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EPA Honors Clean Air Projects for 17th Year

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the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes seven groups and individuals for their innovative work on clean air projects. The 2020 Clean Air Excellence Awards were given to state, local, tribal, and private sector programs that educate the public in improving air quality or reducing harmful air pollutants that threaten health and the environment.

“For 17 years, the Clean Air Excellence awards have honored those who go above and beyond to improve air quality both at the local and national level,” said Anne Austin, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “Our winners’ inspirational dedication to environmental protection is a model for all of us, and we look forward to many more years of clean air innovation and collaboration.”

 

Students must sign up for COVID-19 test upon returning to Bloomington

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Students returning to Bloomington for the upcoming semester must be tested for COVID-19 once they arrive, with the exception of students who have tested positive within 90 days of their arrival.

Students living in on-campus housing who arrive before Jan. 30 will take a saliva test and are asked to quarantine in their residence hall rooms until they receive their results. If a student tests positive, they will be required to isolate for ten days and until symptoms improve either at their home or in the Ashton Residence Center, according to IU’s website.

IU will administer rapid tests for students arriving between Jan. 30 and Feb. 7. Rapid tests return results within an hour but are more likely to return a false positive than the saliva test, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A positive result from the rapid test will require the student to immediately take a saliva test.

Related: [IU reveals spring 2021 on-arrival COVID-19 testing plan]

If a student receives a positive test result from a rapid test, they are expected to isolate either at their homes or in Ashton for 48 hours while awaiting their second results. Students who receive a negative result from the second test will be able to move into their residence halls as normal.

Students living in on-campus housing arriving after Feb. 7 will take the saliva test and are expected to isolate for the next 48 hours while waiting for their results, according to IU COVID-19 guidelines.

Students who arrive after Jan. 29 cannot move into their residence halls unless they have a negative test result, and they are expected to wait for their test results either at their home or in Ashton. Students who arrive before Jan. 29 must move out of their residence hall if they receive a positive test and must quarantine at their home or in Ashton.

If a student tests positive, they cannot move into their residence hall until 10 days have passed and they are experiencing no symptoms.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY RECENT BOOKING RECORDS

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https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

‘No One Knew The Plan’: States Struggle To Increase Vaccinations

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‘No One Knew the Plan’: States Struggle to Increase Vaccinations

STATELINE/PEW 

By: Matt Vasilogambros
Weeks into the national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, states have inoculated just a fourth of the number of Americans they expected to—hamstrung by a lack of federal and state leadership, too little money and the dovetailing public health crises of surging hospitalizations and case numbers.
States also continue to adjust their priorities on who should be next in line for the shots, sometimes with poor communication to providers and the public. And in some states, wealthy or connected individuals have leapfrogged to the front, defying public health guidelines.
Americans clearly are confused about when people of different ages, professions and health conditions can receive vaccines, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, a Maryland-based nonprofit that promotes immunization efforts. There are not yet enough doses to open vaccines to the broader public, she said—supply cannot meet demand.

“Obviously we have to do a better job of outlining expectations,” Hannan said. “No one knew the plan. I know it’s confusing to the public.”

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have received the first of two needed doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Trump administration had hoped to inoculate 20 million people by the new year. President Donald Trump blamed states for the delay.

There are several factors bogging down the rollout. Many of the vaccine doses arrived during the holiday season, and state officials often vaccinated only during business hours. Vaccines have to be kept cold, and they expire after a certain number of hours. A drugstore in Ohio had to trash several expired doses this week; some California hospitals resorted to immunizing staffers’ relatives in the hours before the drugs were to expire.

Health care officials wanted to be slow and deliberate at the start of the national vaccination effort, said Jim Blumenstock, senior vice president for pandemic response with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, a nonprofit that represents public health agencies. The initial focus was on frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, he said, but in the coming weeks, the volume and speed of distribution will increase substantially.

“It’s gone too slowly, I know, for many of us,” said Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this week. “All of us, I think, want to see 100% of what’s received immediately administered in people’s arms. That’s a challenge.”

States have opened more vaccination sites and are allowing dentists, pharmacy technicians and some members of the National Guard to administer vaccines.

While some states are still focused on frontline health care workers and nursing homes, others have begun offering vaccinations to people 65 and older and to first responders, such as police officers and firefighters.

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged vaccine providers to not let vaccines sit unused on hospital shelves. If there are older Texans or other first responders willing to take the vaccine, state officials have directed vaccine providers to provide it. “Every shot administered matters,” wrote Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, in a directive to vaccine administrators.

