Three juveniles are facing auto theft charges in connection with two stolen vehicles.
Henderson Police officers were contacted about the stolen vehicles around 6:00am on December 18th. Officers spotted one of the vehicles near St. Louis Cemetery. The occupants parked the vehicle and ran before officers were able to initiate a car stop.
Two of the occupants were found hiding in a shed in the 1400 block of S. Green St. a short time later. The third occupant was located at a relatives house a few hours later. One of the occupants was taken to the hospital for medical evaluation.
While being escorted into the building, the suspect attempted to escape custody by running into the near-by neighborhood. He was caught after a short chase.
During the investigation, officers learned where the second stolen vehicle had been abandoned. Both vehicles were returned to their owners.
All three suspects were placed in a secure juvenile facility.
Henderson Police are investigating a weekend shooting that left one man injured. Police were called to the area of the 1200 block of Cumnock St for a report of multiple shots being fired around 11:15pm on December 14th.
Officers arrived and located the victim. He had a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.
During a canvas of the neighborhood, investigators located video footage of at least one person firing a handgun. The shooter was with several other individuals prior to firing their handgun. After the shots were fired, the group left in different directions on foot.
Anyone with information on this incident or that may be able to provide additional footage is asked to contact the Henderson
Police Department. Information can be directed to Detective J. Meyer at 270-831-1295.
UPdate
The victim from the weekend shooting has passed away. No other information is currently available.
Leadership at a crossroads: Holcomb talks his tumultuous eight years as governor
By Arianna Hunt, TheStatehouseFile.com
In a little over 600 hours, Governor Eric Holcomb leaves office, making one of the final significant events of his tenure the execution of Joseph Corcoran for the murder of four people in 1997.
“It’s very somber, something that you just do not look forward to,” said Holcomb, who in June joined Attorney General Todd Rokita in calling for Indiana to resume capital punishment. “But understand that when you run for the job, the law of the land here, that ultimate act of justice is part of the job.”
Holcomb said he has been transparent since before he started his governorship that he personally believes in the death penalty for crimes such as Corcoran’s. Corcoran had been on death row since 1999 for the murder of his older brother, his sister’s fiancé and their two friends, and he was executed Wednesday morning a little after 12 a.m.
In his office at the Indiana Statehouse on Dec. 9, Gov. Eric Holcomb spoke about his call in June for Indiana to resume the death penalty. Photo by Connor Burress, TheStatehouseFile.com.
“If folks want to change, there’s a means available to change,” Holcomb said. “Some, some folks, their hearts and minds have changed on this issue, and they may seek to change it, and there’s a process for that, and that’ll start in January, before we know it.”
Holcomb sat down with TSF last week for a one-on-one interview to reflect on some of his past, present and future moments as Indiana’s 51st governor. Over the past eight years, Holcomb has focused on economic and workforce development, signed a near total abortion ban into law, created Indiana’s first Office of Drug Prevention, Treatment & Enforcement to combat the opioid crisis, reduced infant mortality rates, and lead the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, a divisive Trump presidency, and protests after the death of George Floyd.
And in the final months of Holcomb’s time in office, Indiana reclaimed the means necessary to carry out executions for the first time in 15 years.
Execution has been legal in Indiana since its reinstatement in 1977, but after lethal injection became the primary method of execution, it hasn’t been easy for the state to obtain the drugs necessary. For years, Indiana has struggled to find a company willing to supply the drug because of the bad press associated with it, which is why the supplier now is by law anonymous.
For many Hoosiers, this announcement may have seemed unexpected, but Holcomb says it was a years-long process necessary for his role as governor.
“I viewed it as if you run for this job, there are a lot of things that may not be your favorite, or they may be your least favorite,” he said. “This may be my least favorite decision to ultimately make, but I know my own convictions, my what I subscribe to. [I’ve] been very transparent about that from day one and was asked about this before I ever ran for the job.
“So if anything, I would have viewed it as you’ve, you said one thing before you were elected, and now you’re saying something else, or you’re not doing the job that you were elected to do.”
‘Indiana is on the move’
Indiana has hit over $39 billion of committed capital investment this year and last year hit $28 billion, 70% from foreign direct investment. Notable projects include the $800 million Meta data center near Jeffersonville and a $13 billion contribution from Eli Lilly and Company into the LEAP Innovation District.
“Because (companies have) 49 other states to choose from, and more countries than that, and for us to be again right in the core, the middle of it all really shows that Indiana is on the move,” he said.
Holcomb has spent a lot of time overseas facilitating foreign economic development for Indiana.
“I was sitting in Kuwait City recently … and talking with five different businesses and leaders in those businesses, and a gentleman in the energy sector asked, ‘What do you think the two most important issues are for growth in your state?’ I said it is access to water and power,” Holcomb said. “Workforce has always been No. 1 to me and for years, workforce access to high talent. Now, if you don’t have the power and the water, you don’t get to the workforce question.”
