FUNNY HOW SOME PICTURES COME OUT
submitted to the City-County Observer By Ron Riecken
The Decline In Firefighter Volunteers Fuels Recruiting Crisis
The Decline In Firefighter Volunteers Fuels Recruiting Crisis
DECEMBER 11TH, 2018 
TYRONE MORRIS INDIANA
A shortage of firefighter volunteers is fueling a recruiting crisis in Indiana. According to fire officials, 70 percent of the country’s firefighters are volunteers and their numbers are declining.
Volunteer firefighters put their life on the line and even though they’re often running toward the danger they never get any money in return. Chief Tom Tharpe runs a volunteer fire department in Trafalgar.
He says afternoons are a big concern because most of his crew work full-time jobs and without a paycheck, it’s difficult for departments to recruit firefighters
The Indiana Fire Chiefs Association is applying for a grant through FEMA.
They hope the $1 million will help with recruiting in volunteer fire departments.
Male Student Claims Gender Bias In Campus Rape Investigation In Lawsuit Against IU
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
A male student has filed a federal lawsuit against Indiana University after the Bloomington school investigated a sexual assault complaint against him and determined that even though he “reasonably should not have known†the woman was incapacitated, he was still responsible for nonconsensual sex.
The student, identified in the lawsuit as John Doe, has been suspended from IU through Oct. 25, 2022, is not allowed to be on campus and must get counseling or take a class before attending a re-entry meeting the month he returns to classes.
Doe, represented by Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP in Indianapolis, filed the lawsuit Nov. 27, the same day the university denied his appeal. He claims the university was biased against him because of his gender and, along with damages, is seeking restitution for the years of tuition he paid to IU.
This is the fourth lawsuit filed against Indiana University by a male student accused of sexual misconduct. Colleges and universities across the state have been hit with similar complaints, largely from male students claiming their constitutional rights were violated. . However, some female students have also filed lawsuits asserting some of the same claims.
According to John Doe’s complaint against IU, the woman, referred to in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, made the accusation that John had sexually assaulted and exploited her more than eight months after the two had sex in the Sigma Nu fraternity house. The pair was photographed without their permission while having intercourse and the pictures were subsequently shared on GroupMe among the fraternity brothers.
The complaint states that as soon as John learned about the photo, he immediately went to the Sigma Nu president to have the picture removed. A few days later, the university’s Office of Student Conduct contacted John and indicated he may have experienced sexual misconduct.
In a meeting with OSC investigators, John was told they wanted to talk about the picture. However, John alleges the statements he made as part of that investigation were then used against him in the sexual assault investigation. The panel investigating the sexual assault allegation based its conclusion that Jane did not consent largely on “inconsistencies†in John’s statements, according to the complaint. Specifically, while John maintained in later interviews that he had asked for consent, he did not “elaborate on verbal communication†when he was interviewed as a complainant in the photo investigation.
Moreover, that complaint states that although the photo investigators found that John did not consent to having the picture taken or disseminated, the sexual assault panel determined he was responsible for the “exploitation.â€
John and Jane had sex Sept. 4, 2017. He made a statement to OSC about the picture on Sept. 29, 2017. On June 1, 2018, the Indiana University Police Department called John about a sexual misconduct case involving his Sept. 29 statement. Only after he met with IUPD was he informed that he was under investigation for rape, according to the complaint.
Once the university had completed the final investigation report into the sexual assault accusation, John was given limited access and not allowed to print, copy or share it, the complaint states. Also, the report did not contain the real names of the witnesses so John could prepare questions in advance of the hearing.
According to the complaint, a hearing was held Oct. 19, 2018, with three panelists presiding. The event lasted from 1:30 to 8:55 p.m. with most of the witnesses being contacted by phone and only those who answered the call providing testimony. Jane’s sister was permitted to testify even though she told the panel she had hit her head and was on her way to the hospital.
John’s witnesses were neither contacted by the panel nor mentioned in the final investigation report, although they could have provided information regarding his habit of seeking verbal consent from sexual partners, according to the complaint. However, the complaint states, Jane’s friends were contacted and permitted to testify.
