EPA Releases List Of Disinfectants To Use Against COVID-19
“Using the correct disinfectant is an important part of preventing and reducing the spread of illnesses along with other critical aspects such as hand washing,†said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “There is no higher priority for the Trump Administration than protecting the health and safety of Americans. EPA is providing this important information in a public and transparent manner on disinfectant products to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.â€
Products appearing on EPA’s list registered disinfectant products have qualified for use against COVID-19 through the agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program. This program allows product manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, that shows their products are effective against harder-to-kill viruses than SARS-CoV-2. It also allows additional communications intended to inform the public about the utility of these products against the emerging pathogen in the most expeditious manner.
Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses, meaning they are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill with the appropriate disinfectant product. Consumers using these disinfectants on an enveloped emerging virus should follow the directions for use on the product’s master label, paying close attention to the contact time for the product on the treated surface (i.e., how long the disinfectant should remain on the surface).
To view the list of EPA-registered disinfectant products, visit https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2
For Growing Numbers of Struggling U.S. Cities, the Downturn Has Arrived
FOR GROWING NUMBERS DF STRUGGING U. S. CITIES, THE DOWNTURN HAS ARRIVEDÂ
(A boom in some big metropolitan areas has masked fiscal weakness in cities tied to shrinking industries)
HARVEY, Ill.—Christopher Clark was elected mayor last year, pledging to seek business tax reductions and lower water bills. They were popular goals that seemed in reach given that city revenues had been rising almost every year since the recession.
On taking office, Mr. Clark quickly figured out the city’s progress had stalled. Property tax collections were down, and businesses were cutting jobs. A fall in city revenue, coupled with growing debt payments, meant there would be no relief from business taxes or water bills.
“We just have to figure out ways to do more with less,†Mr. Clark said, echoing a familiar mantra surfacing in dozens of U.S. cities.
A decade of growth in the U.S. economy allowed cities to patch fiscal holes left by the financial crisis and recession. A surprising number now see new signs of trouble.
The proportion of American cities expecting general-fund revenue to drop more than 3% when the books close on the 2019 fiscal year increased to 27% from 17% in fiscal 2018, when adjusted for inflation. That is one of the findings from a Wall Street Journal analysis of data collected from 478 U.S. municipalities by the National League of Cities, an advocacy group.
The total general-fund revenue reported by these cities—locales that span the U.S.—is expected to be lower in fiscal 2019 than in fiscal 2018, adjusted for inflation, the first such dip in seven years. Cities in the survey range in population from the low tens of thousands to the millions.
General-fund revenue typically represents dollars not earmarked for a specific purpose, a flexible pot of money to spend on public goods and services.
“It’s a big deal when you have this many cities concerned about the near-term future,†said Matt Fabian, a partner with municipal bond research firm Municipal Market Analytics. “Maybe they don’t hire new police as quickly as they did before…Maybe they put off plans to address the big challenges that cities are facing like pensions and climate change.â€
American cities are generally doing better than rural communities, buoyed by the U.S. expansion. Yet the boom in such metropolitan areas as Denver, Salt Lake City and Nashville, Tenn., masked fiscal weakness in cities tied to manufacturing and other shrinking industries.
Fallout from the coronavirus disease on the U.S. economy and city budgets is another potential setback. In the past week, New York City has held daily meetings of pension advisers, and California put out a warning to prospective municipal bond investors.
All regions of the U.S. contains cities that are losing fiscal ground, the Journal found. In the West, 29% of cities expected declines of more than 3% in general-fund revenue in fiscal 2019, up from 18% in fiscal 2018. In the South, the proportion of cities reporting a revenue drop went to 20% from 16%, using the same measure; in the Northeast, it went to 31% from 14%.
On the flip side, nearly 60% of U.S. cities reported general-fund revenue increases that outpaced inflation in fiscal 2018. Yet even in this group, expectations are fading: Cities expecting similar growth in fiscal 2019 fell to 53%.
Stagnating or declining revenues are easier to manage for growing cities in the West and South. In New England and the Midwest, many places are struggling with losses of population as well as industry.
