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HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
Eagles stunned by Greyhounds, 62-61
- Â University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball was stunned by the University of Indianapolis, 62-61, Thursday evening in Indianapolis. USI, which missed a chance to move into first in the GLVC East, sees its record to go 4-3 this season, while UIndy ends the evening 1-7.
USI had to dig out of a hole in the first half as UIndy built a 7-2 advantage after the Screaming Eagles started the game one-of-five from the field. Senior forward Josh Price had USI’s only bucket in the first six minutes of the contest.
After junior guard/forward Glen Rouch broke the Eagles scoring drought with a bucket at 14:31, the USI offense started to gain momentum. The Eagles knotted the game at 8-8 on a pair of free throws by Price, while USI got the go-ahead bucket, 11-8, at 10:04 with a three-point bomb by Rouch from the corner.
Those five points ignited a 24-15 USI run to the intermission and a 30-23 halftime advantage. The Eagles led by as many as 13 points, 28-15, when senior guard Mateo Rivera hit a bucket from downtown with 2:58 to halftime.
Price, senior guard Clayton Hughes, and senior forward Emmanuel Little finished the opening 20 minutes with six points each to lead the way.
The seven-point halftime lead shrank quickly to open the final 20 minutes as the Greyhounds made a run to take a 42-41 lead with 11:18 to play. Price quickly gave USI back the lead, 43-42, as the Eagle regained their halftime lead, 50-43, when Hughes drained a three-pointer with just over nine minutes remaining.
The Greyhounds, however, were not done and went on an 11-1 run to take a 54-51 lead with under four minutes to play. USI rallied to tie the game 57-57 with 2:01 left on a jumper by junior guard Jelani Simmons, only to see UIndy regain the advantage, 60-57, twenty seconds later.
Rivera revived the Eagles again with a three-point bomb to knot the game, 60-60, with 87 ticks left on the clock before the Greyhounds muscled their back into the lead, 62-60. USI missed a chance to tie the game at 62-62 when Price missed the first of two shots at the line and left the Eagles down one, 62-61 with 22 seconds remaining.
The Eagles got two more looks at the bucket in the final 12 seconds, but Rivera and Rouch could not get the ball to fall in the 62-61 loss.
Price led the way for the Eagles in the box score with his fourth double-double of the year, 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rivera followed Price on the glass with a season-high 11 rebounds, one short of tying a career-best.
USI returns to Screaming Eagles Arena for the first time since December 12 when it comes home to host UIndy Saturday at 3:15 p.m. The Eagles are looking to payback the Greyhounds after stumbling on Senior Day last spring, 88-76, despite the 31-point performance by Little.
JUST IN: Senator Tomes Unlawful Assembly Bill Faces Likely Death In Committee
Senator Tomes Unlawful Assembly Bill Faces Likely Death In Committee
By Alexa Shrake
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—The Black Lives Matter movement took off over the summer after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis who died in police custody. Many Hoosiers assembled in Indianapolis and other cities across the state during the summer to push for political change.
According to Time magazine, 93% of the protests across the nation were peaceful while 7% displayed their anger by shattering windows, vandalizing buildings and more. The protests in Indianapolis lasted for 14 continuous days during the summer.
Now, Sen. James Tomes, R-Wadesville, and Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, are promoting an 18-page bill that could impose steep punishments on protestors charged with rioting and police officers for negligence, including barring them from government jobs and some public assistance.
“For generations in America, we’ve seen protests and demonstrations that have sparked change, but the message can be lost as soon as violence begins to occur and citizens’ property is destroyed,†Tomes said in a statement.
However, the bill is drawing some controversy. The local BLM Indy 10 chapter posted about the bill on Twitter, saying, “Good morning to everyone except the authors of SB34, which will not go before Committee for a hearing. Rest in pieces to this awful bill.†A representative could not be reached for further comment.
Executive director of Indy Pride Chris Handberg also disagrees with the bill.
“Gay liberation protests all the way to last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests—those were because people were being oppressed,†Handberg said.
Handberg said the protest last week on Capitol Hill seemed to be more about political opinion and not fighting to protect the core characteristics of who people are and that they can’t change. The LBTQ+ community wouldn’t be where it is today without protests, Handberg said.
