The City-County Observer Community Service Awards Luncheon was held Friday at Bally’s in Evansville. US Senator Mike Braun answered questions submitted by the sell-out crowd. CCO cameras captured some of the highlights. scroll down to see
Video and Photos from the CCO 2024 ”Annuak Awards Luncheon”
Mayor Terry Is Proposing That The City borrow $24 million for Parks Department projects
Mayor Terry Is Proposing That The City Borrow $24 million For Parks Department Projects
By Jay Young
Invesvestigative REPORTER
SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
The Mayor’s office is proposing the City borrow $24 million for Parks Department projects that include work at Mesker Zoo and more money for the mixed-use development at 424 Main St.
An ordinance to issue bonds is expected to appear in front of the City Council next month if approved by the Parks Board, Mayor’s office spokesman Joe Atkinson said.
The Proposed Capital Projects are:
- New playground equipment and surface at Garvin Park.
- Addition of a splash pad at the aquatic center.
- Money is needed to develop a park at the mixed-use development on 424 Main Street. The City also already is providing $11.5 million for that project.
- Replacement of irrigation systems at Fendrich and Helfrich golf courses.
- CK Newsom Center renovations.
- HVAC system replacement at Swonder Ice Arena.
- Construction of a new giraffe barn at Mesker Park Zoo and renovation of the veterinary hospital.
- Replacement of restrooms at Wessleman playground.
- THIS IS A DEVELOPing STORY.
Trauma Journalism Symposium examines efforts to identify future school shooters
Trauma Journalism Symposium examines efforts to identify future school shooters
SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
Ley’s organization, P2P, operates out of Michigan and works to identify adolescents who are at risk for committing acts of targeted mass violence like school shootings. As of Sept. 13, U.S. k-12 schools and colleges had seen 49 shootings in 2024.
Ley said her team first must carry out a behavioral threat assessment to uncover what kind of danger a child may pose to a school or community. After the assessment is completed, P2P makes a plan to manage, monitor and try to send the adolescent on a better path. The organization will also send support teams to schools to help them implement and improve the services, resources and monitoring around these high-risk adolescents.
According to the 2019 U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence, there is not an exact profile for a school shooter.
“We used to believe that this was a young, white, angry male problem, but it’s not,” Ley said. “The kids have multiple motives, but they usually have a motive, and they usually have a grievance against a classmate or the school entity. Most of the time they use firearms.”
On top of a motive and access to firearms, the Secret Service analysis found that most kids have psychological struggles. Some may have a mental health diagnosis. They also have often been in contact with school disciplinary forces previous to an attack.
Ley stressed the role that ACEs, or adverse childhood experiences, play in the life of a violent child. ACEs could be a traumatic experience at a young age or an early encounter with violence.
Most importantly, Ley covered the topic of prevention. In almost every case of school violence, the student warned someone about their attack before it occurred.
“If they’re communicating these attacks, and they almost always are and almost always do to classmates, it’s a real window of opportunity to avert these attacks,” she said.
Ley said national threat assessments from 2021 reported that most planned attacks are never completed.
“They’re planned for weeks, months, years. Information is almost always leaked,” she said.
The Secret Service and National Threat Assessment Center promote behavioral analysis teams like Ley’s because they play a vital role in identifying and rehabilitating a violent child before they take action, she said.
“There’s almost always intervention points before a student escalates to the degree where they’re going to take action, again because classmates and peers usually know, and we know that behavioral threat assessment teams will help identify these kids,” said Ley.
The two-day symposium featured journalists, mental-health professionals and others discussing the impact difficult stories have on those who tell them. “Trauma journalism” has only recently been recognized, according to the Trust for Trauma Journalism, which says on its website: “To accurately report local or global events, journalists often risk physical and emotional injury from the violence, conflict, and tragedy they cover.”
