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Gouard Named USI Men’s Basketball Head Coach

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Gouard Named USI Men’s Basketball Head Coach

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Department of Athletics announced the hiring of USI alumnus Stan Gouard ’99 as its new Men’s Basketball head coach. He becomes the 10th head coach in the history of the program.

“I was very excited that Stan had an interest in coming back to USI, a place he considers home,” said Jon Mark Hall, USI Director of Athletics. “Stan has been a part of the USI Athletic family as a player, assistant coach, and now the leader of the program. USI is very excited to have Stan back as a Screaming Eagle.”

“I want to thank USI President (Ronald) Rochon, Jon Mark Hall, and the search committee for this opportunity,” said Gouard.  “I told my wife and daughter, we are Screaming EAGLES again!  Words can not express how excited we are to be returning to Evansville and to the University of Southern Indiana.

“I also want to thank everyone at the University of Indianapolis for 12 wonderful years,” continued Gouard. “President (Robert) Manuel, Dr. (Sue) Willey, and Scott Young have been a tremendous support and am grateful for those relationships that allowed us to accomplish so much together.  The opportunity to coach some of the best student athletes at UIndy comes to a bittersweet end and it saddens me to part ways from this team. We have accomplished so much, both on the court and off the court.  I trust that my guys know that I am only a phone call away if they ever need anything.

“My family and I are excited about this new chapter in our lives and can’t wait to begin building relationships with our student athletes and their families,” concluded Gouard.  “Go EAGLES!!”

Over the last 12 seasons, Gouard (pronounced juh-RARD) has lifted the Greyhound men’s basketball program back to national prominence. That success has included eight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2010-2016, 2020); multiple All-Americans, a number one ranking (2014-15 season); and the 2014 GLVC Coach of the Year honor.

In 2019-20, Gouard directed the Greyhounds to a 24-6 overall record; a second place finish in the GLVC Point Ratings; a third place showing in the GLVC standings with a 15-5 league mark; and a number one seeding in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. Gouard and UIndy were set to host the 2020 NCAA II Midwest Regional until it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gouard has now spent over 20 years in college basketball. The stint includes four years as a student-athlete at USI and John A. Logan College (1992-1996); seven as an assistant coach with the Screaming Eagles (2001-02), UIndy (2002-05) and Indiana State (2005-08); and 12 as a head coach of the Greyhounds (2008-present).

Gouard became the fastest UIndy head coach to reach 150 victories when his 2015-16 team reached 20-wins for the fifth consecutive season. The 150th victory came in the NCAA II Midwest Regional when the Greyhounds defeated 12th-ranked Ashland University.

UIndy made headlines during the 2010-11 preseason when they went on the road and defeated Division I/23rd-ranked University of Tennessee, 79-64, in Knoxville. Gouard and the Greyhounds opened eyes right away in 2009-10, defeating NCAA Division I Valparaiso University, 88-83, in the team’s first exhibition game.

Prior to coming the UIndy, Gouard was an assistant at Indiana State University for three seasons from 2005-08. Gouard mentored the Sycamore post players, including Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman and All-Bench Team selection Isiah Martin, who broke the single-season blocks record at ISU by a freshman and led the entire conference in blocked shots.

As a player, Gouard helped lead the Eagles to national prominence over his three seasons. USI won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1995; reached the NCAA II Tournament finals in 1994; and was ranked number one nationally in 1995-96 before the Eagles were the top seed in the NCAA II Midwest Regional under former head coach Bruce Pearl. The Eagles also won two GLVC championships with Gouard, while soaring to an 82-12 three-year record.

Gouard was honored for his outstanding play by being named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II National Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996. He also was recognized as the NCAA II Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player and the CBS/Chevrolet Player of the Game in 1994. He was inducted into the John A. Logan College Hall of Fame in 1998; the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2003; and the USI Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. He also received the key to the city of Evansville in 1996.

Following his collegiate career, Gouard played professionally for the Barrinquilla Ciamanes of Columbia, South America, leading his team to the 1999 championship. Gouard also led his Sundsvall Dragon team in Sweden to the playoffs.

As native of Danville, Illinois, Gouard earned his bachelor of science in communications from USI. He and his wife Chasity have a daughter, Kennedy Noelle, who was born in December of 2009.

Sheriff’s Office Adapts Sex Offender Verification Process under COVID-19

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 Sheriff’s Office Adapts Sex Offender Verification Process Under COVID-19

April 7, 2020
 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unanticipated side effect for the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Sex and Violent Offender Registry. Sex offenders have become much easier to track.

As many residents are forced to stay home due to travel, school and work restrictions, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office continues to patrol and protect our neighborhoods. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to make unannounced visits to the 360 plus homes of registered sex or violent offenders in Vanderburgh County. This is to ensure they are abiding by the terms of their registration and the restrictions incurred as a result of the current pandemic.

Deputies checking on registrants are careful to maintain social distance and avoid any close contact in order to reduce the risk of exposure. Sheriff Dave Wedding explained, “We are taking the threat of COVID-19 very seriously and have taken drastic steps to protect all of our residents, personnel, and the inmates at the jail. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to enforce any violations of the Sex or Violent Offender Registry found during any of these home verifications.”

