Distracted Driving Bill On Its Way To The Governors Desk To Be Signed
Staff Report
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—With fewer than two weeks before the end of the 2020 session of the General Assembly, lawmakers advanced bills on distracted driving, sex abuse, and 911 fees on Tuesday. They are:
House Bill 1070:Â Distracted driving
What it does:Â HB 1070 provides that motorists may not hold or use their cell phones while operating a vehicle, except for certain circumstances like dialing 911.
What happened: The bill passed the Senate in a 43-4 vote. Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, questioned why HB 1070 said “hold or use†a device instead of “hold and use†because if a person is only holding the device they are not necessarily distracted. Taylor voted yes on the bill still but offered a warning to the wording of it. Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, the Senate sponsor, in response to a question, defended this by saying there are exceptions in the bill allowing a motorist to make a call in emergency circumstances.
What’s next: The bill now heads to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature. The bill was on his 2020 legislative agenda.
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Senate Bill 109:Â Statute of limitations in sex abuse cases
What it does:Â SB 109 would allow more time for victims of sexual abuse to come forward and have law enforcement and conduct an investigation, extending to 31 years of age, with a five-year extension if the evidence is found in the form of DNA, a photo, video or recording, or a confession.
What happened:Â Rep. Gregory Steuerwald, R-Avon, introduced the bill to the House, explaining that this bill would allow sexual abuse victims more time to come forward. The bill passed unanimously by 91-0 vote.
What’s next: The bill now moves to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature.
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House Bill 1235: Increase in 911 fees
What it does: HB 1235 allows the statewide 911 board to increase an enhanced prepaid wireless charge not more than one time every three years and that increase cannot be more than 10 cents. The fee is used to
What happened: The Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee amended the bill, which originally allows the fee to be increased every year, to limit the increase to every three years. The committee then approved the bill by a 12-0 margin.
What’s next: HB 1235 advances to the full Senate for action.
FOOTNOTE: Â Haley Carney and Lacey Watt contributed to this report. They are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Gov. Holcomb Makes Appointments to Various Boards and Commissions
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced several new appointments and reappointments to various state boards and commissions.
 Governor’s Residence Commission
The governor made one new appointment to the commission, who will serve at the pleasure of the governor:
- Robert Orr (Indianapolis), project manager at Park 100 Foods
 Indiana Kids First Trust Fund Board
The governor made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2022:
- Dr. S. Maria E. Finnell (Zionsville), associate medical director of the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning with FSSA
 Indiana Real Estate Commission
The governor made one new appointment to the commission, who will serve until Dec. 31, 2023:
- Molly Kitchell (Zionsville), who most recently served as a member of the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission
 Midwestern Higher Education Commission
The governor made one reappointment to the commission, who will serve until Feb. 29, 2024:
- Dr. David Wantz (Indianapolis), president and CEO of the Independent Colleges of Indiana
 Ports of Indiana Commission
The governor made two new appointments to the commission:
- David Fagan (Portage), financial secretary of IUOE Local 150, who will serve until March 31, 2024
- Micah Vincent (Whitestown), vice president of Strategy + M&A at The Heritage Group, who will serve until Jan. 31, 2024
 State Ethics Commission
The governor made one reappointment to the commission, who will serve until Feb. 29, 2024:
- Sue Anne Gilroy (Indianapolis), former Indiana Secretary of State and former executive director of the St. Vincent Foundation
 State Psychology Board
The governor made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until Feb. 29, 2024:
- Dr. Gregory Hale (Carmel), private practice psychologist
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Three USI Alumni ramp up for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
Three of University of Southern Indiana’s alumni are set to compete in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday Feb. 29.
The competitors are Jamie Adkins ’16, Julia Kohnen ’15 and Tyler Pence ’15.
Adkins was an All-American for USI track & field in the 10,000 meters when she finished 12th at the 2016 NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 36 minutes, 36.54 seconds to close out her senior year as a Screaming Eagle. In December 2019, Adkins narrowly got her OTQ (Olympic Trial Qualifier) at the California International Marathon with a time of 2:44:48 which snuck underneath the OTQ ‘B’ Standard (sub-2:45:00) placing 70th out of 3259 female participants.
Kohnen obtained All-America honors in cross country and track & field and was named All-GLVC as USI soccer player as well. In cross country, Kohnen earned her accolade for finishing 11th at the 2015 NCAA II Championships with a six-kilometer time of 21:33.70. Kohnen then finished fifth (16:47.61) and runner-up (34:45.08) at the 2015 NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, respectively. Kohnen first received her OTQ ‘B’ standard first in the 2017 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:39:11. Then, she followed it up by grabbing an OTQ ‘A’ standard (Sub-2:37:00) en route to being named the 2019 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion with a time of 2:31:29. Kohnen’s Twin Cities Marathon time made her the 24th fastest woman in the 2020 Olympic Trials field.
