Chuy’s Will Be Opening Soon In Evansville Here’s What to Expect

02/20/2025

By Johnny Kincaid

Chuy’s Tex-Mex Restaurant announced last June that it had purchased the east side O’Charley’s location. While no date has been set for the restaurant’s opening, the Chuy’s website says that it is “opening soon.”

In the spirit of giving you an idea of what to expect, I visited a Chuy’s location in Indianapolis to share a little about the experience. The decor is pretty typical of a themed chain restaurant that spends a lot on decorations. The staff was trained well and attentive, making sure that customer expectations were met.

As expected, tortilla chips and salsa were promptly brought to the table. The chips were light and fresh, and the salsa was spicy and fresh, some of the best I’ve had.

The menu offers an interesting variety of Tex-Mex items, such as “Big As Yo Face” burritos and the “Elvis Presley Memorial Combo.” I chose an enchilada dish called “Chicka-Chicka Boob-Boom,” which features chicken wrapped in a fresh corn tortilla and covered in “Boom-Boom” sauce. It was cheesy, delicious, and pretty spicy.

I asked my server about the spice level of the food. She smiled and said, “Yea, we love our spice.” Chuy’s gets their peppers from Hatch, New Mexico, a place that is legendary for producing flavorful peppers with just the right amount of spice.

If you can’t handle the heat, ask your server about less spicy options.

All in all Chuy’s will be a good edition to the Evansville food scene. I’m looking forward to their opening.

UE Men’s basketball hangs on for road win at Indiana State

02/20/2025

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Men’s basketball hangs on for road win at Indiana State

Pozzato and Comer lift UE to victory

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Gabriel Pozzato and Tayshawn Comer both reached the 20-point mark while Josh Hughes recorded a double-double to push the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 79-74 win over Indiana State on Wednesday evening at the Hulman Center.

With the win, the Purple Aces earned their 8^th Missouri Valley Conference victory, the most for the program since the 2015-16 season. It also ended a 7-game skid for UE against the Sycamores.

“We showed great resilience and maturity tonight. Indiana State has a great program and this is a hard place to win at,” UE head coach David Ragland said following the win. “Our big guys built up confidence early and we were able to get big stops late to finish with the win.”

Pozzato led UE with 22 points while Comer finished with 21. Hughes and Connor Turnbull recorded 15 points apiece. Hughes added a career-high 10 boards on the way to his first double-double.

Picking up right where he left off on Sunday against Valparaiso, Turnbull scored the first two points of the game as the Purple Aces took a 4-0 lead. Josh Hughes added a triple that put UE up 7-3 just over two minutes in. Hughes’ second basket of the evening capped an 11-8 start for the Aces at the 13:43 mark.

Over the next two minutes, Indiana State made its run, scoring the next nine points to go up 17-11. UE regrouped to post the next seven tallies in just over a minute of action to retake an 18-17 edge. Turnbull had the first two baskets during the rally. Just past the halfway mark of the period, the Sycamores found themselves up 19-18.

Evansville took control over the final minutes. Gabriel Pozzato’s first 3-pointer of the game opened a 10-0 run that gave UE a 28-19 lead with 7:22 remaining in the half. Highlighting the stretch was Tayshawn Comer’s pass to Pozzato for an alley oop. ISU cut the deficit to just five at 30-25 inside of the 6-minute mark before the Aces countered once again. Outscoring ISU by a 10-2 margin, UE took its largest lead at 40-27 inside the final four minutes.

Another basket by Hughes matched the 13-point lead in the final minute until a triple in the final seconds cut the ISU deficit to 46-36 at halftime. The Sycamores shot 50% in the half while UE finished at 48.6%. Evansville did its damage in second-chance point, outscoring ISU by a 16-2 margin in the opening stanza.

After ISU knocked down a triple to get within nine, back-to-back field goals by the Aces made it a 13-point game inside of 18 minutes left. The Sycamores chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to 57-51 with 14:18 left in the contest while the Aces countered with four quick points, including a hook shot by Tanner Cuff, to retake the 10-point edge.

