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MESSAGE FROM CEO OF “VISIT EVANSVILLE”
Auxiliary Specialty Crop Funding Announcement
In August of 2021, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture(ISDA) announced that Indiana received additional grant funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program which is allocated through the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Marketing Service (USDA-AMS). This funding was to provide additional specialty crop grants to address COVID-19 impacts to the food system through congressional COVID-19 stimulus funding via House Bill 133. ISDA announces today that the special COVID-19 funded specialty crop block grant projects totaled $594,037.24 and have been allocated to four projects.
“I commend our federal delegation for recognizing the impact COVID-19 had on our farmers and producers and for setting aside additional funding for specialty crop growers,†said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Couch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “These four projects awarded are sure to make great strides with this funding, and I look forward to seeing their visions, programs and marketing expertise come to life.â€
This round of specialty crop block grant funding was in addition to the annual specialty crop block grant funding provided from USDA-AMS. Specialty crops for Indiana are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops.
“Our department is proud to administer and support these specialty crop projects through the generous funding of our congressional leaders,†said Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “Specialty crops are a vital piece of our agriculture industry in Indiana, and we were excited to see so many unique projects apply this funding round. Congratulations to each of the selected projects, I look forward to working with you all.â€
Specialty Crop Block Grants are available to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, governments, public or private colleges and universities for up to a three-year project term and will fund specialty crop research, education and market development. To qualify, projects must aim to benefit the industry as a whole, rather than one product, individual or organization. Applications undergo a competitive scoring process, including review by an external scoring committee.
Some of the projects awarded for this additional funding cycle include ready to eat food research and development, a youth mentorship program, a community garden and funding for past military service men and women to produce and market honey.
The following list includes the organizations that received funding for the special COVID-19 stimulus funding:
National Young Farmer’s Coalition: Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition Specialty Crop Mentorship Program
Award: $128,031.98
Project: The Hoosier Chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition will create a statewide mentorship program to connect experienced specialty crop farmers with beginning and under-represented farmers. Their mentorship program pairs mentors and mentees to learn, share knowledge and build community with other specialty crop growers. The 10-week program starts with an on-farm kick-off event. Farmers will meet their mentor/mentee and build connections with their fellow mentors and mentees. Over the next ten weeks, each mentor/mentee pair will visit each other’s farms and communicate weekly as they work through a specialty crop grower mentorship handbook. The 10 mentor/mentee pairs will gather one last time at a wrap up gathering to share what they’ve learned from one another and what new skills and ideas they plan to implement on their farms in the coming year.
Wild Pansy Farm: Snacks, Dips, and Salsas: Ready-to-Eat Veggies from Beginning Farmers’
Award: $151,936.10
Project: Â Wild Pansy Farm will create a Southern Indiana brand for ready-to-eat foods, derived from local specialty crops. During the project period, Wild Pansy Farm will coordinate with area regenerative farmers to create a line of locally sourced value-added products, such as sauces and dips, to be sold in Southern Indiana grocery stores. The success of this project will demonstrate the viability for future investment in a local vegetable processing facility, and the ability of such a business to rely on local farms to meet their production needs.
Flanner House: Building Equitable Local Food Systems and Increasing Access to Healthy Food and Neighborhood Ownership
Award: $182,443.40
Project: Flanner House of Indianapolis is a 123 year old social services agency located in NW Indianapolis. They operate a community center with a nonprofit farm and food hub that addresses identified needs of the surrounding distressed community by providing sustainable, local food products to a range of buyers; building markets for local food; building a local food ecosystem; and creating family-sustaining jobs in the process. Flanner House needs access to three important tools: increased capacity, knowledge and capital. To close gaps in our value chain, we will drive local- to-regional connections and scale our current food production. With this funding Flanner House will grow specialty crops in three greenhouses in the Northwest Neighborhood of Indianapolis. They plan to grow collard greens, mustard greens, salad greens and heritage and heirloom tomatoes. They will purchase hydroponic and aquaponic systems to allow them to plant, produce and maintain the crops year-round. The SCBG funding will be utilized to purchase the equipment and curriculum for training individuals to grow the specialty crops for residents and customers for healthy living. Funding will be applied to necessary infrastructure for selling and distribution farm produce, including a Wash-Pack Station, Greenhouse Technology and Workforce Training in Emerging Greenhouse Technologies.
