[Evansville, IN] Youth First, Inc. is celebrating a $20,000 grant award from Ascension St. Vincent Evansville for Youth First mental health services and prevention programs in partner schools throughout the Catholic Diocese of Evansville.

The check presentation was hosted at Mater Dei High School to represent the 27 Youth First partner schools in the Catholic Diocese of Evansville. Youth First’s impactful work would not be possible without tremendous support from community partners like Ascension St. Vincent Evansville.

Ascension’s mission of delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to those most vulnerable, aligns with Youth First’s mission of strengthening youth and families by providing evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success.

Alex Chang, Ascension President, South Region, says, “Ascension St. Vincent’s collaboration with Youth First strengthens the safety net around students in the Evansville Catholic Diocese. By supporting Youth First’s mental health services within the parochial schools, this partnership ensures that young people have the guidance, resources, and encouragement they need to thrive—academically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

The grant to Youth First will allow for continued mental health support for students in partner Catholic Diocese of Evansville schools. Across its service footprint, Youth First partners with 130 schools in 14 Indiana counties to embed substance misuse prevention programs and over 100 skilled mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers) in school buildings, where they provide caring mental health support for students and prevention coaching for parents and teachers. Youth First Mental Health Professionals build caring relationships, foster readiness for positive change, and boost resiliency, along with other valuable life skills.

Youth First’s positive work and strategies are driving growth, with more schools seeking their valuable expertise to address the growing need for mental health support for students. As Mater Dei High School Principal Darin Knight says, “For the past 25 years, Mater Dei has been truly blessed by the support Youth First has provided our students. Valorie Dassel, LCSW, LCAC, has faithfully served as our Youth First Mental Health Professional, positively impacting hundreds—if not thousands—of students through her expertise and compassion. From mental health challenges to family struggles and substance abuse, she helps our students navigate real-world issues and develop the values and resilience they need for adulthood. We are deeply grateful to community partners like Ascension for recognizing the importance of these programs in our Catholic schools and continuing to support Youth First.”

Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of S. 1071, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026(NDAA):

“I was proud to vote for the NDAA to enact President Trump’s successful peace through strength agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders to eliminate woke priorities, strengthen our national defense, and deter our adversaries. The NDAA also prioritizes biotechnology development and ensures our brave men and women in uniform have access to the most innovative technologies. As a combat veteran, I supported this bill to strengthen our national defense capabilities, support our military families, restore deterrence, and ensure our military is the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen.”

Additional Background on the FY2026 NDAA:

• Provides enlisted servicemembers with a 4% pay raise.
• Expands our counter-drone defenses and new technologies.
• Codifies 15 of President Trump’s Executive Orders.
• Advances the Golden Dome and enhances America’s nuclear deterrent and new nuclear power technologies.
• Protects America’s long-term investments and economic interests.
• Fully supports the deployment of National Guard and active-duty troops at the southwest border to intercept illegal aliens and drugs.
• Strengthens our defense industrial base and supply chains.
• Accelerates the development and delivery of space capabilities to counter Chinese and Russian nuclear arsenals and space surveillance.
• Streamlines operations by eliminating $20 billion in obsolete weapons, inefficient programs, and Pentagon bureaucracy.
• Eliminates Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs that discourage military readiness.

Attorney General Todd Rokita urges Hoosiers to check toys, furniture, clothing, vehicles, and household items before wrapping gifts or using them this holiday season.

Just weeks before Christmas, Attorney General Todd Rokita is sounding the alarm on dozens of dangerous products recalled nationwide in November 2025 — many of them top-selling holiday gifts and everyday items already in Indiana homes.

“The holidays should be a time of togetherness, not a time to worry about defective products that could cause you or your family harm,” Attorney General Todd Rokita said. “Hoosiers need to know if purchased items are flawed or have the potential to hurt them or their families. If you have purchased one of these recalled products, you should stop using them immediately and follow the manufacturer’s recall instructions.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports the following products were recalled in November:  

Outdoor Products and Vehicles: 

These products pose a risk of serious injuries.

• Baby High Chairs (convertible) : Product was sold without the required attached restraint system, posing a deadly fall hazard and entrapment hazard to babies and children; sold online on Amazon. 

• Certain Tesla Powerwall 2 AC Battery Power System: The lithium-ion battery cells in certain Powerwall 2 systems can cause the unit to stop functioning during normal use, which can result in overheating and, in some cases, smoke or flame and can cause death or serious injury due to fire and burn hazards; sold at Tesla.com/ powerwall and through certified Tesla installers nationwide. 

