METS to Adopt New Transit App and Bus Tracking System
The Board of Public Works today approved a new transit app and bus tracking system for Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS).
The convenient new app will allow residents to see new information about their route. Within the app, passengers can see which connecting stops they need to take and monitor how busy their bus will be.
Like the current system, which is being sunset by the owner at the end of 2024, the new system also will let passengers see real time information regarding the bus system, including updates on closures, detours, and bus arrival times.
“This new system will offer a huge upgrade for our riders,” said Todd Robertson, Executive Director of Transportation & Services. “Passengers will no longer have to take risks guessing their stops, and we will be able to be more efficient in building routes we know are the ones people need.
“This technology will make commuting more efficient and accessible for all Evansville residents.”
The bus system is an important tool for residents of Evansville to thrive. A successful bus ride for passengers means a successful day at work, school, or any other activity residents may be commuting to.
Along with the new app, the new system also includes audio and visual announcements on each bus. New speakers and scrolling screens on each bus will announce what the next stop location will be.
In addition to these announcements, passengers can enable notifications on their phone that will tell them when their bus stop is nearing.
The new system will launch on January 2, 2025. For questions regarding the system please contact Evansville METS at (812) 435-6166.
USI falls 2-0 in homestand finale Screaming Eagles play at SIUE Saturday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer stumbled in the homestand finale to Lindenwood University, 2-0, Thursday afternoon at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles, who are 2-3-0 during the homestand, are 2-8-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the OVC, while the Lions go to 5-4-1, 1-1-0 OVC.
Lindenwood took the lead in the opening half, 1-0, after finding the back of the USI goal at 8:26. The score would remain 1-0 through the intermission with Lindenwood leading in shots, 7-3, in shots and corners, 3-0.
In the second half, USI and Lindenwood battled back and forth through the first 30 minutes before the Lions sealed the match with their second goal and the eventual 2-0 decision. Lindenwood also had a second half advantage in shots, 10-6, and corner kicks, 4-2.
USI had a pair of opportunities in the second half, but could not convert. Freshman forward David Davilla had shot inside the box at 61:42, while sophomore midfielder Will Kirchhofer had a blast on goal at 85:37.
USI sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Klott faced 17 shots in the match, allowing two goals and making five saves.
NEXT UP FOR USI:
The Eagles are on the road for a quick one-match trip this weekend when they visit Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday in Edwardsville, Illinois. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The Cougars are 3-3-2 overall and 1-0-0 in the OVC after the season’s first month. SIUE, which hosts Eastern Illinois University this evening, won its OVC season opener, 2-0, at home versus Lindenwood September 28.
The USI-SIUE series has been dominated by the Cougars, who lead the series, 15-3-1, since the 1970s. The Cougars took both matches last season, winning at USI, 6-0, and home, 4-0
E-REP BLAMES COUNTY COMMISSION FOR LACK OF BUILDING SITES
E-REP BLAMES COUNTY COMMISSION FOR LACK OF BUILDING SITES
BY JAY YOUNG-CCO
NOVEMBER 4, 2024
No large-scale industrial businesses relocated to Vanderburgh County in the past year because the county lacks necessary building sites, the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership told county officials in a letter sent Friday.
The letter from E-REP’s Patrick Hickey stems from the County Commissioners meeting Aug. 13. When E-REP staff struggled with questions while E-REP management watched from the audience.
E-REP sent the letter Friday in response to correspondence from the county also sent last week. Vanderburgh County pays $300,000 annually to E-REP for services related to economic development activities.
Hickey was questioned on Aug. 13 about the number of businesses that relocated to Vanderburgh County in the last year. He responded, “None.”
This is his complete statement in the letter about that answer: He wrote “The question regarding new businesses was misunderstood, leading to the response that no new large-scale industrial businesses have relocated to the county in the past 12 months. This lack of activity is mainly due to a shortage of available sites over 50 acres with utility services available or nearby. For example, while the University Parkway Corridor has water, wastewater, broadband, and power utilities, the lack of appropriately scaled, relatively level sites near the Parkway but not abutting residential parcels has limited demand by the industrial development community.
“That said, the County and regional economy continues to grow. In 2023, Vanderburgh County saw a continued rise in Employer Identification Number (EIN) applications meaning a growth in new businesses domiciled within the County. According to the Business Formation Statistics via Census.gov, the county registered 2,090 EINs, marking a 9.7% increase from 2022. This marked continued growth as there has been an 85.8% rise from 2019 to 2023, indicative of a growing and healthy business environment, which E-REP and its predecessor organizations have worked for decades to enhance. In terms of job growth
(70% of new jobs are in ongoing entities), our efforts at creating a strong regional economic environment are showing dividends: during E-REP’s 2023-24 Business Retention & Expansion visits, 32 out of 35 surveyed companies in the county reported growth, two remained stable, and only one is experiencing decline. There are currently numerous expansion projects occurring in unincorporated parts of the County. Despite the lack of site inventory, E-REP proactively engages with site selectors by responding to RFPs with appropriate Vanderburgh County sites whenever possible. Additionally, we connect with site selectors and brokers – providing information and marketing material to keep our region top-of-mind when looking for sites. Lastly, E-REP is working on-site development through the I-69 Corridor Study and having advanced conversations on funding opportunities with federal partners to enhance the appeal of available inventory to potential new businesses.”
