Watchdog Indiana sent the General Election Candidate Questionnaire below (under my name) to 65 candidates in 29 State Representative elections and 43 candidates in 20 State Senator elections.
 
The following 17 candidates have already responded to the Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire: Ronald R. Cenkush (Osceola), Duane Beals (South Bend), Timothy Wesco (Mishawaka), David W. (Doc) Murdoch (Nashville), Steve Davisson (Salem), Wray McCalester (Columbia City), Mike Speedy (Indianapolis), Travis Holdman (Markle), Brian S. Jacobs (Pendleton), Doug Eckerty (Yorktown), Mike Delph (Westfield), Ed Gluck (Terre Haute), Bill Webster (Montezuma), John M. Waterman (Shelburn), Ron Groomes (Jeffersonville), Ted Metzger (Boonville), Jim Tomes (Wadesville). These candidates are not hesitant to inform their constituents about their positions on issues that are important to working families.
 
The following 91 candidates have not yet responded to the Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire: Earl L. Harris (East Chicago), Kenneth R. Stevenson (Schererville), Charlie Brown (Gary), John A. Schick (Chesterton), Craig R. Fry (Mishawaka), B. Patrick Bauer (South Bend), Ryan M. Dvorak (South Bend), Richard Pfeil (Granger), Scott D. Pelath (Michigan City), Andrew R. Wolf (LaPorte), Catherine Campbell (Gary), Vernon G. Smith (Gary), Dwight Fish (Elkhart), Benjamin Jarvis (Elkhart), Thom Cox (Wabash), Allen “Big Al” Dunnagan (Wabash, Rebecca Kubacki (Syracuse), Michael (Mike) B. Ridenour (Wabash), Jeb Bardon (Indianapolis), Dan Pool (Crawfordsville), Clyde Kersey (Terre Haute), Alan Morrison (Terre Haute), Bionca D. Gambill (Terre Haute), Bob Heaton (Terre Haute), Rex Bell (Hagerstown), Bruce Gaylor (New Castle), Thomas E. (Tom) Saunders (Lewisville), Sarah Jordan (Richmond), David Moeller (Glenwood), Brad Hyatt (New Castle), Phillip Pflum (Milton), Steven R. Hogan (Nashville), Peggy Welch (Bloomington), Matt Pierce (Bloomington), Kevin Suddeth (Bloomington), Kreg Battles (Vincennes), Ken A. Beckerman (Hazleton), Ryan D. Bower (Salem), Sue Ellspermann (Ferdinand), Russ Stilwell (Boonville), Ron Bacon (Chandler), Mike Goebel (Evansville), Bob Deig (Mt. Vernon), Wendy (Mac) McNamara (Mt. Vernon), Phil GiaQuinta (Fort Wayne, Jonathan Moosey (Fort Wayne), Kathleen Heuer (Columbia City), Bob Morris (Fort Wayne), Evan Smith (Fort Wayne), Kevin Vail (Indianapolis), John Bartlett (Indianapolis), Ray G. Shearer (Indianapolis), William A. Crawford (Indianapolis), Briane M. House (Indianapolis), David Blank (Indianapolis), Beth Hayes (Indianapolis), John Meuser (Indianapolis), Vanessa J. Summers (Indianapolis), Frank Mrvan, Jr. (Hammond), David B. Spudic (Hammond), Shawn Olson (Valparaiso), Karen Tallian (Portage), Charles E. Barman (Crown Point), Sue Landske (Cedar Lake), Jim Metro (Cedar Lake), Catherine Fanello (South Bend), Joe Zakas (Granger), Jack Morris (Fort Wayne), Thomas J. Wyss (Fort Wayne), Robert Couse (Jonesboro), James (Jim) R. Buck (Kokomo), Chuck Sosbe (Kokomo), Ron Alting (Lafayette), Michael J. Oxenrider (West Lafayette), Tim Lanane (Anderson), Sue Errington (Muncie), Donald Crossley (Greens Fork), Allen E. Paul (Richmond), Robin Shackleford (Indianapolis), Frank J. Anderson (Indianapolis), Benjamin Hale (Indianapolis), James W. Merritt, Jr. (Indianapolis), Timothy Dale Skinner (Terre Haute), Steven M. Thais (Vincennes), Chris Roller (New Whiteland) , Greg Walker (Columbus), James (Jim) Lewis (Charlestown), Jim C. Smith (Charlestown), Charles “Chuck” Freiberger (Georgetown), Richard D. Young, Jr. (Milltown), Patty Avery (Evansville).
 
