EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball opens 2026 and the Ohio Valley Conference schedule on New Year’s Day with a visit to SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois. The opening weekend of 2026 concludes January 3 when USI visits Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri.
The Screaming Eagles (3-9, 0-2 OVC) are hoping the quick road trip can get the team on track after a rough 0-2 start to OVC play. USI could not hold off Little Rock in the conference opener, losing 77-62, and suffered a heartbreaking loss to Morehead State, 64-60, in overtime at Liberty Arena. Senior guard Cardell Baileyled the way for the Screaming Eagles on the homestand with 17.5 points per game, while senior guard Ismail Habiband junior guard Kaden Brown posted 16.5 points and 10.0 points per game, respectively. For the season, Habib has been posting 17.9 points per game to lead the Ohio Valley Conference and USI in scoring. Bailey is second on the team in scoring with 14.3 points per contest this season and is averaging 18.0 points per outing in thelast five games. SIUE (8-5, 1-1 OVC) lost its 2025-26 OVC opener at Eastern Illinois, 76-72, in overtime, but bounced back to defeat Western Illinois, 66-61, on the road. The Cougars are 3-2 in the last five games and 5-5 in the last 10. USI leads the all-time versus SIUE, 46-25, since the series began in the 1970s. USI also holds a 24-8 lead in conference games, both OVC and the old Great Lakes Valley Conference, since 1995. SIUE won the first game last year in Edwardsville, 82-76, while USI took the second game at Liberty, 82-68. Lindenwood (8-5, 2-0 OVC), which is tied for first in the OVC after the first two games, is 2-0 in the OVC after posting a win over Eastern Illinois, 82-74, on the road, and Western Illinois, 92-76, at home. The Lions, which lost to Missouri State, 70-65, in its final non-conference game before the holidays, have won six of its last seven. USI leads the all-time series, 8-2, after splitting the conference games last season. USI won at Liberty Arena, 80-73, and fell at Lindenwood, 81-78, in overtime.
Attorney General Todd Rokita this week led a coalition of 24 states and the Arizona Legislature in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, supporting the Trump administration’s policy of listing biological sex — rather than subjective gender identities — on U.S. passports.
The brief calls for reversal of a district court’s preliminary injunction blocking the policy in Ashton Orr, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al., arguing that the Constitution permits the government to define “sex” as the objective, biological characteristic of male or female for official documents.
“Passports are official government property, and allowing self-defined entries would create chaos, inconsistency, and endless administrative problems while undermining accurate identification.” Attorney General Rokita said. “Government records must reflect verifiable biological reality — the same standard used for centuries — rather than ever-changing personal perceptions that could lead to unlimited options and unreliable documentation.”
The coalition contends that recording biological sex aligns with centuries of historical practice, dictionary definitions, Supreme Court precedent, and rational government interests in uniform, verifiable records. It notes that subjective gender identities can change and multiply indefinitely, making them unsuitable for official documents like passports. The brief also highlights the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent stay of the injunction, signaling the policy’s likely constitutionality.
Joining Indiana are the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming, as well as the Arizona Legislature.
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team put up their highest scoring output of the season on Monday evening, but fell short in a 90-80 loss to Murray State at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) posted her fourth 20-plus point performance of the season with 20 to lead the Aces. Runner also notched a career-high with nine assists, the most by an Ace since November 12, 2023. Eight different Aces found the scoring column, including season-highs by Georgia Ferguson (Waterloo, Ontario/Cairine Wilson Secondary School) with 10, BreAunna Ward (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) and Kylee Norkus (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) with nine, and Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Ballarat Rush) with eight.
Murray State grabbed control of the game early, opening the game on an 11-0 run. Cox snapped the run by scoring on consecutive possessions, but another quick run by the Racers gave the visitors a 16-4 lead at the 2:58 mark before taking a 21-8 lead into the second quarter.
Evansville stormed back in the second quarter, with Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) knocking down a triple from the corner and Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) sinking two three-pointers to make it 27-20 in the first four minutes of the period. After Murray State got the lead back up to 10, Evansville made another push, outscoring the Racers 17-7 in the final 4:51 of the half to tie the score at 39 heading into halftime. Ward highlighted the run, scoring five points, including an and-one.