From an enforcement perspective, the benefit of more people being home may not seem readily apparent. One of the major violations a sex offender can commit is to fail to inform the Sheriff’s Office of a change of address. When a deputy attempts to check on a residence on file for a sex offender and no one at the residence (or neighbors residences) answers the door, the deputy is not necessarily able to make a determination regarding whether the sex offender actually lives there. With more residents staying home, more doors get answered. This results in more opportunities to detect deception on the part of the offender.

Sheriff Wedding reminds all parents to monitor their children’s internet activity, especially during this pandemic. Children will be on-line at rates never before seen since the internet was invented; but so will bad actors seeking to make contact with kids. Listen to who your child is talking to while playing online games. Monitor the conversation and make sure you personally know any adult they are conversing with.

To research the sex and violent offender registry in your area please visit: https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/sex-offenders

Above: Map of all registered sex offenders in Vanderburgh County.

 

RED CHINA’S PEARL HARBOR

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RED CHINA’S PEARL HARBOR

By Richard Moss, MD

The Chinese Virus, also known as the Red Chinese Virus, the Communist Chinese Virus, the Kung Flu, Flu Manchu, Lung Pow Sicken, Chop Fluey, Covid19 or the Novel Corona Virus (highly bigoted against the producers of Corona Beer, which is made in Mexico), is treated like no other illness in the history of the planet. It has caused enormous damage to the nation as much from government reaction to it as the medical consequences of the disease itself.  It was also completely preventable. 

The virus emerged from Wuhan, China under uncertain circumstances.  Some have speculated that it was part of the Communist Chinese biowarfare laboratory in Wuhan where it escaped and mistakenly entered the population at large.  Or it may have been a zoonotic virus arising from a live, “wet” market.  A Chinese ophthalmologist in Wuhan who has since died from the disease was one of the first to break the news.  The Communist Chinese regime silenced him and others to avoid losing face or creating uncertainty about China.  This cover-up went on for six weeks until the world came to know of the problem.  If China had been forthcoming, even by as little as three weeks, it is estimated it would have reduced the number of cases by 95% and limited global spread.  

Part of the China coverup included silencing its experts, taking away credentials from five US media outlets, and expelling journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.  China launched a disinformation campaign blaming the US Military for spreading the virus.   Playing the victim card, China even descended into identity politics claiming at the time that President Trump’s banning of Chinese from entering the United States on January 31, 2020 was racist, a charge eagerly embraced by the Red Chinese American media. The American press went further into overdrive in defending the totalitarian regime when it accused President Trump of racism for referring to the virus as the Wuhan or Chinese virus despite having used the same terms repeatedly themselves.  WHO puppets, like the American media, have parroted Red Chinese propaganda. 

Trump has engaged in a number of unprecedented steps to impede the spread of the Chinese Virus, including banning travel from China, Europe, the UK, and Ireland, sealing our borders, and declaring a public health emergency.  He has formed a task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence, held daily press conferences, worked with state governors, and invoked the Defense Production Act.  Trump has also signed the historic $2.2 trillion Corona Virus Stimulus bill, with a dizzying array of spending and funding options. More than half the states have imposed lockdown measures, quarantines, “sheltering in place,” and “social distancing,” disrupting the activities of more than 100 million people and halting the operations of thousands of businesses.  The impact of placing much of the country under house arrest, the abridgment of civil liberties, and shutting down vast segments of the economy has been crushing.    

In the last two weeks of March, there have been 10 million jobless claims, already exceeding the 8.7 million claims filed during the Great Recession 2007-2009 from peak to trough.  The stock market entered a bear market with the Dow plunging 23% for the quarter, its worst since 1987.  Oxford Economics estimates there will be 24 million lost jobs and a 14% unemployment rate in April, well above the 10% peak reached during the Great Recession.  GDP is expected to fall by 9% in the first quarter and 34% in the 2nd quarter, the worst since World War II.

The Corona virus pandemic shatters several sacred myths held by governing elites.  These include religious devotion to open borders and globalism, the rejection of nationalism and the nation-state, and absolute allegiance to free trade, particularly with China.  Many American companies outsourced their manufacturing to China, creating enormous profits for themselves on the backs of Chinese slave labor while eviscerating the American heartland.  For the privilege of investing in China and having access to its vast market, the Communist government forced companies to give the regime majority ownership and its proprietary intellectual property.  In time, the regime created its own version of the company, stealing its technology and eliminating the competition.  

Yet we foolishly went along with this scam for two decades.  In so doing, we knowingly jeopardized our national security, devastated our labor force, and placed our supply chains for critical products at risk.  We suffered through massive trade deficits, the loss of manufacturing, the lowering of life expectancy, increases in suicide and drug dependency, and the wiping out of communities, littered like so many carcasses through the midsection of the country. 

Even more delusional was the notion that through trade Red China would liberalize and become a more open, democratic, law-abiding member of the international community.  The Chinese government, however, is a Leninist regime, a totalitarian police and surveillance state that has no intention of relinquishing power.  Nor will it abide rights or freedoms for its subject population.  Instead, it persecutes and imprisons them, crushes dissent, and commits human rights abuses and atrocities against marginalized communities such as the Uighurs, Tibetans, and the Falun Gong.

Through tax, regulatory, legal, and other incentives and remedies, the US must return manufacturing to the US, recreate supply chains within the country or with allies, wean the nation from China, delink our economies, stop flooding our universities with Chinese students, and treat China as an “evil empire” and strategic threat far greater than the Soviet Union.  We must have free trade, but an America First free trade that benefits the nation and our workers.  The cost of globalism has proven too high.

