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Submit input on Indiana’s public defense services by Wendy McNamara
Reitz High School Centennial Program
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Baseball hot streak cools off in the Sunshine State
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The University of Evansville baseball team rolled into Swanson Stadium winners of four straight, and Florida Gulf Coast University put an end to to the streak as the Purple Aces fell 10-0.
UE (5-6) sent out junior starting pitcher Austin Allinger to face the Eagles (11-2), and quickly fell behind as Mark Coffers stroked a double to lead off the bottom of the first and would eventually score the icebreaker on a fielder’s choice.
Allinger would get in more trouble in the second frame, as Eric Gonzalez tagged him for a 2-run shot, pushing the Florida Gulf Coast lead to 3-0.
Gonzalez would strike again in the bottom of the 4th, driving in another Eagles tally, making it 4-0 FCGU. Florida Gulf Coast would add to the pad later in the inning as an error by sophomore shortstop Craig Shepherd allowed Alex Brait to cross home plate with an unearned run. Richie Garcia would follow that up with a two-run double to the gap in right-center, chasing Allinger from the game. The junior hurler went 3 2/3 innings giving seven runs, four earned, while striking out four.
Hunter Porterfield would come out of the bullpen to try to put out the fire, but the Eagles weren’t finished in the fourth frame. Eli Lovell singled in a pair, pushing the Florida Gulf Coast advantage to 9-0.
“We couldn’t minimize the big inning”, said University of Evansville head coach Wes Carroll. They hung a six-spot on us in the fourth inning, a couple of them unearned runs. Any time you give up a big inning like that versus a quality starter, our offense couldn’t come out of the hole for us.”
The Aces and Eagles will square off again tomorrow back FGCU’s Swanson Stadium, with UE sending out junior southpaw Alex Weigand, while Florida Gulf Coast counters with junior lefty Josh Dye.
“We feel like we have a good idea how to work through their lineup now, going into tomorrow”, said Carroll. “The good thing is they can’t carry over any of those runs, and I know our guys are going to come to the yard expecting to win and compete at a very high level.”
First pitch has been moved up to 11 a.m. Central Time. Sunday’s game has also been moved up to 9:30 a.m. Central Time in anticipation of inclement weather.
Softball completes day one at Racer Classic
Oakland University scored three runs in the first two innings before adding three more to take a 6-1 win over the University of Evansville softball team in the second game of the Racer Classic.
Evansville (6-14) notched five hits on the day as Elyse Hickey went 2-for-3 while Eryn Gould, Lindsay Renneisen and Alex Latoria added one hit apiece.
Pacing the Golden Grizzlies was Cammie Brummitt who went 3-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Rachel Zerona went 2-3 and scored twice.
In the first, OU plated the first run of the game before adding two more in the second. Three in the sixth capped off their scoring with two coming home on a Brummitt single.
Evansville got on the board in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Latoria. Hickey doubled with one out before scoring on Latoria’s base knock.
Haley Zemmer got the win for Oakland, going the distance while allowing five UE hits and one earned run. Jaime Nurrenbern got the start for Evansville, tossing twp innings and giving up three runs, two of which were earned. Ashleigh Downing gave up three unearned runs in four frames of work before Emily Lockhart pitched a scoreless seventh.
Tomorrow, the Aces open the day at 4:30 p.m. against Kent State before playing a rematch against Oakland at 7 p.m.
Fake Deputy Scam Targets Local Doctors
Phone scammers are continuing to target local physicians and dentists. The Sheriff’s Office has received multiple calls from victims reporting that a man identifying himself as a deputy from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has been threatening local doctors with arrest.
The caller claimed that the doctor had a warrant for their arrest as a result of missing jury duty. The caller knew the correct name of the doctor, but did not appear to possess any personally identifiable information. The victim in one case recognized the call as a scam and hung up. Normally the scammers will attempt to extort money in the form of reloadable money cards or iTunes gift cards. The Sheriff’s Office first reported this scam to the public in July of last year.
The Sheriff’s Office does not solicit the payment of fines or fees over the phone. Area residents are advised to treat any unsolicited caller who requests payment with extreme skepticism, regardless of who the caller claims to represent. When in doubt get the caller’s name, hang up, and then call the business or government entity back at a phone number you know to be correct.
BREAKING NEWS FROM THE NEW-HARMONY GAZETTE: HARMONY WAY BRIDGE BILL PASSES INDIANA HOUSE 77 – 0
 HARMONY WAY BRIDGE BILL PASSES INDIANA HOUSE 77 – 0
Harmony Way Bridge Committee Project Director Lora Arneberg released the following statement to The New-Harmony Gazette on Friday, March 9, 2018 :
The legislation creating a Bridge Authority to own and manage the Harmony Way Bridge passed unanimously 77 – 0 in the HB1290 in the Indiana House yesterday (Thursday). This is a major step forward in bringing the Regional City Project to reality!
EDITORS FOOTNOTE: This is a developing story: Â For more information on the project in general visit www.harmonywaybridgeproject.com
“READERS FORUM” MARCH 10, 2018
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?
WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
“Readers Poll” question†Is: Do you feel that legislation needs to be passed to ban “bump stocks,†that converts semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons?
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A GORDIAN KNOT By Jim Redwine
GAVEL GAMUT By Jim Redwine
A GORDIAN KNOT
Perhaps we need to channel Alexander the Great (356 – 323 B.C.) to help us address our Gordian Knot type problem of child welfare. You will recall Alexander eschewed the niceties of trying to unravel the problem step by laborious step and simply slashed through the morass of hemp with his sword. A tempting approach to any complicated puzzle but probably of little lasting benefit.
As we know from experience, every complicated situation can be papered over with a simple, wrong answer. We naturally yearn for quick and cheap solutions but these never cure the “disease†and often result in fatalities. That is what the former Indiana State Department of Children’s Services Director Mary Beth Bonaventura pointed out in her letter of resignation. She told Governor Eric Holcomb our current failure to adequately fund and analyze our child welfare needs will, “[A]ll but ensure children will die.â€
And while this dramatic statement grabs our attention, what former Judge Bonaventura did not say was that Indiana child welfare is not just a DCS problem; it involves numerous other state and county level agencies such as courts, prosecutor offices, police departments, healthcare providers, schools, and several others in addition to families, immediate and extended.
I have plenty to do as Posey Circuit Court Judge when it comes to children who have need of or who use up taxpayer provided services. While I know we must approach this crisis of Children in Need of Services from all angles, I also know all hard problems call for careful, incremental approaches. So I will stay within my jurisdiction and address how the Judicial branch of government could help if the Legislative and Executive branches assist us to.
First let me give you an idea of how most Indiana courts, especially in small counties, must address the needs of families. Posey County has two judges. We divide all legal matters in such a way about half of the cases go to each court. The Circuit Court hears the Child in Need of Services cases. Frequently a family in DCS cases consists of one mother, two or more children and two or more fathers.
These are critical matters. Children may be at physical or mental risk, parents may be at risk of losing their children and the DCS has the duty to protect everyone’s interests while the Court must protect everyone’s rights. Each parent needs an attorney and in every case a Guardian Ad Litem must be appointed by the Court to concentrate on the children’s interests. Of course, wealthy people rarely are inconvenienced by such legal matters so the taxpayers must provide. You can readily see where we are headed.
This scenario also calls for Family Case Managers, police officers, mental and medical professionals, court personnel and a courtroom with lights, heat, recording equipment, etc.
Okay, I know this is exhausting. However, there is no Gordian Knot solution. It comes down to hard, complicated and expensive work. On the other hand, what could be more important?
FOOTNOTE: For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com