The Storm Prediction Center says there’s an enhanced risk for widespread severe weather and tornadoes on Sunday. Some storms may produce very large hail as big as golf balls.
Strong tornadoes and 75mph straight-line winds will also be possible.
The storms are likely to fire up on Sunday afternoon
CenterPoint Energy is actively monitoring severe weather threat.
CenterPoint Energy is closely monitoring weather forecasts and preparing for potential storm impacts in southwestern Indiana. According to the National Weather Service, there is potential for severe weather beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing into Sunday night. The forecast calls for numerous showers and thunderstorms, with the possibility of large hail, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes and heavy rainfall that could lead to localized flooding.
“We are closely watching the evolving forecast and taking the necessary precautions,” said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint’s Vice President, Indiana Electric. “Our teams are focused on readying our operations so we can respond quickly and safely if outages occur.”
As part of its preparations, CenterPoint is taking steps to enhance its readiness and support restoration efforts, including:
· Monitoring internal weather forecasts, along with reports from the National Weather Service and local weather outlets
· Taking inventory of materials and readying equipment to support potential system repairs
· Evaluating timing and initial plans for mobilizing crews and resources based on forecasts
CenterPoint encourages customers to take steps to prepare for severe weather:
· Stay informed: Monitor local weather updates and alerts from the National Weather Service. Follow CenterPoint on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
· Downed power line safety: Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and report them by calling 800-227-1376.
· Prepare an emergency kit: Keep flashlights, batteries, water, medications and a battery-powered phone charger ready.
YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE (JOHN 8:32)
Jesus was born in Palestine and did much of his teaching there about 2,000 years ago.
The words Jesus spoke were so offensive to the chief Jewish scribes and priests they called upon the Romans to crucify him even though he had committed no crime except, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place” (Luke 23:5). Actually he was just calling for peace and justice.
The Chief Pharisee, Joseph Caiaphas, and his ruling Judaic council charged Jesus with
heresy and asked the Romans to try him. The Roman rulers, Pontius Pilate and King Herod,
could find no fault in his behavior and planned to release him. Pilate then called together the chief priests and the religious rulers and the populace, to tell them Jesus would be released. “But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified” (Luke 22:6-25). So, Jesus was crucified for expressing views those in power in the Sanhedrin found offensive.
Those eye witness accounts as reported in the Bible come from the famous authors of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all of whom were Jewish. Ergo, the knee jerk response of contemporary society and Trump’s White House that they were being anti semitic would lie fallow.
The Romans, much like those today in American academia who caved to the financial
threats from the Trump Administration, just washed their hands of the matter (Matthew 27:11-26). However, the shame of shirking the most sacred duty of a college, that is, preserving the free flow of ideas, cannot be so easily cleansed.
Another Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, who advocates in America today for peace
and justice in Palestine and Israel has not been charged with any crime, but is currently
imprisoned in America for exercising his First Amendment right to free speech, principally
during his tenure at Columbia University. He was arrested by the power of President Donald Trump’s Executive Branch that disagrees with Khalil’s calls for peace in Gaza and an end to the slaughter by the Zionists of over 50,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians. Khalil’s peaceful support for the resistance of the Palestinian people from 1948 until now to the military actions and occupations by Israel in Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Yemen is at odds with the positions of the Trump and Zionist Israeli administrations.
The myopic view of Israel’s Zionistic actions over the past seventy-seven years is
reminiscent of lessons from Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale, The Emperor’s New
Clothes. Just as a narcissistic ruler is conned into parading naked before an adoring crowd until an innocent child exposes his vanity, Presidents Biden and Trump find no fault with the Zionists in Israel. That is the very purpose of the First Amendment, to expose the truth.
When our government will brook no dissent nor even consider opposing views, great
harm and even greater injustice may occur. Protests and free speech in a non-violent academic atmosphere are vital to preserving our democracy. Just as our Founders feared, a silenced majority leads to tyranny from a minority.
Many Jewish people at Columbia University, and in much of the rest of the world, agree
with Khalil or, at a minimum, believe he has the right to peaceably, publicly express his views.
