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“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”

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“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”

MOOrauders By Jim Redwine

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Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine

MOOrauders

Peg and I bought a cabin on the prairie in Osage County, Oklahoma. It came furnished with bovines who appear to have formed a four-legged resistance to destiny as Big Macs. When we visited recently we drove across the cattle guard and were met by the steely gaze of the Leader of the Pack. He was mainly black but had a white Mark of Cain on his left jaw and sharp hooves which he pawed into the dirt as he snorted fire through his flaring nostrils.

Having grown up in cow country I was able to recognize that neither the Lead Steer nor any of the others retained the necessary accouterments for bulls. Therefore, I advised Peg to relax as I directed her to get out of the pickup and wade through the herd to open the gate. Peg’s response will not be published! I eased open my door and took an aggressive stance as I met the Leader’s glare while I opened the iron gate.

Hurrying back to the truck I jumped in and sped through the herd while blaring the horn. Apparently, Johnny Kelley who owns the cattle uses the horn and siren of his feed truck to announce it’s dinner time. Instead of driving the cows off the horn enticed the Leader to menacingly advance toward us along with thirty of his gang.

We managed to negotiate our way up to our cabin and slip inside as the hungry cattle voiced their displeasure with our behavior. Peg and I barricaded ourselves inside the cabin as the Leader circled his troops around it. We waited for nightfall hoping the cattle were on an eight-hour workday and that when darkness came the cows would bed down.

Just after the moon appeared and bathed the prairie with silver light I cautiously opened the cabin door and was chagrined to see the Leader fixated on my position. His backup troops were edging their way up to the four newly set cedar posts that hold up the overhang attached to our new barn. As the cattle began to scratch their seven hundred plus pound bodies against the obviously challenged posts I knew something had to be done. I hollered for Peg.

Peg loudly yelled something that sounded like a word describing a cow byproduct as she shoved me outside with a blanket to shoo away the bold bovines. I noticed the blanket was red as Peg slammed the cabin door behind me.

Gingerly making my way toward Leader Steer I yelled and flapped the blanket. Whether the Leader would bolt or charge was highly in doubt until I remembered an old McDonald’s television commercial that I began to sing as loudly as my scared vocal cords would allow:

“You deserve a break today!

So get out and get away

To McDonald’s!”

Then I shouted, “Two all beef patties or get away from my barn”. Upon reflection, Leader must have decided I wasn’t worth the effort as he unceremoniously turned his backside toward me and sauntered away with his subjects in tow. Of course, he may have just found my singing, not to his liking; everyone’s a critic. Now, Gentle Reader, if someone will just come to rescue us, Peg and I can leave the cabin and head back to Indiana where most cattle know their place.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com  Or “Like” us on Facebook at JPegRanchBooks&Knitting

 

Camp Atterbury to Host NRA Marksmanship Competition Center

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Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced today that Camp Atterbury will be the site of the National Rifle Association’s new National Marksmanship Competition Center.

“Camp Atterbury will serve as an exceptional venue for marksmanship championships that promote education and responsibility,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This new center will provide great economic benefits for central Indiana with the safety, training and competition opportunities for thousands of citizens, law enforcement and military personnel.”

Camp Atterbury, located on approximately 35,000 acres just west of Edinburgh in Johnson County, has a long history of marksmanship training. Since opening in 1942, Camp Atterbury has hosted units from all branches of the military. Civilian law enforcement agencies also use the ranges to gain experience that is otherwise logistically difficult and costly.

The NRA’s competitive shooting division, which has been holding marksmanship competitions since 1876, will bring national and regional competitions as well as firearms training and safety courses to Camp Atterbury.

Smallbore Rifle Championships and Precision Pistol Championships will begin in 2020 and the High Power Rifle Championships, which have been held at Camp Atterbury since 2017, will continue. The NRA expects to add collegiate marksmanship events and other related competitive shooting events at the center over the course of the ten-year agreement.

Additionally, the NRA will work in conjunction with the Camp Atterbury Museum to develop the NRA Military Heritage Museum.

