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Representing Hoosiers in the 2026 legislative session

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The 2026 legislative session has officially started, with lawmakers gathering at the Statehouse for Organization Day this week. This is an opportunity for lawmakers to begin discussion on important issues facing our communities and start planning for session.

To stay informed and get involved in the legislative process, visit iga.in.gov. There, you can find helpful information on new law proposals, agendas and livestreams of session and committee meetings.

Your thoughts and feedback are important as I propose and consider new legislation. Contact me by email at h78@iga.in.gov or by calling 317-232-9759. I look forward to representing House District 78 during this upcoming session and being your voice at the Statehouse.

Sincerely,

State Representative,
Tim O’Brien

THUNDERBOLTS SCORE SIX IN SIXTH-STRAIGHT WIN, 6-2 OVER KNOXVILLE

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Evansville, In.:  The good times keep rolling for the Thunderbolts, who won their sixth consecutive game on Friday night at Ford Center, 6-2 over the Knoxville Ice Bears to move back into 2nd place in the league standings.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, November 22nd against the Knoxville Ice Bears at 7:00pm CT.
                In a mostly even first period, Jordan Simoneau broke the ice 17:17 into the game with a power move to the net, scoring on a power play from Scott Kirton.  Evansville built on their lead immediately in the second period, with Kirton scoring only 20 seconds in off a net front pass, assisted by Tyson Gilmour and Keanan Stewart.  At 3:55, a loose puck near the net was cashed in by Derek Contessa, assisted by Aidan Litke to make it 3-0 Evansville.  The Ice Bears clawed their way back in, as Jared Westcott scored at 15:08 to make it 3-1, and at 9:17 of the third period Eric Olson closed the gap to 3-2.  Just minutes after scoring, Olson nearly scored again but was denied by Kristian Stead, who made a sprawling toe pad save to keep the Ice Bears from tying the game.  The save sparked the Thunderbolts, who at 15:24 regained the multi-goal lead as Eelis Laaksonen stole the puck and set up Litke at the net-front to make it 4-2.  With 2:50 remaining, Evansville drew two penalties in the same sequence, one resulting in a power play and the other drawing a penalty shot.  Matthew Hobbs scored on the penalty shot, while Contessa scored on the ensuing power play at 17:43, assisted by Matt Clark and Isaac Chapman to round out the scoring at 6-2.  Evansville’s six goals are the current season-high, and the six-game winning streak is Evansville’s longest in the regular season since December 2019, when Evansville won seven games in a row between November 29th and December 20th, that streak currently standing as the franchise record.
Contessa led the way with two goals, Litke and Kirton scored a goal and assist each, and Simoneau along with Hobbs scored the other Evansville goals.   In goal, Kristian Stead finished with 34 saves on 36 shots on goal for his 8th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Ice Bears meet again on Saturday, November 22nd at Ford Center, with Evansville leading the season series 1-0.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

 

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.

Indiana 211 Connects Hoosiers to Essential Winter and Holiday Resources Statewide

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As temperatures drop and the holiday season approaches, many Hoosiers find themselves needing extra support. Indiana 211 is a free, confidential service that connects Hoosiers with local health and human services. Indiana 211 is here to ensure that individuals and families across the state know exactly where to turn when they need help most. With one call, text, or click, Indiana 211 connects people to trusted, up-to-date community resources available in their area. 
 
Hoosiers can access a wide range of essential services through Indiana 211, including: 

  • Food assistance programs and local pantries  
  • Warming centers and shelters during cold weather 
  • Thanksgiving meals and holiday programs 
  • Help with housing, utility support, mental health services, and more 

Whether someone is facing a short-term challenge or navigating an ongoing need, Indiana 211 ensures they can quickly find safe, local, verified resources.  
 
How to Access Help 
 

Residents can explore available community resources by visiting in211.org or calling 2-1-1 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Indiana 211 database is updated continuously so every listing remains reliable, accurate and accessible.  