In America, Free Speech is not anti-semitic or pro-Palestinian; it is an essential element to
preserving our democracy. As the Jewish and Roman rulers of 2,000 years ago discovered,
power abused can lead to rights denied and even a country being destroyed. 1948 might have been a new beginning for Israel, but it may not survive the Zionist dream of total conquest of its neighbors in the Middle East while being abetted by our government, much of the media and academia.
The First Amendment to our Constitution is first because our Founders knew it is vital to
democracy. When our institutions sell their principles for money or succumb to fear of speaking the truth because they may be branded anti-semitic, we may eventually reap the whirlwind, perhaps even a nuclear one.
Education bill targets social-emotional learning and teaching of cultural competency
By Anna Cecil, TheStatehouseFile.com
During Wednesday’s Senate Education and Career Development Committee meeting, senators from both sides of the aisle proposed amendments to the now approximately 135-page education legislation House Bill 1002.
Only the amendments called by Republicans prevailed.
Social-emotional learning
Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, proposed and passed Amendment 32, which will repeal social-emotional learning (SEL), trauma-informed care (TIC) and cultural competency teaching and training requirements for teachers in Indiana public schools. Byrne said getting rid of these programs will open more room for teachers to focus on the subjects they are teaching.
He said this amendment is in line with the bill’s overall purpose, which is to decrease regulations on Hoosier schools and educators.
SEL is the term neuroscientists use to describe the way children obtain skills like responsible decision making, self- and social awareness, and relationship management.
Currently, Indiana has seven SEL competencies: sensory motor integration, insight, regulation, collaboration, connection, critical thinking, and mindset—only regulation, collaboration and connection are required to be taught.
“Teachers are not therapists, nor should they be treated as such,” he said. “Trained, licensed mental health professionals are better equipped to handle the social, emotional aspects of a student’s life.”
Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, said he could not support Byrne’s amendment because SEL helps students improve their academic performance and mental health and build strong relationships.
Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said Bryne’s amendment implied that teachers should ignore the social and emotional needs of their students, which may not allow them to reach their full potential.
Byrne’s response was that teachers taught sufficiently before SEL was codified into Indiana law, and that since it has been required, students have been worse off emotionally.
“This type of training is not helping,” Byrne said. “And again, we see our test scores and everything else falling down. I think what this is doing is just deregulation, going back to what we used to do, when teachers had more time to work on academics.”
“If you don’t see teachers fulfilling that role, do you see other professionals in the school system that can fill that role?” Qaddoura asked Byrne, after reminding him of the importance of emotional intelligence, especially when students enter the workforce.
Byrne said it is up to a child’s parents to equip them with those skills.
Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, said the General Assembly’s repeal of SEL teaching and training does not mean teachers should stop doing it. She added that knowledge of students’ diverse cultural experiences, which ties into SEL, is still important.
“I want to be really clear to anyone who’s listening to testimony today that just because we strike this out of the bill and say it’s no longer the policy of the state of Indiana doesn’t mean that it’s not best practice,” Hunley said.
Curricular materials
Sen. Linda Rodgers, R-Granger, proposed and passed Amendment 29, which would allow the governing body of a public school or the organizer of a charter school to decide which fees are reasonable to charge families for school supplies that are not curricular materials.
During the 2023 legislative session, the state budget allocated $160 million to cover textbook and curriculum fees for parents of school children. Rodgers said since then, schools have been confused about what they are allowed to charge parents for. Her amendment aims to clarify this.
Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said she would like to speak with her school corporations before supporting it.
“This seems substantive,” she said. “We have not had an opportunity to really discuss this or hear what impact it is going to (have).”
Qaddoura was concerned that the amendment might create more fees for families.
“I want to be on the side of the parents that we fought for in the last 20 years to get to the point that we can alleviate the pain for families to pay hundreds of dollars,” he said. “I feel that now this is a reversal.”
Hunley said the amendment will not fix the fact that the original budget did not allocate enough money to cover curricular costs. Like Yoder, Hunley wanted to discuss the issue more thoroughly because she did not think the amendment was clear about which material school corporations might begin charging parents for.