EREP letter to Vanderburgh County
Vanderburgh letter to EREP
USI rallies to beat EIU for first time in program history
EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (7-9, 2-2 OVC) flips the script from Tuesday, winning a riveting five-set match against Eastern Illinois University (4-9, 0-3 OVC) on Thursday night (25-22,19-25, 23-25, 25-16,15-12). The win marks the Screaming Eagles first victory over the Panthers in program history.
Set 1: USI 25, EIU 21
Graduate senior Jasmine Green helped the Eagles gain an early 6-3 lead with two powerful kills. The Panthers erupted on a nine-point run forcing the Eagles to call a timeout to regroup falling behind 15-11. Following the timeout, USI mounted their own 11-6 run as sophomore Ashby Willis tallied her fifth kill along with a huge block assist with senior Paris Downing forcing the Panthers to call a timeout with a one-point lead. Sophomore Leah Coleman smashed a kill past the Panther defense to clinch set one. The Eagles finished set one on a 14-7 run. Freshman Kerigan Fehr had an exceptional first set with five digs limiting the Panthers to a .048 hitting percentage.
Set 2: USI 19, EIU 25
Junior Keira Moore placed her team leading 16th service ace of the season perfectly between the Panther defense for a 4-2 lead. Coleman elevated for four kills to keep the Eagles within one at 12-13. However, EIU surged on a late 12-7 run evening the match at one. Eight USI attacking errors stuck out on the stat sheet along with an efficient .250 hitting percentage from the Panthers.
Set 3: USI 23, EIU 25
EIU jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but Fehr continued her special night with a service ace to draw within one point. Both teams traded points as senior Abby Weber evened the match at ten with a kill from the back row. EIU used a 12-6 run to gain a 22-16 lead late. Senior Carly Sobieralski caught the defense off guard with a kill and Willis finished two consecutive kills from the left side to inch within two points of the Panthers at 22-24. After four straight Eagles points, EIU finished the set with a kill. Willis continued to be the relied upon offensively as an outside target with 13 kills as senior Bianca Anderson contributed nine kills on a .474 attacking percentage up the middle.
Set 4: USI 25, EIU 16
USI led early as Green used a unique second contact kick save and kill on the same rally. Sobieralski dished out her 43nd assist to Willis making it 11-7 Eagles. Coleman added two consecutive kills from Sobieralski to gain the six-point lead. The USI defense dominated set four as EIU struggled with a .026 hitting percentage. Four different Eagles finished set four with double digit digs and the Eagles also out blocked the Panthers.
Set 5: USI 15, EIU 13
The Eagles were tested early in set five falling behind 4-1. However, Fehr tallied her career high third service ace in the clutch to even the match at four. The Eagles leaned on Willis for two huge kills to give the Eagles a 12-9 lead. Another sophomore standout, Coleman closed the door with two emphatic kills to clinch the match.
After the demoralizing five-set loss to University of Tennessee at Martin on Tuesday, USI desperately needed this victory to stay near the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings. The Eagles are now 2-2 in five set matches.
Willis had a monster night leading the Eagles offensively tying a career high of 19 kills. Sobieralski earned her third 50+ assist game in the last six matches with 54. Sobieralski is averaging an insane 48 assists per game in the past seven matches. Moore (22), Sobieralski (16), Weber (14), Willis (12) and Fehr (10) all totaled double digit digs. Downing swatted a team leading six blocks, while Fehr finished with three service aces.
As a team, USI finished with 62 kills, 61 assists, 82 digs, eight aces, ten blocks, and a .200 attacking percentage. The Panthers earned 55 kills, 51 assists, 73 digs, nine aces, six blocks, and a .140 hitting percentage.
Next up for the Eagles
USI is back in Charleston tomorrow looking to sweep the Panthers at 4 p.m.
USI suffers first OVC setback at Lindenwood
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer fell on the road, 2-0, at Lindenwood University Thursday evening. The loss was USI’s first Ohio Valley Conference setback of the season.
Going into Thursday, the matchup featured two of the three unbeaten teams in the OVC. Southern Indiana (2-7-4, 1-1-2 OVC) was riding a five-match unbeaten streak entering the contest.
The Screaming Eagles were tested early defensively, as Lindenwood (7-4-1, 3-0-1) came out with an aggressive tempo and assertive. USI redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland made a few early saves on a busy night in goal. However, the Lions struck first in the 16th minute.