Murray State responded coming out of halftime, scoring the first nine points of the half to regain a 49-40 lead. A pair of jumpers by Runner cut the deficit back down to five with 5:58 remaining in the third, but another big run by the Racers helped Murray State to a 67-50 lead through three quarters.
Evansville battled back once again in the fourth, with a pair of layups by Norkus cutting it to 11 with 7:07 to go. Runner continued her big night with six consecutive points for the Aces before another layup and a big three-pointer by Norkus made it a six-point game with just under three minutes to play. However, that was as close as it would get, as Murray State pulled away for a 90-80 win.
The Aces remain at Meeks Family Fieldhouse this weekend for another MVC tilt, hosting Valpo on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3 PM.
PEORIA, Ill. – Coming in off the bench, AJ Casey scored a career-high 21 points on Monday evening to pace the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in a 76-68 setback to Bradley inside Carver Arena.
Casey was 8-of-11 from the field on the way to his career outing. His previous high of 14 points came in the season opener at top-ranked Purdue. He added six boards and a pair of assists. Josh Hughes recorded 14 points and a team-high 7 caroms while Bryce Quinet recorded 11 points. Jaquan Johnson paced Bradley with 22 points.
“Basketball is a game of runs. I thought we did a great job of punching first and setting the tone,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland said. “We did a great job with the scouts and got some stops and finished the first half the right way. Early in the second half, we had some good looks but shots were just not falling. Once we got them to fall we made a run and battled to the finish. This is a tough league especially on the road and we need to learn how to finish these games.”
Evansville was on fire to open the night converting five of its first six attempts to take a 13-0 lead just over three minutes into the game. Josh Hughes and Alex Hemenway knocked down 3-pointers to open the game while Leif Moeller added a basket during the run. Hughes’ second triple capped the run. UE’s defense held the Braves to a 0-for-6 start from the field.
Bradley made its way back, utilizing an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to make it a 2-point game. The Braves held the Aces scoreless for a stretch of 5:37 as they closed the gap. AJ Casey ended the stretch as Kaia Berridge found him for a dunk. As the half reached its midway point, BU cut the deficit to 15-14 before UE answered with four in a row. Berridge found Casey for another slam to complete the run.
Up 26-25 entering the last five minutes, Hughes’ fourth triple of the contest was followed by a Bryce Quinet jumper that made it a 31-24 game. The Braves closed over the final moments to make it a 35-31 game at the half. Hughes led all players with 14 points in the opening stanza.
Out of the break, the Braves took their first lead at 38-36. Holding UE to a 0-for-12 start, BU outscored the Aces by a 13-1 margin to take their first lead of the night at 44-36. Casey’s 3-point play got UE back on track before Hemenway’s second triple made it a 44-42 game with 13:32 remaining.
Two minutes later, Quinet connected his first triple of the night to put UE back in front at 48-47. Following a 3-pointer by Bradley, Hemenway drained another from downtown, his third of the game, to give UE a 51-50 edge heading into the final 10 minutes. With 8:39 remaining, Keishon Porter’s alley-oop put Evansville in front at 55-52. That is when the Braves made their run scoring seven in a row to jump in front at 59-55.
Quinet added two free throws inside of five minutes left to knot the score at 61-61. Bradley countered with four in a row and would slowly add to the lead before finishing the game with a 76-68 victory.
The Braves had a slight shooting advantage for the night at 40.6%-40.3% while completing the game with a 41-39 edge on the boards. UE remains on the road to face Illinois State on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Hoosier Gov. Mike Braun is weeks away from wrapping up his first year as Indiana’s top leader and took time this week to dissect his successes and failures.
In a Tuesday sit-down interview with the Capital Chronicle, Braun pointed to big changes in property taxes, education, public safety, economic development and more.
An estimated two-thirds of homeowners will pay less in property taxes next year than they do this year under an immense local government finance bill Braun signed into law in April.
“That’s significant,” he said of the changes.
“The lesson to be learned was that the Senate gives you Senate Bill 1 and then completely guts it. You know, where it had to be rebuilt was in the House,” Braun said. “… It took three months to get it back to record property tax relief.”
The final product remained very different from Braun’s original plan, which he acknowledged faced greater opposition from cash-strapped units of local government.
