Sampson is an 11-year-old male terrier mix. (Likely Yorkshire or Silky Terrier.) He’s a friendly & happy little dude! He was also recently groomed. His adoption fee is $130 and includes his neuter, microchip, and vaccines. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.orgfor details!
USI Softball opens season in Georgia
University of Southern Indiana Softball gets its second crack at opening the 2020 season this weekend as the No. 21 Screaming Eagles compete in The Cottrell Foundation Royal Blue Classic in Dahlonega, Georgia.
USI, which saw its season-opener against Lincoln Memorial University last Friday in Harrogate, Tennessee, get cancelled due to snow and frigid temperatures, begins this weekend’s slate Friday at 11 a.m. when it takes on Southern Wesleyan University at 11 a.m. (CST).
The Eagles also play former regional opponent Gannon University Friday at 1 p.m. before taking on tournament host and No. 16 University of North Georgia Saturday at 3 p.m. in a rematch of the 2018 NCAA II Softball Championship first-round game that saw the Eagles upset the then No. 1 Nighthawks, 1-0.
USI finishes the weekend with a pair of games against No. 8 West Chester University, the first of which is slated for Saturday at 5 p.m. and the second, which is slated for Sunday at 9 a.m.
USI Softball Notes
• Weather claims opening day. USI Softball saw its opening-day doubleheader against Lincoln Memorial cancelled due to snow and frigid temperatures in the Harrogate, Tennessee area.
• About this week’s Opposition:
Southern Wesleyan is 2-0 to begin the year after going 22-20 a year ago. Sophomore utility player Lydia Clanton leads the Warriors’ returnees after hitting .389 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 2019.
Gannon begins the year with its game against USI after going 30-16 overall and 14-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference a year ago. The former GLIAC member is picked to finish first in the PSAC West Division this year after returning senior pitcher Madi Beining, a 2019 All-PSAC honoree.
North Georgia is off to a 5-1 start after defeating McKendree University, 14-1, and falling to Lenoir-Rhyne University, 1-0, this past Sunday in Dahlonega, Georgia. Senior pitcher Kylee Smith was the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year as a sophomore and is a three-time All-American after leading the nation in ERA a year ago.
West Chester also begins its season this weekend after magical 2019 season that saw the Golden Rams go 40-22 overall and advance to the NCAA II Softball Championship in Denver, Colorado. The Golden Rams return five All-PSAC honorees from last year, including pitchers Reilly Gearhart and Maegen Kavanagh.
• Eagles open 2020 in NFCA Top 25. USI Softball begins the 2020 season in a tie for No. 21 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Eagles are one of two GLVC teams in the Top 25 and one of three being recognized by the NFCA. Indianapolis is ranked No. 12, while Missouri-St. Louis is receiving votes.
• Tough slate. The Eagles’ schedule, as usual, is littered with quality opponents, including eight games against teams that are either ranked inside the top 20 of the NFCA Division II Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll and another three games against teams that are receiving votes.
• GLVC coaches predict third-place finish for Eagles. USI has been picked to finish third in the GLVC this year according to the league’s preseason coaches’ poll. Indianapolis was picked to win the conference, while defending GLVC champion Missouri-St. Louis was predicted to finish second.
• Eagles looking to continue NCAA run. The Eagles enter 2020 in search of their sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA II Tournament and its seventh in the last eight years. USI won back-to-back NCAA II Midwest Region titles in 2017 and 2018 before capturing the 2018 national championship.
• Leonhardt returns for senior season. Three-time All-American pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt returns for her senior season to lead the Eagles in the circle. Leonhardt enters the 2020 campaign as USI’s all-time leader in career wins (76) and strikeouts (711). She also is tied for first all-time with 33 career complete-game shutouts, ranks fourth in complete games (76) and innings pitched (662.0), and begins the 2020 season ranked sixth in career ERA (1.78). Offensively, Leonhardt is tied for 11th all-time at USI in hit-by-pitches (9) and 12th in triples (5).
• Post-season awards. Leonhardt collected NFCA and D2CCA second-team All-America honors as a junior in 2019, while Claire Johnson earned third-team NFCA All-America honors and honorable-mention D2CCA All-America accolades during her final year with the Eagles. Additionally, Leonhardt was named the USI/ Old National Bank Female Student Athlete of the Year as well as first-team Academic All-America and GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year.
• Leonhardt named GLVC Pitcher of Year. Leonhardt was named the GLVC Pitcher of the Year for the first time in her career last spring. Leonhardt posted a 19-7 overall record, four saves, a 1.36 ERA, a .189 opponent batting average, 11 complete-game shutouts and 215 strikeouts during the regular-season. She went 10-4 in GLVC-only play with a 0.92 ERA and 128 strikeouts.
