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IS IT TRUE September 11, 2011

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE that the folks from the “KEEP EVANSVILLE BEAUTIFUL” group have requested that the City of Evansville fund them at the $50,000 level for 2013? …that last year the City of Evansville contributed zero tax dollars to help fund the activities at KEB for 2012?

IS IT TRUE that we are wondering when the owners of the McCurdy Hotel will begin to start renovation of this historic downtown building into condos?…in spite of the word on the street and even from Civic Center Moles in the know that the Vanderburgh County Assessors website still lists City Centre Properties LLC of Carmel, IN as the owner of record?…the Assessors website also is still showing that two installments of property taxes are delinquent in the amount of $21,525.84 including penalties?… that either some of our Moles are incorrect or the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s office is recording title transfers at a snail’s pace?…to be an research effective tool transactions need to be recorded in a timely manner?

IS IT TRUE when the Winnecke Administration agreed to give members of the police department a 3% raise for 2013 they also created a situation where the expectation of the Evansville City Council became to give a 3% raise for 2013 to all of our city employees? …if the city doesn’t have an accurate accounting of the funds they have in major accounts that we wonder how can they guarantee anyone a raise for 2013?… the only answer available is for City Council members make major cuts in Mayor Winnecke’s 2013 budget requests?

IS IT TRUE it might be time for Evansville City Council to draw up a city ordinance requiring that all non-city organizations that receive funding from the city should file a single entity report called “A Yellow Book” audit? …that Evansville City Council should make the requirement target funding figure over $50,000?…we suspect that 5th Ward City Councilman and Budget Director, John Friend-CPA knows all about “Yellow BOOK” audits and could explain this to other council members in lay terms?…if adopted by council this would make all organizations receiving taxpayers monies more accountable?

IS IT TRUE that the broken ice machine located at hose house #7 was finally repaired for $500?…that the newly repaired machine was reinstalled at fire station #7 and never produced one ice cube?…that the new Fire Chief then purchased 2 used ice machines recently from the Robert’s Stadium Auction? …when he brought the machines back from the auction to install in select fire stations they didn’t work either?…that during this entire ice machine fiasco the new Evansville Fire Chief had 2 brand new ice machines stored at the Fire Department Administration building waiting to be installed somewhere?…the only thing we can say about these transactions is “Who’s on First”?

IS IT TRUE that the Teacher’s Union in Chicago waited until school started to call a strike?…there are 400,000 students in the Chicago Public Schools that are now out of a place to go during the day when they are supposed to be in the care of their teachers for the purpose of learning?…the City of Chicago has been having a record setting year for murder this year and that murders have been particularly high in young people?…if this move by the Teacher’s Union was designed to endear themselves to the public at large it is failing big time?…there are plenty of people from Chicago who are fed up with this tired old tactic and would welcome someone like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to come to Chicago and fire the whole bunch of these self-serving narcissists and replace them with new teachers who are teaching for the right reasons and would not turn 400,000 school kids into the streets over money?

IS IT TRUE at the last night Evansville City Council the City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr. stated that he is predicting that Ford Center will lose $341,000 in 2013?…that City Controller Russ LLoyd, Jr. also stated that the city has no idea what the total profit that the FORD CENTER has made so far this year?

GM losing $49,000 for every Chevy Volt they Sell

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Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to Reuters by industry analysts and manufacturing experts.

Cheap Volt lease offers meant to drive more customers to Chevy showrooms this summer may have pushed that loss even higher. There are some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.

The lack of interest in the car has prevented GM from coming close to its early, optimistic sales projections. Discounted leases as low as $199 a month helped propel Volt sales in August to 2,831, pushing year-to-date sales to 13,500, well below the 40,000 cars that GM originally had hoped to sell in 2012.

The weak sales are forcing GM to idle the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that makes the Chevrolet Volt for four weeks from September 17, according to plant suppliers and union sources. It is the second time GM has had to call a Volt production halt this year.

GM stock closed today at $21.48 per share down slightly yet still over $30 per share below where the US Government needs the stock to trade to break even on the bailout.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910

Auto Theft

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Auto Theft

Evansville Police are investigating a vehicle theft that happened on September 9th in the 1500 block of Macarthur Dr.
Police were called after the victim had his car stolen while he was delivering newspapers. The victim told officers he had left his car running while he was making a delivery. As he was making the delivery, he saw the suspect driving away in his car. The victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the suspect.
The vehicle has not been recovered. Police are looking for a silver 2005 Pontiac 4dr. It has an Indiana license of “209LIK”.
Please call 911 if you see the car.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.

This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, September 07, 2012.

Nichole Coppersmith Theft – Class D Felony

Emily Karnes Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated –Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug – 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

Steel Magnolias at Evansville Civic Theatre

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Showing:
7:30 PM
September 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29
2:00 PM
September 23, 30

Welcome to Truvy’s Beauty Salon, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant Annelle, the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, who’s been in a bad mood for forty years; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is about to marry a “good ole boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play turns from light hearted comedy to a harsh reflection on loss. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the women, but also draws on their underlying strength—and love—which gives the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.

