It was brought to my attention yesterday that the Evansville Courier and Press website was not allowing comments on the article about the Police officer charged with forcing a women to perform oral sex.  Thanks to @brianwolf on Twitter for the heads up and I agree, of all the articles on the Courier and Press, why not allow comments on this one?

As of this posting there are no posting comments allowed in the original breaking article or on the updated court appearance article.  So what reasons would explain CourierPress.com shutting down feedback?

• Flood of comments overloading the websites server?
• CourierPress.com is playing favorites with the officer and/or family involved?
• Direct request from the Evansville Police Department, expecting special treatment for a police officer?

It just seems peculiar, with so many controversial stories on the Courier Press website, why block this one?  Please discuss or chime in here with your responses, guesses, or inside scoop.

*Update 9:26 am

Received an explanation from Ryan Reynolds via email, which states that CourierPress.com has a standing policy that news articles containing any sort of sexual crime will not have comments enabled.  In the case that they are enabled by default, once it is brought to their attention all comments will be removed and then closed.  Below is a short excerpt from the email.

For generations, the journalism community has sought to try to keep a delicate and difficult situation from becoming worse for victims of sex crimes. The Courier and Press has had a standing, long-term policy not to name the victims of a sex crime in news accounts to help protect that individual, be they child or adult, from the ugly stain of the public embarrassment that is associated with a rape, molestation, etc.

Because we cannot guarantee that someone in the community could undo that policy, whether deliberately or unintentionally, by naming the victim in comments, we have decided comments will not be allowed on sex crime stories.

Seems like a completely acceptable policy to me, but they should indicate their intent somewhere in the footer of the article.  Or instead of just having people guess as to why comments are closed, have a footer that explains exactly what is said in this email.  It's a decision I can respect.

Last night my wife and I had date night, thanks to my parents letting my daughter sleep over.  My wife had been begging me to go see the new Harry Potter and I had been begging her to go out for a beer and burger.  Thanks to the Hollywood Bar and Grill we only had to park once to enjoy both date night endeavors.  Granted Wednesday night isn't the most happening time to go out, I'll give you my break down on the evening.

First of all Hollywood Bar and Grill food was fantastic, my burger was cooked to order and fries were seasoned perfectly.  Also, my wife's ham and pineapple pizza was great and portions for both were adequate for the price.  That being said, don't head off to this grill looking for a lot of choices.  They have plenty of apetizers, but lack in the main course arena of variety.  Lastly, we showed up about 6:00 and were 1 of about 6 people, not couples, but individuals.

The bar tender and waitress were both very friendly and these were the only ones we ran into.  I'm assuming there was a cook in the back, but never did he poke his head out to see if anyone was still there.  And unlike another Evansville Hollywood Bar and Grill restaurant review, I did not see any signs for employee eyes only.

Had our Harry Potter movie not been starting at 7:00 my wife and I would have chilled out with some more beers and listened to the live band.  Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Eastside Hollywood Bar and Grill they have live music and last nights was Common Ground.

For more information on Hollywood Bar and Grill visit their website, which is part of Showplace Cinemas.

There is still time to get out and enjoy the Vanderburgh County Fair and hopefully weather will be cooperative as the week ends.  The Fair is scheduled to go on through Saturday, July 25th and not close it's doors until after the contemporary Christian Performance by Greg Graham at 7:30pm.

Also going on this Saturday at the 4H grounds will be the demolition derby, which is a personal favorite of mine.  As far as fair events go it's a staple and if anyone has the opportunity to compete or work the pits, do it.  It's addictive and every race provides it's own new challenges and countless memories.

Check out the official Vanderburgh Co Fair website here and click here for a complete schedule of events from now until Saturday evening.  Weather, daughter, and wife permitting I plan on attending Friday and Saturday night, so see you there.

