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Eagles hit the road for important OVC trip USI travels to Little Rock, SEMO​​​​​​​

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball hits the road for an important Ohio Valley Conference road trip this week when it visits the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Thursday and Southeast Missouri State University Saturday. Tipoff at Little Rock Thursday is set for 7:30 p.m., while the start time at SEMO is slated for 4 p.m.
 
The Screaming Eagles (14-13, 7-7 OVC) begins this week in sole possession of seventh in the OVC standings, but one game out of the five-way tie for second in the league. USI also has a two-game lead on eighth place Eastern Illinois University and a three-game lead on Lindenwood University and Little Rock, which are tied for ninth.
 
The Eagles hope the momentum generated by their Senior Night victory over Lindenwood will carry over to the road trip. The 74-64 victory over Lindenwood broke a four-game losing streak that had been reached following the 84-69 loss on the road to Tennessee Tech University.
 
Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) led the way last week with 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.
 
For the season, sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) and senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) lead the way in the USI scoring column with 14.2 points per game each. Polakovich is averaging 12.4 points per outing along with grabbing a team-best and OVC-best 12.7 rebounds per game.
 
The Trojans of Little Rock (8-19, 4-10 OVC) earned a split last week in the OVC, defeating Morehead State University, 72-68, at home and falling to the University of Tennessee at Martin, 84-61. Little Rock has lost three of its last four games.
 
Senior guard Myron Gardner leads four Trojans in double-figures with 13.3 points per game. He also is grabbing a team-high 9.2 rebounds per game.
 
USI won the first meeting of the series with Little Rock and in OVC play with a 74-67 victory at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Eagles were led by graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) with 22 points, while Polakovich had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
 
The SEMO Redhawks (13-14, 8-6 OVC) welcome the Eagles to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the first time since the 1990 NCAA Division II Central Regional. SEMO was swept last week, falling to Tennessee State University, 86-65, and Morehead State University, 65-59. The Redhawks, who host Eastern Illinois Thursday, also have lost three-straight games.
 
 
USI broke a two-game losing skid to SEMO with an 86-81 victory in the OVC opener in December. Polakovich was dominating in the first meeting with 27 points and 26 rebounds.

USI opens Division I play versus WIU Eagles & Leathernecks play 4-game set in Tennessee

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball opens NCAA Division I action by playing a neutral-site four-game series with Western Illinois University February 17-19 at USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee. The series opens Friday with a 2 p.m. single game; followed by a noon doubleheader Saturday; and conclude with a noon single game Sunday.
 
Links to follow the Eagles during the opening weekend of 2023 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com.   
 
USI Baseball Notes:

USI vs. WIU: The Screaming Eagles play the Leathernecks for the first time since 1977 when WIU took a two-game set, 6-5 and 4-3.
 
Eagles in 2022: USI was 21-28 in 2022 and during the final season in the NCAA Division II, placing fifth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Blue Division with a 10-14 record.
 
USI predicted eighth in OVC: USI was predicted to place eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference during 2023.  
 
McNew named preseason All-OVC: Senior catcher Lucas McNew was named Preseason All-OVC by the conference and by Perfect Game. The preseason honors were the first of McNew’s career.
 
Leading Returning Hitters: Senior catcher Lucas McNew was second on the team in 2022 with a .321 batting average, while driving in a team-high and career-high 57 RBIs and hitting a team-best eight home runs last spring. He also is a .306 career hitter with 126 RBIs and 20 home runs.
 
In addition to McNew, the USI lineup returns senior outfielders Ren Tachioka and Evan Kahre. Tachioka, USI’s leadoff hitter in 2022, batted .295 in his first season and ranked second on the team with 45 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. Kahre batted .290 with 18 runs scored and 22 RBIs in his first season as an Eagle last spring.
 
McNew climbing the USI All-Time charts: Senior catcher Lucas McNew enters the season tied for sixth all-time at USI in home runs (20); 13th in RBIs (126); and 14th in doubles (40).
 
Top Returning Pitcher: USI is led into 2023 by sophomore lefthander Tyler Hutson. Hutson was 2-2 in 20 appearances out of the pen last season with three saves and a 4.83 ERA.
 
