Attorney General Todd Rokita attends Trump administration announcement of bold actions to stop sex-rejecting procedures on minors

12/20/2025

New HHS rules echo Hoosier common sense

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday announced bold federal actions to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation done in the name of “gender transition.” Attorney General Todd Rokita was one of two state attorneys general attending the announcement in the nation’s capital.

“We must protect our kids and put an end to these irreversible and harmful experimental procedures that often lead to lifelong regret,” Attorney General Rokita said afterward. “We are blessed to have an administration in the White House fully committed to the same kind of commonsense values that prevail among everyday Hoosiers in Indiana.”

Secretary Kennedy signed a declaration stating that sex-rejecting treatments on children do not meet professionally recognized standards of health care.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced Thursday that his agency would release a notice of proposed rulemaking to prohibit hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Under another proposed CMS rule, Medicaid would no longer fund sex-rejecting procedures for minors.

These actions, among others, came a day after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which would criminalize the act of performing sex-rejecting on minors.

In Indiana, Attorney General Rokita has prioritized protecting children from these cruel and dangerous procedures.

In federal court, Attorney General Rokita has strenuously and successfully defended an Indiana law enacted in 2023 that prohibits medical practitioners from providing gender transition procedures to minors, including surgeries, hormone treatments and puberty blockers.

In 2024, Attorney General Rokita co-led a successful 22-state amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the State of Tennessee’s authority to enforce a law that — similar to Indiana’s — prohibits medical interventions before age 18 intended to alter boys’ or girls’ appearance and physiology so that they resemble members of the opposite sex.

Also in 2024, Attorney General Rokita and 14 other states successfully sued the Biden administration over a rule transforming a federal prohibition on sex discrimination into one on gender identity discrimination. The rule could have forced medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormones to both children and adults for the purpose of gender transition.

DEATH LIST REPORT

12/20/2025

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WEEKLY DEATH REPORT NOV 17 TO NOV 23, 2025

Aces to Wrap Up Non-Conference Slate at Dayton

12/20/2025

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team will wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule this Sunday, traveling to Dayton to take on the Flyers. Tip-off is set for Noon

Series History
– Sunday marks the 15th meeting between Evansville and Dayton
– Evansville leads the series 8-6
– Sunday is just the second meeting between the two teams since 1993
– Dayton and Evansville were conference foes in the North Star Conference from 1984-86 and the MCC from 1988-93

Three-Point Threat
– Logan Luebbers Palmer knocked down 6 three-pointers in Wednesday’s MVC opener at Belmont, marking the second time this season that Luebbers Palmer has made 6 threes in a game
– The 6 threes are a career-high for Luebbers Palmer and the most in a game by an Ace this season
– The sophomore has been among the MVC’s top 3-point shooters this year, ranking second in the Valley with 30 3-point field goals and seventh in the league with a 30.9% mark from three entering the weekend

Post Presence
– Odessa College transfer Mireia Mustaros has come into her own over the last three games, establishing herself as a formidable post presence for the Aces
– In her last three games, Mustaros has averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists
– At Belmont on Wednesday, Mustaros scored a season-high 9 points in 20 minutes of action
– After starting the season 5-for-16 from the free throw line, Mustaros is 9 for her last 12 at the charity stripe

Scouting the Opponent
– Dayton brings a 6-5 record into the week and is coming off a 65-58 win over Western Michigan on Thursday
– Last season, the Flyers posted an 18-13 record with a 11-7 mark in A-10
– Nayo Lear leads the Flyers in scoring with 15.7 ppg

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

12/20/2025

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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Eagles battle past Trojans to earn fourth consecutive OVC-opening win

12/19/2025

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball opened its Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a 57-40 home victory against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Thursday.

USI Women’s Basketball (7-2, 1-0 OVC) earned its fourth consecutive win in OVC openers and recorded its third overall win in a row. Following Thursday’s triumph, USI’s defense has held the opposition to under 60 points in the last three games and under 45 points in two of the last three.

The Screaming Eagles were led in scoring by senior guard Ali Saunders, who tallied a game-high 15 points. Playing in her second game of the season, freshman forward Channah Gannon recorded her second game in a row scoring in double figures with 11 points. Junior guard Sophia Loden added 10 points.

