One of the distinct pleasures I have from working in the magazine business is that we get to write about what interests us. A big part of this job is paying attention to what has occurred, what is occurring, and what is going to occur.
One story we were able to take a deeper dive into is “Do the Right Thing,” Senior Writer John Martin’s profile on Woods & Woods, LLC, beginning on Page 30. Consider me impressed by what I learned. In 2007, Woods & Woods moved from being a personal injury law practice into one handling cases involving former military members with disabilities. As its workforce surged, the firm kept up with demand by moving out of its beautiful Old Vanderburgh County Jail space into a 65,000-square-foot former church designed by the late architect Jack Kinkel.
Three years and $9.5 million later, the transformation is startling. Serving veterans and now employing 130 people while rehabilitating a massive building in the Haynie’s Corner Arts District is just … well, impressive.
On Nov. 3, 2023, Charlie Wyatt, the current mayor of Boonville, Indiana, had a big surprise just four days prior to his reelection in a tightly contested race. He announced The EDGE, a major development initially weighing in at $74 million and described as an entertainment and hotel site. While the majority of our market’s media breezily reported the development, at Evansville Business, we immediately were skeptical. In 25 years of publishing, we have seen too many things announced and then not come to fruition. (Bicentennial Park, anyone?) Fast forward to today, and the Boonville development now is touted as a $250 million project creating 1,800 jobs. At the mayor’s initial press conference, he said that construction would occur in the third quarter of 2024. It did not, and the project’s status every time we have checked in with developers remains ambiguous. That is my polite way of saying, nothing adds up and nothing is happening. I would love to be wrong. I grew up in Warrick County, I have many friends in Boonville, and I make my living on the good things happening in the region. But until I see dirt moving, a real website, actual details, and collaboration with area economic development officials, consider me the lead skeptic. And before you criticize me, invite me up for a tour and show me how I am wrong.
Every day I see a long-standing piece of graffiti near a Lloyd Expressway eastbound on-ramp that says, “All cops are bastards.” Why that has not been painted over, I don’t know. What I do know is one of our finest was shot Sept. 21 by an 18-year-old as he ran from officers. At least two bullets hit EPD Officer Sam Taylor. Officer Taylor didn’t expect to be shot going into that work shift, but every day, it’s a real possibility. Those men and women join EPD and other law enforcement agencies to protect and serve, and they put themselves in harm’s way when necessary. So, to the weak-minded person who wrote the graffiti, who are you going to call in an emergency? If you don’t do dumb stuff that lands you in the back of a patrol car, you may gain some newfound respect for those who serve.
When well-known athlete and seemingly everyone’s friend Clint Keown passed away in a tragic car accident Sept. 22, 2024, the community mourned, pouring out grief and tribute. Enter Jeff Anderson, a fellow athlete, friend, and Memorial graduate who has gone the extra mile and sponsored a Habitat for Humanity of Evansville home in Clint’s memory. My hat is off to the Andersons. Now, that’s real friendship.
In my February/March publisher’s letter, I wrote about the late Reitz Memorial High School booster and volunteer extraordinaire Ray Beckwith called “Just a Sensible, Ordinary Man.” Since then, Memorial has named its concession facilities the Ray Beckwith Concession Stand with a beautiful plaque. I know Ray would be proud.
As always, I look forward to hearing from most of you.
Todd A. Tucker, President
