Aces back in action on Sunday at Illinois State
  Indiana State University has determined it is unable to compete in tonight’s (Jan. 5) home men’s basketball game against the University of Evansville men’s basketball team.
The game has been postponed, and the Conference office will attempt to reschedule the game, if possible.  Indiana State is scheduled to play at Drake on Saturday, Jan. 8.  The Conference will share information about the status of that contest as soon as possible.
JASON ASHWORTH ANNOUNCEMENT SPEECH FOR VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF
JANUARY 5, 2022
Good Morning – WOW
Thank you. Since the beginning, the positive response to our campaign has been overwhelming.
Today, I made it official – I have filed to be your next Vanderburgh County Sheriff.
I’d like to thank all of you here today and many more who are not able to be here, specifically Deputies, Corrections Officers, and Employees of the Sheriff’s Office.
I want to acknowledge and thank my wife Kendyl, as she heads back to school as soon as we leave here.
Thank you to my team, including Sheriff Eric Williams and Sheriff Brad Ellsworth, all of the local elected Democrats supporting my campaign, and the overwhelming majority of the Sheriff’s Office who support me.
There are many of our Community Leaders that I will lean on when I am Sheriff. Leaders who expect real progress and real results – and that is the leader I will be as Sheriff.
I make you these commitments:
I will tell you the truth,
I will demand progress,
AND our Community will see results, rather than unkept promises.
Starting as a Corrections Officer in 1993, and rising to the rank of Major, I have seen firsthand the problems our community faces. It is this experience that has prepared me to not just lead the Sheriff’s Office, but to be the Sheriff we need for a safer and more just Vanderburgh County.
Today, I am excited to announce a few major initiatives of my administration as your Sheriff.
First, as your Sheriff, beginning day one, my office will no longer make arrests for simple marijuana possession. These arrests disproportionately impact people of color, and as your Sheriff, this is only the first step in ensuring a more just and fair community.
Instead, we will use these resources and more to crack down on the TWO BIGGEST THREATS to Vanderburgh County Today – the trafficking of Opioids and Illegal Guns! Shooting deaths and opioid use killed more people in our community last year than ever before. It will be my priority to tackle this head-on.
As I work to keep this County Safe, it is also my job as Sheriff to keep the folks in our jail safe. I believe that if someone dies in our jail, the family of the deceased along with the public deserve a transparent and honest accounting of what happened. So, today, I am announcing a third-party independent review of an inmate’s death at the Vanderburgh County Jail under my administration. I told you that I was going to get to the truth, and I mean it!
My team and I will be releasing the rest of our platform throughout this campaign, but for today, let me tell you about one more initiative we will roll out when I take office.
As Sheriff, I will provide additional support for those in need of mental health treatment. Too often, our deputies encounter neighbors who are in need of mental health treatment rather than jail. Under my administration, we will provide mental health support to those in need instead of locking them in jail without the appropriate resources. This has always been unfair and unjust, and under my administration, these folks and their families will find a friend in the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.
I am so honored to be your candidate and I am excited as hell to be your next Sheriff.
Thank you for your support! Now, let’s go to work!!
JASON ASHWORTH FILES FOR VANDERBURGH COUNTY SHERIFF
Evansville, IN – Jan 5, 2022 – Major Jason Ashworth officially filed for Vanderburgh County Sheriff, making him the first candidate to file for election in 2022.
Ashworth is a 28-year veteran of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, beginning as a corrections officer and currently serving as Major and Commander of Operations.
After filing, Sheriff Ashworth became one of the first candidates for Sheriff in the state of Indiana to announce he would install an office policy ceasing all arrests for simple possession of marijuana.Â
Ashworth said, “Beginning day one, my office will no longer make arrests for simple marijuana possession. These arrests disproportionately impact people of color, and as your Sheriff, this is only the first step in ensuring a more just and fair community.â€
Ashworth said he would work with community partners to crack down on the trafficking of opioids and illegal guns, which he called the “two biggest threats to Vanderburgh County todayâ€. He also promised to “provide mental health support to those in need instead of locking them in jail without the appropriate resources.â€
Major Ashworth announced a new third-party, independent review process for all jail deaths.
Ashworth told the crowd, “I believe if someone dies in our jail, the family of the deceased along with the public deserve a transparent and honest accounting of what happened by a third party. So, today, I am announcing a third-party, independent review of any inmate death at the Vanderburgh County Jail under my administration.â€
In his bid for Sheriff, Major Ashworth is supported by former Sheriffs Brad Ellsworth and Eric Williams. Other local democrats supporting Jason Ashworth for Sheriff are State Representative Ryan Hatfield, Coroner Steve Lockyear, County Commissioners Ben Shoulders and Jeff Hatfield, as well as City Councilman Zac Heronemus.
Major Ashworth has been married to his wife Kendyl, an EVSC teacher, for 27 years. They have two children.
Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 3, 2022. To learn more about Jason Ashworth, visit his Facebook Page or ashworthforsheriff.com.
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Three Games Will Have Changes
St. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Conference has announced schedule changes that will impact three University of Evansville men’s basketball games over the coming weeks.