FOOTNOTE; Anna Cecil is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Inspiring Author Talk with Steve Beaven | Oct 5
Steve Beaven, a seasoned journalist and Evansville native whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Oregonian, will be at Willard Public Library for an engaging author talk on his book
We Will Rise: A True Story of Tragedy and Resurrection in the American Heartland. The book chronicles the 1977 plane crash that devastated the University of Evansville basketball team and the community’s extraordinary effort to heal and rebuild. Join us for this inspiring discussion, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 2 PM
Location: Browning Gallery (lower level)
We Will Rise offers a poignant account of the tragic crash and the remarkable resilience of a small Indiana town. Beaven’s detailed narrative explores themes of grief and the indomitable spirit of a community determined to honor its fallen heroes and restore its beloved team
About the Author:
Steve Beaven is an accomplished journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Oregonian. As a native of Evansville, Indiana, he provides a personal and insightful perspective in his writing. Beaven resides in Portland with his wife and two sons.
BREAKING NEWS- LOCAL SPORTS LEGEND CLINTON KEOWN DIES IN CAR CRASH
One of Memorial High School’s all-time great athletes died this afternoon in a car crash in Illinois. Few details have been made available, except the crash was reported near noon today on Illinois Highway 1.
Many people in Evansville are mourning the news this afternoon God has called Clinton Keown home. Here are a couple of the comments on social media. This is a developing story!
USI sweeps IU Indy going 3-0 on the week
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (5-7) swept the Indiana University Indianapolis Jaguars (5-7) in three sets (25-21, 25-21, 17-25) on Saturday afternoon at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles win the USI Invitational going 2-0, along with finishing the week 3-0 ahead of Ohio Valley Conference play next weekend.
Set 1: USI 25, IU Indy 21
The beginning of the match had the back-and-forth rallies that suggested this game would go four or five sets. Junior Bianca Anderson continued her suffocating attack with a kill to make it 15-13 Eagles. Senior Jasmine Green capped off the 4-1 late run with a kill to earn the set one victory. The Jaguars struggled against the Eagles defense with a set-low .143 attacking percentage. The Eagles snapped a eight-game first set losing streak.
Set 2: USI 25, IU Indy 21
Junior Keira Moore fueled a 4-0 run breaking the sets back-and-forth stretches with a service ace and a precise assist to sophomore Ashby Willis. Sophomore Leah Coleman took her turn with consecutive kills making it a 21-15 lead. Green concluded another match with a titanic kill. USI tallied a set-high 15 kills in the second frame improving to 7-5 in second sets on the year.
Set 3: USI 25, IU Indy 17
The Eagles completely frustrated the Eagles force multiple service, setting, and attacking errors that became the difference. Senior Paris Downing notched her seventh kill on a .538 attacking percentage and senior Abby Weber placed a perfect service ace to help cap the match. Senior Carly Sobieralski dished her 20th assist to give her 12 straight 20+ assist games.
The statistical differences did not show any glaring differences, despite the three-set finish. However, time and time again USI seemed to grab the clutch points, denying the Jaguars of amounting any significant runs.
Coleman solely led the Eagles eight kills for the first time this in her career. Sobieralski reached her 20-assist mark with a limited three sets to work with. Willis played an impressive all-around match with a team-leading nine digs. Willis and Green both lead the Eagles with two blocks.
As a team, USI totaled 36 kills, 31 assists, 35 digs, five blocks, five aces, and a .286 hitting percentage. UE finished with 30 kills, 30 assists, 32 digs, four aces, two blocks and a .174 attacking percentage.
Blazers get pair of sweeps to close out unbeaten weekend at Wallace State Fall Bash
HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The Vincennes University volleyball team improved their winning streak to eight matches Saturday afternoon after closing out the final day of the 2024 Wallace State C.C. Fall Bash in Alabama.
Vincennes opened the day against host Wallace State, winning over the Lions 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 before closing out the weekend with a big sweep over Lawson State Community College 25-4, 25-14, 25-15 to finish with a 4-0 record over the weekend.
The Trailblazers began the day with a tough challenge against host Wallace State Community College, taking the court around 12 hours after their last match Friday night ended.
VU got off to a slow start in the opening set Saturday morning but were able to rebound and grab a 16-12 lead midway through the set.
The Trailblazers would increase the lead to 21-15 before the Lions came climbing back to narrow the margin to 21-20.