At Ease Orchard: Specialty Crop Block Grant
Award: $131,625.76
Project: At Ease Orchard is a nonprofit 501C3 that supports equipping, training and marketing assistance for veterans, military, first responders and their family in order for them to produce and market honey. This grant will focus on supporting beneficiary beekeepers that were impacted by lack of hands-on training due to COVID-19 and will highlight the safe production of honey for sale in the market.  During the pandemic At Ease Orchard outfitted 11 beneficiaries with bees, equipment and virtual training. This grant will provide hands on visits, additional training, add beneficiaries, refresh honeybees that were lost due to lack of training and grow better beekeepers. The desired outcome is over 40 beneficiaries capable of producing a regular supply of honey who then sell their product through farmers markets or military commissaries. Military Deli and Bakery Services INC has agreed to provide a venue for At Ease Orchard beekeepers to sell their honey at some of the 103 commissaries they support. With 11 beneficiaries already established this 2022 season, we anticipate a large opportunity for sales in 2023 and beyond. But those beneficiaries will need classes in beekeeping, harvesting honey, equipment for harvesting and food safety training.
THUNDERBOLTS HOST QUAD CITY FOR SATURDAY’S CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS NIGHT
Evansville, In.: Following a close 4-2 loss on Teddy Bear Toss Night against the Vermilion County Bobcats this past Saturday, the 2nd Place-Thunderbolts take to the Ford Center ice again this Saturday for thier Charlie Brown Christmas Night game against the Quad City Storm.
Week In Review:Â
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               The Thunderbolts fell 4-2 to the Vermilion County Bobcats on Saturday, with Scott Kirton and Felix Sasser scoring Evansville’s goals. Kirton’s goal that put Evansville on the board in the first period also began the Teddy Bear Toss, as nearly 2,000 stuffed animals made their way to the Ford Center ice from the fans in the stands, and many have already been delivered to local children’s charities this week.
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The Week Ahead:Â
The Thunderbolts host the Quad City Storm this Saturday, December 17th at Ford Center, starting at 7:00pm CT. Saturday’s game will be Charlie Brown Christmas Night, featuring specialty jerseys that will be worn by the Thunderbolts in the game and auctioned off immediately following the contest, with A Charlie Brown Christmas being played on the jumbotron during the auction for kids to enjoy.  Santa Claus will also be available in the lobby prior to the game and will be on hand for pictures as well as a book reading of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Fans can also bring a new toy for our Toy Drive for foster children in need.  For tickets, call (812) 422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in-person at the Ford Center Ticket Office.
Scouting the Opponent:Â
Quad City Storm:Â
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- Record: 9-7-1, 19 Points, 6th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Michael Moran (10 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Michael Moran (14 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Bailey Brkin (4-3-1, .929 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs QCS: 2-2-0
      The Storm were swept in their doubleheader at home against Knoxville this past weekend, starting with a 6-5 overtime loss on Friday. The Storm led three times in the game, with Mathias Ahman and Patrick Gazich starting an early 2-0 lead, goals from Logan Nelson and Michael Moran that briefly gave the Storm a 4-3 lead in the second period, and another goal from Nelson that gave the Storm a brief 5-4 lead in the third period, before the Ice Bears tied the game late in regulation and won the game in overtime. The Storm lost 3-1 in the rematch on Saturday with the lone goal from Moran, which also gave the Storm a 1-0 lead before the Ice Bears scored three unanswered goals the rest of the way. In goal, Bailey Brkin stopped 32 of 38 shots on Friday, while Kevin Resop stopped 21 of 23 shots on Saturday. The Storm play in Peoria this Thursday and Friday before traveling to Evansville on Saturday.
 Call-up ReportÂ
          – Chase Perry (Greenville Swamp Rabbits – ECHL)
                 – 2 GP, 1-0-1, 1.93 GAA, .944 Save %
               – Matthew Barron (Indy Fuel – ECHL)
                 – 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM
Transactions:Â Â Â Â
Wed. 12/14: D Kyle Thacker acquired from Quad City in exchange for future considerations
Tue. 12/13: RW Matthew Barron called up to Indy (ECHL)
Tue. 12/13: D James Isaacs signed to contract
Tue. 12/13: D Roshen Jaswal traded to Vermilion County in exchange for future considerations
Sat. 12/10: D Alexis Girard placed on waivers
Sat. 12/10: RW Fredrik Wink activated from Injured Reserve
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
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.
