LETTER TO EDITOR: MAYORAL CANDIDATE MICHAEL DAUGHERTY RELEASE RESULTS OF PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS CONCERNING BOND DEBT OF EVANSVILLE
Letter To Editor: by Evansville Mayoral Candidate Michael Daugherty Â
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
I would like to thank the Vanderburgh County Auditor, Brian Gerth, for being transparent and responding to my “Public Records Request” in a timely manner.
I have utilized the “Access To Public Records Act (APRA)”, to find information about the spending habits of the Winnecke Administration and current members of the Evansville City Council.
VANDERBURGH SUPERIOR COURT AWARDED $700,000 TO ASSIST VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
Vanderburgh Superior Court has been awarded a $700,000 grant by the Office on Violence against Women under the Justice for Families Program. Â
In partnership with Parenting Time Center, YWCA, Albion Fellows Bacon Center, Holly’s House, the Legal Aid Society, and the Volunteer Lawyer Program of Southwestern Indiana, the Grant will be used to improve the capacity of the Courts and community to respond to families affected by domestic/dating violence or stalking, sexual assault, and cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.Â
Funding will continue operation of the Protective Order Assistance Office which provides services to those seeking help in completing applications for Protection Orders, advises victims about court procedures, delivers interpreter services, and educates domestic violence or sexual assault victims on the various resources available to them within our community. The Grant will also continue to supply Guardian ad Litem services in child custody/visitation cases where domestic violence is a factor, and to fund supervised parenting time and exchange services to domestic violence victims.Â
Additionally, the Grant will finance Civil Legal Assistance to represent victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault for their Protection Order Hearings. Domestic violence victims with Limited English Proficiency will be provided Spanish or Haitian Creole speaking DV Advocates to assist them. The Grant will deliver further training on the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to attorneys, Guardian ad Litems, bilingual advocates, and the Protective Order Assistance Office Staff to afford better services for victims.
USDA Invests $70 Million to Expand Conservation Assistance to Underserved Producers 
WASHINGTON, DC, September 20, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $70 million in partnerships that will improve outreach to underserved producers and communities to expand access to conservation assistance, including programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as career opportunities. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the selection of 139 projects with entities for a one- to three-year engagement that encourage participation in NRCS programs, especially in underserved communities and among urban and small-scale producers. Projects will extend outreach to producers who are beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veterans, and will highlight opportunities for students to pursue careers in agriculture, natural resources and related sciences.
“USDA is committed to removing barriers for underserved producers to all USDA services. The projects selected under the Equity in Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreements will partner with NRCS to better ensure underserved producers receive the benefits our conservation programs deliver, including those oversubscribed programs that received a boost of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act,†said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “NRCS is investing in continued support of community-based organizations and partners that are instrumental in supporting conservation outreach to underserved producers and underserved communities.â€
The Equity in Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreements include projects that:
- Promote the benefits of NRCS programs through education or demonstration of conservation practices.
- Develop community conservation partnerships that engage underserved producers to plan and protect farmland ecosystems, watersheds and wildlife habitat in underserved communities.
- Inform small-scale or urban agriculture producers about opportunities to participate in conservation programs.
- Support education on, planning for and adoption of climate-smart conservation practices.
Projects will reach underserved groups through a combination of program outreach and technical assistance in one or more of the following five NRCS priority areas:
- Addressing local natural resource issues.
- Promoting conservation career opportunities.
- Expanding adoption of climate-smart conservation.
- Encouraging conservation in small-scale and urban agriculture.
- Developing conservation leadership skills and opportunities.
Selected projects include:
Minority Farmers of the South will advance conservation and equity by applying drone technology. Limited resource rice farmers will be provided high-resolution LiDAR data to help update their conservation plans.  This data provides farmers an alternative to expensive precision-leveling, which is expected to achieve a net savings to farmers of over $1,000 per acre.
Urban Transformation Network will expand conservation assistance to underserved communities and producers through an innovative program of the Urban Transformation Network, (UTN). The project will be supported by partners who will provide conservation assistance to underserved producers and communities, including juveniles required to perform community service, across the Chicagoland area, and downstate Illinois. UTN partners include Metropolitan Farms, an urban aquaponics farm located in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, Daley City College and more.
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians will provide more technical support for small-scale agriculture projects and land stewardship to the Red Cliff community through three focus areas: building staff capacity and expertise through staff funding and professional development; providing additional technical support to the greater Red Cliff community and Red Cliff producers related to agriculture, natural resource management, and food sovereignty; and conducting outreach to foster youth leadership, interest, and skills in natural resources, agriculture and food sovereignty.
View a full list of selected projects.Â
Program Impacts
The selected projects build on NRCS’ fiscal year 2022 investment of $50 million in more than 100 partnerships to expand access to conservation assistance for climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The fiscal year 2022 investment is supporting efforts in 44 states and territories.