Vincennes again answered back, closing out the set strong and taking set one of the day 25-21 to take an early 1-0 match lead.
Set two was another back-and-forth battle, with VU holding a narrow 17-15 lead after a 4-0 scoring run.
The two teams traded points down the stretch of set two, with Vincennes ultimately coming out on top 25-21 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three continued the trend of close sets in this match, with the two teams even at 16-16, before VU used a 6-1 scoring run to break away late and close out the match 25-19 to complete the sweep.
The Trailblazers were again led offensively by the sophomore duo of Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) and Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil), with Tavares leading the way with 16 kills and one dig, while Dias added 13 kills, six digs and three aces.
Sophomore Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) and Martyna Sadowska (Pila, Poland) each finished with four kills, with Dalla Pozza recording two blocks, three digs and one ace, while Sadowska added three blocks and one dig.
Sophomores Allison Czyzewski (Louisville, Ill.) and Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) each finished the first match of the day with three kills, with Czyzewski adding a pair of blocks and one dig, while DeCoursey finished with four digs and 10 set assists.
DeCoursey helped run the Trailblazer offense along with fellow sophomore setter Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) who recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 22 set assists, 10 digs, one kill and one ace.
Sophomore libero Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) controlled the back row defense for Vincennes, finishing the match with a team-high 13 digs and seven set assists.
Freshman Paulina Fister (Tuszyn, Poland) rounds out the VU box score with 10 digs, one set assist and one block for the match.
Trailblazer Golf takes 5th place IU East Invitational
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Golf team faced a tough, early season test Friday at the 2024 IU East Invitational hosted at the Delaware Country Club in Muncie.
The Trailblazers found themselves as the only two-year program in the tournament for the first time this season, going up against some big four-year teams, including an NCAA Division I team from Chicago State University.
The Vincennes team was more than able to hold their own in this tough tournament, finishing fifth overall as a team and were just four shots back of the third place teams.
The Trailblazers were led by freshman Brock Naile (Trico, Ill.) who posted an opening round score of 74 before closing out the 36-hole, one day tournament with a second round 77, placing him in a tie for 12th place on the leaderboard of 62 golfers.
Freshman Landon Gardner (Danville, Ind.) was close behind him, having the biggest round-to-round improvement on the team, bouncing back from an opening round 81 to shoot a one over par 71 in the second round, climbing the leaderboard to finish in a tie for 14th overall.
Freshman Kadin Gibson (Franklin, Ind.) was the next Vincennes finisher, posting a 77 in the opening round, before ending his day with a second round 79 to place 21st overall.
Sophomore Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) came away with a very consistent tournament, shooting 80 in both rounds to finish in a tie for 31st overall.
Freshman Parker Steininger (Vincennes, Ind.) rounded out the Trailblazers day on the course by shooting a pair of 81’s to finish 36th on the leaderboard.
The Trailblazers as a team combined to shoot an opening round score of 312 and a 307 second round, giving them a tournament team score of 619 to finish fifth overall out of 11 teams.
“We were disappointed in our overall finish of fifth at Delaware Country Club,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “It’s a tough course and the greens were very firm and fast but as they say, we were all playing the same course.”
“I think our freshmen just didn’t adapt as quickly as we should have to the conditions of the golf course,” Chattin added. “We just kept attacking the pins and you simply cannot do that with the condition of those greens. The greens were good but just firm and fast.”
“Landon did the best job of adjusting with a 10 shot improvement in the second round, shooting a 71, which was the third lowest score in the second round,” Chattin said. “We had some big numbers in what could have been decent rounds by Kadin Gibson and Brock Naile.”
“Four of these guys are freshmen and I think the experience of walking and playing 36 holes in a day was new for most of them,” Chattin added. “You really have to be physically and mentally focused to play on a different golf course than your home course under tournament conditions. It was a good learning experience for us.”
The VU golf team will look to learn from these early season tournaments and improve in their next tournament when the Blazers head to Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind. for the 2024 Swan Lake Preview Tuesday, Oct. 1.
This will be another big tournament for the VU Golf team as they will get their first look at the course that will be hosting the 2025 NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in