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UPDATES: STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS IS A WHOOPING 324,537
Deceptive Mailings Suggest Recipients Have Won Impressive Prizes
Attorney General Curtis Hill is warning Hoosiers to beware of advertising pitches that mislead consumers into thinking they have won significant prizes. This tactic is often employed to lure people to locations where they are subjected to used-car sales pitches.
Despite successful legal actions taken previously by the Office of the Attorney General against this tactic, advertising firms and auto dealerships continue to put it into practice.
Recently, the Office of the Attorney General filed two complaints against auto prize mailing promoters engaging in this conduct — one in Bartholomew County in south-central Indiana and one in Lake County in northwestern Indiana.
- In Bartholomew County, Budget Direct Mail Promotions LLC (BDM) and Heritage Automotive Sales LLC designed and ran a promotion for a sales event at Heritage Automotive. BDM and Heritage Automotive are owned by the same individual. The Attorney General’s complaint alleges BDM sent mailings to 40,000 Indiana recipients that included game pieces indicating that each recipient had won one of six specified prizes: $10,000, $5,000, $1,000, $500, a 55-inch flat-screen TV or a Yamaha ATV.
- When 142 recipients took their mailings to Heritage Automotive’s sales event to claim their prizes, each recipient was instead subjected to a sales pitch soliciting the purchase of a vehicle. The recipients were finally informed they had not won any of the six prizes prominently represented on the mailing. Each recipient instead received a $5 gift card to either Kroger or Walmart. The mailings also failed to include proper disclosures required by Indiana law
- In Lake County, the Attorney General’s complaint alleges Rush Hour Events LLC promoted and ran a sales event on behalf of an Indiana vehicle dealership.To promote the sales event, Rush Hour Events sent promotional mailings to 33,325 Indiana recipients. Each mailing created the impression that the recipient had won a significant prize. The recipients of the mailings were directed to the dealership to claim their prizes. Once lured to the dealership, 116 recipients were subjected to a sales pitch urging the purchase of a vehicle. The recipients of the mailings were eventually awarded their “prize†— a cheap “smart watch.†The mailings also failed to include proper disclosures as required by Indiana law.
“Most car dealers in Indiana are good, honest, hard-working professionals,†Attorney General Hill said. “Unfortunately, every industry has its share of individuals who seem bent on skirting the law in order to maximize profits.â€
He urged Hoosiers to be vigilant.
“When it comes to these advertising schemes that promise great prizes just for showing up, we encourage consumers to remember the old maxim that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,†Attorney General Hill said. “As we work to enforce the law and impose penalties against anyone violating the rules, we also advise Hoosiers to take steps to avoid becoming victims in the first place.â€
Attorney General Hill offered consumers these three tips regarding prize mailings:
- Be skeptical. It is highly unlikely you won any significant prize. Even if your mailing contains a game piece showing you won a significant prize, it is likely that every mailing sent contained an identical “winning†game piece. Checking the fine print on the mailing will likely reveal that the odds of winning a significant prize is one in tens of thousands.
- If you wish to see whether you have won a prize, be prepared to handle a sales presentation for a new vehicle. The mailing was sent to get you into the dealership to sell you a vehicle. If you’re not in the market for a vehicle, inform the salesperson of this fact and request your prize. Be prepared to say no and walk away if the salesperson continues to push a sale.Â
- If you do end up deciding to purchase a vehicle at such a sales event, take your time and check various resources such as vehicle history reports and the Attorney General’s “Purchasing a Vehicle†fact sheet. The salesperson will likely push you to buy immediately, but doing your due diligence on a used vehicle purchase is almost always the better option.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam or targeted by scammers should file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General at indianaconsumer.com or by calling 1-800-382-5516.
World of imagination Awaits Visitors At Eiteljorg’s Jingle Rails, Even During Pandemic
World of imagination Awaits Visitors At Eiteljorg’s Jingle Rails, Even During Pandemic
By Taylor WootenÂ
TheStatehouseFile.comÂ
INDIANAPOLIS — The nine trains featured at Eiteljorg Museum’s Jingle Rails exhibition chug on in spite of COVID-19 that continues to spread across the state.
