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IS IT TRUE: November 19, 2010

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE: November 19, 2010

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Arena and the $18M Ballfields WANTS as opposed to NEEDS?…that some want them and other’s don’t?….that functioning sewers, clean air, and pleasant smells 12 months a year is something that every citizen of the City of Evansville NEEDS AND DESERVES?….that the NEEDS of all should take priority over the WANTS of the few?….that the #1 job of the Mayor of Evansville should be to push an acceptable solution to the CSO problem to completion?….that if the current Mayor of Evansville does not get this started that his successor will have only 10 months and no budget to do it with? …that the design fee for a $500M+/- project can be quite high?….that the source of funds to pay for this design have not yet been budgeted or even identified?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 723 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?

IS IT TRUE that the proverbial Roberts Stadium Ballfields project has been formally announced as “resurrected”?…that the Superintendent Vince Bertrum has expressed the opinion that if EVSC becomes a partner in the projects that it will save the taxpayers’ money?…..that EVSC is completely funded by tax dollars?…..that a Superintendent of a public school system should understand that public schools are funded by public money and that all public money comes from taxpayers?….that the City County Observer is once again astonished at a statement like “saving the taxpayers money” coming out of the mouth of a person whose paycheck and entire budget comes from taxpayers money?….that EVSC was honored yesterday for academic achievement for the first time in many years?….that we congratulate EVSC on this achievement?…..that teaching our children to be competitive and productive in today’s world is what TAXPAYERS MONEY that it entrusted to the EVSC is supposed to be for?…..that investing in a general partnership in an $18M ballfield complex with TAXPAYERS MONEY that is consigned to EVSC for education is a poor decision and quite possibly a misappropriation of funds?….that we encourage the EVSC to get back to the business of education and leave the tourism business to others?

IS IT TRUE that County Councilman Tom Shetler Jr. seems to have taken the lead in the resurrected effort to move the $18M ballfield proposal forward?….that Councilman Shetler believes that three and maybe four members of the Vanderburgh County Council will vote YES on any proposal that comes in below $13M for the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau bond issue?….that the City County Observer Mole #3 predicted two days ago when we broke this story that the YES votes would be coming from Councilmen Tom Shetler Jr. (Tomjr@shetlermoving.com), Joe Kiefer (joekiefer@wowway.com), and Mike Goebel ( goebelforrep@gmail.com), and that Councilman Jim Raben (jamesraben@rabentire.com) was the wildcard and will possibly cast the deciding vote?….that we have included the emails of these possible supporters of borrowing money to build 8 ball fields so that our readers can contact them to express either support or non-support of this proposal?….that the time is now for each person to make their position known on the latest reincarnation of Rasputin Park.

Gregori Rasputin, the man who would not die

IS IT TRUE that Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel finally seems willing to put some City money into the project to at least pay for the demolition of Roberts Stadium?….that the demolition of Roberts Stadium is and should be accounted for as part of the Evansville Arena project?….that the failure to have this task in the budget for the Arena is just another oversight similar to the oversight that lead to the Executive Inn Dilemma?….that the Arena project should pay for any eventual demolition of Roberts Stadium?….that the Executive Inn Dilemma is still hanging over the Downtown Evansville entertainment area like a Sword of Damocles?….that committing the cash stream of the innkeeper’s tax to any other project until a binding contract is in place with a reputable developer is just one more example poor public policy?

IS IT TRUE that the Innkeepers tax, the City of Evansville, and the EVSC all depend on TAXPAYER money?….that attempts to trick people by saying “this taxpayer money saves that taxpayer money” are just a shell game?….that there have been more shell games recently in Evansville than there are three card monte stands in New York City?…that if you want to save taxpayers money the first step is to put an end to the shell games and the tricky language?