With 10:43 left in the game, Indiana State cut the deficit to seven once again and forced an inbound pass by the Aces with two seconds left on the shot clock. Turnbull hit a 3-pointer that put his squad back up by double figures. The lead for UE hovered between 7 and 12 points as UE held a 72-60 lead with 6:17 remaining.

A furious rally by the Sycamores saw them score 11 in a row and 14 of the next 16 to tie the game at 74-74 with just over a minute left. Comer got UE back on track with a layup while a Pozzato dunk in the final seconds put the finishing touches on the 79-74 victory.

Leading the way for ISU was Jaden Daughtry who scored a game-high 23 points. Shooting 52% in the second half, UE finished the game at 49.2% with ISU shooting 43.1%. The Aces also had a 36-31 edge on the glass. UE remains on the road for a 2 p.m. game at UIC on Saturday in Chicago.

-www.GoPurpleAces.com-

Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report

02/20/2025

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Click here to see the latest food inspection reports. Provided by Vanderburgh County Health Department.

100 Guys Who Care Meet Tonight

02/20/2025

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You are invited to join 100 Guys Who Care at our Q1 Quarterly Meeting! We are looking forward to another awesome meeting. Bring a friend and share our great mission of giving back to our local community.

When:
February 20th, 2025
5:30 – 8:00 PM

Where:
Evansville Country Club
3810 Stringtown Rd
Evansville, IN

Please consider donating to one of the nominated Not for Profits should you not be able to make the meeting.

Their websites are linked below:

UE Softball announces weekend changes

02/20/2025

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Softball announces weekend changes

Aces to play Saint Louis on Thursday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the snow that moved through the area on Tuesday along with the cold weather forecasted for the weekend, changes have been announced to the weekend schedule for the University of Evansville softball team.

No games will be played at home on Friday or Saturday. UE will now travel to Peoria, Ill. for a Thursday doubleheader against Saint Louis. The Louisville Slugger Dome will be the host for the two contests with games set to be played at 9 and 11 a.m.

The Purple Aces are finalizing home games on Sunday and Monday at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. Those details will be released soon.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

02/20/2025

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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’s Austin collects another weekly honor

02/19/2025

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USI’s Austin collects another weekly honor

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana freshman Hadessah Austin was named Ohio Valley Conference Female co-Track Athlete of the Week in an announcement by the league office Wednesday afternoon.

This is the second time Austin has been honored with an OVC weekly honor after earning OVC Freshman of the Week on February 5.

Austin obliterated the former USI freshmen record in the 5,000 meters with her OVC-best time of 16 minutes, 28.57 seconds at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational Saturday in Boston, Massachusetts. She was less than a second off the all-time indoor school record, which was set by Jennifer Comastri (16:27.76) at the 2021 NCAA II Indoor Championships.

Senior Cameron Hough had the previous freshmen records in both the 3,000 and the 5,000 meters, but Austin’s performance at the Lenny Lyles Invite set a new indoor 3k freshman record, while her effort in the 5,000 meters Saturday was nearly 30 seconds faster than Hough’s previous mark (16:55.89).

Austin joins fellow classmate Abrielle Richard in earning OVC Track Athlete of the Week honors. Richard earned the award along with OVC Freshman of the Week accolades last Wednesday.

A native of Attica, Indiana, and a Seeger High School graduate, Austin now ranks first in the OVC in both the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters.

The Screaming Eagles return to action February 25-26 when they compete at the OVC Indoor Championships at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion in Indianapolis.

THUNDERBOLTS TRAVEL TO PENSACOLA FOR WEEKEND TRIPLEHEADER

02/19/2025

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THUNDERBOLTS TRAVEL TO PENSACOLA FOR WEEKEND TRIPLEHEADER

Evansville, In.: With four points secured following clutch home victories over Quad City and Peoria at Ford Center, the Thunderbolts will look to continue their strong play on the road against the Ice Flyers in Pensacola this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Week In Review:

Evansville built up a 2-0 lead on Friday against Quad City with goals from Tyson Gilmour and Brady Lynn before the Storm rallied to tie the game 2-2 early in the third period. Another goal for Gilmour with 7 minutes remaining proved to be the game-winner for Evansville in a 3-2 regulation win, the late regulation tiebreaker also denying positional rival Quad City a single point that would have been gained with overtime. Despite not scoring first on Sunday, goals from Gilmour and Cameron MacPhee gave Evansville a 2-1 lead over Peoria. Tied 2-2 again early in the third period, clutch goals from captain Matthew Hobbs and Isaac Chapman gave Evansville a 4-2 lead which stuck for the Thunderbolts’ victory and weekend sweep.