The annual exhibit is entering its 11th year with some big changes, including reserved time slots for all visitors, a one-way, socially-distanced path, and Plexiglass shields separating people. The trains and their all-natural settings will be available to view through Jan. 18 in 15-minute visits.
Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure showcases the G-scale model trains as they whirl past familiar landmarks both in nearby downtown Indianapolis and in the western United States. The attraction, created by Applied Imagination in Alexandria, Kentucky, is meant to remind visitors of past family vacations or feel the joy of traveling, said Bryan Corbin, public relations manager of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
The scenery is crafted from all-natural materials such as bark, tree roots, pinecones, acorns, seed pods and honeycomb. The trains run on 1,200 feet of track for seven hours a day, except for Sunday when they run for five. The hardworking miniature trains require frequent maintenance by a team of knowledgeable volunteers.
Mike Davis is one of these volunteers and has been for the last eight years. He said his love of trains began when he was young but was more recently rekindled.
“I grew up in that generation where, your Christmas at about seven or eight years old, you got a model train and it stayed a big part of your life until about the time you get your driver’s license,†Davis said. “The trains go back in a box at mom and dad’s house and they stay there, and mine did for about 40 years. And then we took them out, and that was just kind of like opening Pandora’s box.â€
Davis said he enjoys pointing out very small details that the artists from Applied Imagination included in the piece, like tiny cooking fires in areas depicting Native American life.
The trains go through a lot of wear and tear, Davis said, because the models aren’t meant to be moving for several hours a day. There are also larger incidents on occasion.
“I came in and I heard a mother say, ‘Oh Billy, don’t do that,’†Davis said. “And I looked and the train was going through the covered bridge. I didn’t see anything wrong.â€
Davis said the child had detached the caboose from the rest of the train while it was going through the covered bridge, and he didn’t notice until the front end of the train collided with the caboose in the tunnel.
Often, visitors return to see the exhibit for many years and notice the changes made, Davis said. For example, this year a display of Mesa Verde National Park will be lit up along with several hot air balloons constructed from leaves.
“I’ve seen every year for eight years that I’ve been here,†Davis said. “And of course, the kids are growing now. Some older adults come back in year after year, and they can always pick up on the things that are new this year.â€
Applied Imagination touts 16 similar displays in libraries, museums and other locations across the US.
Tickets for the event are free for members, $15 for adults, $8 for ages 5 to 17, and free for children ages 4 and under and can be purchased here. Everyone, members included, needs to schedule a time to see the trains.
Jingle Rail tickets are timed at 15-minute intervals to limit the exhibit to no more than 16 visitors because of COVID-19 distancing restrictions. If there are fewer than 16 people in the exhibitor no one in line, visitors may linger longer than 15 minutes. Jingle Rails tickets also provide admission to the rest of the Eiteljorg Museum and there is no time limit to tour the exhibits.
FOOTNOTE: Taylor Wooten is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Penguins Working TogetherÂ
Penguins Working TogetherÂ
written by Henslie Darke-Schreiber
“Penguins Working Together” was written in “The First Person†by 8 -year-old third-grade honor student-athlete Henslie Darke-Schreiber.  Henslie is a gifted third-grade student who is taking accelerated academic courses. We would like to point out that Henslie’s literary project is a work in progress.