IS IT TRUE that former Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave held a meeting at the Oaklyn Library last night to express and gather opinions about the proposed Art’s District TIF?…..that every seat was taken and that all of the major media outlets of Evansville covered the event?….that many of the attendees seem to need a good education on how this proposed TIF will affect them as residents of that area?….that Musgrave and others have requested a plan from the Department of Metropolitan Development and have not been provided one?….that despite filing freedom of information act notices and filing complaints with the State of Indiana that the plan is still not released by the City of Evansville DMD?…..that one of the best comments of the decade with respect to the Evansville Art’s District is “there is no Art’s District, there is a district, and a sign that says Art’s District on it?…..that the failure on the part of the City of Evansville’s DMD to produce a plan that the people who live in that district can read is just another example of top down imposition of someone else’s dream being forced on the people of Evansville?….that communication is a better way to develop support for any project than scheming in a vacuum and forcing solutions upon the very people who may just be a projects biggest supporters if they are shown some respect?….that the district may be designated as “blighted”?….that some of these “blighted” properties will appraise at over $1M even in today’s market?….that once again, failing to provide sufficient information to the citizens of Evansville has created uncertainty, fear, and animosity?….that some folks never learn?

Indiana Ranks 28th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

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Martha Caine, Indiana Smokefree Communities
Indiana Ranks 28th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Indiana ranks 28th in the
nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit,
according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health
organizations.

Indiana currently spends $9.2 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation
programs, which is 11.7 percent of the $78.8 million recommended by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other key findings for Indiana
include:

— Indiana in the past three years has cut funding for its tobacco
prevention program by 43 percent (from $16.2 million to $9.2 million),
and funding is now at the lowest level since the program was launched 10
years ago.

— Indiana this year will collect $599 million from the 1998 tobacco
settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 1.5 percent of it on
tobacco prevention programs.

— The tobacco companies spend $426.2 million a year to market their
products in Indiana. This is 46 times what the state spends on tobacco
prevention.

The annual report on states’ funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled “A
Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 12 Years
Later,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart
Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung
Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation program has contributed to
significant declines in tobacco use. Between 2000 and 2008, smoking declined by
42 percent among Indiana high school students. However, that progress is at risk
because of the budget cuts. Indiana is also falling short in implementing other
proven measures to reduce tobacco use. The state lacks a statewide smoke-free
law that applies to all workplaces, restaurants and bars, and the state
cigarette tax of 99.5 cents per pack ranks 31st in the nation and is below the
national average of $1.45 per pack.

“Indiana’s progress against tobacco is at risk unless state leaders step up the
fight by increasing funding for tobacco prevention and implementing other proven
measures, including a comprehensive, statewide smoke-free law,” said Matthew L.
Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Despite the state’s
progress, tobacco still takes a huge toll in health, lives and health care
dollars in Indiana. Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is
a smart investment for Indiana that saves lives and saves money by reducing
health care costs.”

In Indiana, 23.5 percent of high school students smoke, and 9,900 more kids
become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 9,700 lives and
costs the state $2.1 billion in health care bills.
Nationally, the report finds that most states are failing to adequately fund
programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. Altogether, the
states have cut funding for these programs to the lowest level since 1999, when
they first started receiving tobacco settlement payments. Key national findings
of the report include:

— The states this year will collect $25.3 billion from the tobacco
settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just two percent of it –
$517.9 million – on tobacco prevention programs.

— States have cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by nine percent
($51.4 million) in the past year and by 28 percent ($199.3 million) in
the past three years.

— Only two states – Alaska and North Dakota – currently fund tobacco
prevention programs at the CDC-recommended level.
The report warns that the nation’s progress in reducing smoking is at risk
unless states increase funding for programs to prevent kids from smoking and
help smokers quit. The United States has significantly reduced smoking among
both youth and adults, but 20.6 percent of adults and 19.5 percent of high
school students still smoke.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing more
than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care bills each year.
More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can
be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Replicate your Success with Style

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Elizabeth Gordon, Entrepreneur
Replicate your Success with Style
By: Elizabeth Gordon

Don’t Wait for Perfection to Rollout

If you try to anticipate and account for every last detail of a new process of initiative you may find yourself stymied by fear, indecision and overwhelm. Relax into the knowledge that very few things ever get executed absolutely perfectly the first time around, yet they work out just fine anyway. Getting the experience under you belt of trying something new is a big win in and of itself. This tip echos one of the great pieces of advice Bestselling author Emily Giffin gave at the LittlePINKBook event: let go of perfectionism, and get over trying to be flawless in every area. Do your best, it will always be good enough.

Replicate and Repeat, Rather than Reinvent

Successful businesses know how to fine tune what works and do the same good stuff over and over again. Economies of scale are built through repetition. That hum of a finely tuned machine running is the sweet song of profits rising. If you are always trying to do something brand new, you’ll never be able to exploit and build equity from all that experience you’ve been building up. Focus on what works, then start planning on how to do it over and over and over again, getting better each time.