 
For Community Organizations 
 
Indiana 211 also encourages community partners to share new or updated information about food programs, holiday events, or winter warming sites. Organizations can send updates to in211database@fssa.in.gov or call the team 888-211-2402, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Ensuring the database stays current helps us serve Hoosiers better, especially during critical times of the year. For assets that you can use on your social media channels visit the following webpage FSSA: Indiana 211 Promotional Materials. You will find the language to add to your social media page and the images you can use. 

 

No. 3/10 Hoosiers Steady, Freshman Clark Shatters Sprint Standard

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana swimming and diving kept its spots in the team standings on the back of high-level performances on Thursday (Nov. 20), the third day of the Ohio State Invitational inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

The men expanded their lead over the field to 574.5 points, while the women sit second behind host Ohio State while fighting off Louisville, just half a point behind.

Liberty Clark continued her blazing hot freshman fall, recording her first program record in the 50-yard freestyle. Clark’s second place time clocked in at 21.52, four hundredths quicker than senior teammate Kristina Paegle’s best from the 2025 NCAA Championships. Prior to the 2023 NCAA Championships, the school standard had stood at 21.90 for three years. Since then, four Hoosiers – Ashley Turak, Anna Peplowski, Paegle and Clark – have gone under that mark.

Clark followed that up with a 45.87 anchor split to Indiana’s winning 400 medley relay, the 10th sub-46-second split in NCAA history. The Hoosiers put together the program’s fifth-best relay all-time in 3:27.20 with senior Mya DeWitt (51.65), sophomore Jonette Laegreid (59.76), junior Miranda Grana (49.92) and Clark.

Grana and DeWitt opened the night with a one-two finish in the 100-yard backstroke. With her 49.89, Grana went under 50 seconds for the second time in her career, having set the program record in March with a 49.62. DeWitt went 51.37, half a second ahead of third place.

Top-heavy finishes were the average performance for the Indiana men. Senior Owen McDonald and sophomore Raekwon Noel repeated the women’s performance in the 100 back and added a fourth-place finish from sophomore Miroslav Knedla. The divers set the tone on the 3-meter springboard, taking the top three spots. Sophomore Joshua Sollenberger posted a career-best performance with a 422.60. Freshman Josh Hedberg put together a 406.10, followed closely by senior Maxwell Weinrich’s 400.70. The trio combined for four dives that scored at least 80 points.

Indiana posted half of the A-final finishes in both the men’s 500 freestyle and 200 breaststroke. Senior Zalán Sárkány won his second event this week in the 500 with a 4:09.57, and junior Aaron Shackell took second with a 4:11.14, dropping his personal best by over four seconds. Sophomore Luke Whitlock (4:11.82) took fourth, freshman Andrew Shackell (4:15.19) placed fifth and freshman Luke Ellis (4:17.31) was seventh.

In the 200 breaststroke, freshmen Noah Cakir (1:51.68) and Josh Bey (1:52.51) each recorded personal bests to place second and fourth, respectively. Junior Toby Barnett took fifth (1:53.76), sophomore Alexei Avakov was sixth (1:54.19) and junior Travis Gulledge (1:55.62) placed eighth.

TEAM STANDINGS
Men
1. Indiana – 1,906
2. Louisville – 1331.5
3. Ohio State – 1,203
4. Purdue – 944

  1. Yale – 791
  2. Penn State – 777
  3. Kentucky – 674.5
  4. Cincinnati – 455
  5. Northwestern – 112
  6. Wisconsin – 34
  7. Pittsburgh – 16

    Women
    1. Ohio State – 1,530

  8. Indiana – 1,404.5
  9. Louisville – 1,404
  10. Purdue – 831
  11. Kentucky – 765
  12. UCLA – 728
  13. Cincinnati – 618
  14. Penn State – 533.5
  15. Yale – 433
  16. Northwestern – 105
  17. Pittsburgh – 99
  18. Wisconsin – 25

RESULTS

PR – Program Record; POOL – Pool Record, PB – Personal Best; NQ – NCAA Cut; 

NZ – NCAA Zone Qualifier

 

Women’s 100 Backstroke

Place Name Prelim Final
1 Miranda Grana 50.79 NQ 49.89 NQ
2 Mya DeWitt 51.07 NQ 51.37 NQ
48 Katie Forrester 56.67 PB

