March 7 – March 13The Week in Indiana History |
||||||||||||||
“If you wish to get into the limelight and attract more attention than a circus parade, deck yourself out in a knee-length skirt and a khaki coat, annex a cane, and start out to exercise natural locomotion.” – – – Esther Griffin White (1869-1954) In 1923, she walked the National Road (Highway 40) from Richmond to Indianapolis and back and wrote newspaper articles about the journey.Â
Did You Know?The Official State Poem is “Indiana” by Arthur Franklin Mapes God crowned her hills with beauty,
Answers:Â 1. DÂ Â 2. CÂ Â 3. BÂ Â 4. A |
||||||||||||||
HOOSIER HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
1935   The Rural Electric Membership Corporation (REMC) was created by the Indiana General Assembly. At the time, less than 10 percent of rural America had access to electrical power. The legislation, signed by Governor Paul V. McNutt, made it possible, in conjunction with the federal government, to provide loans to utility companies which would enable them to extend power lines to farms and homes “out in the country.”
1963   The Indiana General Assembly voted to adopt “Indiana,” by Arthur Franklin Mapes, as the official state poem. Mapes, a long-time resident of Kendallville, was a machinist whose hobby was writing poetry. During his career, he was honored with numerous awards on the state, national, and international level. He often wrote about his hometown and state and the beauty of nature.
Arts Commission Receives $23,000 Grant To Advance Creative Aging
In collaboration with Aroha Philanthropies, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) has awarded the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) $23,000 in grant funding to advance creative aging in the state. Part of NASAA’s Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging initiative, these grants will expand opportunities for creative aging across the nation, facilitating lifelong learning, joy, social engagement, and improved well-being for older adults.
With this funding, the IAC will implement Lifelong Arts Indiana. The program is designed to support the creative well-being of Indiana’s rapidly growing number of citizens age 65 and older by increasing the number of teaching artists who are confident and prepared to provide arts learning for older adults.
“Within the next ten years, one in five Indiana citizens will be 65 or older. The timing couldn’t be better for this grant award which will help develop our creative workforce in service to our older Hoosiers,” said Indiana Arts Commission Executive Director Lewis Ricci.
Lifelong Arts Indiana will provide workshops and coaching to a diverse cohort of selected teaching artists. Subsequently, the program will support grant funding to implement creative aging residency projects.
“This timely investment lifts up the creative capacity of older adults,” says NASAA President and CEO Pam Breaux. “By working through state arts agencies, this initiative marks a major national expansion in programs and services designed to improve quality of life and nurture meaningful community connections for older adults.”
“Aroha Philanthropies is proud to partner with NASAA to support creative aging through our state and jurisdictional arts agencies,” said Ellen Michelson, founder and president. “This initiative marks an important step toward broadened awareness, adoption and funding of creative aging programs across the country.”
Softball Opens Home Slate With Doubleheader Sweep
Marah Wood Leads UE Offense
University of Evansville freshman Marah Wood had a doubleheader for the ages, going a perfect 6-6 with a grand slam, eight RBI, four runs scored and a 1.000 on-base percentage to lead the Purple Aces to a doubleheader sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne in Saturday’s home opener at Cooper Stadium.
In the opening game, the Purple Aces (8-4) took an 8-1 win over the Mastodons (0-2) before wrapping up the day with an 11-3 triumph.
GAME 1
Evansville was the first to find the scoreboard in game one when a Marah Wood single brought home Eryn Gould, who also singled in the bottom of the first. Purdue Fort Wayne got on the board in the top of the third on a solo home run by Rachel Everson. The Aces wasted little time getting that run right back as they used some 2-out magic to retake the lead. With two batters down, Jessica Fehr drew a walk to bring Wood up to the plate. The freshman came through once again, hitting a deep double to score Fehr. Jenna Lis was up next and hit a long double of her own to put the Aces back in front by a 3-1 tally.
