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“READERS FORUM” FEBUARY 25, 2018
WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
We hope that today’s “Readers Forumâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
Todays “Readers Poll” question†Is: Do you feel that its time that the masses assemble in Washinton DC to protest the need to change our current gun laws?
Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE Files, CHANNEL 44 NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTSâ€.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily.
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us CityCountyObserver@live.com.
Luke Messer Challenges Opponents to Participate in Two More Senate Primary Debates
Luke Messer today challenged his primary opponents to participate in two more debates before the Indiana Senate Republican Primary on May 8th.
In the Americans for Prosperity debate this week, Messer was the adult on stage and stayed above the back and forth between his two primary opponents. Messer was and is “laser focused on beating Joe Donnelly.”
“Debates give Hoosier Republicans a chance to hear from all of us and make their own decision on who they think is the best candidate to defeat Joe Donnelly in November,â€Â Messer said. “Hoosiers ought to know the broken U.S. Senate and Joe Donnelly are standing in the way of President Trump’s agenda. I’m laser focused on defeating Joe Donnelly and eager to share our winning message with more Hoosiers.â€
Messer took aim at Democrat Joe Donnelly and the broken U.S. Senate during Tuesday’s debate. Multiple media accounts singled out Messer as the candidate who kept his focus on Joe Donnelly.
“Messer focused his attacks on Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly… while portraying himself as the only adult among the candidates,†said the Associated Press account on the debate. Messer “stayed above the fray†and “stood largely unscathed in the middle,” according to other accounts.
In one key moment during the debate, Messer called out his primary opponents for attacking one another instead of Joe Donnelly.
“I’ll tell you who most likes this exchange — Joe Donnelly,â€Â Messer said. “The only way Democrats can win in this state is when Republicans are divided and throw stones at each other.â€
The day before the debate, Messer led his primary opponents in another Senate primary poll conducted by Indy Politics Political Pulse. Messer also won the Indiana State Republican Party’s U.S. Senate Straw Poll in January, which has been called the first major bellwether in the race.
Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon Supports Alzheimer’s Funding Bill
FEBRUARY 23RD, 2018Â 
AMANDA PORTERÂ INDIANA
 Congressman Dr. Larry Bucshon spent time at the Walnut Creek Alzheimer’s Special Care Center discussing the “Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure†for Alzheimer’s Act sponsored by Kentucky Congressman Bret Guthrie.
At an estimated cost of nearly two hundred and sixty billion dollars annually, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the country and is the only leading cause of death in u.s. that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed.
Congressman Larry Bucshon is supporting legislation that works to bring more funding to Alzheimer’s research.
Representative Bucshon spoke with Walnut Creek’s management team and members of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Theâ€BOLD†for Alzheimer’s act is aimed at making Alzheimer’s a public health priority, and developing best practices for intervention and caregiving.
The bill would bring government resources to the community level to provide funding for health departments benefiting caregivers, care providers, and care recipients.
“With our aging population although its not only the aged that get Alzheimer’s,†says Representative Bucshon, “I had an aunt who developed early-onset Alzheimer’s in her fifties, but the recognition of this earlier, and as we do have an aging population, the increased incidents of the diagnoses of Alzheimer’s means that we are going to have to find solutions and fund research and awareness.â€
Representative Bucshon also talked to residents and toured the model room at the special care center.
The “bold infrastructure†for Alzheimer’s act would also direct the Center for Disease Control to establish Alzheimer’s center’s for excellence, award cooperative agreements to public health departments, and increase data collection analysis and timely reporting on Alzheimer’s.
In Indiana, one in eight of people 45 years and older report they are experiencing confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or is getting worse.
More than 80 percent of them have not talked to a health care professional about it.
Big Innings lead To Two USI Softball Wins
WESTFIELD, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball used big innings to dispatch a pair of Midwest Region opponents Saturday afternoon at Grand Park.
 The No. 9 Screaming Eagles (5-1) scored five times in the second inning to defeat Ohio Dominican University, 5-2, in the opener; then scored 10 times in the sixth inning to defeat Cedarville University, 14-6.
Junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate, going 4-of-7 (.571) with four RBIs, while sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt(Louisville, Kentucky) hit .429 (3-7) with a double, two triples and two RBIs.
USI returns to action Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (CST) when it takes on 2017 NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament opponent Saginaw Valley State University at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. The Eagles also play Purdue University Northwest Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (CST).