 

Men’s 100 Backstroke

Place Name Prelim Final
1 Owen McDonald 44.25 NQ 44.19 NQ
2 Raekwon Noel 44.91 NQ PB 45.16 NQ
4 Miroslav Knedla 45.33 NQ 45.54
11 David Kovacs 46.38 PB 46.35 PB
27 Utkarsh Patil 47.79 47.92
30 Max Cahill 48.18 48.59

Women’s 200 Breaststroke

Place Name Prelim Final
4 Jonette Laegreid 2:11.46 2:10.88
12 MacKenna Lieske 2:14.74 2:19.96
14 Reese Tiltmann 2:14.92 2:13.61
15 Laila Oravsky 2:16.10 2:13.88 PB
18 Ursula Ott 2:16.40 PB 2:16.41 PB
29 Kamile Zinis 2:21.50 PB 2:21.84
32 Olivia Roumph 2:23.36 2:21.13

Men’s 200 Breaststroke

Place Name Prelim Final
2 Noah Cakir 1:52.75 NQ PB 1:51.68 NQ PB
4 Josh Bey 1:53.00 NQ PB 1:52.51 NQ PB
5 Toby Barnett 1:53.86 NQ 1:53.76 NQ
6 Alexei Avakov 1:54.40 NQ PB 1:54.19 PB
8 Travis Gulledge 1:54.74 NQ 1:55.62
21 Drew Reiter 1:59.18 1:58.05 PB
38 Collin McKenzie 2:05.45

Women’s 500 Freestyle

 

Place Name Prelim Final
11 Macky Hodges 4:48.24 4:44.70
25 Luci Gutierrez 4:52.19 4:49.84 PB
44 Colleen Bull 5:00.21

 

Men’s 500 Freestyle

Place Name Prelim Final
1 Zalán Sárkány 4:12.28 NQ 4:09.57 NQ
2 Aaron Shackell 4:16.30 NQ 4:11.14 NQ PB
4 Luke Whitlock 4:14.30 NQ PB 4:11.82 NQ PB
5 Andrew Shackell 4:17.82 NQ PB 4:15.19 NQ PB
7 Luke Ellis 4:16.49 NQ 4:17.31 NQ
15 Cooper McDonald 4:20.39 4:21.00
27 Brandon Fleck 4:27.66 PB 4:24.58 PB

Women’s 50 Freestyle

Place Name Prelim Final
2 Liberty Clark 21.74 NQ 21.54 PR NQ PB
5 Kristina Paegle 22.07 NQ 22.09 NQ
9 Chiok Sze Yeo 22.42 22.43
11 Grace Hoeper 22.48 PB 22.52
12 Amelia Bray 22.68 PB 22.56 PB
14 Mya DeWitt 22.47 22.73
t37 Alessandra Gusperti 23.33

Men’s 50 Freestyle

 

Place Name Prelim Final
5 Mikkel Lee 19.13 NQ 19.25 NQ
6 Dylan Smiley 19.23 NQ 19.33 NQ
12 Vidar Carlbaum 19.57 19.49
16 Travis Gulledge 19.65 PB 19.75
19 Max Lestina 19.90 19.99
25 Brandon Fleck 20.08 PB 20.05 PB
26 Lukas Paegle 20.02 PB 20.16

Women’s Platform

Place Name Prelim Final
3 Ella Roselli 291.90 270.50 NZ
6 Mary Kate Cavanaugh 240.70 258.35 NZ
13 Kaylee Bishop 224.05
15 Lily Witte 221.25
19 James Jones 210.45

Men’s 3-Meter

Place Name Prelim Final
1 Joshua Sollenberger 371.85 422.60 NZ
2 Joshua Hedberg 351.55 406.10 NZ
3 Maxwell Weinrich 381.85 400.70 NZ
7 Aiden Sadler 346.80 358.55
26 Dash Glasberg 287.15
32 Jacob Schade 274.50

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

 