To ensure doses don’t expire, some hospitals have begun inoculating family members of staff. In Washington, D.C., two residents were offered soon-to-be-expired vaccines at a grocery store pharmacy. DC Health officials told Stateline that vaccine administrators should strive for “zero waste.”

“If doses will expire due to missed appointments, they should administer the vaccine to anyone who wants to take it,” a spokesperson for DC Health said in an emailed statement.

In Florida and Tennessee last week, many older residents seeking a COVID-19 vaccination waited in line for hours. In Florida, some camped overnight. Meanwhile, wealthy donors to a tony nursing home in West Palm Beach, Florida, received the vaccine despite state guidelines prioritizing residents of long-term care homes.

In Maryland, health care officials have had to turn away people who signed up for a vaccine but did not qualify to receive one yet, while officials in Washington state have said they don’t want to act as the “vaccine police” and will administer shots on an honor system.

Some of the confusion and chaos surrounding the rollout is linked to the delay in federal funding for the vaccination effort, Blumenstock said. In late December, Congress allocatednearly $9 billion to help states distribute vaccines. If Congress had allocated funds to states in the spring or summer, he said, local officials would have had the time and resources to create a more efficient distribution effort.

The newly authorized funding has not been delivered to states, pending federal guidance and conditions. But when it comes in the next several weeks, it will make a big difference, he said.

“You can’t turn back the clock,” Blumenstock said. “The good news is the money is on its way and it really will help.”

Some state leaders, such as Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, blame the CDC for delays, saying officials spent too much time focusing on who should receive vaccines first.

“Right now, the most important task that we have is getting vaccine out to the public,” hesaid at a Monday news conference. “That is our only way out of this.”

Public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is increasing. Several recent polls show around 60% of Americans are willing to be vaccinated—a percentage that has increased steadily over several months.

Hannan at the Association of Immunization Managers understands the frustration of having to wait to get vaccinated, especially as hundreds of thousands of Americans are infected every day and the national death toll recently surpassed 350,000.

“I get it; people are dying,” Hannan said. “We have got to get the vaccine out.”

CITY SEEKING ADDITIONAL REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS

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 (January 11, 2021) — The City of Evansville is seeking approval of $348,250 in additional U.S. Economic Development Association Revolving Loan Funds to assist businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Upon request by the Winnecke Administration, the City Council will consider approving a finance ordinance this evening. 

Interested businesses and entrepreneurs can contact the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC) for application assistance. 

The ISBDC will then submit the application to the City’s Department of Metropolitan Development for preliminary review. 

Throughout the pandemic, the City provided three separate Revolving Loan Funds and two special districts, totaling nearly $775,00 

Faith & Racial Healing: Embracing Truth, Justice, and Restoration Seminar

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Do you want to learn how to advocate for racial healing within your family, church and community?

Faith & Racial Healing: Embracing Truth, Justice and Restoration is an eight-session program that guides participants in telling the truth about the history of racism in the United States, that we might work toward true reconciliation with God and restoration with one another. Faith and Racial Healing is presented through the lens of the Christian tradition and is the second program in JustFaith Ministries’ racial justice series.

This program consists of eight 2½ hour sessions, as well as an opening retreat and immersion experience. All sessions include prayer, active listening, and relationship-building. Though Faith and Racial Healing focuses specifically on African Slaves and their descendants, it also opens participants’ eyes to patterns of injustice that affect other people of color as well. As with all JustFaith programs, participants explore how their faith should inform their response to their learning, as well as discern action steps for working toward racial healing in their own communities.

 Available starting Saturday, January 16, 2021.

Registration forms available on the All Saints Parish website https://allsaintsevansville.org/

To learn more visit: https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-healing-embracing-truth-justice-and-restoration/

Bill Designating Hoosier Spirit II State Plane Now Law

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Bill Designating Hoosier Spirit II State Plane Now Law
by State Representative Wendy MCNAMARA
The Hoosier Spirit II is now the official state aircraft of Indiana. As the author of the new law making this declaration, it was an honor to join the Evansville Wartime Museum and the Evansville P-47 Foundation at a recent event unveiling the plane’s new design.

In our nation’s darkest hour, Hoosiers rallied together to manufacture the P-47 Thunderbolt, revitalizing the local economy and changing the outcome of World War II. The Hoosier Spirit II, formerly known as the Tarheel Hal, is one of the only surviving planes produced in Evansville during the war.

After arriving in Vanderburgh County last fall and now redesigned to reflect Indiana’s history, the Hoosier Spirit II is on display at the Evansville Wartime Museum.
To learn more about the museum and the other aircrafts on display, click here.