As a team, USI shot for just over 31 percent (19-60) with six three-pointers and over 86 percent (13-15) at the free-throw line. Little Rock, which dropped to 4-7 overall and 1-1 in OVC play, was held to only 30 percent (16-53) from the floor and below 12 percent (2-17) from three-point range.

In the opening minutes on Thursday, Little Rock grabbed an early 8-3 lead thanks to a couple of early threes, but the Screaming Eagles quickly answered back to knot the game up at nine midway through the opening quarter. Later in the first quarter, the Trojans went up by four, but USI took advantage of Little Rock turnovers and went 8-8 at the foul line to end the first quarter on a 9-0 run and jump in front, 20-15.

The Trojans closed the gap down to one by the seven-minute mark of the second quarter. However, the combination of junior forward Chloe Gannon and Channah Gannon pushed the Eagles to a seven-point advantage, 26-19, at the media timeout. A couple of minutes later, Channah Gannon and Saunders canned back-to-back triples to increase USI’s lead to double digits, 32-21. Sophomore guard Lexi Sepulveda tacked on another trey, while USI’s defense held Little Rock scoreless for the last four minutes of the first half to go into halftime with a 35-21 lead.

The 9-0 run that USI ended the first half on swelled to a 19-0 run, as the Screaming Eagles scored the first 10 points of the second half. Saunders reached double figures on a mid-range jumper, giving USI a 45-21 lead. Little Rock got into the second-half scoring column three and a minutes into the third period. Not long after, Channah Gannon scored to reach double digits for the second straight game. The Eagles continued to lean on their defense to maintain their 20-point advantage, leading 49-29 heading to the fourth quarter.

USI got off to a slow start in the fourth quarter, as Little Rock chipped away to climb within 11, 49-38. The Eagles snapped the run and got on the board three and a half minutes into the fourth on a jumper by Saunders. After the Trojans brought it within 11 with 6:45 left, USI held Little Rock scoreless until less than 40 seconds left in the game. Meanwhile, the Screaming Eagles added back onto its advantage to seal the conference-opening victory.

The Screaming Eagles get back after it for another Ohio Valley Conference contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Morehead State University inside Liberty Arena. Fans are encouraged to join the holiday spirit by wearing an ugly holiday sweater.

Saturday’s game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM and WREF 97.7 FM. Tickets for all home games at Liberty Arena can be purchased online at usiscreamingeagles.com or the USI Ticket Office.

Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

12/19/2025

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Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

Whether you’re naughty or nice, money could be waiting for you underneath the Unclaimed Property tree

12/19/2025

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Attorney General Todd Rokita is reminding Hoosiers to look for possible Christmas cash at IndianaUnclaimed.gov this holiday season.

“Sure, there’s always a chance you’ll find no more than a lump of coal,” Attorney General Rokita said. “But every day, many Hoosiers are surprised to find their names on the list in our Unclaimed Property database. And it doesn’t even matter whether you’ve been naughty or nice because this money is already rightfully yours, anyway.”

Unclaimed property is real cash from forgotten wages, old bank accounts, safe-deposit boxes, refunds and more.

This year, Attorney General Rokita ’s Unclaimed Property team shattered its 2023 record by returning more than $86 million — with a couple weeks still left in 2025.

So, head to IndianaUnclaimed.gov or text CLAIM to 46220. It’s fast, free, secure and easier than wrapping one more present. 

You can also contact the Unclaimed Property Division at 1-866-462-5246 or updmail@atg.in.gov.

UE Athletics teams up with vivenu for on-campus ticketing

12/19/2025

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New system to be implemented for spring of 2026

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville athletics has announced a partnership with vivenu to handle ticketing for on-campus sporting events.

The new software will be utilized starting with home Purple Aces baseball and softball games in the spring of 2026. Along with its use by UE athletics, May Studio Theater on the UE campus will utilize the software for its shows.

“We are excited to be utilizing and partnering with vivenu for our on-campus ticketing needs when it comes to our athletic events. This ticketing platform will bring a new level of convenience and professionalism to our athletic events on campus,” UE Senior Associate Athletics Director for Revenue Generation Logan Belz exclaimed. “Buying tickets is the first experience individuals have when they come to an Aces game and with vivenu’s state of the art ticketing system, that experience for fans will be first-class.”

