FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Aces women’s basketball returns to RV Vanderbilt for the first time in 30 years
Aces women’s basketball returns to RV Vanderbilt for the first time in 30 years
The Purple Aces play their only Power Four opponent of the season on Saturday
NASHVILLE — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team rekindles a series that last occurred in 1994 on Saturday afternoon.
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Evansville at RV Vanderbilt | Saturday, December 14th | 2 PM CT
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| Site | Locations | Memorial Gymnasium | Nashville |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | SEC+ (ESPN+) |
| Follow the Aces | Women’s Basketball Home Page | Twitter |
The Purple Aces got back in the win column in a big way against SIUE on Sunday. UE had the program’s first game with three 20+ point scorers since at least the 2006-07 season in the double-digit win over the Cougars. Evansville’s scoring leader senior guard Julia Palomo set a career-high in 37 minutes of play with 26 points. One of four seniors on the Aces roster, Palomo shot a staggering 85.7% on Sunday missing only two field goals through 40 minutes. Along with setting a new career-high Palomo also matched her season-high in steals taking away three balls from SIUE.Saturday’s game will be UE’s only chance to play a Power Four opponent in the 2024-25 regular season. It will be Evansville’s first visit to Memorial Hall in 30 years as the program last faced the Vanderbilt Commodores in 1994 in a 121-64 loss. Tomorrow’s game will feature a marquee freshman match-up with the two most consistent scoring newcomers. Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes currently leads all freshmen in Division I basketball with 20.2 points per game. UE guard Camryn Runner follows right behind Blakes among freshmen with 19.6 points per game as both are early contenders for National Freshman of the Year.
Between Blakes and sophomore forward Khamil Pierre the Commodores are the only team in the nation with two starters averaging over 20 points per game. Vanderbilt comes into this weekend with a 9-1 overall record with the team’s only loss coming to #17 Michigan State at the end of November in the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. With their impressive start to the season, the Commodores received 15 votes in the AP Top 25 poll for the sixth week of the 2024-25 season. Saturday’s game is Vanderbilt’s first after 10 days away from the court following an 88-70 victory at Miami (Fla.).
With a 21-point and rebound-leading performance on Sunday, Runner earned her third MVC Freshman of the Week honor. Runner is one of three Aces to have earned 3 weekly honors in their first season at UE. She is only two weekly honors away from tying the most by an Evansville freshman in one season which was program points leader Sara Dickey during the 2013-14 season. Against the Cougars Runner recorded 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block through 36 minutes on the floor. The freshman also did not record a turnover on Sunday for her first 1.00 assist/turnover ratio.
Diaz Barragan named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Team
Diaz Barragan named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Team
For the third season in a row the Purple Aces have a player on a postseason team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team placed one student-athlete on the United Soccer Coaches all-region team, as announced in a release from the organization this week.
Senior forward Nacho Diaz Barragan (Almeria, Spain) was the only Purple Ace to make the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors. Diaz Barragan was named to the All-West Region second team after leading UE’s offense during the program’s historic 50th season. He also earned conference accolades for his performance in 2024 being named to the All-MVC Second Team.
With eight goals, two assists, 18 points, 43 shots, and 24 shots on goal, Diaz Barragan was the offensive leader for Evansville in 2024. Across 21 games started, Diaz Barragan was one of only two players in the MVC to score a brace in three games or more with the other player being the MVC Player of the Year Jesus Barea. At the end of the season Diaz Barragan was 22nd in the nation in shot accuracy at 55.8% and was in the Top 100 for goals scored.
Overall, the MVC took 11 of 22 possible spots on either the first or second team in the West Region. Of the Valley’s 11 student-athletes, six were on the first team and five were on the second team.
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STAGEtwo Productions Presents: The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge | Dec. 15
Mark your calendars! This Sunday, Scrooge is taking Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas to court. Breaking and entering? Kidnapping? Slander? You’ll have to join us to see how this hilarious holiday trial unfolds!
Event Details:
Date: Sunday, December 15, 2024
Time: 2 PM
Location: Browning Gallery
Cost: Admission is free
What happens when Ebenezer Scrooge takes Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas to court? Join us for The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, a hilarious radio play by Mark Brown, as Scrooge sues for everything from breaking and entering to emotional distress!
This special production by STAGEtwo Productions is perfect for all ages and directed by Kim Payne.
Admission is free, and no tickets are required—just come ready for some holiday fun!
Willard Public Library encourages patrons and visitors to donate graciously to ensure the continuation of events like this for years to come. The WPL’s Foundation is a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3). >> https://www.willardlib.org/donate
Massive Traffic Problems Expected on the Lloyd at Vann This Weekend
Get ready for a major traffic headache this weekend as the Lloyd Expressway between Vann Avenue and Stockwell Road gets cut to one lane in each direction starting tonight through Monday morning.