• Lezyne Pressure Over Drive Bicycle Floor Pumps: The pump’s canister can forcefully eject from the base when pressurized, posing a risk of serious injury from impact to the user or bystander; sold at bicycle stores nationwide, including Art’s Cyclery, Incycle , Bike Bling, Sports Basement and Over the Edge Sports; and online at ride.lezyne.com, Jensonusa.com, Backcountry.com and Velotech.com.

• Model Year 2025 Spartan SRT-XD and KGZ-XD riding lawn mowers: The riding mower’s steering arm dampers can be installed incorrectly, which can result in an unexpected bouncing motion and loss of operator control, posing a crash hazard; sold at Spartan dealers nationwide. 

• MoonSoll and Magic Chems Fuel Bottles: The product violates the federal safety standard for portable fuel containers because they lack flame mitigation devices required by the  Portable Fuel Container Safety Act, posing a deadly risk of flash fire; sold at Amazon.com. 

• Ozark Trail Tabletop 1-Burner Butane Camping Stoves: The stoves can explode or catch fire, posing a burn and fire hazard to consumers ; sold at Walmart stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com. 

• Peloton Original Series Bike+ Model PL02: The bike’s seat post assembly can break during use, posing fall and injury hazards to the user; sold at Peloton and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores nationwide and online at onepeloton.com, ebay.com, Amazon.com, and Dickssportinggoods. com.

• Three-Wheeled Children’s Scooter with Foot Brake: The left front wheel can detach during use, posing a fall hazard; sold at specialty stores nationwide and online at kongessloejd.com.

• Trek and Electra-branded Bicycles with Coaster Brakes and Replacement Rear Wheels with Coaster Brakes: The coaster brakes can fail to engage, resulting in the rider losing control, posing a crash hazard; sold at Trek and Electra authorized retailers nationwide, in stores and online, as well as at Trek.com.

• Alinux Baby Loungers: Product poses serious risks of fall and entrapment hazards to infants as sides are too low; sold on Amazon.

• Anzmtosn Magnet Fidget Spinner Sets: Magnets are swallowed, they can attract each other, or other metal objects, and become lodged in the digestive system resulting in perforations, twisting, and/or blockage of the intestines, blood poisoning and death; sold on Amazon. 

• 4-in-1 Baby Safety Cart Carriage: Violates the mandatory standard for  strollers  because the restraint system can fail, posing a risk of serious injury or deadly fall hazard; sold at AliExpress.com. 

• Bearlala Baby Loungers : Product violates the mandatory standard for  Infant Sleep Products and can lead to an unsafe sleeping environment and can cause death or serious injury to infants; sold at Walmart.com. 

• Bettina Doll Set with Magic Light Unicorn: Battery compartment of the unicorn contains button cell batteries that can be easily accessed by children. When button cell or coin batteries are swallowed, the ingested batteries can cause serious injuries, internal chemical burns and death; sold at Amazon. 

• Children’s WYBITNY Bed Rails: When installed adjacent to the bed, the child can become entrapped in the enclosed openings posing a risk of serious injury or death due to entrapment; sold at Amazon. 

• Criblike aftermarket play yard and non-full sized crib mattresses: The mattresses violate mandatory standards , posing a risk of deadly entrapment hazard. The non-full-sized crib mattress also fails to meet the mandatory standard for mattress set flammability; sold at Amazon. 

• Grow ‘N Stow Folding Learning Tower: The platform inside the tower can collapse, posing a fall hazard to young children; sold at Walmart stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, Littlepartners.com, Etsy.com, Wayfair.com, Goodbyegear.com, Buybuybaby.com and Bedbathandbeyond.com.

• Inkari Plush Alpaca Toys: The recalled toys are intended for children under three years of age, and the eyes can detach, which violates the small parts ban, posing a choking hazard to children.

• Macardac Baby Loungers: The sides are too low to contain an infant and the enclosed openings at the foot of the loungers are wider than allowed, posing serious risks of fall and entrapment hazards to infants; sold online on Amazon. 

• Mallimoda Children’s Pajama Sets: Product violates the mandatory standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of serious injuries or deadly burn hazard to children ; sold on Amazon.

• Napei Collapsible Infant Bath Tubs : Product violates mandatory standards and contains button cell or coin batteries that can be accessed easily by children. If batteries are swallowed, the ingested batteries can cause serious injuries, internal chemical burns and death; sold at Amazon. 

