Fungal Diseases Found In Plants At Stores Around Indiana
May 29, 2019Â Â TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—Only a week after warning of a fungal disease that kills oak trees, Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources is also fighting another disease that causes certain shrubs to lose their leaves.
The latest threat to Indiana’s greenery is boxwood blight, a fungal disease that infects plants in the Buxaceae family, including boxwoods, Japanese spurge, and sweet box. So far, it has only been found in Indiana in Korean boxwood bushes through the DNR is testing other species to ensure no other boxwoods have been contaminated.
The fungus causes dark leaf spots, and rapid defoliation of the plant, typically starting on the bottom of the plant and moving upward. The fungus can easily spread from a single infected plant to surrounding plants from water and dropped leaves.
The DNR said a shipment of infected plants was found at a Home Depot store in Indiana that originated from the Cottage Gardens nursery in Ohio. The infected plants are being pulled from shelves in 13 Home Depot stores and will be disposed of to prevent the fungus from spreading to other plants.
Annual inspections of nursery stock by the DNR verify that this pathogen is not indigenous to Indiana, nor has it be found in nursery stock that is sourced locally.
The boxwood blight was discovered as the DNR also is combating “sudden oak death†fungus discovered in rhododendron plants shipped to Indiana. The DNR first warned of the oak-killing problem a week ago, but Wednesday said the problem is more widespread than first known.
So far, it has been found on rhododendron plants in 70 Walmart and 18 Rural King locations, and the DNR has ordered them to stop selling rhododendrons until further notice.
About 1,500 rhododendrons affected with the fungus have been destroyed, with another 1,500 pulled from stores. Any quarantined material not infected will be released following testing at Purdue University.
This is the first time that the disease, which has killed large tracts of oak trees on the West Coast, has been located in the Midwest. The disease can kill oak trees located as far away as six feet from an infected plant.
The DNR is asking people who bought any of these plants in the last four weeks to destroy them, or to contact the DNR so that they may assist you in removing and destroying them by calling 866-NO-EXOTIC or (866) 663-9684
FOOTNOTE: TheStatehouseFile.com is a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Evansville, IN The Evansville Thunderbolts Professional Hockey Team of the Southern Professional Hockey League, has announced Jeff Bes as the new Evansville Thunderbolts Head Coach. Jeff brings an extensive coaching resume to the position of Head Coach with over 10 years coaching experience and 19 years professional hockey knowledge gained from playing in the AHL, IHL, ECHL, and European Hockey Leagues. “I am very excited about the opportunity to coach In Evansville and looking forward to providing an exciting, hard-working hockey team the fans of Evansville deserveâ€. The 2019-2020 Thunderbolts season will return to the Ford Center in October.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Coach Jeff Bes, please contact Alison Nicholson, Public Relations Manager at anicholson@evansvillethunderbolts.com or the above phone numbers.
Evansville Thunderbolts 2019-2020 Season Tickets are currently on sale. With many more membership benefits, such as guaranteed seats, special team meet & greets, exclusive membership parties, merchandise discounts and so much more, now is the time to reserve your membership rewards. For more information on the full season or half season tickets, please call 812-422-BOLT.
FOOTNOTE: The Evansville Thunderbolts are a minor league ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The team plays at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. For more information visit www.evansvillethunderbolts.com
Evansville Otters utility position player Taylor Lane had his contract purchased by the New York Mets this week.
“It was pretty evident that Taylor committed himself this offseason to being ready for the season,†Otters manager Andy McCauley said. “He came into camp in great shape and put on some good weight.â€
Taylor Lane is from Chesapeake, Va. and joined the Otters in the second half of the 2018 season following his senior season at Arizona State University.
In 2018 with the Otters, Lane batted .275 with nine RBIs, nine runs and nine walks while seeing playing time at third base and in left field in 14 games played.
In 13 games in 2019, Lane has batted .348 with six runs, three doubles, seven RBIs, three walks and four stolen bases.
“I’m very happy for Taylor and wish him the best of luck with the Mets organization,†McCauley said.
“It’s also great for the Otters organization to send another player on to affiliated baseball.â€
Lane batted .300 in 41 games played with 14 RBIs and 11 runs scored in his senior season at Arizona State.
Former Otter Josh Allen signed with the Mets organization in 2018 out of the St. Paul Saints franchise in the American Association.
July, 2018.
Lane is the 76th player in Otters franchise history to sign with a MLB organization out of Evansville and he was the first since August, 2018 when Alex Phillips was signed by the Minnesota Twins organization.
Attorney General Curtis Hill announced this week that a U.S. district court judge has signed a consent judgment negotiated between 16 state attorneys general and a Fort Wayne web-based electronic health records company that allegedly sustained a data breach compromising the data of more than 3.9 million people.