Eagles Add Five for 2024
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball announces the signings of catchers Logan Mock and Conner Anglin, pitchers Braden Watts and Abdriel Figueroa, and infielder Yahir Fonseca.
Mock will transfer to USI from San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton, California). Mock also played his high school baseball at Granada High School (Livermore, California). Last season at Delta College, Mock hit for a .412 average while having a .524 on-base percentage and a .412 slugging percentage. While attending Granada, Mock was named Team MVP on two occasions, 2018 and 2021, was named an All-EBAL Honorable Mention at catcher in 2019, and earned All-EBAL First Team Catcher honors in 2021. Mock was also a four-year honor roll awardee in the classroom.
“Logan is catching for one of the best juco teams in California,” said USI Baseball Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. “He is a good catch and throw guy that has handled the bat well during his juco career. We are excited to get him at USI and will be a nice addition to our roster.”
Anglin is a senior at Tecumseh High School (Lynnville, Indiana) where he has lettered in both football and baseball. The 2022 PAC First Team All-Conference Utility Player goes into his final year of high school ball after hitting for a .489 average, 29 RBI, six doubles, three triples, and three homeruns his junior year. Anglin and the Tecumseh Braves were also 2022 IHSAA Class A State Runner Ups after falling to Lafayette Central Catholic in the final. He plays club ball for the 18u Evansville Leathernecks.
“Conner is a tremendous competitor that has had a great high school career in baseball and football,” said Archuleta. “Conner is very athletic and has shown much improvement over his high school career. Looking forward to watching him develop into a great college player.”
Watts is a senior at Austin High School (Austin, Indiana) where he lettered in baseball, basketball, and cross country. While having very successful 2019 and 2022 seasons with the cross-country team, Watts was also named a 2021 All Mid-Southern Conference player and was invited to play in the IHSBCA Futures Game in both 2021 and 2022. During his junior season, Watts recorded a 2.1 earned run average for Austin while posting a .312 average and 2.9 earned run average for his travel ball team, Demand Command. Watts has excelled in the classroom as well, being a part of the National Honor Society as well as being named 2022 Cross Country Academic All-State, an IASP Rising Stars of Indiana Class of 2023, and earning national recognition for his SAT performance while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“Brady has made some big strides on the mound and can really spin it,” commented Archuleta. “We are looking forward to helping him develop his game and be a contributor to our program.”
Figueroa comes to USI from Yauco, Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School. While at the academy, Figueroa earned high honors academically.
“Abdriel has a very quick arm and has the potential to be a power arm for us,” said Archuleta. “He has played against great competition and been around some great coaches at the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and High School.”
Fonseca comes to USI from the International Baseball Academy and High School (IBAHS) where he was a part of championship teams at the Prospect Wire Championships and the Perfect Game Championships. Fonseca also was part of the Championship Team in the Baseball Academy Tournament in 2022.
“Yahir is a 6’3′ 185 lbs. infielder with an athletic build that his body projects well,” commented Archuleta. “He has great arm strength with good actions on the infield. Yahir has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order bat for us. IBAHS has done a great job helping Yahir improve his skills.”
The Screaming Eagles open their first season at the NCAA Division I level and as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference on February 17 when they take on Western Illinois University in Millington, Tennessee. USI will play their first home game on February 24 as they host long-time rival Bellarmine University. The Eagles open OVC play on March 24 when they host Morehead State University.
HOT JOBS
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No. 6 Trailblazers fall in Top-10 Region 24 road showdown with No. 8 John A. Logan
CARTERVILLE, Ill. – The No. 6-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers fell for the first time this season Wednesday night on the road in an NJCAA Division I matchup with No. 8 John A. Logan College 80-64.
The traveling Trailblazers got off to a quick start Wednesday night, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the game.
The Volunteers wasted little time answering back, evening the score at 10-10 and building a 31-19 lead in the first half of play.
John A. Logan continued to put the pressure on, using a 13-3 scoring run to close out the first half and take a 44-27 lead into the break.
The Vols stayed hot out of the halftime break, beginning the second half on a 12-2 run to build a 27-point lead.
John A. Logan grabbed their largest lead of the game midway through the second half at 65-37.
Vincennes slowly began to chip away at this big lead, outscoring the Volunteers 27-15 the rest of the way, but were unable to overcome the large deficit as VU takes their first loss of the season by the final score of 80-64.