The complaint describes the investigation as “shoddy.†It also asserts the “gross lack of process and unfairness afforded to John†is in contrast to the “robust and complete process and control over the scope and timing of the investigation afford to Jane.â€
The complaint claims IU violated Title IX because John was treated unfairly because of his sex and its deliberate indifference was motived by John’s gender. In addition, the university breached its contract with John when it failed to follow its own policies and procedures and was negligent in enforcing its own policies and procedures, he claims.
The case filed in the Indiana Southern District Court is John Doe v. Indiana University, 1:18-cv-3713.
Aces Student-Athletes Spread Christmas Cheer
Ninety U OF E Student-Athletes Take Part In Reading Day
 In a full effort from the University of Evansville athletic programs, the Purple Aces spread holiday cheer around Evansville last week.
“Our student-athletes have a long annual tradition of partnering with Toys for Tots. Shopping for toys for the Evansville youth is one of our favorite initiatives each year. This year approximately $1,000 worth of toys was purchased by the s/a’s,†UE Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations Sarah Solinsky said.
“The tremendous response from our student-athletes to take a break from studying for their final exams to spread some holiday cheer with Evansville youth says a lot about the quality young men and women representing UE athletics.â€
Ninety student-athletes from 14 UE sports volunteered to take part in 2018 Holiday Reading Day. Student-athletes visited and read books to over 400 students ranging from preschool to 3rd grade.
The crew visited Lodge Community School, St. Benedict Cathedral School and Hebron Elementary School.
Toys were also purchased by the student-athletes as part of a continuing partnership with Toys for Tots.
ADOPT A PET
Ms. Norbury is a beautiful female calico! She’s about 6 years old. She would likely do fine in a home with one or two other cats, but doesn’t prefer to live in our Cageless Cat Lounge with 30 of them! (Who can blame her? It can get crazy in there.) Her adoption fee is $40 and includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
Eagles finish homestand with Midway USI to play #12 Barry in Bellarmine Classic
University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball finishes its three-game homestand Sunday when it hosts Midway University at the Physical Activities Center. Tipoff for the non-conference game is 1 p.m.
Game coverage for all of USI’s regular season games, including live stats, the GLVCSN, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on ESPN97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
The Screaming Eagles follow the three-game homestand with a pair of neutral site contests December 18-19 in the Bellarmine University Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. USI is slated to play Northern Michigan University at 4 p.m. (CST) December 18 and 12th-ranked Barry University at noon (CST) December 19.
USI Men’s Basketball Week 7Â Quick Notes:
USI falls in GLVC opener. USI lost a hard fought match-up with top-ranked Bellarmine University, 92-80, at the Physical Activities Center. USI was led by senior guard Alex Stein and sophomore forward Josh Price, who posted 25 points and 22 points, respectively. Senior guard/forward Nate Hansen rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.
Season and career highs. USI sophomore forward Josh Price posted a season-high with 22 points versus Bellarmine, while junior forward Hugues Mbumba dropped in a 2018-19 a season-best eight points. Sophomore guard Mateo Rivera dished out a career-high seven assists.
Stein in the top five. Senior guard Alex Stein is in the Eagles’ top-four all-time for scoring with 1,612 points. Stein is seven points behind third-place Stan Gouard (1,619 points, 1993-96).
Hansen powers Eagles off the bench. USI senior guard/forward Nate Hansen has powered the Eagles off the bench. Hansen is second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game and has led the Eagles in scoring twice (20 points versus Malone; 16 points versus Oakland City). He is also is tied for a team-high in assists with 3.6 per contest.
USI vs. Midway. USI and Midway will be meeting for the first time in the history of the programs on December 16 at the PAC.
Midway in 2018-19. The Midway Eagles are currently 6-5 overall in 2018-19 with a game versus Indiana University Kokomo (December 15) before visiting the PAC. Midway is 3-3 in its last six games.
USI vs. Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan University leads the all-time series with USI, 2-0, both losses coming in the NCAA II Tournament. The Eagles lost to the Wildcats in the 1980 regional in Dayton, Ohio, 93-83, and in the 1993 regional at USI, 86-85.