“We just have to make sure that our parents are being protected about what types of costs are being passed on,” Hunley said. “We need this to be as specific and as clear as possible. … It’s also about making sure that as a state, we are doing our part to ensure that school districts aren’t in a bind where they have to pass costs onto families.”
Secretary of education requirements
During previous meetings, the Education and Career Development Committee debated the necessary requirements for the governor-appointed state secretary of education. Earlier this month, the committee learned the secretary never has to be a Hoosier to hold office.
This inspired Yoder to author Amendment 26, which would require the secretary of education to reside in Indiana once they are appointed.
Her amendment failed, only receiving votes from fellow Democrats on the committee.
Committee Chair Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville, said as a sponsor of the bill, he could not support Yoder’s amendment because it goes against the author’s intent of deregulation.
“I don’t even understand how this is a deregulation issue,” Yoder said. “I think it’s a respect-for-Hoosiers issue.”
Yoder pointed out that, earlier in session, the Senate agreed Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) members must live in Indiana. She said the secretary of education should meet that requirement as well.
“Why would we let the secretary of education work remotely from another state or another country?” she asked the committee. “They are going to receive payment by Hoosiers.”
On the House floor in January, representatives attempted to increase the prerequisites for the person appointed to be secretary of education, like requiring two years of administrative educational experience. This attempt failed, leaving it up to the governor to pick the person they think will do the job best.
On Wednesday, Ford proposed an amendment that would require the individual to have a bachelor’s degree. It failed, also only receiving votes from his fellow Democratic senators.
“All I’m asking to do is just say, ‘Hey, if you’re going to be the secretary of education, which is one of the largest state agencies, lots of state dollars in our budget, the least we could do is have that person possess a bachelor’s degree,’” Ford said.
Evansville Thunderbolts Bring Smiles and Support to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Evansville
Visit highlights community opportunity to support pediatric patients
Evansville, IN – The Evansville Thunderbolts made a heartwarming visit to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Evansville this week, bringing smiles to young patients and raising awareness for their upcoming charitable event, “Give Back Night.” This meaningful initiative underscores the Thunderbolts commitment to making a positive impact on the community they call home.
During yesterday’s visit, team members Jordan Simoneau, Benjamin Lindberg, Ethan Price, and Nolan McElhaney spent time interacting with the patients by building an astronaut out of blocks, painting and spreading joy throughout the hospital.
“Having the Evansville Thunderbolts visit our hospital today was a truly special experience for our patients,” said Dr. Wendy Woodard, Pediatric Hospitalist and Medical Director at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Evansville. “Their visit today means so much to these kids and their families, reminding them that they have a community rallying behind them.”
The visit highlighted the upcoming fundraiser this Sunday, March 30, at the Ford Center, where $5 from every ticket sold will go directly to support Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Evansville.
“It was great to get out and see these kids and put a smile on their faces and they put a smile on our faces as well,” said Evansville Thunderbolts forward Jordan Simoneau. “It means the world that we can give back to everyone in the community in this way.”
Discounted tickets are available for $16 and can be purchased, on our website at
https://give.stvincent.org/events/Thunderbolts or by mentioning Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at the Ford Center Ticket Box Office. Doors open at 2:15 p.m. and the puck drops at 3:00 p.m.
Screaming Eagles host Little Rock this weekend USI resumes rivalry with NKU Tuesday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball starts a seven-game homestand this weekend when it hosts the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game series at the USI Baseball Field. The USI-Little Rock series starts Friday, continues Saturday at 3 p.m., and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s game is Jersey Day at the USI Baseball Field. Fans wearing a jersey to the game will receive a free popcorn and will have a chance to win St. Louis Cardinals tickets in a sixth-inning drawing.
Following the USI-Little Rock series, the homestand continues next week with the Screaming Eagles hosting Northern Kentucky University April 1 and concludes with a three-game series against Morehead State University April 4-6.
With the ever-changing weather in March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.
USI Baseball Notes: USI falls late at Ball State. The USI Screaming Eagles lost a lead late and fell at Ball State University, 5-4, Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Illinois. USI scored all four of its runs in the third inning, three coming on a three-run blast by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens. The Cardinals rallied from the 4-1 deficit with one in the seventh and three in the eighth to get the win.