If they have not already done so, please ask those General Assembly candidates seeking your vote to respond to the Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire. Even if you think the Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire is not very good or incomplete, please contact the candidates in your district and ask them to respond to YOUR questions regarding their qualifications – our elected public servants should not think they can get elected by solely relying on slick and manipulative advertisements.
 
Information on how to identify and contact your General Assembly candidates in this November’s election can be found at http://www.finplaneducation.net/2010_general_elections.htm.
 
Please send to taxless3@comcast.com any candidate responses you get to Watchdog Indiana Candidate Questionnaire.
 
Watchdog Indiana is a non-profit, non-connected, and non-party advocate for good government that focuses on the state and local tax burden of Hoosier working families. An online community is established where Hoosiers come together voluntarily to help encourage our state and local governments better respond to the needs of working families. Watchdog Indiana was established November 14, 2001, and the Watchdog Indiana website can be found at http://www.finplaneducation.net/.

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – September 7, 2010 – River City Thunderbolt MVCC of Evansville, a chapter of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA), announced today that it will proudly host and sponsor the inaugural “River City Veterans Parade” on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. in Downtown Evansville. It is believed that this will be the first parade in Evansville to specifically honor veterans for close to 20 years.

This parade will be an opportunity for our community to come together to show appreciation to and for those who have sacrificed for the protection of our liberties and freedoms. River City Thunderbolt MVCC intends to make this an annual event on the second Saturday of November.

“This parade is a long time coming,” said Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, who joined River City Thunderbolt MVCC at Evansville’s Korean War Memorial today to announce the parade. “It is unfortunate that there hasn’t been a veterans parade in Evansville for so many years, and it is my privilege to help resurrect this tradition of coming together to honor and celebrate those who have so nobly served our county,” Weinzapfel said.

Garry Hisel, River City Veterans Parade Chairman, agreed with Weinzapfel that an event such as this is long overdue. “River City Thunderbolt MVCC is excited to step up to host this parade to honor veterans. It’s our way to say ‘thank you,’” Hisel added.

All veterans, veterans’ and military organizations and support groups, civic organizations, bands and performing troupes, and other similar entities are invited to participate in this inaugural parade. All citizens are asked to mark November 13, 2010, on their calendars and plan to come and watch this historic event in Evansville.

More information about the parade – including registration information – can be found online at www.rivercitythunderboltmvcc.com or by contacting Garry Hisel at (812) 634-1407.

The University of Southern Indiana reports another record enrollment as of Friday, September 3, at the end of the 2010 fall registration. This year’s count is 10,702, the largest enrollment ever for the University. Last year’s enrollment reached 10,516.

USI continues to attract transfer students and retain current students, showing increased numbers among the upper classes. The sophomore count is 2,023, which is 155 more than last year, 1,894 juniors, 219 more, and 2,244 seniors, 69 more.

The majority of transfer students are coming from state-wide Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University. Ivy Tech Community College transfers number 163 while 87 transfers come from Vincennes University.

The first-year class count is 2,098, a slight increase over last year’s first-year total. Graduate students increased to 259.

“In talking to students and parents, it’s clear the enthusiasm for being a part of the University community is high,” said Dr. Ronald S. Rochon, provost. “Retention and graduation rates are improving, and USI students have a definitive understanding of what they want from their educational experience.”

Rochon, who is new to the provost post this year, met many parents during Welcome Week activities. “The legacy of USI is building,” Rochon said. “Parents proudly said this is my second or third child to attend USI. Families are seeing the dedication USI has to helping students and USI’s commitment to provide expertise and leadership for issues impacting the region.”

First-year students are better prepared with more than 10 percent ranked in the top 10 percent of the senior class and 32 percent ranked in the top 25 percent of the high school class. More than 64 percent of the freshmen live on campus.

This fall, a majority of students or 8,381 are full-time, taking 12 or more credit hours. The female-to-male ration continues to be about 60-40, though the rate of increase of male students outpaced the increase in female students.

