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IURC Agrees to Schedule Vectren Fee Increase Hearing in Evansville

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In a surprising but welcome move today the Indiana Utilities and Regulatory Commission announced that they well be holding a field hearing regarding the Vectren request for a fee increase in Evansville. The meeting will be held on November 28, 2011 in the Locust Room at the Centre at 6 PM and will be open to the public.

This announcement comes after repeated requests by Indiana House of Representatives District 77 representative Gail Riecken to move hearings involving Evansville to be in Evansville. Just today Representative Riecken released a statement chiding the IURC for failing to fulfill the commitment to do so.

Local officials have also made this request with Evansville City Councilman John Friend having collected over 10,000 signatures from Vectren ratepayers requesting not only that IURC hearings be held here but that a moratorium be put on rate increases until other utilities catch up with Vectren’s rates that are double the average for the State of Indiana and triple what ratepayers in Henderson, KY pay.

E. Lon Walters, the republican candidate for the 2nd Ward seat of the Evansville City Council has also been circulating a petition online and in person.

Vanderburgh County Commissioner Stephen Melcher has been advocating for the total membership of the IURC to be elected as opposed to being appointees of the Governor of Indiana so that they are accountable to the people of Indiana.

Vectren was recently marched on by the Occupy Evansville group when they gathered at the Four Freedoms Monument on Saturday.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor made the request to the IURC for an Evansville field hearing on the dense pack project. Vectren officials have expressed support for the Evansville based hearing for an opportunity to educate the public about the proposed dense pack project.

Gail Riecken on the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission

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State Representation Gail Riecken

In previous legislative sessions I have attempted to impress the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) that many regulatory decisions are causing working Hoosiers great hardship.

My efforts in the Statehouse to bring transparency to the IURC were dismissed and seen as an attempt at political gain. Evidenced by citizens’ comments I have heard, especially at three neighborhood associations recently, the issues are real and ratepayers are struggling to pay their Vectren bills.

This summer I felt there was hope the IURC would listen to citizens. On August 30, along with Kerwin Olson, Interim Executive Director of the Citizens Action Coalition, I met with IURC Chairman Jim Atterholt. Chairman Atterholt pledged to hold a town hall style hearing in Evansville and to allow Vectren ratepayers to testify.

On September 6, I wrote a letter thanking the Chairman and asked for a confirmation of his agreement and a date the hearing would be held. I received neither.

The IURC needs to understand how people feel; they need to come to Evansville.

The IURC must experience firsthand how citizens feel about the recently announced increase in monthly fee. Not only is Vectren asking for additional profit to add to rates that already border on confiscatory, they are requesting a new “tracker” — the most damaging fee structure to our electric ratepayers.

The IURC must learn why, thanks to Councilman John Friend and others, there are over 10,000 petitions that have been signed complaining about the rate increases.

If there was ever a time that Vectren and the IURC could restore confidence in the public, it is now.

Vectren should present before City Council now and prove those wrong who say it is Vectren that is playing politics for not agreeing to a hearing before the local elections.

IURC Chairman Atterholt should schedule the town hall meeting he agreed to. He should prove the Commission can do its job, a job that obligates the Commission to protect the public from the negatives that can go with a system built on a monopoly, the job of protecting the public from rates that are hurting business and industry and rates that the citizens of Evansville can no longer afford.

Gail Riecken
State Representative, District 77

Starbucks Creativity Starts Small Business Loan Funds

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Excerpts:

“When last we left the chairman and chief executive of Starbucks, in mid-August, he had written a widely publicized e-mail lamenting the poisonous state of our nation’s politics. That led him to his first big idea: a call for a boycott of political contributions until Democrats and Republicans began to act in a nonpartisan way for the good of the country.”

” Starbucks is going to create a mechanism that will allow us citizens to do what the government and the banks won’t: lend money to small businesses. This mechanism is scheduled to be rolled out on Nov. 1.”

“Here is the most beautiful part about the whole arrangement. The donations to Create Jobs for USA will not be loaned to the CDFIs. They will be turned into capital — equity that can be leveraged. Pinsky and others told me that that equity can be leveraged 7 to 1, meaning that if 10 million Starbucks customers donate $5, that will support $350 million worth of lending. That’s real money.

The Starbucks Foundation is starting things off with a $5 million donation. Schultz is hoping to convince other national retail chains to participate as well — so that Starbucks isn’t the only place people can join in the effort. And, of course, he is hoping that Starbucks customers will flock to it in droves.