An INDOT press release said, “Motorists will be moved to the outside lanes of the Lloyd to make way for work in the median area. Pay attention to new signs directing traffic for the new shift. Traffic will return to the current pattern once this weekend’s utility work is complete.”
Robocall Reckoner returns: Attorney General Todd Rokita sends blunt warning to phone companies
Robocall Reckoner returns: Attorney General Todd Rokita sends blunt warning to phone companies
Office co-leads bipartisan task force of 51 Attorneys General
Attorney General Todd Rokita took new action this week against illegal robocallers who are trying to scam Hoosiers. He warned four voice service providers that they have been transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks on behalf of one or more of their customers.
As a lead member of the 51-member bipartisan attorney general Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, Attorney General Rokita and Section Chief of Data Privacy and ID Theft, Doug Swetnam, and his team have been investigating these providers.
“These annoying and illegal calls not only terrorize Hoosiers but Americans across the nation,” Attorney General Rokita said. “I said it before and I’ll say it again, if the telecom industry won’t police itself, this unprecedented task force will.”
In the warning letters, the task force informs the providers that it has shared the findings of its investigations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which will consider appropriate next steps.
The task force sent warning letters to the following companies:
KWK Communications, Inc.: KWK Communications received at least 129 traceback notices from the industry traceback group between 2020 and 2022, which included high volumes of calls associated with IRS and Social Security Administration scams, auto warranty scams, and utilities scams. In just one month in 2022, KWK allegedly routed more than 20,000 calls with illegally spoofed telephone numbers and more than 8.7 million calls made using invalid Caller ID numbers.
Inbound Inc. Inbound received at least 63 traceback notices between 2021 and 2022, including many about calls that involved imposter scams. Inbound is also estimated to have allegedly routed more than 28.4 million DirecTV and cable discount scam robocalls in a single month in 2022. The FTC previously issued a cease-and-desist demand to Inbound over these scam calls.
AKA Management, Inc. AKA received at least 129 traceback notices between 2020 and 2022, including about calls that were government imposter scams and tech support scams. AKA is also estimated to have allegedly routed about 12.1 million Amazon and Apple imposter robocalls to consumers in a single month in 2022.
CallVox LLC: CallVox received more than 47 traceback notices between 2020 and 2022 warning of unlawful or suspicious robocalls that it helped move into and through the U.S. telephone network, including thousands of calls to people who were registered on the Do Not Call list and calls placed using illegally spoofed telephone numbers.
The letters warned that if these providers continue to transmit robocalls and violate state and federal laws, the task force may pursue further legal actions against these companies and their owners.
The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 bipartisan attorneys general investigates and takes legal action against those responsible for routing significant volumes of illegal robocall traffic into and across the United States.
Disney’s ‘Moana 2’ sails familiar waters but with less heart
“Moana 2” offers a visually stunning adventure that will surely delight families this holiday season, though it falls short of the original in nearly every way.
After being visited by her ancestor in a vision, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) puts together a quirky team to sail far away and find the lost island of Motufetū to reconnect the people of the islands before it’s too late.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back with some funny one-liners as the cocky demigod Maui, again escaping the clutches of a powerful being to help Moana. And the Kakamora coconut warriors are back, Moana is sailing to a dangerous destination, battling enormous waves in the final scenes—sound familiar?
Yes, the journey is largely the same, but the adventure isn’t as grand.
It’s disappointing how thin the characters are in “Moana 2.” Nalo, the god of storms, is the main villain of the movie, having cursed part of the ocean to sink the island Moana is looking for. But don’t expect much else about Nalo.
Other new characters are also a letdown; Moana’s new sailing buddies are given no character arc and are cropped out of most shots, and the powerful goddess Matangi teases relevance when she overpowers Maui early in the story, only for her to be left behind and forgotten altogether.
Driving to the theater, my family sang songs we remembered from the first “Moana.” Cravalho again brings her beautiful vocals as Moana, but even with the new soundtrack fresh in my ear, I can’t recall a single song from “Moana 2.”
Nothing in the sequel matches the catchy hits of the 2016 film, written by Hamilton playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The famed composer didn’t return for “Moana 2,” instead giving his talents to providing music for the upcoming “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
While “Moana 2” delivers some lighthearted fun for younger audiences earning applause from kids and parents alike at the end—it falls short of the storytelling and musical brilliance that made the first film a standout.
3/5
Scott McDaniel is a department chair and assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
West Side Nut Club SantaLand is Open This Weekened
Is Santa a West Sider? He’ll be at the West Side Nut Club’s annual “Santa Land” holiday celebration for the next two weekends.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 14th, Sunday, December 15th, Saturday, December 21st, and Sunday, December 22nd at Acorn Plaza (the parking lot at Franklin Street and 10th Avenue next to Smitty’s Italian Steakhouse). Santaland is open from 3:00 to 6:00 PM each day.
Get your kids free photo with Santa, SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol characters, Buzz Lightyear, Barney, the Cat in the Hat, and even the Grinch!
Admission is free.