USI students are more ethnically diverse. The number of African Americans who enrolled increased to 585 and the number of Hispanics who enrolled increased to 181. Most of the students are under 25 years of age, but 24 percent are over 25 years of age. The number of international students increased to 196 representing 67 countries.

Students hail from throughout Indiana, with Vanderburgh County, the home county of USI, having the highest number of students. The contiguous counties of Posey, Warrick, and Gibson, follow close behind. Students are from 90 Indiana counties and 41 other states.

Residence Life at USI offers apartments and residence halls for 3,000 students. The staff reports housing is at 96 percent occupancy. The University secured supplemental housing from a commercial apartment complex to meet demand.

Enrollment through the years
2010 10,702
2005 10,004
2000 9,012

The ten-year enrollment increase from fall 2000 to fall 2010 is nearly nineteen percent.

1. Offer career programs about healthcare professions for K-12 and college students, school counselors, with special emphasis on underrepresented minority and disadvantaged pre-college and college students.

2. Introduce health professions students to medically underserved communities and promote interdisciplinary education.

3. Enhance access to continuing education and clinical information resources for professionals caring for medically underserved communities.

Dr Nadine Coudret, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, stated these grants offer opportunities for area agencies to increase and support the development of a diverse health care workforce for the Southwest Indiana region.

The Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center service area includes the counties of Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick.

The deadline for grant applications is Friday, October 1, 2010. Successful applicants will be notified by October 29, 2010. Project funds must be expended with major activities completed before July 31, 2011. Questions about the proposals can be directed to Jennifer L Craig, 812/461-5446 or email jlcraig3@usi.edu. More details about the funding is available online at health.usi.edu/swiahec/.

The study, released by the National League of Nursing, enlisted 10 schools of nursing with associate, diploma, or baccalaureate programs – including UE – to teach CPR to their students using one of two techniques. One group completed the training in a four-hour, instructor-led course; the other used a self-directed, computer-based course that included learning and practice on a voice advisory manikin.

After that training, all students were randomly assigned to either a control group with no further practice, or to an experimental group, which practiced CPR six minutes each month for the 12 months of the study.

“What they found was that the students who practiced for only six minutes each month either maintained or improved their skills over the 12-month period of the study,” said Amy Hall, chair of UE’s Dunigan Family Department of Nursing & Health Sciences. “On the other hand, the students who did not practice beyond their initial training had a significant loss of skills within as little as three months.”

The results, according to NLN President Cathleen Schultz, are significant in looking at how schools should teach CPR going forward.

“The big story may be how many implications there are from this study,” Schultz said. “One is the manner in which CPR is taught and the comparison of different types of instruction – but the more important findings for nursing education are related to the data on how quickly skills deteriorate. “We spend considerable time teaching and evaluating psychomotor skills in the lab, but more often than not, students do not have an opportunity to use the skill anytime close to the time frame in which they learned it. So then, they need to re-learn when the time comes to use it.” I

n response to the study, the Dunigan Department of Nursing & Health Sciences at UE will begin adding practice times for CPR during labs in the upcoming year, helping ensure that students retain their CPR knowledge.

“It is vitally important to ensure that our students retain knowledge about CPR, which is why we want to incorporate the findings of this study into our curriculum,” Hall said. “And because we still have the manikin from this study, we already have the equipment we need for the students to practice their skills regularly.”

The department has also announced its third season of its First Tuesday Concerts. These concerts, presented on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m., bring together the outstanding talent of the University’s music faculty to perform works from seldom-heard masterpieces to beloved standards. This year’s concerts will include an all octets concert; a concert of impressionist music; the Holiday Pops concert; a celebration of Schumann, Chopin and Liszt; and a concert of British composers to celebrate the 40th anniversary of UE’s British campus, Harlaxton College

All concerts are free and open to the public.

The scheduled concerts for the 2010-2011 season are:

-September 7 – Fall Faculty Gala

-October 5 – All Octets

-November 2 – Making an Impression

-December 7 – Holiday Pops

-February 1 – Milhuad, La Création du Monde

-March 1 – Romantic Anniversaries 

-April 5 – British Masters: A celebration of Harlaxton college

All of the concerts are held in Wheeler Concert Hall on the campus of University of Evansville with the exception of the December 7 Holiday Pops concert and the April 5 British Masters concert. The December 7 concert will be held at the Victory Theatre and the April 5 concert will be held in Neu Chapel on the campus of University of Evansville.