The Chinese have delivered unto our nation this century’s Pearl Harbor.  With the cover-up and unleashing of the Chinese Virus upon our shores, either deliberately or through negligence, it has devastated the country every bit as much as the attack on our naval base in 1941.  We must punish China and treat it as the adversary it is.

April 6, 2020

FOOTNOTE: Dr. Moss is a practicing Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon, author, and columnist, residing in Jasper, IN.  He has written A Surgeon’s Odyssey and Matilda’s Triumph available on amazon.com.  Find more of his essays at richardmossmd.com.  Visit Richard Moss, M.D. on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The City-County County Observer posted this article without bias, opinion or editing.

 

Buckling To Pressure, Many States Deem Gun Stores Essential, Allow Them To Remain Open During A Pandemic

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Buckling To Pressure, Many States Deem Gun Stores Essential, Allow Them To Remain Open During A Pandemic

The efforts to keep gun purchases available during the outbreak underscores the extraordinary demand for firearms that the crisis has created

By Adam Edelman

 

What’s considered “essential?” Food, prescription drugs, sometimes liquor — and, in most states, firearms.

To slow the spread of the coronavirus, 42 states have issued some form of a stay-at-home order, mandating that nearly all nonessential businesses close. Gun retailers in at least 30 of those states, however, have been allowed to stay open amid pushback from gun groups and the federal government.

Balking at the prospect of shuttered storefronts, gun rights advocates have sued multiple states that did not initially or explicitly deem firearms retailers essential businesses during the pandemic, arguing that a public health crisis is no excuse to trample on anyone’s Second Amendment rights. Gun control groups hit back, saying the closures are strictly a public health matter — even as a number of sympathetic Democratic governors acknowledge bowing to pressure from lawsuits and the Trump administration.

“It wouldn’t have been my definition but that is the definition at the federal level, and I didn’t get a vote on that,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said during a recent media briefingannouncing that he would reverse a decision not to include guns stores on the state’s list of essential businesses.

Murphy, who faced multiple lawsuits from gun groups after his initial order, cited new federal guidance as the reason for declaring gun shops essential.

APRIL 4, 202001:48

But Wolf backed down after a gun-rights group, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and a civil rights law firm sued, alleging that he had “overstepped his statutory and constitutional authority” by seeking “to impose criminal and civil penalties upon those” who do not comply. Wolf revised his list to exempt gun stores, allowing them to operate under certain circumstances, including proper social distancing measures. The revised order made clear that gun stores would be exempt from closing because, under state law, gun sales must be made in person.

When California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ordered all nonessential businesses to close on March 19 as part of his stay-at-home order, the directive caused confusion because it left the decision about gun stores to local officials.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, for example, said he would begin closing firearms retailers, while the sheriff of San Diego County said he would not close them because they provide a “valuable public service.”

Los Angeles’ decision was met with a lawsuit from gun groups,including the National Rifle Association.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, cited the Second Amendment in arguing that the government may not engage in “deprivation of constitutional liberties during a time of crisis.” The 30-page filing also argued it was illegal to “use a public health crisis as political cover to impose bans and restrictions on rights they do not like.”

Villanueva quickly reversed his initial decision after guidance from the top lawyer in Los Angeles County that said the shops could stay open.

Ambiguity over what constitutes an essential business — most states with stay-at-home orders have allowed liquor stores to remain open along with grocery stores and pharmacies, for example — has prompted gun groups to seize on the uncertainty of declaring firearms retailers necessary during a pandemic.

In New York, the NRA sued Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, last week over his March 20 order to not include gun stores as essential businesses that can stay open.

Timeline: How The Coronavirus Spread In United States

The suit, filed in federal court in New York, accused the governor of having “indefinitely suspended a key component of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

New York officials, the suit said, are “going out of their way to protect liquor stores and release criminals onto the streets, while ignoring the public’s outcry over the suspension of Second Amendment rights,” the suit says. (Under Cuomo’s order, liquor stores were deemed essential businesses. Cuomo also ordered the release of some parole violators from the state’s jails out of fears they could contract coronavirus.)

Cuomo’s office did not respond to questions from NBC News about the suit. The NRA also did not respond to questions from NBC News about the numerous suits it had filed. But Wayne LaPierre, the group’s CEO, said in a statement Friday, “There isn’t a single person who has ever used a gun in self-defense who would consider it nonessential.”

The suit in New York also cited recent guidance from the Trump administration, issued just days earlier, that added workers for “firearm and ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors and shooting ranges” to the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” That guidance, issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a unit within the Department of Homeland Security, however, is “advisory in nature” — “not a federal directive or standard,” according to the agency.

“Individual jurisdictions should add or subtract essential workforce categories based on their own requirements and discretion,” the agency said in a note included with the guidance.

The efforts to keep gun purchases available during the outbreak underscores the extraordinary demand for firearms that the crisis has created.

Firearms sales and federal background checks for purchases soared to all-time highs in March as the coronavirus pandemic brought buyers out in record numbers. The FBI conducted 3.7 million background checks last month, according to its latest figures, the highest total since the national instant check system for buyers was launched in 1998 and 1.1 million higher than the number conducted in March 2019. Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting, a consulting firm that tracks the firearms market, said the March queries to the background check system translated to nearly 2.6 million guns sold. And shares in companies that make guns and gun ammunition have risen — even amid a broader plummet in the stock market.