By leveraging vivenu’s API-first platform, UE will have the ability to unify its diverse needs—from athletics and performing arts to student activities—streamline operations, and, most importantly, own 100% of its customer data. This is important to provide the infrastructure for UE to expand its fan engagement while allowing the opportunity for long-term revenue growth.

“It’s a great day to welcome the University of Evansville to the vivenu family,” vivenu CEO Darby Roggow said. “The UE community—from its dedicated student body to its loyal alumni—deserves a ticketing experience that is as modern and dynamic as the University itself. Our partnership is rooted in giving UE full control over its ticketing future.”

Indiana Pacers fans can now vote for their favorite player or players to send to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game

12/19/2025

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Indiana Pacers fans can now vote for their favorite player or players they would like to send to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game by visiting Pacers.com/Vote.

NBA All-Star voting opened at noon ET today and concludes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Fans with an NBA ID may submit one ballot each day via the NBA App and NBA.com. Additionally, there will be “3-for-1 days” for voting, in which votes count three times, on Dec. 21, Dec. 25, Dec. 30, Jan. 7 and Jan. 14.

The NBA All-Star Weekend will take place Feb. 13-15, 2026, in Los Angeles.

To encourage Pacers fans to vote for Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam, the team launched “The 2026 All-Star Awards” and “Vote ‘Cers presented by Xfinity” campaign online and are planning special activations along the main concourse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during games, including:

- Hollywood Walk-of-Fame stars and a “Gold Carpet” activation in Section 3
- Photo opportunities
- Exclusive posters featuring Indiana Pacers nominees

Misconduct complaint against Rokita dismissed, but senator seeks to revive it

12/19/2025

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BY: TOM DAVIES, INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE

A state senator wants to keep pressing her professional misconduct complaint against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita after the commission that reviews such allegations decided not to take action in the case.

Rokita’s office released a letter from the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission about the grievance — filed in May by Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne — after she told the Indiana Capital Chronicle last week that the case remained pending.

Brown submitted the complaint after Rokita said in a radio interview that she used her position as Senate Judiciary Committee chair to block an immigration enforcement bill last session because she has an “illegal alien” in her family.

Brown called that claim “blatantly false” and argued Rokita violated rules against lawyers making false statements

The Disciplinary Commission, however, reviewed a response submitted by Rokita’s attorneys and “voted to close the matter,” the letter said. It was dated Nov. 14 and signed by commission Executive Director Adrienne Meiring.

Brown told the Capital Chronicle this week that she has filed an appeal of that decision. She declined further comment.

Rokita’s lawyers argued in his response that Brown’s grievance was “meritless on its face” and was filed in retaliation for statements protected under First Amendment free speech rights.

“Senator Brown violated the First Amendment by retaliating with an arm of the government, and the Commission violated the First Amendment by giving effect to her retaliation,” the response said. “The Commission should have recognized the political, retaliatory nature of her grievance — as well as its substantive failure to raise a substantial question of misconduct and its affront to the freedom of speech — and dismissed the grievance without demanding a response from General Rokita.”

Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathryn Dolan said someone filing a grievance may ask the Disciplinary Commission to reconsider its decision. But Dolan said she could not provide any details about a grievance that does not result in the commission seeking disciplinary action.

Ongoing conflict

The dispute between Rokita and Brown continues on the legislative front, as the attorney general’s office last week criticized Senate Bill 76, authored by Brown, as an “inadequate response” to prevent businesses from hiring people who are in the country illegally. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 to advance the bill to the full Senate, which could take up the proposal in January.

Rokita and Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Banks have repeatedly criticized Brown on social media over the bill she blocked in her committee last session.

They also are backing Darren Vogt, who works on Banks’ Senate staff and is a Northwest Allen County Schools board member, in a GOP primary challenge to Brown’s 2026 reelection bid.

The Supreme Court justices issued a reprimand in 2023 against Rokita over comments he made during a Fox News interview about Indianapolis physician Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.

The justices voted in October to dismiss separate misconduct allegations against Rokita stemming from his defiant response to that reprimand decision.