“RIGHT JAB AND MIDDLE JAB AND LEFT JAB” DECEMBER 23, 2020
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.
The majority of our “IS IT TRUE†columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give our more opinionated readers exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and Middle Jab and RIGHT JAB† column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB†AND “MIDDLE JAB†AND “RIGHT JABâ€Â several times a week.  Oh, “LEFT JAB†is a liberal view, “MIDDLE JAB†is the libertarian view and the “RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments in this column is free to do so.
ADOPT A PET
 Groundhog is a 2-year-old female! She is named that because someone abandoned her in the VHS’ back parking lot, where the shelter’s family of wild groundhogs hangs out. She is a sweet girl and will make somebody a wonderful pet. Her adoption fee is $40 and she can go home TODAY spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated. Get details at www.vhslifesaver.org/adopt!
Eagles release 2021 baseball schedule
USI receives votes for Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll
University of Southern Indiana Baseball is set to throw out the first pitch of 2021 February 26 when Lake Erie College visits the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles also start the season in the national spotlight after receiving votes for the Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 40 preseason poll.
The Eagles have been ranked or received votes for the national preseason poll each of the last 14 years, getting the top spot in 2011 and 2015 after winning the 2010 and 2014 national championships.
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USI throws out the first pitch in two months when it hosts a three-game series with Lake Erie  February 26-28 at the USI Baseball Field. The three-game series starts a 40-game COVID-19 shortened schedule that includes a 32-game Great Lakes Valley Conference slate.
? The non-conference schedule also is highlighted by a three-game road trip to Trevecca Nazarene University (March 5-6); a home-and-home series with Kentucky Wesleyan College (April 9 and 13); and a single game at home versus Oakland City University (April 28).
The 32-game 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule starts March 12-14 when USI visits the University of Illinois Springfield for a four-game series. USI begins the home portion of the league schedule March 19-21 when preseason 37th-ranked Quincy University visits the USI Baseball Field.
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The conference home campaign, in addition to four-game sets with Quincy, includes the University of Missouri-St. Louis (April 2-4); Lewis University (April 16-18); and the University of Indianapolis (April 30-May 2). The Eagles are on the road in the GLVC against Maryville University (March 26-28); McKendree University  (April 9-11); and preseason 7th-ranked Lindenwood University (April 23-25).
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The GLVC Tournament is May 13-16 and will be played at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Louis, Missouri.
The NCAA Division II Tournament has changed this season to include a super-regional format. The Midwest Regional is May 20-22, followed by the Midwest Super-Regional May 28-29. The NCAA II Championship Series is June 5-12 in Cary, North Carolina.
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The Eagles begin their 15th season under the direction of Head Coach Tracy Archuleta, who has a 483-265 (.646) record at USI and is the all-time winningest coach in the history of the program. USI was 6-8 in 2020 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
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BREAKING NEWS: State Has Been Reporting Inaccurate COVID-19 Positivity Rate
State Has Been Reporting Inaccurate COVID-19 Positivity Rate Due To Computational Error
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Indiana Lawyer andÂ
Indiana health officials have erred in reporting the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate since the beginning of the pandemic due to a problem with the way it was computed, resulting in a lower rate than would be accurate.
Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana health commissioner, said Tuesday that she believed that the reported 7-day positivity rate for the state has consistently been two to three percentage points lower than it should have been.
“The error we discovered is in the software logic coding used to calculate our positivity rate. The error has existed since we began reporting the data,†Box said during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s weekly press conference on the pandemic. “We’ve been working with outside data scientists to identify the issue and to develop a fix.â€
Next week, the state plans to correct the state’s 7-day and all-time positivity rate, as well as the methodology for calculating the 7-day positivity rate for counties.
However, other statistics related to the pandemic reported by the state — including the number of cases per 100,000 individuals, the number of deaths and the overall test counts — have not been affected, Box said. Holcomb emphasized that the movement trends in the positivity rate throughout the pandemic closely mirrored the accurate numbers, and thus officials wouldn’t have made any different decisions.
On Tuesday, state health officials reported that the state’s 7-day positivity rate was 12.2% for all tests and 24.2% for unique individuals.
Aces show resiliency in non-conference finale
UE falls by 72-63 final
Trailing by as many as 15 points, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team cut the deficit to five in the final minutes before falling to Belmont by a final of 72-63 on Monday evening at the Ford Center.
Making his second appearance in a Purple Aces (2-4) uniform, Samari Curtis had a career game, recording 19 points on a 3-for-4 game from outside and an 8-of-10 showing from the charity stripe. Noah Frederking added 11 for Evansville.
“I thought the difference in the game was how physical they (Belmont) were. They were able to drive it to the rim and play through the contact,†UE head coach Todd Lickliter explained after the game. “We knew it was going to be a challenge. Every possession was so crucial tonight, you did not get many breaks; we had to be efficient on every possession. We are making those strides.â€
Shooting 55.3% on the night, Belmont (8-1) was effective in the paint, outscoring UE by a 44-16 final in that department. JaCobi Wood paced the Bruins with 18 points while Luke Smith tallied 14. Wood was 6-for-8 from the floor and connected on six of his seven free throw tries.
