IU’S Ryley Ober Finding More Time For Artistic Passion During Pandemic
By James Sutherland
SwimSwam.com
Like every swimmer in the NCAA, Indiana’s Ryley Ober had her world turned upside down when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US and cancellations, university shutdowns and travel restrictions started coming fast and furious.
Ober, who has now wrapped up her freshman season with the Hoosiers, was getting set to attend her first NCAA Championship meet before it was cancelled on March 12.
“On Thursday we were training for NCs, I was supposed to go there on the 800 free relay, and then Friday I was booking a flight home,†said the Bradenton, Fla., native. “Everyone’s back at their house, thankfully everyone that I know is safe, healthy, so that’s been a big blessing. But it’s really thrown everything out of cycle.â€
In this time of uncertainty for everyone, Ober has been able to spend more time on a lifelong passion.
“I’ve been doing art my entire life,†said the 19-year-old. “I was definitely one of those kids in elementary school whose favorite hour of the day would be art class. So I’ve always loved it. But then I got more serious about it in high school, I did some local art competitions and got some small scholarships for it.â€
Initially planning on pursuing illustration or something similar as her major in college, the six-time Florida 2A State Champion recognized that art was more of a way for her to disconnect.
“I realized, art for me is more of a release,†she said. “And once it turned into a job or something that was like work, it kind of took away that excitement or happiness that it brought.â€
Now a journalism major, Ober admits it’s difficult to keep up with her artistic exploits amid the busy life of a student-athlete, but she always manages to find a bit of time to do it for herself.
“I try to make sure, at least on the weekends, to take, even if it’s just 10-15 minutes, just sit down and do some sketching or something,†she said. “I know it brings me joy and I think it’s really important for everyone to take the time to do something that’s just for them that brings them joy, and it can help with the rest of the stressful situations. Whether it be in the middle of a pandemic, or just normal student-athlete life.â€
Ober, who has also developed a love of photography over the last few years, has been painting a lot since the pandemic came into effect. She points to one specific piece of art, one of a sea turtle, that stands out as a recent favorite.
“It kind of means a lot to me because through all of this one of the silver linings was that I was able to come home and see my family again,†she said. “I live in Florida, so we have a lot of sea turtles, and it just kind of represents coming home for me.â€
Ober admits that her freshman year was full of challenges, both for the Hoosiers and her personally. But, she knows that enduring all of these difficulties ultimately will make everything sweeter in the end.
“This was a tough season, I mean, freshman year I think for most people is really tough,†she said. “Given everything that’s gone on, we’ve been through a lot. And I think one of the things that we as a team like to focus on, is the more you go through, the stronger you will rise. We’ve been through a lot, but it’s bonded us together in a way that I know next season we’re going to rise stronger than ever, and we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.
“Personally, I had a couple of injuries this season, so it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. But, as I said, the more you go through, the better the success will be at the end of it.â€
Individually, Ober placed 16th at Big Tens in the 200 free, coming less than half a second off her personal best time in the prelims in 1:47.16, and also split 1:46.48 on the fifth-place finishing 800 free relay.
Already with a qualifying spot locked up for the Olympic Trials in the 200 free, the former member of the Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team was planning on staying in Bloomington for the long course season. But now, with the Olympics and therefore the Trials moved to 2021, everyone remains up in the air — though she still plans to return to Indiana for training when practices open up.
“Definitely looking forward to getting back to the team as soon as possible and training,†she said. “I was planning on training up there for long course season through Trials. But now it’s kind of like, we don’t really know because everything is very iffy right now for everyone.â€
@IndianaSwimDive
UE Creates Virtual Challenge to Ignite Innovation
The University of Evansville has created the UE Challenge: a weekly virtual challenge that is focused on changemaking.
Erin Lewis, interim director of the Center for Innovation and Change said, “We have found that the best ideas come during challenging times. Changemaking doesn’t know boundaries, and changemakers always find a way around any obstacle. We’re excited to see what creative ideas come out of this challenging moment.”
UE will choose a winner from each challenge and feature the winning idea on social media and the UE website. If you want to participate, you can find out more online and place your idea at evansville.edu/UEChallenge.
EPA Honors 2020 ENERGY STAR® Award Winners
“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,†said Anne Idsal, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.â€
For more than 25 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs.
Here are just a few examples of how ENERGY STAR Award Winners are taking action:
(New York, Ny.)Â Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, biopharmaceutical company, reached the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry goal with a 10.5% energy intensity reduction at its Humacao site, participated in the inaugural ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt Campaign, and conducted 14 energy treasure hunts that identified over $12 million in energy and water savings, and reduced its energy intensity by nearly 14% since 2013.
