FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Willeman quality start leads Otters to series opening win
Avon, OH. – The Evansville Otters (12-14) used great pitching to defeat the Lake Erie Crushers (13-13) Tuesday night, 7-2.
The Otters sent out Landon Willeman for his second start of the year against the Crushers. He started off hot, sending the first three batters he saw down in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the second, Evansville would open up the scoring. A leadoff walk followed by a JT Benson single set the Otters up perfectly. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alain Camou delivered with a chopper up the middle for a single that scored two.
Heading into the bottom of the third, the score was still 2-0 Evansville. Lake Erie started their frame with a double. This would be followed by a sharp line drive to left field. On the liner Keenan Taylor saw the ball pop out of his mit on a jump, but while falling down caught the ball. He popped up to his feet and threw a strike to JJ Cruz at second to cut down the baserunner trying to get back. It would go down as a 9-4 double play and saved Evansville a run.
The top of the fourth was a big one for Evansville. Logan Brown doubled to begin the inning and was driven in by Taylor the very next at bat. Ellis Schwartz reached via the walk and put runners on the corners. A balk from the Lake Erie pitcher scored a run, then Graham Brown hit an RBI double to make it 5-0.
Lake Erie would strike in the fifth but only got two. After the sixth, Willeman was pulled from the game after a quality start. He tossed six frames, working around six hits, only allowing two runs, and struck out one.
In the seventh, the Otters pounced again and scored two thanks to a two-RBI double from L. Brown. This made the score 7-2.
Those insurance runs were all the bullpen needed. Nick McAuliffe entered in the ninth and struck out three straight batters after giving up a leadoff single.
The Otters are back at it tomorrow at 6:05 PM CT in Avon, Ohio for the second game of this three-game set.
USI signs Brown for 2025-26
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball announced the signing of guard Amaree Brown for the 2025-26 season.
“We’re excited to welcome Amaree to our basketball family,” said USI Head Coach Stan Gouard. “He brings a high-level work ethic and competitive edge from his time at Oklahoma Panhandle.
“We believe his length, athleticism, and toughness will make an immediate impact and help elevate our program,” concluded Gouard.
Brown is transferring to USI after spending two seasons at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He appeared in 53 games, making 46 starts, for the Aggies the last two seasons, averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
In 2024-25, Brown averaged a two-year best 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He posted a career-high 34 points versus the University of North Texas Dallas and a season-high eight rebounds on three different occasions.
Brown opened his collegiate career in 2023-24 by posting 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. He dropped in a season-best 26 points against Southwestern Christian College, while grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds versus UNT Dallas.
Before starting his collegiate career, Brown lettered in basketball at Wells Community Academy (Chicago, Illinois). The 6-5 guard helped the Wells Academy to the Chicago city and regional championships.
The USI Screaming Eagles are a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and will be NCAA Tournament eligible in 2025-26 following the completion of the accelerated transition from Division II. USI has reached the OVC Championship in two of the first three seasons of Division I action.
Safe Summer with Mayor Stephanie Terry Program
- City of Evansville Launches Safe Summer Initiatives to Engage and Protect Residents
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- Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry today announced the launch of the City’s 2025 Safe Summer Initiative—an effort focused on keeping Evansville families safe, connected, and engaged through expanded recreational programming and community partnerships.
The first round of events kick offtonight and will continue throughout the summer, providing opportunities for fun, connection, and support across the city’s neighborhoods“
“We’re not just planning events, we’re creating safer neighborhoods,” said Mayor Terry. “When young people have access to positive spaces and strong role models, it reduces the risk of violence, isolation hopelessness. Safe Summer is about prevention, connection, and showing that in Evansville, every child matters
and every neighborhood counts.”.”-
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- The 2025 Safe Summer Initiative is anchored in the City’s larger commitment to Youth Development, Public Safety, and Neighborhood Revitalization and features collaborative efforts with Parks and Recreation, the Evansville Police Department, and other local partners.