Place Relay         Time
1 A DeWitt (51.65) Laegreid (59.76) Grana (49.92) Clark (45.87) 3:27.20 NQ
5 B Hodges (53.39) Lieske (1:01.16) Yeo (52.63) Bray (47.84) 3:35.02

 

Men’s 400 Medley Relay

 

Place Relay         Time
1 A O. McDonald (44.13) Avakov (51.03) Noel (45.80) Smiley (41.01) 3:01.97 NQ
5 B Knedla (45.16) Cakir (51.77) An. Shackell (45.56) Carlbaum (42.21) 3:04.70
11 C Kovacs (46.55) Barnett (52.48) L. Paegle (46.65) Lestina (43.90) 3:09.58

 

UE faces Oregon State in Paradise Jam opener

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Game is first of three in the US Virgin Islands

 

SAINT THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands– The 2025 Paradise Jam opens on Friday evening when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team takes on Oregon State at 7 p.m. CST in the Virgin Islands. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.

A History Lesson

– Friday’s game between the Purple Aces and Beavers will be just the second meeting between the squads

– The first game was a big one for the UE program – on March 17, 1989, Evansville took a 94-90 overtime win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Tucson, Arizona

– That marked the first and to this day only DI NCAA Tournament win for the program

– Scott Haffner led UE with 26 points in the victory while Brian Hill scored 21

Last Time Out

– UT Arlington pulled away in the second half to take an 84-76 win over UE on Tuesday at the Ford Center

– The Mavericks led 35-34 at the half before extending their lead to as many as 15 in the final 20 minutes

– Connor Turnbull led the way with 20 points while Keishon Porter scored 18

Improving Each Game

– Each time Connor Turnbull has taken the floor this season his output has improved

– This culminated in a season-high of 20 points against UT Arlington

– Before that, he scored 16 versus MTSU and 12 in the win over Oakland City

– Turnbull has at least one block in each game and is tied for second in the MVC with 1.75 blocks per game and had four in the victory over Oakland City

– His field goal percentage of 56.4% is 11th in the MVC while his 13.50 PPG is tied for 16th in the league

Making an Impact

 -Over the last two games, Keishon Porter has averaged 16.0 points while going 10-of-18 from the field

– His season mark of 18 points came against UT Arlington as he connected on 9 of his 13 free throw tries

– It is a huge turnaround for Porter who his just four of his opening 19 attempts to begin the season

Scouting the Opposition

– Oregon State enters the Paradise Jam with a 3-1 record

– The Beavers have wins over North Dakota State, UIC, and North Texas while their only loss was on the road at Oregon

– Josiah Lake II leads OSU with 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game

– Isaiah Sy checks in with 10.0 PPG while Johan Munch and Matija Samar average 9.0 and 8.5 PPG, respectively

– In Monday’s 87-75 loss to the Ducks, Sy lead OSU with 14 points while converting all seven of his free throw tries

 

Big Second Half Powers Aces Over IU Indy

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Heading into halftime facing a three-point deficit, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team got red-hot to begin the third quarter to build a lead they would not relinquish, defeating IU Indy 75-58 in their home opener on Thursday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The win was the Aces’ largest against a DI foe since an 18-point win over Bradley on January 30, 2023.

Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) paced the Aces with 25 points while adding seven assists, seven rebounds, and a career-high five steals. Logan Luebbers Palmer (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) enjoyed a career night, scoring a career-high 23 points, 21 of which came in the second half, while 6-for-11 shooting from the three-point line.

Evansville got out to an early lead, scoring the first five points of the game on a three-pointer by Runner and two free throws from Luebbers Palmer. The Purple Aces extended their lead to eight with 2:31 to go in the quarter, but the Jaguars battled back to make it a five-point game heading into the second quarter.

The Purple Aces struggled to score in the second quarter, putting up only seven points. The Jaguars capitalized, taking a 26-23 lead into halftime.

Despite their offensive struggles in the first half, the Aces broke out offensively in the second half. Mireia Mustaros (Barcelona, Spain/Odessa College) got the Aces going with a buckets in the paint on the Aces’ first two possessions of the half.