“Obviously we didn’t play very well,†VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. “Congratulations to John A. Logan. They played well and played about like I thought they would play. We just didn’t match the level that we had to. I thought we could have but we didn’t. I thought our defense in the first half was abysmal and I’ve got to get it changed. We’ve got guys that don’t do what I say. They are not attempting to do it the way that we teach it and that’s just unacceptable. I’ve fought it and battled it here for a little while, we’ve been winning and you really don’t have anybody that steps up and says ‘Coach, I’ll do it’. So you keep going on the merry-go-round but you can’t find anybody that will do it and that’s a problem. It’s a problem that we will continue to have until we find those that will.â€
“If you watch the last 10-12 minutes, the reason we were able to come back was because obviously they are going to let off the gas a little bit, but also the big thing was that we put Ryan in and Ryan tried to fight over the screen,†Franklin added. “It’s simple. He tried to press up and fight the screen and made it competitive. Everybody else wanted to back-pedal, turn into it, run into it, all of that mess that doesn’t work and it’s not the way we do it. It’s not the way we’ve done it for 25 to 30 years.â€
“If you watch the first half and early part of the second half, there’s a reason why we don’t do that,†Franklin said. “If any of the guys that have played for me in the past sat there and watched that, they would say ‘what are they doing’. But that’s what we’ve done all season and now guys on the other end are calling out numbers of our guys. I’ve been telling our guys that the scouting report on us is going to say go right at you because these other coaches know that you are not doing what I teach. That’s what happened tonight. They were calling out our guys and saying go right at him and at that point, if you don’t do it, I don’t know what to tell you. We’ve got to find somebody else. That’s going to be the key. We’ve got to find those that are going to be all about it. True believers. I don’t know why you wouldn’t be and just get tough-minded about doing it and play those guys. But those guys have to present themselves and the other guys, if they are not, then we are past the point.â€
“There has got to be a change,†Franklin added. “But you are at the mercy of ‘does somebody really want to be out here that bad’. Right now I’m having a hard time finding someone that wants to be out there that bad. They just go out there and do the exact same thing, the exact same way. We’ve got to get guys to go in and work harder. We could get the ball where we wanted to tonight, that wasn’t an issue, but we have to be strong enough, tough enough to finish it. That all comes back to that toughness and total buy in kind of stuff. We looked like a team that was on the road tonight and wasn’t hard-edged enough and disciplined enough to win a big-time game on the road.â€
Vincennes was led offensively by sophomore Tasos Cook (Columbus, Ohio) who finished with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) found himself in double-figures yet again with 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Freshman Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) ended his night with nine points and five rebounds, while fellow freshman Ryan Oliver (Nashville, Tenn.) came off the bench late in the second half to add seven points and two rebounds.
“I thought Ryan gave us some stuff at the end,†Franklin said. “He’s learning. He’s still not there. He’s a guy that we reached down the bench and gave us something. I thought Devawn, in the first half, gave us something of an effort level. He turned into it and scored over some people in the post. He’s about 6-2, 6-3 and that wasn’t a problem, if guys are strong enough and tough enough to do it.â€
“Tasos had to stay out there because we just didn’t have a better option,†Franklin added. “John A. Logan was just staying out on the wings and they were giving you the drive to the basket. The guy on the ball wasn’t really stopping the ball. But in the first half, we had a hard time understanding that the point guard is supposed to run all the way back to the lane on defense, so they don’t throw one over our head. That’s been since day one and they had three of those tonight and our point guard was standing at half court. So obviously we have not bought in to the things that we do, because that’s a pretty simple job and everybody knows that job.â€
“I’m obviously not going to be in a good mood, I’m not in a good mood because I’m tired of talking,†Franklin said. “I’m tired of saying what I know to be right. I’ve won a lot of games and I have a pretty good idea and I know exactly why our guy is getting beat the way that he is. And yet, we’ve expressed that and talked about, we still choose that. So that’s my fault because I haven’t been able to get that across the way that I need to. But rest assured I’ll be trying to.â€
“But everybody here and all of the guys that play for us need to understand something and I said this to them in the locker room, they better tune out every other opinion,†Franklin added. “Every other opinion and they better bite down and come out here and start doing what I want done, the way I want it done. Because if not, then I’m going to search until I find other guys and they will never play. But even if they play, they are going to get their butt kicked if they choose this other way of playing. That’s what disappoints me. It’s not getting beat, if you do this you are going to get beat. But it disappoints me because we’ve been very clear and tonight it wasn’t complicated. This wasn’t something complex of something being run that we didn’t know. We didn’t fight the fight the way that we were told to fight the fight. If anybody has been at practice or has come around every day, they would know that. That’s where my disappointment is. It’s almost as if rather than working and doing that, we would rather just come out here and get beat like that. That kind of guy is not somebody that is a part of our family. There are no more summit meetings because we are going to have to do what I say because I’ve won these games. A lot. So, I may be the one person in that locker room that knows how.â€
The Trailblazers will look to close out the week on a high note as Vincennes returns home to the Physical Education Complex for a Region 24 showdown with Lake Land College Saturday, Dec. 17. Tip-off time is set for 4 p.m. eastern.