USI 5, Ohio Dominican (3-4) 2
–Box Score
The Eagles sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning as they racked up five hits and scored five times to take a 5-0 lead.
Johnson, junior pitcher/designated player Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana), junior catcher Lindsey Barr (Whitesville, Kentucky) and freshman outfielder Alicia Webb(Elberfeld, Indiana) each had RBIs for the Eagles, who got a strong relief effort from Leonhardt in the circle.
Leonhardt (3-0) earned the win after allowing two runs off three hits and two walks while fanning eight batters in 6 2/3 innings of work.
USI 14, Cedarville 6 (6 inns.)
–Box Score
USI scored 10 times in the top of the sixth inning to rally from a 6-4 deficit and earn its fifth straight victory.
Barr led off the frame with a solo home run to cut the deficit to a single run. Four batters later, Leonhardt doubled into the left-centerfield gap to drive in both runs and give USI a 7-6 edge.
Leonhardt scored two batters later on an RBI-single by sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) and the route was on. Freshman first baseman Haley Shouse (Borden, Indiana) had a two-run single and USI tacked on another run when junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky) had her sacrifice fly dropped by the more leftfield.
Johnson, who tripled and scored in the second inning, ended the onslaught with a two-run double as USI sent 13 batters to the plate.
Leonhardt was a problem for Cedarville pitching throughout the contest as she had tripled in both the first and second innings. She scored USI’s first tally in the first frame on a Schubert RBI-single.
USI scored three times in the second inning as Johnson and junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) each had RBI-triples to put USI up 4-1.
Cedarville (0-2) answered USI with four runs in the third and another in the fourth to build the two-run advantage.
Smith (1-1) earned the win for the Eagles after giving up an unearned run off two hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief work.
Notes: Leonhardt tied a single-game record with her two triples against Cedarville…USI has nine triples in its first six games, just 10 away from the single-season program record of 19.
Southern Indiana 5, Ohio Dominican 2 (Feb 24, 2018, at Westfield, IN)
———————————————————————-
Ohio Dominican…… 000 200 0 -Â 2Â 4Â 3Â Â Â Â Â (3-4)
Southern Indiana…. 050 000 X -Â 5Â 5Â 2Â Â Â Â Â (4-1)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Ohio Dominican – Taylor Farmer and Kelly Mix. Southern Indiana – Bradley, Caitlyn;
Leonhardt, Jennifer(1) and Barr, Lindsey.
Win-Leonhardt, Jennifer(3-0)Â Loss-Taylor Farmer(1-1)Â T-1:35Â A-47
Weather: 40s, cloudy
Game: 5-ODU
Southern Indiana 14, Cedarville 6 (Feb 24, 2018, at Westfield, IN)
———————————————————————-
Southern Indiana…. 130 00(10)Â – 14 15Â 2Â Â Â Â Â (5-1)
Cedarville………. 104 100Â Â Â Â -Â 6 10Â 3Â Â Â Â Â (0-2)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Southern Indiana – Atkisson, Courtney; Smith, Haylee(3) and Barr, Lindsey.
Cedarville – Wolgamot, Danielle; Eroshevich, Lucia(2); Arbogast, Morgan(6); Smith, Kacey(6) and
Woerner, Kaitlyn.
Win-Smith, Haylee(1-1)Â Loss-Eroshevich, Lucia(0-1)Â T-2:05Â A-55
HR USI – Barr, Lindsey.
Weather: 40s, cloudy
Arbogast faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Game: 6-CED
U of E Ladies Offense Improves In Second Day Of Frost Classic
Aces Score 11 Runs In Two Games
 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – In a pair of games on Saturday, the University of Evansville softball team scored 11 runs in contests against Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois in the Frost Classic.
UE (2-10) rallied in game one against the Panthers, scoring four runs in the seventh before the Panthers plated three runs in the ninth to take a 9-6 win. In game two, the Leathernecks took a 7-0 lead and held on for the 9-5 victory.
Morgan Florey started game one for the Aces and threw all nine innings. Of the nine runs that scored, just six were earned. She also struck out 12. The game was scoreless until the top of the 5th when Eastern Illinois scored three times. Haley Mitchell had the big hit – a 2-run single.
The Aces came back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth. Elyse Hickey hit a 1-out single to short before Eryn Gould hit a home run to left-center to cut the deficit to one. Three unearned runs scored for the Panthers in the sixth as they pushed their lead to 6-2.
