On February 9th, at 11:12 a.m., Evansville Police Officers and other first responders were dispatched to the 600 block of Diamond Ave. for a pedestrian who had been hit by a vehicle. First responders found the adult male victim with severe injuries laying in the parking lot at Dollar General. Life-saving measures were attempted, however, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. EPD Detectives, an EPD Reconstructionist, and the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office were called to the scene.Â
It was determined that the victim had parked in the west parking lot from the main entrance to the Dollar General store. While the victim was walking eastbound towards the store entrance, he fell down in the parking lot. At that same time, an adult female driver had backed out of a parking spot, stopped, and then pulled forward. The driver did not see the victim on the ground and ran over him.Â
The driver fully cooperated with the investigation and was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw, which is normal protocol after a fatality accident. The driver was released and at this time, there are no criminal charges. The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office may release the victim’s name at a later timeÂ
VINCENNES, Ind. – The No. 9 Vincennes University Trailblazers faced their toughest test this season Wednesday night at the P.E. Complex in No. 4 John A. Logan.
VU battled all night and had the game tied with under seven minutes to go before the Volunteers pulled away late to pick up the 78-68 win over Vincennes.
This game lived up to the standard of a top-10 NJCAA showcase, with the two Region 24 squads trading baskets throughout.
John A. Logan grabbed the early momentum with a seven-point first half lead, before VU quickly erased this lead and would outscore the Vols 19-9 to take a 29-26 lead.
The score was tied six times in the opening half and the lead changed hands nine times in the opening 20 minutes of play, including at the buzzer when VU sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) sank a three to give the Trailblazers a 39-38 halftime lead.
Vincennes looked to make their move in the second half and built a four-point, 52-48 lead midway through the second half.
John A. Logan would rally back to even the game at 60-60 as we headed into the under seven minutes media timeout.
Coming out of this time out, the Volunteers took their game to another level, going on an 11-1 run and grabbing all of the momentum from the big Vincennes crowd.
Vincennes would battle to the end but were unable to put together a scoring run to get back into it as John A. Logan closed out the game at the free throw line and picked up the 78-68 win over the Trailblazers.
The lead changed a staggering 16 times Wednesday night, with the score being tied 10 times in this tough top-10 NJCAA matchup.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Leading from start to finish, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team put together its best performance of the season, defeating Northern Iowa by a final score of 71-59 on Wednesday at the Ford Center.
After jumping out to an 11-4 lead, the Purple Aces held a 43-26 advantage at halftime before taking the 12-point win. Four UE players finished in double figures led by Yacine Toumi, who had 15 points while adding a team-best nine rebounds. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. picked up 14 points while Gage Bobe and Preston Phillips added 12 and 10, respectively.
“I thought we did a good job coming out and being locked in on our defensive game plan. We caught them off guard and kept them on their heels and won with our defense,†UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed following the victory. “We put together a complete game and got the job done. Over the last few games, we have been building towards this and I feel so good for the guys in the locker room and to see the smiles on their face.â€
Tytan Anderson and Landon Wolf paced the Panthers with 14 points apiece. Anderson recorded a game-high 12 caroms.
Evansville drained five of its first six shots to take an 11-4 lead just over three minutes in. The Panthers countered with four in a row as the Aces missed their next three attempts, but it was Yacine Toumi connecting on a triple to end the run.
Up by a 17-13 score, Marvin Coleman II connected from downtown to open a 7-0 stretch that pushed the lead into double figures at 24-13 at the 9:07 mark. Preston Phillips turned a steal into a field goal two minutes later to make it a 16-point game and with exactly one minute remaining in the half, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. turned another turnover into a make to take a game-high 19-point lead (43-24).
UE wrapped up the half with a 43-26 lead – its largest halftime lead of the season. The Aces shot 60% from the field and 50% from outside. Just as impressive was the defensive, who turned 11 UNI turnovers into 16 points while holding the Panthers to just two points off turnovers in the period. Toumi scored 13 in the period.