Pence, the current head coach for both the cross country/track & field teams for University of Illinois-Springfield is the most decorated runner in USI history.  He was a two-time national champion in track, winning the indoor 5,000m and outdoor 10,000m as a junior. He accumulated nine All-American awards across both cross country and track & field during his time as a Screaming Eagle. Pence received his OTQ ‘B’ standard (sub-2:19:00), like Adkins, at the 2019 California International Marathon with a time of 2:15:36.
The trials field is composed of 778 total runners (513 women, 265 men) with the top three finishers from each race representing the United States in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials air live on NBC, NBCSports.com/live and the NBC Sports app on Saturday from Atlanta. Coverage runs from 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M. (CST) with the men’s race slated to start at 11:08 A.M. (CST) followed by the women’s at 11:20 A.M. (CST).
HOT JOBS IN EVANSVILLE
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Otters extend MacNamee, Grieshaber and Beyer for 2020
The Evansville Otters have signed outfielder Elijah MacNamee, utility Keith Grieshaber, and pitcher Drew Beyer to contract extensions for the 2020 season.
MacNamee, from Cypress, Texas, batted .309 in 38 games played, scoring 19 runs, recording 17 RBIs, and walking 21 times in 2019 with the Otters.
“Elijah plays hard, and he came up with some big hits for us as a rookie,†Otters manager Andy McCauley said. “I think our fans pull for guys like that.â€
MacNamee joined the Otters following his senior season at Mississippi State. While with Mississippi State, MacNamee was a member of two College World Series appearances in 2018-19, and a member of a Super Regional appearance in 2017.
“With half a year under his belt, I think getting into the routine right away will be big for Elijah,†McCauley said. “He showed an advanced approach at the plate, and I think he has a good shot to get a lot of affiliated interests.â€
In his collegiate career at Mississippi State, MacNamee batted .287 with 113 runs, 37 doubles, 17 home runs, 116 RBIs, and 60 walks in 170 games played and 154 games started. He also had a career .441 slugging percentage and a .367 on-base percentage.
Grieshaber, a Chesterfield, Mo. native, batted .291 with 48 runs, 20 doubles, 42 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 2019 with the Otters.
“Keith did a great job getting on base and running the bases for us last year, and we’re hoping for more of the same this year,†McCauley said. “He can set the table for us and be a disruptive force on the bases.â€
“Last season was a great experience for me, playing a full season again and finding daily routines were very important,†Grieshaber said.
“I improved in all areas of my game, but I learned to play with a relaxed confidence last season.â€
After starting with the River City Rascals during Spring Training last year, Grieshaber was signed by the Otters heading into the regular season opener. Grieshaber split time in the infield and outfield.
“I’m a big proponent of multi-sport athletes and Keith’s athleticism is evidence of why,†McCauley said. “His great footwork helps him in a lot of baseball actions, and his versatility will help us stay fresh because he can play at a lot of different positions.â€
“I have fully embraced moving positions throughout my career,†Grieshaber said. “It is something not many can do anymore, so I’m thankful that I am versatile.â€
“Anywhere that helps us win is where I want to be.â€
Grieshaber was drafted by the Angels in the 16th round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft from Jefferson College. In 2017 with the Angels organization, Grieshaber hit a combined .285 batting average, four home runs, 36 RBIs, 42 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases.
Beyer is from Sarasota, Fla. and signed with the Otters in June 2019. With the Otters, Beyer went 3-3 with a 2.83 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched and 26 appearances.
“We have great confidence in Drew in any situation, and his biggest asset is his command and ability to induce weak contact,†McCauley said. “He is aggressive by pounding the zone with all his pitches.â€
“Last season, I took away to really focus on constantly getting better and learning from each individual outing,†Beyer said. “You really have to go out there every single game and compete.â€
Beyer brought affiliated baseball experience after parts of two seasons with the Detroit Tigers organization. Beyer played with the Tigers’ Gulf Coast League squad and with the Connecticut Tigers most recently. Overall, Beyer was 2-0 in eight appearances with a 3.86 ERA and 7 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched.
“He’s a great teammate, and with his affiliated experience and spending last season with us, I think he’ll be a huge factor in our bullpen,†McCauley said.
“The main thing I’m going to share with some of my new teammates is to take it all one day at a time and give every outing 100 percent,†Beyer said.
“If you do that day in and day out, suddenly it will be August, and you can look back at a nice body of work that you’ve put together. Then you can get ready to make a push down the stretch like we did last year.â€
Evansville will host Opening Night from Bosse Field against the Gateway Grizzlies May 15 at 6:35 p.m. Preseason exhibitions will begin May 2 for the Otters. The annual Education Day games will be May 6 and May 13 at 10 a.m.
#IMOMSOHARD Mom’s Night Out: Round 2! 2020 Tour Dates
Tickets on sale beginning Friday, February 28 @ 10am
Los Angeles, CA – The comedy duo of Jen Smedley and Kristin Hensley, creators and stars of the hit Facebook weekly series #IMomSoHard, have announced additional 2020 dates for their successful #IMOMSOHARD: Mom’s Night Out Round 2! Tour, which has been selling out across the country since the summer of 2018. Being a mom can be tough, which is why the #IMOMSOHARD duo is excited to give even more moms an opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable night out with friends. Tickets and VIP packages for the additional 2020 dates go on sale beginning Friday, February 28 @ 10am local. For more information, please visit imomsohard.com.