Meanwhile, gun control groups have strongly criticized the decisions to allow gun stores to remain open.

“Instead of listening to the gun lobby’s argument that they deserve special treatment during a pandemic that has nothing to do with guns, our leaders should heed the advice of public health experts, who are in the best position to evaluate the risks of virus transmission at gun stores and any other business,” said Hannah Shearer, the litigation director at Giffords, a leading gun-safety group co-founded by shooting victim and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun control advocacy group, pointed to the fact that experts have expressed concerns about domestic violence and mental health problems, including an increased risk of suicide, that the isolation of stay-at-home orders will cause — and made clear that access to guns is likely to exacerbate both issues.

The group also ripped the legal reasoning behind the NRA’s suits, concluding in a legal analysis that the Second Amendment does not require that gun stores be considered essential businesses during a public health crisis.

“As broad laws that apply to thousands of businesses, these closure orders are clearly designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, not undermine anyone’s Second Amendment rights,” Eric Tirschwell, the managing director of the group’s legal arm said in a statement. “The courts have made clear that broad, generally applicable laws like these are constitutional.”

FOOTNOTE:  Adam Edelman is a political reporter for NBC News.

Commentary: Tales From Journalism’s Front Line

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Commentary: Tales From Journalism’s Front Line

April 3, 2020     Posted by:

By Jenny Labalme
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Many are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Their work is critical, essential and noble.

Among those are countless journalists, who participated in programs run by the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation of which I am the executive director.

Jenny Labalme is executive director of the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation.

They are scattered across the nation. They work long hours. They are essential in these uncertain times when we need accurate, fair and indispensable information.

“This has definitely reminded me why I do what I do,” Emily Cox told me. A 2019 Ball State University graduate, Cox works at The Herald-Times in Bloomington, Indiana.

A Foundation 2019 summer fellow, Cox worked at WFYI, Indianapolis’ public radio and TV station. She was paid by the Foundation, which each year hands out journalism awards, scholarships and summer fellowships.

Cox recently wrote a poignant story about a student whose only access to WiFi is from his school’s parking lot.

“I will be finishing my undergraduate career at home, in front of my computer,” wrote Mary Bernard, a University of Notre Dame senior, in her college’s magazine.  “And I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”

Bernard will work this summer at The Dallas Morning News. She was a finalist for our 2020 scholarship award and a finalist for our annual Thomas R. Keating two-day writing competition in 2019.

Former students who have participated in our programs have worked or work at news outlets across the nation that include the Indianapolis Business Journal, The Indianapolis Star, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg and CNN. One is a morning anchor at an Illinois TV station. Others work for much-needed community newspapers and online publications in numerous states.

Sarah Bahr, a freelance writer and IUPUI graduate student, starts a yearlong fellowship as a culture reporter at The New York Times in June. She was a Foundation 2017 Keating finalist and a 2018 scholarship finalist.

Like others I contacted, Bahr conducts interviews on the phone, by FaceTime and Zoom. She was in New York City just before Broadway shut down. She wrote a piece for The New York Timesabout seeing the last live performance of “Stomp” with only 10 audience members.

“The story [of the pandemic] is everywhere – there’s not a single person who isn’t affected by it, from journalists to the people they cover,” Bahr told me.

The first three months of 2020 have been a huge news year for Franklin College journalism students. The college’s former president was arrested and fired in January for alleged child sex crimes. Recently, he was charged with 12 additional counts of possession of child pornography. Then the pandemic hit Indiana in March.

Erica Irish, a Franklin junior, is co-executive editor of The Franklin, a student-run publication. She won the Foundation’s 2019 Keating writing competition and is a two-time Foundation scholarship winner (2019 and 2020).

“We have two huge narratives to track that are equally important in their own ways,” Irish said in an email. “It’s been a balancing act of sorts for us to ensure that both stories receive the time and attention they deserve so the Franklin College community can stay informed about two issues that have fundamentally changed our way of life in 2020.”

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted Indiana Gov. Holcomb to use his second-ever veto of a controversial landlord bill and Irish wrote about it.

Normally Matthew VanTryon covers sports for The Indianapolis Star. Two weeks ago, he was switched to a news beat. On April 2, the 2017 Butler University graduate, who was a 2016 Keating finalist, wrote three stories on the coronavirus.

“It was stunning to hear some of the raw conversations (healthcare) workers are having with their spouses and loved ones,” VanTryon told me. “A local doctor told his wife he could die from this. ‘But in the same breath, I told her I was made for this.’ ”

Washington Post reporter Samantha Schmidt was the keynote speaker at Foundation’s November 2019 writing competition. She won several Foundation awards and graduated in 2016 from Indiana University.

“We’re all covering the same story right now,” Schmidt emailed me. “And it’s the biggest story of our lifetimes.”

We are indebted to these young, professional and well-trained reporters who deliver vital information to a confused public that is scared and desperate for firm, reliable facts.

FOOTNOTE: Jenny Labalme is the executive director of the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation.

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ACLU Charges that AG Curtis Hill Ignores Indiana Constitution With Demands That Inmates Be Released

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Attorney General Curtis Hill is opposing efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union to bring about the release of inmates held in Indiana jails and prisons amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a petition filed March 30, the ACLU declared that the Indiana Supreme Court should engage in “emergency rulemaking” in order to enable certain inmates to leave correctional facilities and “shelter at home” during the current public health emergency.