I can't live without the internet, nor can I live without all the great things the internet has to offer.  However, at times it can be a bit daunting and the information overload can cause to a loss of what I'm trying to focus on.  Thankfully there are tools available that streamline my browsing experience and generally make work go by so much faster.  Below are  my list of online must have's.

FireFox Browser - If you aren't using Fire Fox, this is the first thing you need to do.  Click on the link and go download and install, then come back to this page, I'll wait.  The rest of the Add-Ons below require FireFox to utilize, do yourself a favor and start browsing the internet like a genius.  IE are for those who just don't know any better and now you know.

ReadItLaterList.com - I use multiple computers every single day, from my personal laptop to my work PC, and even my wife's laptop when there are no other options.  Throughout my browsing time I come across a lot of interesting articles that I may not have time to completely digest, ReadItLaterList.com serves as a simple and efficient solution.  With a simple check mark I can create a list of pages I can go back and read later and synchronize with my other computers.  That way no matter where I'm seated I can follow up with where I left off from the other computer.

Fire.FM - I'm the type of person that must have constant back ground noise in the form of music.  Furthermore my taste in music varies widely and can change from day to day, so buying and bringing CD's to work is not an option.  Thanks to the internet there is a free and legal alternative, streaming music live to my browser based on my current listening preferences.  It's as simple as typing in the name of favorite band and the rest of my day is filled with music similar to the artist I choose, all FREE.

Foxit Reader - PDF's are both a great convenience and a thorn in my side, mainly because of the hoops Adobe requires you to jump through every few weeks.  I sear I spend more time updating that silly program than I actually do using it.  Thanks to Foxit Reader I can now read and make PDF's without having to use the bloated Adobe Reader software.  Foxit Reader also makes it a breeze to view PDF's directly in your browser and comes with complete functionality to never have to use Adobe reader ever again.

AVG Or Avast - Both of these programs are completely free and in my experience provide a better anti-virus service than paid software like Norton.  AVG and Avast are capable of scanning, identifying, and then removing any type of virus on your computer.  In the future I will be releasing a list of computer clean up software that I use to keep my PC running fast.  For now, if you aren't using one of these anti-virus programs, go download now and see which one you like best.  If you like using Torrents, LimeWire or other type of p2p application then Avast is the better choice.

gMail - This is simply the best free email service available online.  It was created by Google and provides plenty of options, customization, and storage for even the most talkative email enthusiast.  Furthermore, gMail allows synchronization of email accounts, which means you can have gMail read your hotmail or personal server side email accounts.  It's the only email application I use and I manage about a dozen different aliases.

That's it for now, but I will make online tools a regular feature on Evansville Blog.  If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please let me know what tools you can't live without.  Also, I'm available for questions as well, so start using the internet in a better way.

You have to read the title of this post like the announcer would for a boxing match.  WFIE 14 has announced that Jackie Monroe, which is known for being on Deal or No Deal, among other things like anchoring for WTVW, will be coming to work for the news station.  Although she's been on the local news network for 5 years, this change means she'll be spending some time on the other side of the camera.  According to press releases this will be temporary to remain in the non-compete agreements good graces.

According to quotes on the WFIE 14 source page the rest of the crew will be glad to have Jackie on board.  Ann Komis will be one of a few which will be shifting their schedules around to make room for the new anchor come August 3rd.

"Ann Komis will shift her schedule to days and continue to anchor the 5 & 6 with David, allowing her to be home with her husband in the evenings." Komis says she is excited about the addition to the staff.   "Jackie has been a friend for a long time.  It will be a delight to be sitting next to her!"

I've been looking around for Jackie's Twitter account but can't seem to locate it.  We'll have to see if Debbie Bush or CJHoyt make any kind of social bookmarking announcement for the new news lady.

Back in Evansville after an extended weekend to Chicago.  While in the Chicago area I attended the NMRA show at Joliet Route 66 Raceway, visited Navy Pier, and partaked of some adult beverages.  All in all it was a great weekend with absolutely beautiful weather.  Hard to believe that in the middle of July it got down into the 50's shortly after dark, but I'll take it over the 105 degree days we've been having here in Southern Indiana.

