A bill allowing for permitless carry in Kentucky has passed the House floor. The bill passed the House 60-37. Senate Bill 150 allows anyone 21 and older to carry a firearm without a permit.
Supporters of the bill say the bill reinforces Kentuckians’ constitutional rights. However, the bill did not come without concerns or questions from opponents of the bill. Some opponents say it hurts what they believe is an epidemic of gun violence.
The Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police opposed the bill, saying it doesn’t address safety concerns for police. They say identifying who is carrying a gun is safer for police and citizens.
The Louisville Metro Police Department also said the bill had potential dangers for officers.
The bill now heads to Governor Matt Bevin’s desk.
 NCAA Division II men’s basketball Elite Eight tickets are now on sale through the Ford Center Box Office. The 2019 postseason tournament is returning to Evansville, Indiana, as the city has been selected to host for a record 24th time.  The event will be co-hosted for the fourth time by the University of Southern Indiana.
The Elite Eight will be held March 27-30 at the Ford Center in downtown Evansville, marking a return to the same site that hosted the NCAA postseason event in 2014 and 2015. The Ford Center, which opened in 2011, is an 11,000 seat state-of-the-art arena located in the core of Evansville’s downtown district that hosts numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis.
“We are very excited to have the NCAA Division II Elite Eight return to Evansville,†said Evansville Sports Corporation President Eric Marvin. “There is an amazing buzz and excitement for basketball throughout the state and we receive tremendous support from fans and the business community. People in this area are really dedicated to the sport and Indiana overall takes their interest in college basketball to another level!â€
The Elite Eight will feature eight Division II men’s teams competing in a total of seven games over the course of four days for the honor of calling themselves an NCAA national champion.  In addition to the Elite Eight games, the NABC will resume its Division II College All-Star game at the Ford Center on March 29, where 20 Division II senior student-athletes will be selected to compete.
As it stands, Bellarmine University from Louisville, Kentucky is the top-ranked Division II men’s basketball team with a perfect, undefeated record. Northwest Missouri State, Indiana (PA), Nova Southeastern, and USC Aiken round out the top five. Ferris State, out of Big Rapids, Michigan, is the defending 2018 champion.
Haynie’s Corner is awarded a contract for their lighting project. Wilde Horticulture was awarded the contract for $14,750.
The company plans to add overhead string LED lights through portions of Haynie’s Corner. All overhead lights will be programmed to turn on at the same time as the street lamps already in place.
The project is an experiment to see if the lights can help businesses in the area.
Officials are hoping to have this in place by May 1st.
There are 460,000 Hoosiers that don’t have a high school diploma.
Vincennes University and WorkOne Southwest is joining forces with Toyota to make it easier on people looking to gain a high school equivalency.
Lauren Bell, the Adult Basic Education Director at Vincennes University, says “one of the main barriers they face is the $90 fee to take the high school equivalence test. That’s the number one thing that stops people.â€
While the High School Equivalency program has been around for years, Toyota’s donation of $60,000 will take away that fee for those wishing to brighten their future. They say students are set back when they need to use that money on transportation or taking care of their families.
Blair Milo, the Career and Talent Secretary of Indiana, says “it’s absolutely critical to be able to have access to some higher wages and move forward along a tremendous career path as we are seeing technology bring forward lots more skills required for different types of jobs.â€
The high school equivalency opens new doors for students, especially those looking to get into the world of manufacturing. Toyota is looking to add 400 people this year alone to its Princeton location.
Chris Reynolds, the Chief Administrative Director of Toyota, says “Evansville has the great benefit of having a place with low unemployment and with great people and employers willing to bring on people for jobs so we know that we are in competition with other employers here.â€
10,000 people are living in Gibson and Vanderburgh County right now that don’t have a high school diploma. Milo says “a little over half of those individuals are actually working already so we’d love to be able to support those individuals to have access to that credential that’s so critical to being able to move forward in a career path.â€
Classes will begin later this month with the test fee waived. Interested students should contact Connie Coulter at 812.881.7343 or cjcoulter@cinergymetro.net for more information.
The University of Southern Indiana Multicultural Center will host the 2019 Phenomenal Women of USI and the Community recognition banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in Carter Hall, located in the University Center on the USI campus. Erika Taylor, CEO of the Evansville YWCA, will deliver remarks during the dinner.
Now in its 18th year, the Phenomenal Women program honors and celebrates women from all walks of life who have made contributions to diversity in the USI and Evansville communities. Through the annual recognition of these contributions, the Phenomenal Women program hopes to inspire others to embrace and promote diversity within their own lives.
The 2019 honorees are:
Courtney Seitz, undergraduate student
Aleisha Jones ’18, graduate student and billing coordinator in the Bursar’s Office
Linda Lefler, senior administrative assistant in the Center for International Programs
Virginia Thomas, administrative assistant for Art and Design (posthumous recognition)
Gabriela Mustata Wilson, associate professor of health informatics and chair of Health Informatics and Information Management
Sherry (Meeks) Schneider ’87, SVP-Operational Risk Director at Old National Bancorp
Jamie Robey ’11 M’14, associate resources generalist at MetroNet
Constance Robinson-Blair, owner of HMR Enterprises and Evansville City Council representative
Tamara Skinner M’00, principal at Glenwood Leadership Academy
Gina Videa Alvarez, international admissions coordinator for the Center for International Programs
Tickets are $10 for USI faculty and staff, as well as members of the public, and $5 for USI students and all children. Tickets are available online at USI.edu/mcc. For more information, contact Julia Gangala at 812-465-7188 or jgangala@usi.edu.