In the fifth inning, the Aces added some insurance with a 4-spot that sealed an 8-1 victory. Wood opened up with her third hit of the day and Jenna Lis followed with a long home run to left. With two outs, Gould capped off the scoring with a 2-RBI single. Izzy Vetter held strong from there, earning her fourth win of the season with the complete game effort. She gave up three hits while striking out 11. Her strikeout total tied her career mark, which was set just seven days ago against Green Bay.
Wood was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI while Gould finished with three hits in four plate appearances. She added two RBI. Jenna Lis led the Aces with three RBI. Lis went 2-3 with a run and a walk.
GAME 2
Fresh off of a big win in the opener, the Aces wasted little time striking first in game two. Eryn Gould opened with an infield single before Lindsay Renneisen reached on a walk. The duo advanced to second and third on a wild pitch before Marah Wood delivered a 2-RBI single to open the scoring. Jessica Fehr added a sacrifice fly to score the third run of the frame.
Excellent baserunning by Hannah Hood added UE’s fourth run in the second. Hood drew a leadoff walk before stealing second. When Gould flew out to center, Hood tagged to reach third before scoring on the throw. The Mastodons got on the board with a pair of unearned runs scoring in the top of the third before a single run in the fourth cut the Evansville lead to 4-3. Purdue Fort Wayne chased UE starter Jaime Nurrenbern after three innings of work and loaded the bases up in the fourth against Megan Brenton. Brenton did a nice job of limiting the damage to one run and that made a huge difference heading into the bottom half of the inning.
Singles by Hood and Renneisen, along with Gould being hit by a pitch, loaded up the bases for Marah Wood. In a doubleheader for the ages, Wood added a grand slam to her tally for the day. More importantly, it turned a one-run game into an 8-3 lead for the Purple Aces. UE plated two more in the fifth, including a Mea Adams double that scored Katie McLean. The game ended on an exciting suicide squeeze in the sixth. With Mackenzie McFeron on third, Katie McLean laid down a bunt that brought home the final run with the Aces earning the 11-3 victory.
Nurrenbern picked up her fourth win of the season, going three innings allowing two unearned runs on one hit. Brenton tossed the final three frames, allowing a run on one hit while walking three batters. Wood finished the second game with a 2-2 showing at the plate. She had six RBi including a grand slam while drawing two walks and scoring twice. Hood, Gould and Renneisen also scored two runs apiece.
Another doubleheader is set for Sunday when the Aces and Mastodons meet up at 11 a.m. inside Cooper Stadium.
UE golf teams return to action on Monday
Aces in Florida for Benbow Invitational
In what has become a mainstay on the schedule, the University of Evansville men’s and women’s golf teams travel to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend for the Benbow Invitational, which is hosted by Butler University.
Jacksonville Beach Golf Club will host the tournament, which features 18 holes on both Monday and Tuesday. The men will play off of the gold tees, making for a yardage tally of 6,750 while the women will be playing on adjusted tees with the yardage listed at 6,050. A shotgun start will kick the action off each day at 9 a.m. ET.
On the men’s side, the field is consisted of Alabama State, Butler, Chicago State, Detroit Mercy, Drexel, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, Murray State, Purdue Fort Wayne and Savannah State. Joining the Purple Aces on the women’s side are Butler, Eastern Michigan, Purdue Fort Wayne and Southern Illinois.
Evansville’s women opened up the season at the ASU Spring Classic, which wrapped up on February 22. Sophia Rohleder picked up the tournament championship with a 3-round tally of 233. Her low score of the event was a 77 in round two. As a team, the Aces came home in second place, six strokes behind Western Illinois. Alyssa McMinn took third place in the event with a 237 while Mallory Russell took 7th with a 245. Caitlin O’Donnell (14th) and Allison Enchelmayer (17th) also recorded top 20 finishes.
This will also mark the second event on the men’s side. UE took part in the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play in the second week of February. The Aces finished in 6th place in the event, which saw them take on Ball State, DePaul and UConn. Caleb Wassmer earned a victory and tie in the opening day while Dallas Koth and Spencer Wagner recorded ties. Isaac Rohleder picked up two wins in the event, defeating his counterparts from the Blue Demons and the Huskies.
HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Responsive employerEPA Releases Testing Data Showing PFAS Contamination from Fluorinated Containers
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursues its mission to protect human health and the environment, addressing risks related to PFAS is a priority. To this end, EPA is making available new testing data related to PFAS found in fluorinated containers in which a mosquito control product was packaged and sold. EPA is also announcing its planned next steps to further characterize and address this potential source of contamination.
“Advancing science and taking action to reduce the health risks associated with PFAS go hand-in-hand,â€Â said Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on developing and using the best available science will guide our decision-making, strengthen our work with stakeholders, and lead to pragmatic solutions that advance our efforts to address PFAS contamination and protect human health.â€
Since first becoming aware of the PFAS contamination issue in September 2020 through citizen science testing of a pesticide product, EPA has been working to investigate the source of the contamination. In December 2020, EPA studied the fluorinated HDPE containers used to store and transport the product and preliminarily determined the fluorination process used may be the source of PFAS contamination.
In January 2021, EPA continued its testing which showed the PFAS were most likely formed from a chemical reaction during the container fluorination process which then leached into the pesticide product. After completing a robust quality assurance and quality control process, EPA can confirm that it has detected eight different PFAS from the fluorinated HDPE containers, with levels ranging from 20-50 parts per billion.
While EPA is early in its investigation, the agency will use all available regulatory and non-regulatory tools to determine the scope of this emerging issue and its potential impact on human health and the environment. It is important to note that although these types of products should not be a source of PFAS, the data indicates that the amount of PFAS that has entered the environment from the contamination in the containers the agency tested is extremely small. The agency is also committed to coordinating with the affected entities involved and their supply and distribution chains, pesticide users, the pesticide and packaging industry, and its federal, state, and tribal partners as it works through this complex health and environmental issue.
Building on the agency’s initial actions announced in January 2021, EPA initiated a series of steps to tackle this issue including:
- On Jan. 13, 2021, to minimize risks to human health and the environment, EPA asked states with existing stock of the mosquito product distributed in fluorinated HDPE containers to discontinue use and hold that inventory until its final disposition is determined. The pesticide manufacturer has also notified all its customers regarding management of the product, voluntarily stopped shipments of all products in fluorinated HDPE containers, and is now using non-fluorinated containers.
- On Jan. 14, 2021, EPA issued a TSCA subpoena to the company that fluorinated the containers supplied to the manufacturer of the pesticide in which PFAS was discovered to learn more about the fluorination process used on the HDPE containers.
- EPA is aware that many companies are using fluorinated HDPE containers to store and distribute pesticide and other products. EPA is actively working with the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and industry and trade organizations to raise awareness of this emerging issue and discuss expectations of product stewardship. For example, EPA is coordinating with the Ag Container Recycling Council, the American Chemistry Council, Crop Life America, the Household & Commercial Products Association, and the National Pest Management Association.
Board of School Trustees of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Meeting
 The Board of School Trustees of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will meet Monday, March 8, 2021 in the Board Room of the EVSC Administration Building located at 951 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN.Â
Beginning at 5:30 PM, the Board will call upon those who have completed and submitted a Request for Public Comment form. The regular meeting of the School Board will commence immediately following Public Comment.Â
In accordance with orders from the Governor, seating will be limited to allow for appropriate social distancing.Â
ADOPT A PET
Casteel is a 3-year-old male gray cat. He’s possibly a Russian Blue mix? No way to tell! He had to wear the “cone of shame†after a recent minor procedure. He was surrendered from a home w/ too many pets. His adoption fee is $70 and includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and more! Get details at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!
ADOPT A PET
Pretty Nova has been found as a stray twice! She isn’t an incredibly outgoing dog, and would love a patient family who can give her all the time she needs to adjust. She’s about a year & a half old and has beautiful coloring. Her adoption fee is $150 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more! Get details at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!