A complete listing of concerts offered by the department can be found on the University of Evansville’s Department of Music Web site at music.evansville.edu.

“In every county around the state Hoosiers have money they have forgotten about or never knew existed. It is my duty to inform Hoosiers how to find and claim it and I’m encouraging people to not be shy – search for yourself and your friends and family. This money belongs to someone,” Zoeller said. “The state’s unclaimed property fund has more than $350 million waiting to be claimed by the rightful owners and we want to make sure they get it back.”

Zoeller encouraged all Hoosiers to visit www.IndianaUnclaimed.com to search for unclaimed property belonging to themselves, friends, relatives or neighbors. Businesses and charities can also have unclaimed property.

Financial institutions and other holders are required annually to turn over the assets of accounts in which there has been no activity for several years, depending on the type of account. Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages, and money from savings and checking accounts. Less than one percent of unclaimed assets are tangible, physical items, such as those found in safe-deposit boxes. It is important to note that unclaimed property does NOT include abandoned vehicles or real estate.

In total, the state’s unclaimed property database holds more than $350 million in assets. In 2009, the Attorney General’s Office returned more than 55,000 properties totaling more than $42.2 million in unclaimed property. Last year, more than $1.8 million was returned to individuals with last known addresses in Southern Indiana.
 
In 2009, more than 15,000 new properties valued at $1.4 million were reported and originate from the eight county region. This money belongs to residents or former residents of the area or their heirs. The state holds these assets for 25 years after they are reported.

The following chart displays the total value and number of properties added to the Unclaimed Property database in 2009 and the sum of all unclaimed property from 2000 – 2009 from counties in Southern Indiana:

County 2008 Property Totals Total $ Value added in 2008 Total $ Value
Dubois 1,020 $99,608 $566,015
Gibson 1,321 $116,725 $697,715
Perry 407 $46,473 $270,210
Pike 317 $42,416 $243,828
Posey 785 $49,700 $441,197
Spencer 512 $44,725 $323,011
Vanderburgh 9,514 $773,055 $6,138,970
Warrick 2,028 $217,930 $1,347,259
TOTAL 15,904 $1,390,630 $10,028,203

Every year, the attorney general is required to advertise the list of unclaimed property turned over to the state during the previous year. A list of the assets turned over to the state in the last year will be published in the Southeastern region as follows:

County Newspaper Dates of Publication
Dubois Jasper Herald 9/1 & 9/11
Gibson Princeton Daily Clarion 9/1 & 9/8
Perry Tell City Perry County News 8/30 & 9/9
Pike Petersburg Press Dispatch 9/1 & 9/8
Posey Mount Vernon Democrat 9/1 & 9/8
Spencer Rockport Spencer County Journal 9/2 & 9/9
Vanderburgh Evansville Courier 9/2 & 9/12
Warrick Boonville Standard 9/2 & 9/9
A public awareness campaign highlighting where Hoosiers can look for unclaimed property includes newspaper, radio, online and television ads. The ads remind people that the database is dynamic, with new assets added regularly.

The Unclaimed Property database can be searched 24-hours a day, seven days a week at www.IndianaUnclaimed.com. 
The Unclaimed Property Division’s toll-free number is 1.866.IN.CLAIM (1.866.462.5246). This is a free service of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office.

ARRESTED AND CHARGES:

• James E. Coon, 27, 1309 East Illinois Street, Evansville, IN

1.      Neglect of a Dependant, Class D Felony  (2 Counts)

2.      Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Minor Passenger, Class D Felony

3.      Possession of Marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor

4.      Operator Never Licensed, Class C Misdemeanor

• Samantha M. Coon, 22, 1309 East Illinois Street, Evansville, IN

1.      Neglect of a Dependant, Class D Felony  (2 Counts)

2.      Possession of a Controlled Substance (Hydrocodone), Class D Felony

Arresting Officer: Trooper Wes Kuykendall, Indiana State Police