On August 1, the CCO held a luncheon with a panel discussion about law and order in Vanderburgh County. The discussion was led by former state representative Ryan Hatfield, and the panelists included Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson, Judge Les Shively, and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Winston Lin.
The conversation covers a variety of topics and deserves a listen.
submitted by JOE J. WALLACE
AUGUST 5, 2024
The debate surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes in elite sports has gained significant attention, especially with the recent unprecedented event at the 2024 Olympics, where a biological male competed in women’s boxing. The bout ended swiftly and dramatically, with the female boxer suffering severe injuries, sparking widespread debate about fairness in sports. This incident underscores the critical need to understand the physiological differences between biological males and females and how these differences manifest in elite athletic performance.
Biological males and females have distinct physiological differences that affect athletic performance. These differences are largely due to variations in hormone levels, muscle mass, bone density, and cardiovascular capacity. For instance, males typically have higher levels of testosterone, which contributes to greater muscle mass, strength, and endurance. They also generally have larger lung and heart capacities, allowing for more efficient oxygen delivery during intense physical activity.
Historically, male athletes have consistently outperformed their female counterparts in most sports. This performance gap is evident in various metrics, such as speed, strength, and endurance. For example, the world records in track and field events show that men’s records are significantly faster than women’s. In the 100 meters sprint, the men’s world record stands at 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt, while the women’s record is 10.49 seconds, held by Florence Griffith-Joyner—a difference of approximately 10%.
In endurance events, the gap persists. The men’s marathon world record is 2:01:39, set by Eliud Kipchoge, while the women’s record is 2:14:04, held by Brigid Kosgei. This represents a performance difference of about 10.3%. These disparities highlight the inherent advantages that biological males possess due to their physiological makeup.
Instances of direct competition between biological males and females are rare, particularly at the elite level. However, the existing examples often reinforce the significant performance gap. In mixed-gender sports like equestrian events or mixed doubles in tennis, skill and strategy can sometimes mitigate physical differences, but these are exceptions rather than the norm.
In combat sports, the differences are even more pronounced. The recent Olympic boxing match serves as a stark example, where the physical advantages of the biological male were overwhelmingly evident. Combat sports demand not only skill but also raw physical power, which is where the physiological differences become critical.
There are no recorded instances of a female Olympian or NCAA champion beating a male in the same event under comparable conditions. Even in sports where women have achieved remarkable success, such as gymnastics or figure skating, direct competition with males would likely yield significant performance disparities due to differences in strength and physical dynamics. physical dynamics.
On average, studies indicate that men outperform women by approximately 10-12% in most athletic endeavors. This percentage can vary depending on the sport and specific event. In weightlifting, the difference can be more pronounced, with men lifting significantly heavier weights than women. For instance, in the snatch event, the men’s world record is 220 kg, while the women’s is 155 kg, a difference of around 29.5%.
Katie Ledecky is a prime example of an extraordinary female athlete who dominates her field. She holds the 20 fastest times ever recorded in the 1500-meter freestyle. Her recent gold medal at the 2024 Olympics was won with a time of 15 minutes and 30 seconds. While this time is exceptional in women’s swimming, it would place her outside the top ranks in men’s competition.
The men’s world record in the 1500-meter freestyle is 14 minutes and 31.02 seconds, set by Sun Yang. Comparing Ledecky’s time to the top male performances, her best would rank her roughly 38th among men, based on historical data. This comparison illustrates the significant performance gap, even among the most elite athletes.
The incident at the 2024 Olympics has reignited the debate over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. While the goal of inclusivity is commendable, it is essential to consider the physiological differences that can lead to significant advantages in competition. The performance gap between biological males and females is well-documented and substantial, typically ranging from 10% to 30% depending on the sport.
The dream of fair competition must balance inclusivity with fairness. Ensuring that all athletes have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field is crucial for the integrity of sports. The recent events highlight the need for ongoing dialogue and research to develop policies that honor both inclusivity and fairness, safeguarding the dreams and safety of all athletes.
FOOTNOTE: The City-County Observer posted this article without basis, opinion or editing.
At their quarterly meeting, 100 Guys Who Care gifted Chemo Buddies with $10,310, bringing the total philanthropy for the group to over $250,000.
The group comes together quarterly to support local charities. Each man in attendance donates $100 either in cash or in a check with the pay to the order line blank. 100 Guys Who Care don’t have a bank account or by-laws; they are just a group of men who collectively make large donations to provide a major boost to local non-profits.Death List Report.