The Week Ahead:

The Thunderbolts will be on the road for games at Pensacola this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday and Saturday’s games will both begin at 7:05pm CT, while Sunday’s game begins at 4:05pm CT. Fans can watch the action live on FloHockey with a paid subscription or can listen for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. There will also be away game watch parties at Parkway Pizza on Evansville’s West Side.

Coming Soon:

Next Friday, February 28th, the Thunderbolts will host the Quad City Storm for Superhero Night, featuring specialty Superman game-worn jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, with replica jerseys also available at the Thunderbolts merchandise stand, and there will also be a superhero costume contest. Saturday, March 1st will be Pucks and Paws Night, also against Quad City, where fans can bring their dogs to the game for only an additional $5 per dog. Dog races will be held on the ice during the first intermission. Crypto the Evansville Airport Dog will be handing out fire hydrant doggy bags for the first 100 dogs in attendance, and dogs will be available for adoption in the lobby. Fans can purchase dog tickets and sign up their dogs for races at this link: http://bit.ly/3WQHoWE

Scouting the Opponent:

Pensacola Ice Flyers:
- Record: 14-22-6, 34 Points, 10th Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Cayden Cahill (14 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Ivan Bondarenko (30 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Brody Claeys (10-13-4, .903 Save %)
- Thunderbolts Record vs PEN: 1-1

The Ice Flyers began their weekend in Birmingham with a 3-2 overtime loss on Friday, initially leading 2-1 with goals from Eimantas Noreika and Cayden Cahill before the Bulls rallied to tie the game and win in overtime. Pensacola flipped the script on Saturday, with Noreika scoring first, and Blake Tosto scoring in the third period to force overtime, where Cale List scored the winning goal for Pensacola.

Call-up Report

– Lincoln Hatten (Worcester Railers – ECHL)

– 44 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 P, 43 PIM

– Benjamin Lindberg (Worcester Railers, prev. Adirondack – ECHL)

– 15 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, 17 PIM

– Anthony Hora (Worcester Railers – ECHL)

– 11 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 2 PIM

– Ty Taylor (Orlando Solar Bears – ECHL)

– 1 GP, 1-0-0, .923 SV%

Transactions:

Wed. 2/19: D Jake Jurgeneit signed to contract

Wed. 2/19: D Robin Eriksson placed on waivers

Fri. 2/14: F Tyson Gilmour returned from call-up to Maine (ECHL)

Fri. 2/14: F Jordan Simoneau placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve

Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2024-25 season. Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL. The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

IU’s Peplowski Ties Big Ten Record on Relay Day

02/19/2025

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Peplowski Ties Big Ten Record on Relay Day

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana swimming and diving kicked off its Big Ten Championships title defense with a conference record and a silver-medal relay performance Wednesday (Feb. 19) night inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of the Ohio State University.

Indiana sits second in the team standings after two events and the first of four days of conference championship competition.

“Solid start to the competition, but we have six important sessions to go,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Preliminaries will be key.”

Senior Anna Peplowski led off IU’s 800 freestyle relay with a 200 free split of 1:40.69, matching Michigan’s Siobhan Haughey’s Big Ten record swim from the 2018 Championships to rank tied-for-ninth all-time. Peplowski’s swim also shattered Haughey’s meet record from 2019 and beat her own program record by 28 tenths. Only Gretchen Walsh’s 1:39.34 is faster this season.

Peplowski will swim the 200 free again Friday, looking to defend her Big Ten title in the event.

Despite almost matching its winning time from the 2024 championships (6:55.45), the Hoosiers finished fourth in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a 6:55.53. Sophomores Miranda Grana (1:43.68) and Reese Tiltmann (1:45.50) and junior Kristina Paegle (1:45.66) followed Peplowski’s leadoff.