Northern Iowa took over on the defensive end to open the second half, forcing 11 missed shots as they cut the lead to just seven at 43-36. Chris Moncrief ended the stretch with a dunk to get his squad back on track. Fortunately for the Aces, the deficit would not get below nine for the remainder of the evening.
Holding a 47-38 advantage as the second half reached its midway point, Phillips hit a basket to push the lead back into double figures. His field goal began a 6-0 run that went back up to 15 with a Strawbridge triple. His outside shot made it a 55-40 game. Over the final minutes, the Panthers closed to within nine points but it was Evansville taking the win, 71-59.
For the first time this season, UE shot 50% from the field. The Aces finished right at the mark with 28 of their 56 attempts finding the bottom of the net. UNI shot 39.3% for the game. Coleman led the Aces with seven assists while grabbing eight boards. Phillips had a notable performance as he went 4-for-4 from the field while picking up three steals, three rebounds and two assists. On Sunday, the Aces are right back at the Ford Center for a 1 p.m. game against Missouri State.
VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) etched her name into the VU record books Wednesday night by setting a new Lady Blazers record for three-pointers made in a career with 172.
Newsom surpassed two-time NJCAA All-American Ashley Buis who set the record back in 2010.
Newsom also moved into a tie with Chelsea Jellison for most three-pointers in a single season in VU history Wednesday night with 88 long range makes on the year.
The Lady Blazers got going early against the Lady Vols, using an 11-2 scoring run to take a quick seven-point lead.
VU would continue to add on throughout the opening period to end the first quarter with a 19-9 advantage.
The second quarter began as a back-and-forth battle before VU would close out the first half with a 13-2 scoring run to take a 38-23 lead into the locker room.
Vincennes continued to add to their lead in the second half, building a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and taking a 58-37 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Lady Trailblazers looked to close out the game strong and continue to pull away late, aided by four Cherrelle Newsom three-pointers in the fourth quarter as VU built their largest lead of the game at 79-52 with just over three minutes to play.
John A Logan could not wrestle the momentum back late as VU closed out their 10th Region 24 win of the season, winning over John A. Logan 81-56.
VU was led offensively by another double-double by freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France), her ninth of the season, ending with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Cherrelle Newsom came on late, scoring 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter and hitting 15 points naturally with five three-point makes. Newsom also led the Lady Blazers with eight assists.
Freshman Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) also had a big game from behind the three-point line, ending with 13 points on three made three’s, six rebounds and a team-high three steals.
Sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) finished her night with 10 points and four rebounds, while fellow sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) hit double-figures off the bench with 12 points and a team-high three steals.
The Lady Trailblazers will have a week to prepare for their next opponent when VU hosts Lincoln Trail College, Wednesday, Feb. 15 in the annual Play 4 Kay game at Vincennes.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink next Wednesday to show their support as the VU women’s basketball program continues their partnership with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Play 4 Kay t-shirts will be sold at the gate next Wednesday and the VU women’s basketball team will be taking donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers have partnered with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund for 10 years and have helped raise over $30,000 in the fight against cancer.
 Evansville, In.: Following a sweep of their two games against the Fayetteville Marksmen this past weekend and having won 4 of 5 games so far in this 6-game homestand, the Thunderbolts now look to extend their 3-game winning streak this upcoming weekend against the Quad City Storm, starting this Friday night at Ford Center before traveling to the Quad Cities on Saturday.
Week In Review:Â
  On Friday, the Thunderbolts rallied from a late 3-2 deficit against Fayetteville in the final minute as Scott Kirton scored in the fading seconds of regulation to force overtime, where Brett Radford scored the winning goal. Earlier goals in the 4-3 victory came from Aaron Huffnagle and Bryan Etter. The following night, the Thunderbolts rallied again from a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals, one each from Huffnagle and Felix Sasser, and a pair of goals from Fredrik Wink, as the Thunderbolts completed the weekend sweep with another 4-3 win, this time in regulation. Huffnagle was honored this week for his efforts over the weekend, winning SPHL Player of the Week honors for his 2 goals and 5 total points in the 2 games.
