Junior Master Wildlife Gardener Class Offered At Wesselman Woods
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Box Turtles
Have you ever wondered why box turtles are called box turtles? They have a special adaptation that lets them close up their shell like a box. When box turtles feel threatened, they cannot run away effectively. Their large shell is heavy and their legs are short. Instead, they retreat inside their shell, tucking in their head, tail, and legs. Their plastron (bottom shell) has a hinge so they can shut the doors against their predator. Even the infamously dexterous paws of raccoons can’t penetrate this defense! They patiently wait inside their shell until the predator gives up.
This wild box turtle opens his plastron a bit so he can check his surroundings.
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King Makes History, IU Wins Two Titles on Friday Night at Big Ten Championships
The No. 17-ranked Indiana University women’s swimming and diving team extended its lead in the team standings on a historic Friday night at the 2019 Big Ten’s Women’s Championships at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers will take a 111 point lead in to the fourth and final day of the conference championships. IU leads with a score of 938.5 points with Michigan in second with a total of 827.5 Ohio State sits in third with 779 points.
In the Championship Final of the 100 breaststroke, Lilly King again showed why she will go down as arguably the greatest breaststroke swimmer in NCAA history, winning the Big Ten title for the fourth-straight year with the fastest time in history – 55.88.
King, the only woman to break 57 seconds in history, eclipsed the 56-second barrier for the first time in her career. The time resets her own American, NCAA, Big Ten, Big Ten Meet, CBAC pool and Indiana school records.
King has posted the top-five all-time performances in the event and seven of the top-eight. The Evansville, Ind. native is the third woman in Big Ten history to win the 100 breast title four times, joining Jillian Tyler (2008-11) and Kristen Woodring (2001-02, 04-05)
Also in the Championship Final, freshman Noelle Peplowski took sixth with a time of 1:00.04, while senior Laura Morley was eighth with a mark of 1:00.66.
In the B Final, Abby Kirkpatrick was sixth in a career-best 1:00.51. For IU in the C Final, Mackenzie Atencio was fourth with a time of 1:01.51, while Hope Hayward was sixth in 1:01.97.
 Senior Bailey Andison had a remarkable performance in the Championship Final of the 400 IM, winning the conference title with a NCAA A cut, CBAC pool record and career-best time of 4:02.37.
Andison’s time is the fourth-best in the nation this season and the third-best all-time in Indiana history. Andison is the first Hoosier to win the Big Ten title in the 400 IM since Dorina Szekeres in 2013.
Freshman Mackenzie Looze continued her great meet, placing fourth overall with a personal-best time of 4:07.07. Bailey Kovac also posted a PR, taking sixth with a mark of 4:11.84.
In the B Final, freshman Christin Rockway trimmed over three seconds off her previous career-best, winning with a time of 4:08.50. Bailey Kovac took third in the Consolation Final with a mark of 4:11.84.
 In the Championship Final of the 100 butterfly, senior Christine Jensen had a great swim, winning the silver medal with a time of 51.44. Jensen’s time is the fourth-fastest in school history and just 0.16 seconds off her career best mark.
Shelby Koontz moved up from the No. 8 seed in the A Final to finish fourth overall with a
career-best time of 52.08.
 After winning the gold medal in the 1-meter dive on Thursday night, Jessica Parratto added to her medal haul on Friday, winning the bronze in the 3-meter with a total of 358.25. The redshirt senior missed on one dive, but still had four dives score over 60 points, including two over 70.
Earlier, Taylor Carter scored points for the Hoosiers, placing 20th overall in prelims with a score of 283.00.
 Indiana came out and broke the school record in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle relay, as the team of Julia Wolf, Christine Jensen, Shelby Koontz and Laurel Eiber touched the wall with a NCAA A cut time of 1:28.48.
Freshman Morgan Scott continued to have a breakout meet in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle, taking seventh overall with a time of 1:45.84. Her time was just 0.25 seconds off her career-best mark she set in the morning.
In the B Final, Maria Paula Heitmann got to the wall first, winning with a time of 1:45.97. IU also won the C Final, as Laurel Eiber won with a career-best time of 1:47.16. Cassy Jernberg was fifth in the C Final with a mark of 1:48.68.
In her second Championship Final of the night, freshman Morgan Scott took sixth in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall in a time of 52.33. In the C Final, Grace Haskett was fourth with a mark of 54.17.
The 2019 Big Ten Women’s Championships continue on Saturday with the last morning of prelims. The action gets underway at 11:00 a.m. ET with the prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform dive and 1,650 freestyle.