On Saturday I visited down town Chicago near the Navy Pier and I was astounded at how many things there were to do.  Obviously a much bigger city, but Evansville has a lot they could learn from such a busy downtown area.  An example of things I missed out on doing, but will make plans for next trip are:

• 2 Hour Segway Tour $75
• Sea Hog Boat Ride
• Go Up in The Sears Tower

Ok, maybe not that last one since I'm afraid of heights.  But at any rate there are a ton of things to do, besides just eat, drink, and be merry.  Also, if you can get past the construction, traffic wasn't that bad and zipping in and out of Chicago was just a small annoyance instead of a chore.

I look forward to another trip in the not so distant future when I can take my wife and daughter along.

Turns out I will be hauling a Mustang up to Joliet for a friend of mine.  For the past few years his car has been stored in my garage and now he has the room for it to have a permanent home.  So all I needed was a car hauler to make the 6 hour drive.

My buddy contacted the Evansville U-Haul to setup a pickup time, make payment, etc.  Basically it was supposed to have been setup where I show up, they hook up the trailer, and I drive off.  At most I figured UHaul would want a copy of my drivers license or insurance card, unfortunately this was not the case.  Apparently U-Haul is incapable of taking credit cards over the phone and claimed that it was against US Privacy laws.  I accept credit cards over the phone every day, knowing that this is not the case, they are not interested in working with me.

Just a small annoyance is all, since I was able to pay for it myself.  However, for  such a large moving company they sure have their laws/rules confused.  Even more frustrating was listening to them cut a deal for the guy next to me, but unwilling to waver on the price for my one way car hauler trip.  Oh well, it's a convenience, and like all we'll have to pay for this one.

Tonight after work I'll be leaving for Joliet, Il to soak up the sun and enjoy a National Mustang Racing Association car show and drag race on Saturday.  The event will be held at the Route 66 Raceway and sponsored by Nitto Tires.

This isn't the first year I've been, but it's been several years since I've been to any car show.  Really looking forward to it and spending a little time in Chicago while I'm up that way.  No doubt I'll find my way down to the beer gardens on the Navy Pier, but does anyone else have any suggestions on what to do in Chicago?

I'm so tired of seeing the city of Evansville rely on focus groups to decide how what's best for our city.  This becomes especially true with the way we are running our events and how they refuse to change a business model that worked in a booming economy.  It's time to start looking at what makes surrounding festivals and events so successful and less at paid surveys.

Just to start, consider the Blues Festival in Henderson, BBQ Festival in Owensboro and other similar events that are taking place right across the river.  They are wildly successful in terms of attendance and the profit follows.  I strongly believe it's because to attend these events it's free.  Families don't have to worry about spending X amount of dollars just to get through the door and instead they can visit and leave freely and spend their shrinking expendable income accordingly.

There was no way I was going to spend the money necessary to take my wife and daughter down town, especially so close to Thunder weekend or whatever they were calling it.  It's poor planning all around and I truly feel sorry for the nonprofits that were affected by the poor attendance.  It's time Evansville starts looking at alternatives and run an event much like the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival and others that don't cost an arm and a leg, just to get in and spend another arm and a leg on a greasy meal.

14WFIE News - Freedom Fest Falls $290,000 Short

Howell Park Pool

Just heard on the news this morning that the newly revamped pool at Howell Park will be opening today. The pool is named after Norman Red Mosby, a late Perry Township Trustee. Mosby worked to better the west side of Evansville for 40 years and this pool is in remembrance of him.

The official ribbon cutting will be held today at 2:30, for those looking to attend.

I can tell you that this pool is a great addition to Evansville. It's in a great location with plenty of parking and the work that I've seen makes this pool top notch. It's colorful, big, and even features a 150 ft water slide. It's a reason to visit Howell Park, even if you are not a golfer or play basketball.