From there, it was the Luebbers Palmer show, as the sophomore scored 14 points in the next 3:37 of action to help the Aces go on a 16-6 run and open up an 11-point lead. During the stretch, Luebbers Palmer knocked down four three-pointers. The 27 point quarter was Evansville’s largest of the season.

Holding a 50-42 lead going into the fourth quarter, the Aces kept the foot on the gas, as Kylee Norkus (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) knocked down a three-pointer to begin the quarter. Norkus played 10 minutes on the night in her long-awaited return from injury, making her first appearance since November 18, 2024.

The Evansville offensive continued to light it up in the fourth quarter, not letting the Jaguars back within single digits. Runner took control of the game, scoring 10 points in the final 5:50 of play.
With 2:42 to go and Aces holding a 15-point lead, Luebbers Palmer put the cherry on top of a stellar night, knocking down another three to make it 71-53. From there, the Aces knocked down their free throws to salt away a 75-58 win.

“Great win for us tonight,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr. “Really pleased with our effort. 52 points in the second half is something I’m really pumped about.”

“[It was] a breakout offensive performance, we really needed that. I thought Camryn Runner kept us afloat in the first half, and the second half was much more of a team effort on the scoring front.”

“Logan Luebbers Palmer had a huge second half. After missing a bunch of shots in the first half, to come out and keep shooting and see the ball go through the hoop, it provided a big spark.”

Evansville shot a season-best 46.2% from the field, including a 47.4% mark from three-point range. The Purple Aces also posted season highs in points (75), free throws made (18), assists (9) and steals (9).

The Aces return to action next Tuesday, traveling to Edwardsville, Ill. for a clash with SIUE. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.

 

State Rep. Ledbetter: Funds available to communities for recovery housing

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 STATEHOUSE (Nov. 19, 2025) – Communities can access funding to provide transitional housing for individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder through the Indiana Recovery Housing Program, said State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh).

Communities can use these funds to build recovery residences or rehabilitate existing facilities. Ledbetter said that providing long-lasting and high-quality recovery housing helps people recovering from substance use disorders maintain sobriety and rebuild their lives, impacting not only individuals but strengthening communities.

“This is a program that addresses one of the biggest chokepoints for sustained recovery from substance abuse,” Ledbetter said. “Providing stable temporary housing helps people in recovery maintain sobriety and move toward self-sufficiency.”

The program uses funds from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant and is administered by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Nearly $5 million was granted to the program from 2020 to 2024.

Eligible cities, towns and counties can submit proposals until Dec. 21 and applications for the Recovery Housing Program will be accepted until Feb. 22, 2026.

CenterPoint Energy completes first round of “Community Connect” events in southwestern Indiana

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Saturday marked the fifth and final event held throughout southwestern Indiana territory to listen to customer priorities and highlight local community investment and involvement

 

Customers received in-person, one-on-one support from company representatives and were provided with information CNP’s affordability actions, financial assistance programs and local infrastructure investments to improve reliability

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Nov. 19, 2025 – This past Saturday, CenterPoint Energy held the fifth and final Community Connect event at the Ohio Township Phoenix Event Center in Newburgh, Ind., wrapping up a series of events hosted as part of its commitment to listen to local feedback, highlight local energy improvements and address customer priorities.

Each customer who attended the five Community Connect events was provided the opportunity to speak with a member of CenterPoint’s customer support team one-on-one to resolve any issues or concerns, as well as speak to employees at a number of informational stations about local infrastructure investments designed to strengthen the electric and natural gas systems, recent affordability actions, the importance of emergency preparedness and financial assistance and other programs available.

“Our initial Community Connect events were an excellent opportunity for us to engage with our customers face-to-face and listen to their feedback . I’d like to thank those community members, as well as local officials, who joined us at our events. And I also want to thank the 100+ employee volunteers who staffed the events and the entire Indiana CenterPoint team who remain committed to serving our customers every day ,” said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana.

“We will share more information soon on how we will continue to show up and engage our community on a more consistent and frequent basis going forward as we execute our previously announced affordability actions.”

 

Community Affordability Actions
In late October/early November, CenterPoint announced the first phase of actions it has recently taken to prioritize affordability, including: