USI Homecoming to celebrate The Screaming Twenties first week of February
The University of Southern Indiana will host its 2025 Homecoming Week, featuring a variety of events for USI students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and families to enjoy Friday through Saturday, February 1-8.
The 2025 theme, Homecoming: The Screaming Twenties, is a play on the Roaring Twenties. Events include the first annual Homecoming Day of Service, Casino Night, a Homecoming Student-Athlete Panel and much more. A full list of activities is available on the Homecoming website.
On Saturday, February 8, USI Women’s and Men’s Basketball will take on Southeast Missouri State University. Games will begin at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively. A Coronation Ceremony recognizing 13 USI students selected for the 2025 Homecoming Court will take place during halftime of the USI Men’s Basketball game. Two Homecoming Majesties will be crowned at the Ceremony.
During both basketball games, Alumni Engagement and Volunteer USI will have two photo booth opportunities for fans to enjoy throughout the Arena, as well as face painting and caricature portraits. A table will be set up at the entrance of the Arena for guests to claim a free popcorn voucher and spirit gear.
“Homecoming is a chance for our students, alumni and community to participate and contribute to an ongoing development of tradition and history on our campus. Being a younger institution, we are uniquely positioned to bring people together—from the first graduates of USI all the way to the next generation of Screaming Eagles yet to come,” says Allison Weihe, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Traditions. “We invite everyone to come back home to celebrate the University’s history, accomplishments, and promising future by participating in events like our Homecoming Day of Service and by supporting our incredible student-athletes at the Homecoming games. Go Screagles!”
Jaci Lederman, the Executive Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Vincennes University, has proudly been selected for the 20th cohort of Tobias Fellows by The Randall L. Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence at Indiana University.
Lederman is one of 22 exceptionally talented and experienced leaders chosen for the prestigious yearlong interactive program.
According to VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson, “Jaci’s extraordinary leadership and extensive knowledge have been pivotal in transforming Vincennes University. She has successfully modernized our technology landscape, making a lasting impact on the VU Community. Her selection as a Tobias Fellow is a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions.”
The Tobias Fellows program focuses on cultivating skills that help fellows further develop personal leadership and ensure an immediate impact on their institutions and organizations. Fellows engage in leadership retreats and one-on-one executive coaching sessions and work toward mastering key leadership competencies, including mindset, vision, perspective, collaboration, communication, and self-awareness.
Lederman is eager for the unique leadership development opportunities she’ll experience as a fellow.
Lederman said, “Joining the Tobias Fellows excites me! It will enhance my knowledge, broaden my perspectives, foster unparalleled connections, and challenge me to grow into a more impactful leader. I can’t wait to embrace this incredible journey.”
Her professional career and previous IT leadership in Southwest Indiana is nothing short of impressive. A VU graduate, Lederman started as a faculty member in the Information Technology program in 2011, eventually achieving the professor rank and serving as the department chair for more than five years.
Before becoming the Executive Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer in 2023, Lederman served as the University’s Director of Enterprise Applications. Lederman has led VU’s IT modernization and digital transformation. She has been instrumental in launching the new VU-X internal portal and app, as well as multiple other software tools. She also founded the inaugural VU Women IN Tech Symposium and Showcase in 2024.
Lederman demonstrates a deep commitment to community service and is a dedicated volunteer for United Way’s Day of Caring, consistently giving time and effort to support impactful initiatives.
Her qualifications include a range of credentials, including IT, cybersecurity, and project management certifications, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in IT Management from Western Governors University, a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Phoenix, and an Associate of Science in Computer Programming from VU.
The following are the dates for the City of Evansville Tree Advisory Board meetings for 2024.
Each meeting is scheduled for room 301 of the Civic Center at 9am for the dates indicated.
Questions and input from the public is welcome. Meetings are recorded, broadcasted live and archived meetings can be viewed on-line. Meetings can also be attended by Webex if
requested prior to meeting. If you have a community calendar, we would be grateful to have our meetings listed on it.
The dates for the meetings are:
January 2
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 1
June 5
July 3
August 7
September 4
October 2
November 6
December 4
Thank You for your time,
Shawn Dickerson, Evansville Tree Advisory Board Secretary
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
The Screaming Eagles open the 2025 season in Hawaii February 6-8
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball has set its 2025 schedule, opening the new season at the Hawaii Paradise Classic February 6-8.
The 2025 schedule features 47 games, including 16 home games at USI Softball Field. USI will play five Ohio Valley Conference series and one non-conference game at home.
Southern Indiana’s opening week at the Hawaii Paradise Classic is highlighted by matchups against Saint Louis University, Santa Clara University, and host University of Hawaii. Following a round-robin format, two tournament bracket games conclude the event.
USI stays close to home the following weekend, February 15-16, at the Evansville Softball Classic hosted by the University of Evansville. In addition to Evansville, USI faces Butler University and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.
The Screaming Eagles travel to Birmingham, Alabama the third weekend of the season to the University of Alabama Birmingham Green and Gold Classic. Between February 21-23, USI competes against Samford University, host UAB, Belmont University, and Purdue University, who will be USI’s first test against a Big Ten Conference team in the D-I era for the program.
The main portion of the non-conference schedule wraps up at the Winthrop University Coach Cooke Memorial Tournament between February 28 and March 2. USI plays five games against Marist College, host Winthrop, University of South Carolina Upstate, St. Bonaventure University, and Youngstown State University.
The Eagles open Ohio Valley Conference action March 8-9 at USI Softball Field with a series against Western Illinois University, kicking off a 27-game conference schedule.
A couple of highlighted OVC series include a visit to Charleston, Illinois against reigning OVC regular-season champions Eastern Illinois University on April 12-13 and a trip to reigning OVC tournament champions Southeast Missouri State University on April 26-27.
USI Softball also has three non-conference single games scattered in the middle of the regular season schedule. Southern Indiana travels to Indiana University on March 12 for its second Big Ten Conference opponent of the season. USI hosts Austin Peay State University on March 19 at USI Softball Field. The Eagles see Butler for the second time during the season on the road on April 21 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Southern Indiana finishes the 2025 home and regular-season schedule May 3-4 against Lindenwood University from USI Softball Field.
The 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament returns to the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois for the second consecutive season May 7-10.
The upcoming 2025 championship season will be USI’s third season at the NCAA Division I level and in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southern Indiana won 25 games last spring and finished fourth in the OVC to earn a second consecutive OVC Tournament berth. The Screaming Eagles came within a game of making an appearance in the championship round.
Further information regarding game broadcasts, tickets, and more will become available at a later date. Game dates and times are subject to change.
Peoria, Ill.: Both teams put up 28 shots on goal in Thursday morning’s matchup in Peoria against the Rivermen, however Peoria was the only team that was able to find the back of the net, as Evansville fell 6-0. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, December 20th against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs at 7:05pm CT.
Michael McChesney scored both first period goals for Peoria at 6:41 and 17:13. The third goal came shorthanded, scored by Joseph Drapluk at 7:52 of the second period. The Rivermen added two late second period goals to pull away, scored by Zach Wilkie at 15:18 and Jordan Ernst at 19:49. Tristan Trudel added one final goal at 17:05 of the third period. Evansville outshot the Rivermen in the second and third periods, and had long stretches of strong play, but just could not harvest the fruits of their labor in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
In goal, Cole Ceci finished with 16 saves on 21 shots before Ty Taylor stepped in for the third period, stopping 6 of 7 shots faced. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet once again on Saturday, January 4th at Ford Center.
During challenging times, such as the one Officer Rundle’s family is currently facing, it is unfortunate that some individuals may attempt to exploit the situation for personal gain. While we are not aware of any fraudulent accounts at this time, we would like to share that there are two verified channels through which the community can offer support to Officer Rundle and his family.
Ways to support include:
• Donations can be made through Venmo at @elaniemay16.
• Apparel supporting Officer Rundle is available for purchase at the following link: Team Jordan
Apparel
We appreciate the outpouring of support and encourage the community to use these verified channels to assist Officer Rundle and his loved ones during this difficult time.