• Outdoor Master Children’s and Youth Helmets: The helmets can fail to protect the user in the event of a crash, posing a risk of injury or death due to head injury; sold online at Amazon.com and Walmart.com . 

• Play Yards: Infants can become entrapped under the mattress or between the side of the play yard and the mattress, posing a risk of serious injury or deadly suffocation hazard; sold on Amazon. 

• Sofoliana and Glotika Baby Loungers: The sides of the product are too low to contain an infant and the enclosed openings at the foot of the loungers are wider than allowed, posing serious risks of fall and entrapment hazards to infants; sold at Amazon.

• Umeyda Nightgowns: The product violates the mandatory flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children; sold at Amazon.  

• Vevor Baby Swings: The swings were marketed for infant sleep and have an incline angle greater than 10 degrees, violating the mandatory safety standard for  Infant Sleep Products  and the ban on inclined sleepers under the  Safe Sleep for Babies Act , posing a deadly suffocation risk; sold at Vevor.com and Amazon.com.

• Zigjoy Toddler Sleep Sacks with Feet: The sleep sacks violate the mandatory flammability standard for children’s sleepwear, posing a burn hazard and risk of serious injury or death to children; sold at Amazon.com and zigjoy.com. 

• Zippee Activity Toys: The toys contain spherical ends that can reach the back of the throat, posing a serious choking hazard to children; sold at Amazon.com and PlayMobi.com and other online platforms and in specialty toy stores. 

• Ebern Designs Ojaswi 12-Drawer Dressers: The recalled dressers are unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in serious injuries or death to children; sold on Wayfair.com.

• Great Lakes Select Button Cell and Coin Batteries: The button cell and lithium coin batteries are not in child-resistant packaging and do not bear the warning labels required under  Reese’s Law . If a child swallows button cell or coin batteries, the ingested batteries can cause serious injuries, including internal chemical burns and death; sold at Downeast Wholesalers Renys, International Wholesale, Lots & More, Northwoods Wholesale Outlet, a Ben Franklin store in Tennessee, and other stores.

• Ikuso Safety Gates: The product violates the mandatory standard for  expansion gates and expandable enclosures because a child’s torso can fit through the opening between the gate slat and the side wall, posing a risk of serious injury or death due to entrapment; sold at Amazon. 

• KingPavonini Adult Portable Bed Rails: Product violates the mandatory standard for  adult portable bed rails  because when the bed rails are attached to a bed, users can become entrapped within the bed rail or between the bed rail and the side of the mattress, posing a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation; sold on Amazon.com.

• Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG bottles: The bottle can break or shatter, posing a laceration hazard; sold at Costco stores in IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI. 

• MyOnlyStyler Root Booster Hair Dryers: The handheld hair dryers lack an immersion protection device, which presents a substantial product hazard to consumers, posing the risk of death or serious injury from electrocution or shock if the hair dryers fall into water while plugged in ; sold online at Amazon.com .

• Neaude Adult Portable Bed Rails: The product violates the mandatory standard for adult portable bed rails, posing a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation. The bed rails do not have the required warning labels; sold on Amazon.

• Portable Power Banks and Wireless Charging Stands: The lithium-ion battery in the power banks and charging stands can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers; sold at Best Buy, Target, Walmart and other stores nationwide and online at Belkin.com, Amazon.com and on TikTok.

• Romorgniz Fabric 12- and 13-Drawer Dressers: Product is unstable if they are not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in injuries or death to children; sold at Amazon.com. 

• STIHL BR 800 Backpack Blower: The fan wheel inside the backpack blower can break apart, posing a laceration hazard; sold at a uthorized STIHL independent dealers nationwide.

• Vivohome Adult Portable Bed Rails: When the bed rails are attached to a bed, users can become entrapped within the bed rail or between the bed rail and the side of the mattress posing a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation; sold at Amazon.com. 

• Y’all Can DIY Liquid Bioethanol Fireplace Fuel Containers: The recalled fuel containers violate the mandatory safety standards for portable fuel containers because they lack flame mitigation devices required under the  Portable Fuel Container Safety Act , posing a deadly risk of flash fire; sold at Amazon.

If you believe you recently purchased a recalled product, stop using it, and check its recall notice (linked above for all products). Then follow the notice’s instructions, including where to return the product, how to get the product fixed, how to dispose of the product, how to receive a refund for the product or what steps must be taken to receive a replacement product.