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Softball travels to Bradley for weekend series
Three-game series set for Saturday and Sunday
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – This weekend, the University of Evansville softball team makes the trek to Peoria, Ill. for a 3-game series against Bradley. Play opens on Saturday with a 12 p.m. doubleheader before Sunday’s finale begins at noon; all three games will be carried on ESPN3.
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Last Time Out
– It was a tale of two games on Wednesday in a doubleheader at Indiana State
– After dropping the opener by a 16-3 final, the Aces rebounded with a 3-2 win in the second contest
– Alexa Davis hit the game-winning home run in the sixth inning to help the Aces earn the split against the Sycamores
– Sydney Weatherford recorded her sixth victory of the season, allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits
– She tossed her sixth complete game in her last eight starts
Game-Winner
– Alexa Davis provided one of the biggest hits of the season on Wednesday at Indiana State, connecting on a 2-run home run in the 5th inning of the 3-2 win
– Davis completed the doubleheader against the Sycamores with four hits in seven at-bats
– In the series finale against UNI, she was 2-3 with two doubles, two runs scored along with a walk and steal to help the Aces take a 6-3 win
– Her season average checks in at .275
Back On Track
– Saturday’s series finale against Missouri State saw Jessica Fehr snap out of an 0-for-15 drought by going a perfect 3-for-3 and she added a hit in each game at Indiana State
– Fehr continues to lead the Aces with a .311 batting average and 25 runs scored
– She has recorded a hit in 19 of the last 28 games
– The senior is fifth in the MVC with 21 walks
Another W
– Sydney Weatherford helped the Purple Aces end their recent skid with her sixth complete game in her last eight starts on Wednesday at Indiana State
– She gave up two runs, just one earned, on eight hits in the winning effort on the way to win #6 of the season
– The effort against the Sycamores lowered her season ERA to 2.93, which is 7th in the MVC
Men’s golf set for MVC Championship
Country Club of Paducah to host championship
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Beginning on Sunday, the University of Evansville men’s golf team will be in Paducah, Ky. to take part in the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
Hosted by the Country Club of Paducah, tournament will feature three rounds of 18 holes. A single round will be played each day from April 24 through the 26th. Par is set for 72 and the yardage layout is set for 7,014.
Evansville completed the regular season on April 12 at the Tennessee State University Big Blue Intercollegiate. Carson Parker was the top finisher for the Purple Aces, earning a tie for the 21st position. Following his opening-round score of 77, Parker shot a 1-over 72 in the second round, which was spread between Monday and Tuesday due to the inclement weather. His final score came in at a 149.
Isaac Rohleder matched Parker’s final round score with a 72. He made one of the largest improvements between rounds in the entire event, dropping his score by 10 strokes from his opening round tally. He finished in a tie for 39th with a total of 154. Henry Kiel completed the tournament with a 156, completing both rounds with a 78. He tied for 44th.
Michael Ikejiani and Caleb Wassmer tied for 53rd in the final standings with a 158. In round two, Ikejiani matched his opening round score of 79. Wassmer began the tournament with an 81 before lowering his score to a 77 in the final 18 holes.
The Purple Aces earned a ninth-place finish with a total of 614 strokes. They were three behind 8th-place finisher Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Former VU setter Savannah Grimes to return to the court at Florida Tech
VINCENNES, Ind. – Former Vincennes University volleyball setter Savannah Grimes (Dieterich, Ill.) announced earlier this week that she will be returning to the volleyball court after taking a year off to focus on her academics by signing with Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla.
Grimes was the textbook definition of a student-athlete at Vincennes University, double-majoring in Engineering and Marine Biology and being a two-time NJCAA Academic All-American recipient, including receiving First-Team Academic All-American honors for the 2019-2020 school year.