No one can make moms feel as uncomfortably normal as Hensley and Smedley. With more than 1.5 million followers on social media and 120 million views of their web series in less than 2 years, the Nebraska natives blend of honesty and humor resonates with moms and dads alike, proving these two have become the hottest tickets in town. One of their most shared episodes – I Swimsuit Season So Hard which featured the moms trying on the summer’s hottest/most ridiculous swimwear – garnered over 20 million views and coverage in the world’s top news outlets. The duo’s #IMOMSOHARD book made The New York Times Best Seller list, and their stand up special is streaming on Amazon Prime. The moms have appeared on a number of national TV shows including The Today Show, Nightline and The Doctors, and were chosen for People Magazine’s Best of 2017.
In the moms’ first mega-year of touring, the duo visited 72 cities in 2017 with their live stand-up show Mom’s Night Out – Summer Break Tour. Beginning in the summer of 2018, #IMOMSOHARD hit the road again with their all new Mom’s Night Out: Round 2! Tour which played 53 cities. Due to popular demand, the moms have added 2020 dates which will kick off in Texas, and extend through July 2020.
“If we learned anything from our first tour, it’s that you should never take two families with toddlers in one RV across the US. We also learned that, or were reminded rather, that women ROCK! Our shows have an audience full of comradery and support. Depending on how far we are into the evening, they can also be full of wine. It’s a raucous blast and a well-deserved night for moms who are craving that “recently released from prisonâ€- type of evening.†— Jen Smedley and Kristin Hensley
First Leg
Thursday, March 26, 2020 Friday, March 27, 2020 Saturday, March 28, 2020 Sunday, March 29, 2020 Saturday, May 9, 2020
Second Leg
Thursday, May 28, 2020 Friday, May 29, 2020 Saturday, May 30, 2020 Sunday, May 31, 2020 Friday, June 5, 2020 Saturday, June 6, 2020 Sunday, June 7, 2020 Thursday, June 18, 2020 Friday, June 19, 2020 Saturday, June 20, 2020 Thursday, June 25, 2020 Friday, June 26, 2020 Saturday, June 27, 2020 Friday, July 10, 2020 Saturday, July 11, 2020 Sunday, July 12, 2020
Ridgefield, WA Coquitlam, B.C. Reno, NV
Salt Lake City, UT Las Vegas, NV
Springfield, MA Bethlehem, PA National Harbor, MD Newark, NJ
Grand Island, NE Loveland, CO Colorado Springs, CO Jacksonville, FL Tampa, FL
Orlando, FL Huntsville, AL Birmingham, AL Biloxi, MS Cincinnati, OH Evansville, IN Memphis, TN
ilani’s Cowlitz Ballroom
Hard Rock Casino Vancouver
Silver Legacy Resort Casino
Eccles Theater
Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino
Symphony Hall
Wind Creek Event Center
MGM National Harbor
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Eihusen Arena (Heartland Events Center)
Budweiser Events Center
Pikes Peak Center*
Florida Theatre
Straz Center (Carol Morsani Hall)^
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (Walt Disney Theater) Mark C. Smith Concert Hall (Von Braun Center)
Concert Hall at the BJCC
Beau Rivage Theatre
Taft Theatre
Victory Theatre
Orpheum Theatre
*Colorado Springs, CO will go on sale Friday, March 6 at 10am local ^Tampa, FL will go on sale Friday, February 28 at 12pm local
Off-Duty Trooper is in the Right Place at the Right Time, Impaired Driver Arrested
Yesterday afternoon at approximately 3:00, Trooper Nick Hatfield was off-duty and driving his issued patrol car on US 41 near the Knox and Sullivan county line when he overhead Sullivan County Dispatch alert area officers about a possible ongoing domestic situation between a male driver and a female passenger in a 2000 Saturn that were traveling south on US 41 near CR 300 South. Multiple motorists reported the male and female were arguing and the male was driving erratic. Another caller reported the vehicle had stopped south of Carlisle and the female had attempted to get out before the vehicle continued south again on US 41. Trooper Hatfield observed the vehicle on US 41 near CR 975 South. The driver started to turn onto a county road, but made an unsafe lane movement to continue south on US 41. Trooper Hatfield activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Dusty Perry, 28, of Bloomington. An on-scene investigation concluded the domestic situation was only verbal and no physical battery occurred between Perry and his female passenger. During the investigation Perry showed signs of impairment, but he refused to submit to a chemical test. Perry was also driving on a suspended driver’s license. A search warrant was obtained and a blood sample was taken from Perry. Toxicology is pending. Perry was arrested and taken to the Sullivan County Jail where he is currently being held on bond.
Arrested and Charges:
- Dusty Perry, 28, Bloomington, IN
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Class C Misdemeanor
- Driving While Suspended, Class A Misdemeanor
Arresting Officer: Trooper Nick Hatfield, Indiana State Police
Assisting Agencies: Shelburn Town Marshal, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office.