She plays soccer, and basketball and is on the traveling team for each sport. Â She is also an excellent competitive gymnast and swimmer and enjoys hiking,
Henslie enjoys building legos with her sister and aspires to be a writer. Â Other information about Henslie was withheld by request
FORWARD
 Once upon a time, there were four (4) penguin friends. Their names were Lucy, Chris, Lilly, and Jacob. They lived in Iceland and go to a penguin school. They love to eat snow and fish and play together. They do not like being bullied or left out. Today they are going to visit Lilly’s grandparents and play on their ice rink.  They hopped in their ice car and drove off. As soon as they knew it, they were at Lilly’s grandparents. Their grandparents greeted them at the door. They went inside their igloo and talked. Now they are taking all of the penguin’s ice skating on their rink! Yay!!!! As it got cold, they went inside and ate their favorite meal. Soon it started to grow dark and they all had to get back home. See you tomorrow at the first day of school. Â
  Hi penguin friends. Today is the first day of Penguin School. I am so excited; I am also nervous. What if they don’t like me? At least I have Chris, Jacob, and Lucy. I went to go get dressed and I had a problem. My baby brother was chewing on the dress that I chose to wear. So, I had to choose a different outfit. I picked my overalls. My mom said I looked cute in them. Now it is time to go to school and my mom is dropping me off. When I started to walk up, I spotted Lucy. We went up to the school and knocked on the door. Hi, said our teacher. He looked nice. My name is Mr. Featherbottom. Welcome! Come In and join us. We went inside and everyone welcomed us. Today, we will be working on our Art badge. If you complete the project, you will receive the badge.
 We worked awhile. The bell went off. Ding, ding, ding went the bell. Time for lunch, said Mr. Featherbottom. What did my mom pack me for lunch? For lunch, she packed me a cold peanut butter fish sandwich. YUM! My lunch was so good. Time for recess. We got the whole squad here now, let’s play. What do you want to play, asked Jacob? Let’s play tag, no hide and seek? Let’s take a vote? Who votes for hiding and seek? 1…2…? Who votes for a tag? 1…2..3…4. I guess we are playing tag. We played tag and then we switched over to hide and seek since we were all getting tired. Time to go back inside, said, Mr. Featherbottom. We went back in and started to finish our paintings. Mine was a sunset. After that, we got all of our books and read until it was time to go home. The bell rang… Ding, ding, ding. My mom picked me up and we went home. I have exciting news. I and my mom are making fish brownies for snacks tomorrow. Oh, I yawned, I am tired. So, I am going to bed. Â
  Good morning penguin friends. Today we get to go to school again. I love my school. I ate my fish waffles and my mom dropped me off for school. I went inside the school. Mr. Featherbottom said that today is going to be different. Marcus raised his hand to ask why? He said because I could not pick one of the fabulous art projects, my old art teacher is going to come here and pick three beautiful paintings. So, what will change, ask Chris? She will be coming in at the end of the day and we will not have that much time for snacks. Awwww… but since she will be here, we will have a quick snack. Yay!!! said, everybody. After they talked, ding, ding, ding. Time for lunch. We all put our books down and got in line to go to the lunchroom. My mom packed me fish chicken. Yummy! Time for recess. We went to play together. It was so much fun!Â
   Time to line up again said Mr. Featherbottom. We went back to the classroom. Then, the door opened and Mr.Featherbottom’s old art teacher came in. She sat her stuff down on Mr. Featherbottom’s desk and went to the front of the room. She went to the front of the room and introduced herself. My name is Mrs. Flower. I heard that I am going to be judging some beautiful paintings. How does this work? Jacob raised his hand and explained. You pick three paintings that you think are the best paintings in all the room. Those people can earn their art badges. Well ok then. Let’s get started. She said it was a very hard decision since all the paintings were so wonderful. Finally, she picked the three paintings. I liked the one that has an “Lâ€. I also liked the red oreo painting. It is very created. And the last one, I picked the sunset. It has a bunch of blended colors and has beautiful sunset and it is a wonderful picture. We grabbed our paintings off the desk and Mr. Featherbottom took our picture. Everyone clapped for us. Â
  Ding, ding, ding… it was time to pack up and go home once again. The art teacher left and we started to pack up. My mom came and picked me up. Finally, I was the last one here. My mom said sorry! What took you so long, I asked. I picked up a cake for Lucy’s birthday. Why are you picking up the cake, shouldn’t Lucy’s mom pick up the cake? Yes, but we are throwing a penguin surprise party for her. She will be so excited for all the fun gliding on our bellies. Then we drove home and I asked my mom, Lucy is coming over today and we have the cake. So, we will hide it. We got out of the car to start looking for a good spot to hide the penguin cake. We looked everywhere. We could not find a hiding spot for the cake anywhere and Lucy was coming soon. Â