“I chose Florida Tech initially for their great Chemical Engineering department and the amazing location,†Grimes said. “They offer a fast-track program that counts certain classes as undergraduate and graduate credits, so students can finish their master’s program in a year or less. The school is a few miles from the beach and it is still crazy to me that I can go there at almost any time.â€
“I am thrilled that Savannah has decided to continue to play,†VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “I knew she would do this, so it comes as no surprise to me at all.â€
“What I miss most about Vincennes University is the amazing staff there,†Grimes added. “It was obvious the professors really care about their students and want to make sure they are successful. Also, the facilities at Vincennes University are incredible.â€
“Aside from volleyball, Savannah was a model student,†Sien said. “She not only excelled in her studies, but she also tutored. When did she sleep or eat? Savannah is someone the Athletic Department should be very proud to say is one of our very own.â€
Grimes helped tutor her fellow students in math, biology and chemistry while at Vincennes University, where she worked closely with VU Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Curt Coffman.
“Savannah was an exceptional student during her time at VU,†Coffman said. “She not only completed two degrees, Zoology & Marine Biology and Chemical Engineering, but graduated Magna Cum Laude at the top of her class. She also tutored math, biology and chemistry in between classes, practices and matches.â€
“These are all impressive, but what matters most is that Savannah is an incredible person,†Coffman added. “She is friendly, genuine, kind and holds herself to a high level of integrity. That’s a rare combination and we were fortunate to have her here at VU.”
Florida Tech University is an NCAA Division II program that plays in a very strong Sunshine Conference along with school’s like Tampa University who won the NCAA D-II National Championship in 2021.
Nova Southeastern, Embry-Riddle, Lynn and Palm Beach Atlantic also represented the Sunshine Conference in the NCAA Tournament and all were ranked this past season.
In her two seasons with the Trailblazers, Grimes came away with 1474 set assists, 707 digs and 60 service aces, in just 239 sets.
Grimes was a First-Team All-Region 24 selection after the Spring 2021 season, in which she finished with 753 set assists, 271 digs and 39 blocks.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS AND ONEP IN PERSON VOTING BREAKDOWN
Yesterday was the deadline for us to receive an absentee ballot application to vote by mail. These are the numbers we discussed for voting as of end-of-day, April 21st:
Total Ballots Mailed: 1224
Total Ballots Received Back:Â 750
Total ballots cast in person at ONEP (Old National Events Plaza):Â 488
Early voting will continue at ONEP Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, April 29th and from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 2nd.
Early voting on Saturday, April 23rd and April 30th at ONEP will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early voting on Saturday, April 23rd and April 30th at Cedar Hall School and Northeast Park Baptist Church will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early voting at the following libraries will be Monday, April 25th through Thursday, April 28th from noon to 6 p.m. and on Friday, April 29th from noon to 5 p.m.:
Central Library
McCollough Library
North Park Library
Oaklyn Library
Red Bank Library
Early voting information is also on our website at:Â https://www.evansvillegov.org/county/topic/index.php?topicid=437&structureid=329
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Carla J. Hayden
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Vanderburgh County
Pardon Me – We Paid For What?
Pardon Me – We Paid For What?
By Dannie McIntire
City-County Observer
I’m a conservative and one of my favorite rants is over the lack of concern about our country’s debt. Many of us, while quite adept at maintaining a balanced checkbook, give little thought to the financial plight of our nation.Â
One of the most often used methods to determine a nation’s financial health is in its percentage of debt against its gross national product (GDP). The GDP is basically the value of the goods and services produced annually in the country. The Debt-to-GDP ratio gives an insight into a country’s ability to service its outstanding debt.Â
Many economists consider a “Debt-to GDP†above 77 percent to be an indication of decreasing economical health. In 2008 our Debt-to GDP was 68 percent, by the end of 2021 it has grown to 124 percent.
Our federal government is spending more money than it brings in, thus increasing the national debt through the borrowing of the money to finance its expenditures. If you ran your personal finances as our federal government does, you would have filed for bankruptcy years ago. Our federal government is basically operating by using a “credit cardâ€. It is estimated our federal government will spend 5 percent of its 2022 budget, approximately $305 billion dollars, simply paying interest on our national debt, Let that sink in…$305 billion in annual interest payments alone on our national debt…and our national debt continues to grow, Â
Our nation has to learn to quit the wasteful spending of its revenues (tax dollars) on frivolous items. You may not agree with the politics of Kentucky senator Rand Paul, however each year he publishes an annual “Festivus†report which details wasteful government spending.