That is how it would be until the bottom of the seventh. Brittany Hay led off with her first homer of the day. With one out, Gould singled up the middle to bring up Lindsay Renneisen. The freshman cut the Aces deficit to one with a homer to left. UE continued to threaten as McKenzie Johnson and Morgan Florey each registered a hit. Bailee Bostic tied the game with a 1-out single.
Eastern Illinois was able to get the final two outs to force extra innings. Following a scoreless eighth, the Panthers added three runs in the ninth to take a 9-6 victory. Gould was 2-4 from the plate with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Hickey also had two hits in the game.
Another quick turnaround saw the Aces right back on the field to face Western Illinois. Taking advantage of the momentum she created against EIU, Brittany Hay hit a leadoff home run to give UE a 1-0 lead. The Leathernecks tied it right up in the bottom of the frame on a Hailey Duwa RBI single.
Fortunes changed in the bottom of the fourth when Western Illinois scored six times with Sidney Bottino bringing two home with a single up the middle. Evansville looked to make a comeback in the fifth, plating three runs. One run scored on a Hickey double and two found the home plate on a Gould triple. The Aces cut the deficit to 7-5 on an Alex Latoria sacrifice fly in the sixth, but WIU added two more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 win.
Tomorrow, the Aces look to finish the weekend off with a win as they face Chattanooga in a 10:30 a.m. CT game.
 FOOTNOTES:   INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville softball, log on to the sports page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_SB.
DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.
TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page-www.GoPurpleAces.com–
Hoosiers Win Four Big Ten Championships Titles
The No. 3-ranked Indiana University men’s swimming and diving team won four more conference titles on Friday night at the 2018 Big Ten Championships at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
With the great night, the Hoosiers reclaimed the lead over Michigan by 10 points, 1,090-1,080. Ohio State sits in third place with a score of 870 points. With the four titles on Friday, Indiana has won nine of the 14 events headed in to the fourth and final night on Saturday.
For a second time on Friday, Ian Finnerty rewrote the record book in the 100 breaststroke, winning his third-straight Big Ten title with a school record, conference record, pool record and NCAA A cut time of 50.72. The junior’s great mark ranks as the second-fastest time in the event in the nation this year.
Right behind him was senior Levi Brock, who placed second in the Championship Final with a personal-best and NCAA A cut time of 51.45. Brock’s career mark is the fourth-best in school history and moves him ahead of 2016 Rio Olympian Cody Miller as the second-best performer in the event in IU history.
Senior Sam Apa was 12th overall with a personal-best time of 53.36, while freshman Matthew Jerden won the C Final, touching the wall with a PR of 53.79. Also in the C Final, classmate Jack Kucharczyk was third to finish 19th overall with a personal-best time of 54.40.
In the Championship Final of the 100 backstroke, freshman Gabriel Fantoni led four Hoosiers in the race, winning his first individual Big Ten title with a time of 45.79. Fantoni’s win in the event is the first for IU since James Wells in 2013.
Sophomore Mohamed Samy won silver, touching the wall with a personal-best time of 45.84. Wilson Beckman was fifth overall with a PR of 46.87, while freshman Jacob Steele rounded out the quartet in sixth place with a personal-best mark of 47.33.
Senior Ali Khalafalla made the most of his appearance in the C Final, winning with a personal-best time of 47.33.
Indiana recorded a third 1-2 finish on the night in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle, as Blake Pieroni won his third-straight Big Ten crown in the event. The senior touched first with a Big Ten meet record and pool record time of 1:31.14. Pieroni’s time was also a NCAA A cut that ranks as the second-best time in the country.
Mohamed Samy earned his second silver medal of the night, capping an impressive double with a personal-best time of 1:32.56. Samy’s mark is the ninth-best all-time in school history.
Vini Lanza continued his remarkable week, winning his fifth Big Ten title in three days, touching first in the 100 butterfly Championship Final with a school record, Big Ten record and NCAA A cut time of 44.79. Lanza is the first Hoosier to break the 45-second mark in IU history and his time is the second-best in the nation.
Nikola Miljenic took second in the B Final to place 10th overall with a personal-best time of 46.44, while Bruno Blaskovic was sixth to finish 14th overall with a mark of 46.78. Also in the B Final, Gabriel Fantoni was seventh to finish 15th.
Josh Romany posted a PR in the C Final, winning with a time of 47.02. Corey Gambardella was sixth in the C Final to finish 22nd overall with a personal-best mark of 47.45.
For a second event on the night, the Hoosiers had four athletes in the Championship Final. This time, IU divers stole the show and posted 105 points for IU in the team standings.
