The Celebration of Ronald H. Cosby will be on August 16, 2025. We invite all who wish to honor Ron.
Services will be at Alexander Funeral Home- East Chapel
2115 Lincoln Ave.
Evansville, IN 47714
Time: 11:00-1:00 with services at 1:00
Contributions and donations may be made to:
https://navysealfoundation.org – support of Navy Seals in honor of Ronald Cosby
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer is projected to place sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors.
The 10-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other once for a nine-match conference schedule. The OVC postseason tournament starts on campus sites with the first round and quarterfinal matches on October 30 and November 2, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting matches. The event switches to the site of the No. 1 seed the following weekend with semifinal and championship matches on November 6 and 9.
Tennessee Tech University, the 2024 OVC regular-season champions, topped the OVC preseason poll with 156 points and 14 first-place votes. Lindenwood University, the reigning OVC tournament champions, was picked second with 146 points and six first-place votes.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Morehead State University were selected third and fourth with 127 and 103 points, respectively. The fifth spot went to Eastern Illinois University with 86 points before USI in sixth with 78 points. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (65), the University of Tennessee at Martin (64), Southeast Missouri State University (57), and Western Illinois University (18) rounded out the preseason poll.
As part of the OVC’s preseason announcement, redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer represented USI on the 2025 OVC Women’s Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List. Last season, Boer tied a team-best three goals and added an assist for seven points on the 2024 campaign. Boer made 11 starts in 14 appearances and totaled over 600 minutes last year, finishing strong after a midseason injury. One of Boer’s three goals in 2024 came in the OVC quarterfinal match against Morehead State.
Seniors Charli Grafton and Emerson Grafton were also highlighted in the OVC’s preseason announcement as USI’s two returning all-conference players. Both were named Second-Team All-OVC in 2024. Charli Grafton anchored USI’s defense in all 19 matches last season, playing all but 30 minutes during the season, and helped USI collect four shutouts. She also scored a goal and was a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2024. Emerson Grafton paced Southern Indiana with 12 points on a team-high six assists, which ranked second in the OVC, and tied with Boer for a team-best three goals. She made 14 starts and appeared in all 19 matches last season. In addition to being named to the 2024 OVC All-Newcomer Team, she earned OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the final week of the 2024 regular season.
USI hosts Illinois State University in a preseason exhibition match on Saturday at 3 p.m. from Strassweg Field before kicking off the 2025 regular season on the road with a first-ever contest against a power-conference opponent when the Screaming Eagles visit the University of Nebraska on August 14 at 7 p.m. The Screaming Eagles will open their regular-season home slate on August 17 at 1 p.m. against Cleveland State University. The first OVC contest of 2025 is September 20, when Southern Indiana travels to UT Martin.
We’re proud to invite you to take part in a very special part of our inaugural Patriot Gala, happening November 1st, 2025, at the CK Newsome Center.
At the heart of this evening is a powerful moment of recognition, honoring individuals whose courage, compassion, and service have shaped our communities for the better. We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Patriot Gala Awards, and we need your help identifying those who deserve the spotlight.
🏅 Award Categories:
🔴 Valor Award (Red) – Honors extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of adversity. This may include acts of bravery, sacrifice, or quiet strength shown in service to others or the community.
⚪ Unity Award (White) – Celebrates those who bring people together, champion inclusion, and build bridges between diverse groups with integrity and empathy.
🔵 Honor Award (Blue) – Recognizes individuals or organizations who have shown steadfast commitment to service, duty, and patriotism—whether through professional roles or a lifetime of quiet leadership.
⭐ Patriot Award – Our most prestigious honor. This award is given to someone whose lifetime of service, sacrifice, and community impact exemplifies what it means to be a true patriot.
Note: Nominees do not have to be active military, Veterans, or first responders—although they are certainly welcome. We encourage nominations for anyone whose life has been defined by community service, integrity, and impact.
The deadline to get nominations in is September 1, 2025
📝 Nominate Today:
Click below to submit your nomination. It only takes a few minutes and could mean the world to someone who has given so much to others.
Please share this opportunity with others in your network—help us make sure no quiet hero goes unrecognized.
“Paving the Way” campaign launched to support stronger, safer streets citywide
The City of Evansville announced today that it will pursue a municipal wheel tax to provide a stable, dedicated source of funding for road and street improvements, responding to long-standing infrastructure challenges and one of the most frequent concerns raised by city residents.
In 2026, Evansville is projected to lose millions of dollars in property tax revenue due to changes in state law (Senate Bill 1, now known as Senate Enrolled Act 1, or SEA1). During the same legislative session, Indiana passed House Enrolled Act 1461 (HEA 1461), requiring cities to adopt the Wheel and Excise Tax in order to qualify for Lane Mile Distribution Dollars – a new, guaranteed state funding stream for local roads.
“Wheel taxes are going to be something you’re going to need to use,” Governor Mike Braun recently told a Mayor’s Conference audience in Elkhart, Indiana. “If you don’t do that, it’s going to be hard for the state to partner up in places that need even more for their own roads.”
By adopting this tax, Evansville can secure its fair share of those state Lane Mile Distribution dollars.
The new initiative, titled “Paving the Way,” reflects the City’s commitment to building a stronger Evansville, block by block and street by street, starting with the foundational infrastructure residents rely on every day.
City Council President Ben Trockman and Mayor Stephanie Terry will be available to media today at 11:30 a.m. in the mayor’s office, Room 302 of the Civic Center, to discuss the initiative.
The ordinance will be introduced at Monday’s City Council meeting by councilors Trockman (D-1st Ward), Missy Mosby (D-2nd Ward), Zac Heronemus (D-3rd Ward), and Paul Green (D-At Large).
“We all drive the same roads, and we all feel the impact when they fall into disrepair,” said Mayor Stephanie Terry.“This step ensures we can take real action beyond patching potholes. This will help us make sustained progress across our neighborhoods.”
A Clear Need
Each year, Evansville has approximately $3 million available for street repairs and resurfacing. Even when coupled with state Community Crossing funds, the number well short of the $12 million experts estimate is needed annually to keep roads from further deteriorating.
Fully restoring city streets would require an estimated $15-$20 million per year over several years.
The proposed wheel tax would apply when residents renew their vehicle registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. For most drivers, the cost would be $25 per year – just over $2 per month:
City officials estimate this will raise approximately $2.7 million per year, which would be legally restricted to capital improvements such as street resurfacing, sidewalk upgrades, and curb work. They cannot be used for salaries or unrelated city services.
“Revenue from the wheel tax will go directly into Evansville’s Road And Street Fund,” said City Council President Ben Trockman, who is sponsoring the ordinance. “Most importantly, it will help unlock up to $4.5 million in state matching funds through the Community Crossings Grant — a major opportunity to improve and rebuild our city’s streets for everyone who uses them.”
A priority list of street improvement projects will be published prior to implementation, with initial work focused on heavily traveled thoroughfares and residential areas with persistent maintenance backlogs.
The City will also publish an annual report showing how every dollar was used.
Next Steps
City Council will review the proposed wheel tax ordinance in the coming weeks. If approved, it would go into effect in 2026, aligning with BMV registration cycles. Full details, including estimated revenue and project planning will be available at evansville.in.gov/fixtheroads.
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FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