For two years, Lebanon, Indiana, has made headlines for a proposed 35-mile pipeline that could pump up to 100 million gallons of water a day from the Wabash aquifer to support development of the LEAP Innovation and Research District. The district is expected to bring in thousands of new jobs and nearly double the size of the city.
Residents and surrounding communities have been concerned about what they see as a lack of transparency around the plan and if there is enough water to sustain their local communities plus the development of others for generations to come.
Holcomb said the most recent Wabash-area water study will be finished before he leaves office, but he said current data indicates the region will have the water and power to carry out the development.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb answers questions about his tenure as the state’s top executive in his office at the Indiana Statehouse on Dec. 9. Photo by Connor Burress, TheStatehouseFile.com.
“Because what’s at stake is … not just the career opportunities for real families, good, high paying salaries, but ultimately winning the AI (artificial intelligence) or the quantum war,” he said.
The quantum war refers to the race to make fully functional quantum computing technology for solving problems and processing data that normal computers cannot.
“And for a state like Indiana, that’s a very patriotic state, to be able to compete and play a part in making sure that the quantum race, the AI race, and all the good or bad that it can bring—it’s a sword and shield,” he said. “We not only need to but we want to, and we can play a primary role in technological development.”
Uncharted territory
Criticized for being too passive when he reopened Indiana in September 2020—a month after COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in the U.S.—and for trampling on rights by “overstepping his authority” through restrictions and shutting down businesses, Holcomb’s administration was responsible for Indiana throughout COVID-19, something that he says he doesn’t regret.
“I’ve said this, and maybe it doesn’t sit well with some, but I’m extremely proud of our administration’s conduct during COVID-19,” he said. “And I’m not making excuses, but we were facing something that almost no one alive had faced since 1918, and facts were coming in and changing, and direction was being put out by multiple sources, including our federal government.
“We were following those guidelines and implementing our own plans to balance lives and livelihoods.”
From March 6, 2020, when Holcomb declared a public health emergency, to March 3, 2022, when he signed a bill to end the public health emergency, Indiana faced significant challenges, including over 25,000 deaths. Still, Holcomb says the state has made a strong recovery and has a lot to look forward to.
“We’re experiencing unprecedented growth on multiple fronts, and so for the critics, I understand. I was never going to get 100% agreement,” he said. “It was different. It was hard. It was seemingly neverending there for a while. It required people to come together when the natural tendency when you’re in an unknown environment is for some to blame others.”
Even with the criticism, he says his supporters were stronger.
“Oh, by the way, not to be petty, but I ran for re-election after COVID-19 when the population in Indiana had a chance to express what they thought, and received more votes than anyone that’s ever run for governor in the history of our state,” he said.
“So when you say a lot of people disagreed with the state’s actions during COVID-19, you’re right, but that’s relative because a whole lot more people said keep going.”
Finishing the job
When Holcomb leaves the crown molding, the seal of Indiana and his portrait freshly hung on the wall in his Washington Street office, he says the end of this chapter is just the beginning of the next one.
“I will take a step back and spend time with my wife for a couple of months and then start to really evaluate different options and potential opportunities that have come my way,” he said. “But I’m very disciplined about saying, ‘Let me finish the job I have.'”
Arianna Hunt and Connor Burress are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
I recently received my committee assignments for the 124th Indiana General Assembly.
Why it matters: Committees are the first stop for a bill during the legislative process. In committees, members of the public, industry experts and lawmakers all have the opportunity to properly discuss and thoroughly examine public policy proposals before they move to the full Senate for further consideration.
During the upcoming session, I will serve on the following Senate committees.
Health and Provider Services
Local Government
Public Policy
Committee hearings can be viewed online by visiting iga.in.gov. Legislative calendars, agendas, vote tallies and proposed legislation can also be found on this site.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and opinions on issues facing our community and state. Please feel free to contact me using this form or by calling my office at 317-232-9400.
Chief Philip Smith of the Evansville Police Department and Sheriff Noah Robinson hosted a holiday lunch, bringing together past and present chiefs and sheriffs for a memorable gathering. The event was filled with laughter, shared stories, and cherished memories.
Attendees included former Chiefs Marvin Guest, David Gulledge, Brad Hill, and Billy Bolin, alongside current Chief Philip Smith, as well as former Sheriffs Brad Ellsworth, Eric Williams, and Dave Wedding, joined by current Sheriff Noah Robinson.
Reaching out to improve the lives of those in need is part of Vincennes University’s commitment to the people and communities it serves. Each holiday season, VU faculty, staff, and students unite to make the season brighter for local families, individuals, and community agencies through generosity and goodwill.
