“IS IT TRUE ” NOVEMBER 13, 2023
IS IT TRUE that the local GOP just experienced a major political split that began when Mayor Winnecke and GOP Party Chairmen Mike Duckworth openly opposed County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave as the Republican nominee for Mayor of Evansville? …that because of their serious political misstep, there is now an active movement to oust the current Chairman of the Vanderburgh Republican Party from his position? Â …that this may be a developing story?
IS IT TRUE that we have been informed Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke tapped his friends, PAC Committee members, and associates that raised a little over one million dollars for the Republican for Natalie Rascher’s campaign for Mayor of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that many people feel that the political strategists not allowing the well-qualified and extremely personable GOP mayoral candidate Natalie Rascher to speak directly to the voters in her TV commercials was a major political misstep?…the person who spoke in her TV ads was none other than Mayor Lloyd Winnecke instead of the extremely articulate Natalie Rascher?
IS IT TRUE that it is widely believed that if the leadership of Vanderburgh County GOP had given the appropriate amount of campaign money to several of their well-qualified City Council candidates they could have won their race, keeping a balanced ideology on the City Council?
IS IT TRUE that we are told that the leadership of Vanderburgh County GOP spent a small fortune of money trying to blunt the efforts of the Libertarian Michael Daugherty campaign from taking votes from Mayoral candidate Natalie Rashner? Â …that the GOP leadership made a big political mistake when they didn’t challenge Stephanie Terry’s County Council voting record while she was a member of the Vanderburgh County Council?…that because she went unchallenged by GOP leadership she will walk through the golden door known as the Office of the Mayor of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that several well-known Republicans are hoping that Nattalie Rashner will get a Department Head appointment in the Terry administration? Â …if she does get an appointment we know that she will serve the Mayor well?
IS IT TRUE that we have been told by reliable sources that Michael Daughty may also be getting an appointment to a county-run board? Â …we also feel if he gets appointed to a county board he will do a good job for the taxpayers of Vanderburgh County?
 BREAKING NEWS: Joe Kiefer Will Not Seek Another Term On The Vanderburgh County Council
 Joe Kiefer Will Not Seek Another Term On The Vanderburgh County Council But His Son Joey Kiefer 11 Will Be Running For His Dad’s Vacant Seat
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
Joe Kiefer, the local business person, elected official, and volunteer has decided to not seek another term on the County Council. As the owner of Hahn Kiefer Real Estate Services and Next Home Hahn Kiefer Residential, Joe has decided to spend more time growing his business and to spend more time traveling with his wife, Jo Ann, and also more time with his nine grandchildren.
Joe was first elected to the Evansville City Council in 1999 and served 2 terms, later, becoming a Vanderburgh County Commissioner and Vanderburgh County Councilman. Before being elected, he served as a board member of the Alcohol Beverage Commission.
During his tenure, he served on numerous boards including, the Old Courthouse Foundation, where he led multiple renovation projects that led to leasing much of the vacant space. He currently donates his time as a commercial broker, at no cost to the county, and his leasing team to help maintain a high level of occupancy. Joe is also on the EVPL Board and serves on the Finance Committee at St. Benedict Cathedral.
As an elected official, Joe was active in multiple road projects including improvements to the University Parkway, and North Green River Road expansion, and was always an advocate for I-69.  During his time as an elected official, he is very proud that he has always had a great working relationship with both Republicans and Democrats to help the community move forward. He played a role in multiple capital projects, such as the Ford Center, the Old National Events Plaza, Swonder Ice Arena, and many other community projects. In the county, Joe is proud that he and his fellow elected officials have worked together to keep the tax rate low while still being able to fund pay raises to employees.Of course, along the way, Joe is very proud that his son, Joe II, desires to follow in his footsteps in serving the Evansville community.
Another Political Announcement:Â
Joe Kiefer II plans to run for County Council in 2024
Joe Kiefer II, age 34, plans to run for the Vanderburgh County Council At-Large seat in 2024. He would be filling the seat, his father, Joe Kiefer has held for the last 2 terms. Joe II will be running as a Republican but prefers to be identified as someone who cares deeply about Vanderburgh County and the people and businesses who reside in our community. As a board member since 2015 of the Evansville Visitor & Convention Bureau, he has helped lead the convention bureau as its board president from 2019 – 2023. He also has volunteered at Memorial High School as a track and fitness coach for 6 years and has served several years as president of the Memorial Booster Club. In 2020 he was recognized in the Rotary Club’s, 20 Under 40, leaders in the community.