Under Tracy Archuleta: The Eagles enter their 17th season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta, who has led the Eagles to two NCAA Division II national championships (2010, 2014) in his 16 years at the helm. He also has been recognized as the Division II ABCA National Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2014); the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year five times (2007, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) and the GLVC Coach of the Year twice (2011, 2014) since taking over the program in 2007. He also is the winningest coach in the history of the program with 527 victories in 16 years.
 

Indiana Department of Insurance Announces Onpoint as Administrator for the New All Payer Claims Database

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Indianapolis – Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) Commissioner Amy L. Beard announces Onpoint Health Data (Onpoint) as the administrator for the IDOI All Payer Claims Database (APCD). The APCD will be a comprehensive database that gathers a substantial amount of healthcare claims data with a focus on the public using the database as a tool for transparency and cost comparison. The APCD will adhere to strict security policies to safeguard personal health data and will follow all applicable state and federal regulations, such as HIPAA, regarding the protection of citizens’ personal health information.

“The APCD will help identify health care needs and provide health information to consumers,” said Commissioner Beard. “It will help consumers compare costs between various treatment settings and approaches.”

Governor Holcomb’s 2020 Next Level Agenda called for the creation of the All Payer Claims Database to increase healthcare price transparency for consumers, and it aligns with his commitment to public health as a core pillar of focus for the state. The Indiana General Assembly enacted the APCD during the 2020 legislative session.

The Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an entity to create, operate and maintain the APCD. Based on the state’s evaluation of responses to the RFP, the evaluation team recommended Onpoint be selected to provide the services for the IDOI.

“We are very pleased to partner with an industry market leader with a proven track record for delivering high-quality innovative data solutions for state and federal government clients,” said IDOI APCD Executive Director Jonathan Handsborough.

Onpoint is a full-service data management and analytics firm. The company developed the first-of-its-kind APCD for the state of Maine in 2003 and has developed more than 50% of the established APCDs nationally since that time. Onpoint supports the health data and analytics needs of clients in the state and federal government, purchaser, provider, and health improvement sectors across multiple states and for the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the federal level.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $2 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to States and Territories to Address Emerging Contaminants like PFAS in Drinking Water

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WASHINGTON  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the availability of $2 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water across the country. This investment, which is allocated to states and territories, will be made available to communities as grants through EPA’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program and will promote access to safe and clean water in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities while supporting local economies. Administrator Regan announced the water infrastructure investments in Maysville, North Carolina while holding a community roundtable with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser and other state and local leaders. 

“Too many American communities, especially those that are small, rural, or underserved, are suffering from exposure to PFAS and other harmful contaminants in their drinking water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we are investing in America and providing billions of dollars to strengthen our nation’s water infrastructure while safeguarding people’s health and boosting local economies. These grants build on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap and will help protect our smallest and most vulnerable communities from these persistent and dangerous chemicals.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $5 billion over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water. This initial allotment of $2 billion to states and territories can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants, like PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and to conduct water quality testing.

EPA is also releasing the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Implementation document. The implementation document provides states and communities with the information necessary to use this funding to address local water quality and public health challenges. These grants will enable communities to improve local water infrastructure and reduce emerging contaminants in drinking water by implementing solutions such as installing necessary treatment solutions.

Today’s actions represent a significant milestone within the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitments to combat PFAS pollutionand safeguard drinking water, and specifically EPA’s October 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Under the Roadmap, EPA is working across the Agency to protect the public from the health impacts of PFAS. EPA has taken a number of actions to deliver progress on PFAS including: 

 

 

In addition to this new grant, EPA is also working to propose a PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) in the coming weeks. The draft proposed rule is currently undergoing interagency review and EPA will issue the proposed rule for public comment when it clears the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Agency anticipates finalizing the rule by the end of 2023. Together, with today’s announcement, these actions highlight EPA’s commitments outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of PFAS. They also illustrate the benefits of investing in water—protecting public health and the environment, addressing key challenges facing communities, and creating jobs.

UE opens the week at Belmont on Wednesday

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Aces and Bruins tangle at 6:30 p.m.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Two games on the road make up the slate this week for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team starting on Wednesday evening at Belmont.  Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.