    Knock, Knock. Lucy is at the door. Oh no, what do we do? We threw the penguin cake in the fridge. Lucy’s mom dropped her off and we went straight upstairs to play with penguin dolls. When we were playing Lucy was sad. Did I ask her why? She said, my mom shows me my cake and she never showed me one and I am worried she forgot about my penguin birthday. We can pretend the penguin dolls are us and have a party. Your mom would never forget about your penguin birthday. Lucy’s mom rang the doorbell, and she was there to pick her up. I waved goodbye to her. My family went and had some fish, and then I had to clean up the penguin doll mess. After that, the day was over. Mom said tomorrow is going to be a big day. Good night and don’t let fish on your toes bite. I went to bed. Â
   Good morning penguin friends. Today is also Lucy’s birthday. I am so excited to go to a penguin birthday party. I went to go get dressed in my penguin’s best dress. My mom called me down to eat french fish sticks. Then, we got in the car to go to Lucy’s birthday. My penguin brother threw a fit because he wanted to come to the penguin birthday party. My mom said that this is only for Lilly’s friends. We had a cake and a big present for her. Her party was at the Big Penguin Trampoline Park. I met Lucy there and she was so excited. I told her; her mom did not forget about her! She smiled. We got to jump and dive around. It was so much fun! We ate the fish cake and it was so delicious. I gave her a canvas so she could paint some more. Â
    The next day, we got to have homemade fish pancakes. Good morning. We get to go to penguin school again. Today, we will be going to the snow park for the badge parade. What do we do in the badge parade, asked Gabby? You will show your penguin parents badges. This is a cupcake penguin competition. That sounds fun, said Jacob. After, that we went to play on the ice rink with all the other schools of penguins. The teachers from all different schools will be the judges. We will pick who makes the best ones. So they put all of the penguins in groups. We picked our stands to bake on. We got our colored aprons on… 3..2..1… start. Our group of penguins had a plan. One boy penguin thought that we should only make what he wants. So now we have a big problem. The time is running out and we have not even started. Then the boy said, Let’s make separate cupcakes. I said, No, we have to work together. You learn by working together. Let’s see who makes the best cupcakes. The timer was almost out and we should GIVE the teachers the cupcakes. His was a great big mess and ours was perfect. You can always take talents from one another and use them. As we just finished talking, the timer went off. Perfect timing for a penguin! We took our cupcakes to the big table for the teachers to judge them. We were waiting for hours, and the penguin teachers finally made the big decision. Penguin School and Snow School, both won. We got two big trophies for both schools. This teaches all of our friends to work together and not to be mean. Penguins can always get along working together
FOOTNOTE: This article is the first of our new series called “YOUNG ACHIEVERS.† If you know of talented youngsters (12 years or younger) that excel in the arts (music-painting-dance-acting), creative writing, academics, and athletes please submit your nominee to the City-CountyObserver@live.com. so we can publish their achievements.
EVSC Foundation Celebrates Education by Kicking Off ‘Make Change’ Campaign
Make change. Those two simple words are the theme for this year’s EVSC Foundation GivingTuesday campaign. GivingTuesday is a movement where people celebrate volunteering and generosity the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“Make Change is our end-of-the-year campaign because that is what EVSC teachers and students did great this year— change and adopt,†said EVSC Foundation Executive Director Maureen Barton. More than ever, we are focused on our school community. Our gratitude this year is for the many supporters from booster clubs, volunteers, parents, donors and alumni who are generous with their time and support of students. We want them to know we are thankful for the positive change they make each day.â€
As part of GivingTuesday, the EVSC Foundation is celebrating supporters who are “making change.†A few of those include:
Marcia Kennard Kiessling, Ph.D., 1973 Bosse High School graduate
Kennard Kiessling created the “Beverly Kennard Legacy Scholarship†in honor of her mother, who was also a Bosse graduate, advocate, and volunteer for the school. Beverly Kennard worked tirelessly to support her four children during their time at Bosse, and touched the lives of thousands more students through her involvement in BHS programs. Marcia’s legacy gift helps cover a Bosse student’s college tuition while reiterating the importance of community—something her mother was an example of daily.