Take Advantage of Every Opportunity to Talk about Your Business

Ready or not, as soon as you walk out the door, potential PR awaits. In fact these days all you have to do is open up your laptop or answer your cell phone. In the social media mania world of today, you need to have your chic story down pat and be able to spin into it in a heartbeat with confidence and class. The best media mavens know how to combine polished professional with girl next door relatable to create trust in less-is-more sound bites that make you memorable, quotable and mentionable.

Elizabeth Gordon, founder of Flourishing Business, the conduit for commerce, and bestselling author of The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels teaches a simple methodology and holistic strategy for success to businesspeople around the world. Want to grow your business with style, elevate your perspective, prosper in peace and flourish? Get a f.r.e.e. subscription and tune in weekly for the Chic Perspectives Show.

Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana Outlines Economic Success

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Greg Wathen
Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana
Outlines Economic Success

(November 19, 2010) – “The message is simple – the Coalition has been a great success in a very short period of time,” stated Michelle Hudson, co-chairperson of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana during the Coalition’s annual board meeting held this morning. “Since its formation in late 2006, the Coalition has helped to secure $346 million in new investment from existing and new companies such as Berry Plastics, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Toyota Boshoku, Vuteq and AT&T, which is a strong statement during tough economic times,” added Hudson.

“From headquarters to customer service centers to research and development operations, these companies represent not only new investment but more importantly 1,780 new jobs as well,” said Greg Wathen, president & CEO. “And, the most exciting part of these investments is that the majority were made by existing companies.”

Another important aspect of the Coalition’s multi-faceted job description is helping the communities it serves build new capacity for future development. In three years, the Coalition has secured $47 million in grants for such things as expansion of water and sewer systems; building new community centers; and, making improvements to the region’s levee system, which protects thousands of acres.

Wathen also returned this week from the Indiana Trade Mission to Japan headed by Governor Mitch Daniels, where Governor Daniels and Wathen met with key partner companies including Toyota, Aisin Seiki, Toyota Boshoku, and Toyota Industries. Wathen also participated with Governor Daniels in a private luncheon with Tomikazu Fukuda, Governor of Tochigi Prefecture – Indiana’s sister Japanese state.

“During the meetings, Governor Daniels delivered a powerful message about how Indiana and Southwest Indiana are the perfect business locations,” said Wathen. “Demonstrating to Japanese business how Southwest Indiana works as one economic region opened their eyes to the investment possibilities,” Wathen noted.

Formed in late 2006, the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana acts as the umbrella economic development organization for Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties in Southwest Indiana. The Coalition facilitates and coordinates business retention, expansion and attraction activities; and, supports efforts to enhance the business climate through regional capacity building.

Executive Inn Bidder, White Lodging to Expand Presence in Pennsylvania

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Fort Wayne Covention Hotel

Executive Inn Bidder, White Lodging to Expand Presence in Pennsylvania

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — White Lodging Services
Corporation is pleased to announce the addition of the Courtyard by Marriott
Philadelphia Valley Forge/Collegeville to the company’s management portfolio.
Located in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, this acquisition is White Lodging’s third
property in the state and the 32nd contract with the property’s owner, Apple
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

“We value our partnership with Apple REIT, and we will work hard to keep earning
their trust and loyalty,” commented Dave Sibley, president and CEO of hotel
management services for White Lodging.
A borough in Montgomery County, Collegeville is 30 miles north of Philadelphia.
The Courtyard by Marriott Collegeville is located in the Providence Corporate
Center and is a short drive to Ursinus College and large employers such as
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals’ global campus, a GlaxoSmithKline research and
development facility, Quest Diagnostics, and others.

The Courtyard by Marriott Collegeville is a five-story, 132-room property and,
in addition to queen and king rooms, the hotel offers suites with separate
sleeping and living areas. All rooms have small refrigerators, spacious work
areas and complimentary high-speed Internet access. On site is the Courtyard
Cafe, which serves a morning breakfast buffet as well as made-to-order
breakfasts. For events or meetings, this property has 3,200 square feet of
flexible meeting space.