Among the first Safe Summer events and programs:
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As Seen at CMOE “Need for Speed” – Friday May 30:
Join stafffrom the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Children’s Museum of Evansville at Lamasco Park for a fun, “Build Your Own
Racecar” event for children. This free event is part of the “As Seen at CMOE” series happening in Evansville parks throughout 2025.
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Movies in the Park – Friday, May 30: The season’s first outdoor movie night takes place at Bayard Park this Friday. The featured film is The Little Rascals, beginning at dusk. Families are
encouraged to bring blankets and chairs.
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Rochelle and Lorraine Pools Open Saturday, May 31st
two neighborhood pools will officially open for the season this weekend. Due to a break in the circulation pump, the opening of Howell 
- The 2025 Safe Summer Initiative is anchored in the City’s larger commitment to Youth Development, Public Safety, and Neighborhood Revitalization and features collaborative efforts with Parks and Recreation, the Evansville Police Department, and other local partners.
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- Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry today announced the launch of the City’s 2025 Safe Summer Initiative—an effort focused on keeping Evansville families safe, connected, and engaged through expanded recreational programming and community partnerships.
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Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness returns to USI campus August 7-8
The University of Southern Indiana and SWIRCA and More, the local agency on aging, will present the 18th annual Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness (MAIA) on the USI campus Thursday and Friday, August 7-8.
MAIA is a two-day gerontology conference for healthcare and social service professionals, healthcare administrators, clinicians, older adults or retirees, family members providing care for a loved one, students and anyone who wants to learn tips for leading a healthier life. Each year, national and local speakers provide practical tools and groundbreaking information related to successful aging and wellness.
For those unable to be at the conference in person, the MAIA registration form will include an option to virtually attend the three keynote presentations (given by Dr. Aaron Blair, Faith Bresnan Roberts and Dr. Jeremy Holloway).
Each year, USI’s Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness is proud to sponsor the Bronstein Keynote Speaker at the MAIA conference. To advance the educational mission of the Bronstein Center, the Bronstein Keynote must be a content expert in the area of dementia or advance care planning (ACP).
This year’s Bronstein Keynote is Dr. Aaron Blair, a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine and Franciscan Family Medicine Residency, where he focused on geriatric medicine. His current practice is outpatient family medicine with nursing home care in Dale, Indiana. In his presentation, he will go through the diagnosis of dementia along with current treatments used to help patients with dementia and delirium.
The 2025 MAIA lineup also includes the following:
- Faith Bresnan Roberts, a nurse who has practiced in varied settings, served as faculty and presented at state, regional, national and international conferences. The title of her presentation is From Wedding Rings to Nose Rings … Generational Differences.
- Dr. Jeremy Holloway, Professor at New Mexico Highlands University. The focus of his research is concentrated on the social determinants of health, specifically self-efficacy, connectedness and resiliency of older adults. The title of his presentation is Solutions to Isolation and Loneliness for Caregivers and Older Adults.
- A screening of the Netflix documentary, Join or Die, followed by a discussion with the film’s director. This film recently received two nominations (for outstanding writing and graphic design) for the 2025 Documentary Emmy® Awards. Join or Die focuses on the decline of community connections in America and its impact on social isolation.
“The Join or Die documentary emphasizes how civic engagement can help reduce social isolation, particularly for older adults and college students,” says Dr. Kevin Valadares, USI Professor and Chair of Graduate Health Administration. “Screening this documentary, along with Jeremy Holloway’s keynote presentation, underscores the significance of these efforts in enhancing overall well-being. Plus, this year’s pre-conference is also connected to the theme of reducing loneliness.”
The MAIA pre-conference on Wednesday, August 6 is a Circle of Friends® Facilitator Training. Participants will explore how to apply evidence-based group interventions to support older adults facing loneliness. Nursing home staff and community members interested in implementing a Circle of Friends® program are invited to register at USI.edu/maia/pre-con. This pre-conference workshop is free for attendees with support from the USI Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness and the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP).