Three non-profit groups are invited to their quarterly meeting to present about their financial needs. The 100 Guys vote on the charity they want to support, and the charity with the most votes gets the entire $10,000 donation.
Field and Main Bank donates $500 to the other two charities and pays for food every quarter.
The $10,000 donation to Chemo Buddies will go a long way toward covering the cost of providing blankets and wigs and supporting the organization’s mission of providing hope to area cancer patients. Chemo Buddies founder Jill Kincaid promised the 100 Guys Who Care that every dollar will be utilized in the local community.
The two non-profits that received $500 from Field and Main were Warrick Humane Society and Granted.
By CCO Staff
Locals had plenty to cheer about while watching Lilly King take to the water in her final Olympic competition.
Evansville’s King ended her career on a high note when she and Team USA struck gold in the Women’s 4×100-Meter Medley and set a world record with a time of 3:49.63.
The Reitz graduate has won a medal at all three Olympics she has competed in, including three gold medals.
While watching Team USA and cheering them on to victory is a fun way to spend a summer day, it’s even more special when you know you could encounter that gold medalist on the street someday. We are all proud of Lilly King and want to congratulate her on her latest Olympic gold medal.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument served as the backdrop for the world premiere of “The Duel” at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis Sunday. A brass band, Swing Shift Indy, played for the line of people that stretched around the block—but of course, some in attendance didn’t need to wait in line. They used the red carpet, where cameras flashed and fans whooped for the celebrities walking inside.
Gordon Strain, co-owner of Pigasus Pictures and a key figure behind “The Duel,” wore a jacket with “Dreams Aren’t Dumb” in rhinestones on the back. He has been a theatre professor and an artist in residence at Franklin College since 2006 and lives in Franklin with his wife, Dianne Moneypenny, and their 14-year-old daughter, Josephine; he also has a 26-year-old daughter, Darian.
“The Duel” is a feature-length movie about best friends Colin (Dylan Sprouse, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”) and Woody (Callan McAuliffe, “The Walking Dead”). After Colin sleeps with Woody’s girlfriend, Woody challenges Colin to a classic—albeit recently unconventional way of settling differences—a duel. Their adventure leads them to an antique/dueling emporium owned by a man named Christof (Patrick Warburton, “The Emperor’s New Groove”) and all the way to a drug baron’s estate in Mexico.
In 2016, Strain joined Pigasus Pictures when his former Indiana University peer, Zachary Spicer, was in need of a talented scene designer and asked Strain to help on a movie.
“Pretty quickly in that process, we figured out that I was more useful and doing more than just designing,” Strain said.
In 2020, many years—and films—Strain and Spicer began production on “The Duel”—another opportunity for the two Indiana natives to bring a film production to their home state.
The work begins
Filming began in Indiana during the pandemic, which had its challenges. Strain said they administered around 1,500 COVID-19 tests with no positive cases. Even so, the challenges of quarantine may have helped the chemistry between actors.
The premiere of “The Duel” took place Sunday at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis. Photo by Arianna Hunt, TheStatehouseFile.com.
“They left us in a house together to quarantine, and [Dylan Sprouse] brought Super Smash Brothers,” said Callan McAuliffe during the after-premiere Q and A. “So maintaining the chemistry was pretty easy because I have a burning hatred for him—because he would beat me every single time,” he joked.
Because of the pandemic, Strain’s daughter was in e-learning, which meant he could bring her to set, which he loved.
“One night [Patrick Warburton,] spent hours playing a game with Josephine,” Strain said. “And you know, she could care less who he is, she just knew that this nice guy was willing to play games with her while she was sitting around so, you know, I just have a lot of little memories like that, that it was like, oh yeah, this was just a good fun time where everything sort of clicked.”
Strain said the cast and crew made the entire experience enjoyable, but it was still not without some unforeseen hiccups.
He got a call one day that they needed a 400-pound pig for filming, which he thought was impossible, but he eventually landed on Bashi, a pig from Spotted Pig Farm in Franklin. Only one problem, they didn’t have permission to have pig at their filming location.
“You know, we would rather ask forgiveness than permission for this one. So we snuck the pig into the catacombs under [Indianapolis] City Market, and we sort of had a little makeshift-like pen for him,” Strain said.
Local mission
Part of Strain and Spicer’s mission as an Indiana film company is to show that movies like this can be produced in the state. If you look closely, you may spot a few Indianapolis favorites in “The Duel,” like Fountain Square’s Inferno Room tiki bar, the catacombs beneath City Market, Midland Arts & Antiques, and Asherwood, the former estate of Mel and Bren Simon in Carmel.
