INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb will deliver his 2023 State of the State address on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, to a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly in the House of Representatives chamber. The address will begin at 7 p.m. ET and is expected to fit in a 30-minute window.
The State of the State address will be live-streamed HERE.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE AVERAGE
GAVEL GAMUTÂ By Jim Redwine
Is it an end or a beginning? A New Year of hope or a past year of regret? A harbinger of exciting new adventures or a specter of hovering doom? I guess one way of discerning whether we are going to gaily anticipate, as the tune says, “Oh, the good times are coming,†or gloomily dwell on, “I took the blows and did it my way,â€Â is to make an accounting of 2022. After all, if past is prologue, perhaps we can peer into the future by studying the past. But, as the sorceress Cassandra who was blessed by the gods with the gift of prophecy but also cursed because no one would believe her forecasts of coming disasters, we might see the freight train coming but ignore it anyway. Nuclear war anyone? Ah, well, let’s count some blessings and justify some bad choices from 2022.
I would say my number one blessing during 2022 is that I am not related to Harry and Meghan. When one has family like that, other bad relationships fade into royal oblivion. It’s not that my family is perfect; my older brother and my three older sisters still assume I cannot tie my shoes without their help. But let’s move on.
The 2022 college football season was pretty much a bust. The Indiana University Hoosiers, of course, never disappoint because we never expect anything. However, the Oklahoma Sooners had better be rebuilding or else the whole apparatus is falling apart. And the Oklahoma State Cowboys looked more average than average can bear. Come on, Pokes, do something! Peg, not I, cares about the Purdue Boilermakers who got clobbered in their mediocre bowl game. As an IU alum I didn’t mind, but Peg’s two brothers are Purdue grads so she was upset. If 2023 is a rebuilding year, I just hope the crumbling Roman Coliseum is not the model our teams are emulating.
Speaking of disasters and rebuilding, we had two, that’s right two, water leaks in our cabin at JPeg Osage Ranch in 2022. One came from a clamp that slipped off of a water heater hose and the most recent, December 23, 2022 (Merry Christmas), was caused by a connection to the ice maker on the refrigerator. Did you, Gentle Reader, ever worry about your refrigerator attacking your home? Me neither. I’ve worked construction and made countless home repairs to everything from fountains to garden hoses and never once had to deal with a refrigerator water leak. Happy 2022 all’ya’all.
Now did anything good occur in 2022? You bet. Peg successfully rehabilitated after her hip replacement surgeries and I managed to learn about three chords on the guitar, although Peg will not countenance me trying to sing along as I strum. She claims my key changes are bad. What’s a key?
Well, I have revisited about all the chagrin I can stand and the 2022 bright spots are fading fast, so on to 2023. My predictions are mainly connected to Peg’s and my work in the Republic of Georgia that sits right on the Black Sea directly across from Ukraine and has Russia on it’s northern border. What could go wrong?
Putin, the Grinch who is trying to steal Ukraine and who already occupies 20% of Georgia, looms large in my reading of bird entrails. The only bright spot I see is our son Jim’s observations about Russian military equipment he fought against in the Iraq War, the Gulf War and briefly in Afghanistan. Jim says it was junk then and it’s junk now. Of course, even nuclear junk might ruin our whole day in 2023.
But I boldly foresee a world where Putin comes to his senses and Zelensky re-thinks his thirst for revenge. Both leaders will most likely end up accepting less than half a loaf of what they want. At least that’s my hopeful, if naive, bet.
Regardless, “When the dealing’s done and there’s time enough for counting†in 2023, I predict “Sunshine and lollipopsâ€. Why not dwell on the positive? After all, Harry and Meghan will surely shut up sometime. But, until then as both King Lear and King Charles found out, “More sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a thankless child,†especially ones who are mistreated by allowing them to live in palaces and spend their time with sycophants such as Oprah.
For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com
Or “Like/Follow†us on Facebook & Twitter at JPegOsageRanch
UE Tangles With Illinois State At 1 p.m
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another weekend home game for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team features a match-up against Illinois State on Saturday afternoon inside the Ford Center. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT with the Purple Aces Radio Network and ESPN+ having the coverage.
Sleeves are Back
– Most basketball fans associate sleeved uniforms with the Purple Aces and for the first time since December 15, 2018, UE will display its trademark look
Last Time Out
– A midweek trip to Missouri State saw the Bears defeat the Purple Aces by a final score of 85-62 on Wednesday
– Marvin Coleman II reset his career scoring high with 22 points while hitting 9 of his 15 attempts from the field
– Finishing with 18 points was Kenny Strawbridge Jr.