After winning the gold medal in the 1-meter dive on Thursday, Michael Hixon took silver in the 3-meter, scoring a 509.95. Hixon’s total is the second-best in IU history. Freshman Andrew Capobianco announced his presence in a star-studded field, winning bronze with a career-best score of 488.40. The rookie’s total is the seventh-best in school history.
James Connor was fourth overall with a total of 479.65, while senior Cody Coldren was seventh with a score of 414.95. Connor’s mark is the 10th-best in IU history. Earlier, Clark Carter scored for IU in the C Final, placing 24th with a score of 334.00.
In the 200 freestyle relay, the Hoosier team of Ali Khalafalla, Blake Pieroni, Bruno Blaskovic and Nikola Miljenic were just out-touched at the wall by Michigan, earning silver with a NCAA A cut time of 1:16.56. The time is the second-best mark in school history.
Freshman Spencer Lehman placed eighth overall in the Championship Final of the 400 IM, touching the wall with a personal-best time of 3:47.12. Lehman’s finish was the best for a Hoosier swimmer in the event since 2015.
In the B Final of the 400 IM, Matthew Jerden touched sixth to finish 14th overall with a personal-best time of 3:49.08, while Trey Hubbuch took 16th overall with a mark of 3:51.05.
The No. 3-ranked Hoosiers will continue competition at the 2018 Big Ten Championships on Saturday morning with the prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and platform dive. The action gets started at 12:00 p.m. ET at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.
Sullivan: POWER Caucus Recognizes 2018 Scholarship Winners
State Rep. Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville) and POWER, which is Indiana’s women’s caucus, recently presented awards to the 2018 POWER Scholarship winners.
According to Sullivan, president of the organization, the POWER Scholarship is awarded to non-traditional female students whose education was delayed or interrupted. A high priority is placed on women dedicated to giving back to their communities and have a desire for education that aligns with their passions.
“This year, POWER awarded a total of $18,000 in scholarships to 21 hardworking Hoosier women from across Indiana,†Sullivan said. “These women have a vision to succeed and a drive to finish their education, and these scholarships help ease the financial burden as they go back to school and advance their careers. Indiana is home to so many strong, smart women who can benefit from this program, expand their education and make a positive impact on our state.â€
Sullivan said over the last two years, POWER has awarded nearly $38,000 in scholarships to Hoosier women.
POWER is a bipartisan group of primarily female legislators who are interested in improving the quality of life for women and all citizens of Indiana.
Scholars for Syria’s 2018 Spring Speaker Series Continues on March 1
Scholars for Syria’s 2018 Spring Speaker Series continues on Thursday, March 1 with guest lecturers Shiyam Galyon and Sana Mustafa, Galyon is a Syrian-American writer and campaigner currently working on the Books Not Bombs campaign. Mustafa is co-author of We Are Syrians and a founding member of Network for Refugee Voices.
The lecture begins at 6:00 p.m. in Room 162 in the Schroeder School of Business Building at the University of Evansville. This event is free and open to the public. The audience will be invited to engage in conversation with Galyon, Mustafa, and UE Syrian students in attendance at the lecture.
Galyon and Mustafa’s topic will be “Under a Sky of Hell: Updates from Ghouta and Idlib.†Galyon will discuss the current political situation in Syria from global and local perspectives. Mustafa will add the perspective of someone directly out of Syria and whose father is one of Syria’s actual “disappeared” since 2013.
Books Not Bombs is a student-led campaign advocating for scholarships for Syrian students displaced by the conflict. Its mission is “to empower Syria’s next generation by helping them continue their education through scholarships and by defending their right to a safe education…to increase scholarship opportunities for Syrian students and renew America’s legacy of providing refuge to students displaced by conflict.â€
Network for Refugee Voices is a group of refugee and refugee-led organizations working to contribute to processes and commitments aimed at reforming the international refugee protection regime, including the UN Global Compact on Refugees and Compact for Migration.
Other lectures in the series include:
Missions of Mercy – Syrian American Medical Society
Thursday, March 15, 6:00 p.m., Room 162, Schroeder School of Business Building
Drs. Bashar Mourad and Hisham Allababidi, local physicians and members of the Syrian American Medical Society, will present photos from their missions and discuss the health care crisis inside and outside Syria and the current work to ensure health care development for refugees and displaced people. This is free and open to the public. The audience will be invited to engage in conversation with the speakers and UE Syrian students in attendance at the lecture. This presentation is co-sponsored by UE’s Health Professions Club, Scholars for Syria, and global citizenship.