Evansville and Illinois State will swap home dates for the regular-season series. This weekend, the Purple Aces will travel to ISU on Sunday for a 1 p.m. game inside Redbird Arena.
On Sunday, January 23, the Aces and Redbirds will square off inside the Ford Center. Tip time will be determined in the coming days. UE’s trip to Valparaiso will shift ahead by a day to Wednesday, February 2 and the start time will be announced at a later date.
Tomorrow, UE is back on the road for a 6 p.m. CT contest at Indiana State.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO TESTING OPERATIONS
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INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced his 2022 Next Level Agenda, which focuses on strengthening the state’s economy and focusing on areas that support that growth, including workforce training expansion, improving early childhood education efforts, advancing infrastructure projects, and increasing access to public health services.
“The 2022 Next Level Agenda builds a foundation for a healthier state,†Gov. Holcomb said. “These priorities will cultivate a more competitive environment to attract new economic development opportunities, establish better access to public health resources and help connect Hoosiers to better employment and training opportunities. Our efforts will advance Indiana’s reputation as a state Hoosiers want to live, work, play, study and stay.â€
The 2022 Next Level Agenda details both legislative and administrative priorities in five categories for the year ahead.
Economic Development
To continue the momentum of a robust economic development environment, the agenda focuses on working with the legislature to eliminate the business personal property tax on new equipment and modernizing the Indiana Economic Development Corporation toolkit to:
Gov. Holcomb will also collaborate with legislative leaders to ensure more than 900,000 Hoosiers receive the upcoming automatic taxpayer refund.
Education, Training And Workforce Development
Gov. Holcomb will focus efforts on strengthening early learning opportunities, concentrating on better preparing students for kindergarten. He will direct the Department of Education (DOE) to establish an Office of Kindergarten Readiness to partner with the early childhood team at the Family and Social Services Administration and a revised Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) to support kindergarten readiness.
DOE also will move forward with the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed, a new school performance dashboard that will focus on how students are building skills for success beyond the classroom.
DOE is also building a new teacher supply-and-demand marketplace that will connect educators with job opportunities in Indiana. Additionally, the state is strengthening its data-driven public workforce system to connect unemployed Hoosiers with employers, jobs and training programs.
Public Health And Wellness Development
Gov. Holcomb is committed to removing the stigma of mental health by creating easier access to people in need of services, building awareness and expanding education, and growing the workforce in mental health. The agenda supports the Governor’s Public Health Commission as it develops recommendations to improve public health infrastructure and resources throughout the state.
With the help of legislation, the agenda includes expanding data collection surrounding sudden unexplained infant deaths to understand the root cause which will better support future programming and services. Additionally, it prioritizes creating guidelines for universal lead screening and connecting children with the proper care.
Community Development
The 2022 Next Level Agenda will assist communities in establishing safeguards to strengthen cybersecurity efforts by developing a grant program that will help local governments develop improvement plans. Gov. Holcomb is committed to overseeing the implementation of the $500 million READI programs as the 17 regions begin developing their projects. The agenda calls for continued progress on capital projects that were authorized in the current budget and building better infrastructure to connect communities for future generations by completing roads, trails, broadband, and facility projects.
Good Government Service
The 2022 agenda includes a focus on firefighter safety by establishing a program that collects and properly disposes of PFAS, chemicals found in firefighting foam that can have adverse health effects.
Also, the agenda addresses the regulatory and statutory changes prompted by the third-party review of the state’s law enforcement agencies.
This Includes Gov. Holcomb’s Commitment To Do The Following:
Tackling Important Issues This Legislative Session
by State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) represents House District 78
 The Indiana General Assembly recently kicked off the 2022 legislative session, ready to tackle important issues impacting our communities.
I’m authoring several proposals for new laws this session, including legislation to encourage in-state college graduates to stay in Indiana when securing their first job. A 2019 study by the Senate Joint Economic Committee ranks Indiana among the worst states at retaining highly educated workers, suggesting our state suffers from a net loss of almost 11% of all highly educated adults.
To combat this “brain drain,” I’m proposing a state income tax reduction for recent in-state college graduates and those who earn a high-value job certificate. This incentive could encourage more Hoosiers to apply for jobs close to home instead of leaving the state for employment. The tax reduction would be for two to four years, depending on the type of degree, and would be capped at $50,000 of their income. Indiana’s employers need highly educated workers and this proposal would help address our labor shortage.
Another bill I’m authoring would require all governing bodies in Indiana to allow time for oral public comments at public meetings. This has become an issue at some school board meetings throughout Indiana as they recently shut down any public comment time. Hoosiers deserve their voices to be heard, especially when it comes to their children’s education.
I’m also proposing free in-state college tuition for children or spouses of veterans who were disabled in duty after 2011. Previously, the percentage of tuition reduction was tied to the severity of the disability.
I believe a lifetime fishing license should be offered to residents of our great state and I’ll be authoring legislation to make this a reality. This would help promote outdoor activities and reduce the hassle of renewing a fishing license every year.
I look forward to representing the people of Vanderburgh and Warrick counties at the Statehouse this session, and I encourage you to reach out to me at h78@iga.in.gov or 317-232-9815 with any questions or comments.
FOOTNOTE: State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) represents House District 78,
which includes portions of Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
