Hoosiers age 60 and over have been added to the list of individuals who are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination.
If you are eligible, please visit vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/ to register and make an appointment.
Additional information is available at this Indiana Department of Health website.
To see the current status of various COVID-19 vaccine eligibilities, please click here.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you are in need of assistance.
For many individuals, Social Security is an important source of retirement income. When it comes time for you to retire, the amount of benefit you will receive is based in part on your career earnings. That’s why it’s critical that you review your Social Security earnings record and report any inaccuracies.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration makes it easy to check your earnings record. Simply visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount to set up or sign in to your own my Social Security account.
Once you’ve signed in, look for the “Eligibility and Earnings†section. Select “Review Your Full Earnings Record Now†to view your taxed Social Security earnings. Carefully review each year of listed earnings and check them against your own records, such as W-2s and tax returns. Should you spot errors, notify the Social Security Administration by calling (800) 772-1213.
If at any point during your career your employer did not properly report your work earnings, you could potentially miss out on tens of thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits over your lifetime. And as time passes, it may become harder to access past documents. You may even find that your past employer is no longer in business. So it pays to review your earnings record sooner rather than later.
In addition to viewing your earnings record, with a “My Social Security” account, you can also access other important information, such as your annual Social Security statement and the monthly benefit you’re eligible to receive.
FOOTNOTE: Article provided by Bryan A. Ruder, CFP®, MSPFP, CRPC®, AWMA®, AAMS®, AIF®, MPAS®
Mr. Ruder is Associate Vice President/Investments, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Member SIPC and New York Stock Exchange, who can be contacted in the Evansville office at (812) 475-9353 or ruderb@stifel.com.
INDIANA (Feb. 23, 2021) – In celebration of National FFA Week the Indiana FFA Association received a house concurrent resolution recognizing FFA and all of its work to advance the quality of agricultural education both locally and nationally. This coincides with National FFA Week, Feb. 20-27, as a week of celebration for FFA members and learning more about the impact it has on members every day.
“FFA empowers young leaders and equips them with the skills needed to excel and achieve real-world success,†said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “Our Indiana FFA members work hard for their many accomplishments and this recognition from Indiana state legislators, during National FFA Week, is well deserved.â€
This will be an atypical week of FFA celebrations and our members have become creative with ways to celebrate virtually and bring everyone together to still honor a great organization.
Indiana State FFA Officers will be virtually visiting chapters around the state and learning better ways to support members. The state officer team also plans to host a virtual Foundation in Reaching Excellence conference for FFA members. Members will learn to take the skills they develop in FFA and leverage those skills in post high school education or workforce activities.
“FFA members are critical to carrying on the state’s agricultural heritage while being part of the innovation and technology that will drive the industry’s future success,” said Lehe, chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. “This leadership organization deserves recognition for their longstanding dedication to personal growth, education and career development among our youth.”
New this year, Indiana FFA members will participate in Virtual FFA Advocacy days, a partnership with Indiana Farm Bureau. Virtual FFA Advocacy days are designed to help FFA members learn and participate in advocacy, ag issues, storytelling and meetings with representatives and officials. Advocacy days will feature speakers who focus on why it is important to tell the story of agriculture and explain how best FFA members can be involved in local and state decisions.
“FFA is an organization near and dear to my heart and I am thankful each day it is housed within our department of agriculture,†said Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “National FFA Week is a great time to showcase the FFA members and chapters in our great state and to highlight everything they do for their local communities. I want to encourage everyone to learn more about our FFA programs in Indiana and push schools to keep agriculture education a priority.â€
FOOTNOTE: To learn more about the Indiana FFA Association click here. To find a contact for your local FFA chapter click here.
The Indiana FFA Association and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, in partnership with Nationwide Insurance and Farm Credit Mid-America, have selected eight Indiana FFA agriculture educators as nominees for a Golden Owl Award. Nationwide established the Golden Owl Award to honor teachers and support them with additional resources to assist their continued educational efforts in preparing the next generation for successful agricultural careers.
“Our agricultural educators have committed so much extra time and resources to their students this year, with re-planning almost every FFA event and reworking lessons plans to become virtual, I am thankful that Nationwide Insurance and Farm Credit Mid-America allowed us the opportunity to give back to them,†said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “I appreciated the opportunity to participate in awarding these eight deserving Hoosier educators.â€
The eight finalists were awarded $500 and a plaque in recognition of this honor. The selected winner of the Golden Owl award will be announced in June at this year’s Indiana FFA State Convention and will receive $3,000.
