“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jabâ€Â was created because we have a couple of commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE†or “Readers Forumâ€Â columns concerning National or International issues.
USI Women’s Hoops sign pair of state champions
University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball announced that 5-foot-9 freshman guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) and 5-foot-5 freshman point guard Aubrey Burgess (Linton, Indiana) have signed national letters of intent to compete for Head Coach Rick Stein‘s Screaming Eagles in 2021-22.
Shafford and Burgess stared in Linton-Stockton High School’s 2020 IHSAA Class 2A championship team last February and have been a staple in the Lady Miners’ backcourt throughout their careers.
The duo combined for 45 points, 12 assists and 16 rebounds in LSHS’s 70-28 state championship win over Frankton High School and have both eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau heading into their final year of prep basketball.
Playing for former USI Men’s Basketball player Jared Rehmel, Shafford is a three-time All-Southwest Indiana Athletic Conference performer, an Indiana Junior All-Star and was named Underclass Supreme 15.
Shafford has racked up 1,304 career points, 318 assists, 202 steals and 548 rebounds during her first three seasons at LSHS. She has made 519 career field goals, 101 three-pointers, and is connecting on 37 percent of her shots from behind the arc as well as 75 percent of her free throw attempts.
Also a three-time SWIAC honoree, Burgess is a Small School First-Team All-State award winner who heads into her last year at LSHS with 1,009 career points, 224 assists, 187 steals and 206 rebounds.
Burgess has made 126 career three-pointers, connecting on 37 percent of her opportunities from downtown, and has made 339 career field goals. She also is a 74 percent free throw shooter.
“We are extremely excited to have Vanessa and Aubrey join our Screaming Eagles’ family here at USI,” Stein said. “Both of them can impact the game on both ends of the court and their career stats certainly show that. They are proven winners and know what it takes to win a championship.”
USI begins the 2020-21 campaign November 27 when it hosts Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent Rockhurst University at Screaming Eagles Arena.
HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ADOPT A PET
Mustachio is a 4-month-old male baby bun bun! He arrived at VHS as a result of his previous owners divorcing, and neither party taking him with them. He is an English Spot-Rex mix, and as you can see, is tolerant of wearing Halloween costumes! His adoption fee is $50 and includes his neuter and microchip. Get details at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!
HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
|
|
|
JUST IN: Hogsett Orders Schools To Close
Hogsett orders schools to close and other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19
By Thomas Samuel
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS— Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is imposing tougher restrictions on businesses and social gatherings effective midnight Sunday and closing schools by the end of the month as the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to spiral out of control.
Hogsett, joined by Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Department of Health, announced the new restrictions Thursday in a virtual press conference and said that with the positivity rate soaring above 10% the actions are needed to prevent the pandemic from worsening.
“I take no joy in making these changes,†Hogsett said. “It’s heartbreaking for me as someone who loves this city and desperately wants to see a speedy recovery from the effects of this pandemic, but my heart also breaks every time I receive a report on the deaths of our neighbors who fall victim to this virus.â€
Hogsett’s announcement follows Gov. Eric Holcomb’s news conference Wednesday when he issued new tougher restrictions because of the exponential rise in new cases of COVID-19. Much of the state is coded orange or red, which indicate high levels of virus spread.
The new restrictions for Indiana’s largest city come as the state has reached another peak in the number of cases of the highly contagious novel coronavirus. The Indiana Department of Health reported that 6,654 Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19, exceeding Wednesday’s record-setting number by more than 1,000 cases, for a total of 230,965.  In addition, 51 people have died from the disease for a total of 4,563.
Hogsett’s order for Marion County requires that bars return to 25% indoor capacity and will remain at 100% outdoor capacity while restaurants will also remain at 50% capacity.
Tables will only be allowed to seat parties of six or fewer instead of the current 10-person limit. All outdoor tents are required to only be two-sided to ensure that there are not gatherings within enclosed spaces. Live entertainment and music venues must be cleared out of all patrons or customers by midnight.
All gyms and fitness centers will return to 25% capacity. Funeral homes are required to return back to 50% capacity as well. All social gatherings are limited to 25 people.
Hogsett’s order also includes a new requirement—that people who want to visit an assisted living center indoors must have had a negative test for COVID-19 within the previous 72 hours.