“All throughout Black Lives Matter protests and even gay liberation protests, you never saw people trying to seize, kidnap and hold hostage lawmakers,†Handberg said.
Senate Bill 34 references the definition for rioting that is already part of Indiana law. The code states that rioting consists of a person who is aware and intentionally causes harm while protesting, which is a class A misdemeanor. If one is armed with a deadly weapon while protesting, then it is a level 6 felony.
Katie Blair, the advocacy and public policy director of the Indiana American Civil Liberties Union, is worried about what this bill may mean for Hoosiers.
“It chills free speech because no one is going to go out to a protest to let their voice be heard and speak out against the government if you think you could lose your job or your health care or your housing because of your engagement with that protest,†Blair said.
Blair described the bill as “completely unnecessary and harmful to the community.â€
The bill removes protection for police officers under the Indiana Tort Claims Acts for failing to enforce the bill if it is made law. If an officer would fail to arrest a citizen for unlawful assembly, the officer would face a negligence charge.
The bill would prohibit a person from being released on bail without a hearing in an open court and also requires money for bail. Courts would be forced to consider how their bail requirements compare to local guidelines.
It would up the penalty for those charged with rioting, obstructing traffic, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
The bill would also prevent local governments from defunding police departments without reason, whether the community is seeing a decline in crime or tax revenue.
The killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others ignited a debate about defunding police departments around the country. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has included roughly $261 million for IMPD in his 2021 budget.
“Looting, firebombing and throwing objects at citizens are violent and destructive activities that will not lead to a solution,†Tomes said in a statement. “Hoosiers are entitled to go about their lives without being victims of the violence that goes along with riots. I believe this legislation will protect innocent Hoosier bystanders from dangerous activities while still allowing groups to lawfully protest.â€
After the first reading on Jan. 4, the bill was referred to the committee on corrections and criminal law. Committee chairman Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, said he has decided the bill will not be put on the schedule to be heard and will die in committee.
“The reasoning behind my decision is between the authors of the bill and myself,†Young told News 8 in a statement.
There is not a hearing set for the bill.
FOOTNOTE: Alexa Shrake is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.Â
JOE HARRISON JR. CCO SECOND “MOLE AWARD” WINNER
The City-County Observer is excited to announce our Second “Outstanding Community Services Award” (“MOLE AWARD”) winners for 2015. This years awards luncheon is held at Tropicana-Evansville Walnut rooms A and B. The registration begin at 11:30 am, the event officially starts at 12 noon on October 26, 2015. Reservations for this event may be obtain by calling Mollie Drake Schreiber at 812-760-4233 or e-email her at mdarke07@yahoo.com. Â Deadline for registration is October 15, 2014. Â Last years event was a sellout.
THIS YEARS SECOND OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICES (MOLE AWARD) WINNER is Vanderburgh County Commission Attorney  Joe Harrison  Jr.
EDUCATION:
* Reitz Memorial High School – Evansville, IN (1977)
* B.A., DePauw University, B.A. (1981)
* J.D., Indiana University School of Law, J.D. (1984)
LEGAL BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES:
* Attorney/Of Counsel, Massey Law Offices, LLC (September 2010 to Present)
* Partner, Bowers Harrison, LLP (2000 – August 2010)
* Partner, Bowers Harrison, Kent & Miller (1993 – 2000)
* Associate, Bowers, Harrison, Kent & Miller (1985 – 1993)
BAR ADMISSION:
* Indiana Supreme Court (1985)
* United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana (1985)
* United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (1999)
PRACTICE AREA:
* Business and Corporate Matters
* Civil Litigation and
* Wills and Estates
* Personal Injury Law
* Zoning Matters
* Employment Law
* Governmental Law
COMMUNITY Â AND Â GOVERNMENTAL INVOLVEMENT
* Past attorney for the Vanderburgh County Board Of Commissioners
* Attorney, Evansville – Vanderburgh County Building Authority (2002 to Present)
* Commissioner, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (2014 to Present)
* Attorney, Area Plan Commission of Evansville – Vanderburgh County (2002 to 2012)
* Attorney, Evansville – Vanderburgh County Building Authority (2002 to Present)
* Attorney, City of Evansville (2002 – 2009)
* Attorney, Vanderburgh County Election Board (2001- 2002)
* Attorney, Vanderburgh County Council (1991 – 1997)
* Chairman, Vanderburgh County Republican Central Committee (1993 – 1997)
PERSONAL:
Joe has one son, Â Joseph, III, Â who is a practicing attorney in the Indy area.