The VU Christmas Families Project, a longstanding tradition, ensures that local children and families in need experience the joy of the holidays. This year, the initiative supported 67 children and 30 families through generous donations from VU staff and faculty. The project provides youth of all ages with new toys, clothing, shoes, books, gift cards, and more.
VU’s commitment to service extends beyond children.
Through VU’s Generations Area 13 Agency on Aging & Disability, the University supports older adults and individuals with disabilities across six counties, including Knox, Greene, Daviess, Dubois, Martin, and Pike. The Build-A-Basket donation drive, an annual effort, gathers laundry baskets or totes filled with everyday essentials like dish soap, toothpaste, and deodorant — items many take for granted. These thoughtful donations are for individuals who benefit from this much-needed assistance.
This year, the administrative staff in the VU President and Provost offices introduced a new initiative: a Thanksgiving in a Bag giveaway.
Recognizing that some VU students would remain on campus during the holiday, the staff provided free shelf-stable ingredients for a Turkey Day meal, complete with recipe cards. They donated the remaining food to Sandy’s Pantry, a partnership between VU and St. John’s United Church of Christ in Vincennes. Sandy’s Pantry is a judgment-free space where VU students can access free, non-perishable food and other essentials throughout the year.
The VU Athletics Department joined the holiday spirit by sponsoring a Toys for Tots drive. The University also sponsored a drive supporting Toys for Tots, an initiative providing gifts to children whose parents cannot afford them, ensuring no child goes without a present to open during the holiday season.
Vincennes University extends its heartfelt gratitude to the VU community, its partners, and local community members who make these holiday traditions possible. Together, we can continue to make a difference and spread the spirit of giving.
Kids of ages 5-12 are invited to join us for this year's Santa Paws Day Camp! This event will be taking place December 22nd and December 23rd with 3 sessions total. There is no better Christmas gift than the gift of learning and experience! We can’t wait to provide a day of fun, learning, and kindness to kids in our community this holiday season.
Event Highlights:
● Pick Your Session!: The three sessions we have available are December 22nd from
8:30am-12pm, December 22nd from 12:30pm-4pm, and December 23rd from
8:30am-12pm. Take your pick!
● Affordable: It is only $35 to sign up, and a t-shirt is included for every kid!
● Make Friends: We offer plenty of opportunities for our campers to socialize with
each other and we encourage everyone to make friends, ask questions, and get to
know each other! This is a great opportunity for campers to meet like-minded peers
with a passion for animals.
● Learning is Fun: Our goal for this camp is to allow our campers to have a lot of time
safely interacting and playing with dogs and cats in our care, while we help them
learn about care, handling, and body language of a pet. We encourage learning that
is fun,interactive, and safe! We will also have some learning games and crafting
activities!
● How to Sign-Up: For more information or to register, email our Volunteer
Coordinators at volunteerwarrick@gmail.com
(L-R) Adam Merdith, associate adjunct; Kelly Cozart, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs; and Donna Zimmerman, professor – all of Ivy Tech Community College Evansville, celebrate the faculty members being honored with President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching at the 44th annual celebration.
Ivy Tech Community College recently recognized two Evansville faculty members for their exemplary teaching.
Donna Zimmerman, professor and Department Chair of Advanced Automation and Technology and Industrial Technology; and Adam Meredith, associate adjunct faculty for the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education, have been honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction at Ivy Tech Community College. The two were honored by President Sue Ellspermann at a statewide event in Indianapolis in November.
Donna Zimmerman
Zimmerman, of Evansville, IN, has been employed as an Ivy Tech faculty member at a variety of levels since 2005 and began serving as program chair or department chair beginning in 2015. She has been involved in getting students interested in service learning and founded the Robotics Club, hosting at least one competition for area youth annually.
Zimmerman says she believes the ability to increase the number of diverse students in her fields is to reach them where they are and help them grow to their fullest potential. She said she looks at Maslow’s Hierarchy when doing that. “Students need to feel safe and secure before they can free their mind to study. We may have to provide food, come to their neighborhoods, become trusted by their families to be respected enough to earn their focus and attention. I try to show them their potential.”
When students have challenges, Zimmerman says, despite the type of challenge, it is important to keep them engaged in the college work. “I need to keep them engaged, work around jobs, catch them up on basic skills, and encourage them to become life-long learners. I want to challenge each to their fullest potential.” At the core, she says, she treats each person as an individual. She said that she believes in being a “partner” in their learning. “Students bring in their work experiences and I integrate that into their lessons and projects. They can explore projects of their choosing. It is my responsibility to ensure they are exploring quality projects and that they will gain from these experiences.”
Her innovation in the classroom was most evident in the projects around service learning and adaptive technologies. Beginning in 2015, she and students began making adaptive technology devices to donate to local school systems –keyboard covers, and adaptive toys. 3D Printed prosthetics was also a large project, and during the Covid 19 shutdown, 3D printed masks and visors were made and donated. A large joint project with the Welding Program allowed for a student who was wheelchair bound to stand up for his job opportunities and at commencement.