For all the latest on Indiana University women’s swimming and diving, be sure to follow the team on social media - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
100 Butterfly
- Christine Jensen – 51.44 (NCAA B Cut)
- Shelby Koontz – 52.08 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
400 IM
- Bailey Andison – 4:02.37 (NCAA A Cut, Personal Best)
- Mackenzie Looze – 4:07.07 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Josie Grote – 4:10.00 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Christin Rockway – 4:08.50 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Bailey Kovac – 4:11.84 (NCAA B Cut)
200 Freestyle
- Morgan Scott – 1:45.84 (NCAA B Cut)
- Maria Paula Heitmann – 1:45.97 (NCAA B Cut)
- Laurel Eiber – 1:47.16 (Personal Best)
- Cassy Jernberg – 1:48.68
100 Breaststroke
- Lilly King – 55.88 (American Record, NCAA Record, Big Ten Record, Big Ten Meet Record, Pool Record, School Record, NCAA A Cut, Personal Best)
- Noelle Peplowski – 1:00.04 (NCAA B Cut)
- Laura Morley – 1:00.66 (NCAA B Cut)
- Abby Kirkpatrick – 1:00.51 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Mackenzie Atencio – 1:01.51 (NCAA B Cut)
- Hope Hayward – 1:01.97
100 Backstroke
- Morgan Scott – 52.33 (NCAA B Cut)
- Grace Haskett – 54.17
3-Meter Dive
- Jessica Parratto – 358.25 (NCAA Zones Qualifying Score)
- Taylor Carter – 283.00 (NCAA Zones Qualifying Score)
200 Freestyle Relay
- Julia Wolf, Christine Jensen, Shelby Koontz, Laurel Eiber – 1:28.48 (NCAA A Cut, School Record)
Foreigner Coming to Evansville Old National Events Plaza
FEBRUARY 22ND, 2019 
TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Funeral Arrangements Set for Capt. Jim Pauli
FEBRUARY 22ND, 2019 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
THINK SLOW
THINK SLOW
GAVEL GAMUTÂ By Jim Redwine
Two weeks before actor Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago police he had been assaulted by two white men Smollett sent himself a letter with similar sentiments. Smollett who claims to be “Bluishâ€, that is, the offspring of a Jewish father and a Black mother, and who also says he is homosexual created the letter. The letter was released by Smollett in hopes of causing sympathy for him so he could demand a raise in his salary on the television series Empire.
Not only did Smollett create a letter that would not pass muster as a prop in a grade school play the letter brought no response from the people in charge of Smollett’s salary. As to creating sympathy for his meager pay, that too might ring hollow with the rest of us in the real world. Smollett is paid $65,000 for each episode of Empire; the show has eighteen episodes per season and it is in its fifth season. Let us see about that sympathy thing: $65m x 18 = $1,170,000 per year and a total of $5,850,000 for five years. How are your sympathy pangs, Gentle Reader?
Of course, as an actor playing the role of a minority Rhythm and Blues singer on a television show I had never heard of until Smollett faked his attack, I am not aware of any great general benefit Smollett’s acting has conferred on society. On the other hand, these issues of false claims and payroll negotiations are not what this column is about. If Smollett had given just a little more thought to his scheme, he probably would not have paid his two “attackers†by check, a copy of which the Chicago police recovered in less than a week. However, Smollett did claim the attack occurred in downtown Chicago at 2:00 a.m. so his story started out sounding believable.
Anyway, this column is not about Smollett’s infantile plan to boost his career. It is about the initial hue and cry in the national media and political figures in response to Smollett’s phony plot. We just don’t learn, do we? The rule is get the facts then speak out, not rush to a judgment we wish to believe based on our own prejudices. We, and I do mean most of us, would benefit from understanding what the psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls “Thinking Fastâ€.
Thinking fast is making decisions based on our intuition and emotions instead of “Thinking Slowâ€, which is gleaning the facts first and applying a critical analysis to those facts. We all want to believe things. Unfortunately, “Wanting don’t make it soâ€. Now, in much of what we decide it does not matter what we think. If we want to believe in Santa Claus, where’s the harm? However, when the national news media or our national leaders decide things based on hope or hate instead of objective investigation and analysis, real harm may result.
So, Jussie Smollett, your silly attempt to get attention is of little consequence and thankfully you made the Chicago Police Department’s job easy. Once again, thanks for paying by check. But what has caused true harm to our national debate about several forms of prejudice has been the rush to stand upon your shockingly juvenile strategy as a pedestal to spew real prejudice.Â
Want to read other Gavel Gamut articles?
Go to www.jamesmredwine.com
Or “Like†us on Facebook at JPegRanchBooksandKnitting
UE Music Department to Present Lecture and Recital on Diversity and Musical Performance
The University of Evansville’s Department of Music is planning a lecture and recital on diversity and musical performance at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, in Wheeler Concert Hall in the Krannert Hall of Art and Music on UE’s campus.
Douglas Shadle, assistant professor of musicality at Vanderbilt University will present the lecture, titled “Finding a Home on the Concert Stage.” A short recital will follow Shadle’s talk, featuring the works of Florence Price, a black female composer of the early 20th century.