Gov. Mike Braun claps during a pro-redistricting rally at the Indiana Statehouse on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
“I don’t think we ended up too far from where we would have been anyway,” he said.
But his tussle with the Senate presented a “fairly similar dynamic” to another major test of the new governor’s power: fulfilling President Donald Trump’s demand for a congressional redraw benefiting Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The 50-member Senate rejected the new maps last week on a vote of 31-19, with 21 Republicans joining all 10 Democrats in opposition. The defeat came despite threats of primary competition from Trump, Braun and spendy political groups.
“It will have consequences, most likely, and the White House has said that they’re not going to forget it,” Braun said. But it “doesn’t define what happens going forward” on other topics.
“I wouldn’t try to extrapolate on more of a federal issue — redistricting — in terms of what that means on all the kitchen table issues,” he said.
Beyond redistricting
Braun touted a wide range of wins:
Education: entry-level teacher pay increased; public colleges and universities froze tuition; income limits on state-funded private school vouchers were removed.
Public safety: Indiana inked cooperation agreements with federal immigration officials; state police seized more illicit drugs.
Economic development: The state’s economy is growing faster than neighbors and the U.S. average; cost per incentivized job is down; average incentivized job wages are up.
“We did a forensic audit to get to the bottom of what was going on,” Braun said of the controversial Indiana Economic Development Corp.
The analysis identified lackluster oversight and questionable spending from 2022 through 2024, emphasizing a need for greater transparency.
“What they did do may have had merit, but it can’t be cloaked in opaqueness so you can’t see what the heck you’re doing. We’ve turned all that around,” Braun said.
Braun has also overhauled the state panel that oversees utility companies, naming three new “ratepayer-conscious” commissioners last week.
Braun, a businessman who owns Meyer Distributing, additionally highlighted fiscal progress.
Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, details the final budget compromise while Gov. Mike Braun listens on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
“We got hit with an austere budget forecast, and our cash flow’s already exceeding it,” Braun said, “meaning things I was asking for — in terms of running government more leanly, more efficiently — has paid off.”
“It’s been surprising how much we’ve been able to do through executive orders and just better management,” he said.
It was through an executive order that agencies completed an exhaustive review of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI, initiatives throughout state government, complete with plans to remove certain programs, positions and more.
A recent statewide poll, however, found that Hoosiers aren’t enamored with Braun’s job performance so far. About 32% approved and 50% disapproved.
Looking forward
Braun indicated administration members “weren’t able to craft, really, any of our own legislation” in the 2025 session. The Legislature reconvened before he was even inaugurated.
The administration hasn’t yet unveiled a specific legislative agenda, even though lawmakers have already spent two weeks of the 2026 session on redistricting. They also have pledged to cut work next year short by two weeks to avoid extra expense to taxpayers.
“Even though it won’t be very long or extensive,” Braun said, “we’ll still maybe work forward” and “buil(d) upon what we did in the first year.”
Gov. Mike Braun, with First Lady Maureen Braun, is sworn in by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Jan. 13, 2025. (Nate Pappas for the Indiana Capital Chronicle)
He said lowering health care costs remains a top priority along with education and utilities.
“I’m really looking at anything that’s going to take the kitchen table issues, whether it comes from the Senate or the House, and see what we can do to make that better for Hoosiers,” Braun said. “And I’m holding nothing against anyone when it comes to what we do collectively there.”
Dozens of bills have already been filed. Lawmakers gather again beginning Jan. 5.
Asked what he’s looking forward to in the interim, Braun said he fishes and hunts — including for mushrooms — and manages timber grounds.
“I didn’t give up the things I really like,” he added, despite the demands of public office. “I love nature.”
His favorite foraged fungi are shelves of oyster mushrooms.
“You can find them all throughout the year. They’re not near as particular as a morel would be,” Braun said. “Most years, (morels) decide just not to come up due to it being too warm or not moist enough, and they say, ‘See you maybe next year.’”
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana was awarded nearly $207 million for the first year of a five-year federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to improve health outcomes in the state’s rural communities. The funding will support GROW (Growing Rural Opportunities for Well-being): Cultivating Rural Health, a five-year initiative designed to enhance healthcare access and data, quality, and outcomes through system innovation and collaboration.