• Returning All-GLVC honorees. Leonhardt was a unanimous first-team All-GLVC honoree in 2019, while junior outfielder Alicia Webb was a third-team All-GLVC honoree during her second year in a USI uniform. Graduated seniors Claire Johnson and Caitlyn Bradley also garnered All-League honors. Johnson was a unanimous first-team selection at second base, while Bradley earned third-team honors as a utility-pitcher.
• Senior class. USI’s senior class—Leonhardt, shortstop Taylor Ricketts and outfielder Allison Schubert—has accounted for a 122-58 overall record, 53-27 in GLVC play; and begins the season 39 wins shy of the 2018 class for the most (161) in program history. Last year’s senior class finished with a 157-79 overall record and was 77-36 in GLVC play.
• Schubert looks to get back to 2018 numbers. Schubert hit .274 with seven doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs as a junior. Not bad numbers, but when the senior is looking to get back to the numbers she put up as a sophomore during USI’s national championship run in 2018 when she hit .340 with 14 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. The 2018 All-Midwest Region honoree became the seventh player in program history to hit 10-or-more home runs in a single season and the fifth player to drive in at least 50 RBIs. She enters the 2020 season tied for ninth all-time at USI in career home runs (18) and 18th in career RBIs (81).
• Ricketts gives Eagles consistent presence. Ricketts has been a staple at shortstop for the Eagles throughout her first three years in a USI uniform. The senior, who hit .262 with six doubles, a triple and 12 RBIs a year ago, has started 119 of USI’s 120 games at shortstop during her career with the Eagles.
• Webb looks to build on strong sophomore showing. Junior outfielder Alicia Webb looks to build upon her breakout season from a year ago. Webb hit .327 with seven doubles, four triples and 21 RBIs as a sophomore in 2019 and hit .345 in GLVC-only games.
• Hitting streaks. Webb brings a two-game hitting streak into the 2020 season, while Leonhardt and Schubert each had a hit in USI’s final game of the 2019 campaign. Leonhardt had a team-best nine-game hitting streak last year, while Johnson and Ricketts each had recorded eight-game hitting streaks last season.
Eagles host Lindenwood, UMSL for Homecoming week
University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball hosts Lindenwood University Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday at 1 p.m. at Screaming Eagles Arena. Saturday’s game is Homecoming for the Screaming Eagles.
The Eagles (14-6, 10-4 GLVC) have won three straight games and six of the last eight after sweeping its Great Lakes Valley Conference games last week. Senior guard Ashley Johnson averages 14.4 points and 3.8 assists per game to lead the Eagles on the year, while junior guard Emma DeHart is chipping in 11.6 points per appearance.
Freshman forward Hannah Haithcock rounds out USI’s double-digit scorers with 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing; while sophomore forward Ashlynn Brown is contributing 7.1 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per contest.
With three weeks and six games remaining on the Eagles’ regular-season schedule, USI plays four of its final six games at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Both games this weekend will be aired live on 95.7 The Spin and the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats, video and audio can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Women’s Basketball Notes
• Homecoming week for Eagles. This week is Homecoming week for the Screaming Eagles, who host Lindenwood Thursday before welcoming Missouri-St. Louis to Screaming Eagles Arena for their Homecoming game. USI has won its previous six Homecoming games.
• USI sweeps GLVC road weekend, finishes 4-game trip 3-1. USI Women’s Basketball posted a 61-54 road win over Maryville Thursday before finishing the weekend with a 79-70 road win over Missouri S&T. The Eagles finished their season-long four-game road trip with a 3-1 record.
• Last week’s leaders. Senior guard Ashley Johnson averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game to lead USI, while junior guard Emma DeHart chipped in 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Kiara Moses also had 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing, while freshman forward Hannah Haithcock contributed 8.0 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per appearance.
• Eagles rally past Missouri S&T. The Eagles rallied from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Missouri S&T. Moses had a career-high 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals to lead the Eagles, while Johnson and DeHart each added 16 points and three steals. USI jumped out to a commanding 19-point second-quarter lead, but Missouri S&T outscored USI 22-13 in the second period and 28-14 in the third to force the Eagles to play from behind.