Perfectly situated for business and pleasure travelers, the Courtyard by
Marriott Collegeville is minutes from the Valley Forge Convention Center, the
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Valley Forge National Park, and several
shopping destinations.

White Lodging Services Corporation was established in 1985 and is headquartered
in Merrillville, Indiana. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership,
development, and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and
cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among premium
branded mid- to large-scale hotels across the country. Their current managed
portfolio consists of 151 hotels in eighteen states and encompasses
representation of the following leading brands: Marriott International, Hilton
Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel
Group, and Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com or
call 219-472-2900.

SOURCE White Lodging Services Corporation

An IBD/Crohns Disease Awareness & Fundraiser is being held at Club Royale on December 4th, 2010

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An IBD/Crohns Disease Awareness & Fundraiser is being held at Club Royale on December 4th, 2010.

We are seeking items for the chinese auction and help with side dish items for the bbq plate luncheon. If you can help in any way it would be greatly appreicated.

This will be an all day event with live entertainment (singer/acoustic performers, comedian, aritistic dancers) beginning at 12 noon and continuing throughout the day. There will be a silent auction, photography and canvass art sale, 50/50 raffle and decorated cake competition. We also plan to have a BBQ plate luncheon if we get enough donations of sides dishes.

I have attached two personal stories and their fight with IBD and Crohns, namely Hilary’s Plight and Kasie’s Story. We hope to use the fundraiser to create much needed awareness about these awful diseases. Proceeds from the event will be used to help with medical expenses and costs that these individuals so desparately needed. A flyer for the event is also attached.

Help is needed with getting auction items as well as volunteers for the event.

Alternatrely, monetary Donations can be made during the event or
at any Old National Bank to the CROHNS TREATMENT FUND

If you have any quesitons on how to help or make donations please contact me at 812-499-7718.

Thank you for your support!
Mike Millard

THE DARK SIDE OF TOOTH WHITENING: The Price You Pay for that Cheshire Cat Smile

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THE DARK SIDE OF TOOTH WHITENING

By: Ted Huppert DDS: Guest Dental Columnist

It seems like everyone is whitening their teeth these days. There are commercials on television and radio, endless ads in the print media, and kiosks in the mall, all devoted to whitening teeth. But is there a problem? Well, maybe.

All tooth whiteners are bleaches and they all use one of two whitening agents, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which converts to hydrogen peroxide in the mouth.
The only difference is the concentration of the bleach. Everything else—flavor, color, delivery system, viscosity (the gooeyness)—is marketing.

Right now, the most popular technique for whitening is the one-visit zap, in which a tray is used to hold a strong bleaching agent against the teeth for a proscribed period of time. Then, the tray is removed from the mouth and the bleaching agent rinsed away. Presto! White teeth! The thing is, the bleaching agent must be strong to act so quickly, and frequently, the result is tooth sensitivity to cold, sweets, and all sorts of things. Fortunately, the sensitivity is usually temporary and will go away by itself, although in some cases, desensitizing toothpaste will be helpful. There may also be temporary redness or soreness of the gums.

There is a system that is employed in the dental office setting in which the teeth are isolated and the gums covered with a protective material, then the bleach is applied to the teeth and often warmed with a heat lamp or laser, although some studies indicate that the warming does not enhance the bleaching. This system is usually quite effective and has less chance of unwanted side effects because of the operator’s control over the placement of the bleach and the time of the exposure.

There are also at-home techniques in which a tray is made from an impression of the patient’s mouth and the patient uses a bleaching product at home whenever it is convenient. These products are usually not as strong as the one-visit bleaches, so repeated use and occasional touch-up may be necessary. They are safe and effective, although as with the one-visit bleaches, temporary tooth sensitivity and gum soreness can occur.

Back to the mall. There are currently tooth-whitening kiosks in some malls where the customer is guided through the bleaching technique by an attendant, who is generally wearing scrubs and/or a clinical jacket, but who may or may not have any dental training whatsoever. Many states have already or are in the process of passing legislation to make this illegal because of the possibility of doing irreversible harm to the consumer. At first, the vendors were accused of practicing dentistry without a license. But they got around that by having the customer place the tray in the mouth themselves. “Hey! We aren’t practicing dentistry! We don’t touch the customer!” Laws are being enacted to include loading of the trays and instructing the consumer in the definition of practicing dentistry. These places are potentially dangerous. Avoid them.

