EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
 Cardona picks up 17 kills and 7 aces
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The longest Missouri Valley Conference win streak in program history got a little longer on Saturday when the University of Evansville volleyball team won its 6th consecutive league match with a 3-0 sweep over Indiana State inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Evansville’s streak pushes its record to 16-4 and 6-3 in the MVC. The league start matches the program’s best since entering the league in 1994; the Purple Aces began the 2000 campaign with a 6-3 mark through nine games.
Reigning MVC Player and Freshman of the Week Giulia Cardona made an argument for the repeat, leading all players with 17 kills and 7 service aces. The finished the match with 24 points in just three sets. Cardona’s 7 aces is her top collegiate mark and is the first such effort since Anne Teegardin recorded 7 in 2006, also against Indiana State.
Melanie Feliciano added 14 kills in the winning effort to go along with 6 digs. Taya Haffner recorded 38 assists while Blakeley Freeman and Alondra Vazquez led the team in digs, finishing with 9 and 8, respectively. The Sycamores (11-8, 3-6 MVC) were led by an 8-kill match by Kaitlyn Hamilton.
Set 1 – UE 26, Indiana State 16
After falling to Indiana State by a 3-0 final in the MVC opener last month, the Aces wasted little time in setting the tone. An ace by Alondra Vazquez highlighted a 5-2 run to open the match. The serving continued its dominant effort as consecutive aces by Giulia Cardona pushed the lead to 11-4. Melanie Feliciano added a pair of kills in the run. UE continued to be efficient from all spots on the floor with its middles – Hannah Watkins and Madisyn Steele – picking up kills to pace the team to a 25-16 win and an early 1-0 lead.
Set 2 – UE 25, Indiana State 17
Game two saw the teams battle to a 5-5 tie before Evansville wrestled away a 9-5 lead. Using its stellar serving to its advantage once again, Evansville saw Cardona rack up two more aces to take the lead. Indiana State stayed close, taking advantage of a pair of UE errors to get within one at 18-17. That is when a familiar face took matters into her own hands. Cardona got the Aces back on track with a kill before assuming the serving duties. She added two more aces while Feliciano recorded two more kills to complete the set on a 7-0 run, taking a 2-0 match lead on the strength of a 25-17 win.
Set 3 – UE 25, Indiana State 23
Early on, it looked like the Aces would clinch the match in runaway fashion. Another Cardona ace, coupled with a Feliciano kill, saw Evansville take an 8-3 advantage. ISU countered with a 4-0 rally to get within one, but Evansville responded with two in a row to go up 11-7. Three kills by Cardona helped the Aces pad their lead at 19-13, but a tenacious rally by the Sycamores made for an exciting finish. Madeline Williams picked up an ace that cut the UE lead to 21-19. Evansville retook control, going up 24-21 on a Cardona kill, but the Sycamores continued to fight back. Back-to-back kills made it a 24-23 game, but the defining moment came when Hannah Watkins delivered the winning kill to cap off a 25-23 win.
Evansville has won all four MVC home matches by 3-0 finals and looks to continue its home success next weekend with Valparaiso and league-leading Loyola coming to town,
Attorney General Todd Rokita recently marked another successful case investigated and prosecuted by his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). In 2021, the unit has now been involved in 53 cases resulting in guilty verdicts.
This month, the owner and operator of a Southern Indiana laboratory pleaded guilty to the crimes of theft and identity deception in connection with a scheme to defraud the Medicare and Indiana Medicaid programs.
“The theft of money from government insurance programs dedicated to serving our most vulnerable populations is a theft against every Indiana citizen,†Attorney General Rokita said. “We must always hold accountable those who commit these selfish acts. That’s exactly what our office has done by working with our federal partners to bring this matter to a successful prosecution.â€
The conviction and sentencing of Betty Hanks, owner and operator of Liberty Labs Inc. in Perry County, followed an in-depth investigation by the Indiana MFCU and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
Investigators determined that Hanks billed for medically unnecessary services and misrepresented the services she did provide. Hanks pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this month in a Perry County court to three years’ probation for her theft conviction and two years for her identity deception conviction. She was also ordered to repay $63,642.65 in restitution to Medicare and Indiana Medicaid.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has now recovered more than $8 million for the Indiana Medicaid program so far in 2021. Across all divisions, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General has recovered more than $206 million this year on behalf of Hoosiers.
Attorney General Rokita thanked the MFCU staff members who worked diligently on this investigation and prosecution, including Investigator Brian Goodwin and Deputy Attorney General Grainne Kao.
The Indiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a federal grant. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of Indiana.
Court documents pertaining to this case are attached.