Joe II, since graduating with his MBA from Bellarmine University in 2013, has worked in wealth management and currently manages/leads a local wealth services team. He is well-positioned to serve his community on the county’s fiscal body. In addition to his Master’s in Business Administration, he also has a Bachelor’s in Economics.
Joe II is married to Emily and together they have 3 children. He is excited about the opportunity to run for County Council and to serve his community. It’s a family tradition!
RECAP OF THE 2023 CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER AWARDS LUNCHEON
The City-County Observer was excited to honor the following community leaders and volunteers who have been selected as our 2023 “Outstanding Community Service Award” winners. Over the years this event has become one of several must-attend events in this region and this year was no exception.
The “COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD” winners for 2023 were: Â DANIELA VIDAL, the well-respected Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville, Â the Honorable Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge TOM MASSEY, and the well-respected SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL.
The annual “WOMAN OF THE YEAR” award winner for 2023 was none other than the well-respected community and political leader and volunteer CONNIE ROBINSON-BLAIR. Â The “MAN-OF THE YEAR” award winner was the extremely popular and award-winning TV Sportscaster and News Anchor MIKE BLAKE.
This year’s event Master of Ceremonies was the Memorial Baptist Church mega preacher and publisher of “Our Times” newspaper, Dr. Adrian Brooks.
Steve Hammer and County Commissioner Ben Shoulders were Co-Chairpersons of this year’s event.
The keynote speaker for the event was the well-known and well-regarded CEO/PUBLISHER OF THE INDIANA CITIZEN NEWSPAPER, D. William Moreau, Jr. Â
Some of the past City-County Observer “Outstanding Community Service Award†winners over the last fifteen (15) years were: Holly Dunn Pendleton, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch,  Dr. Dan Adams, Dr. Steve Becker, AttorneyTed Ziemer and his wife Clare, Attorney Joe Harrison Jr., Tracy Zeller, former Vanderburgh County Sheriff and U S Congressmen Brad Ellsworth, Attorney Charles L. Berger, retired Vanderburgh County Clerk and Treasurer Susan Kirk, Indiana State Senator Vaneta Becker, 4TH Ward  City Councilman Alex Burton, and community volunteer Lisa Rhyand Vaughan, retired Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Richard G. D’Amour, Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman, Chief Superior Court Judge Les Shivery.
 The First Annual Annual CCO “Person Of The Year” award winner was none other than Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.
This year’s awards luncheon was held at Bally-Evansville and was a total sell-out.
In the garden of patriots
In the garden of patriots
MARION, Indiana—The rows of white headstones stretch out in perfect alignment as far as my eyes can see.
John Krull, publisher, TheStatehouseFile.com
I’m here at Marion National Cemetery to pay my respects to my veteran, my father. Dad died earlier this year, almost 80 years after he wore his country’s uniform.
Dad enlisted in the waning days of World War II, as soon as he graduated from high school and well before he was even 18. After basic training, his orders took him to the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. He joked that the only thing he ever fought there were the mosquitoes, which he said came in swarms.
Dad didn’t find his military service to be painful. He’d been a poor boy, one who spent a fair slice of his childhood in an orphanage.
Those years were a time about which he never would talk. I knew that he’d known hunger when he was young. He always cleaned his plate, even when he didn’t care for the food on it, and he worried that his children didn’t have enough to eat.
Even when we had plenty.
When he got into the Army, he started receiving three solid meals a day. He grew three inches and packed on weight and muscle in a matter of months, emerging from his time in uniform physically transformed.
He also learned things. He’d never been taught to drive, but part of his duties in the service involved driving a truck.
Some sergeant handed Dad the keys and told him to teach himself.
Which he did.
“Only in the Army,†Dad would say, then shake his head.
But for all his wry bemusement, I knew Dad’s military service meant a great deal to him. He took one of the Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., late in his life. Afterward, he wore the ball cap from the flight that touted his Army years all the time.
As I stand now at his grave, I look at all the other headstones—thousands of them in this cemetery alone—reaching out into the distance.
Veterans, every one of them.
I decided to stroll about and see with whom my father is resting.
Just in the sections close to Dad, there are veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf wars. Some are buried with their spouses. Some lie alone.
Many of the headstones—like Dad’s—refer to the people who loved them. Dad’s marker says he was a beloved father and grandfather. Other headstones describe a husband, a brother or a son who is dearly missed.
As I walk among these rows of uniform tombstones, I ponder at and think of all the stories—all the lives—that now rest here.
Dad’s life began in Minnesota and ended here in Indiana. His path through life carried him many places and brought him both joys and sorrows.
As I look at the headstones in their long lines, I wonder about the joys and sorrows experienced by those who lie here now. I hope it was more of the former and less of the latter, but I know that, for at least some of them, that couldn’t have been the case.