In addition, all K-12 schools in the county will be required to revert to virtual instruction no later than Nov. 30. Schools do have the option to go virtual prior to the date given if they so choose. After that date, all extra-curricular activities and sporting events can only include participants, parents or legal guardians, and other support personnel. The order will remain in effect until Jan. 15.
“We did a fantastic job, from mid-August up to this point, but these last two weeks we’ve seen a substantial increase,†Caine said.
Hogsett and Holcomb have both stated that many of the new cases that have developed have been found to be directly related to smaller in-home gatherings in which people feel more comfortable and let their guard down. They have urged people to “scale down†Thanksgiving.
“There is no responsible way to pretend that this Thanksgiving and the ensuing holiday season that follows will in any way be normal,†Hogsett said. “I urge you to scale back Thanksgiving gatherings.â€
He added, “Deciding to do this could truly be a life or death decision for those you love.â€
Hogsett made an appeal to Congress to act to provide relief as was done earlier in the pandemic to provide assistance to businesses and communities that are suffering because of the pandemic.
FOOTNOTE: Thomas Samuel is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Shooting in the 1600 block of S. Bedford
 Around 7:00 p.m. on November 12, the Evansville Police Department was dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of S. Bedford Ave. The victim stated that he was taking out the trash and was struck by gunfire in the leg.Â
 When officers arrived, they were able to apply a tourniquet to the victim’s leg to stop the severe bleeding until an ambulance could arrive to transport him to the hospital.Â
 The shots appear to have originated from the backyard or alley close to the victim’s residence.
 The victim is expected to survive his injuries due to the quick action taken by the first responding officers.Â
 No arrests have been made in connection with this incident.Â
 Â
 Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact the Evansville Police Department’s Detective Office at 812-436-7979, or the We Tip Line at 1-800-78-CRIME.
United Caring Services to Conduct White Flag Program at CK Newsome Center
United Caring Services (UCS) and the Commission on Homelessness for Evansville and Vanderburgh County announced today that, effective immediately, the community’s White Flag emergency homeless shelter program will primarily occur at the CK Newsome Center for this cold-weather season. Now in its 10th year, the White Flag program conducted by UCS will include Evansville Rescue Mission (ERM) for the first time. UCS’s White Flag program is made possible every year by the generous support of the Pigeon Township Trustee’s Office.
“Due to the social distancing required by COVID-19, United Caring Services needed to be able to conduct our White Flag homeless shelter program at a larger facility,†said Jason Emmerson, Executive Director of United Caring Services. “It was important that we have enough room to accommodate everyone we shelter during times of peak demand. It also made sense to combine our program with that of Evansville Rescue Mission in a single, centralized location.â€
Emmerson estimated that, based on past White Flag experiences at UCS and ERM, he would need room to provide overnight sleeping accommodations for as many as 70-80 people. With COVID-19-related social distancing requirements in effect, UCS no longer had sufficient space in its shelter to accommodate that amount. Emmerson expects White Flag to occur on about 60 nights this cold-weather season.
“We’re pleased to make the CK Newsome Center available for the White Flag program,†said Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, President of the Commission on Homelessness. “It is an effective solution that ensures our unsheltered homeless population has a safe and secure place to stay warm overnight during extreme cold weather conditions. White Flag will not interfere with previously-scheduled events at CK Newsome Center.â€
What is White Flag?
Evansville’s White Flag Emergency Shelter Program, managed by United Caring Services in partnership with Pigeon Township, was established in 2010. It provides overnight emergency shelter for men, women and children experiencing homelessness during extreme cold weather conditions. White Flag shelter will be available at CK Newsome Center between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. When White Flag concludes, the area used will be returned to the CK Newsome Center for normal operation. White Flag is activated when outdoor temperatures are projected to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive hours. Due to COVID-19, White Flag will occur at CK Newsome Center this cold-weather season, rather than separately at United Caring Services and Evansville Rescue Mission, as before. For more information: https://unitedcaringservices.org/white-red-flag/
Amid Second Surge of COVID-19, Holcomb Abandons Stage 5 For County-Specific Restrictions
Amid Second Surge of COVID-19, Holcomb Abandons Stage 5 For County-Specific Restrictions
By Taylor WootenÂ
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS — As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to soar, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday that new, tighter restrictions will be applied to Indiana counties with moderate-to-high risk for community spread of the disease.