Indiana finished just a tenth off the winning time in the 200-yard medley relay, settling for silver in 1:34.52. The quartet of seniors Kacey McKenna (23.63) and Brearna Crawford (26.86), Grana (22.70) and Paegle (21.33) dropped the program’s fastest time since 2018 and No. 2 all-time performance.

TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 128

Indiana – 108
Ohio State – 106
USC – 106
Wisconsin – 104
Minnesota – 92
Northwestern – 92
Nebraska – 76
Purdue – 74
Illinois – 72
Penn State – 64
Iowa – 56
Rutgers – 56
UCLA – 48
RESULTS
200 MEDLEY RELAY
2. Kacey McKenna, Brearna Crawford, Miranda Grana, Kristina Paegle – 1:34.52 (NCAA A Cut)

800 FREESTYLE RELAY
4. Anna Peplowski, Ella Ristic, Ching Hwee Gan, Kristina Paegle – 6:55.53 (NCAA A Cut)

Anna Peplowski (leadoff) – 1:40.69 (Big Ten Record, Championship Record, Program Record, NCAA A Cut)

UP NEXT
The 2025 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships resume Thursday for day two, the first full day of action. Athletes will compete in the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter dive and 400 medley relay, with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Finals are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

JJ AND HIS FRIENDS TO COME TO LIFE IN BRAND-NEW ONSTAGE SHOW, COCOMELON: SING-A-LONG LIVE

02/19/2025

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Sing, Move and Groove with International sensation CoComelon! New Tour Beginning Spring 2025 across North America, with Special Stop in Evansville at the Victory Theatre on June 25^th!

Tickets on sale Friday, February 21^st via https://bit.ly/Cocomelon_VictoryTickets

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – Round Room Live and Moonbug Entertainment today announced that their brand new show, CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE, will start its North American tour this Spring, with a stop in Evansville on June 25^th! This all new production, featuring the much loved characters of global phenomenon “CoComelon,” brings JJ, Cody, Nina and their friends from the beloved sensation to life in a never-before-seen show that will have families of all ages moving and grooving to the beat!

Tickets for CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE will go on-sale Friday, February 21^st, with pre-sales beginning today, Tuesday, February 18^th. For tickets and additional information, visit https://bit.ly/Cocomelon_VictoryTickets

CoComelon’s favorite teacher Ms. Appleberry welcomes JJ, his friends and YOU to come along on a Melon Patch Musical field trip! In CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE, dance and sing along with JJ, Nina, Cody, Cece and all of their friends to some of your favorite bops, including “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “Wheels on the Bus,” “Animal Dance,” “Head Shoulders Knees

and Toes,” “Freeze Dance,” and many more! Jam with the fam and dance every chance you get in this new musical journey, coming to a city near you!

“We are thrilled to embark on the North American tour of CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE, bringing this beloved brand to audiences across the U.S. and Canada,” said Stephen Shaw, Founder and Co-President of Round Room Live. “This tour continues our valued partnership with Moonbug Entertainment and will delight families worldwide by bringing Moonbug’s engaging content to life. As the leading producer of family entertainment, we are proud to create interactive and memorable experiences that families can cherish forever.”

“Singing and dancing along to CoComelon tunes is a huge part of why families love to watch CoComelon together,” said Susan Vargo, Head of Experiences, Moonbug Entertainment. “It’s exciting to bring this experience to life in a joyful event families won’t want to miss. After its success around the world, we’re delighted to share this experience with families in the U.S. and Canada.”

CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE premiered in South Africa in November 2024, with stops in Capetown, Johannesburg, Durban and Dubai throughout November and December 2024. In addition to the US and Canada, the tour will visit many more new countries in 2025.

CoComelon follows JJ, his siblings, and friends on adventures that teach life skills through music. Created with child development experts, CoComelon is a global kids’ entertainment phenomenon, captivating audiences in over 80 countries with more than 4 billion monthly views on platforms like Netflix and YouTube. Available in more than 20 languages, it features hit spin-offs like CoComelon Classroom, Cody Time, JJ’s Animal Time, and Netflix’s CoComelon Lane. Since joining Moonbug Entertainment in 2020, the franchise has expanded into consumer products, streaming music, games, and live entertainment—bringing joy to families everywhere!