This week, Attorney General Hill filed a memorandum with the court opposing the ACLU’s position.

“The ACLU’s unprecedented request for the court to assume the power to manage prisons and jails is constitutionally and procedurally improper,” Attorney General Hill said. “Administration of the Indiana Department of Correction and Indiana’s prisons belongs in the executive branch of state government.”

The Indiana Constitution expressly recognizes the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches, Attorney General Hill noted, and stipulates that “no person, charged with official duties under one of these departments, shall exercise any of the functions of another.”

On a practical level, Attorney General Hill added, the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) has remained vigilant during the pandemic. The agency, he said, has closely followed guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“IDOC has for several weeks adopted policies, protocols and practices designed to ameliorate the risks of COVID-19 in Indiana prisons,” Attorney General Hill said. “Particularly given existing procedures to address individual cases, the court has no urgent need to take action that may destabilize these undertakings.”

Attached are Attorney General Hill’s memorandum and a supporting document.

INDOT Launches Temporary Permit Program for Food Trucks to Operate at Highway Rest Areas

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INDOT Launches Temporary Permit Program for Food Trucks to Operate at Highway Rest Areas

Online application allows licensed food truck operators to serve essential travelers

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Transportation announced today the launch of a temporary program to permit licensed food trucks to operate at rest area locations on Indiana interstate highways to provide food and beverage options for commercial truck drivers and motorists engaged in essential travel during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The program will provide needed options for truck drivers, many of whom are reporting limited availability of food and beverages options near highways across the country due to restaurants and other businesses following public health guidelines in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, including closing dining rooms and in some cases reducing hours of service.

Rest Area SignIn accordance with the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Notice of Enforcement Discretion titled “Operation of Commercial Food Trucks in Federally Funded Interstate Highway Rest Areas”, issued April 3, 2020, INDOT will temporarily permit food trucks to service rest areas and welcome centers statewide.  These permits are a temporary measure taken to address needs ancillary to essential travel during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.

INDOT will issue two (2) permits for food trucks to operate between the hours of 7:00AM and 7:00PM each day on a first-come, first-served basis for each of the following rest area locations.

Rest Area TablePermits will be valid until canceled by INDOT or the national federal emergency status is lifted.

Interested applicants should review the “Indiana Rest Area and Welcome Center Temporary Permit Application for Food Truck Service” document available at https://www.in.gov/indot/restareas.htm or INDOT’s COVID-19 response webpage at https://www.in.gov/indot/4037.htm.

Only complete applications will be considered. All submitted applications must include:

1) Proof of a current liability insurance policy;

2) A valid operating registration, license or permit from the Indiana State Department of Health, a local health department, or other valid issuing authority as required under IC 16-42-1-6 and 410 IAC 7-24-107; and

3) Proof of Registration and good standing with the Office of the Indiana Secretary of State.

If granted a permit, Applicants will be required to comply with all permit terms detailed in the permit application and permit form documents.

Submit completed applications by email to INDOTFoodTruckRequest@indot.in.gov. Applications are being accepted immediately.

Kentucky Adopts New CDC Guidance Recommending Use Of Cloth Masks

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Kentucky Adopts New CDC Guidance Recommending Use Of Cloth Masks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 6, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday said the efforts of all Kentuckians are needed in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Governor is asking all Kentuckians to continue to fight the spread of the virus by following his 10-step guidance, which includes practicing social distancing and staying healthy at home. Gov. Beshear says these efforts have the potential to save the lives of as many as 11,000 Kentuckians.

“How great would it be if we could look back five years from now and say, ‘Well, it wasn’t easy, but we did what it took and we saved 11,000 lives,’” Gov. Beshear said. “I think that’s something worth sacrificing for. I know it’s something worth sacrificing for.”

The Governor said social distancing is the key to blunting a surge in cases and urged Kentuckians not to let their guards down during a weekend filled with favorable weather.

Gov. Beshear also reiterated the need for churches and other houses of worship to forego holding in-person services, following reports that some intended to continue hosting congregations.

“If you are still holding mass gatherings, church or otherwise, you are spreading the coronavirus and you are likely causing the death of Kentuckians. It’s that clear,” he said. “My church is incredibly important to me. My faith is incredibly important to me. It’s an important part of our families’ lives. We care about each other in this state, and our faith guides us and gives us the wisdom to do the right thing to protect each other.”

This guidance is critical as it has become harder and harder to locate personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential equipment for health care workers and health care facilities.

“We were trying to buy any ventilator we can, but virtually every order is getting bought out either by the federal government or being sent directly to one of the hot spots,” the Governor said. “It’s a challenge, but we go to work and we fight for everything we can get each and every day.

“We’re looking for ways we can manufacture PPE and critical equipment. If you are a Kentucky company and you think you can do any of this, give us a call. If we create our own manufacturing base to create PPE, we will be in a better place than just about any other state. If you can manufacture it, we will buy it.”

A new hotline (1-833-GIVE PPE) and website (giveppe.ky.gov) streamline the entire donation process. In addition, PPE donations now will be accepted at all 16 Kentucky State Police posts across the commonwealth and at Transportation Cabinet offices in Louisville and Lexington.

The Governor said a good window into how maintaining social distance helps reduce infections can be found looking at the regular seasonal influenza numbers in Kentucky.

“Flu also spreads in a way to where if you practice social distancing, it cuts down on cases of the flu. And, Kentucky, you’ve done that,” Gov. Beshear said, noting a significant drop off in new seasonal flu cases reported since social distancing was widely adopted.

In an added measure, Gov. Beshear said Kentucky is adopting on a voluntary basis the new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that people wear cloth masks in some situations.

“No one outside of a health care provider ought to be wearing an N95 mask. If you are doing that, it means that someone who desperately needs it doesn’t have it,” the Governor said. “Our same test of being a good neighbor when it comes to testing and hospital beds applies here now too. If you are wearing a surgical mask, we ought to really think about whether there is a health care provider that should have that.”

Gov. Beshear also stressed that wearing a cloth mask is a measure to be added to social distancing, not to replace it.

The new CDC guidance on masks can be found here.

While the sacrifices and changes to our daily lives are great, the Governor said everything Kentuckians are doing brings us closer to the day that the COVID-19 fight is won.

“We are going to get through this. We are going to get through this together,” said Gov. Beshear. “It’s going to be a tough road. It’s going to be difficult days. But we’re going to make it. We’re going to come out on the other side and rebuild. We’re going to be a prosperous Kentucky where we can all get out and see each other and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries together again. We will get there again.”

Acting secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Eric Friedlander addressed how the state is taking extra steps to help Kentuckians with needed benefits.

“To get Medicaid coverage, we have taken a 20-page application and made it one,” Secretary Friedlander said. “We want anyone who does not have insurance to sign up. By getting coverage, you are helping everyone, including our health care professionals.”

Case information
As of 5 p.m. April 4, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 917 cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky, 92 of which were newly confirmed.

Officials have confirmed that more than 16,663 people have been tested, but the Governor said that the real number of tests likely was larger as there is some lag in reporting from different labs.

There were three new deaths reported Saturday, raising the state’s toll to 40 deaths related to the virus.

“While three is certainly less than we’ve had the last two days, these are three people who are loved and cared about by their family and their friends. That loss is just as important as any loss that we’ve reported.”

He said the new deaths included a 56-year-old woman from Fayette County, a 52-year-old woman from Bullitt County and an 81-year-old man from Boone County.

Gov. Beshear talked about one of Kentucky’s coronavirus victims, sharing his story as detailed by Mandy McLaren in The Courier-Journal of Louisville.

She wrote about 49-year-old bricklayer ARon Jordan from Ashland, who fell ill while on a worksite in Detroit and died on March 31.

“He was in Detroit, doing a job, and insisted he be helped up there and quarantined up there, to not bring it home to his family. Now think about that,” Gov. Beshear said. “He made a decision even in his last moments in life that he would protect them rather than maybe get that connection, that closer connection that maybe would have helped him during that period. It’s the type of sacrifice and his family’s sacrifice that they are making in their most difficult time to make sure this is very real for all of us.”

Read about other key updates from the week by visiting Gov. Beshear’s website, governor.ky.gov.

More information
Gov. Beshear has taken decisive action to protect all Kentuckians since the first case was confirmed in the commonwealth. To read the full list of actions Gov. Beshear has taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus, visit governor.ky.gov/covid19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people to follow these steps to prevent illness. Kentuckians who want advice can call the state hotline at 800-722-5725 or call their local health care provider. To read Gov. Beshear’s news releases and watch other news regarding COVID-19 visit governor.ky.gov.

Each day at 5 p.m. ET, Gov. Beshear holds briefings for Kentuckians that are streamed online at his Facebook and YouTube pages.

Gov. Beshear continues to urge Kentuckians to be cautious of rumors and depend on proven and good sources of news, including governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

HAPPENINGS AT VANDERBURGH COUNTY GOP

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gop
Central Committee:
     Wayne Parke, Chairman
     Mary Jo Kaiser, Political Director
     Dottie Thomas, Vice Chairman
     Lon Walters, Secretary
     Farley Smith, Treasurer
     Kevin Harrison, Editor  
News and Upcoming Events for April 7, 2020

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Governor Extends stay-at-home order through April 20:
Last week Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued Executive Order 20-17 to extend Indiana’s public health emergency, and followed yesterday with the signing of Executive Order 20-18 officially extending Indiana’s stay-at-home order. These directives serve to  protect Hoosiers during the ongoing health crisis by:
  • Extending Indiana’s stay-at-home order for two weeks. The stay-at-order now runs through April 20, 2020.
  • Extending Indiana’s public health emergency declaration for another 30 days, now expiring on May 5, 2020

 

  Read the full context of Executive Order 20-17 HERE.

Read the full context of Executive Order 20-18 HERE .
Last week the Governor Holcomb also provided guidance for Indiana schools regarding state requirements for attendance, graduation, etc…, by signing  Executive Order 20-16 (EDUCATION MATTERS AND COVID-19). Highlights of the Executive Order 20-16 include:
    • Schools that reached 160 instruction days will be considered to have completed a full academic year.
    • Schools short of 160 instruction days are required to provide at least 20 additional days of remote learning between now and the end of the academic year.
      • If a school completes 20 days of e-learning and still fall shorts of the required 160 instructional days, IDOE can waive the difference.
    • Seniors enrolled in graduation-track courses will receive credit towards graduation for those courses, and they’ll be given the flexibility needed to earn their Indiana high school diploma.
    • Freshman, sophomores and juniors will need to complete their credit requirements, and it will be local schools’ decision on whether that credit has been earned.
    • Local districts have until April 17 to submit continuous learning plans to the Indiana Department of Education.
    • School buildings are to remain closed unless being used for other needs outlined by the state.
    • Expiring teacher licenses will be extended through September 1, 2020.
  Read the full context of Executive Order 20-16 HERE.