Holcomb began the weekly virtual COVID-19 press conference by reflecting on the transition to Stage 5 of the Back on Track plan, which is now being replaced by the new restrictions.
“The day we announced Stage 5, please remember this, our positivity rate was 3.9%,†Holcomb said. The state reported a 10.3% seven-day positivity rate for the week ending Nov. 4.
“Beginning this weekend, there will be no more Stage 5,†Holcomb said. “The Back on Track Plan stage was for sure helpful for us to help regain our footing, and our economy, but now we must focus on how we’ll get to the light at the end of this tunnel.â€
Holcomb and Dr. Kristina Box, the state health commissioner, cited the exponential growth in the number of COVID-19 cases as the reason for the new restrictions. Wednesday, the health department reported 5,156 new cases, a record, for a total of 224,374, and 31 deaths for a total of 4,512 since the onset of the pandemic.
Tuesday, there were 2,544 new hospitalizations in the state, breaking the previous record set Sunday.
The persistently rising numbers have or will reach critical points, Holcomb said of why he is acting now. As a result, there will be restrictions on event capacities for counties in orange and red territory. That means the number of positive cases per 100,000 people is more than 100 per week in orange counties and more than 200 per week in red counties.
Gatherings in orange counties, whether indoors or outdoors, will be limited to 50 people. In red counties, the limit is 25. Holding events in red counties is not advised by the state health department. Event hosts seeking higher attendance must submit an event plan to local health officials and receive approval. College and professional sporting events in red counties must also receive local health department approval.
Attendance will be limited at winter K-12 school events, with orange counties allowing 25% of normal capacity at IHSAA sporting events. Non-competing and non-performing participants and attendees will be required to wear facemasks at all times.
Senior care facilities are advised to cancel events and in-person visitation.
The health department’s COVID-19 dashboard Wednesday showed no counties in blue, which represents low community spread. Instead, 78 of Indiana’s 92 counties are orange or red. The remaining counties are in yellow, representing moderate community spread.
To strengthen COVID-19 mitigation strategies — like event plan review, training, compliance and public awareness campaigns — the state will allocate  $20 million to local governments.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Alcohol and Tobacco Commission will also be paying visits to businesses to ensure that proper social distancing, mask usage and occupancy limits are enforced. Businesses have to post signs reminding patrons to wear masks and only admit those wearing masks.
Places of worship will not be required to follow the regulations. Many COVID-19 cases have been contact traced to places of worship, specifically in St. Joseph County where local health department officials, Dr. Mark Fox and Dr. Robert Einterz, released a statement asking county faith leaders to hold services remotely.
Although Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill opposed this stance in an advisory opinion, Box made it clear at the Wednesday press conference that she supported the move by the St. Joseph County Health Department.
Holcomb said that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, citing the work that health professionals are doing on vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19.
Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer of the health department, said that the vaccine would first become available at five Indiana hospitals. These hospitals are Community Hospital in Munster; Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville; Deaconess Hospital in Evansville; IU Methodist in Indianapolis; and Parkview Health in Fort Wayne. More than 50 other hospitals have offered to administer the vaccine, Weaver said.
Box spoke positively of the Food and Drug Administration’s decision on Monday granting of an emergency use authorization for an Eli Lilly and Co. therapeutic drug.
The drug is intended for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, are at high risk and have not yet been hospitalized. The first doses were administered to two patients in Jeffersonville Tuesday and they will be monitored daily by health professionals.
Holcomb, Box and Weaver expressed concern for hospitals and health care workers facing the second wave.
“We must do all we can to protect our hospital capacity,†Holcomb said. “So that they can protect patients and care for them.â€
The Indiana Hospital Association released a statement Wednesday applauding the steps announced by Holcomb to slow the spread.
“Out frontline health care heroes need all Hoosiers to understand how dangerous the current trends are—COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 164% since Oct. 1 with today seeing an all-time high in hospitalizations of 2,544.â€
The new restrictions will be put in place starting on Sunday, Nov. 15.
FOOTNOTE: Taylor Wooten is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.