– MSU turned 16 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points while forcing 16 UE turnovers on the other end of the floor
He Did It Again
– Connecting on a career-best 9 field goal attempts, Marvin Coleman II scored his top collegiate total of 22 points on January 4 at Missouri State
– An unbelievable streak has seen the fifth-year player reach double figures in five of the last six games after reaching the mark just once in the opening 10 games; the recent streak has seen his average jump from 5.4 PPG to its current mark of 9.0
– It bested his old record of 18 points, which came earlier this season against Campbell
– Over the last six games, Coleman is 15.0 points while seeing at least 35 minutes of action in each of those contests
The Mark of Consistency
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 18 points while hitting 7 of his 9 free throw tries at Missouri State
– He continues to lead the Aces while sitting 8th in the MVC with his season average of 16.2 points per game
– Finishing with a game-high 22 points at Indiana State, he reached the 20-point mark for the 7th time this season
Scouting the Opponent
– Led by first-year head coach Ryan Pedon, Illinois state enters Saturday’s game with a 6-10 mark along with a 1-4 MVC record
– On Wednesday, the Redbirds dropped a 76-67 home game against the conference-leading Sycamores
– Kendall Lewis has established himself as the top force for ISU
– Lewis paces the Redbirds with 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8% from the field
– Darius Burford is the second Illinois State player to average double figures, posting 11.0 PPG
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: This information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Defender Giovanna Starman signs with USI Women’s Soccer
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer announced the signing of transfer defender Giovanna Starman (O’Fallon, Missouri) for the 2023 season. Starman joins 12 other additions to the roster by USI Head Coach Eric Schoenstein ahead of the 2023 season.
“We’re excited to welcome Gia to the USI soccer family,” Schoenstein said. “We’re lucky to add Gia to our already talented group of incoming student-athletes.”
Starman, a 5’6″ defender, comes to USI after spending her freshman season at Missouri State University. The Missouri State Bears were the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions. Starman played in 75 minutes at Missouri State last season.
“Gia brings great skill and athleticism to our backline,” Schoenstein added. “Gia is a quality distributor out of the back and a shutdown defender.”
The O’Fallon, Missouri native played for Fort Zumwalt North High School, where she was named all-conference and a four-time all-academic award winner. She tallied eight assists in her senior year in 2021-22. Starman also recorded three goals and four assists in her previous two high school seasons.
Starman played her club soccer for Sporting STL Red Devils GA 2004.
USI Women’s Soccer heads into its second season as an NCAA Division I program in 2023, coming off a postseason berth in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament. The 2023 schedule will be released at a later date.
Pelham, Ala.: After falling behind 2-1 in the second period, the resilient Thunderbolts scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Birmingham Bulls 4-2 on Thursday night in Pelham and enter a tie for 1st place in the SPHL standings. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, January 7th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.
The first period was void of any goals or penalties, while the second period began with a goal from Scott Kirton, assisted by Brendan Harrogate and Mike Ferraro to give Evansville the first lead at 1:29. Minutes later at 4:37, Mike Davis tied the game for Birmingham, and at 12:01 Zac Masson scored to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. In the last second of play in the second period, Aaron Huffnagle flipped the puck from behind the net, and it bounced into the net off the back of Birmingham goaltender Hayden Stewart to tie the game at two-apiece, assisted by Fredrik Wink and Matthew Hobbs at 19:59.
In the third period, Kirton scored unassisted on a partial breakaway to give the Thunderbolts their second lead of the game, 3-2 at 1:43. After several close calls in the Evansville zone that were nullified by both Thunderbolts goaltender Trevor Gorsuch and the Evansville defensemen, the Bulls pulled Stewart in the final two minutes for one last attempt at tying the game. From almost 200 feet, James Isaacs scored the empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining to seal the 4-2 Evansville victory.
               Kirton scored two goals, while Huffnagle and Isaacs finished with one goal each. Trevor Gorsuch stopped 45 of 47 shots faced for his 3rd win of the season. These two teams meet again on January 13th at Pelham Civic Complex.
MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball fought to the final seconds, but ran out of time in falling to Morehead State University, 84-80, Thursday evening at the Johnson Arena in Morehead, Kentucky. The Screaming Eagles go to 8-8 overall and 1-2 in the OVC, while the Morehead Eagles are 9-7, 2-1 OVC.
Â
USI dominated the first five minutes of the game, building an early 10-point lead, 19-9. Morehead closed the gap quickly within three minutes on a 9-2 surge, 21-18, before USI boosted the lead back to seven with four quick points, 25-18.
Â
The USI Eagles would get the lead back to seven points one more time, 29-22, before a 14-7 Morehead run cut the gap to one point, 37-36, at the intermission.
Â
Morehead continued to build off the late first half run by outscoring USI, 30-17, in the first 12 minutes of the second half to lead by 12 points, 66-54. USI closed the gap to seven-points, 69-62, with 5:20 to play on a steal and dunk by senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio).
Â
After Morehead re-extended the lead to as many as 11 points in the final five minutes, the USI Eagles would try to rally in the final minutes with a 15-9 run, getting to within a bucket, 82-80, with 1.5 seconds left before running out of time in the 84-80 final. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) led USI during the final push with seven of the 15 points.