ADOPT A PET
These two bunnies are – well – brothers? Sisters? Sisbros? Anyway, they are both hermaphrodites! They both possess male and female genitalia. They have also already been neutered, so regardless of their anatomy, they will not be reproducing in any way. How unique is that?! Here’s your chance to adopt a super interesting pair of buns. These kids are about a year & a half old. Han Solo is the chocolate-colored Rex, and Chewbacca is the tortoiseshell-colored American. The adoption fee for both is $100 and they must go home together. They will go home neutered and microchipped for that price! Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
 Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Austin Dee Goodmon:Â Conspiracy Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 5 Felony)
Brittany Dawn Pitt: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Attempt Obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony)
Nathan Charles Gambrel: Theft (Level 6 Felony), Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Seth Wayne Ande: Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life (Level 5 Felony)
Jeremy R. Martin: Domestic battery (Level 5 Felony), Interference with the reporting of a crime (Class A misdemeanor)
Katrina Nichole Bennett: Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony)
Delbert Anthony Crow: Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 4 Felony)
Antonio Moss Maurice: Battery against a public safety official (Level 6 Felony)
Samuel Eldon Newbold: Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in methamphetamine (Level 2 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 3 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 5 Felony), Possession of a controlled substance (Level 6 Felony)
Ashley Jean Nurrenbern: Domestic battery on a person less than 14 years old (Level 6 Felony)
Kevin D. Tuck: Strangulation (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor)
Terry Lamont McClendon:Â Attempt Residential entry (Level 6 Felony), Invasion of privacy (Level 6 Felony), Invasion of privacy (Class A misdemeanor)
Jessica Marie Martin: Neglect of a dependent (Level 6 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor)
Adam Nathaniel Gomez: Child molesting (Level 4 Felony), Child molesting (Level 4 Felony), Child molesting (Level 4 Felony), Child molesting (Level 4 Felony), Child molesting (Level 4 Felony), Child molesting (Level 4 Felony)
James Robert Short: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
James Lavern Palmer Jr.: Possession off a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Level 6 Felony)
Tia Justine Croce: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Howard Dudley Phipps:Â Attempt Obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Terry D. Ealum: Resisting law enforcement (Level 6 Felony)
Marcus Deshawn Peatross: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Carrying a handgun without a license (Class A misdemeanor), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Jason Jermaine Johnson: Robbery (Level 5 Felony), Theft (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)
John E. Perteet III: Battery resulting in serious bodily injury (Level 5 Felony), Battery resulting in serious bodily injury (Level 5 Felony), Battery resulting in serious bodily injury (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Battery by means of a  deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Criminal recklessness (Level 6 Felony)
Tre Vincent Kirk: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor), Operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license (Class C misdemeanor)
Aces set for non-conference weekend in Carbondale
UE to play three games
Another slight schedule change has taken place as the University of Evansville softball team prepares for three non-conference games this weekend in Carbondale, Ill. UE’s original trip that was set for Chattanooga has been cancelled to the forecast of inclement weather.
The Aces will now play a pair of games on Friday. Evansville opens the day at 4:30 p.m. against Ohio University before playing Saint Louis at 7 p.m. No games will take place on Saturday. UE will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with a 10 a.m. game versus Creighton
Last weekend, the Aces had a stellar 4-game sweep at Southern. Sophomore Mea Adams batted .556 with five hits in nine at-bats in the weekend series. Adams began the week 0-3 but finished up the weekend going 5-for-6 in Saturday’s doubleheader. Adams was 2-3 in game one on Saturday before notching a perfect 3-for-3 effort with two runs and an RBI in the series finale. Just as impressive was her performance on the basepaths as she was a perfect 5-5 in stolen base attempts.
Senior Emily Lockhart threw two of the best games of her college career, including a no-hitter. Lockhart had a strong effort in game two on Friday, throwing six innings. She struck out 10 batters and gave up just one run on three hits in a 5-4 Evansville win. That momentum carried over to Saturday as she recorded the first no-hitter of her career in an 8-0 UE win. Lockhart struck out seven batters in the win. She finished with an 0.82 ERA for the weekend and gave up just three hits while striking out 17 batters.
The second weekend of action for UE junior Katie McLean saw her finish with a .385 batting average and a perfect 3-3 showing in stolen bases. In a 3-1 series-opening win over Southern, McLean was 2-4 with a run. While she went 0-3 in game two, she did reach base via a walk. Batting leadoff in both games on Saturday, McLean opened the day with a 1-3 game posting her second run and walk of the series. She added a 2-3 game with another run and an RBI as the Aces clinched the series sweep.
Evansville’s first opponent in Carbondale will be Ohio University. The Bobcats are 6-3 so far and picked up Sunday wins last weekend over Campbell and Charlotte. Saint Louis will be the second opponent on Friday evening. The Billikens are 0-5 this season with losses to MVC squads UNI and Drake last weekend in Cedar Falls. UE completes the weekend on Sunday against former MVC foe Creighton. The Blue Jays are 4-5 overall, but went 3-1 last weekend, defeating Northwestern State while picking up two wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.