 2020 Primary Election Update – Important Dates:   

 In conjunction with the Indiana Election Commission’s approval of the June 2 Primary,  dates of importance from the updated Election Calendar are:

  • Monday, May 4: Voter Registration Deadline
  • Tuesday, May 5: Early Voting Begins In Person
  • Friday, May 8: End of Pre-Primary Election Campaign Finance Reporting Period
  • Thursday, May 14: Traveling Boards Begin
  • Thursday, May 21: Deadline for a Request for an Absentee By-Mail Ballot to Be Received by the Clerk or Board of Elections and Registration
  • Sunday, May 31: End of Pre-Primary Supplemental Campaign Finance Large Contribution Reporting Period
  • Monday, June 1: Deadline for Traveling Boards & Noon Deadline for Early Voting
  • Tuesday, June 2: Primary Day (noon is the deadline to return absentee ballots)
The Election Commission’s full actions can be found here, along with an updated election calendar in the appendix.

 2020 Primary Election Update: 
 
Voter Registration Period for the 2020 Primary has been  extended to
Monday, May 4, 2020.

Registration can be done online or by mail as follows:

Register to Vote Online: Register to vote online by visiting indianavoters.com. Indiana residents with a valid Indiana driver’s license or Indiana state-issued identification card will be able to use this tool to submit a new voter registration application or to update an existing voter registration record.

Register to Vote by Mail : To register to vote or update your current registration by mail, you will need to complete and return the Voter Registration Form (VRG-7) on or before May 4, 2020. ONLY the version of the state voter registration form (VRG-7) published on the Indiana Secretary of State Election Division website will be accepted by the Vanderburgh County Voter Registration office. Return the completed form to the Vanderburgh County Voter Registration office or the Indiana Election Division by midnight, May 4, 2020.

Get a copy of form VRG-7: Voter Registration Application by visiting the Indiana Voter Portal HERE
Mail your completed VRG-7 form to : Vanderburgh County Voter Registration
Civic Center Complex, Room 214
1 NW M.L. King, Jr. Blvd

Evansville, IN. 47708

For more information visit the Vanderburgh County Voters Registration webpage, or call 812-435-5222.


2020 Primary Election Update:
 
Absentee Voting to begin Tuesday, May 5, 2020

The first day that a voter may vote an absentee ballot for the 2020 Primary Election has been changed to Tuesday May 5, 2020.  Early voting at the Election Office will be 8:00 am – 4:00 pm weekdays starting Tuesday May 5, 2020  and conclude at Noon on Monday June 1, 2020.

To vote absentee by mail:
 Request an APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT by contacting the Vanderburgh County Election Office at 812-435-5122, or by downloading the APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT found on the Vanderburgh County Clerk Elections web page .
Mail the completed  APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT  to:
Vanderburgh County Election
P.O. Box 3343

Evansville, IN 47732-3343

 The revised deadline for absentee-by-mail applications to be received by the Election Office for the 2020 Primary Election is 11:59 p.m., Thursday May 21, 2020. 
 If you have any questions, please call the Election Office at 812-435-5122.
 The Vanderburgh County Election Office is located at : Civic Center Complex, Room 216
1 NW ML King Jr. BLVD ,Evansville, IN

 

The VCRP is in need of poll workers for the June 2, 2020 Primary Election. To be a poll workers you must be a registered voter residing in Vanderburgh County. Additionally, poll workers cannot be a close relative to a candidate whose name appears on the ballot, and cannot be the chairman or treasurer of the committee of the candidate whose name appears on the ballot.
Vote Center Poll Worker compensation is $275 for Inspectors, $195 for Republican Judges and$195 for Republican Clerks. Training is a requirement.   For more information or to volunteer to be a Republican poll worker contact the Vanderburgh County GOP at 812-425-8207 or Email VCRP Political Director Mary Jo Kaiser at beamerjo59@gmail.com

EVSC Board of School Trustees Meeting-
 For more information visit the Board of School Trustees web page.

 VCRP Central Committee Meeting – CANCELLED
Contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 if you have any questions.

 The Evansville Civic Center is CLOSED to the public until further notice.
 Visit www.evansvillegov.org for City of Evansville information.

 City Council Meeting-
For more information visit the

City Council webpage

 County Council Meeting-
 For more information visit

County Council webpage

 County Commission Meeting-
 For more information visit

County Commissioners webpage

VCRP Monthly April Breakfast

CANCELLED

 Contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 if you have any questions.

Mayor’s Message on the 2020 Census:
(from April 1, 2020 Facebook post)
 Although our focus is understandably on the current public health crisis, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke reminds us of the importance of completing the US 2020 Census.
Watch the Mayor’s  message to “choose to shape our community’s future by responding to the 2020 Census” HERE.
                                Click to Watch

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Social distancing is the most important, effective tool we have to defeat COVID-19-and a growing coalition of Indiana-based partners is committed to equipping everyone in our state with the knowledge and the resources to stay connected and motivated. Here’s how you can join the fight, play your part and keep us working together. 
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is closely monitoring a pandemic of the 2019 novel (new) coronavirus or COVID-19. ISDH is working with federal and local partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to respond to this evolving public health situation.Please consult this page for updated news and guidance on the COVID-19 outbreak.