(San Francisco, Ca.) Digital Realty, a real estate investment trust, achieved ENERGY STAR certification for 30 data centers representing 64% of its U.S. portfolio and benchmarked 100% of its U.S. real estate portfolio with the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®.
(Orange, Ct.)Â Energize Connecticut, a statewide energy efficiency initiative (in partnership with Eversource Energy and AVANGRID), promoted ENERGY STAR HVAC and water heating products through many channels (independent and big-box retailers, manufacturers, equipment distributors, and contractors), provided incentives to nearly 27,000 ENERGY STAR certified units, and delivered ENERGY STAR services to 6,600 single-family and 2,350 multifamily residences.
(Palo Alto, Ca.)Â HP, a global technology company, certified 96% of eligible products, trained 1,300 HP employees on the value of ENERGY STAR, and integrated ENERGY STAR information into events reaching over 465,000 partners and customers.
(Los Angeles, Ca.)Â KB Home, a large national home builder, achieved the milestone of more than 137,000 cumulative ENERGY STAR certified homes built to date, more than any other home builder.
(Hoffman Estates, Il.)Â Kenmore, a home appliance provider, partnered with Bob Vila in an ENERGY STAR promotion that gained 500,000 participants, utilized ENERGY STAR point-of-sale materials, and delivered a web-based ENERGY STAR training to over 90% of sales associates selling ENERGY STAR certified Kenmore brand appliances.
(New York, Ny.)Â MetLife, a global financial services company, gained ENERGY STAR certification for 25 real estate properties representing over 12 million square feet, delivered real-time energy monitoring dashboards with ENERGY STAR scores to more than 110 investment properties, and promoted ENERGY STAR certified programmable thermostats to MetLife customers.
(Mokena, Il.) Ozinga Bros. Inc., a construction materials and logistics company, built a corporate ENERGY STAR energy management program that reduced energy intensity by 15% in its first year.
(Fairfax, VA) Patuxent Environmental Group (PEG), a home energy rating company, certified more than 5,000 homes as ENERGY STAR in 2019, for a total of more than 78,000 since 2007.
(Tulsa, Ok.)Â Public Service Company of Oklahoma, an electric utility company, achieved 122% of its energy savings goal by providing incentives for many ENERGY STAR certified products–lighting, appliances, heat pump water heaters, electric vehicle supply equipment, pool pumps, and HVAC equipment–and producing a comprehensive training program involving sales associates, home energy raters, and homebuilders.
Read more about the ENERGY STAR Awards and Award Winners’ achievements.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: https://www.energystar.gov/about and https://www.energystar.gov/about/origins_mission/energy_star_numbers.
EPA Encourages Americans to Only Flush Toilet Paper
Preventable toilet and sewer backups can pose a threat to human health and present an extra challenge to our water utilities and their workforce. Flushing anything other than toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems. Fixing these backups is costly and takes time and resources away from ensuring that wastewater management systems are otherwise working properly. EPA thanks wastewater utilities and their workforce for their courageous efforts at a time when resources may be stretched thin. Having fully operational wastewater services is critical to containing COVID-19 and protecting Americans from other public health risks. Our nation’s wastewater employees are everyday heroes who are on the frontline of protecting human health and the environment every single day.
Gov. Holcomb to Provide Updates in the Fight Against COVID-19
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health and other state leaders will host a virtual media briefing in the Governor’s Office to provide updates on COVID-19 and its impact on Indiana.
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gov. Holcomb
State Health Commissioner Kristina Box, M.D., FACOG
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2:30 p.m. ET, Tuesday, March 31
Media RSVP
Please register HERE by 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 31. Late requests will not be accepted. One confirmation will be sent per media outlet. If you are confirmed to attend the event, you will receive additional logistics in a separate email, including details on an opportunity to test the system at 11:15 a.m. today.
Logistical questions can be directed to agray@gov.in.gov.
