniel Craig, director, at 812/464-1736.
The combined choir also is performing Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra on April 21.
Hello from Leopold, a 4-year-old neutered DMH! Leopold has come such a long way from when he first arrived at the VHS. He was super skinny and matted. Just goes to show what a little TLC and good food can do for an animal in need. Leopold has blossomed into a gorgeous lion of a cat and is looking for a home where he can be the king! Leopold likes to be the center of attention and can be a bit rough with other cats, so he will need to be the only member of his pride. He needs a nice big chair that he can call his own and stretch out in. Leopold loves to be brushed and will chase a toy mouse until he falls asleep. School age children would be great for Leopold to be around. Oh and if you have a big window he can stare out of, you’ll make his world. For more information on Leopold, give the VHS a call at (812) 426-2563 or visit us on the web at www.vhslifesaver.org.
The General Electric Company has advertising materials that clearly describe a product designed to work as follows:
“In pressure letdown applications, such as the merging of two transmission pipelines at different pressures, or at the city gate of a gas distribution system, GE turboexpander-generators can safely reduce the pressure of large volume gas streams while at the same time recovering energy in the form of electric power. An expander can therefore be a profitable replacement for other pressure regulating equipment such as control valves and regulators.”
The article on the following link was published by Richard Langson along with some researchers from a British university. The paper is undated but the references indicate that it was published after March of 2006 and before Mr. Langson left Electratherm. It does detail some conclusions with respect to using a twin screw device to capture energy from the letting down of pressure. The prototype chose water as the working fluid but references are made to pressure limitations when gas is the working medium.
We invite learned people with technology backgrounds to read this and submit opinions with respect to its relevance to the Earthcare deal. There is also a reference to a US Patent #6,296,461 that was issued in 1996 to N. Stosic who was a co-author of this study.
IS IT TRUE that yesterday the City County Observer made a Freedom of Information Act request to the Evansville Controller’s office, the office of the Mayor of Evansville, to GAGE President Debbie Dewey, and to Gage Chairperson Carrie Ellspermann of Old National Bank?…that the request was for the following?
“access to and copies of all credit checks, background checks, contracts, studies, technical performance reports, purchase orders, terms of payment, power purchase agreements (PPA’s), and other pertinent documentation associated with the recently announced agreement between the City of Evansville and/or its surrogates and Earthcare Energy and its associated subcontractors and/or surrogates. To be more specific the project that I refer to is the recently announced loan and incentive package worth approximately $5 Million that was approved by the Evansville City Council two weeks ago.â€
IS IT TRUE that we expect an assertion that GAGE is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act but have it on good authority that for a project that uses entirely public money that is done using money that is from public sources that the CCO will prevail and will be granted access to and copies of all that we requested?…that the outcome is known in advance but the only variable is whether or not the information will be provided without a higher authority forcing its release?…that it has now been 20 days since GAGE President Debbie Dewey was respectfully requested to answer 6 simple yes or no questions regarding the Vetting of this project?…that we still do not have any answers?…that City Councilman John Friend’s questions are not all answered yet either?…that the 20 business day clock on the Freedom of Information Act request filed yesterday now says 19 more days?
IS IT TRUE that for those of you who waited until the last minute to file your federal and state income tax returns that the clock has run out so send in your check?…that the revelations of the last several weeks about the blatant arrogance and in-our-face nature about the way our tax dollars are being spent is enough to make one angry?…that some of our tax dollars have been spent by the Senior Administration of the General Services Administration on travel to places like Las Vegas, Guam, Hawaii, and Napa Valley?…that what has gone on within the GSA that was recently made public is a version of the famous CVB Christmas Party on steroids?…that the advance team of secret service agents whose job is to protect President Obama’s first order of business when landing in Cartagena, Columbia last week was to round up a herd of whores for their own personal pleasure?…that some government spending like $500 hammers seems wasteful but it is wasteful because of the excessive regulation associated with making a purchase?…that such spending is simply what one may call “stupidity in governmentâ€?…that when government employees spend OUR DOLLARS lavishly on themselves on things that benefit no one but their self indulgent entitlement minded selves it is a very different story?…that when our hard earned money is spent by civil servants with all of the concerns of Caesar eating delicacies while Rome was burning that it is time to demand change?
IS IT TRUE that the arrogance and condescendence that we have been seeing from the federal government and in some instances by local government are symptoms of corruption?…that it is right there for all to see and yet little seems to be done about it?…that people will not be responsible as long as government continues to set such an egregious corrupt example?
IS IT TRUE that the real tragedy of the growing list of projects that the City of Evansville and its surrogates have failed to VET properly or have hidden from the people of Evansville is that when something really good comes along (and someday it will) there will be no money and no tolerance for the risk associated with it?…that sometimes poor VETTING is legitimate ignorance but other times it is well known up front that a disaster is looming and government officials choose to do wrong with their eyes wide open?…that the Homestead Tax Credit secret meeting is an example of local government CHOOSING TO DO WRONG with their eyes wide open?…that after the fact they said it could not be reversed?…that was just one more CHOICE TO MISLEAD that was consciously made but this time they were wrong?…that Governor Daniels overturned the local buffoonery and a certain amount of egg will be permanently attached to the faces of the ringleaders of that fiasco?
IS IT TRUE that the next time that the CHOICE TO DO WRONG is made with eyes wide open by local officials the results will be just as sobering to the wrongdoers as the Homestead Tax Grab and the $600,000 parking lot were to the last group of people who refused to think things through before spending public money unwisely?
The USI Chamber Choir and Women’s Choir will perform a Spring Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 216 S.E. Third Street in downtown Evansville.