• USI shrugs off slow start to top Maryville. USI overcame a slow start to defeat Maryville. After scoring just four points in the opening period, the Eagles erupted for 28 second-quarter points, turning a 13-4 deficit into a 32-23 halftime advantage. The Eagles scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter and held the Saints to just 1-of-14 shooting throughout the final 7:45 of the contest to earn the win. Johnson and DeHart each had 13 points to lead the Eagles, while Haithcock recorded her first-career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman forward Tara Robbe rounded out the Eagles’ double-figure scorers with 10 points.
• Eagles lose double-digit leads. The Eagles lost a pair of double-digit leads this past weekend. USI led Maryville by 11 in the third quarter before falling behind by a point early in the fourth quarter; while the Eagles 19-point second-quarter lead at Missouri S&T evaporated before the third quarter came to a close.
• Where they stand. With three weeks and six games remaining on the 2019-20 regular-season slate, the Eagles are currently third in the GLVC Points Ratings System (PRS), which determines the eight participants as well as the seeding for the GLVC Tournament.
• In the GLVC statistical rankings. Heading into this week’s play, the Eagles currently have three players ranked among the league’s statistical leaders.
–Emma DeHart ranks 13th in steals and 25th in scoring.
–Ashley Johnson is in the top 15 of five statistical rankings, including assists (6th), steals (6th), assist-to-turnover ratio (10th) and scoring (12th).
–Audrey Turner ranks 11th in blocks.
• Double-figures. USI has had nine different players reach double figures in the scoring column this year, with eight different players scoring at least 10 points in multiple games.
• Statistically balanced. The Eagles had six different players with at least five rebounds in their win over Missouri S&T. They also had six different players score at least five points, three different players with three assists and five different players with at least three steals. All of USI’s eight players that played against the Miners saw at least 13 minutes of action.
• Sherwood matches career high in first half. Senior guard/forward Morgan Sherwood matched a career-high when she pulled down seven rebounds in the first half of the Eagles’ win over Maryville. She previously grabbed seven rebounds in USI’s win over Southwest Baptist last month.
• About Lindenwood. Senior forward Kallie Bildner averages a team-best 21.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game to lead the Lions (13-7, 9-5 GLVC), who have won two straight games and four of the last five. The Lions have five players averaging in double-figures and are averaging 77.2 points per game as a team.
• Previous meeting. USI got 22 points from senior guard Ashley Johnson en route to an 81-68 road win over Lindenwood less than two weeks ago. USI used a strong defensive effort to set the tone early in the contest; then got timely buckets in the second half to thwart Lindenwood’s comeback attempt. Bildner had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Lions.
• About Missouri-St. Louis. Senior guard Laura Szorenyi averages 12.6 points per game to lead the Tritons (11-12, 6-8 GLVC), who had a four-game winning streak come to an end with a 63-58 road loss to Truman State Saturday. Junior forward Alex LaPorta is chipping in 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for Missouri-St. Louis, which visits McKendree Thursday.
• Previous meeting. USI was held to just 25 second-half points as it fell to Missouri-St. Louis, 72-64, two weeks ago in St. Louis. Freshman forward Hannah Haithcock had 12 points to lead the Eagles, while LaPorta had 16 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Tritons, who held a 45-33 rebounding advantage.
• Record book watch. The Eagles have two players making moves inside the USI Women’s Basketball Record Books:
–Emma DeHart ranks No. 44 all-time at USI with 578 career points;
–Ashley Johnson ranks No. 15 all-time at USI with 207 career assists and No. 43 with 609 career points.
• Magic Mark: 75 points. The Eagles are 419-77 (.845) all-time when scoring at least 75 points. USI is 292-28 (.913) since 1996-97 when reaching the 75-point plateau.
EPA Publishes 2018 Annual Toxics Release Inventory Report and Analysis
New TRI data show increased recycling of chemical waste nationwide
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2018 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis. Findings from this publicly available report show an increase in recycling of TRI chemical wastes nationwide and indicate that companies continue to find ways to implement new source reduction activities and reduce the quantities of TRI chemicals they release into the environment.
“By providing the data in the TRI National Analysis, EPA is empowering communities to protect their environment and providing companies with the information they need to work toward a stronger future,â€Â said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The latest TRI data continue to demonstrate that under President Trump environmental stewardship and economic growth continue to go hand in hand.â€
“This year’s TRI data are a great example of how TRI reporting creates a strong incentive for companies to reduce pollution,â€Â said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn. “In addition to the TRI being an information resource for the public, TRI data help companies learn from each other’s best practices for reducing emissions and increasing source reduction.â€
This year’s National Analysis expands the focus on geographical trends in chemical waste management across the country. New features include profiles exploring the diversity of industrial operations in each EPA region and a closer look at data from the hazardous waste management sector and the aerospace manufacturing sector.