Three juveniles are facing auto theft charges in connection with two stolen vehicles.
Henderson Police officers were contacted about the stolen vehicles around 6:00am on December 18th. Officers spotted one of the vehicles near St. Louis Cemetery. The occupants parked the vehicle and ran before officers were able to initiate a car stop.
Two of the occupants were found hiding in a shed in the 1400 block of S. Green St. a short time later. The third occupant was located at a relatives house a few hours later. One of the occupants was taken to the hospital for medical evaluation.
While being escorted into the building, the suspect attempted to escape custody by running into the near-by neighborhood. He was caught after a short chase.
During the investigation, officers learned where the second stolen vehicle had been abandoned. Both vehicles were returned to their owners.
All three suspects were placed in a secure juvenile facility.
Henderson Police are investigating a weekend shooting that left one man injured. Police were called to the area of the 1200 block of Cumnock St for a report of multiple shots being fired around 11:15pm on December 14th.
Officers arrived and located the victim. He had a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.
During a canvas of the neighborhood, investigators located video footage of at least one person firing a handgun. The shooter was with several other individuals prior to firing their handgun. After the shots were fired, the group left in different directions on foot.
Anyone with information on this incident or that may be able to provide additional footage is asked to contact the Henderson
Police Department. Information can be directed to Detective J. Meyer at 270-831-1295.
UPdate
The victim from the weekend shooting has passed away. No other information is currently available.
Leadership at a crossroads: Holcomb talks his tumultuous eight years as governor
By Arianna Hunt, TheStatehouseFile.com
In a little over 600 hours, Governor Eric Holcomb leaves office, making one of the final significant events of his tenure the execution of Joseph Corcoran for the murder of four people in 1997.
“It’s very somber, something that you just do not look forward to,” said Holcomb, who in June joined Attorney General Todd Rokita in calling for Indiana to resume capital punishment. “But understand that when you run for the job, the law of the land here, that ultimate act of justice is part of the job.”
Holcomb said he has been transparent since before he started his governorship that he personally believes in the death penalty for crimes such as Corcoran’s. Corcoran had been on death row since 1999 for the murder of his older brother, his sister’s fiancé and their two friends, and he was executed Wednesday morning a little after 12 a.m.
In his office at the Indiana Statehouse on Dec. 9, Gov. Eric Holcomb spoke about his call in June for Indiana to resume the death penalty. Photo by Connor Burress, TheStatehouseFile.com.
“If folks want to change, there’s a means available to change,” Holcomb said. “Some, some folks, their hearts and minds have changed on this issue, and they may seek to change it, and there’s a process for that, and that’ll start in January, before we know it.”
Holcomb sat down with TSF last week for a one-on-one interview to reflect on some of his past, present and future moments as Indiana’s 51st governor. Over the past eight years, Holcomb has focused on economic and workforce development, signed a near total abortion ban into law, created Indiana’s first Office of Drug Prevention, Treatment & Enforcement to combat the opioid crisis, reduced infant mortality rates, and lead the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, a divisive Trump presidency, and protests after the death of George Floyd.
And in the final months of Holcomb’s time in office, Indiana reclaimed the means necessary to carry out executions for the first time in 15 years.
Execution has been legal in Indiana since its reinstatement in 1977, but after lethal injection became the primary method of execution, it hasn’t been easy for the state to obtain the drugs necessary. For years, Indiana has struggled to find a company willing to supply the drug because of the bad press associated with it, which is why the supplier now is by law anonymous.
For many Hoosiers, this announcement may have seemed unexpected, but Holcomb says it was a years-long process necessary for his role as governor.
“I viewed it as if you run for this job, there are a lot of things that may not be your favorite, or they may be your least favorite,” he said. “This may be my least favorite decision to ultimately make, but I know my own convictions, my what I subscribe to. [I’ve] been very transparent about that from day one and was asked about this before I ever ran for the job.
“So if anything, I would have viewed it as you’ve, you said one thing before you were elected, and now you’re saying something else, or you’re not doing the job that you were elected to do.”