Belmont scored on its first two possessions to take an early 4-0 lead before the Aces took their first advantage, scoring 14 in a row to make it 14-4. Evan Kuhlman had the first two buckets of the night before Shamar Givance found Noah Frederking for an open three on the break. The Aces continued their blistering start as Jawaun Newton added a pair of free throws before a Givance layup and Samari Curtis triple capped off the run and gave UE a double-digit advantage at the 11:47 mark.
While the Aces were hitting on all cylinders, the Bruins missed six in a row and turned the ball over four times while going scoreless for just over seven minutes. They quickly reversed that trend, going on a 29-7 run. Following their scoreless drought, BU hit 11 of their final 15 shots in the period.
Trailing by 10, the Bruins posted five in a row before Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander found an open Iyen Enaruna for a nice layup. That put a temporary half to the run before Belmont added 10 more unanswered. Following Curtis’ second triple of the game at the 4:55 mark, the Bruins added 11 more in a row to go up 30-19 with 2:31 remaining in the half.
In a wild final 11 seconds of the half, the teams combined to hit three triples. Givance found Newton with 11 ticks left before EJ Bellinger answered on the other end. With just under three seconds left, Shamar Givance heaved one up from several feet behind the line that found the bottom of the net at the buzzer to make it a 36-27 game in favor of Belmont at the half.
Givance and Bellinger each had seven to lead their teams in the first period.
Out of the half, Belmont’s hot streak continued as they extended the advantage to a game-high 15 points at 45-30. A pair of triples from Kuhlman and Curtis quickly knocked six off of the lead five minutes into the half. Evansville hit five out of six from outside in the final sequence of the first half and the opening portion of the second.
As the game transitioned into the final minutes, the Bruin lead hovered around 10-12 points, but the Aces staged a late rally to get back into it. Belmont led by 10 with four minutes remaining before Frederking drilled his third long ball of the night. Following a missed Bruin shot, Newton converted a jumper in the paint that made it a 66-61 game with 2:33 left.
UE had a chance to get even closer as a Kuhlman block gave the Aces a chance to get within a possession, but a turnover saw Belmont extend the lead back to seven before they would finish with the 72-63 win. The Aces finished the night shooting 40.0% while Belmont finished at 55.3%. The Aces took 11 3-pointers with 11 finding the bottom of the net. Frederking and Curtis hit three apiece.
Missouri Valley Conference action is next with Evansville beginning play on Sunday, December 27 with a 3 p.m. game at Southern Illinois. Monday’s contest against the Salukis will be a 5 p.m. tip.
Vanderburgh County State Legislators Receive Committee Assignments
Vanderburgh County State Legislators Receive Committee Assignments
STATEHOUSE (December 22, 2021) – Vanderburgh County legislators were recently appointed to several House standing committees.
State Rep. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka) was named vice-chair of the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee. He will also serve as a member of the House Local Government Committee and the House Public Policy Committee.
“This session, we will continue finding areas where we can cut red tape to improve services for Hoosiers at both the state and local level,” Hostettler said. “While discussing legislation in these committees, reducing government overreach will be a priority for me and how I vote this session.”
State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) was recently reappointed chair of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee. She was also reappointed to the House Judiciary Committee and will serve on the House Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.
“For a bill to become a law, it needs to be fully vetted in committee,” McNamara said. “During committee hearings, legislators discuss proposals, hear from experts and the public. I expect there will be several pieces of legislation considered by the House Courts and Criminal Code committee addressing mental health concerns for inmates, upholding law and order in communities, and equipping law enforcement officers with necessary tools to do their jobs effectively.”
State Rep. Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville) was appointed to serve as chairwoman of the Ways and Means Budget Subcommittee, and as vice chairwoman of the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee. She was also assigned to the House Elections and Apportionment Committee.
“Every two years, Indiana adopts a budget that funds schools, state agencies, and many more critical services,” Sullivan said. “Drafting a balanced budget is extremely important and a top priority. Due to the pandemic, it will likely be a tight and challenging budget year. But I will do all I can to ensure Hoosiers are put first and our state continues to live within its means.”
House standing committees will meet throughout the legislative session, kicking off Jan. 4, to consider legislation impacting Hoosiers.
Access committee hearings, calendars, and agendas online at iga.in.gov. Visit IndianaHouseRepublicans.com or click here for the full list of House standing committee appointments.
HAPPENING AT VANDERBURGH COUNTY GOP
HAPPENING AT VANDERBURGH COUNTY GOP
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  VCRP Central Committee Meeting – TBA
                                   Location: GOP Headquarters, 815 John Street, Evansville
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                                   Meetings are open to all Vanderburgh County Precinct Committeemen. Contact Office at 812-425-8207 if you have any questions. |
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My Committee Assignments
This week, I was appointed to serve on the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services;Â the Senate Committee on Local Government and the Senate Committee on Public Policy during the 122nd Indiana General Assembly. The health and well-being of all Hoosiers remains a top priority of mine for the upcoming legislative session. With the circumstances surrounding the 2021 session, health care issues like price transparency are paramount and must be addressed with effective solutions. Committee hearings can be viewed online by visiting iga.in.gov. Legislative calendars, agendas, vote tallies and proposed legislation can also be found on this site. The 2021 legislative session ceremonially began with Organization Day on Nov. 17. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene for session Jan. 4.
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Visit www.vanderburghgop.com
for more info. Thank you.
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