Please take time and vote in today’s “Readers Poll”. Don’t miss reading today’s Feature articles because they are always an interesting read. Please scroll at the bottom of our paper so you can enjoy our creative political cartoons. Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without our permission.
EPA Publishes 2019 Annual Toxics Release Inventory
New data show increased pollution prevention at facilities nationwide
“Today’s announcement underscores my commitment to helping communities and companies get the environmental information they need to prevent pollution and protect public health,â€Â said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The progress made under the TRI program in 2019 is proof that a cleaner environment and economic growth go hand in hand.â€
For the first time in five years, industrial and federal facilities reported an increased number of new source reduction activities that aim to reduce or eliminate the amount of chemical-containing waste facilities create. Facilities also avoided releasing 89 percent of the chemical-containing waste they created and managed during 2019 into the environment by using preferred practices such as recycling, treatment, and energy recovery.
This 2019 Analysis includes new features such as a dynamic and interactive report summary, an infographic illustrating how the TRI fits into the bigger picture of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and a profile of the fabricated metals manufacturing sector.
Additionally, the 2019 Analysis showcases industry best practices for managing waste and reducing pollution at nearly 22,000 facilities that submitted TRI data for calendar year 2019. EPA encourages facilities to learn from their counterparts’ best practices and adopt additional methods for reducing pollution.
Other 2019 highlights include:
- Air releases decreased by 23 million pounds from 2018 to 2019, continuing a long-term trend.
- Facilities reported initiating 3,285 new source reduction activities to prevent or reduce the creation of TRI chemical waste. This is the first year since 2014 that more new source reduction activities were implemented than in the prior year.
- Regional profiles illustrate the geographic diversity of U.S. industrial operations.
- For the first time, data on nonylphenol ethoxylates, which are surfactants used in adhesives, dispersants, cleaners, paints, coatings, and other products, are reported.
- The percentage of chemical waste generated that facilities recycled in 2019 increased, continuing this trend in facilities opting to use EPA’s most preferred waste management method.
The 2019 TRI National Analysis released today reflects TRI chemical waste management activities, including releases, that occurred during calendar year 2019 and therefore does not indicate any potential impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency that began in the United States in early 2020. Due to the significant analysis of reported information, this summary and interpretation of the most recent TRI data is released approximately six months after the reporting deadline.
A new Spanish TRI website, as well as a Spanish version of the 2019 Analysis, will be available by the end of January. Spanish-speaking communities across the United States will be able to use this resource to learn about TRI chemical releases in their communities—expanding their access to environmental information and making TRI data more easily accessible.
“IS IT TRUE” JANUARY15, 2021
You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
USI Board Of Trustees Approve New Strategic Plan For 2021-2025
At its regular meeting on Thursday, January 14, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approved a new University strategic plan for 2021-2025.
“When we started the process of creating USI’s third strategic plan, I wanted to emphasize engaging our entire campus community, learning from prior plans, recognizing current financial realities and building measurable indicators,†said Dr. Ronald Rochon, USI President. “I am proud of the plan our community has created, and look forward to the results of our collective efforts.â€
The plan, Accelerating Impact: USI’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025, was developed by a committee co-chaired by Dr. Mohammed Khayum, Provost, and Steve Bridges, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and followed a period of review and research, incorporating feedback from more than 2,600 USI students, employees, retirees, alumni and friends of the University.
As part of Accelerating Impact, the Board of Trustees adopted updated vision and mission statements and a set of core values to use in shaping the direction and decisions made by the University in the years to come.
“Accelerating Impact is a roadmap that will help USI advance toward its vision: to be a recognized leader in higher education, boldly shaping the future and transforming the lives of our students through exceptional learning and intentional innovation,†said Rochon.