“Since our inception, the NRA’s roots have been in our competitive shooting programs,” NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre said. “We look forward to having our National Matches at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and to offer competitive shooters a centralized location to compete while protecting our Second Amendment freedoms.”

As a part of the agreement, the NRA will lease space at Camp Atterbury, and the state will upgrade several shooting ranges. The improvements are also expected to draw another military, law enforcement, and civilian training and competitions as well.

The annual meeting of the National Rifle Association is underway in Indianapolis this weekend and returns to the capital city in 2023.

 

USDA Launches Ace the Waste! Food Waste Contest for Students

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Food waste is a problem everyone can tackle, including our nation’s youth. As part of Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is launching Ace the Waste! A student competition for food waste reduction ideas. This first-ever competition calls on students to come up with creative solutions to reduce food loss and waste in the United States.

The problem of food waste affects everyone. More than one third of food in the U.S. is lost or wasted. This amounts to 133 billion pounds, or $161 billion worth of food each year. Food is the single largest type of waste in landfills. Students age 11 to 18 are encouraged to submit proposals on reducing food loss and waste anywhere along the supply chain, from the farm to the dinner table and beyond. Topic ideas for the proposal include:

  • Preventing food waste – such as ideas to prolong the storage life of food; improve efficiencies in the processing of food and its distribution; and create new products from unharvested or unsold crops (like so-called “ugly fruit and vegetables”) or from food processing by-products.
  • Recovering wholesome, excess food to feed people – such as innovative approaches for getting excess food to people who need it and measuring the value of food donations.
  • Recycling food scraps to keep them out of landfills – such as ideas to connect food waste generators with recyclers and to create animal feed, compost, and energy.
  • Raising awareness – such as ideas about how to make students more aware about the amount of food being wasted and let them know how to reduce it.

Students may submit 1-2 page proposals or 1-2 minute videos. Proposals will be judged on impact potential; originality and creativity; clarity of expression; and adherence/appropriateness to theme. Judges will include representatives from USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One winner will be selected from each of two categories – ages 11-14 and ages 15-18. The winner of the challenge will be honored with recognition on USDA’s social media accounts and website, receive a certificate of appreciation, and will have the opportunity to discuss their proposals with USDA leadership.

The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 24, 2019. Submit your ideas to the Ace the Waste! competition (PDF, 238 KB) today.

About the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative

The Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative is a collaborative effort among USDA, EPA, and FDA to affirm their shared commitment to work towards the national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030. The agencies agree to coordinate food loss and waste actions such as: education and outreach, research, community investments, voluntary programs, public-private partnerships, tool development, technical assistance, event participation, and policy discussion on the impacts and importance of reducing food loss and waste.

During Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month and beyond, join the conversation on social media with the #NoWastedFood hashtag. Learn more about USDA, EPA, and FDA programs and resources to reduce food loss and waste.

Tri-State Food Bank Receives “Living Our Values” Award from Feeding America

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Tri-State Food Bank has been named a recipient of the 2019 “Living Our Values Award” by Feeding America’s new CEO, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.  The 2019 “Living Our Values Award” was presented to 19 Feeding America food banks across the nation “For Honorable and Generous Demonstration of Network Partnership and Collaboration During the 2019 Government Shutdown.”

“Food insecurity is indiscriminate and affects too many families, children, and seniors in the Tri-State. To address the growing need, Tri-State Food Bank provides food where it’s needed most. We are happy to be recognized by Feeding America for helping address the increased need for food during the government shutdown. It was another challenge we faced in our fight against hunger,” stated Glenn Roberts, Executive Director of Tri-State Food Bank. 

Established in 1982, Tri-State Food Bank distributes over 8 million pounds of food (over 7 million meals) annually to over 250 feeding programs in 33 counties throughout the Tri-State.

The Children’s Center for Dance Education Presents “Jack & The Beanstalk Ballet”

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Come join the Children’s Center for Dance Education
as they climb the giant beanstalk! 

Old National Events Plaza
Sunday, May 5 at 3pm

Otters sign Wright, Rowland, and Calabrese; Draft Pruett and Maselli

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The Evansville Otters have signed right-handed pitchers Taylor Wright and Matt Rowland and catcher Rob Calabrese, and draft pitcher Tanner Pruett and infielder Anthony Maselli out of the Frontier League tryout camp and draft for the 2019 season.

Wright is from Berwyn, Pa. and joins the Otters for his first stint in professional baseball.

“Wright was recommended from a trusted Atlantic League pitching coach,” said Otters manager Andy McCauley. “He threw very well at their open tryout. I’ll be interested to see him throw.”

“I’m thrilled to be in camp and incredibly grateful for the Otters giving me a chance in professional baseball,” said Wright.

“I’ve missed being a part of a baseball team and excited to get back into the clubhouse.”

Wright played collegiately at Brown University, where he posted a 5.80 ERA with 67 strikeouts, 4-9 record, and 56 appearances in 113.1 innings pitched.

“I’m going to go out there and compete, but I’m going to enjoy every moment being back on the field,” said Wright.

Rowland, a Marietta, Ga. native, joins the Otters after a stint in the Atlanta Braves organization. Rowland was drafted by the Braves in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB June Draft out of Pope High School.

“I heard about Evansville from my roommate with the Braves organization, Jackson Pokorney,” said Rowland. “He said I’m going to love it in Evansville. The town really backs up the Otters.”

Pokorney was drafted by the Braves in the 29th round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of Evansville’s Mater Dei High School.

“Rowland was recommended by a trusted organizational scout who wanted to make sure he got with a good pitching coach like Max (Peterson),” said McCauley.

“I’m excited to come to Evansville and play for the Otters organization,” said Rowland. “It’s a nice change of culture and I’m excited to see what the season has in store.”

In 2018 with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League, Rowland was 1-4 with a 3.83 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 13 starts and a total of 54.0 innings pitched.

“He had quality numbers with the Braves organization and should figure in highly on the staff,” said McCauley.

“My approach on the mound is to mix it up with heat, off-speed and movement to set up batters,” said Rowland. “I pitch to contact to put the ball in play toward the defense behind me.”

Calabrese, a Staten Island, N.Y. native, joins the Otters for the 2019 season after spending two years in the San Francisco Giants organization. In 2017, he played with the Salem Keizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League and with the Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League in 2018.

“Calabrese played with David (Cronin) at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is represented by an agent I’ve worked with for some time,” said McCauley.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to play,” said Calabrese. “I love playing this game and I look forward go out there with my teammates.”

Last year with the GreenJackets, Calabrese had a .193 batting average with five home runs, 21 RBI’s, 24 runs, and 38 hits in 67 games.

“He should be a quality bat in our lineup and work well with our pitchers with his organizational experience.”

“Offensively, I try to keep it simple, be a gap-to-gap hitter with some power,” said Calabrese.

“I’ve always believed pitching and defense wins championships, so I really pride myself on my defense. I feel it’s my job as a catcher to be a leader out there and help make my pitchers and teammates better.”

The catcher was drafted in the 10th round by the Giants in the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The Evansville Otters made two selections out of the 2019 Frontier League Draft, selecting infielder Anthony Maselli and left-handed pitcher Tanner Pruett.

Maselli was selected by the Otters with the eighth overall pick in the league draft.

Finney “2018 Trooper of the District” at Evansville is Senior Trooper Michael Finney

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Through his hard work and dedication to public service, Senior Trooper Michael Finney has been selected as the “2018 Trooper of the District” for the Evansville District. Finney received his award earlier today at the Indiana State Police Spring Awards Ceremony held at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis. This award is presented to the Trooper at each district who has achieved outstanding efforts in the area of traffic and criminal enforcement, case and crash investigation, public information programs and community service and who has exemplified the professionalism and integrity expected of an Indiana State Trooper.

