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Blake Simmons named to MVC Scholar-Athlete Team
Senior set to complete UE career
  Always known for being a steady performer in the classroom and on the floor, University of Evansville senior Blake Simmons was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team on Thursday.
Simmons has done exceptionally well in the classroom, standing with a 3.86 GPA as a Marketing major.
On the floor, Simmons has had his best year after recovering from a knee injury that forced him to miss all of last season. He has started 30 games for the Purple Aces and paced the MVC with 35.8 minutes per game.
For the first time in his career, Simmons is averaging double figures as he finished the regular season with 10.6 points per game. He also ranked in the top ten in the league in 3-point shooting. Simmons tied his career mark with 18 points in wins over Austin Peay and Midway before posting the first double-double of his career in the home win over UNI as he recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Messer Urges Tillerson to Expedite Embassy Move to Jerusalem
As the United States prepares to move its Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) today urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to consider ways to expedite the process and save taxpayer dollars.
Messer sent a letter to Tillerson, asking him to allow private citizens to help pay for some of the relocating costs if they choose. Allowing citizens to contribute would save some taxpayer dollars and show strong support for Israel.
“President Trump is right to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to its true capital, Jerusalem,†Messer said. “By allowing private donations to cover some of these costs, we can save taxpayer money and enable citizens to show their support for relocating the U.S. Embassy to Israel’s capital. Our letter to Secretary Tillerson shows he has our support in taking action to help President Trump deliver on this important effort.â€
Under current law, the State Department “may accept on behalf of the United States gifts made unconditionally by will or otherwise for the benefit of the Department of State (including the Foreign Service) or for the carrying out of any of its functions.â€
The letter states that “allowing these donations could help offset the cost of the facility and expedite the process of relocating the Embassy.â€
President Trump announced in December the U.S. Embassy in Israel would be moving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In December, Messer strongly supported President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and begin the process of moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Aces softball heads to WKU for weekend tournament
Aces open play on Friday
 This weekend, the University of Evansville softball team stays a bit closer to home as the Purple Aces head south to Bowling Green, Ky. for the Hilltopper Spring Fling.
UE will take on Austin Peay, Dayton and host Western Kentucky in the tournament, which runs from Friday through Sunday. Evansville looks to halt a 10-game losing streak after starting the season at 2-1.
The offense for UE played much better in Chattanooga over the weekend, averaging 5.3 runs per game in the final three contests of the tournament. A pair of close games did not go the Aces way as they dropped a 9-6 game to Eastern Illinois in nine innings before falling by a 6-5 final to host Chattanooga in eight innings. Evansville’s top three hitters in the tournament were freshmen as Allison Daggett batted .357 while Elyse Hickey and Eryn Gould batted .313 and .286, respectively. Senior Brittany Hay blasted a pair of home runs in the 5-game tourney.
The top hitter through the first three weeks for UE has been freshman Eryn Gould, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on February 12 after batting .600 at the Mardi Gras Classic. For the season, Gould is batting a team-high .378 while leading the team with two triples, 14 hits while tying Brittany Hay’s eight runs scored. Gould has added six walks on her way to reaching base 48.9% of the time.
The youth movement for the Aces continued at the Frost Classic as UE’s freshmen accounted for 12 of the teams 16 runs scored. Allison Daggett went 5-for-14 in the tournament to bat a team-high .357. Daggett heads to Bowling Green riding a 5-game hit streak as she upped her batting average from .118 to .226 on the trip to Chattanooga.
Elyse Hickey notched five hits in 16 plate appearances last weekend to up her season average to .214; she scored three runs and walked on three occasions at the Frost Classic. Hickey was 1-for-12 to start the season, but has notched five hits in the last 16 at-bats. Lindsay Renneisen checks in with a .189 batting average, but has been productive in other ways, reaching base 30.2% of the time while notching three home runs, 7 RBI and seven runs scored. Daggett, Gould and Renneisen have started all 13 of the Aces games thus far.