Is bleaching safe? Right now, if done properly, it seems to be. The bleach does not weaken the enamel or make it more prone to decay. What we aren’t sure of is exactly how far into the tooth the bleach penetrates. The enamel of the teeth is very hard, but the dentin which underlies the enamel is much softer and actually has micro-tubules that run all the way down to the tooth pulp. The dental pulp—the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth—is a sensitive organ, and if bleach should penetrate into the pulp, damage may occur. As far as I know, this has not been shown to happen. But, I would use some discretion if younger people want to bleach their teeth. The pulp chamber shrinks as we age, so the younger the patient, the larger the pulp chamber is, which makes it closer to the surface of the tooth. The bleach would not have to penetrate as far to reach the pulp in young patients. For adults, bleaching is safe.

Can you overbleach? Yes, you can. Using bleach too frequently will not necessarily physically harm the teeth. But tooth enamel has a natural translucency and a degree of fluorescence, which means it will glow under black light. Cool! Overbleaching can mask those properties, making the teeth white, but unnaturally flat and opaque, as if the teeth were painted with white-out. That looks creepy.

What about the whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes? They do contain bleach and they do lighten a little, but if they contained enough bleach to significantly whiten the teeth, a prescription would be required to get them. They can make a good follow-up to maintain whiteness after professional bleaching however.

So, go ahead and whiten if you wish. It won’t do you any harm as long as the bleaches are used as directed. Just be careful not to overdo it. For a picture-perfect smile, you need to know when to quit.

IS IT TRUE: November 18, 2010

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE: November 18, 2010

IS IT TRUE that the final hearing for US Incubator to have a chance at constructing three windmills for its “Peace Monument Windmill Project”, is TODAY at 4:30 PM in the Civic Center in Room 301?….that this saga has been going on for over half a year now?….that the Evansville Board of Zoning Appeals has been hopelessly deadlocked on the decision on just how a windmill can be allowed to be constructed within the City of Evansville?…that these particular windmills are residential and do not create high levels of noise?…that they are proposed to be within an Enterprise Zone near the Lloyd Expressway?….that it would be quite difficult to intentionally make this location louder or more blighted looking?….that the City of Evansville is well equipped legally to approve cellular towers by the score, billboards in the hundreds, satellite dishes on every building strong enough to support them, …..that wind energy is one of the projected leading job creators of the next decade?….that not having policies that are well enough defined to even grant a citizen of Evansville the permission to install residential windmills sends the message that the City of Evansville is not interested in the jobs of the future?…that as long as regressive policies like this continue to rule the day in Evansville that the “brain drain” will continue along with the decline of populations and wages?

IS IT TRUE the Front Door Pride program and Tom Barnett are out to get their hands on another $1.5 Million? ….that the proposal to borrow $2 Million will go to the Evansville City Council for consideration next Monday?….that $1.5M is slated to go to Front Door Pride?…that what we will be getting for $1.5 Million IF APPROVED is 3 houses in Goosetown and an undefined set of incentives to get artists to move to Goosetown and set up shop?….that nearly every gallery that has come to town and settled in a retail space in Goosetown has gone out of business?…that half of the Front Door Pride homes that are listed at half the construction cost still sit unsold after two years?….that the problem is not the houses or even the art, the problem is the crime and the schools?…that Goosetown will work only when Goosetown is safe, clean, free of the smell of sewers, and the school system that serves the area has acceptable performance?…that throwing $2 Million, $10 Million, or even $127.5 Million at an area where crime, cleanliness, basic infrastructure, and the schools are unacceptable will not solve this problem in a sustainable way? ….that spending $100,000 plus on an exotic “green” alley won’t solve it either?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Louisville just opened their new Arena, now known as Yum! Center with an 88-73 win over defending NCAA Runner –Up Butler Bulldogs?….that the Yum Center has over 22,000 seats for basketball and every seat for every University of Louisville game is sold out for the first year?…that Yum Brands paid $13.5M for a 10 year deal for naming rights to the Louisville Arena?….that the City County Observer’s Louisville based Mole tells us that nearly every door, suite, popcorn stand, and locker room in the building has a paying sponsors name associated with it?….that Mole #L1 predicts that well over $100 Million in naming rights have been sold in the Louisville Arena?….that the campaign to sell these naming rights had a staff working for over a year prior to the ribbon cutting to secure these deals?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Arena with its 11,000 seat capacity and $127 Million price tag is across the board about half of the Yum Center in every category?….that given that ratio that the marquee naming opportunities for the Evansville Arena should be expected to scale accordingly?….that would mean that there are over $50 Million in naming opportunities that can be identified in the new Evansville Arena? … that a search of the Evansville Arena website makes no mention of naming rights opportunities?…..that with the potential for around $50 Million of naming rights opportunities to be sold that a concerted effort to sell sponsorships with a chairperson and a committee or even a paid professional team should be underway?….that the only reference in an archive search is that project manager John Kish is quoted in “hoping” that someone will buy the naming rights to the Evansville Arena?….that the City County Observer as one of the fastest growing internet traffic sites in Evansville has not been approached or been told of any naming rights programs that exist?….that the CCO would not know who to call to name so much as a floor tile?….that the naming rights efforts today remind us of the Executive Inn replacement efforts of 2007?