 McNamara Working To Put More Human Traffickers Behind Bars

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 McNamara Working To Put More Human Traffickers Behind Bars

 STATEHOUSE (Jan. 11, 2021) – State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) is working to further combat human trafficking in Indiana.

As chair of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, McNamara is authoring legislation that would provide additional protections for young victims, ensure more traffickers are sentenced and increase their time behind bars.

“The trauma human trafficking victims face while being exploited for labor or sex services is unimaginable, and as a state, we can do more to protect them and get criminals prosecuted to the fullest extent,” McNamara said. “My legislation would also allow victims of any crime who are 14 years old or younger to testify by video for court proceedings instead of repeatedly facing their aggressor in person. This is a common-sense approach to prevent further harm to those who have already been through so much.”

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 157 human trafficking cases were reported in Indiana in 2019, which is a 19% increase from 2018.

McNamara’s legislation would increase sentencing for offenders whose victims are under the age of 18, require local agencies to report investigations of human trafficking to the Indiana Attorney General’s office and make it a crime for offering, agreeing to or paying a third party for acts committed by a victim. She said current law states a person commits human trafficking only if they pay or offer to pay a victim.

“Coordinated efforts at the state and local levels will produce better results for victims and ensure more criminals are locked up so they do not hurt others,” McNamara said.

She also authored a resolution recognizing January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and observing Jan. 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This resolution is in conjunction with a local proclamation from Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.

January is also National Sex Trafficking Awareness Month, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security encourages Hoosiers to wear blue this month to stand with survivors and spread awareness.

House Bill 1200 is assigned to the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee. Visit iga.in.gov to learn more.

If someone is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking, report it to the Indiana Department of Child Services at 1-800-800-5556 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

 

SOUTHWEST INDIANA CHAMBER HOSTS THE 2021 LUNCH WITH THE MAYOR

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The Southwest Indiana Chamber will host the 2021 Lunch with the Mayor on January 13 via Live Stream from 11:30 am – 1 pm.

REPORT TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY Mayor Lloyd Winnecke

Lunch with the Mayor is a forum for members of the business community to hear directly from the Mayor of Evansville. Learn about the progress made during the previous year and receive updates on major projects that impact commerce and the quality of life in Evansville and the greater Southwest Indiana community.

Dan Parod will give a COVID-19 Vaccine update and the Mayor will be joined by Brent Schmitt, City Engineer

Brian Holtz, Parks & Recreation Executive Director, Erik Beck, Mesker Zoo & Botanic Garden Executive Director.

To register for the event, go to https://members.swinchamber.com/events/details/lunch-with-the-mayor-4630
Individual tickets available for $25.

Taking Care Of Main Street Grant Opens For Second Round

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Taking Care Of Main Street Grant Opens
For Second Round

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan, 11, 2021) – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today launched the second round of Taking Care of Main Street, a grant program which provides funding for operational support and recovery strategies to Indiana Main Street programs.

“This funding can help bridge the gap for our critical small businesses, which employ many Hoosiers in our workforce,” Crouch said. “Through the Taking Care of Main Street grant program we are helping Hoosier business owners address the effects of the pandemic into 2021.”

The goal is to support Indiana Main Street organizations that provide leadership and activities to the public, using the Main Street Approachâ„¢, with special attention to organizations that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. In August 2020, 40 Indiana Main Street organizations each received $5,000 through the first round of the program.

“We received positive feedback from our first-round grantees who said this funding helped support downtown businesses and maintain necessary Main Street staff,” said Denny Spinner, Executive Director of OCRA. “By providing a second round of this grant, we hope to assist more organizations as they continue to provide direct technical assistance to all who need the help adjusting business models while following CDC Guidelines.”

Grants between $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to organizations based on their Indiana Main Street program level with each level needing to provide respective documentation with their application. All applicants will need to outline how a reduction of funds has impacted the program’s activities, provide an explanation of how the funds will be utilized and supply a current work plan. No match is required and round one grantees are welcome to apply again this round.

Eligible expenses could include salaries, administrative fees, small business support, office space/equipment rental or staff development and training. Larger grants are intended to encourage and support advanced programs looking to implement mid-to-long-term recovery strategies related to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each eligible application will be reviewed on a competitive basis based on the application’s completion and alignment with requirements and documentation.

Applications are now open and only online applications will be accepted. Applications will be accepted until Feb.12, 2021, and awards will be announced on Feb. 25, 2021. For more program information, visit in.gov/ocra/mainstreet/taking-care-of-main-street.

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