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HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
Dr. Bucshon Announces Winner of 2021 Eighth District Congressional Art Competition
Dr. Bucshon Announces Winner of 2021 Eighth District Congressional Art Competition
 (Evansville, IN) – Today, Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) announced the 2021 winners of the 8th District Congressional Art Competition, which is part of a nationwide visual art competition to recognize the artistic endeavors of high school students. These pieces were chosen among 46 submissions across Indiana’s 8th District.
“I want to thank the nearly 40 students who submitted a piece to the 2021 Congressional Art Competition,†said Dr. Bucshon. “Each spring, I look forward to receiving artwork from dozens of high school students in Southwest and West Central Indiana whose submissions highlight their immense talent and passion, as well as their teacher’s dedication to their success. Congratulations to this year’s overall winner, Louis Duncan and this year’s People’s Choice Award winner, Kenzie Knepp.â€
1st Place Overall Winner
“The Garland of Alaska†by Louis Duncan
 The 2021 8th District Congressional Art Competition 1st Place Overall winner is Louis Duncan, with his oil painting titled “The Garland of Alaskaâ€. Louis, a Senior at Evansville North High School, will receive a roundtrip ticket to Washington, D.C. for the Congressional Art Competition Reception and will have his artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for a year.
People’s Choice Award
“Blossoming†by Kenzie Knepp
The 2021 8th District People’s Choice Award winner, the piece that garnered the most support on Dr. Bucshon’s social media pages, is Kenzie Knepp, with her colored pencil and ink drawing on grey toned paper titled: “Blossomingâ€. Kenzie is a senior at Washington High School and had nearly 600 likes, shares, and comments on Congressman Bucshon’s official Facebook page for her submission.
Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. is a physician and Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee serving his sixth term representing Indiana’s 8th Congressional District. The 8th District of Indiana includes all or parts of Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warrick counties.
GOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
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Aces welcome SIU for non-conference series
 Closing an eight-game home stand, the University of Evansville meets with Southern Illinois for the second time this season, this time in non-conference play, for a four-game series at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
| Evansville vs. SIUÂ | May 7, 8, & 9 | |
| Date | Time | Fri., May 7Â | 2 & 6 PM Sat., May 8| 1Â PM Sun. May 9 | 1 PM |
| Location | Evansville, Ind. |
| Site | German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium |
| May 7, 8, & 9 | Evansville vs. SIU |
| Follow Along | Live Stats | ESPN3 (Game One) | ESPN3 (Game Two) | ESPN3 (Game Three) | ESPN3 (Game Four) | Listen (Game One, Two, and Three) |
| Evansville | Baseball Site | Twitter | Schedule Poster | Game Notes |
Previewing the Matchup: SIU
- The Aces and Salukis are meeting for the second series of the season this weekend, this one of the non-conference variety.
- SIU owns a 112-65 advantage all-time, including winning the two sides previous series earlier this season, 3-1.
- The Aces are looking to earn their first series win over the Salukis since the 2015 season when Evansville took two-of-thre games from SIU on May 1-3 at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
- The Salukis enter on a hot streak again, winning five-straight and coming off a four-game series sweep of Missouri State last weekend. Prior to the sweep of Missouri State, SIU had won just two of its last eight contests.
- Evansville has battled through a difficult portion of its MVC slate and has kept alive a spot in the Conference’s top five. The Aces are currently 6-13 in league play with SIU currently sitting in the coveted fifth spot at 10-10.
Challenging the Best
- Last weekend, the Aces pushed league-leading Dallas Baptist to the brink in three of the four games in the series, grabbing a win in Saturday’s first game.
- On Friday night, Evansville took a 1-0 lead before dropping the game 2-1 after giving-up a pair of runs in the eighth.
- On Saturday, the Aces trailed 6-3 in game two before getting a two-run homer from Mark Shallenberger to close within one run, but could not get any closer.
Owning the Field
- Evansville has excelled at taking care of the ball on the defensive end this season.
- The Aces hold a .976 fielding percentage, the 33rd-best percentage in the nation and second in The Valley behind Indiana State.
Troy Nears Record Book
- Playing in his fifth season in white and purple, redshirt senior Troy Beilsmith has amassed gaudy numbers for his career.
- The right fielder sits within striking distance of a pair of career top 10s, currently having 144 runs scored in his career, 15 off of tying Bobby Hodges for ninth all-time.