Job losses hit hardest in cities that have been barely keeping pace with expenses during the recovery. Tighter household budgets translate into smaller sales-tax allocations. City populations shrink when residents follow jobs out of town, hurting home prices, commerce and property tax collections.
The general-revenue declines struck earliest in the Midwest, where combined inflation-adjusted city revenues fell by 4.3% in the 2018 fiscal year from 2017, the Journal found.
Over the 12 months ending in November, 28 metropolitan areas in the Midwest lost manufacturing jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including Detroit, Youngstown, Ohio, and Louisville, Ky.
Some losses stem from the shifting global economy and disruptions from the U.S.-China trade war. In Blue Springs, Mo., population 55,000, an auto-parts manufacturer last fall announced it was closing its plant to save costs, a loss of more than 150 local jobs. Operations are moving to Monterrey, Mexico, a company executive said. The city expects general-fund revenue to fall slightly for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
Other disasters have come out of the blue. In Wichita, Kan., aerospace company Spirit AeroSystems Inc. said in January it was laying off 2,800 workers after Boeing Co.’s decision to suspend production of its 737 MAX aircraft.
PENSION IOU
Many cities operating with little fiscal breathing room have been sweating to cover day-to-day city operations under the burden of growing retirement costs and past borrowing.
Bond and pension liabilities owed by roughly 1,000 U.S. cities ballooned nearly 25% to about $500 billion in 2018 compared with 2013, according to an analysis of data from Merritt Research Services. Roughly 50 million Americans live in cities that are devoting at least a fifth of annual spending to debt.
As many as 20 of the largest U.S. cities could face either service cuts or tax increases to cover the costs of pensions, retiree health care and interest on bond debt, according to a J.P. Morgan Asset Management study. New Haven, Conn., and Jersey City, N.J., for instance, raised taxes last year to cover such expenses.
Few municipalities are in a deeper hole for their size than Harvey, a city of 24,641 that was founded in 1891 by a lumber tycoon.
Harvey, located about 17 miles south of downtown Chicago, grew into an industrial center, producing car mufflers, farm and mining equipment and military airplane parts. When Mr. Clark, the new mayor, was born a half-century ago, the population was nearly 35,000. Roughly 46% of employed men over 16 worked in manufacturing, according to the 1970 census.
“Everybody had a nice fenced-off yard,†Mr. Clark recalled of his boyhood neighborhood. “There was either a Cadillac or a Lincoln in front.†The local Dixie Square Mall had more than 50 stores, including Woolworth and Montgomery Ward.
Mr. Clark drove a forklift before getting a scholarship to law school. He opened his law practice 10 years ago in a former jewelry store downtown.
Factories closed in the 1980s, taking jobs with them. By 1990, nearly 15% of men ages 25 to 54 were unemployed, according to the census. Dixie Square Mall was demolished in 2012 after closing years earlier.
Longtime residents dispersed to other states. For years, they held annual gatherings, called “Harvey Days,†in Florida, California and Arizona. The reunions drew thousands of people who had lived, worked or attended high school in Harvey, said Carl Durnavich, who helped organize many of them.
After the financial crisis, city services hit bottom. Broken streetlights went unrepaired, and the fire department was down to one working fire engine. Firefighters who couldn’t fit aboard, crammed into a pickup truck, said Ron DeYoung, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 471.
The economic recovery finally hit town. One of the city’s remaining manufacturers, Sterling Site Access Solutions, which straddles Harvey and the adjacent town of Phoenix, Ill., added roughly 100 jobs between 2013 and 2018. About half were skilled manufacturing positions. The local plant of an international lubricant-maker also expanded its workforce.
In 2018, the city’s total private-sector jobs ticked up for the first time in six years, according to a state report. Then, the following year, job numbers fell, eroding most of the gains.
Voters selected Mr. Clark, an outspoken alderman, as mayor. Local employers hailed him as an ally. In the weeks after Mr. Clark’s inauguration, residents reported that some alleys had been cleared for the first time in years.
BALANCING ACT
Harvey seemed poised for a turnaround. Signs of distress emerged instead. Property taxes, the city’s largest revenue source, fell in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended April 30, 2018. The decline wasn’t reported until an audit was completed in October.