Underserved producers include beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as other underrepresented or disadvantaged communities.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is engaged in a whole-of-government effort to combat the climate crisis and conserve and protect our nation’s lands, biodiversity and natural resources including our soil, air and water. Through conservation practices and partnerships, USDA aims to enhance economic growth and create new streams of income for farmers, ranchers, producers and private foresters. Successfully meeting these challenges will require USDA and our agencies to pursue a coordinated approach alongside USDA stakeholders, including State, local and Tribal governments.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
Vanderburgh County Health Department Food Inspection Report
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $4.6 Billion in Competitive Grants to Cut Climate Pollution as Part of Investing in America Agenda
The announcement comes during Climate Week 202
WASHINGTON (Sept. 20, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched $4.6 billion in competitive grants to fund state, local, and Tribal programs and policies that cut climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and deploy clean energy solutions across the country. As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) competitions will enable community-driven solutions to the climate crisis, helping to accelerate America’s clean energy transition. The announcement comes during Climate Week 2023 in New York City – an annual gathering of civil society leaders, business leaders, students, and advocates who are committed to taking bold climate action.
The two new competitions are part of the second tranche of funding from EPA’s $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which was created by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history. EPA has already made $250 million available to fund the development of climate action plans, and nearly all states, plus major cities opted in to receive these flexible planning resources. The $4.6 billion implementation grant competitions launched today will fund initiatives developed under the first phase of the program.
“Tackling the global climate crisis requires partnerships and action across the country,â€Â said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden secured this historic funding because he knows that communities need resources to fund projects to cut climate pollution, lift up disadvantaged communities, and reap the economic and job-creation benefits of climate action. By investing in America, we’re investing in communities so they can chart their own paths toward the clean energy future.â€
“EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program recognizes that to tackle the climate crisis and advance environmental justice, communities need to be in the driver’s seat steering toward their own clean energy future,â€Â said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “It’s why these state, local, and Tribal grants are such an important part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.â€
State and local action is vital to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to reduce climate pollution by 50-52% by 2030. The CPRG program will enable states and local and tribal governments to take aggressive action to combat climate change by funding measures that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially measures that would bring economic and health benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities. This program will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful air pollution for the health and wellbeing of everyone, including those most vulnerable to the flooding, heat waves, wildfires, and other destabilizing impacts of climate change on communities.
The CPRG program will also advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that have been marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Justice40 is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic commitment to environmental justice.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Competitions
EPA is announcing the availability of $4.6 billion across two implementation grant competitions, one general competition and one specifically for Tribes and territories. Under these competitions, eligible applicants will compete for CPRG implementation grants to fund measures in their state-, municipality-, Tribe-, or territory-specific climate action plans. As part of its evaluation of applications, EPA will prioritize measures that achieve the greatest amount of GHG emissions reductions.
In the grant competitions announced today, EPA describes how the agency intends to score applications and award the competitive funds to implementation grant recipients. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 30 to 115 grants ranging between $2 million and $500 million under the general competition. EPA also anticipates awarding approximately 25 to 100 grants ranging between $1 million and $25 million under the Tribes and territories competition.
The deadline to apply to the general competition is April 1, 2024. The deadline to apply to the Tribes and territories competition is May 1, 2024.
EPA estimates that the implementation grants will be awarded in Fall 2024 for the general competition and in Winter 2024-2025 for the Tribes and territories competition.
UEclipse: Renowned Astrophysicist and UE Alumna, Maria Weber ’08, PhD, to Share Insights on Solar Magnetism ahead of 2024 Eclipse
EVANSVILLE, IND. (09/20/2023) Ahead of the Spring 2024 Eclipse, the University of Evansville (UE) is proud to announce the upcoming presentation by astrophysicist and UE alumna, Maria Weber ’08, PhD, that will highlight what to expect leading up to the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Dr. Weber’s talk, titled “From Eclipses to Magnetism: The Secret Life of the Sun,” promises to shed light on the intriguing mysteries of our nearest star. Weber will speak in Eykamp Hall on the UE campus at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Evansville, Weber earned her bachelor’s degree with majors in Physics and Philosophy at UE. She later pursued a PhD in Physics from Colorado State University, with research focusing on the Sun’s magnetism and internal processes using computer simulations. Weber’s expertise in magnetic flux emergence-the processes by which magnetic fields of the Sun and other stars reach their surfaces-has earned her recognition as a leading authority in the field.
In addition to her groundbreaking research, Weber is passionate about science communication and outreach. Her dedication to educating and engaging the public with the wonders of astrophysics has taken her around the world, making her a respected figure in both academic and public spheres.
Today, Weber serves as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of the Wiley Planetarium at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Her achievements and commitment to advancing our understanding of the Sun’s secrets make her a distinguished member of the UE alumni community.
This special presentation by Weber is a unique opportunity for the Evansville community to gain insights into the captivating world of solar magnetism and the vital role it plays in our universe. The event is open to all interested parties, and we encourage members of the public to join us on Sunday, April 7.
On Monday, April 8, residents of neighborhoods near the UE campus are encouraged to join our community to view this spectacular event. To learn more, please visit https://www.evansville.edu/