So am I. With the government and banks unwilling or unable, it’s time we took matters into our own hands. At this point, who else can we count on?”

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/opinion/nocera-we-can-all-become-job-creators.html?_r=1&hp

Winnecke Announces Gang Reduction Task Force

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Republican candidate for Mayor of Evansville Lloyd Winnecke today released his plan to form a task force to reduce gang activity in Evansville. Touting programs in Peoria, Illinois and Utica, New York has being particularly successful with armored vehicles rigged for monitoring Mr. Winnecke laid out his three point plan that is on the link below.

Winnecke_Gang_Reduction_Task_Force

IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011 Mid-Morning Edition

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IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011

IS IT TRUE that it is now only 3 days until the campaign contribution disclosure reports are due for public evaluation?…that we are very curious to learn the top contributors to each Mayoral campaign and that we are sure that both candidates for Mayor will be very interested in the cash supply sources of their opponent?…that based on the activities of the candidates for Evansville City Council we expect that the disclosure reports from these candidates to be shallow and narrow?…that we do not remember there ever being such an apparent shortage of cash for the down ballot positions?…that even though he was functionally unopposed in the 2007 Mayoral election that Team Weinzapfel always seemed to be in the costly advertising venues?…that a war chest at the top of the ticket works wonders?…that people are very interested in exactly what the over $700,000 that is reported to be in the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign fund will eventually be spent on?…that we would bet that it is not being spent on any “Davis for Mayor” advertisements?

IS IT TRUE that we are a bit confused by the recent “Winnecke for Mayor” TV commercial that is a pretty drive on an autumn lane and seems like a “Davis for Mayor” commercial until that bug eyed astonished lady pops up right at the end of the commercial?…that the commercial is all negative and started the day after Mr. Winnecke scolded Rick Davis for negative campaigning?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has decided to travel to Indianapolis to report on the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission meeting with Vectren regarding the proposed fee increase?…that if the IURC will not come to Evansville then it is time for Evansville, its elected officials, and its media to go to the IURC?…that we are expecting that some elected officials and other media may respond by going to the IURC meeting as well?

IS IT TRUE that this Thursday is the last meeting of Smokefree Indiana before this year’s City of Evansville elections and that the agenda for the 3:30 meeting at the library is to give the candidates for office one last opportunity to state their position with respect to strengthening Evansville’s smoking ordinance next year?…that this issue has sort of taken a back seat to the whole “jobs, meth, and gangs” issues as it well should?…that making a city that is plagued by unemployment, drugs, and violence smokefree just doesn’t seem to be as lifestyle enhancing as making a great place without rampant problems smokefree does?…that the next administration will have its hands full from day one but that if an opportunity to strengthen the smoking ordinance presents itself it will improve the quality of life?

IS IT TRUE that northern Indiana’s Democratic Party along with the national Democratic Party are coming under some fire for faking signatures?…that we wonder if they were partaking of any pronto pups before the signatures were allegedly forged?…that the place to watch for shenanigans is not just on petitions?…that if one really wants to prevent SNEILLEGAL (Sneaky and illegal) tricks the place to watch would be absentee ballots?

Vanderburgh Sheriff’s Investigate Armed Robbery on SE Side

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Officers of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s office responded to a hot armed robbery at the Wesselman’s grocery on Pollack Avenue on Sunday. Three masked men with guns robbed the store and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Vanderburgh Sheriff Report 10162011

IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011

IS IT TRUE that today the City County Observer sends out our condolences and best wishes to the family of Mrs. Genna Lloyd who passed away yesterday?…that Mrs. Lloyd was the wife of Evansville Mayor Russell Lloyd, and the mother of Evansville Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.?…that these two gentlemen are the only Republicans to have been elected to be Mayor of Evansville in over 50 years?…that our thoughts and prayers go out to this family and especially to our friends Russ and Theresa Lloyd?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville City Councilman John Friend advises us that he was prepared to raise the issue of accelerating the meeting with Vectren regarding their pending fee increase request back to its original date of October 24th?…that Councilman Friend was preemptively contacted by a Vectren officer yesterday to let him know that Vectren would not have been accepting the Evansville City Council’s invitation because they would be spending that time preparing for the pre-hearing in Indianapolis?…that it seems as though the meeting for November 14th is still a go?…that Vectren officials assured Councilman Friend and others that the meeting on October 25th in at the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission in Indianapolis will not result in any decision?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council in other business last night passed the 2012 budget by a vote of 7 – 2 with Dr. H. Dan Adams leading the dissenters on the basis that the budget is “archaic” to work with in its present format and that there is no contract with the firefighters?…that outgoing Councilman Don Walker joined Dr. Adams in voting nay?…that Dr. Adams has cited what could be characterized as “laziness” in the budgeting process where no year over year changes are implemented?…that his nay vote was characterized as “irresponsible” by outgoing City Councilmen Curt John and B. J. Watts in much the manner that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel had chided Dr. Adams last year for a similar nay vote?