- Beilsmith also sits close to entering the top 10 in doubles, recording 43 in his career so far, nine off tying Rob Maurer for 10th all-time in program history.
- Beilsmith has already set the career record at Evansville with 65 hit-by-pitch in his career, tying himself for second all-time in MVC history.
Softball to complete regular season at Missouri State
Aces and Bears meet up Friday and Saturday
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Conference championship seeding is on the line this weekend when the University of Evansville softball team wraps up the regular season with a 3-game series at Missouri State. The weekend begins on Friday with a 12 p.m. doubleheader before a single game on Saturday at 11 a.m. – ESPN3 will have the broadcast for all three games.
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Last Time Out
– The Purple Aces put together one of their best weekends of the season, earning a 3-game sweep in the final regular season home series against Bradley
– After opening with a 6-4 win, UE finished the doubleheader with a 10-4 triumph; Sunday’s finale saw the Aces complete the sweep with an impressive 11-1 victory
– In Saturday’s DH, Haley Woolf belted three home runs and accumulated a total of nine RBI; she opened the series with a grand slam in the first inning on her way to being named the MVC Player of the Week
– Izzy Vetter tossed the first no-hitter of her UE career on Sunday to lead the Aces to the 3-game sweep
Player of the Week
– An unbelievable day saw Haley Woolf hit three home runs in the doubleheader on Saturday on her way to the first MVC Player of the Week honor of her career
– Entering the weekend, Woolf’s season numbers stood at two home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored but in the three games versus the Braves, Woolf hit three homers while accumulating nine RBI and six runs
– Woolf has started to come alive offensively, picking up a hit in each of the last five games and seven out of eight contests since April 18
– Since that time, she has seen her average rise from .253 to .288
Approaching a Record
– Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Eryn Gould is just two walks away from tying the program mark of 97
– Over the last four games, Gould has walked seven times while seeing her on-base mark rise to .582 – 11th in the nation
– Not far off of that is her batting average of .438, which ranks 28th in the country and is on pace to shatter UE’s all-time program mark
– Upon recording her 100th at-bat, she became eligible for UE’s single season marks…her current batting average of .438 is on pace to break the program mark that Staci Hatz set in 1998 when she batted .408…Hatz was the only player in program history to finish a season batting over .400…Gould also has an on-base percentage of .582, which is also on pace for the program mark…Brittany Herald currently holds the UE record of .511, which she accomplished in 2007
– Her average is currently tied for the 8th-best in Missouri Valley Conference history
No-No
– Izzy Vetter threw the first no-hitter of her collegiate career on Sunday against Bradley…just a day earlier, she showed signs of what may be coming as she sat the first 11 Braves batters down in order in the opener
– Sunday’s effort saw her keep the Braves hitters off balance over the course of five innings…it was Evansville’s first no-hitter since February 16, 2019 when Emily Lockhart accomplished the feat against Southern in the finale of the Roul’s Deli MVC-SWAC Challenge
– With three wins in UE’s last four games, Vetter owns 13 wins on the season, the most for an Evansville player since Morgan Florey won 14 games in 2017
– With a total of 176 strikeouts, Vetter ranks 21st in the nation while her 8.7 strikeouts per seven innings is 48th
USI To Hold In-Person Commencement Exercises For Class Of 2021
WHO: University of Southern Indiana President Dr. Ronald S. Rochon, graduating members of the Class of 2021, University officials and limited, in-person guests.
WHAT: USI Spring 2021 Commencement Ceremonies
CEREMONY SCHEDULE:
- Friday, May 7
- 11 a.m. – Graduate Studies
- 3 p.m. – Graduate Studies
- Saturday, May 8
- 9 a.m. – Romain College of Business
- 1 p.m. -Â College of Liberal Arts
- 5 p.m. – College of Liberal Arts
- Sunday, May 9
- 9 a.m. – Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education
- 1 p.m. – College of Nursing and Health Professions
- 5 p.m. – College of Nursing and Health Professions
All doors will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, guests will be limited to two tickets per graduate and tickets will be required for reserved seating.
WHERE: All ceremonies will be held in the Screaming Eagles Arena. A map of campus that includes the Arena and all nearby parking lots can be found at USI.edu/map.