To register for the two-day conference, August 7-8, visit USI.edu/maia. The cost is $135 per day or $250 both days if registering before Wednesday, July 23. Discounted registration is available for retirees and graduate students ($65 per day) and undergraduate students ($25 per day).
Join Us for Adult Crafternoon: Vintage-Inspired Collage Bookmarks | June 12
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025
Time: 4 PM
Location: Browning Gallery (lower level)
Join us for June Crafternoon, and make your own vintage-inspired collage bookmark!
Use recycled book pages, delicate botanical prints, stamps, washi tape, and more to design a one-of-a-kind creation that’s all your own.
No crafting experience? No worries! We’ll provide all the supplies and step-by-step guidance—just bring your imagination and enthusiasm.
Bonus: Have extra craft supplies at home? Bring them along to swap with fellow crafters!
Open to ages 13+ for safety reasons.
Kitchens named ABCA All-Region USI Baseball’s 1st Division I All-Region Performer
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana junior first baseman/designated hitter Cole Kitchens was named second-team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Midwest Region. He becomes the first USI baseball player to be named ABCA/Rawlings All-Region in the Screaming Eagles’ Division I era.
Kitchens led the Eagles and the Ohio Valley Conference in hitting (.371), hits (82), and RBIs (60) during 2025. The 60 RBIs were the most by a USI player since 2018.
The first-team All-OVC performer also led the team in doubles (18) and home runs (12), while tying for third in runs scored (39).
Kitchens also tied a USI single-game record with three home runs versus Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He produced a season-high four hits in three games, two doubles four times, and four RBIs versus Western Kentucky University.
The junior infielder/first baseman had USI’s second-longest hitting streak of the season (17 games), in addition to posting 25 multi-hit games and 16 multi-RBI contests.
USI and Kitchens finished the season with a 27-29 overall record and 15-12 in the OVC, advancing to the conference tournament for the third consecutive year. The 27 wins tied a program record for victories in Division I, while the 15 OVC wins were a three-year high for the Eagles.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES HISTORIC DECREASE IN INFANT MORTALITY RATE
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INDIANAPOLIS – Provisional data from the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) show the 2024 infant mortality rate (IMR) in Indiana is 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, a decrease from 6.6 in 2023. If this IMR remains the same when finalized, it would be the lowest rate of infant deaths in Indiana since 1900. The previous lowest rate for infant mortality was 6.5 deaths per 1,000 births in 2019.
”With Indiana’s infant mortality rate at its lowest in over a century, we see the real impact of everyone who is focused on protecting our most vulnerable Hoosiers,” said Gov. Mike Braun. “We are committed to ensuring that even more babies have a healthy start and a strong future.” Infant mortality is the death of a child before his or her first birthday and is measured by the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Several factors contribute to infant mortality, many of which are directly tied to the health of the mother. Conditions such as maternal stress, obesity, smoking during pregnancy, and delayed prenatal care can increase the risk of poor health outcomes. IDOH is releasing the provisional 2024 data to increase transparency and access so it can be used to improve efficiency by helping communities and organizations make timely and well-informed healthcare decisions. “We are ecstatic that more Hoosier babies are celebrating their first birthdays,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP. “Seeing these efforts pay off is something to celebrate, and we are grateful to clinicians, healthcare centers and affiliates, local health departments and all our other partners for their collective efforts.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) has set the Healthy People 2030 goal of a nationwide infant mortality rate of 5.0 deaths per 1,000 births. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most current rate of infant mortality in the United States was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. “The critical work to further reduce infant mortality continues,” Dr. Weaver said. “The Indiana Department of Health is committed to our role to decrease the number of infant deaths in Indiana and give the next generation of Hoosiers the best possible start.” A more in-depth analysis of this preliminary data will be available in the coming months as the data is finalized. IDOH has multiple initiatives focused on improving infant mortality including:
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