IS IT TRUE that in a previous meeting City Council President B. J. Watts chided some of the community speakers for wearing politically driven t-shirts when speaking before council?…that last night nothing at all was said when a speaker came before council sporting a fresh new “Winnecke for Mayor” t-shirt?…that many people watch these meetings on TV and this is a chance for some free advertising?…that the CCO does not think that the City Council has any business making remarks or instituting a dress code for the people who speak at council?

IS IT TRUE that a renovation of the first floor of the Old Post Office into a catering and events center is in the midst of being undertaken by the group that leases the building from the City of Evansville?…that this building as magnificent as it is has legacy problems such as leaking roofs that have plagued it for many years that are not yet repaired?…that in the worst case the leaky roofs may do some damage to the new improvements being made by the lessor?…that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission had made some commitments to either do the repairs needed or finance these repairs back during the planning phase of this project and seems to have fallen off of the radar without solidifying this commitment?…that the ERC is the landlord and may have only 4 more opportunities to do what is expected of them by the business that is leasing the building?…that today would be a great day for the President of the ERC, Mr. Bob Goldman to bring the topic of the Old Post Office and the renovations that are underway up in the “Other Business” part of this morning’s meeting?

IS IT TRUE that there is also much anticipation that something regarding either the downtown Convention Hotel that seems to be slipping away or the McCurdy which is only two weeks from hopefully a big positive announcement may be snuck in under the guise of “Other Business”

VHS Pet of the Week: “Ember”

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Greeting from Ember, a 5-year-old spayed Chow/Golden Retriever Mix. Ember is a sweetheart of a dog and will do best in an adult only home. She prefers things to be quiet and calm. She loves lounging around and being a couch potato. Now she’s a bit on the hefty side. Ember will need an owner that will get her off the couch take her for long walks to help her shed a few pounds. This beautiful dog loves to cuddle and will bring loves of love, wags and kisses into your home. For more information on how to make Ember a member of your family, visit www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.

Downtown Today: 10/18/2011

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Time 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Subject ERC
Location 307
Recurrence Occurs the third Tuesday of every 1 month effective 10/18/2011 until 10/18/2011 from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Reminder 15 minutes
SARAH @ 7825
Categories ROOM 307

Time 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Subject SECURITY SUB-COMMITTEE
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs the third Tuesday of every 1 month effective 10/18/2011 until 10/18/2011 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Reminder 15 minutes
Angie @ 5233
Sgt. Vernon Lutz @ 7971
Categories ROOM 318

Time 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Subject PTABOA
Location 301
Reminder 15 minutes
TIFFANY @ 5269
Categories Business, ROOM 301

UE’s Jennie Ebeling a Featured Speaker at Biblical Archaeology Conference

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Jennie Ebeling, associate professor of archaeology and chair of the Department of Archaeology and Art History at the University of Evansville, was a featured speaker at The Future of Biblical Archaeology Conference, held October 14-15 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

At the conference, Ebeling led a breakout session titled “The Use and Abuse of 19th-20th Century Palestinian Ethnography on Reconstructions of Life in Biblical Israel.” She also discussed the methodology behind her book Women’s Lives in Biblical Times, published in 2010 by T&T Clark International. The book uses archaeological, iconographic, and ethnographic data to create a detailed description of the life of an average woman who might lived in the central highlands of Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000 BCE) Israel.

An archaeologist who works in Israel and Jordan, Ebeling earned a PhD in Syro-Palestinian archaeology from the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona in 2001. She has been awarded several competitive grants, including a Fulbright fellowship and a Lady Davis Postdoctoral Fellowship, to support her graduate and post-graduate research in Israel and Jordan.

Ebeling has taught in the Department of Archaeology and Art History at the University of Evansville since 2002 and has served as chair since 2009. In spring 2011, she received the Dean’s Teaching Award from UE’s College of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as a vice president of the American Schools of Oriental Research and an assistant editor of the journal Near Eastern Archaeology.

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