“We are fortunate to have so many exceptional agriculture educators across the state that work tirelessly to ensure their students are successful,†said Sam Miller, Indiana FFA director. “This award is a way for us to honor and recognize the important work these ag teachers are doing and the positive impacts they are making on their student’s lives.”
The Golden Owl Award began with Nationwide Insurance in 2018 and has participation from FFA organizations in seven states. This is Indiana’s first year participating in the award program. The award is set to raise awareness of the importance of agricultural education and the tremendous contributions of teachers.
“Anytime we can celebrate the purposeful, difference-making role that our educators play in the lives of students, we should. I am thrilled to join in the celebration of these Hoosier teachers who are earning the Golden Owl Award,†said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Our agriculture teachers are innovating every day to help students build important leadership and life skills for their future. It’s critical that we continue to support these important career-centered programs, their educators and their students.â€
Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler recognized the importance of these educators and is looking forward to honoring more agriculture educators in the future.
“Indiana agriculture is so fortunate to have some of the most elite educators cultivating the next generation of agriculturists for our state,” said ISDA Director Bruce Kettler. “This is the first year Indiana has participated in this program and I look forward to honoring these deserving teachers for many years to come.”
Out of 81Â nominees the eight below were chosen to move into the finals.
Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Marvin Dwayne Sayles: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Failure to register as a sex or violent offender (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Disregarding stop sign (C infraction)
Zytavious Moss: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Jason McGregory: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 2 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Battery by bodily waste (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)
Dustin Glenn Nelson: Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 5 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)
Jermaine Dewayne Marshall: Robbery (Level 5 Felony), Attempt theft (Level 6 Felony)
David Michael Hodges: Domestic battery (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery by bodily waste (Level 6 Felony)
David Michael Hodges: Domestic battery (Level 5 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Viola S. Robinson: Causing serious bodily injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 5 Felony), Reckless driving (Class A misdemeanor), Reckless driving (Class B misdemeanor)
Dumelson Garcon: Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony)
Adrian Romain Armstead: Criminal trespass (Level 6 Felony)
Shaun Brianna Bushrod: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Shane Michael Collins: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Driving while suspended (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Ryan Scott Thompson: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Lonna Dawn Frederick: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Phillip M. Finch: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Heidi Sueann Angermeier: Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)
Jon Michael Eickhoff: Obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony)
Ben Minton Jr.: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
James D. Claspell: Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony)
The University of Southern Indiana Men’s soccer is projected to place fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in a vote by the league’s 15 head coaches. USI, the all-time leader with 10 GLVC titles, advanced to the 2019 GLVC Semifinals after posting a 9-7-3 overall record and an 8-5-2 GLVC mark.
The 15-team GLVC will have a round robin schedule that features every team playing seven home and seven away games. The regular season champion, along with the next seven best teams based on conference winning percentage, will earn a berth to the eight-team GLVC Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament. The top four seeds will host on campus April 19 with the winners advancing to St Charles, Missouri, for the semifinals and finals on April 23 and 25.
Indianapolis collected 189 total points for the top spot in the GLVC Men’s Soccer preseason poll and lost in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA II Tournament. USI upset the Greyhounds in the opening round of the 2019 GLVC Tournament prior to their NCAA Tournament run.
The 2020-21 USI squad is comprised of 30 players – 18 returning players and 12 newcomers.
The top returning scorer for USI is sophomore forward Zach Barton who posted 14 points on five goals and four assists in the 2019 season. Barton is followed by junior midfielder Ryan Nevins with 12 points on a career high six goals back in the fall of 2019.
USI opens the 2020-21 season at home, playing host to University of Indianapolis February 28. The first road contest of 2020-21 is March 5 when the Eagles travel to Romeoville to take on Lewis University.
| 2020-21 GLVC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll | ||
| Place | School | Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1 | UIndy | 189 (10) |
| 2 | Maryville | 181 (4) |
| 3 | McKendree | 175 (1) |
| 4 | Southern Indiana | 141 |
| 5 | Lindenwood | 123 |
| 6 | Drury | 119 |
| 7 | Lewis | 118 |
| Rockhurst | 118 | |
| 9 | Illinois Springfield | 111 |
| 10 | Quincy | 92 |
| 11 | Missouri-St. Louis | 64 |
| 12 | Missouri S&T | 54 |
| 13 | Truman | 43 |
| 14 | William Jewell | 33 |
| 15 | Southwest Baptist | 14 |
By Carolina Puga MendozaÂ
TheStatehouseFile.comÂ
INDIANAPOLIS—A bill that would have shifted control of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to a five-member board dominated by gubernatorial appointees was amended Tuesday by a Senate committee to send the proposal to a legislative committee for study during the summer.