These are just a few examples of wasteful government spending detailed in his 2021 “Festivus†report: Â
- In Maryland, Baltimore schools received $1.27 million dollars in Covid relief funds for students who actually were not enrolled. (quite a bit of money for ghost students)
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spent $25 million of taxpayer-funded federal COVID relief dollars to launch the “City Arts Corps,†paying 3,000 artists to publicly display creative works in an effort to “resurge the cultural scene†in the City. (I need to find my crayons and get in on this action) Â
- Congress gave the Defense Department $259 million dollars to help countries in the Middle East and North Africa border walls. (What about our own southern border?)
- Partnering with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Embassy in Seoul is allocating up to a $150,000 grant to send ten Koreans aged 15-30 to Washington, D.C. for two weeks to learn about climate change activism. (That’s $15,000 in vacation money for each participant. I wouldn’t mind receiving a share like that for my annual family vacation.)Â
- While your kids and millions of American students were locked out of their schools for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, your government has been paying to translate books into the Georgian language for Georgian students who are in the classroom and spending $182,741 to do it.Â
- The State Department U.S. Mission to France plans to allocate up to $200,000 to “enhance the understanding of the United States in France. (Say what…I personally could care less what the people of France think of us…we’ve saved their country in two world wars…shouldn’t that give them a good opinion of us)
- The government used $2.4 million taxpayer dollars to create a dinosaur-centric film in 2D and 3D, a 3-episode TV series, a fictional book, and museum exhibits to “inspire†middle school-aged students. The film features dinosaurs in the Antarctic and hopes to “inspire future polar scientists†and “encourage young people to learn about Antarctica. Even if a young aspiring polar scientist wishes to watch the film, entrance to the exhibit is not free! Tickets for one parent and one child to attend run $34, which could give the museums a profit of up to $5.1 million if they ultimately reach 1.5 million of their aspired “millions†of film viewers.
- The National Institutes Of Health (NIH) granted Reed College of Portland, Oregon $465,339 to create a token-based economy where pigeons are taught to gamble with slot machines. (teaching pigeons to gamble – you can’t make this kind of stuff up)
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the 12th Congressional District of California $2.1 million to incentivize residents to remove wood-burning systems and replace them with electric heat pumps. (Wait, doesn’t California suffer from rolling power outages due to overuse of their electrical power grid)
- In January 2021, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) posted a notice proposing to spend $11.3 million to “reduce environmental pollution in targeted areas across Vietnam,†which will include encouraging locals to stop burning their trashâ€. Â
- The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is in on the game, spending $3,428,300,000 and 20 years trying and failing to develop an amphibious combat vehicle (ACV) to replace the 40-year-old amphibious assault vehicle (AAV). (almost $3.5 billion spent and no acceptable vehicle….wow)
- The National Institute on Aging (NIA) used nearly $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars over the course of 5 years to study how hearing good or bad news affects your happiness. (Ugh…good news is good….bad news is bad…there…the study is completed)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) granted the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo $361,011 in federal funding to study if kids crave junk food and gain weight. (seriously…you need a study to know that junk food is bad?)
- The FDA granted Novatel, a Canadian aquaculture company, $337,500 in taxpayer dollars to fatten and raise juvenile eels to keep costs down for those wishing to eat the fish. (Now I’m trying to recall the last time I enjoyed a delicious meal of eel from Canada)
As I said, the above are just a few examples from Senator Rand Paul’s “2021 Festivus
Report†in which he highlights a whopping $52,598,515,585 in wasteful federal government spending. You can access his report online but I would recommend that you have a bottle of anti-acid on hand when reading it.Â
It is time that we as a voter and taxpayers, demand our elected representatives spend our tax dollars in a responsible manner and begin reducing our National Debt.