In December of 2018, Indiana led a multistate lawsuit against the company – Medical Informatics Engineering Inc. and NoMoreClipboard LLC (collectively “MIEâ€). This case was the nation’s first-ever multistate lawsuit involving a HIPAA-related data breach.
With the signing of the consent judgment, the 16 States will receive $900,000 in payments due to the defendants’ conduct. Indiana’s share is $174,745.29.
The lawsuit resolved allegations that MIE violated provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAAâ€) as well as state claims including Unfair and Deceptive Practice laws, Notice of Data Breach statutes, and state Personal Information Protection Acts.
Between May 7, 2015, and May 26, 2015, hackers infiltrated WebChart, a web application run by MIE. The hackers stole the electronic Protected Health Information (“ePHIâ€) of more than 3.9 million individuals – including individual names, telephone numbers, mailing addresses, usernames, hashed passwords, security questions and answers, spousal information (name and potentially dates of birth), email addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, lab results, health insurance policy information, diagnosis, disability codes, doctors’ names, medical conditions, and children’s names and birth statistics
“Hoosier consumers trust us to look out for their interests,†Attorney General Hill said. “Once again, we have acted on their behalf to pursue the appropriate penalties and remedies available under the law. We hope our proactive measures serve to motivate all companies doing business in Indiana to exercise the highest possible ethics and the utmost diligence in making sure their systems are safe and secure.â€
Attorney General Hill added that MIE has cooperated with his office from the very beginning of the investigation into the hacking incident.
“To their credit, MIE’s management has taken this entire issue seriously,” Attorney General Hill said. “All along, they have expressed concern for those whose data was compromised. Even as we pursued the appropriate actions to protect consumers, we also appreciated MIE’s willingness to work with us.”
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Rosario is a female brown tabby cat! She was originally surrendered with her very young kittens, and they all went into foster care. Now her babies have all found homes and hopefully it’s her turn soon! Her adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
More than 16,000 students eat school lunches every day in the EVSC. And now, those students, their families and anyone in the community, have the option of eating breakfast and/or lunch throughout the summer at 10 EVSC schools – Caze, Cedar Hall, Dexter, Evans, Glenwood, Lincoln, Lodge, McGary, Tekoppel and Stringtown. Lunches will be free to those 18 and younger and only $3 for individuals over 18. Breakfast is also free to those 18 and younger and only $1.80 for adults.
The EVSC is able to offer the summer lunches as part of the United States Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Megan Leigh Husk: Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony), Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)
Fitolay Demesmin: Murder
Mandy Lee Saxer: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Jessica Marie Holtzclaw-Case: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Charles William Hill: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Dyzheana Montreas Worship: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Ricardo Sandoval Jr.: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony)
Van Thomas Bullock: Battery resulting in serious bodily injury (Level 5 Felony)
Nicholas Patrick Gonterman: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Megan E. Schmitt: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
James Edward Reed: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony), Leaving the scene of an accident (Class B misdemeanor), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Courtney Lynn Steiner: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Michele Ellen Rich: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Failure to signal for turn or lane change (C infraction), Driving while suspended (A infraction)
Jeffrey Jared Willis: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Keyonia Rayshawn Henderson: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony), Disorderly conduct (Class B misdemeanor)
Willie Charles Steverson: Battery (Level 5 Felony)
Latoya Marie Russell: Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Driving while suspended (Class A misdemeanor), False informing (Class B misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Marcus Aaron Hamilton: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Mark A. Lamar: Maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)
James Edward Nance: Rape (Level 3 Felony), Domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury (Level 5 Felony)
Wayne Lynn Burris: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony)
Patrick J. Martin: Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony)
Michael Andrew McCoy Johns: Criminal confinement (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 5 Felony), Battery (Level 5 Felony), Battery against a public safety official (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Jason Todd Moser: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Kalei Shade Obasa: Assisting a criminal (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony)
Jason R. Costa: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)
Dennis K. Williams: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Diego David Hanisch: Rape (Level 3 Felony), Rape (Level 3 Felony)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The Evansville Thunderbolts hockey club, which has struggled on the ice and at the gate in its third year at the Ford Center, will return for the 2019-20 season, a club official said.
Meanwhile, Evansville’s new indoor football team still plans to begin play in April, even though little has been seen or heard about that endeavor since it was announced in September.
Another season of dropping the puck
The Thunderbolts are in last place in the 10-team Southern Professional Hockey League. Perhaps more concerning is the average home attendance of just above 2,000 per game, next-to-last in the league.
Last season, the team averaged 2,300 fans for a home game, last in the league. The Ford Center seats 9,000 for hockey.
“I’ve turned in dates for next season,†said Scott Schoenike, executive director of the Ford Center. “We are committed to next season. We think the potential is there. We just need to do a better job, get out in front of people and give them what they want to see.â€
The Thunderbolts since their second season have been owned by VenuWorks, which is the entertainment company with a city contract to run the Ford Center.