Adam Meredith
Meredith, of Henderson, KY, has taught history and political science courses in the School of Arts, Sciences and Education since 2014. He says his teaching philosophy centers on providing students with a knowledge of history coupled with the ability to analyze and interpret historical events, persons, places and things in a way that allows them to better understand their own lives and their future. “I strongly believe the best way to teach is to make it feel “relevant.” History as a discipline all too often is overlooked as unimportant compared to economics, the medical field, or the sciences, where their study has a more recognizable, practical application,” Meredith said. “I cannot count the number of students who come into my class believing they hate history, or worse, that it is “boring.” My purpose as an instructor is to connect them to the past in a way that makes history enjoyable and inspires them to learn more about it. Hands-on items combine with visual storytelling to make the past “jump out” at them.”
Meredith is known to come to class dressed in period attire. He said images, videos, sound recordings, as well as historical items from his collection all bring the story to life in a way most students have not experienced. “When students can see how people dressed and hold objects from the past, it makes a stale subject on a page reality,” Meredith said.
Meredith said he models his teaching on a history instructor he had in college, who routinely brought in objects like a full buffalo robe, beadwork, and “in one memorable case – a barbequed buffalo tongue the he allowed us to eat.” He said all of his 20th century pieces are original, and when needed he sews his own outfits.
He has spoken as a part of numerous historical conferences, as well as guest lectures and presentations.
CenterPoint Energy announces senior leadership changes
Richard C. Leger appointed to lead CenterPoint Energy Gas business on a permanent basis
Bertha Villatoro elevated to Chief Human Resources Officer;
Current CHRO Lynne Harkel-Rumford to retire
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced several senior leadership changes which will take effect on January 1, 2025. Those changes include the appointments of Richard C. Leger as Senior Vice President of CenterPoint’s multi-state Gas business and Bertha Villatoro as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Leger has served in the current lead Gas role on an interim basis since July 2024. He will report to President & Chief Executive Officer Jason Wells. Villatoro will report to Executive Vice President and General Counsel Monica Karuturi.
Lynne Harkel-Rumford, who currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and oversees all HR functions as well as Community Relations, will retire effective February 3, 2024. She will remain with CenterPoint as a senior advisor to Jason Wells until her retirement.
“I want to thank Lynne for her years of unwavering service during her 25-year CenterPoint career. She made real and lasting impacts for our employees, customers and communities. In addition to her contributions to the business, she’s been a passionate community advocate for hunger issues across the Greater Houston region and has worked tirelessly to support the cause,” said Wells. “We will miss Lynne’s guidance and counsel and I extend my very best wishes to her and her family in her well-deserved retirement.”
During her CenterPoint career, Harkel-Rumford has taken on successively larger leadership roles beyond HR. Before retirement, her span of control included Community Relations, Communications & Marketing, Facilities and Corporate Security and Safety.
“Richard and Bertha are two of our gifted executives who help drive our culture of innovation, continuous improvement and accountability,” said Wells. “I want to thank Richard for the determined and thoughtful leadership he’s exhibited while leading the 3,500-person Gas organization on an interim basis and his willingness to take on ever-increasing responsibilities. I also want to thank Bertha for being willing to step-up in this expanded role and take on the full leadership of our HR organization. I look forward to working with both of them for years to come.”
Richard C. Leger
Leger will lead on a permanent basis all areas of the company’s natural gas business that serves approximately 4.2 million customers across a six-state footprint. During his 24-year tenure with CenterPoint and its predecessor companies, Leger has held diverse utility leadership roles of increasing responsibly across the natural gas and electric operations, regulatory affairs, and business process optimization.
He is a board member of the American Gas Association, Southern Gas Association, United Way of Southwestern Indiana and Golf Gives Back. He is also former chair of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Leger also served six years in the Louisiana Army National Guard. He earned two bachelor’s degrees in accounting and marketing from McNeese State University.
Bertha Villatoro
Villatoro has nearly 20 years of business and human resources leadership experience across the energy sector. As CenterPoint’s CHRO, she will oversee talent development, compensation and benefits, labor relations, and learning and organizational development.
During her career, she has served numerous roles with increasing responsibility at CenterPoint Energy, Kinder Morgan and El Paso Corporation. In her successively larger leadership roles, she has been responsible for total rewards, talent management and development, employee services, human resources IT systems, and HR compliance.
Villatoro received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in business administration from Rice University. She is a Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). Bertha is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Target Hunger in Houston.
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc. As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas. As of September 30, 2024, the company owned approximately $43 billion in assets. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) CenterPoint Energy’s business strategies and strategic initiatives; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and CenterPoint’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024, June 30, 2024, and September 30, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