Raising rates to make up the losses risked driving away residents and business. Sterling opened a new plant last year, but it was in Texas. Carter Sterling, the company’s chief executive, said he decided to expand out of state, in part, because property taxes in Harvey and neighboring Phoenix were too high. Property owners in Harvey pay some of the highest rates in the Chicago metropolitan area, according to an analysis from the Civic Federation, a business-backed watchdog group.
David Abshire, vice president at LB Steel, a local manufacturer, said the city’s property tax rates discourage new business, especially with city services falling short. Mr. Clark isn’t considering lowering property taxes, he said, because the city needs the money.
Mr. Abshire praised the mayor’s work so far, but he said he was still waiting for the city to raze the collapsing building across the street from LB Steel. It makes a poor impression on manufacturing executives he invites to see his nearly 500,000 square-foot facility.
“We have world-class customers coming here,†Mr. Abshire said. “They go, ‘Whoa, I don’t even know if I should drive in here.’ â€
City officials said they were working on securing funds to tear down many vacant structures in town.
Decisions by Mr. Clark’s predecessor, Eric Kellogg, drove up the city’s total bond debt to $35 million. Its liability to police and firefighter pension funds grew to $82 million. Use of some of the bond proceeds drew scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which charged the former mayor with fraud after finding the city spent investor money for a hotel project on payroll instead. In a civil settlement with the SEC, Mr. Kellogg agreed to stay out of future bond deals. He didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The state in 2018 began garnishing millions of dollars in city revenues to refill pension coffers. Like many cities, Harvey had long made smaller-than-needed payments to swelling pension obligations. During Mr. Kellogg’s tenure, the city paid nothing into police and fire pension funds for several years, according to city financial reports.
The city has less than 33 cents on hand for every dollar of benefits it has promised retired and working police officers and about 17 cents for every dollar owed retired and working firefighters, according to city records. As a measure of its contraction, Harvey sends paychecks to more retired firefighters than working ones.
Before taking office, Mr. Clark hoped officials representing police and fire pension funds would agree to accept smaller payments over a longer period, giving the city more leeway for urgent expenses. Fund officials haven’t agreed.
Bringing an economic recovery to Harvey will be a huge challenge, said City Councilwoman Shirley Drewenski, a college administrator. Her 3-bedroom house, built by her parents, was valued at $46,580 by the county assessor’s office, less than what she paid for her new car.
Mr. Clark is focused on making the most of the revenue he has. The city public works department bought two new snowplows and new mowers. Some streetlights are set to be repaired with a grant for energy-saving LED lighting.
“You know that some things aren’t going to happen,“ he said of the city’s prospects â€You know that you’re going to live a life of hand-me-downs.â€
FOOTNOTES: Cezary Podkul contributed to this article. Â Write to Heather Gillers at heather.gillers@wsj.com
Senator Braun Calls For Unanimous Passage Of Dignity For Aborted Children Act On Senate Floor
The Bill Would Ensure Abortion Providers Treat Fetal Remains With Respect Rather Than As Medical Waste
I believe all human life deserves a dignified burial, and fetal remains deserve to be treated with respect – not as medical waste.
Sadly, irreverence toward fetal remains like Dr. Klopfer’s grotesque collection is not an isolated incident. For example, in 2015 a Minnesota hospital threw out the body of a stillborn child with their dirty laundry.
Indiana led the way on this issue when Governor Mike Pence signed a 2016 law protecting the dignity of fetal remains, upheld by the Supreme Court last year in Box v. Planned Parenthood.
This legislation, the Dignity for Aborted Children Act, builds on Indiana’s success and provides guidelines for handling fetal remains and penalties for failing to respect the sanctity of human life, and ensures that crimes like Dr. Klopfer’s have consequences.
This bill would require abortion providers to dispose of the remains of unborn children just as any other human remains, or to release the remains to the family should they wish. Â
This bill does not tell anyone what to do with their body – it only holds human fetuses to a higher standard of dignity than medical waste.
Last week, this body could not agree to ban abortions after science tells us fetuses are capable of feeling pain.
This body could not agree to ensure that babies born alive after botched abortions should receive the same standard of care as a baby born in a hospital.
At the very least, we should be able to agree to treat the remains of unborn children with the reverence befitting a human life rather than as medical waste.
