Indiana’s Safe Haven law currently allows infants up to 30 days old to be anonymously surrendered in “baby boxes” located in fire stations and hospitals. Photo provided by The Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
As the 2025 legislation session is ramping up, scores of bills are waiting to be introduced to different committees with hopes of potentially becoming law—such as House Bill 1099, which passed its second reading in the House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee last week.
HB 1099 would raise the maximum age an infant can be safely given up to 60 days and change the definitions of “abandoned child” and “foster youth.”
Indiana has a Safe Haven law that allows a person the ability to anonymously give an infant up without being arrested if there’s no sign of intentional abuse and no information required. With this law, the infant has to be 30 days of age or younger.
That was a law that passed in 2000, and in 2016, Indiana started installing “baby boxes” in certain locations, such as fire stations and hospitals. The baby boxes can be used to safely surrender an infant. The latest baby box was installed in Mishawaka, making 141 locations in Indiana with a baby box and 300 in the nation.
In an interview with TheStatehouseFile.com, bill author Rep. Dale Devon, R-Granger, said what prompted him to write a bill about baby boxes was serving on a summer study committee reviewing child fatalities.
“Every time a child dies in Indiana, each county has a fatal review team, and it’s made up of different people, from prosecutors to law enforcement, public defenders and doctors, and we look at the process of what happened to that child and why it died,” he said.
“And so every year, on average, it’s sad to say, but it’s about 60 children die every year in Indiana from neglect and abuse. Over 300 die, but a lot of times, it’s car accidents, drowning or a disease, but neglect and abuse is one thing that as chairman of the family and children’s committee, we have to review those reports that come back and to try to determine what can we do in the state.”
DeVon challenged the Department of Child Services to do a deeper dive to see the commonalities from year to year.
With about seven years of reporting, DCS said 11% of kids that pass away every year die under the age of 2 months.
“So a few years ago, we created these safe haven boxes that if a mother or a father wanted to surrender their child without any penalty, they could put this child in a safe haven box,” DeVon said. “And so we increased the age from 30 days to 60 days to make it less harmful for a mother to surrender her child if she didn’t feel she could be worthy of a mother.”
The initiative is a DCS recommendation, focusing on proactive measures to save children’s lives by placing them in safe environments early.
FOOTNOTE DeMarion Newell is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Note to the Press –State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) issued the following statement in regard to legislation he authored, House Bill 1489, passing the House of Representatives. The legislation, which would establish an Indiana-Ireland trade commission, now moves to the Senate for further consideration:
STATEHOUSE (Feb. 3, 2025) – “Indiana has long had strong cultural and economic ties to Ireland and establishing an Indiana-Ireland trade commission would strengthen that foundation. This commission could open doors for new business opportunities, encourage investment and bolster our state’s position on the global stage. I’m proud to author this bill and see it pass the House and look forward to its consideration in the Senate.” – State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville)
STATEHOUSE – Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla gathered local government leaders from around the state for a roundtable discussion geared toward process, training and cybersecurity enhancements. This event is a forum for the Comptroller and representatives from several associations of local officials to further collaborate in their partnership to distribute tax revenues in service to Hoosiers. As a former local official, Comptroller Nieshalla understands the importance of the relationship between state and local government and says having open and ongoing dialogue is key to successful public service.
“By seeking the expertise of local government leaders, we gain valuable insights into their specific challenges and how our office can best be at their service,” said State Comptroller Nieshalla. “I look forward to incorporating the feedback from our meaningful discussions that provides input for meeting our future service delivery goals.”
One of the key responsibilities of the State Comptroller’s Office includes the disbursement of tax revenues to local units of government, along with the accounting and reporting of state funds, paying state employees and vendors, administering the state’s deferred compensation plan, and managing the Indiana Transparency Portal.
Collaborating with local leaders fosters the highly valued relationships between the Comptroller’s Office and local units statewide, in addition to providing information to further empower the office’s commitment of operating in a mode of continuous improvement.
Today’s discussion was focused on automating data inputs, reviewing and approving the settlement process, addressing future training needs, and cybersecurity assistance to mitigate security and fraud risks.