Angel from Aleppo – Violinist Mariela Shaker accompanied by UE music professor Garnet Ungar
Thursday, March 22, 7:00 p.m., Wheeler Concert Hall
Violinist Mariela Shaker is from Aleppo, and she left Syria after receiving a scholarship to attend Monmouth College to study music performance. She earned her master’s in music performance at DePaul University. Her performance will be followed by a presentation on advocacy for refugees. This is free and open to the public and co-sponsored by the Friends of UE Music and Scholars for Syria.
Immigration and Syria: Foundations and Consequences of the American Ethnic Hierarchy – UE assistant professor of sociology Rob Shelby
Thursday, April 5, 6:00 p.m., Room 162, Schroeder School of Business Building
Shelby will present the idea that Syrian refugees, like many minority groups before, encounter prejudice and discrimination as widespread negative perceptions persist in American social consciousness. Shelby earned his PhD from the University of Louisville in applied sociology, his graduate degrees in sociology from Western Illinois University and communications from Trinity International University. He earned his undergraduate degree in youth ministry and biblical studies from Trinity International University. This event is free and open to the public. The audience will be invited to engage in conversation with Shelby and UE Syrian students in attendance at the lecture.
For more information on the speaker series, contact 812-488-2218.
ACLU Report: Debtors’ Prisons No Longer Relic Of Dickensian Past
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
Hoosiers who bounce a check, fall behind in rent or owe even a few dollars can find themselves arrested and thrown in jail, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union released this week that examines the rise of debtor’s prison in the United States.
The report, “A Pound of Flesh: The Criminalization of Private Debt,†details that although Congress outlawed debtors’ prisons in 1833, people across the country are being arrested and jailed or threatened with jail because they owe money. Driving the trend are collection agencies that are now pursuing debt for one of every three Americans who have a past due bill.
“In reality, private debt collectors — empowered by the courts and prosecutors’ offices — are using the criminal justice system to punish debtors and terrorize them into paying even when a debt is in dispute or when a debtor has no ability to pay,†the report stated.
According to the ACLU, these collectors “flood small-claims and other state courts with lawsuits seeking repayment,†and the courts process the claims with “astonishing speed and little scrutiny.†The agencies win more than 95 percent of these suits because the defendants either do not mount a defense or they do not appear in court because they are unaware they are being sued.
The report pointed to an Indiana case as illustrative of how courts are threatening jail to get individuals to pay.
Herman Button appeared before Perry Circuit Judge M. Lucy Goffinet over $1,865.93 he owed a former landlord. Unemployed and living on disability benefits, he tried to explain to the court he did not have the money to pay off the debt but the judge was not convinced.
“…you’re not hearing me for some reason,†Goffinet told Button. “I’m telling you that, yes you will. You’re going to tell me how you’re going to go about doing that. And I’m not going to accept I cannot, and if the next words out of your mouth are I cannot, Mr. Button, then you’ll sit with Mr. Glenn at the Sheriff’s Department until you find a way that, yes, you can.â€
Button then offered $5 a month. Goffinet rejected that and ordered him to pay $25 each month. The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the case in 2009, finding the trial court improperly threatened Button with imprisonment for failure to propose a payment plan and imposed a schedule for repayment without any evidence of his ability to meet the obligation.
Judges, the ACLU found, have also issued arrest warrants for people who failed to appear in court for unpaid civil debt judgments. The debtors were then put in jail where they remained until they arrange to pay bail.
Indiana is one of 44 states with laws that allow courts to issue warrants for debtors who fail to appear at post-judgment court proceedings or do not provide personal financial information.
Denise Zencka was arrested in Lake County in 2013 for medical debt related to her treatments for thyroid cancer. She had been staying with her parents in Florida and did not know of the arrest warrants until she returned to Indiana. Still dressed in her pajamas, Zencka was arrested by sheriff’s deputies in front of her three children and taken to the local jail where she was placed in a holding cell with several men.
The report also makes several recommendations to stop what the ACLU sees as due process, equal protection, and human rights concerns. Many of the suggested changes are steps states can take the judicial, legislative or executive actions.
In particular, the ACLU recommended:
• State legislatures enact laws that prohibit courts from issuing arrest warrants in debt collection proceedings;
• State court rules be revamped to prohibit judges from issuing arrest warrants for contempt, either for failure to pay or to appear; and
• State attorneys general take action against check collection companies abusing their contracts with prosecutors’ offices.