COVID-19 PROTOCOL: In order to safely hold in-person Commencement exercises and allow for graduates to be individually recognized and walk across the stage, a number of safety measures and modifications will be implemented for all ceremonies. Graduates will not process in Spring 2021, but rather will be directed to their physically-distanced seat. There will be no Commencement speakers, no honorary degrees will be awarded and a minimal platform party will be present at all ceremonies. At the conclusion of each ceremony, graduates and guests will be asked to depart the building and return to their vehicles in order to clean and sanitize the Screaming Eagles Arena before the start of the next ceremony.
COMMENCEMENT FACTS:
- More than 1,100 members of the Class of 2021 will participate between the eight ceremonies and receive doctoral, master, baccalaureate and associate degrees as well as post-master and post-bachelor certificates.
- 351 students are graduating with academic honors. 46 will graduate summa cum laude (4.0 grade point average on a four-point scale), 137 magna cum laude (3.8 – 3.999 grade point average), and 168 cum laude (3.5 – 3.799 grade point average). 54 students are graduating as University Honors Scholars – having successfully completed the Honors Program – and can be recognized by the white honor cords worn with their regalia.
- Meghan B. McCrary ’21, who will graduate magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, has been named the recipient of the President’s Medal, the highest honor presented to a graduate in the class of 2021.
What Do Legislators Do When They’re Not In Session?
What Do Legislators Do When They’re Not In Session?
By Taylor Dixon
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana legislators have spent the last three months working on bills they believe will best help Hoosiers. From a record investment in education to police reform to controversial abortion stances, this session was unlike any other—most notably because it’s technically not even over.
The House and Senate went into a prolonged recess on April 22 with plans to reconvene in the fall to discuss redistricting matters.
Now that they’re off though, many will return to their “day jobs,†families and other responsibilities that were put on hold for months.
Indiana, like over half of the country, is in what the National Conference of State Legislatures calls a “gray category.†This means that legislators spend two-thirds of their time being legislators but do not make enough to live off the job.
Many Indiana legislators own small businesses. Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, owns and operates a coffee and ice cream shop in his town as well as working for Edward Jones as a financial advisor. While Sen. Andy Zay, R-Pierceton, operates a three-generation car rental business, Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, works as a professor of business at Indiana University Bloomington. Rep. Rita Fleming, D-Jeffersonville, is a retired obstetrician who delivered over 7,000 babies.
Now that the session is over, many are getting to spend more time with their families. When in session, Zay spends four days a week in Indianapolis away from his home. So now that he is able to be home more, he is looking forward to spending time with his kids and watching his son play baseball games.
“So, for me, out of session is coming home and reacclimating with my family,†Zay said. “It’s good for our family, great for us, to be back together and to be able to help carry some of the load of being parents and just, reacclimate with that, in a personal sense, is the most important.â€
Fleming said she spends her free time gardening and canning her own vegetables to try to live as sustainably as she can. She also loves spending time with her 14 grandchildren and getting to be “on call for babysitting†during the summer.
Others have spent much-needed time in their homes working on projects that they didn’t have time for during session. Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, took this week as a “staycation†during which he caught up with chores around the house and spent time walking his border collie-sheltie mix, Stella, at Eagle Creek Park.
“I think that this is a time where a lot of legislators are trying to just kind of recuperate from the past session,†Ford said.
Yoder said she, like Ford, has been spending the last week cleaning and working on projects around her house. She also said that she is spending more time with her three kids, playing with their two dogs and three rats. Yoder is looking forward to spending time outdoors running, swimming and kayaking this summer as well.
“Right now it’s just kind of a time to catch my breath and do a little bit of spring cleaning, and then I’m going to take some summer time to do a few of those outdoor physical activity hobbies that I enjoy so much,†Yoder said.
Even when not in session, though, many legislators are talking to constituents and preparing for next session.
Ford has organized outdoor activities like hiking and other outdoor events to get to know his constituents and hear from them. He said he did not want to be “one of those politicians that gets elected and is never seen again.†So Ford tries to stay connected through social media to promote his ideas and get feedback when not in session.
Yoder has also been spending time connecting with constituents by holding weekly virtual town hall meetings. Last Saturday, she held her first in-person event of the year, where she helped plant trees in her community.
Fleming said that she spent time talking to her constituents about what they want to see discussed in future sessions and what can be done to help the state.
“Even though we’re not in session, we’re still very busy as representatives because this is the time that allows us to meet with our constituents and hear what their reaction is to what legislation has been passed and what they are hoping for in future legislation,†Fleming said.
FOOTNOTE: Taylor Dixon is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