The plan is built around four goals: improve student success, foster impactful engagement, elevate visibility and reputation, and strengthen financial viability. Each goal has measurable objectives with supporting strategies and action steps. Â As implementation of the plan gets underway, significant attention will be given to track, report and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and actions steps executed. Â More information about the plan can be found on the USI website at USI.edu/strategic-plan-2021.
In other business, the Board of Trustees received an update on current and future construction projects and heard a presentation from University Marketing and Communications on marketing efforts.
COMMENTARY: MIKE PENCE FEELS VERY AGGRIEVED. WHERE’S MY VIOLIN?
Mike Pence has long believed that his ascent to the vice presidency was the result of divine intervention, that it was all part of God’s plan. If that’s true, then boy oh boy, God is sure messing with his head.
What a divine disaster! For four long years he affixed his lips to the capacious tush of a tyrannical demagogue, but in return, all he got was a MAGA mob calling for his head. One of his old buddies, Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, told the press, “I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was (on insurrection day). I had a long conversation with him. He said, ‘After all the things I’ve done for (Trump),'” this was the thanks he got.
Now the squeeze is even worse. House Democrats gave him an ultimatum: Either he uses his veep powers to invoke the 25th Amendment and oust the terrorist-in-chief, or the House will impeach Trump for inciting violence against the American government.
Even though Pence took an oath to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he isn’t likely to invoke the 25th (doing so would cement his rep as a MAGA traitor), so it looks like he’s destined to be roadkill. He didn’t sign up for any of this. He’s feeling very aggrieved.
This is what happens when you make a Faustian pact with evil.
Pence was an evangelical Indiana governor with cloudy re-election prospects when Trump’s advisers (notably Kellyanne Conway) plucked him for stardom. The self-righteous moralist sealed his fate on July 15, 2016 when he married an amoral opportunist.
In the service of his own long-game presidential ambitions, and with robotic obsequious silence, he then proceeded to bless everything – the “grab ’em by the p-word” scandal, the caging of kids at the border, the hush payments to a porn star, the impeachable pressure on the president of Ukraine, the sociopathic incompetence that has helped kill 350,000 citizens, the relentless lies about our free and fair election process… the list is far too long to recap, and I doubt you have the stomach to endure it one more time.
No wonder conservative columnist George Will has called Pence “America’s most repulsive public figure.” Suffice it to say that Pence will be enshrined in the hall of infamy for standing astride his alpha male, rotely nodding at the latest pearls of Trumpian wisdom, like a bobblehead doll that kids get free at ballparks.
Did Pence somehow fail to notice, in all those years, that the mob boss ultimately threw every loyalist under the bus for the unforgivable sin of not being loyal enough? That every time a loyalist felt compelled to bail (to preserve a shred of dignity, or salvage a reputation, or simply flee), Trump’s predictable response was to feed that person to the MAGA wolves? Did Pence truly believe, or did his God goad him to believe, that he would somehow escape such a fate?
As recently as Jan. 4, while stumping in Georgia for the two (now defeated) Republican senators, Pence was still echoing Trump’s lies about election “irregularities,” and vowing that on Jan. 6, during the Electoral College count, “we’ll have our day in Congress, we’ll hear the objections, we’ll hear the evidence.”
It was only when the clock metaphorically struck midnight – when he was forced to choose between the Constitution and the authoritarian, when he was forcibly hustled from the Senate chamber because the goons stoked by Trump were calling for him to be hanged – did he finally don his big boy pants and draw a line in the sand.
Too late! Whatever happens next, his abject servility will be etched in the history books. Although I suppose things could be worse. The first of Indiana’s five veeps was a guy named Schuyler Colfax. He was dumped by Ulysses S. Grant after one term, and he ultimately dropped dead at a train station. Nobody knew who he was until somebody searched the body for ID.
On other hand, maybe Mike Pence’s fate is worse.
FOOTNOTE: Copyright 2020 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania.
The City-County Observer posted this article without bias or editing.
MORE THAN 250,000 INDIANA SENIORS SCHEDULE 1st COVID-19 VACCINE
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