Matt Justak: A High Impact Young Professional’s View of the 2010 Election

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Matt Justak on the 2010 Elections

My journey as a Political Director for the Vanderburgh County Republican Party has been a roller coaster ride that I will never forget.

Fun, strenuous, unpredictable, erratic, and downright remarkable are words to describe my time serving the local GOP. I just completed working on the most historic Republican Election since Mayor Russ Lloyd Sr. took office in the early 70’s. So many headlines to take away from November 2nd, “Indiana now has two Republican U.S. Senators”, “The Bloody 8th is all GOP”, “Hermann takes down twenty year incumbent”, and the list goes on and on.

I started working for this grass roots organization in the summer of 2009. Keep in mind, this was when Obama’s popularity was at an all time, and the notion of a Republican come back was laughable. The cover for the May 2009 issue of Time Magazine pictured the GOP Elephant logo, with the caption “Endangered Species”.

Well, a lot has changed since then: Obamacare, Cap & Trade, Mayor Weinzapfel’s attempt at taking away our Homestead Tax Credit–then having Governor Daniels overrule him and giving it back, building a Downtown Arena without a referendum, and many other political miscalculations that have happened within the Democrat Party, both national and locally, has fueled a Republican comeback for the ages. Add this to our great slate of candidates who ran on the 2010 ticket, and it was an unstoppable avalanche that was bound to happen. You see, Chicago Politics mixed with Left Winged agendas is a dangerous potion, and will never ever adhere to the Hoosiers that make up the great state of Indiana. We are hard-working, honest, conservative, Americans who aren’t standing on the sideline waving the white flag for our Government to swoop in and fix things. I believe this was the message sent to Washington D.C. on November 2nd.

Again, it starts with the great slate of candidates and campaigns.

Sure the National-Anti-Incumbent-Wave helped a whole lot. But how do you explain a former Vanderburgh County Sheriff, running for U.S. Senate, losing in his own backyard, by 4,000 votes? How do you explain an ex-State Representative losing his old district in the 8th Congressional Race? How does Nick Hermann, in a rematch with Stan Levco from 4 years prior, swing 9,000 votes to secure a victory? How on earth does Wendy McNamara, first time running, defeat a State Senator in a HEAVY democratic district?
You can blame it on the conservative wave, the Tea Party Movement, and so on, but with the questions listed above, you have to accredit the candidates one-hundred percent for winning their races.
I was just happy to go along for the ride, and help them out with whatever they needed. Whether if it was to stuff envelopes, set up a fundraiser, make voter ID phone calls, put out 4×8 yard signs, hand out flyers at the Fall Festival, or find volunteers, I was content on serving them with the reward of winning their election. And, as history panned out on November 2nd 2010, that reward came to fruition.

With the proper guidance from our Chairman, Wayne Parke, and generous support from other Central Committee members, I was able to put together a solid GOTV plan that involved contacting would be Republican voters, and reminding them to get to their polling place. Judging by the polls leading up the Election Day, we knew this would be a special day and we wanted to leave zero doubt in turning out the vote; which is a stark contrast from 2008, when I volunteered my time helping out the Party. This go around, people were angry, motivated, and generous to give up an hour or two of their time to ensure victory on November 2nd. Aside from the Mitch Daniels campaign, I did not see this kind of intensity in 2008.
We hope that this momentum carries over into 2011 for the Municipal Elections (Mayor & and City Council seats). Perhaps it is time for the first time in over 40 years for Republican candidates to have an opportunity to assume power and lead the City of Evansville to prosperity. Ronald Reagan once ask the question “are you better off than you were 4 years ago”, and the American people responded by electing him to be their President.