And I think about what ties all these honored dead together.
At one time in their lives, they all made a commitment to this country. They all said they were willing to die in its defense.
Most of them were young—very young—when they made that promise. That means they were willing to give up a great deal—willing perhaps to surrender the long years that stretched before them.
There have been times since Dad died a few months ago that I have awoken at night troubled by the thought that my father lies among strangers.
Now, though, I cannot think of a better place for his earthly remains to reside. Certainly he could not be in better company.
I walk back to Dad’s grave and stand for a moment, thinking of the boy he was and remembering the man he became.
I glance again at all the headstones stretching into the distance.
And I pray that my father and all who rest here know peace.
They earned it.
FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College
MARION, Indiana—The rows of white headstones stretch out in perfect alignment as far as my eyes can see.
I’m here at Marion National Cemetery to pay my respects to my veteran, my father. Dad died earlier this year, almost 80 years after he wore his country’s uniform.
Dad enlisted in the waning days of World War II, as soon as he graduated from high school and well before he was even 18. After basic training, his orders took him to the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. He joked that the only thing he ever fought there were the mosquitoes, which he said came in swarms.
Dad didn’t find his military service to be painful. He’d been a poor boy, one who spent a fair slice of his childhood in an orphanage.
Those years were a time about which he never would talk. I knew that he’d known hunger when he was young. He always cleaned his plate, even when he didn’t care for the food on it, and he worried that his children didn’t have enough to eat.
Even when we had plenty.
When he got into the Army, he started receiving three solid meals a day. He grew three inches and packed on weight and muscle in a matter of months, emerging from his time in uniform physically transformed.
He also learned things. He’d never been taught to drive, but part of his duties in the service involved driving a truck.
Some sergeant handed Dad the keys and told him to teach himself.
Which he did.
“Only in the Army,†Dad would say, then shake his head.
But for all his wry bemusement, I knew Dad’s military service meant a great deal to him. He took one of the Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., late in his life. Afterward, he wore the ball cap from the flight that touted his Army years all the time.
As I stand now at his grave, I look at all the other headstones—thousands of them in this cemetery alone—reaching out into the distance.
Veterans, every one of them.
I decide to stroll about and see with whom my father is resting.
Just in the sections close to Dad, there are veterans from World War II, from Korea, from Vietnam and from the Gulf wars. Some are buried with their spouses. Some lie alone.
Many of the headstones—like Dad’s—refer to the people who loved them. Dad’s marker says he was a beloved father and grandfather. Other headstones describe a husband, a brother or a son who is dearly missed.
As I walk among these rows of uniform tombstones, I ponder at and think of all the stories—all the lives—that now rest here.
Dad’s life began in Minnesota and ended here in Indiana. His path through life carried him many places and brought him both joys and sorrows.
As I look at the headstones in their long lines, I wonder about the joys and sorrows experienced by those who lie here now. I hope it was more of the former and less of the latter, but I know that, for at least some of them, that couldn’t have been the case.
And I think about what ties all these honored dead together.
At one time in their lives, they all made a commitment to this country. They all said they were willing to die in its defense.
Most of them were young—very young—when they made that promise. That means they were willing to give up a great deal—willing perhaps to surrender the long years that stretched before them.
There have been times since Dad died a few months ago that I have awoken at night troubled by the thought that my father lies among strangers.
Now, though, I cannot think of a better place for his earthly remains to reside. Certainly he could not be in better company.
I walk back to Dad’s grave and stand for a moment, thinking of the boy he was and remembering the man he became.
I glance again at all the headstones stretching into the distance.
And I pray that my father and all who rest here know peace.
They earned it.
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College
Countdown to Total Solar Eclipse: Only 5 Months to Go!
The countdown has begun, and the celestial event of a lifetime is just under 5 months away! On April 8, 2024, a spectacular Total Solar Eclipse will cast its awe-inspiring shadow across North America.
We are thrilled to share that our dedicated committees have been making remarkable progress in preparing for this cosmic spectacle. But, as the saying goes, the more, the merrier! We welcome enthusiasts and experts alike to join our efforts and be part of this historic event.
Our next 2024 Solar Eclipse Task Force Meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2024, at 10 AM. Come and be a part of this celestial adventure as we convene in the Welborn Community Room at 20 NW Third Street, 15th floor. Together, we’ll make this eclipse an experience to remember for a lifetime!
USI’s 2nd half rally falls short
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball won the second half, but lost the 2023-24 home opener to Chicago State University, 78-67, Sunday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles start the year 0-3, while Chicago State begins 2023-24, 1-2.