The roundtable attendees:
Debra Carnes, Auditor, Hancock County
Jennifer Flater, County Treasurer, Clay County
Kristinia Hammack, Auditor, Perry County
Heather Laffoon, Treasurer, Montgomery County
Shelley Mawhorter, County Auditor, Noble County
Carrie Mugford, Clerk-Treasurer, Town of North Manchester
Anton Neff, County Council, Owen County
Susan Sleeper, Auditor, DeKalb County
Kellie Streeter, County Commissioner, Knox County
Debbie Walker, County Auditor, Henry County
Mike Watkins, Auditor, Gibson County
Attendees include the officers of their respective state associations or individuals recommended by their association (Indiana County Auditors, Treasurers, Commissioners, Councils Associations and Accelerate Indiana Municipalities Clerk Treasurers).
Assist contractors with locations of specific building systems including HVAC and electrical panels. Answer emergency calls after hours and on weekends.
Each room is self-contained with all the needed supplies and monitoring equipment. This department includes 28 beds with 25/28 beds having dialysis capability.
Clinic services encompass a wide range of urgent care needs, including routine acute care services, physical examinations, and various procedures such as…
Active Registered Nurse (RN) in Indiana or a compact licensed state. Required to maintain own competency and continuing education in area of specialization and…
Conduct comprehensive health assessments and develop care plans for patients across the lifespan, including wellness exams, routine check-ups, and chronic…
ST.LOUIS – Averaging 25.5 points per game and leading the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to wins over Murray State and Belmont, Gabriel Pozzato has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week.
This marks the third award of the season for Pozzato and second in a row. Pozzato led the Purple Aces with his average of 25.5 poitns per game. Playing 38.3 minutes per game, Pozzato shot 64% (16/25) from the field and 41.7% (5/12) from long range. He converted 14 of his 16 free throw tries while chipping in 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
He opened the week with a career-high 29 points against the Racers. He shot 10-of-14 and knocked down four triples while picking up 4 boards and a pair of assists. His effort surpassed his previous career scoring mark of 28, which came in the season opener at North Texas.
The Ohio Valley Conference announced the fifth matchup of its 2024-25 ESPN basketball schedule. The women’s basketball contest will feature Southern Indiana at Lindenwood on Saturday, February 15 at 11 a.m. CT and will air on ESPNU.
This season the League is utilizing a Wild Card selection process to determine the linear broadcasts, with selections determined and announced approximate two weeks before the competition date to ensure the best matchups.
The full schedule includes eight total men’s basketball games (five regular season contests and three OVC Tournament games) that will appear on one of the linear networks during the season. The five regular season games will air on ESPNU.
The schedule also includes a women’s basketball regular season matchup on ESPNU. In addition, all seven games of the OVC Women’s Basketball Tournament, as well as the first round and quarterfinals of the men’s tournament (four total games), will stream on ESPN+.
The 2025 OVC Championship Tournament is scheduled for March 5-8 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
Once again, over 200 regular season conference games and home regular season non-conference contests will stream on ESPN+.
ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 32,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for $11.99 a month (or $119.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices.
All games that are televised on an ESPN network will also be available on the ESPN App with TV Everywhere credentials. All events will be available for replay on the ESPN App.
2024-25 OVC ESPN Television Schedule – Upcoming Games
Saturday, February 8
Little Rock at Morehead State, 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Saturday, February 15 – WOMEN’S GAME
Southern Indiana at Lindenwood, 11:00 a.m. CT (ESPNU)
Saturday, February 22
Wild Card Matchup, 1:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
This is the second year for the Purple Aces annual event for local girls
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 5 the University of Evansville held a free event for Tri-State area girls in 8th grade and under on Saturday, February 1.
For the second year in a row, UE Athletics held a National Girls and Women in Sports Day event sponsored by MDWise. The event was free for local girls in the 8th grade or younger thanks to MDWise support. At the event, the 85 girls participated in a clinic where they learned different women’s sports offered by the Purple Aces. The clinic was then followed up by a free dinner and watching the UE women’s basketball game against Valparaiso.