Finney is a twelve-year veteran of the Indiana State Police and is currently the only K-9 handler at Evansville. During 2018, Finney conducted 38 criminal investigations, made 112 criminal arrests and conducted 669 traffic stops. Finney also works very closely with the Evansville District All Crimes Policing (A.C.P.) Unit, which aggressively focuses on criminal activity and apprehending suspects involved in illegal drug activity. Finney and his K-9, Boomer, also conducted 32 free air sniffs, assisted other agencies 73 times, secured the perimeter on 28 details and made 10 apprehensions on 11 suspect searches. Finney and Boomer also assisted with 110 warrant services with fellow troopers and various other local, state and federal agencies.

Lieutenant Brian Bailey, Commander of the Evansville District, said “Senior Trooper Michael Finney and his K-9, Boomer, are a valuable asset to our community and to the Indiana State Police.”

Finney was also credited with helping save the life of an Evansville woman in 2018. Finney was off-duty and observed a woman lying on the ground near her doctor’s office, which is close to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. Finney approached the woman and found her to be unresponsive. Her doctor and Finney performed CPR until EMS arrived. She was treated and taken to Deaconess Hospital. A few days after the incident, she posted a nice message on Facebook thanking Senior Trooper Finney and crediting him with saving her life.

 

Senior Weekend on tap for UE softball

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Senior Weekend is on tap for the University of Evansville softball team as the Purple Aces welcome Valparaiso to Cooper Stadium for a 3-game series.  Action begins on Saturday with a noon doubleheader before Sunday’s game starts at 11 a.m.  Festivities for UE’s seven seniors will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday with Bailee Bostic, Danielle Cassidy, Olivia Cheatham, Ashleigh Downing, McKenzie Johnson, Kristin Koepke and Emily Lockhart being recognized.

 

Last Week

– Evansville earned its first road conference sweep since 2017, taking three wins against Missouri State in Springfield on Friday and Saturday

– Senior Emily Lockhart pitched a gem in game one, allowing one run on four hits in a complete game effort as the Aces took a 3-1 win; Lindsay Renneisen added a home run

– The offense erupted for seasons-highs in runs (11) and hits (16) on its way to an 11-7 win; trailing 7-6 heading into the top of the seventh, Bailee Bostic led the frame off with a home run to tie the score before Haley Woolf hit the game-winning grand slam with two outs

– A grand slam was the difference in Saturday’s game as Eryn Gould recorded one in the second inning that made the difference in a 5-4 win

– Lockhart picked up the wins in all three contests while Izzy Vetter earned the first save of her career in the finale

– In Wednesday’s game at Indiana State, the Aces dropped a 3-2 game; Haley Woolf paced the team, registering three of UE’s seven hits in the contest

 

Reaching a Milestone

– Aces head coach Mat Mundell picked up the 200th win of his career in the opener at Missouri State

– In six seasons at Illinois-Springfield, Mundell accumulated 117 wins with the remainder coming in his time at Evansville

 

Player of the Week

– For the second time in her career, sophomore Eryn Gould earned MVC Player of the Week accolades on April 22

– Gould is on an absolute roll for the Purple Aces, entering the Valpo series with a 10-game hit streak

– Over the previous ten games, Gould is batting .464 (13-of-28) while raising her average from .244 to .296

– She capped off the weekend series victory at MSU, batting .444 with two home runs and seven RBI; her grand slam in Saturday’s series finale was the difference in a 5-4 UE win

– Gould checks in with a .296 average while starting all 42 games at catcher, second base and in the outfield

– She leads the team with nine home runs, eight doubles, 25 runs and 27 RBI

 

Showing Her Power

– Freshman Haley Woolf accounted for three of the Aces’ seven hits at Indiana State; her hit tally was the most in her time at UE

– She continues to hit home runs in the times her team needs them the most and did so once again at Missouri State

– With the score tied at 7-7 in game two at MSU, Woolf hit a 2-out grand slam that clinched the Aces win; it was her first homer on the road this season as her other three came at Cooper Stadium

 

Scouting the Opponent

– Valparaiso comes to Evansville with a 15-24 mark and stand at 4-16 through their first 20 conference games

– Carly Trepanier has the top average for the Crusaders, hitting .284 on the season while Jaymee Lawton has a team-high five home runs and 22 RBI

– In the circle, Kelsie Packard has a 3.24 ERA with 88 strikeouts while winning eight games