Â
Individually, USI was led on the scoreboard by the 25-point performance of sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana). Swope, who has averaged 18.5 points per game over the last four games, posted his 25 points on eight of 17 from the field, four-of-eight from long range, and five-of-seven from the stripe.
Â
Swope was followed by three other USI players in double-digits. Graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) was second with 11 points, nine coming on three-point field goals, while senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Hernanez rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points each.
Â
Polakovich grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to lead USI and complete his fifth double-double of the season. The senior forward also has seven double-figure rebound games this season. Â
Â
Next Up For USI:
USI comes home to the friendly surroundings of Screaming Eagles Arena Saturday when it hosts Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a 7:30 p.m. game. The games will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
Â
SIUE saw its record go to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in the OVC after defeating Tennessee State University, 81-72, this evening at home. The Cougars were led by sophomore guard Damarco Minor, who had 18 points in the win.
Â
SIUE sophomore guard Ray’Sean Taylor leads the Cougars for the season with 14.0 points per game.
Â
The USI-SIUE matchup Thursday is the resumption of a series that temporarily ended after the 2007-08 season when the Cougar left the GLVC. SIUE won the last meeting of the two programs in 2007-08, 70-58, but USI had won three of the last four.
Â
USI has split the last 10 meetings with SIUE, but is 15-5 against the Cougars in the last 20 games. The Eagles have the longest winning streak in the series, winning 13-straight games between the 1997-98 and the 2003-04 seasons.
Â
MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball went down to the wire on the road against Morehead State University Thursday evening, battling in a one-point game in the last minute, but the Morehead State Eagles withstood the Screaming Eagles’ late push to take a 64-61 win.
Â
Southern Indiana had three players finish in double figures Thursday, as junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) led all scorers with 18 points on 6-12 shooting. For Raley, she bounced back after being held to four points last Saturday at Eastern Illinois University. Thursday was her first game scoring 15 or more since she posted 20 points in a win at Wright State University on December 17. Raley also added six rebounds on Thursday.
Â
The Screaming Eagles came out of the gates with a strong start in the contest, attacking the paint. USI jumped out to a 10-0 lead through the first four minutes. Senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) and Raley each scored four early points in the fast start for USI.
Â
Following a called timeout, Morehead State responded out of the huddle. With USI ahead 14-5 and 3:47 remaining in the first quarter, Morehead State went on a 7-0 run to narrow the deficit. Southern Indiana carried a 17-15 lead into the second period.
Â
Midway into the second quarter, Southern Indiana pushed the lead back up to five, 25-20, after back-to-back baskets from senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) and sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford.
Â
USI’s defense held Morehead State without a field goal in the last four minutes of the first half, leading to a 31-27 advantage for Southern Indiana at the intermission. Haithcock led all scorers with 10 points at the break, connecting on a jumper near the end of the second quarter.
Â
A minute into the third quarter, Morehead State was able to score six unanswered to flip the scoreboard and take the lead, 33-31. Over the course of the third period, the scoring and lead went back and forth with neither team able to take a stronghold of the momentum.
Â
With the score tied 40-40 at the 2:40 mark, both sides finished the third period without a make from the field. Morehead State grabbed the lead by the end of the quarter after outscoring USI 5-2 from the free-throw line during the last two and a half minutes. Morehead State took a 45-42 lead to the fourth.
Â
Raley made a big three-pointer for USI a minute into the fourth period, connecting from deep straightaway to trim Morehead State’s lead down to 47-45. The Morehead State Eagles responded with two makes from the floor to make the score 51-45 in favor of Morehead State.
Â
As the clock read under four minutes left to play in the fourth, Morehead State led 56-51, but Shafford came through with a basket and the foul for USI to cut the score down to two, 56-54. Then coming down to the final 90 seconds, senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) got a steal that led to a basket by Haithcock to make it a one-point, 61-60 ballgame. However, Morehead State closed out the win by scoring a late layup and a free throw.
Â
Haithcock and Shafford were the other two double-digit scorers for USI Thursday. Haithcock registered 14 points on three makes from the field and an 8-for-8 night at the line. She also had seven rebounds. Shafford recorded 12 points with five boards.
Â
Robbe also had another solid outing, matching a season-high for the fifth time this season with nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 night from the floor. All five nine-point games for Robbe have come in road games. The senior also pulled down five rebounds Thursday.
Â
USI went 20-for-51 for 39 percent from the field in the contest, including two three-pointers made. The Screaming Eagles were frequent visitors to the charity stripe Thursday, going 19-for-25 for 76 percent.
Â
For Morehead State, senior guard Veronica Charles led the Eagles with 12 points, while junior guard Sandra Lin had 11 points and freshman guard Hallie Rhodes had 10 points.
Â
Morehead State was 23-for-57 for 40 percent overall, including five triples. The Eagles were 13-for-25 for 52 percent at the line. Morehead State outrebounded USI 40-31 in the game, claiming 15 offensive rebounds.
Â