The Cougars took command of the game in the first half. Chicago State raced out to a  25-point margin, 41-16, before USI closed the difference to 19 in the final minute of the half. USI junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Indiana) sank a pair of three-pointers from the left side to end the first 20 minutes with a 41-22 score.
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In the second half, USI’s offense gained momentum and with a 16-5 run cut the deficit to 10 points, 55-45, with 9:43 to play when junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) dunked in his 10th and 11th points of the game and his seventh and eighth points of the run. The Cougars re-extended the lead back to 16, 65-49, before the Eagles could make another run at the end of the contest.
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The final two minutes of the game saw USI cut the margin to seven points, 67-60, with an 11-2 run that was capped off by a dunk by Hernandez. Hernandez and sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) led the Eagles during the run with five points each.
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Time would run out on the Eagles as the Cougars pushed the difference back to double-digits, including a pair of 13 point leads in the final minutes. USI made one more run with a 5-0 sprint before Chicago State hit the final bucket in a 78-67 decision.
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On the stat sheet, Smith led the Eagles with a career-best 21 points and 16 rebounds. The sophomore, who had 15 points in the second half, was six-of-14 from the field and nine-of-10 from the stripe. He also had eight rebounds in each half.
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Hernandez followed USI in the scoring column with 18 points, scoring all 18 in the second half. Mielke rounded out the USI double-digit scorers with 10 points.
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Next Up For USI:
USI continues its two-game homestand Tuesday when it hosts Tiffin University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Screaming Eagles Arena.
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The Eagles hold a 6-0 advantage all-time over the Dragons, winning the last meeting in 2019, 105-89.
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The Dragons are 2-0 after sweeping a pair of games in the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover at Ohio Dominican University Friday and Saturday. Tiffin defeated McKendree University, 68-65, and Lewis University, 71-66.
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Eagles off to 2-0 start after win on Sunday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball moved to 2-0 on the young basketball season Sunday afternoon after an 86-38 win against Oakland City University at Screaming Eagles Arena. With the win, USI is off to a 2-0 start for the second straight season and is the only Ohio Valley Conference team to begin 2-0 this season.
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Southern Indiana came out and running from the opening tip, as senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) got USI on the scoreboard with a transition layup. Over the course of the early portion of the first period, the Eagles kept pushing. USI started out 4-for-4 from outside the perimeter and stretched out a 14-0 run to take a 16-3 lead by the first media timeout. Redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) scored eight first-quarter points, connecting on two triples. USI led 24-11 after the opening quarter.
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The offenses cooled off midway into the second period after an initial three-pointer from senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to start the second. The Eagles got a pair of baskets by freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) to give a spark off the bench. Then Raley found a soft spot in the middle of Oakland City’s zone and knocked down a jump shot to put USI up by 20, 33-13, with 5:12 remaining until halftime.
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The Screaming Eagles went into halftime leading 45-19 after finishing the second quarter on a 6-0 run and hitting five of the last six shots, including three high-percentage buckets from freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee). Blackwell, Raley, and Gannon combined for 31 of Southern Indiana’s 45 first-half points.
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Both sides began the third quarter exchanging baskets. Near the seven-minute mark of the third, Blackwell drained her third trey of the game to give her 13 points and put USI ahead 57-23. The Screaming Eagles’ defense was strong in the middle of the period, holding the Mighty Oaks scoreless for over four minutes. Freshman guard Sophia Loden (Mascoutah, Illinois) scored five points late in the third, getting her first minutes of the season in Sunday’s game. USI led 64-32 heading to the final quarter.
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In the fourth period, USI put the final stamp on the win. Webb scored five straight points for the Eagles amidst a 16-0 run for the Eagles. Southern Indiana’s defense also held Oakland City scoreless for over six minutes in the latter stanza.
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Just as they did in the season opener last Monday, the Screaming Eagles shot over 50 percent from the floor. USI was 34-for-62 for 54.8 percent shooting overall and shot over 47 percent (9-19) from deep. The Eagles won the rebounding battle 45-18, including 20 offensive boards. USI also dished out 20 assists. Individually, Blackwell and Raley led the way with a game-high 13 points each. Gannon added 10 points and eight rebounds on the afternoon, while Loden scored nine points with six rebounds.
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Oakland City was led in scoring by senior forward Jalaya Dowell with 12 points. As a team, the Mighty Oaks shot 28.9 percent (13-45) and made three from beyond the arc.
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The Screaming Eagles conclude their three-game homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. against Northern Illinois University at Screaming Eagles Arena. Fans can purchase tickets online at usiscreamingeagles.com. Thursday’s game can also be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.