What I Am doing For The Upcoming COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic
What I Am doing For The Upcoming COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic
by  James Robb, MD UC San Diego
Dear Colleagues, As some of you, may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources.
The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.
Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:
1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.
2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.
3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip – do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.
4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.
5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.
6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home’s entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can’t immediately wash your hands.
7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain an infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!
What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:
1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.
Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land is infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.
2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you – it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth – it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.
3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.
4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY “cold-like” symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges are one brand available, but there are other brands available.
I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.
I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us!
Jim
James Robb, MD FCAP
FOOTNOTE: Â Today’s “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that our local Hospitals are to prepared to take the Coronavirus head-on?
This article was sent to us by our good friend Ronald Riecken of Evansville.
Winners Of Weekly Drawing For Two $100 Dinners Certificates At Cavanaugh’s Restaurant
Winners Of Weekly Drawing For Two $100 Dinners Certificates At Cavanaugh’s Restaurant
THIS WEEKS WINNERS OF A CAVANAUGHS RESTAURANT DINNER FOR TWO ARE SHIELA WOODRING AND BRIAN POLIVKA
 This week’s random drawings for two free $100 dinner certificates (for two current or new subscribers} at Cavanaugh’s Restaurant located at the Tropicana-  Evansville are: SHELBA WOODRING AND BRIAN POLIVKA. A member of our staff will be emailing you to make arrangements to deliver the certificates to you.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER
FOOTNOTE: Each dinner certificate is valued at $100 and will provide the winner and their guest with a gourmet dinner for two. Â Alcohol and Tips are not included in the Cavanaugh’s dinner gift certificates. Certificates are nontransferable and have no cash value.Â
FOOTNOTE: During a recent site re-assessment study conducted by our IT personnel, he detected a serious issue where many of our subscribers may have not been getting “Breaking News Alerts” from the City-County Observer.
In fact, we were surprised to find out that many thousands of potential subscribers laid dormant for the last five (5) years because a widget wasn’t activated properly.
This is our official notification to let you know that starting this week we have started to re-activate these dormant e-mails. Â When this task is completed the dormant e-mails will be added to our active subscriber’s list so that future City-County Observer “Breaking News Alerts” will be sent to our readers.
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AGENDA OF THE MARCH 9, 2020 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 9, 2020 ATÂ 5:30 P.M.
AGENDA
| I. | INTRODUCTION |
Agenda Attachment:
| II. | APPROVAL OF MEETING MEMORANDUM |
Draft Memo Attachment:
| III. | REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS |
| IV. | SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY |
| V. | CONSENT AGENDA:Â FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE F-2020-03 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Beane Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Beane Discussion Date: 3/30/2020 F-2020-03 Attachment:
B. ORDINANCE F-2020-04 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Approving the Annual Community Development Plan and Appropriating Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant and Home Investment Partnership Program Grant Funds Sponsor(s): Beane Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Beane Discussion Date: 3/30/2020 4:00pm F-2020-04 Attachment:
| VI. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| VII. | REGULAR AGENDA:Â SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE F-2020-02 Amended An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Beane Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Beane Discussion Date: 3/9/2020 F-2020-02 Amended Attachment:
B. ORDINANCE G-2020-03 Amended An Ordinance Creating Chapter 3.120 (Non-Profit Assistance) of the Evansville Municipal Code Sponsor(s): Weaver, Mosby, Elpers Discussion Led By: ASD Chair Trockman Discussion Date: 3/9/2020 G-2020-03 Amended Attachment:
C. RESOLUTION C-2020-05 Amended C-2020-05 Amended Attachment:
| VIII. | RESOLUTION DOCKET |
A. RESOLUTION C-2020-06 Resolution Regarding the City’s Assistance of Non-Profit Organizations Sponsor(s): Elpers Discussion Led By: President Burton Discussion Date: 3/9/2020 C-2020-06 Attachment:
| IX. | MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS |
A. THE NEXT MEETING of the Common Council will be Monday, March 30, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.
B. BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
C. 2019 EVANSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Chief Connelly
D. 2019 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT & 2020 TREE PLANTING INITIATIVE- Arborist Shawn Dickerson
E. ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
| X. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
A. ORDINANCE F-2020-04 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Approving the Annual Community Development Plan and Appropriating Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant and Home Investment Partnership Program Grant Funds Sponsor(s): Beane Discussion Led By: Finance Chair Beane Discussion Date: 3/30/2020 4:00pm F-2020-04 Attachment:
| XI. |
|
Eagles Return To Softball Diamond Friday
University of Southern Indiana Softball returns to the field Friday at 9:15 a.m. (CST) when it takes on Fairmont State University in its first game at The Spring Games in Winter Haven, Florida. The No. 24 Screaming Eagles are scheduled to play eight games throughout five days, including a Midwest Region bout with Cedarville University Friday at 11:30 a.m.
USI’s trip will be highlighted with a Top 25 bout with No. 12 Saint Anselm College Saturday at 8:15 a.m. The Eagles swept the Hawks in the NCAA II Softball Championship Series to win the 2018 national championship, while Saint Anselm defeated USI at The Spring Games last year.
In addition to Cedarville, the Eagles will face Midwest Region foes Northwood University and Hillsdale College as well as a Winona State University that is receiving votes outside the Top 25.
The Eagles’ game against Northwood, which is Sunday at 9:15 a.m. (CDT), is a rematch of USI’s 2-0 win over the Timberwolves at the Midwest Region Crossover two weeks ago. Hillsdale, who the Eagles play Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., has won two straight Great Midwest Athletic Conference titles.
USI also takes on Le Moyne College Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and Indiana University of Pennsylvania Sunday at 11:30 a.m. First-pitch for the USI-Winona State game is Tuesday at 2:45 p.m.
The Eagles’ games on Friday and Tuesday will be played at the Diamond Plex Softball Complex in Winter Haven, Florida, while their games on Saturday and Sunday will be played at the Auburndale Softball Complex in Jan Phyl Village, Florida.
Live statistical updates will be available at GoUSIEagles.com, while live video via FloSoftball can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Softball Notes
• Eagles heading to Florida for Spring Games. USI Softball heads to Florida to take part in The Spring Games March 6-10. The Eagles will play two games in Winter Haven, Florida, Friday before playing four games in Jan Phyl Village, Florida, Saturday and Sunday. They close out the trip with two games in Winter Haven March 10.
• USI goes 5-1 at Crossover. The Eagles went 5-1 at the Midwest Region Crossover in Westfield, Indiana, two weeks ago. Senior pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt paced the Eagles at the plate and in the circle. Leonhardt hit .429 with a triple and five RBI, while going 3-0 with a save in the circle.
• Leonhardt named GLVC Pitcher of the Week. Leonhardt garnered her eighth career GLVC Pitcher of the Week honor for her effort at the Midwest Region Crossover. In addition to her 3-0 record and her save, Leonhardt posted a 1.29 ERA, 26 strikeouts and a .149 opponent batting average in 21 2/3 innings of work. She also picked up her school-record 35th complete-game shutout of the year in USI’s 2-0 win over Northwood.
• Brown earns win. Sophomore pitcher Elissa Brown earned her first win of the year in USI’s 10-8 win over Ohio Dominican. She allowed just two runs, one earned, in 4 2/3 innings of work.
• Goodin continues strong offensive start. Freshman pitcher/infielder Allie Goodin continued her strong play at the plate at the Midwest Region Crossover. Goodin hit .421 with three doubles and six RBI. On the year, Goodin leads the Eagles with a .452 batting average to go along with four doubles and seven RBI.
• Martinez finding nitch as No. 2 hole hitter. Freshman second baseman Rachel Martinez found her comfort zone as the Eagles’ No. 2 hole hitter at the Midwest Region Crossover. The first-year star hit .381 with two doubles, two triples, six RBI and seven runs scored.
• Ricketts erupts for seven RBI. Senior shortstop Taylor Ricketts had a monster weekend at the Midwest Region Crossover. She hit .375 with a double, triple and team-high seven RBI during the six-game stretch.
• Extra innings. The Eagles played four extra-inning games during their five-game weekend at The Cottrell Foundation Loyal Blue Classic. That total was one more extra inning game than the combined total of extra-inning games the Eagles competed in throughout the last two years.