“Record-wise, situation-wise we are fine,†Franklin said. “But we’ve got to get buy in. 14-1 is fine. 4-1 in the Region is fine. We’ve played at Olney. We’ve played at Kaskaskia and we’ve played at Logan. Then we are going to get Lincoln Trail and SWIC, those are five of the top teams in our Region on the road this first rotation through the schedule. We knew that and we’ve managed to win two of the three road games so far. These teams are all going to have to come back to us in the second half of the year. But we’ve to get to playing right so we have a chance to beat Lake Land and we have to get playing right so when we get back from break, we have a chance to go to Lincoln Trail and SWIC and then make them all come back to us.â€
“The big thing, whether we win or we lose, is are we playing right,†Franklin added. “And we didn’t play right tonight. I don’t think we’ve been working right. I don’t think we’ve been buying in right. That’s been hidden by a lot of wins. They have said that they want to, but we’ll find out if they want to. Because if you want to then I don’t know why you are not. Because on top of everything else, what I said would happen to you if you didn’t did and has been. You get beat exactly the same way we say you are going to get beat every time. If you want to be good, there’s no reason not to buy into what we are saying. That’s the biggest thing right now. Situation wise, record wise, where we are in the Region race, all of those types of things, we are fine. We are in good shape. But we’ll be in good shape as a team when we get a hardcore group that has bought in. That’s what we are going to find out if we can get or not. That’s my job and I’ll see if I can’t get it done.â€
Lady Blazers pick up road Region 24 win with big first half scoring run
CARTERVILLE, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers picked up a strong Region 24 road victory Wednesday night at John A. Logan College, defeating the host Lady Vols 81-62.
VU grabbed a big 31-point halftime lead over the Volunteers behind a 24-0 second quarter scoring run.
The Lady Blazers got off to a slow start, falling behind by five early in the first quarter, before battling back to end the first 10 minutes of play with a 17-16 lead.
Vincennes opened the second quarter with a bang on back-to-back three pointers by sophomore guards Kennadi Harris (Columbus, Ohio) and Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.).
VU would really put the pedal down to close out the first half as the Lady Blazers scored 24 unanswered points to take a 51-20 lead into the locker room at the break.
Vincennes held the Lady Vols to just four points in the second quarter and outscored John A. Logan an outstanding 34-4 in the second quarter of play.
VU continued to add to their lead in the third quarter while also looking to run as much time off the clock as possible.
The Lady Blazers picked up their largest lead of the game at 32 points before John A. Logan closed out the quarter on a 7-1 scoring run to trail 66-40 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
John A. Logan looked to complete a miracle comeback in the fourth quarter, using a 10-0 scoring run to get within 16 of the Blazers, but were ultimately unable to get any closer as VU closed out their third Region 24 win of the season by the final score of 81-62.
Vincennes was again playing short-handed Wednesday night with Hall of Fame Head Coach Harry Meeks using all eight players at his disposal against the Lady Vols.
Sophomore Nyre Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the lead Blazers, nearly finishing with a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) finished with 15 points and team-high’s six assists and four steals, to go along with seven rebounds.
Sophomore Cherrelle Newsom ended her night with 12 points, three assists and a pair of steals.
Sophomore guards Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) and Kennadi Harris closed out the VU starting lineup and double-figure scorers, finishing with 10 points each.
Thornton also picked up four steals and three assists, while Harris added five rebounds.
Freshman Brie Miller (Greencastle, Ind.) came off the bench to add seven points and nine rebounds, while also coming away with three steals defensively.
The Lady Blazers will look to continue this hot streak into the weekend when VU hits the road again, traveling to Champaign, Ill. to take on Parkland College Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. eastern.