Media outlets that wish to broadcast the press conference live are encouraged to use the high quality livestream. The livestream is also available to the public. Direct Link:Â https://livestream.com/accounts/18256195/events/9054752/player?width=960&height=540&enableInfoAndActivity=true&defaultDrawer=feed&autoPlay=true&mute=false
AGENDA Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
AGENDA
Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
Old National Events Plaza Locust Room B,C
March 31, 2020
10:00 am
- Reconvene Emergency Meeting
- Attendance
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Action ItemsÂ
- 2020 Local Elected Officials Agreement
- Superior Court: Professional Services Agreement with Veronica Inkenbrandt
- Sheriff: Agreement with Quality Correctional Care for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention ServicesÂ
- BRIT TPA and Assured Acknowledgement
- Berry Plastics Hold Harmless Agreement
- Hornby Lane Emergency Road Access Approval
- Resolution No. CO.R-03-20-007: Resolution Allowing County Employees to Use COVID-19 Benefits As Approved at the Emergency Meeting of the Vanderburgh County Council on March 25, 2020
- Department Head Reports
- New Business
- Old Business
- Consent Items
- Approval of March 23, 2020 Emergency Meeting Minutes
- Employment ChangesÂ
- County Treasurer Monthly Report: February 2020
- County Clerk Monthly Report: February 2020
- County Auditor Claims Voucher Reports for 3/16-3/20/2020 and 3/23-3/27/2020
- County Engineer:
- Department Reports
- Peck Road Notice of Termination
- Public Comment
- Recess Meeting
Dresden Shooting
  On Monday March 31 around 4:15 p.m., the Evansville Police Department was called to the 1400 block of Dresden Street for a shots fired call. The first responding officers located a victim that had been grazed by a bullet on their arm. That victim was immediately transported to the hospital to receive treatment for a minor wound.Â
 Witnesses told officers that a dark colored vehicle, with tinted windows, had pulled up and began shooting. It is believed that there was more than one shooter in the vehicle. Multiple vehicles were struck by bullets and shell casings were recovered.
 If anyone has information about this shooting, they are asked to contact Detective Aussieker, with the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7981.
Dresden Shooting
Hit and Run
 The Evansville Police Department’s Hit and Run Unit is looking for help in identifying this person who was involved in a hit and run motor vehicle accident on February 21 in the Walmart parking lot at 401 N. Burkhardt Rd.Â
 If anyone knows who this person is, they are asked to contact the Evansville Police Department’s Hit and Run Unit at 812-436-7941.
Gov. Holcomb Details COVID-19 Surge Plan
Governor also signs executive order
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today signed an executive order and detailed Indiana’s plan for the anticipated spike in COVID-19 cases. To see a copy of the executive order, click here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm
“We see a surge coming and we’re calling in the reinforcements, bolstering Indiana’s capacity to provide additional health care services during this emergency,†said Gov. Eric J. Holcomb. “By eliminating licensing barriers and tapping in to the available talent pool of healthcare workers, Hoosiers are staffing up and stepping up to meet this challenge head-on.â€
The executive order allows the following professionals who do not currently hold an active license to practice:
- medical professionals who retired or became inactive in the last five years
- medical professionals who hold licenses in other states
- medical professionals who held licenses in other states and retired or became inactive in the last five years
- certain medical students and graduates
These professionals must register with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency via their website at www.in.gov/pla. These professionals will be able to assist in screenings, telemedicine and other basic procedures to allow regularly licensed medical professionals to be on the frontline.
In Indiana, the baseline number of critical care hospital beds is 1,432. As of Monday, hospitals have already taken steps to increase the number of critical care hospital beds to 1,940. Overall, the state’s plan is to double the number, if needed, by taking existing noncritical care hospital beds, recovery rooms, operating rooms and outpatient facilities, turning them into critical care hospital beds.
In Indiana, the baseline number of ventilators is 1,177 ventilators. As of Monday, hospitals have identified another 750 ventilators that can be used for critical care patients. Overall, the state’s plan is to double the number, if needed, by repurposing ventilators from operating rooms, ambulatory care centers, EMS and the Indiana National Guard.
Additionally, the surge plan calls for moving less critical patients to alternate facilities including neighborhood hospitals, medical clinics and state-owned hospitals, such as unopened floors at the NeuroDiagnostic Institute hospital in Indianapolis and the Richmond State Hospital.
If needed, after all of these steps are exhausted, Indiana will be prepared to put patients in alternative facilities. The Indiana National Guard and Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with FEMA, are in charge of these plans.
The state of Indiana has been working on plans related to COVID-19 since January, and each hospital has a disaster plan in place. Planning has become more specific for state health and hospital officials as models of the projected impact of coronavirus became available. Based on those models, Indiana’s patient surge is expected to begin soon and the peak is expected to be mid-April to mid-May.
Attached are the graphics used in Monday’s press conference.
Click here to download public service announcements (PSAs) recorded by the state for your use: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/egf210ognxxyx4h/AADYd7E-tBn7P6gtiLSZUiVBa?dl=0
More information may be found at the ISDH website at coronavirus.in.gov and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.