USI wins opening OVC series. The Eagles opened the 2025 OVC schedule with a 2-1 series win over Western Illinois University last weekend. USI lost the opening game, 15-5, but bounced back to win 8-6 and 6-4 in the final two games. Junior first baseman Kannon Coakley led the Eagles at the plate with a .571 mark (4-7) in the first two games, while junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens hit .400 (6-15) with two RBIs and two doubles. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Boyd drove in a team-high four RBIs during the series.
Kitchens, Coakley have hot sticks. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchenshas had the big bat for USI the last 10 games, hitting .488 (21-43) with eight runs scored, four doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 10 RBIs. Junior first baseman Kannon Coakley is batting .444 (12-27) with four runs scored, three doubles, and seven RBIs.
Overall Eagle leader at the plate. USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchensis the top hitter at USI and the OVC with a .451 batting average (37-82). The OVC batting average leader also leads in home runs (4) and RBIs (20); and second in doubles (9).
On the mound: Junior right-hander Blake Kimballled the USI starters in the opening weeks with a 2-3 record and a team-best 4.36 ERA. Junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez has a team-best 22 strikeouts this season. Kimball is sixth in the OVC in ERA through March 23.
USI in the OVC. USI ranks second in the OVC with a .305 team batting average. On the bump, the Eagles are eighth in the league with a 7.54 ERA.
Eagles in the OVC. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchensand junior first baseman Kannon Coakley are one-two in the OVC in batting average, boosting a .451 and .405 average, respectively.
USI starts homestand with the Little Rock series. USI opens a seven-game homestand Friday when the University of Arkansas at Little Rock visits the USI Baseball Field. Little Rock is 9-16 overall this season and started OVC play by going 0-3 versus Tennessee Tech University. The Trojans lead the all-time series with USI, 5-1, after taking three of four last spring. Little Rock swept the regular season series in 2024, while USI won the meeting in the 2024 OVC Tournament, 2-0, in Marion, Illinois.
USI hosts NKU. USI hosts Northern Kentucky University for the first time since 2011 next week. NKU, which will enter the weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Friday, has a 14-9 record. USI leads the all-time series with NKU, 48-45, after losing all four of a GLVC series in Highland Heights, Kentucky, in 2012. The last time NKU was at the USI Baseball Field, the Eagles took three of four from the Norse.
Softball opens weekend with Friday doubleheader at Valpo
Aces back on the road for another 3-game set
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to pick up its first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season, the University of Evansville softball team travels to Valparaiso for a 3-game weekend series.
An updated schedule will see the teams play a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Friday before squaring off in a single game on Saturday at 12 p.m. with all three games set to be televised on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– A late rally saw Missouri State take a 4-3 win in Saturday’s series finale to secure a series sweep over the Purple Aces
– Taylor Howe went 4-for-5 in the contest as UE opened a 3-0 lead before the Bears tied the game with a 3-run fifth inning before scoring the winning run in the 8th
Finishing Strong
– In the series finale at Missouri State, Taylor Howe recorded a career-high four hits as she went 4-for-5 while adding a run
– The effort improved her season batting average to .301
– Howe is tied for 2nd in the MVC with 9 doubles, tied for 6th with 23 RBI and is tied for 10th with 18 runs scored
– On Feb. 25, Howe was named the MVC Player of the Week after batting .455 with four home runs and nine RBI
Hitting Streak
– Sophomore Niki Bode paces the Evansville offense with a .408 batting average, which puts her third in the MVC and enters the weekend with a 5-game hitting streak, the longest current streak on the team
– She is tied for second in the league with three sacrifice flies, 9th with an on-base percentage of 0.455 and 10th with 17 runs scored
Top Six
– Jess Willsey ranks in the top six in the MVC in multiple statistics
– Her rankings include 2nd in runs (24), T-3rd with 98 at-bats, T-4th in home runs (7), T-4th with 8 doubles, and T-6th with 23 RBI,
Eagles’ season ends against Bulls in WNIT Super 16 battle
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball had its 2024-25 season come to an end Thursday night in the Super Sixteen of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) at Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles, falling 76-64 against the University at Buffalo.