Schoenike, who is the point person for Thunderbolts management, said having a hockey team is important to the arena financially, even on nights when few people are there.
He said the team’s schedule fills many dates, and the publicly owned arena can’t make money on dates without events. Plus, he added, the Ford Center exists to provide entertainment.
Schoenike acknowledged, though, that attendance must improve.
He declined several requests from the Courier & Press to provide data related to the hockey club’s expenses and revenues. He said those figures are blended with those of major concerts and other events at the arena.
“It’s always a concern,†Schoenike said of the hockey club’s attendance and revenues. “Thank God Evansville’s business community is very supportive and continues to be. But that grace will run out, which is why we’ve got to continue to push and make sure they get their value (for sponsorship).â€
The Thunderbolts were born shortly after the Evansville IceMen, a member of the National Hockey League-affiliated ECHL, left in 2016. The IceMen now play in Jacksonville, Florida, a metropolitan area with 1.5 million people as opposed to the Evansville area’s 300,000.
The Southern Professional Hockey League has a shorter schedule and less expensive team travel than the ECHL, but it is a lesser brand of hockey. It is an independent league, with no NHL affiliation.
The Thunderbolts made the SPHL playoffs in their second year, but this season, little has gone well.
After being shutout 5-0 at home on Friday night before an announced crowd of 1,793, and a 10-1 loss on the road Saturday, the Thunderbolts have nine wins in their 46 games. The club’s on-ice struggles have been blamed on injuries, as well as players moving on to ECHL teams.
The club also suffered a public-relations blow in January when first-year head coach Ian Moran, a former NHL player, was arrested on a drunken driving charge.
On a more positive note, the Thunderbolts have been active in community outreach activities, with players and staff visiting schools, nonprofit agencies and businesses.
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Education day game for the Evansville Thunderbolts
The Thunderbolts’ stated goal has been to reach an average of 2,500 fans per game. Schoenike said the club will continue to work on boosting its attendance in a highly competitive local environment.
“It really is about promotions, giveaways,†Schoenike said. “We’re fighting over entertainment dollars. (Won-loss record) is definitely a part, but I think it’s more about making it an event.â€
Is indoor football still coming?
The National Gridiron League, an upstart indoor football league, last year awarded Evansville one of its 12 teams. The Indiana Firebirds were formally presented in September at a news conference and said play would begin this spring.
The team named a head coach, Nick Hart, who also is the coach at Gibson Southern High School. Hart has experience in the indoor game, having been an assistant with the Evansville Bluecats, who played at Roberts Stadium from 2003-07. He also worked with a team in Alaska.
But aside from a Facebook page and team website, there has been no visible local promotion of the Firebirds and their eight-game home schedule, which begins April 12.
The Ford Center still does not have Firebirds home games listed on its event schedulefor spring and summer.
All 12 teams in the National Gridiron League are owned by the league, so Schoenike said the arena has no financial risk in the Firebirds, aside from keeping the team’s requested dates open.
The arena also has dates set aside in early April for installation of football turf and other necessary equipment.
“They still say it’s happening,†Schoenike said. “We are still holding that (April 12) date for them, waiting for them to get organized and do it.â€
Joe McClendon, president of the National Gridiron League, seemed incredulous when asked by the Courier & Press if the league and its Evansville-based team are moving forward.
The Thunderbolts (and a few thousand of their closest friends from area elementary schools) beat the Peoria Rivermen 4-2 on Education Day. Jeffrey Walker
“Everything is on course,†McClendon said. “We’re going to play our games there. We’ve been working with operations to get games in place.â€
“There is a roster of players,†McClendon continued. “Uniforms have been ordered. Everything necessary for competition has been taken care of.â€
Hart said it’s his understanding the league reached a deal with a ticketing agency within the last few days, so that might explain the delay in promoting the team and ticket sales.
Players are to arrive in mid-March for a training camp, and the Firebirds’ website does list a roster of players. The club’s Facebook page recently posted that Amari Spievey, a 30-year-old former Detroit Lions safety, is on the team.
However, the Firebirds also have a “help wanted” sign out.
There’s an online classified ad in Evansville for “indoor football player,†at an annual salary of $6,000 to $20,000. Qualifications sought include athleticism, skilled decision making, discipline and endurance. The ad is on Indeed.com.
“I’m not privy to a lot of the workings of it,†Hart said. “I’m told it’s going forward. I think things have been a little slow moving. It’s a startup, and they are trying to operate 12 teams. I honestly don’t know. I’m of the belief it’s moving forward, but that’s what I’m told. I don’t have any inside info. I’m more on the recruiting and football side than on the business side.â€