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The Week Ahead:Â
               The Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm this Friday the 10th for College Night, puck drop at 7:00pm CT. College students are eligible for $10 tickets with student ID.  On Saturday, the Thunderbolts are on the road as they visit the Quad Cities for a rematch against the Storm, puck drop at 7:10pm CT. For tickets to Friday’s game, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office. Saturday night’s game can be viewed on SPHL TV with a paid subscription through HockeyTV, or can be listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network via the Thunderbolts MixLr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live .
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field junior McKenna Cavanaugh (New Albany, Indiana) was given a share of the Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week honor Tuesday afternoon. This is the first weekly award for the Screaming Eagles in the NCAA Division I era.
Cavanaugh was named champion in the mile at the PNC Bellarmine Classic after crossing the finish line with a personal best time of four minutes, 49.72 seconds. This marks the second-fastest indoor mile time in USI Women’s Track & Field history. Cavanaugh now has a pair of victories in the mile this season, previously at the Bellarmine Open on January 20.
The Eagles finished the meet with 19 points, earning an 11th-place finish after competing against 16 teams.
Joining Cavanaugh in the weekly honor is Southeast Missouri State University’s Breana Miles who broke the school record in the women’s 200-meter for a first-place finish and placed third in the 60-meter dash at the PNC Bellarmine Classic.
Cavanaugh and the Eagles return to the track this Friday and Saturday when USI travels to Boston, Massachusetts for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational along with the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan.
Bill granting immigrants a “driving privilege card†advances
By Xain Ballenger, TheStatehouseFile.com
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On Tuesday, the Indiana Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee approved a bill that would allow people living in the U.S. without legal permission to receive a driving privilege card. The cards’ sole use would be to allow individuals to drive, not to use them as an ID or to vote.
Tuesday at the Indiana Statehouse, the Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee discussed allowing undocumented immigrants a modified driver’s license.
Senate Bill 248 is authored by Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Goshen, Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, and Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger.
In order for an individual to receive one of these cards, they would have to show that they had paid taxes in Indiana for one year. The person would have to follow the same standards for a driving license that all Hoosiers are required to follow. These include carrying auto insurance, possibly attending driving school, and up to 50 hours of practice with 10 hours occurring at night.
The card would not require people to file for citizenship. It would have a fixed cost of $67.
The privilege card application would require an applicant to submit fingerprints for local and national criminal background checks. If approved, the person applying for the driving card would have to renew it every year. This would not allow them to drive commercial vehicles.
If a person would get pulled over without a driving privilege card, they could receive 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine for the first violation. For repeat offenders within a 10-year period, the penalty would move up to one year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. Multiple offenses could accumulate and make that person a felon.
Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, opposed the bill, making the case for people who do “follow the rules†and complete their citizenship.
“The one thing, and I’m coming right back to this: ‘We follow the rules, we did the right thing. They’re saying my job is being eroded by somebody that didn’t follow the rules and didn’t do the right thing.’ How do I respond to those people? When we start making exceptions for those that didn’t follow the rules and didn’t do the right thing?†Buck said.
Criminal defense and immigration attorney Felipe Merino was asked a similar question, and in his response he spoke of someone who waited 40 years to take the citizenship test.
“‘Why did it take you so long?’ You know what he told me? He said, ‘I was scared. I was scared.’ And so he was scared as a legal permanent resident with a card that says he’s allowed to be here, with a driver’s license where, when a police officer pulls up behind him, he can present it. You can just imagine the folks that we’ve been talking about here today, what kind of shadow comes behind them whenever they see a police officer.â€
The bill passed the committee with a vote of 5-4 and will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
FOOTNOTE: Xain Ballenger is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