After reaching the second round of the WNIT in 2023-24, Southern Indiana (23-13, 12-8 OVC) was making its first-ever appearance in the Super Sixteen. Following a first-round bye and a 60-51 win in the second round of this year’s tournament against Campbell University, the Screaming Eagles welcomed Buffalo (27-7, 13-5 MAC) to Liberty Arena Thursday night in front of 2,000-plus fans.
Buffalo jumped out to a 9-2 lead three minutes into the contest, forcing USI to take an early timeout. Out of the huddle, sophomore forward Chloe Gannon came off the bench and scored back-to-back baskets. Gannon scored again a couple of minutes later to keep USI within five, 13-8, at the 4:46 mark of the first quarter. After Buffalo went ahead by nine later in the first, a three-pointer by junior guard Ali Saunders and a transition bucket by graduate forward Madi Webb sparked the crowd and got USI within two, 17-15. The Bulls led 20-17 at the end of the opening period.
The Bulls started the second quarter taking control of the momentum, scoring 12 unanswered points in the first four minutes and grabbing a 32-17 lead. Gannon continued her strong start to the game, reaching double figures in the middle of the second. Late in the first half, senior guard Vanessa Shafford drained a pair of jumpers, but Buffalo increased its lead to 16, 41-25, going into halftime.
Early in the second half, Webb knocked down a pair of shots to bring USI within 12, 43-31. Following nearly a three-minute scoreless drought in the middle of the third quarter, Southern Indiana continued to chip away with a three-pointer by sophomore guard Triniti Ralstonand a layup by Gannon to cut the deficit down to single digits, 45-36, by the 4:21 mark. Buffalo was able to add back onto its lead to carry a 56-42 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.
Graduate forward Meredith Raley sparked USI in the first minutes of the fourth quarter with a three-point play. As the Screaming Eagles kept trying to bring the deficit back down to single digits, Buffalo seemingly had an answer to keep the lead above 10. A layup by Webb with under five minutes to go brought USI within single digits, 61-52, but the Bulls answered with a three. Southern Indiana responded back with a triple from Ralston to make the score 64-55 Buffalo with under three minutes left. However, that would be as close as USI could get it down the stretch.
Southern Indiana could not get the ball to drop through the net, shooting nearly 35 percent overall (22-63) and 20 percent (6-30) from beyond the arc. USI was effective at the foul line once again converting at nearly 88 percent (14-16). The Screaming Eagles outrebounded the Bulls 41-34. Ralston led the Eagles in scoring with 15 points. Gannon finished with 14 points, while Raley tallied 10.
Buffalo shot the ball for over 46 percent (27-58) from the floor and 32 percent (8-25) from three-point range. The Bulls were 14-22 for just over 63 percent at the charity stripe. The Bulls had four players in double figures, led by graduate guard Challia Watson’s 16 points.
The 2024-25 campaign and USI Women’s Basketball’s third year in Division I came to a close after seeing the program accomplish more firsts, including its first-ever appearance in the Super Sixteen of the WNIT. USI also reached at least the semifinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the second year in a row in its second consecutive berth into the conference postseason tournament.
Thursday also spelled the end of the USI careers for Southern Indiana’s five seniors, who helped lead the program through its transition to Division I and reach new heights with OVC championship titles in 2023-24 and two WNIT berths. Within the USI record books, Raley and Shafford conclude their careers among the best in USI history. Raley, who set a USI record with 140 games played, registered 1,701 points for third on the all-time scoring list and 687 boards for seventh on the all-time rebounding list. Raley also finished top five in USI history in field goals made (608) and free throws made (380). Shafford, who set a USI record with 232 three-pointers made, totaled 1,429 points for sixth on the career scoring list and 779 rebounds for fifth all time. Shafford is also fourth in program history with 124 games played and sixth with 528 field goals made.
Now the program will turn its attention to getting set for the 2025-26 season and taking another step forward in its Division-I era.