EVANSVILLE POLICE MERIT COMMISSION
MEETING AGENDA
Monday, October 25, 2021
4:00 p.m. Room 307, Civic Center Complex
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THUNDERBOLTS COME BACK TO DOWN BULLS IN OVERTIME, 4-3
Evansville, In.: After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Thunderbolts would dominate the rest of the way, coming back to defeat the Birmingham Bulls in overtime, 4-3. The Thunderbolts continue their homestand on Friday, October 29th at 7:00PM CT as they host the Vermillion County Bobcats. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in person at the Ford Center Box Office.
It would be a less-than-perfect start for Evansville in the first period, as the Bulls managed to pick up a two-goal lead off goals from Houston Wilson and Aaron Ryback, the second goal scored in the final minute of the period. The Thunderbolts responded in-kind in the second period, scoring two goals in the span of a minute and seven seconds. Tanner Butler scored off a set faceoff play at 6:03 from Paul Deslauriers and Brett Radford, while Cameron Cook scored his first professional goal with a top-corner shot on an offensive rush, from Cole Stallard and Charles Barber at 7:10.
The Thunderbolts dominated Birmingham in the third period, and were rewarded with a go-ahead goal from Austin Plevy, scoring on the rebound of a shot from Stallard at 6:02, also assisted by Kyle Thacker. Down 3-2, the Bulls managed to tie the game as Russell Jordan rounded out a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with his goal, an earlier assist, and a fighting major. In overtime, Cook would score the game winner with a similar play as his first goal, a top-corner shot from Zane Jones and Brandon Lubin at the 2:15 mark, as the Thunderbolts finish the weekend with a victory.Â
Cook led the way with his two goals, Plevy and Butler scored one goal each, and Stallard finished with two assists. Brian Billett finished with 11 saves on 14 shots for his 3rd win of the season. The Thunderbolts next face Birmingham, once again at Ford Center, on Sunday, November 14th, face-off at 7:00PM CT.
The Thunderbolts are currently competing in their fifth season in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). Season tickets are less than $9 per game. To order your tickets for this season, call 812-422-BOLT(2658).
GOVERNOR’S PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION DISCUSSES PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the agency’s comprehensive Strategic Roadmap to confront PFAS contamination nationwide. The Roadmap is the result of a thorough analysis conducted by the EPA Council on PFAS that Administrator Regan established in April 2021. EPA’s Roadmap is centered on three guiding strategies: Increase investments in research, leverage authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and accelerate the cleanup of PFAS contamination. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and other elected leaders will join Administrator Regan at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, for the announcement.
“For far too long, families across America – especially those in underserved communities – have suffered from PFAS in their water, their air, or in the land their children play on,â€Â said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This comprehensive, national PFAS strategy will deliver protections to people who are hurting, by advancing bold and concrete actions that address the full lifecycle of these chemicals. Let there be no doubt that EPA is listening, we have your back, and we are laser focused on protecting people from pollution and holding polluters accountable.â€
“This roadmap commits the EPA to quickly setting enforceable drinking water limits for these chemicals as well as giving stronger tools to communities to protect people’s health and the environment,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “As we continue partnering with the EPA on this and other important efforts, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the larger budget resolution would provide critical help by dedicating significant resources to address PFAS contamination.”
The Strategic Roadmap delivers on the agency’s mission to protect public health and the environment and answers the call for action on these persistent and dangerous chemicals. Today, alongside the release of the Roadmap, the agency is announcing a new national testing strategy that requires PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on categories of PFAS chemicals. The PFAS to be tested will be selected based on an approach that breaks the large number of PFAS today into smaller categories based on similar features and considers what existing data are available for each category. EPA’s initial set of test orders for PFAS, which are expected in a matter of months, will be strategically selected from more than 20 different categories of PFAS. This set of orders will provide the agency with critical information on more than 2,000 other similar PFAS that fall within these categories.
The Roadmap lays out:
“I’m encouraged that EPA is giving this urgent public health threat the attention and seriousness it deserves,â€Â said Senator Tom Carper. “This is truly a soup-to-nuts plan—one that commits to cleaning up PFAS in our environment while also putting protections in place to prevent more of these forever chemicals from finding their way into our lives. After the previous administration failed to follow through on its plan to address PFAS contamination, EPA’s new leadership promised action. I look forward to working with them on living up to this commitment.â€
“Communities contaminated by these toxic forever chemicals have waited decades for action,â€Â said Ken Cook, President of the Environmental Working Group. “So, it’s good news that Administrator Regan will fulfill President Biden’s pledge to take quick action to reduce PFOA and PFOS in tap water, to restrict industrial releases of PFAS into the air and water, and to designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances to hold polluters accountable. It’s been more than 20 years since EPA and EWG first learned that these toxic forever chemicals were building up in our blood and increasing our likelihood of cancer and other health harms. It’s time for action, not more plans, and that’s what this Administrator will deliver. As significant as these actions are, they are just the first of many actions needed to protect us from PFAS, as the Administrator has said.â€
EPA’s Strategic Roadmap is a critical step forward in addressing PFAS pollution. Every level of government – from local, to state, to Tribal, to federal will need to exercise increased and sustained leadership to continue the momentum and make progress on PFAS. President Biden has called for more than $10 billion in funding to address PFAS contamination through his Build Back Better agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. These critical resources will enable EPA and other federal agencies to scale up the research and work, so that they meet the scale of the PFAS challenge.