The people of Evansville should ponder the question “are you better off than you were 40 years ago”? The harsh reality is that with respect to crime, wealth, earnings, population, educational attainment, economic growth, basic infrastructure, and listening on the part of elected officials that Evansville has been on a continuous downward spiral. Perhaps 2011 will be time to change leadership.

Editor’s Note: Matt Justak is prototype of the type of young person that Vanderburgh County’s future depends on. He is a young bright educated professional who has found a way to throw himself into an effort that he believes in that can make a positive difference to Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Unlike some of these locally grown young professionals who leave town as fast as they are accredited, Matt has chosen to seek his fortune right here. As we are kicking off a series of profiles of young professionals, Matt is our first profile.

Court upholds sentence in slaying of Spencer County Teen Attorney General committed to seeking justice in Roy Lee Ward case

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Court upholds sentence in slaying of Spencer County Teen
Attorney General committed to seeking justice in Roy Lee Ward case

INDIANAPOLIS – A court has rejected the latest appeal of a death row offender and agreed with the State of Indiana that the original sentence should remain intact.

On November 10, a judge in Spencer Circuit Court denied the post-conviction relief petition of Roy Lee Ward stemming from the slaying of a 15-year-old girl in 2001. In the ruling, Special Judge Robert Pigman of Vanderburgh County rejected every claim that Ward’s defense team had raised.

“In considering the complicated procedural history of this case, let us not forget the innocent victim, Stacy Payne, who was killed in a horrifically violent manner by an intruder in her own home, and let us not forget her family. My office is committed to obtaining justice in this case and ensuring that the laws of this state are carried out and the rulings of the trial court are upheld,” Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said. Zoeller’s office represents the State of Indiana when offenders appeal their convictions and sentences.

Ward stands convicted and sentenced to death for the July 11, 2001, murder and rape of 15-year-old Payne in her Spencer County home. Ward attacked Payne in the presence of her younger sister and fatally slashed her with a knife, and he still was holding the knife when police arrived.

Ward was first convicted and sentenced to death in 2002; but the Indiana Supreme Court reversed the convictions in 2004 due to pretrial publicity. He was retried, convicted, and again sentenced to death in 2007; and his convictions and sentence were affirmed on appeal.

Ward then filed an appeal called a petition for post-conviction relief (PCR) in Spencer Circuit Court, raising numerous and varied claims, all of which the post-conviction court – Judge Pigman – rejected in the recent ruling. Zoeller’s office, through Deputy Attorney General James B. Martin and Deputy Attorney General Kelly Miklos, represented the State in the appellate case.

Next, Ward can ask the post-conviction relief court to reconsider its own ruling, and from there he could seek to appeal again to the Indiana Supreme Court. He has 30 days to initiate that process. Once the post-conviction relief process is exhausted, Ward then could attempt to bring a federal habeas corpus petition in the federal courts.

“The costs of capital punishment litigation concern me greatly. The prolonged appeals of death row offenders can drag out for years before the sentence is carried out, and the costs of the legal defense to which they are entitled is significant for the public. Most concerning is the toll the interminable delays take upon the victims’ families with no sense of finality in sight,” Zoeller said.

Earlier this week, Zoeller moderated a Criminal Justice Summit at the University of Notre Dame that focused on the costs and financial impact of the death penalty in Indiana. Several expert panelists from the prosecution, defense and courts offered their assessment of capital litigation in Indiana and expressed concerns about prohibitive costs. A Rutgers University economics professor, Anne Morrison Piehl, Ph.D., presented a study that suggested some possible areas of containing costs: by limiting the types of defense expert witnesses who can be called to testify in capital murder trials, or capping the fees they can charge, or developing more aggressive audit procedures after the fact.

Zoeller noted that approximately 75 attorneys and law students attended Monday’s Criminal Justice Summit, and he hopes it sparks discussion in the legal community and Legislature about death penalty costs, as all levels of government in Indiana wrestle with revenue shortfalls due to the economy.

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