Dr. Gerald Oakley, 1964 Reitz High School graduate
Watching the news surrounding the pandemic, Dr. Gerald Oakley decided to make a substantial gift to the Medical Professions Academy, EVSC’s premiere program for high school students interested in healthcare and medicine. Oakley made the gift in honor of his mother, Dorothy Oakley (Central High School Class of ‘43) to purchase additional equipment and add hands-on opportunities for students. Oakley shared, “Why wait until I am gone?†then chose to make a gift now instead of leaving one in his will.
Robert (Bob) Francis, Reitz High School graduate
When Reitz alum, beloved husband, father, and west-side local Robert (Bob) Francis passed away in April, his family decided to do something special in memory of his kind and giving spirit. Bob’s wife, Angie Francis, asked that memorial gifts be directed to EVSC’s Grab & Go Meal Program during the quarantine. “It’s what he would have wanted,†shared Francis. “Bob was always working to help those who needed it most. As in-laws of an EVSC educator and with two grandchildren on their way into the school system, we always have our eyes and ears open for those kinds of needs. We know there are many kids relying on school as their main food source, and we can help them.â€
“As the season of giving approaches, we ask our community to join us in finding their own ways to ‘make change,’†Barton said. “Maybe it’s adopting a student from the ‘angel trees’ at Evans, Dexter or Caze, cleaning out your closet to give clothing to Hangers, or donating to the student relief fund to help children in crisis. Today, we invite everyone to ‘make change for ’20’ by helping young people in our schools.â€
To make change for young people, email info@evscfoundation.org or call 812-435-0913.
HOOSIER HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS: Steamboats Collide on the Ohio River
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“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand-in-hand.” – – – Emily Kimbrough (1899 – 1989) Born in Muncie, Emily Kimbrough became a very successful author, journalist, and magazine editor. Her most famous book is Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. Did You Know?   Before the creation of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, there was no statewide organization of school athletics. Game rules were not uniform and violations of player rules were common. More than 50 schools were represented at the first IHSAA meeting in December of 1903. It was agreed by many that the association was needed, and schools were quick to join. There are 15 schools which are considered charter members: Anderson, Alexandria, Bloomington, Eaton, Fairmount, Goshen, Huntington, Indianapolis Manual Training, Indianapolis Shortridge, Kokomo, Marion, Noblesville, North Manchester, Salem, and Wabash. By the end of the first year, membership had reached 71 schools. Today, there are more than 400 schools on the IHSAA roster.
ANSWERS: 1. Evan Bayh       2. Joshua Bell  3. Larry Bird     4. Randall Shepard
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1903   The Indiana High School Athletic Association was organized by high school principals. Their stated purpose was “the encouragement and direction of athletics in the high schools of the state.” The first meeting was held at the Statehouse in the office of Fasset A. Cotton, the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
1937   Former United States Supreme Court Justice Willis Van Devanter was welcomed back to his hometown of Marion. Over 1,000 attended a dinner in his honor. He spoke of growing up in Marion and attending Asbury College (now DePauw University.) He had recently completed 27 years on the nation’s highest court, having been appointed by President William Howard Taft.
1955   Piano virtuoso Van Cliburn performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Murat Theater. The 20-year-old received high marks from Indianapolis News critic Corbin Patrick, who described him as a “young man with a future. His style is Texan, big and expansive.” Van Cliburn went on to world fame three years later when he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Frederking posts 20-point effort against Prairie View A&M
Late rally lifts Panthers to 64-61 win
Senior Noah Frederking had his best game in over two years, recording 20 points in a close 64-61 loss to Prairie View A&M on Friday afternoon in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic inside the KFC Yum! Center.