Leading Evansville with 12 RBI is senior Brittany Hay. She recorded a pair of home runs at the Frost Classic while hitting .278 and accumulating 11 total bases in the tournament. After playing in the infield last season, Hay has made the start in the outfield in all 13 games of the 2018 campaign. She currently has a 3-game hit streak and has notched a hit in 9 of the 13 games this year.
8 People Treated for Possible Overdose in 3 Block Radius
MARCH 1ST, 2018Â 
AMANDA DECKERÂ EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Evansville Fire crews treated as many as 8 people in a 3 block radius around 10 Wednesday morning, after someone called 911, reporting people were lying on the ground, unconscious.
They were found in the area of Second Ave. and Virginia St. and it’s believed they were suffering from drug overdoses. Evansville Police say one person was found on Iowa St. near 3rd St. and another person with the same symptoms was found at 2nd and Columbia.
Crews on scene say some of the people were unresponsive and others were semi-conscious and vomiting. Firefighters say as some patients regained consciousness, they had to be restrained for their own safety.
The victims reportedly had residue on their bodies but officials have not said exactly what drug they believe the victims had taken.
Evansville Fire crews did administer NARCAN to the victims, but they say it didn’t have much of an impact.
Police and firefighters have not said exactly what drug they believe the victims had taken.
They were all taken to local hospitals to be treated.
Amanda Decker
44News Executive Producer and Evening Anchor. Amanda is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana and joined WEVV from Little Rock, Arkansas where she worked at Independent News Network. Amanda graduated from Ball State with degrees in Telecommunications, Journalism, and Political Science.
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Wednesday shooting on Haven Dr. ruled accidental, juvenile suspect facing weapons violation charges
Evansville Police investigators have determined the Wednesday afternoon shooting on Haven Dr was the result of a 16 year old handling a handgun in an unsafe manner. As a result, another 16 year old suffered non-life threatening injuries to his leg. The two are friends and there was no indication they had any type of dispute prior to the incident.
After speaking with the suspect and the victim, investigators determined there was no criminal intent to shoot anyone.
The suspect and a handgun was located shortly after the shooting. The suspect was placed at the Youth Care Center for Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Child.
Eagles rise to 7th in region rankings
University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball rose to seventh in the third NCAA Division II Midwest Region poll of 2017-18.
On top of the Midwest Region is third-ranked Ferris State University, a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and 14th-ranked University of Findlay, a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Great Lakes Valley Conference’s and sixth-ranked Bellarmine University and the GLIAC’s Lake Superior State University round out the top four teams at third and fourth, respectively.
Hillsdale College moved up one spot to fifth with Drury University jumping from seventh to sixth. USI followed up one spot to seventh in the third poll, while the University of Indianapolis rounded out the top eight.
Walsh University and Truman State University were in the final two spots at ninth and 10th, respectively. The GLVC has five teams in the third poll, while the G-MAC and GLIAC have three and  two teams, respectively.
The top eight teams from the Midwest Region advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament at the end of the season. The regional is routinely hosted by the top seed in the regional.
USI will be the sixth seed and play third-seeded Drury University at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Basketball Tournament at the Vadalabene Center on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois.
The Screaming Eagles finished the 2017-18 regular season with a 20-10 overall record, 11-7 in the GLVC, placing third in the GLVC East Division, while Drury clinched a share of the GLVC West Division title with a 20-6 overall mark, 13-5 GLVC.
Prior to the USI-Drury match-up on Friday, the GLVC Tournament opening game will feature second-seeded Truman State University (18-9, 13-5 GLVC) versus seventh-seeded Lewis University (15-13, 10-8 GLVC) at noon. The second half of the quarterfinals has top-seeded Bellarmine University (25-2, 16-2 GLVC) taking on eighth-seeded William Jewell College (20-8, 10-8 GLVC) at 6 p.m. and fourth-seeded University of Indianapolis (18-8, 12-6 GLVC) facing fifth-seeded Maryville University (20-7, 12-6 GLVC) in the final game at 8:30 p.m.
Game coverage for all of USI’s game action, including live stats, video stream, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on ESPN 97.7 WREF and 95.7FM The Spin.