The Analysis showcases industry practices for managing waste and reducing pollution at nearly 22,000 facilities that submitted TRI data for calendar year 2018. EPA encourages facilities to learn from their counterparts’ best practices and adopt additional methods for reducing pollution.
To further highlight these industry best practices, EPA is holding events in EPA regions at facilities that implemented new source reduction activities. These facilities demonstrate how innovative projects have helped to improve their environmental performance.
2018 Highlights
- Releases of TRI-covered chemicals into the environment from the manufacturing sector were lower than expected based on economic activity.
- Facilities reported initiating 3,120 new activities to prevent or reduce the creation of TRI chemical waste.
- Nationally, the percent of industrial TRI chemical waste that is recycled instead of released continued to increase.
Along with the 2018 TRI National Analysis, EPA is publishing a new tool on the TRI website to help explain the data reported by the metal mining sector. EPA’s new interactive graphic—which was developed with input from stakeholders—explains how metal mines operate, and generally how and where releases of TRI-listed chemicals happen.
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), by July 1 of each year covered facilities must report to EPA the quantities of TRI chemicals they released to the environment during the prior calendar year. EPA, states, and tribes receive TRI data from facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste management. The Pollution Prevention Act also requires facilities to submit information on pollution prevention and other waste management activities of TRI chemicals.
NCAA, 2 Conferences Spend $750,000 On Lobbying
NCAA, 2 Conferences Spend $750,000 On Lobbying
As Congress considers whether to allow college athletes to receive endorsement money, the Indianapolis-based NCAA and its allies spent at least $750,000 last year lobbying lawmakers to shape any reforms to the organization’s liking.
The NCAA last fall said it would allow athletes to “benefit from the use of their name, image, and likeness†and is crafting rules to put in place for its 1,100 member schools. But the organization has turned to Congress to step in as more and more states follow the lead of California, where a law set to take effect in 2023 clears the way for athletes to earn endorsement money.
Organizations representing athletes have no paid lobbyists, leading to concern among some reform advocates that the deep-pocketed NCAA is shaping the debate. The NCAA’s pressure campaign comes as the Senate prepares for a committee hearing Tuesday on player compensation.
“The NCAA is going to fight for the status quo,†said Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association.
Rep. Mark Walker, a North Carolina Republican who introduced a bill last spring that would guarantee players the right to earn money from their name, image, and likeness, told The Associated Press “there’s no question†the NCAA’s lobbying has been effective.
“The NCAA is already at a position of power,†Walker said. “Otherwise you would have seen progress. … There’s been little to nothing done in this arena and had the student-athlete had proper representation on the federal level, we’d be much further down this path than we are.â€
The NCAA spent $450,000 last year on lobbying, according to disclosure forms reviewed by the AP. Of that total, $240,000 went to an outside firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and $210,000 went to its in-house lobbyists. That’s the most the organization has spent on lobbying in any year since 2014. And it got some help from two of the Power Five conferences.
The Atlantic Coast Conference hired lobbyists last year for the first time, giving at least $210,000 to the law firm DLA Piper and another lobbyist, Tom Korologos, to influence Congress on “legislative and regulatory proposals affecting intercollegiate athletes,†disclosure forms show.
The Big 12 Conference has worked with lobbyist Kenny Hulshof, a former Republican congressman from Missouri, for several years, but it paid him less than $5,000 per quarter before ramping up it’s spending last year, records show. In the last six months of 2019, the Big 12 paid Hulshof $90,000 — some of it specifically to address Walker’s bill.
In total, the NCAA and the two conferences spent at least $750,000 on lobbying last year.
The NCAA’s ability to spend big on lobbying is a symptom of the larger problem, according to advocates for player compensation: a college sports system that generates $14 billion a year from athletes who are compensated only in scholarships and other education-specific aid.
“The NCAA is a well-heeled organization and college athletes, not by accident, don’t have the kind of organizational power or influence that the NCAA does,†Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who supports giving players more earning power, told the AP. “You have to be more assiduous in soliciting the opinion of athletes than you do the NCAA.â€
The NCAA and its allies have a big reason to increase their spending: If Congress does nothing, athlete-friendly laws like the one in California will take effect around the country. Huma said 28 states are considering action to grant additional rights to college players.
Tom McMillen, president, and CEO of the LEAD1 Association, a trade group for Division I athletic directors, shrugged off the influence of lobbying.