Setting the Scene

– Evansville’s recent turnaround began in the first match-up versus the Bruins on Jan. 25 as the Aces kept it close in a 73-64 loss

– Ben Sheppard had a double-double in that game, posting 23 points and 10 rebounds

– Yacine Toumi and Marvin Coleman II led the Purple Aces with 15 points apiece

– The downward trend of the 2021-22 season started with the trip to Nashville on 11/13/21 as UE fell by a final of 81-43

Last Time Out                                                                                                            

– Another solid game by UE saw them hold a lead in the final four minutes before three consecutive triples lifted Missouri State to the 66-60 win at the Ford Center

– Antoine Smith Jr. led UE with 16 points, tying his season mark

– Marvin Coleman and Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 14 and 10, respectively

Racking up the Minutes

– Playing 34 minutes or more in 16 of the last 17 games, Marvin Coleman II ranks 6th in the MVC with 34.8 per game

– His average of 35.5 minutes in MVC games is 5th-best in the league

– With 14 points against Missouri State on Feb. 12, Coleman picked up his 14th double figure scoring effort in the last 17 games

– Hitting 9 of his 13 shots at Southern Illinois, Coleman reset his career scoring high with 25 points

– Over his last 117 games, Coleman is averaging 13.6 points while shooting 42.2%

Scouting the Opposition

– With their first season as members of the MVC rounding the homestretch, Belmont is 18-9 and 11-5 in the Valley

– The Bruins are tied for third in the league standings, just one game out of first place

– Ben Sheppard continues to pace the Bruins in numerous statistical categories

– His 19.4 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per contest, 34.7 minutes and 40 steals are all team-highs

– In the first meeting against the Aces, Sheppard led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds

– Cade Tyson and Drew Friberg average 13.5 and 11.7 points per game, respectively

Registration open for Vincennes University Summer STEM Academy

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Registration is now underway for the weeklong Vincennes University Summer STEM Academy. For the second straight year, VU is offering current 10th and 11th-grade students throughout Indiana the opportunity to take a deep dive into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and get a taste of college life.

The academy is June 25-30, 2023. It engages high school students in intensive project-based learning and hands-on research projects to increase college attendance and interest in the STEM fields. They will live in residence halls on the 200+ acre Vincennes Campus, eat in the Tecumseh Dining Hall, visit local STEM employers, connect with VU alumni working in STEM fields, earn two college credits in a study skills course, and enjoy a variety of fun activities and recreation.

Registration for current high school sophomores and juniors is open through March 15 or until all slots are filled. There is a waitlist once capacity is met.

There is a $50 registration fee. Scholarship opportunities are available for those who cannot afford the fee. The VU Summer STEM Academy is supported through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

For more information, contact Director of Pre-College Programs and STEM Academy Coordinator Nicole Hagemeier-McVay at nhagemeier-mcvay@vinu.edu or 812-888-4324.

To register, go to https://ced.vinu.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp1?&course=a23stem

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

 

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

 

FOOTNOTE:  EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT  information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

USI to host German Film Festival featuring five films

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The University of Southern Indiana College of Liberal Arts and World Languages and Cultures Department will host a German Film Festival on Thursdays beginning February 23 and running through March 30. All films will be shown with English subtitles and will begin at 6 p.m. in Forum I, except for Exile on March 2, which will begin at 7 p.m. These events are open to the public at no charge.

Through the generosity of the Goethe-Institut (Boston, MA) and the assistance of the USI Society for the Arts and Humanities, five films have been selected for the series: Precious Ivie, Exile, The Goldfish, Transit and I’m Your Man.

“German film has an incredibly rich tradition from early expressionist films to the present, despite the impact of historical events throughout the 20th century in Germany from the Nazi time period to the Cold War and the impact of the Berlin Wall,” says Dr. Bartell Berg, USI Associate Professor of German. “Since the fall of the wall in 1990, a new generation of directors has emerged with a multi-cultural perspective that reflects important shifts in German culture. Through the generous support of the German government via the Goethe Institute as well as the support of the College of Liberal Arts, we are excited to offer a series of five recent German films under the topic: “Seeing and Being Seen.” From Christian Petzold’s critically acclaimed 2018 film, Transit, to Maria Schrader’s 2021 film, I’m Your Man, about artificial intelligence, these five German films offer something for everyone.”