This initial award is more than the $200 million a year the state requested Nov. 4 in its application. The award was based on a variety of factors, including the state’s rural metrics, the proposals to enhance access and quality of care in rural communities and initiatives in the application that will have the greatest potential to impact the health of rural communities.
Gov. Mike Braun has directed the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) to implement the program. GROW represents a comprehensive effort to strengthen rural healthcare systems by promoting innovation, building strategic partnerships, developing infrastructure, and investing in the healthcare workforce.
“Indiana’s rural communities are the backbone of our state, and this investment will help ensure that every Hoosier, regardless of where they live, has access to high-quality, sustainable healthcare,” Gov. Braun said. “Through GROW, we are building a healthier, stronger Indiana.”
GROW focuses on five key goals to transform rural healthcare delivery:
Make Rural Indiana Healthy Again: Continue Gov. Braun’s initiative with a focus on rural health innovations and new access points to promote preventive care and address chronic disease prevention. Projects will use evidence-based, outcomes-driven interventions to improve disease prevention, chronic disease management, behavioral health and prenatal care.
Provide Sustainable Access: Strengthen the long-term sustainability of rural clinicians and facilities by improving efficiency and collaboration. GROW will help rural providers coordinate operations, technology, and services with regional systems to expand access to primary, specialty, and emergency care.
Improve the Rural Health Workforce: Attract and retain skilled healthcare professionals by enhancing recruitment and retention strategies. GROW will provide resources to rural clinicians and expand the healthcare team with community health workers, behavioral health specialists and other professionals trained to support patients in navigating the healthcare system.
Implement New Ways to Provide Care: Encourage innovative service models, including for prenatal care, and payment mechanisms that improve outcomes, coordinate care, and reduce costs.
Leverage Technology: Expand the use of digital health tools and technologies to improve care delivery and data sharing. Projects will enhance access to remote care, strengthen data systems, and invest in emerging technologies that support rural healthcare providers and patients.
Indiana’s vision is to ensure that rural Hoosiers have the same opportunities to thrive as their urban neighbors. To achieve this, the state plans to implement 12 GROW initiatives that align with RHTP goals.
Eleven of these initiatives will be implemented statewide to address systemic challenges such as workforce development and infrastructure. Taking the opportunity to lean into the fact that local communities know their needs best, a large portion of the funding (each year for five years) will be provided directly to rural communities through Make Rural Indiana Healthy Again Regional Grants. These grants will engage local stakeholders to identify community-specific needs and opportunities for resource sharing.
By combining statewide frameworks with local expertise, Indiana is creating a comprehensive and adaptable approach to improving rural health outcomes, ensuring that solutions are both effective and tailored to the unique contexts of each community.
Indiana is launching Smart SNAP, a new initiative to promote healthier food choices. Beginning January 1, 2026, sugary drinks and candy will no longer be eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. This change is part of Governor Braun’s Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative. Learn more about what this means for you by visiting the Smart SNAP webpage.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service approved DFR’s SNAP Food Restriction Waiver on May 22,2025, and the exclusion of candy and sugary drinks from being purchased using SNAP benefits will begin Jan. 1, 2026.