While USI faced eight shots in the opening half from Lindenwood, the Eagles’ first shot on the attacking end came in the 36th minute from junior midfielder Peyton Murphy. The one-goal deficit remained going into halftime.
With Southern Indiana looking to ramp up after the intermission and hopeful to generate a spark of momentum, Lindenwood doubled its advantage to 2-0 a minute into the second half.
The Screaming Eagles continued to face multiple shots from the Lions throughout the second half, but Markland was up to the challenge to keep the score 2-0.
On the offensive end, USI was able to pull the trigger on more shot attempts in the second half compared to the first, but Southern Indiana was kept out of the goal.
Overall, USI faced 19 shots and 13 on goal from Lindenwood. After making eight second-half saves, Markland finished with a career-high 11 saves on Thursday. The Eagles tallied seven shots with a pair on target. Murphy and sophomore midfielder Pilar Torres each had a shot on goal.
Following Thursday’s results, Southern Indiana is tied for fifth in the OVC with Eastern Illinois University. Lindenwood remained tied at the top of the standings with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The Screaming Eagles will next take on Tennessee Tech University on Sunday at 1 p.m. from Strassweg Field. Sunday is USI’s mental health awareness game and alumni day. Match coverage links can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712 United States
Sales for the Nation’s Largest Half Pot Now Underway at the 103rd Fall Festival
Evansville, Ind. The West Side Nut Club is excited to announce that sales for the nation’s largest half-pot are underway at the Mead Johnson parking lot, featuring convenient drive-thru sales. While the 103rd Fall Festival officially opens on Monday, October 7th, festival-goers can start their half-pot experience now.
This year, the Nut Club is introducing a new feature for attendees: enhanced visibility and information at the half-pot booths. In addition to the traditional half-pot totals displayed on TVs, new LED panels have been installed, making it easier for patrons to view them even in direct sunlight. These panels will also provide essential festival information, including:
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Locations of first aid stations and restrooms
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Event schedules, such as when Amateur Hour starts
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Band performance times
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Emergency alerts and more
A significant addition to this year’s setup is the capability to broadcast emergency alerts through the half pot screens. These screens will be integrated with the festival’s extensive sound system along Franklin Street, ensuring that vital information reaches everyone in attendance.
On Monday morning, our safety team will conduct a test of this alert system. Following a successful test, the system will be ready for use in any emergency situation. Additionally, the panels will be linked to the National Weather Service, providing real-time weather alerts for Vanderburgh County.
The West Side Nut Club expresses gratitude to our safety partners, including the Evansville Police Department, Evansville Fire Department, Evansville Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency, and Vanderburgh County Dispatch, for their continued support in ensuring a safe festival experience.
The 103rd Annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival will run from October 7th-12th on historic West Franklin Street.
Gov. Holcomb Joins Lilly to announce additional $4.5 billion investment at LEAP District
New commitment brings company’s total LEAP plans to over $13 billion to support current and future pipeline of medicines
INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb joined Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) Chair and CEO David A. Ricks to announce Lilly’s plans to increase its investment at the LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon. The new $4.5 billion expansion brings Lilly’s total LEAP investment to more than $13 billion and will enable Lilly to significantly increase its internal capacity to produce more innovative and next-generation therapies for clinical trials.
“Lilly’s continued investment in Indiana solidifies our state’s role as a hub for cutting-edge science and technology,” said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “For nearly 150 years, Lilly has been committed to growing its roots and reach in Indiana, cultivating local talent, and driving scientific advancements that benefit patients around the world. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities the Lilly Medicine Foundry will bring to communities throughout our great state.”
The expansion includes the establishment of the Lilly Medicine Foundry (LMF) at the LEAP Research and Innovation District. This facility will be a new center for drug development and advanced manufacturing and will allow Lilly to develop and efficiently manufacture a wide range of molecular therapies, including small molecules, biologics and nucleic acid therapies.
“As we accelerate our work to discover new medicines for the toughest diseases, we’re continuing to invest in stateside infrastructure to support our growing pipeline,” said David A. Ricks, Lilly’s chair and CEO. “In addition to supplying high-quality materials for our clinical studies, this new complex will further strengthen our process development and scale up our manufacturing capabilities to speed delivery of next-generation medicines to patients around the world.”
Since 2020, Lilly has committed more than $20 billion to build, expand and acquire manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Europe. In May 2022, Lilly first announced its plans to invest $2.1 billion and create up to 500 new jobs at LEAP. At the company’s Lebanon groundbreaking in April 2023, Lilly announced an additional $1.6 billion investment and 200 new jobs at the site. During the 2024 Indiana Global Economic Summit, Lilly announced an additional $5.3 billion expansion and 200 more jobs. Once completed, LMF is expected to add an additional 400 full-time jobs.