University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the ninth to Young Harris College, 5-4, Wednesday afternoon in Young Harris, Tennessee. The Screaming Eagles move their record to 7-5 to start the year, while the Mountain Lions go to 13-7.
After spotting Young Harris a run in the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles bats ignited for a three-run fifth to lead, 3-1. USI junior rightfielder Manny Lopez (Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico) put the Eagles up, 2-1, with a two-run single with one out, while sophomore leftfielder Aaron Euler(Evansville, Indiana) pushed across the third run on a fielder’s choice.
The Mountain Lions bounced back to retake the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh with a three spot. USI evened the score, 4-4, in the top of the eighth on a home run by Euler, his first round tripper of the season and his Eagles career.
In the ninth, junior right-hander Peter Wissel (New Castle, Indiana) took the loss after walking the only batter he faced and before giving way to junior left-hander Paul Perez (Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela). Perez followed, allowing a hit and an intentional walk before walking in the winning run on a 3-2 count.
USI junior right-hander Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana) got the start and a no-decision for the Eagles. Hagedorn allowed one run on six hits, striking out one, in the five innings of his first start of the year.
Senior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) paced the Eagles at the plate as she went a combined 3-of-5 with a pair of walks, a run scored, a double, triple and three RBIs. Johnson tied and broke USI’s all-time walks record in the Eagles’ win over Saint Anselm as she passed Assistant Coach MacKenzi Dorsam for first with her 83rd career walk.
USI (9-9) returns to action Friday at 3 p.m. (CST) to take on The University of Findlay in a Midwest Region bout. The Eagles also play Notre Dame College (Ohio) Friday at 5:15 p.m. in a game that will have regional implications.
MSU Mankato (11-5) 7, USI 4
The Mavericks, who captured the 2017 national championship, used a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead over the Eagles, but a two-run triple by Johnson in the top of the fifth got the Eagles to within a run.
MSU Mankato, however, reeled off seven straight hits in the sixth inning to score four runs and steal momentum away from the Eagles.
Trailing 7-2 heading into the seventh, USI made one last charge as an RBI-double by Johnson followed by an RBI-bunt single by junior pitcher/third baseman Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) brought the Eagles to within striking distance.
USI had the bases loaded later in the frame when junior shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky) roped a ball down the right field line that went off the first baseman’s glove. The hit likely would have scored at least two, if not three runs, but umpires ruled it a foul ball. Ricketts later was punched out on a called third strike as the Eagles’ comeback bid came to a screeching halt.
Senior outfielder/pitcher Caitlyn Bradley (Pittsboro, Indiana) was charged with the loss after giving up five runs off nine hits in five-and-two-third innings of work. Bradley (2-3) finished with five strikeouts and just one walk.
USI 2, #12 Saint Anselm (10-4) 1
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA II National Championship Series, it was USI that struck first with a run in the top of the first inning. The Eagles took advantage of a leadoff walk to Johnson as junior outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) hit a sacrifice fly to push across the first run of the game.
Barr’s home run in the fourth put USI up 2-0, while a Saint Anselm tally in the last half of the fifth cut the Eagles’ cushion in half.
The Hawks had runners at second and third with one out in the sixth, but a foul out and a strikeout got the Eagles out of the inning unscathed.
Leonhardt (6-3) earned the complete-game win in the circle after giving up one run off 10 hits. She struck out six batters and did not allow a walk.
 The Charles Ford Retirement Communities of New Harmony’s board of directors is announcing its intent to embark on a building project that will expand the Communities’ services to include free-standing independent living structures and additional assisted living capacity.  Theindependent, not-for-profit, assisted livingretirement community’s expansion project will also include the continuing renovation of its current building’s common living areas.
The project advanced to the four- to six-month design phase with a unanimous decision by the Communities’ board.  During the planning process, the services of three consulting firms were contracted. They include GraceTeam of Topeka, Kan.; Universal Design Associates of Jasper, Ind.; and Buckley Consulting Services of Denver, Colo.  Each company provides specific expertise in the development of state-of-the-art independent living and assisted living communities.   The Master Planning Committee is composed of Vicki Campbell, board president; Richard Diemer, Paul Allison, and Karen Walker, board members; along with Connie Tousley, the Charles Ford Retirement Communities’ Maintenance Director and Amy Koch, Executive Director.
“The new expansion and services answer a need in our community that has been defined through an independent, senior housing market demand study,â€said Koch.  “The project is being designed to provide a multitude of additional amenities for our residents and the opportunity for future growth in the services we provide.  Every aspect will be intentionally developed to promote individuality, encourage independence and bring comfort and life enrichment to our residents.
“Above all,†Koch continued, “what is essential is that our current and future residents receive individualized care and personal attention delivered by a caring, dedicated and professional staff. These characteristics continue to reflect our ongoing mission.â€
Harrison is a 10-month-old male mixed breed. He has PLENTY of energy & needs an active family who can get him into some obedience and socialization classes! He was originally transferred to VHS from Warrick County Animal Control so we don’t have a lot of info on his background. His adoption fee is $110 and includes his neuter, microchip, and vaccines. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
TYRONE MORRIS KENTUCKY