Candy: A preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces. The term does not include any preparation requiring refrigeration
Sugary drinks: Non-alcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners. The term does not include beverages that contain milk or milk products, soy, rice, or similar milk substitutes, or are exclusively naturally sweetened using natural vegetable and/or fruit juice
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Athletics is pleased to announce the selection of the 2026 USI Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted January 30 during homecoming week. A nine-member USI Athletic Hall of Fame Committee selected the class of five individuals and one team. Any Screaming Eagles fan was eligible to nominate student athletes or teams on the 10th anniversary of their last season of competition, or a coach/administrator who has been separated from USI Athletics for two years. This year’s class includes Matt Chavarria’18 (Baseball 2014-15); MacKenzi Dorsam’15, M’18 (Softball 2012-15); Anna Hackert ’16 (Women’s Basketball 2011-2015); Brooke Harmening’15 (Softball 2012-15); Craig Shoobridge ’99 (Baseball 1993-96), and the 2002 Volleyball Team. “I continue to be amazed by the number of outstanding student-athletes and teams this University has produced,” said USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall. “The Class of 2026 truly represents our growing tradition here at USI. The five individuals and one team that will be honored in January are truly worthy of this extraordinary honor. I know that the entire USI community is proud of this class and what it accomplished while at USI.” In addition to the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, USI is inducting Jerry Altstadt, Roger Griffin, and Robby Kent into the Athletic Hall of Distinction for contributions to the success of the University’s varsity programs. Reservations for the January 21 induction ceremony must be made in advance and online by clicking on USI Athletic Hall of Fame Tickets. For more information, contact the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189. 2026 USI ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS Matt Chavarria, Baseball: One of the heroes of the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship team, Chavarria was a dominant closer and shortstop for the Screaming Eagles. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals after posting two saves and winning the national championship game as the winning pitcher in relief. During his two seasons with USI, Chavarria was named second-team All-American (2015); first-team All-Midwest Region by Daktronics/D2SIDA (2015); second-team All-Midwest Region by the ABCA (2015), second-team Daktronics All-Midwest Region (2014); GLVC co-Pitcher of the Year (2015), first-team All-GLVC East Division (2014, 2015). He set a USI career record with a two-year 1.99 ERA, breaking a 40-year USI mark, and finished his career ranked second all-time at USI with 18 saves. For more on Chavarria, visit his bio on USIScreamingEagles.com. MacKenzi Dorsam, Softball: Dorsam concluded her dominating career ranked first all-time at USI in walks (82), second in runs scored (142), third in home runs (24), and fourth in RBIs (126). Her 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2015 were the second-most in a single-season in program history. Dorsam also reached base safely in 163 of 188 career games, including 128 of 146 games in her final three seasons. In addition to her statistics, Dorsam was the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Player of the Year and the GLVC Player of the Year during 2015 when she led the GLVC in batting average (.427), slugging percentage (.803), on-base percentage (.534), and total bases (126). She also was named All-American twice (2014, 2015), All-Region three times (2013, 2014, 2015), Academic All-America (2015), the USI Female Student-Athlete of the Year (2015), and GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year (2015). For more on Dorsam’s career, visit her bio on USIScreamingEagles.com. Anna Hackert, Women’s Basketball: A two-time All-American (2014, 2015) by both the WBCA and the Women’s Division II Bulletin, Hackert finished her career as the program’s all-time career rebounding leader with 1,009. She also finished her career ranked first all-time at USI in career double-doubles (46), second in made free throws (421) and free throw attempts (568) in a career, third in career scoring (1,607), fourth in career field goals (593), and fifth in career blocks (87). Hackert was a three-time first-team All-GLVC honoree (2013, 2014, 2015) as well as a three-time All-Midwest Region honoree (2013, 2014, 2015), including a two-time second-team honoree and a one-time first-team award winner. She also earned GLVC Player of the Week honors eight times throughout her career. For more on Hackert’s career, visit her bio on USIScreamingEagles.com. Brooke Harmening, Softball: Harmening finished her career as USI’s all-time leader in career wins (74), innings pitched (796.1), and strikeouts (642), while tying for first all-time with two career no-hitters. She also finished fourth all-time at USI with 19 career shutouts. Harmening, at the plate, ranked second all-time at USI in doubles (47), home runs (25), and tied for second in RBIs (127). The USI hurler also was a four-time All-GLVC performer (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), in addition to earning All-Midwest Region honors three times (2013, 2014, 2015). For more on Harmening’s career, visit her bio on USIScreamingEagles.com. Craig Shoobridge, Baseball: Following his four-year career, the Shoobridge name is all over the top 10 records kept for different pitching categories. Shoobridge is eighth in career starts (34), ninth in innings pitched (246.1), sixth in complete games (17), first in shutouts in a career (6), and first in shutouts in a season (3). He also is fifth in career strikeouts (189) and eighth in career wins (21), while also pitching a no-hitter in 1996. Shoobridge was a part of a USI pitching staff from 1993 to 1994 that included Greg Orr (2019 Hall of Fame inductee), Todd Niemeier (2008 Hall of Fame inductee), and Mike Fetscher (2007 Hall of Fame inductee).