“This event was a great opportunity to bring our community on campus and to get to know our student-athletes,” said UE Director of Athletics Dr. Ziggy Siegfried. “This special day would not have been possible without the support of MDWise. A big thank you to MDWise, the NGWSD Committee, our female student-athletes, all the participants, and their families. We look forward to continuing this event after two successful iterations.”
The clinic from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday was run by Evansville’s women student-athletes from five different programs, Aces Cheer, and the UE athletic training department. The girls began in Meeks Family Fieldhouse with stretches and warmups. They were then split into two groups based on age to rotate between four different sports stations.
In the groups, the girls learned different parts of soccer, softball, volleyball, and golf. Once the sports clinics wrapped up at 4 p.m. everyone gathered in the women’s basketball practice facility for a tailgate. During the tailgate, the participants learned cheers from Aces Spirit and enjoyed a photo booth. The day then ended with the girls watching UE women’s basketball take on Valpo in a close 66-54 loss.
“It was special to have that crowd,” said Evansville women’s basketball forward Maggie Hartwig. “We always love when fans come out and support. But seeing the little girls there reminds you of when you were little. And it’s super special to see that they’re growing up and being able to watch us go out there and compete.”
“It was an awesome environment,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Robyn Scherr. “We’re super grateful to our sponsor MDWise for helping us put on this event. I’m so proud to coach here at UE and to be a part of our players’ lives and give them the platform to give back to the girls in our community. Hopefully, some of the girls that came today continue to be inspired and will want to keep picking up a basketball because it’s a great game.”
USI Romain College of Business VITA Program to offer free tax prep
Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), USI students in the Romain College of Business will provide free federal and state income tax preparation on Monday evenings, February 3 through March 24. The annual service is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
First session Tuesday, February 4; follow up sessions on February 11 and 18
USI to host Crappie University 2025, Crappie Fishing’s newest insights
USI Outreach and Engagement is hosting Crappie University 2025; Crappie Fishing’s Newest Insights, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, February 4, 11 and 18 in the Wright Administration Building, Room WA2.
Saturday, February 8
USI Women’s and Men’s Basketball Homecoming Games
USI Women’s and Men’s Basketball will take on Southeast Missouri State University at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday, February 8 in Liberty Arena, Home of the Screaming Eagles. Two Homecoming Majesties will be crowned at halftime of the men’s game.
February 11
USI to host virtual Adult Learner Expo in celebration of Adult Education Day
The University is pleased to announce an Adult Learner Expo, a virtual event taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 11 in honor of Adult Education Day, an Indiana celebration recognizing lifelong learning and educational advancement.
February 12
USI to host third annual Be a Teacher Day
The USI Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education is hosting its third annual Be a Teacher Day on Wednesday, February 12 on the USI campus. The event will highlight the importance of the profession of education, allow prospective students to meet current teaching professionals and teacher education students, as well as ask questions about the profession.
February 14
USI to celebrate cultural diversity at 2025 International Food Expo
The USI International Club and Center for International Programs will host the annual International Food Expo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, February 14 in Carter Hall, located in University Center West on campus.
February 26
USI welcomes Dr. Vesna Dimitrieska as Distinguished Scholar Presenter
Every spring, the USI College of Liberal Arts engages a speaker for the Distinguished Scholars presentation aimed at drawing attention to one or more of the disciplines within the liberal arts. This year, the College will welcome Dr. Vesna Dimitrieska, Director of Global Education Initiatives at Indiana University, from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, February 26 in Kleymeyer Hall.
February 28
USI to host Health Professions Day for high school students February 28
The USI Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions is hosting a Health Professions Day for high school juniors and seniors exploring careers in healthcare on Friday, February 28.
March 26
Pulitzer Prize-winning author to present at 10th annual USI Shaw Biology Lecture
The University of Southern Indiana will host its 10th annual Shaw Biology Lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26 in Carter Hall. A book signing will follow the lecture. The event is open to the public at no charge.