Nothern Michigan in 2018-19. The Northern Michigan Wildcats are 8-1 overall in the first half of the season and have won their last three-straight. Northern Michigan also has posted wins over the GLVC’s McKendree University (93-70) and Lewis University (77-59) to open the season in the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge November 10-11 in Marquette, Michigan.
USI vs. Barry. USI and Barry will be meeting for the first time in the history of the programs on December 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Barry in 2018-19. The 12th-ranked Barry Buccaneers are 6-1 in the first two months of the 2018-19 season. Barry started the year with five-straight wins before splitting its last two contests. The Buccaneers play Drury University December 16 before taking on USI on a neutral floor on December 19.
USI Baseball Announces Incoming Class
The University of Southern Indiana baseball team and Head Coach Tracy Archuleta have announced the incoming signees for the 2020 season, featuring ten athletes, including three from Evansville. All ten athletes have their senior seasons remaining in anticipation of graduation in the spring of 2019.
Alex Archuleta (Evansville, Indiana), Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana), Michael Conner (Moline, Illinois), Isaac Housman (Evansville, Indiana), Tyler Kapust (Sellersburg, Indiana), Steven Molinet, Jr. (Elberfeld, Indiana), Seth Seniour (Evansville, Indiana), Drew Taylor (Jeffersonville, Indiana), Tyler Wheeler (Sellersburg, Indiana), and Peyton Young (Thorntown, Indiana) have all chosen to join the Screaming Eagles to continue their academic and athletic careers.
“I am very excited to get these young men to campus and watch them mature into great student-athletes,” Archuleta said. “This group has seen a lot of success in their high school and summer careers in baseball and other sports throughout their high school careers.  We hope they can continue that success here at USI.”
Archuleta: Manned the middle infield for Evansville North High School…second-team All-Conference and All-Metro selection…posted a .348 batting average as a junior…son of USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta.
Ciuffetelli:Â Pitcher at Castle High School…second-team All-Conference and All-Metro team selection as a junior…member of conference, sectional, and regional championship team in 2018…went 8-3 over 60.1 innings with a 1.39 ERA, posted 59 Ks as a junior.
Conner:Â Corner infielder for Moline Senior High School…earned varsity letters for baseball and basketball…won Western Big 6 championships in 2017 and 2018.
Housman:Â Pitcher at Reitz Memorial High School…plays four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and bowling…three-sport academic All-City (baseball, bowling and football)…posted a 4-2 record in 38.2 innings pitched with a 1.99 ERA and 36 Ks as a junior…member of Reitz’s 2018 sectional championship and regional runner-up squad.
Kapust:Â Catcher from Silver Creek High School…two-time All-Area selection (first-team in 2017, honorable mention in 2016)…member of back-to-back sectional-championship squads, semi-state championship in 2018.
Molinet, Jr.: Outfielder from Tecumseh High School in Lynnville, Indiana…played baseball and basketball…currently in the top ten of his class academically.
Seniour: Center fielder from Evansville North High School…earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football…member of the 2018 sectional-championship team in basketball.
Taylor: Outfielder at Jeffersonville High School…hit for a .423 average, knocking in 20 runs, including four home runs, as a junior…All-State honorable mention in 2018…two-time first-team All-Conference and All-Area selection…member of three consecutive conference-title teams.
Wheeler: Middle infielder and pitcher from Silver Creek High School…led his team in ERA and fielding percentage over the past two seasons.
Young: pitcher from Western Boone High School…has earned multiple varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football…voted team captain seven times between his three sports.
Hopkins named 3rd-Team Scholar All-Region
University of Southern Indiana senior goalkeeper Emily Hopkins (Greenfield, Indiana) was named third-team Scholar All-North/Central Region in an announcement by the United Soccer Coaches (USC). The Scholar All-Region honor is the first of Hopkins’ career and the first for USI women’s soccer.
Hopkins led the defense with a 0.98 goals against average (GAA) in 19 games and 1828 minutes of action. She also had 11 wins (a career high) and seven shutouts during 2018.
In addition to being named Scholar All-Region in 2018, Hopkins was twice named the USC Player of the Week and GLVC Defensive Player of the Week before finishing the regular season by being named third-team All-GLVC.