Over the coming weeks, EPA will be working to partner for progress on PFAS. The agency will be engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to continue to identify collaborative solutions to the PFAS challenge, including two national webinars that will be held on October 26 and November 2. Please RSVP to the webinars using the hyperlinked dates.
Background
In April 2021, Administrator Regan established the EPA Council on PFAS to address the dangerous impacts of PFAS contamination and meet the needs of EPA’s partners and communities across the United States. To date, under the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA has:
Additional information on the Strategic Roadmap:Â www.epa.gov/pfas.
Isadore Brown
Count 1 – Domestic Battery : 6F : Pending |
Zachary Burnette Bass
Count 1 – Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator : 6F : Pending | |||
 | Count 2 – Reckless Driving : CM : Pending |
Kelsey D. Watkins
 | Count 1 – Assisting a Criminal : 6F : Pending |
Osborne David Wright
Count 1 – Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon : 5F : Pending | ||||
 | Count 2 – Carrying a Handgun Without a License : 5F : Pending | |||
 | Count 3 – Battery Resulting in Moderate Bodily Injury : 6F : Pending | ||
 | Count 4 – Criminal Recklessness : 6F : Pending |
Brandon Terrell Scott
 | Count 1 – Possession of Methamphetamine : 6F : Guilty
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Angela Beth Clark
Count 1 – Dealing in a Narcotic Drug : 2F : Pending |
Vincent Allen McNeal
 | Count 1 – Dealing in Methamphetamine : 2F : Pending | ||
 | Count 2 – Possession of a Controlled Substance : 6F : Pending |
 | Count 3 – Theft : AM : Pending |
Ronald Eugene Dunn Jr.
Count 1 – HC – Burglary : 3F : Pending | ||||
 | Count 2 – HC – Burglary : 3F : Pending | |||
 | Count 3 – HC – Criminal Confinement : 4F : Pending | ||
 | Count 4 – HC – Domestic Battery Resulting in Moderate Bodily Injury : 6F : Pending |
 | Count 5 – HC – Theft : 6F : Pending | ||
 | Count 6 – HC – Intimidation : 6F : Pending |
Ramon Troy Harvey
Count 1 – HC – Possession of Methamphetamine : 6F : Pending |
Benjamin Keith Payne-Neuffer
Count 1 – HC – Dealing in Methamphetamine : 2F : Pending | |||
 | Count 2 – Possession of Marijuana : BM : Pending |
Arterreous Dewayne Milan
Count 1 – Possession of Methamphetamine : 6F : Pending | |||
 | Count 2 – Criminal Trespass : AM : Pending |
ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—Four University of Southern Indiana Men’s Cross Country runners collected All-Conference honors as the No. 12 Screaming Eagles finished third at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships Saturday morning.
Junior Noah Hufnagel (Santa Claus, Indiana), who held the lead throughout the first half of the race, finished second in the 164-competitor field with an eight-kilometer time of 23 minutes, 56.40 seconds to lead the Eagles. Defending champion Blake Jones of the University of Illinois Springfield won the race with a time of 23:49.70.
Fellow classmate Titus Winders (Mansfield, Tennessee), the 2019 GLVC champion and two-time defending NCAA II Midwest region champion, finished sixth with a time of 24:14.20 to join Hufnagel on the All-GLVC team. Sophomores Braden Nicholson (Claremont, Illinois) and Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana) were 12th and 13th, respectively, to earn All-GLVC honors.
Freshman Silas Winders (Mansfield, Tennessee) missed out on All-GLVC honors by less than 3.5 seconds as he was 21st to round out the Eagles’ top five performers. Junior Cameron Cox (Huntsville, Alabama) and freshman Dylan Bland (Holland, Indiana) were 33rd and 34th, respectively.
As a team, the Eagles finished with 54 points, one behind second-place Illinois Springfield. Defending GLVC champion and host Lewis University finished first with 42 points in what was essentially a three-team competition for the conference title. Drury University finished fourth with 153 points, while the University of Indianapolis was fifth with 184 points.
The third-place finish marks the lowest placement for the Eagles at the GLVC Championships since they were third at the 2002 conference meet. Illinois Springfield also became just the second team to finish higher than USI at the league meet in the last 19 years as Lewis has been the only other men’s team to win a GLVC title since the 2003 season. USI’s run of 15 straight GLVC titles ended with a second-place finish at the 2020 GLVC Championships.
USI returns to action when it hosts the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships at Angel Mounds November 6 at 11:45 a.m.