‘Indiana is on the move’
Indiana has hit over $39 billion of committed capital investment this year and last year hit $28 billion, 70% from foreign direct investment. Notable projects include the $800 million Meta data center near Jeffersonville and a $13 billion contribution from Eli Lilly and Company into the LEAP Innovation District.
“Because (companies have) 49 other states to choose from, and more countries than that, and for us to be again right in the core, the middle of it all really shows that Indiana is on the move,” he said.
Holcomb has spent a lot of time overseas facilitating foreign economic development for Indiana.
“I was sitting in Kuwait City recently … and talking with five different businesses and leaders in those businesses, and a gentleman in the energy sector asked, ‘What do you think the two most important issues are for growth in your state?’ I said it is access to water and power,” Holcomb said. “Workforce has always been No. 1 to me and for years, workforce access to high talent. Now, if you don’t have the power and the water, you don’t get to the workforce question.”
For two years, Lebanon, Indiana, has made headlines for a proposed 35-mile pipeline that could pump up to 100 million gallons of water a day from the Wabash aquifer to support development of the LEAP Innovation and Research District. The district is expected to bring in thousands of new jobs and nearly double the size of the city.
Residents and surrounding communities have been concerned about what they see as a lack of transparency around the plan and if there is enough water to sustain their local communities plus the development of others for generations to come.
Holcomb said the most recent Wabash-area water study will be finished before he leaves office, but he said current data indicates the region will have the water and power to carry out the development.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb answers questions about his tenure as the state’s top executive in his office at the Indiana Statehouse on Dec. 9. Photo by Connor Burress, TheStatehouseFile.com.
“Because what’s at stake is … not just the career opportunities for real families, good, high paying salaries, but ultimately winning the AI (artificial intelligence) or the quantum war,” he said.
The quantum war refers to the race to make fully functional quantum computing technology for solving problems and processing data that normal computers cannot.
“And for a state like Indiana, that’s a very patriotic state, to be able to compete and play a part in making sure that the quantum race, the AI race, and all the good or bad that it can bring—it’s a sword and shield,” he said. “We not only need to but we want to, and we can play a primary role in technological development.”
Uncharted territory
Criticized for being too passive when he reopened Indiana in September 2020—a month after COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in the U.S.—and for trampling on rights by “overstepping his authority” through restrictions and shutting down businesses, Holcomb’s administration was responsible for Indiana throughout COVID-19, something that he says he doesn’t regret.
“I’ve said this, and maybe it doesn’t sit well with some, but I’m extremely proud of our administration’s conduct during COVID-19,” he said. “And I’m not making excuses, but we were facing something that almost no one alive had faced since 1918, and facts were coming in and changing, and direction was being put out by multiple sources, including our federal government.
“We were following those guidelines and implementing our own plans to balance lives and livelihoods.”
From March 6, 2020, when Holcomb declared a public health emergency, to March 3, 2022, when he signed a bill to end the public health emergency, Indiana faced significant challenges, including over 25,000 deaths. Still, Holcomb says the state has made a strong recovery and has a lot to look forward to.
“We’re experiencing unprecedented growth on multiple fronts, and so for the critics, I understand. I was never going to get 100% agreement,” he said. “It was different. It was hard. It was seemingly neverending there for a while. It required people to come together when the natural tendency when you’re in an unknown environment is for some to blame others.”
Even with the criticism, he says his supporters were stronger.
“Oh, by the way, not to be petty, but I ran for re-election after COVID-19 when the population in Indiana had a chance to express what they thought, and received more votes than anyone that’s ever run for governor in the history of our state,” he said.
“So when you say a lot of people disagreed with the state’s actions during COVID-19, you’re right, but that’s relative because a whole lot more people said keep going.”
Finishing the job
When Holcomb leaves the crown molding, the seal of Indiana and his portrait freshly hung on the wall in his Washington Street office, he says the end of this chapter is just the beginning of the next one.
“I will take a step back and spend time with my wife for a couple of months and then start to really evaluate different options and potential opportunities that have come my way,” he said. “But I’m very disciplined about saying, ‘Let me finish the job I have.'”
Arianna Hunt and Connor Burress are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