The senior goalkeeper, who is a three-time Academic All-GLVC honoree, finished her four-year USI career ranked third in program history for saves (292), GAA (1.17), and shutouts (19.3). Hopkins also was concluded her tenure at USI with a 27-23-10 record.
USI, as a team, finished 2018 with a 12-5-3 overall record, 9-3-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference; clinched a GLVC regular season championship for the first time in program history; tied a team record with a seven-match winning streak; set a team record with eight-straight home victories; was regionally ranked for the first time since 1999; hosted its first GLVC Tournament match since 2010; and advanced to the GLVC final four for the first time since 1999.
TROPICANA EVANSVILLE ANNOUNCES 2018 CHARITY TOURNAMENT RESULTS!
Since 1996, Tropicana Evansville has celebrated the spirit of the holiday season by hosting charity slot and blackjack tournaments in the month of December. These tournaments are unique in that players’ entry fees are either a new toy valued at $10 or more, or $10 or more in cash. The generosity of Tropicana Evansville’s players is exhibited through the many toys collected and money donated. This year’s tournaments were held Monday, December 3 through Thursday, December 6.
All proceeds benefit two area organizations, Salvation Army’s Toy Town and Santa Clothes Club. Tropicana Evansville has a 22-year history with both organizations and has donated more than 23,155 toys ($231,550 value) and $44,140 to assist them in their efforts over the years.
Please join Tropicana Evansville’s Sponsorship & Donations Coordinator, Amanda Schisler; Salvation Army Majors Mark and Sandra Turner; and Santa Clothes Club Vice President Wendell Burkhart and Board Member Pattie Davis for the announcement of this year’s tournament results on Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 2:00PM (CT) in the Tropicana Evansville Hotel Lobby.
This year, 1,256 toy donations ($12,560 value), was raised for Salvation Army Toy Town and will be distributed to needy families during the holiday season. Also, $1,860 in cash donations will go to Santa Clothes Club to provide new clothing for needy grade school children whose names are obtained through area school programs.
About Tropicana Evansville
Tropicana Evansville is a multi-million dollar entertainment complex located on the scenic banks of the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana.  The single-level 24-hour casino encompasses 45,000 square feet of gaming space featuring over 1,100 slot games, over 30 table games, a dedicated Poker Room and a High Limit Room. Accommodations include a 243-room hotel tower and a 95-room boutique hotel. The property showcases an ultramodern entertainment lounge, four dining options, four bars, conference center, riverfront event center and a 1,660-vehicle attached parking garage.
Rickey named USC Scholar All-American Katzman earns Scholar All-Region
Rickey and senior defender Kent Katzman (Spring Hill, Tennessee) also were recognized as USC Scholar All-North/Central Region. The Scholar All-Region honors were the first of Rickey and Katzman careers at USI and the third and fourth USI players to receive the awards in program history.
To be eligible for selection, the student athlete must be nominated by his head coach and meet the following criteria:
- Have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his career;
- Start more than 50 percent of all games and be an elite player as supported by playing honors (i.e., all-conference) or contributions to the success of his/her team;
- Plays for a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member institution
- Be a junior or above in athletic standing at the current institution;
- And be in his or her second year at the current institution if a transfer student.
The national academic honor caps off a heavy awards season for Rickey in 2018. The junior midfielder has been named second-team All-American, Scholar All-American, Â first-team All-Midwest Region, and Scholar All-Region by USC; Midwest Region Player of the Year; and first-team All-Midwest Region by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA); and Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference by the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
This season, Rickey led the Eagles in scoring with 28 points on a team-high 11 goals and six assists this fall. He also had a team-high five game-winning goals.
Katzman, who was named second-team D2CCA All-Region and USC third-team All-Region, spearheaded the Eagles defensive back line that had a 0.98 team goals against average and helped post eight shutouts.
The Eagles completed the 2018 campaign with a 13-4-1 record; ranked 15th nationally in the final regular season poll; captured their first GLVC regular season crown since 1990; their highest regional ranking since 1982; and their third appearance in the NCAA II Tournament. USI also hosted their first NCAA II Regional since 1982.