Frederking connected on six shots and drained all five free throws for the Purple Aces (0-2). Shamar Givance followed up his season-opening tally of 10 points by recording 13. Trey Hall and Evan Kuhlman scored 8 and 7 points, respectively. Hall tied for the game high with eight rebounds.
“In this situation, these non-conference games are almost like practice exams. You find out a lot about your teammates, try to solve problems and have to grow through the games more than anything,†Aces head coach Todd Lickliter said. “We’re going to have some growing pains; it is hard because you are competitive and want to get the win, but this experience has been good for us. This was a healthy, safe environment where you could coach while you are out there. We think we have enough to compete and play well in our league, but we just need to continue to develop.â€
The improvement from the season opener was evident with the Aces becoming more acclimated to playing as a team while also facing live competition again.
“We played leaps and bounds better than we did two days ago,†Frederking commented. “That was very encouraging. We’re getting there and getting better. We just need to play better as a team. “
UE had a perfect start to the contest as it knocked down its first six attempts of the day to grab a 16-6 lead. After Noah Frederking hit a basket on the first possession, Shamar Givance and Evan Kuhlman drilled back-to-back triples.
Two more triples courtesy of Hall and Frederking capped off the opening moments. The Panthers (1-1) quickly fought back, using an 11-1 stretch to tie the game at 17-17 with under 11 minutes left in the half. Iyen Enaruna got his team back on track with a drive to the basket before Hall converted an and-one to complete a 5-0 run that put Evansville back in front.
Prairie View A&M countered with six in a row as they took their first lead of the day at 23-22 on a Dewayne Cox layup at the 6:32 mark. Facing their first deficit of the afternoon, the Aces put together another nice run – reeling off seven in a row. Enaruna added three tallies before an Alex Matthews field goal pushed the lead to six points – 29-23 – inside of the 4-minute mark.
Back-and-forth action continued with a Panther run that gave them their second lead of the day at 32-31 with 1:11 on the clock, but just as they did on Wednesday, the Aces finished the first half with a triple with Frederking sending his team to the break with a 34-32 edge.
In the opening minutes of the second half, neither team could reach its offensive groove, combining to hit 2 of their first 12 shots. Prairie View was able to tie the game up at 36 with 14 minutes remaining, but it was Gage Bobe giving his team the lead on the other end. The first basket of his college career gave Evansville a 38-36 lead.
As the final 20 minutes reached the halfway point, the Panthers put together another rally, hitting six out of seven attempts to grab a 51-49 lead inside of the 9-minute mark. Their rally continued with a 10-0 stretch that pushed the lead to nine points with 3:58 on the clock. Evansville missed five shots while turning it over three times.
Trailing by seven at the 2-minute mark, the Aces never gave up. With 16 ticks remaining, a triple by Frederking cut the deficit to three. Two missed Panther free throws gave the ball back to the Aces with a chance to tie. Evansville had an open lock at the game-tying basket, but came up just short.
D’Rell Roberts paced the Prairie View squad with 15 points while Jawaun Daniels added 13. PVAMU shot 40.4% with the Aces finishing the day at 35.7%. The battle of the boards saw the Panthers finish with a 42-40 edge.
ADOPT A PET
Addy is a female mixed-breed pulled to VHS from Evansville Animal Care & Control. She’s happy, wiggly, and just a little jumpy… but she LOVES treats, so training her a few manners should be a cinch! Her adoption fee is $110 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Get adoption details at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!
Men’s Basketball Game Versus IUPUI Moved to Next Season
Game was set for December 6
The University of Evansville men’s basketball game that was set for Sunday, December 6 has been canceled and will now be played next season. It was moved due to IUPUI just completing a COVID-related quarantine.
Evansville is set to face UT Martin in a Dec. 2 road game with the home opener now slated to take place on Dec. 9 versus Eastern Illinois.