Senate Bill 168, under which the governor would have appointed four members of an oversight board with the mayor appointing a fifth, was amended at the suggestion of Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, chair of the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee, which heard the bill Tuesday.
Representatives of Eli Lilly and Co. and the African American Coalition of Indianapolis testified in opposition to the bill.
“We primarily are interested in maintaining the level of civilian input into the police department. We believe that SB 168 significantly diminishes that. We’ve put a lot of work into working with the police department as an accountability partner,†said Marshawn Wolley on behalf of the African American Coalition.
In a meeting marked by interruptions by Young and hurried testimony from the public, the committee hearing took action on seven bills.
Young said he needed to speed up testimony to have a faster and more efficient meeting.
In an 8-1 vote after a heated debate, the committee approved Senate Bill 311, authored by Sen. Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville, which defines the use of force from law enforcement officials, such as the prohibition of warning shots and allowing officers to use deadly force if they believe their own life is at risk.
“Any time a round leaves the muzzle of a firearm, everyone around us is in danger,†Baldwin said. “It should be a very last resort.â€
Various groups testified for the bill, including the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, the African American Coalition of Indianapolis, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the Office of Public Health and Safety within the Indianapolis mayor’s office.
The hearing saw a heated debate between Matt Griffin, interim director of the Office of Public Health and Safety within the Indianapolis mayor’s office, and Young when it came to defining the use of force by police officers under self-defense.
The debate continued as legislators attempted to define self-dense and its consequences and the use of warning shots and chokeholds.
Authored by Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, SB 110 passed with an 8-0 vote and would require the Law Enforcement Training Board to create a Law Enforcement Misconduct Database. The data would be available to the public to check up on disciplinary actions against law enforcement officers.
“It is a step in the right direction. I think too often we paint all officers with a broad brush, and if we dislike the activities of some, we call down the rest or paint the rest as bad officers,†said Sen. Susan Glick, R-LaGrange, who supported the bill. “And I think this is an effort by the entire community to eliminate those officers who don’t measure up.â€
FOOTNOTE: Carolina Puga Mendoza is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
YESTERYEAR: Â Northwest Fourth Street
BY PAT SIDES
This view of Fourth Street, looking towards Main Street, was taken from the steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum on Court Street, probably ca. 1950. Much of downtown Evansville would soon undergo sweeping physical changes as a result of the urban renewal movement, but nearly all of the buildings pictured here are still standing.
Most prominent is the Old Courthouse (left), which was the seat of county government until the Civic Center opened in 1969. Behind it is the Court Building, and farther down the same side of the street is the Sears store at Fourth and Sycamore.Â
On the corner at right is a Buick dealership in a building that has recently housed a small diner and another business. The turret of the Old Jail — now a law firm — is visible just beyond that, as is the Hulman building near Sears. In the far distance is the towering structure at Fourth and Main vacated by Hilliard Lyons a few years ago.
Eagles shift focus to Maryville-hosted triangular
University of Southern Indiana Volleyball moved up another four spots to 13th-nationally (AVCA) after the Eagles swept two GLVC foes, No. 6 Rockhurst and Lindenwood, on February 20 during the USI-hosted GLVC triangular.
The Screaming Eagles have now set program-highs for national ranking for three-straight weeks, earning the first national ranking (18th) for the program in the February 10 AVCA DII poll. The only Eagle loss came at the hands of No. 2 Lewis Flyers (then ranked 14th) in a five-set match to start the season. USI is one of seven GLVC programs to be featured in the top-25 rankings and one of three in the top 15.
USI (5-1) hits the road for another weekend GLVC divisional crossover, playing Maryville (0-6) and William Jewell (0-7) in St. Louis at Moloney Arena on February 27. USI will first duel Maryville at high noon, then taking on William Jewell at 3 P.M. Both games will be broadcast on GLVCSN.
AGAINST ROCKHURST AND LINDENWOOD:
Leah Anderson led the Eagles offensively and earned her first GLVC Weekly award behind her monsterous performance. Anderson bombarded the Hawks and Lions with 5.67 kills per set (34 total), three service aces, and a hitting percentage of .446. Fellow sophomore Katherine Koch also spelled trouble for the opposing defenses as she posted 22 kills (3.67 per set) while freshman Abby Weber recorded 14 (2.33 per set).
Senior setter Casey Cepicky fully coordinated the Eagle’s offensive effort by distributing 76 assists across the two matches (12.67 per set) with 21 digs, four kills, four blocks, and two service aces. Benefitting from Cepicky dishing out assists were juniors Sidney Hegg (10 kills against Rockhurst) and Taylor Litteken (eight against Lindenwood), who both posted season-highs in kills in the divisional crossover.