State, federal tax filing deadlines extended for Hoosiers
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Hoosiers will have an additional three months to file their state and federal taxes. Originally set for April 15, the deadline to file has been extended to July 15. This extension applies to both individuals and corporations, and Indiana’s Department of Revenue offers income tax forms for individuals and businesses with the updated corresponding submission date.
Learn more HERE.

Tips for managing stress during COVID-19 pandemic (from 04/03/20 News Update)
Many of us are feeling overwhelmed as we focus on the tremendous impact of COVID-19, whether it’s worrying about our health, loved ones, community or nation.
While we establish a “new normal,” the stress of working remotely, teaching our children at home and practicing social distancing can also be a lot to handle. To help cope and protect your mental health, try these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
  • Take care of your body with exercise and healthy eating;
  • Set aside time for activities you enjoy;
  • Maintain connections;
  • Establish a routine;
  • Be self-aware of distressed feelings or being overwhelmed; and
  • Take breaks from COVID-19 coverage.

The CDC also offers specific guidance for adults and first responders, and the Indiana Department of Education offers guidance for parents on talking to kids about the coronavirus.

There are also local, state and federal resources available for those who are struggling and need extra assistance:

Indiana 211 (2-1-1)
A free service helping Hoosiers quickly find needed resources.
Deaconess Cross Pointe (812-476-7200)
A health care service for emotional, behavioral and addiction-related needs.
Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990)
A free call center giving support to people experiencing emotional distress related to disasters.
A local 24/7 hotline.
A local mental health and behavioral care provider.
A free confidential support system for those in distress.

Understandably, this is a stressful time for many. As we all do our part to combat this virus and keep our bodies healthy, let’s also remember to take care of our mental health.

Let’s work together to support our community   (from 04/03/20 News Update)

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting many aspects of our daily lives, and as we all do our part to protect ourselves and each other, some may be looking for ways to help their communities and neighbors.

Here are five ways Hoosiers can help:

Contribute To Your Local Food Bank: Aside from making cash donations, consider reaching out to local food banks to see what can be done to help others in the community. They have plans in place for preventing the spread of the virus. Visit Feeding America’s website to find a food bank near you, and please contact them directly to see what they need and how you can help.

Check In With Neighbors: Consider checking-in with elderly neighbors by phone or via social media. Picking up groceries for others is a great way to help, just be sure to leave the items at a secure location, like a porch, in order to limit contact.

Donate Blood: Social distancing has prompted numerous blood drive cancellations, leaving the current supply critically low. If you are healthy, visit the American Red Cross’ website or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule a donation.

Support Local Businesses: While dining rooms are temporarily closed, many local restaurants offer carryout and curbside services. Check local listings for available menu options and take a look at Visit Indiana’s statewide guide of restaurants with pickup options. Consider purchasing gift cards from local businesses and contributing to fundraisers to help.

Sew And Donate Face Masks: According to Indiana hospitals, orders for standard/disposable masks are on long back-orders, due to both demand and supply chain issues. While fabric masks are not to be used in the care of COVID-19 patients, according to the CDC, fabric masks are a crisis response option when other supplies have been exhausted. Fabric masks can also be helpful in other areas of patient care as supplies of personal protective equipment are depleted. Follow these instructions on how to make face masks. Organizations that need masks can also request them through the Deaconess database connecting individuals and companies for this important effort.

For a list of resources and the latest information on what Indiana is doing to address the coronavirus, visit IN.gov/Coronavirus.

Stay in touch with GOP state legislators representing our area (click links below):

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President Donald J. Trump Approves Indiana Disaster Declaration
President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Indiana and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing. Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures

Senator Braun’s Guides to Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: U.S. Senator Mike Braun released a number of resource guides regarding the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that will help Hoosiers navigate through the coronavirus.  LEARN MORE HERE

Coronavirus Information for Hoosiers: Now that the CARES Act has been signed into law, immediate relief is on the way to Hoosiers. To help navigate the CARES Act, and the relief it will provide, Senator Young’s office created a comprehensive toolkit to help individuals, small businesses, health care workers, and patients understand the relief measures that are available.  LEARN MORE HERE

Stay in touch with GOP members of Congress representing our area (click links below):

Visit the Vanderburgh GOP 

page for daily updates.

  Mark Your calendar                CLICK on event for more information
May 4
 Voter Registration Ends
May 5
Early Voting at the Election Office Begins
May 18 Early Voting at Libraries Begins
May 21 Deadline to Request Absentee-by-Mail Ballot
May 23 Early Voting on Saturdays Begins
May 29 Last Day for Early Voting at Libraries
May 30 Last Day for Saturday Early Voting
June 1 (Noon) Early Voting at the Election Office End
June 2 Primary Election Day

  Make sure you add vandygop@gmail.com to your address book so we’ll be sure to land in your inbox!

If you have any questions, contact Mary Jo Kaiser, VCRP Political Director, at

or (812) 425-8207.
for more info. Thank you.

Marriage Licenses Issued For Vanderburgh County

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Marriage Licenses Issued

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