“You can have all the lobbyists in the world, but it doesn’t really make a difference,†he said. “This is a complicated process, getting something done through Congress in any kind of timely fashion.â€
While he is not a registered lobbyist, McMillen, an 11-year NBA veteran and former Democratic congressman from Maryland who wrote a book in 1992 on the corrupting influence of money on college sports, is an eloquent advocate for the NCAA’s position. He said it’s essential to have “guardrails†on player compensation.
A panel discussion last month at Georgetown University’s law school was striking for the uniformity of participants’ views on the subject. McMillen appeared alongside Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal counsel, and Amy Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission — a reform-minded nonprofit. All three agreed restrictions had to be placed on name, image and likeness compensation to avoid wrecking college sports as we know it.
“We are all committed to preserving the system of college athletics that exists nowhere else in the world,†Remy said.
McMillen said if player compensation reform was not done properly, it could lead to the “full professionalization of our college campuses.†Among the restrictions he said were necessary as a safeguard against players being paid exorbitant sums of money for endorsements or personal appearances, turning the compensation into “an end-around to pay athletes corruptly.†Such deals could influence recruiting and destroy the competitive balance, he said.
In a December meeting with Murphy and Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, NCAA President Mark Emmert said “everyone agrees†schools shouldn’t be able to use big endorsement deals to gain a recruiting advantage.
In fact, there’s plenty of dissent on that subject. Advocates for athletes say there is plenty of corruption in recruiting already and that concerns about excessive money flowing to players are a stall tactic by the NCAA and its allies.
“In no other industry, in no other context on a college campus do we tell someone that we are going to curb your value,†said Ricky Volante, CEO of the Professional Collegiate League, an upstart competitor to the NCAA that intends to pay salaries to college players.
Volante said he is concerned that no one is effectively countering the NCAA’s message in Washington. The work falls mostly to the NCPA — which is funded in part by the United Steelworkers — and the Drake Group, a nonprofit that advocates for academic integrity in college sports and a frequent critic of the NCAA.
Those groups have a combined lobbying budget of zero dollars.
“The NCAA has a permanent office in D.C. They have millions of dollars they can spend on lobbying and that’s a very tough thing to fight. They’re a very powerful constituency,†said David Ridpath, interim president of the Drake Group. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job in Washington despite being the little engine that could.â€
Huma said the public has become increasingly antagonistic to the NCAA. A recent poll by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about two-thirds of Americans support college players being permitted to earn money for endorsements.
“It was the same David-and-Goliath scenario in California, and the votes came in and there was unanimous, bipartisan support in our favor,†he said. “I think there’s a lot of power on being on the right side of history, the right side of public opinion, and I think that’s what played out there.â€
HAPPENINGS AT THE VANDERBURGH COUNTY GOP
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Evansville’s Future Welcomes New Executive Director
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Man’s Third Vehicle Pursuit Ends With His Arrest
Man’s Third Vehicle Pursuit Ends With His Arrest
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a wanted felon who fled in a vehicle for the third time since 2017.
Sheriff’s deputies and Evansville Police officers assigned to the Joint Drug Task Force developed information that Mr. Bret Weir, who had active felony warrants, was living at a residence in Pleasant Ridge Subdivision. On Monday, February 10, 2020, at approximately 3:00 PM Weir was observed at the MotoMart convenience store located on Mariner Drive. Due to Weir’s previous history of fleeing from law enforcement, the decision was made to stop Weir at his residence after he arrived home.
As Weir arrived at his residence on Pleasant Ridge Drive, deputies pulled in behind his vehicle and attempted to block his escape. Instead of surrendering, Weir drove through a grass lot and was able to get back out onto the street. After a brief vehicle pursuit, Weir exited his vehicle and fled on foot. An Evansville Police canine apprehended Weir a short time later in a wooded area west of the trailer park.
Mr. Weir previously avoided arrest on November 06, 2019, after fleeing in a vehicle when an Evansville Police officer tried to stop him for a traffic violation. The Evansville Police and the Sheriff’s Office discontinued that pursuit when Mr. Weir’s driving became too dangerous to the public. A warrant for Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony was later obtained by the Evansville Police Department. Prior to this, Mr. Weir fled from a Sheriff’s Office deputy in September of 2017. Mr. Weir was in a stolen vehicle when he was stopped for reckless driving, but he evaded arrest after losing the pursing deputy near Alexander Memorial Cemetery.
ARRESTED:
Bret Wayne Weir (pictured above), 31, of Evansville. Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony (Warrant), Resisting Law Enforcement as a Level 6 Felony (Warrant), Reckless Driving as a Class C Misdemeanor (Warrant), Reckless Driving as a Class C Misdemeanor (Warrant), Conversion as a Class A Misdemeanor (Warrant)
Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.