Visit http://evansvillecivictheatre.org for more information

USI Trustees approve biennial budgets and new degree program

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The Board of Trustees at the University of Southern Indiana met on Thursday, September 6 and reviewed and approved the 2013-2015 operating and capital improvements budget request that will be submitted to the Indiana General Assembly.

The operating budget was developed using the performance funding metrics created by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE). The trustees learned that USI showed improvement in each of the five metrics for which it could compete; overall degree completion; at-risk degree completion; student persistence;, on-time graduation rates; and an institution-defined productivity metric to increase distance education programming and participation.

The performance funding metrics generated funding of $2.9 million in 2013-2014 and $3.4 million in 2014-2015. The ICHE proposes creating a Performance Funding Pool by reducing each institution’s 2012-2013 operating base by 6 percent in 2013-2014 and 7 percent in 2014-2015 to fund the metrics. To reach those amounts, reallocation from the University’s operating budget of more than $2.4 million in 2013-2014 and $2.8 million in 2014-2015 would revert to the pool. Based on the recommended metrics and funding formula, USI’s base operating appropriation would increase by approximately 1.5 percent over the biennium.

USI will request the Indiana General Assembly also address the base operating funding differential through an appropriation adjustment of an additional $5 million in each year of the biennium. This would increase USI’s appropriation per-Hoosier-full-time student to approximately 75 percent of the statewide average.

In its 2013-2015 capital improvement budget request, USI seeks bonding authorization for one capital project. The proposed $18 million project includes renovation and expansion of the Physical Activities Center and renovation of classrooms and laboratories in the Science Center and Technology Center. The request also includes $2.7 million for general repair and rehabilitation in both years of the biennium.

The budget includes a line item appropriation request for the operation of Historic New Harmony of $519,807 for 2013-2014 and $574,387 for 2014-2015.

The trustees also approved housing rates and meal plan rates for the 2013-2014 academic year.

In other business, the trustees approved a new degree program. The College of Liberal Arts will request approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to offer a bachelor degree program in anthropology to begin in spring 2013. The program is comprised of 120 hours.

The anthropology program will meet regional and state needs by providing students the knowledge and skills to succeed in a variety of positions related to anthropology and will prepare students to succeed in graduate study in anthropology, medicine, archaeology, cultural and heritage management, and other closely related fields. The degree will prepare students as cultural and linguistic anthropologists who work in federal, state, and local government, including the military, healthcare centers, nonprofit associations, and marketing firms. The degree also can prepare physical anthropologists who work in biomedical research, human engineering, private genetics laboratories, pharmaceutical firms, and archaeological work.

Source: USI.edu

IS IT TRUE September 10, 2012

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Snegal: Sneaky but Legal

IS IT TRUE September 10, 2012

IS IT TRUE the City of Carmel, Indiana an upscale suburb of Indianapolis that recently had the distinction of being called the “Best Place in America” to live has itself in a tight spot financially?…it is actually more than a tight spot, it is a situation called unsustainable by financial analysts and the City of Carmel will soon run out of money and default on debt is changes their massive debt is not refinanced at a lower interest rate?…the way that this seemingly prosperous city that is home to the entrepreneurs and movers and shakers of the Indianapolis area got into a default position should sound familiar and surprise no one?…what happened is that Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and his hand-picked appointees in the Carmel Redevelopment Commission used loopholes in Indiana law to borrow roughly $260 Million to go on a binge building beautiful temples to art and excessive living without even asking the Carmel City Council to approve the funding?…Brainard and his cronies on the CRC must have been borrowing from The Bank of Guido as their interest rates are around 8%?…that now Brainard and his cronies way out is to get the Carmel City Council to issue general obligation bonds to refinance their building binge debt at lower interest rates?…the people of Carmel and their City Council will probably have to give in because the alternative is to become the Stockton of the Midwest?…without a change in Indiana law Brainard and his pals on the CRC could then turn around and start another binge by borrowing hard money from Guido?…You can read more details about the travails of Indiana’s richest city per capita on the following link?

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201209081517/NEWS/209090333&nclick_check=1

IS IT TRUE that in another article in the Indianapolis Star the details of just how Mayor Brainard and his select members of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission used loopholes in Indiana Law to use third parties and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to build things without asking the City Council or the people of Carmel via a referendum?…Mayor Brainard of course sought legal council to get favorable opinions prior to embarking on this SNEGAL ambition?…that even with expensive favorable opinions from elite Indianapolis law firms that are as familiar as the names of relatives in the Evansville Civic Center and among local elected officials that this borrowing activity is still under the scrutiny of the Indiana State Board of Accounts?…you can read all about this SNEGAL scheme on the following link?

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120908/NEWS/209090334

IS IT TRUE that all of this coming from Carmel makes us wonder if Evansville is sitting on a debt bomb that could easily reach a tipping point that forces the “tax increase or default” scenario to unfold on the banks of the Ohio?…the dragging out of the budgets of the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County are clear signals of caution which can be a good thing?…the words from Civic Center moles regarding what the forthcoming Indiana State Board of Accounts report will contain about the financial activities of the City of Evansville also will invite comparisons to financially embattled cities?

IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County officeholders got a directive Friday from the Vanderburgh County Auditor to fill out transfer documents or documents seeking an appropriation to supplement fourth quarter PERF payments to the State of Indiana?…this request was supposedly made because of an apparent failure to communicate?…since there is no surplus to transfer in most departments, one must assume the majority of department heads will be seeking additional appropriations to cover employee retirement funding.

What Makes Cities Grow: Carl Schramm

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Excerpts:

What makes cities grow? This question is the subject of countless magazine articles peddling lists of “best cities” and is fodder for consulting firms looking to sell advice. But in reality, the most reliable measure of a city’s future health is whether employment is expanding or contracting. Declining cities are not home to growing businesses that need people. Only true believers in the come-back story would move to Detroit, Cleveland, or Buffalo right now — the three big cities with the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

So what features of a city correlate with expanding employment? The index-making experts offer all kinds of explanations. Some say it’s smart people, as measured by the percentage of persons holding various university degrees. But using degrees as a proxy for the quality of a city’s human capital can be very misleading, as anyone who has hired real people will attest. Richard Florida advances the “smart people expand employment” theme through a surrogate measure — the housing and entertainment infrastructure and culture (of tolerance) that attract creative people. My observations suggest that these ideas are headed in the right direction, but it is doubtful they are insights that suggest actions able to improve a city’s growth path.

Sometimes such expert advice proves ruinous. Kansas City provides an example. About eight years ago the city bought into the notion that a downtown entertainment district that included open-container laws would bring needed life to the inner core. So called “creatives” would flock to the Emerald City from all over the Midwest to start businesses and give needed vibrancy to America’s least dynamic town — it won’t grow and it won’t shrink. After operating for several years this multi-block restaurant, bar, and night-club zone is underperforming — it is producing only about a third of projected revenue to service its city-issued debt…What municipality doesn’t think their future would be improved by having a downtown mall, an aquarium, or new sports stadiums?

The flaw with the Kansas City strategy is common to many municipal growth strategies. They are founded on the implicit belief that outsiders are smarter than native people and the city must attract talent. This is similar to the even greater development fallacy of “smokestack chasing” — recruiting existing businesses to relocate to a city in response to tax relief and public subsidies for new plant and equipment spending. History tells us that the essence of growth in any place is the exertions of people who already live there. Any city’s history of economic success is a story of its resident entrepreneurs (even if they were born someplace else) who decided to take the risk of starting a business.

What’s important isn’t so much the university itself, but rather the entrepreneurial culture that accompanies many of them. Indeed, the cities with faster growing work forces are home to universities with particularly entrepreneurial cultures. The cultures in Seattle, San Diego, Columbus, Raleigh, and San Jose (proximate as it is to Palo Alto) reflect the particularly entrepreneurial capacities of their universities. One might even offer that, in the future, the universities that will be regarded as the best will be the ones with an explicit focus on inventing and innovating in their research and teaching such that they become schools for creative entrepreneurs.

Mayors, local elites, business leaders, and citizens interested in improving the future of their local economies should encourage their universities to strengthen their faculty and research to produce more ideas that can be commercialized.

Link to Article:
http://www.fourpercentgrowth.org/2012/09/the-town-gown-connection/

City-County to Release New Joint Website on Monday

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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
LLOYD WINNECKE
September 8, 2012 Contact: Ella Johnson-Watson
For Immediate Release 812-436-4965

City-County Redesigned Website to “Go Live” Monday

EVANSVILLE, IN – Please join Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Vanderburgh County Commissioner Marsha Abell and members of the city and county Information Technology team for a news conference to launch the redesigned city-county website and reveal the new website url. The news conference is set for Monday, September 10, at 1 p.m. in the Mayor’s Office, Room 302, at the Civic Center.

Mayor Winnecke’s Weekend Schedule

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News Advisory
Mayor Winnecke’s Weekend Schedule
Saturday, September 9, 2012

Mayor Winnecke and Third Ward City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley will be joined by Clean Evansville volunteers picking up trash around the Jacobsville Neighborhood. The clean-up begins

at 8 a.m. and will wrap-up at 10 a.m. at the Bosse Field Parking lot.

At 11 a.m., Mayor Winnecke will deliver the official welcome at the opening of the 14th Annual Family Day in the Park. Family Day in the Park, sponsored by WEOA Radio and the Evansville Black Women’s Task Force, features music, live entertainment, food, children’s activities, card tournaments and more. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot near the CK Newsome Community Center, 100 E. Walnut Street.
On Saturday evening, Mayor Winnecke and First Lady Carol McClintock will attend the First Annual Firefighters Recognition Ball and the Evansville Police Foundation’s annual Cop-Acabana gala. The Firefighter Recognition Ball will be held at the SWIRCA Ivy Room, 16 W. Virginia St., and the Evansville Police Foundation’s annual gala will be at Cambridge Country Club, 1120 Cambridge Village Square. Both events begin at 6 p.m.

Sunday, September 10, 2012
Mayor Winnecke and First Lady McClintock will attend the annual “First Responders” service at NorthWoods Church, 9920 N. Green River Rd. The service is in memory of 9/11 victims and will celebrate the hard work and dedication of all first responders.

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