“Zach is from Greencastle originally, and I’m from Indianapolis originally. So part of our mission is to get people to not leave the state, to prove that we can do this kind of work here,” Strain said, “and to make it exciting for other people. … So like, [to show] kids who are going to Franklin or IU or wherever they’re going, if they care about filmmaking, hey, it can happen here.”
One of the reasons other film production companies have struggled to make films in Indiana has to do with taxes. Until 2022, when the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 361, filmmakers were fighting for tax credits for media production in Indiana that many other states already had. Still, the credit needs work and has issues with outside investors that are still limiting filmmakers’ budgets.
Part of filming in Indiana on a small budget meant being creative in choosing locations, like the Blue Springs Cavern posing as an underground waterway to Mexico.
“My favorite part [of the movie] was definitely when we filmed on the underground river. You know, it’s probably like 10 or 15 seconds in the film. But we have a small budget, we don’t have tons of money on these, and it was the first time that I really felt like we had a huge budget,” Strain said.
“We’re in an underground river, and we have all the camera equipment on these boats, and we’re doing all this stuff, and I was like, man, this is like an Indiana Jones movie right now. It really felt like we were much bigger than we actually are at that moment.”
Students on and off-screen
Strain’s dual role in the film industry and Franklin College, allows him to give students opportunities, like Katy Thompson, a 2021 graduate who served on the art team and is now house manager for the Indiana Repertory Theater.
As a senior taking a full course load, Thompson couldn’t be part of every day of filming, but she tried her best, staying up all night on some shoots and still making it to class the next morning.
“I thought the overnight shoots were a lot of fun,” she said. “We did several overnight shoots, and so I would go to my classes during the day, and then as soon as those were over, I would drive up to set, and then I would be there all night long, just hanging out with people, learning things about the film that I’d never known before. And then get home maybe 4 or 6 a.m. take a little nap and go to my classes the next day.
“My team was very understanding of the fact that I was still in school,” she added. “So they definitely gave me the time that I needed to work on my classwork because that had to come first. But I was, I was able to manage it pretty well … It was very much worth it.”
Thompson even played as an extra in her favorite scene of the film—though moviegoers might only see her ponytail.
“I enjoyed the Peppy’s Grill scene because I think it’s very funny and also because the entire art department was extras for that scene,” she said. “We didn’t have any extras that day, so the entire art department just decided to be the extras. You can see my ponytail just barely over [an actor’s] shoulder.”
Ticket of a lifetime
Other Franklin College students were also given the chance to be involved as attendees of the premiere. They ditched their college sweatshirts for suits and floor-length gowns.
“The premiere was so much fun. I love theatrics, and this whole event was just built around theatrics, and I wish that I could do something like this every day of my life,” said Erin Bruce, a junior at Franklin College and co-news editor of The Franklin.
“I am honestly still in disbelief. I got pictures with Patrick [Warburton]. My sister got pictures with Cole [Sprouse]. It was pretty amazing, like shook hands and everything,” said Trinity Whitted, a sophomore at Franklin College. “ It was spectacular. Like definitely, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for sure.”
During a reshoot, a small scene was filmed at Franklin College between the President’s House and Dietz Center for a nighttime shot that was originally at another location. “Movie magic” makes it nearly impossible to identify which scene it was, says Strain.
“I think we’re providing great experiences for our students. And you know, Franklin has given me a lot of opportunities to experiment and push myself in my own work, I think because I’m willing and eager to involve students in it,” Strain said.
“The Duel” premiered nationwide July 31, at over 500 theaters, and will continue to play at select theaters for the next two weeks.
FOOTNOTE: Arianna Hunt and Ashlyn Myers are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
This article was first published in Franklin College’s campus newspaper, The Franklin, for which Myers is outgoing and Hunt is the incoming editor-in-chief.
Comptroller Nieshalla and Treasurer Elliott Applaud Pension Plan’s Fast Action to Divest Assets from China
AUGUST 3, 2024
STATEHOUSE – Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla and Treasurer Daniel Elliott offer their praise for the speedy action taken by the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) to divest assets from China. Both Comptroller Nieshalla and Treasurer Elliot are INPRS board members.
In 2023, Indiana became the first state to enact a law, Senate Enrolled Act 268, requiring the public pension system to divest within five years from “any investment that is domiciled, issued, incorporated or listed in the People’s Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party.” The law passed both chambers with unanimous, bipartisan support. As of July 1, 2024, just one year later, the pension plan has divested 100 percent of the $1.2 billion investments in Chinese entities.
“China is one of the foremost threats against our country’s national security, and INPRS has nobly exceeding the parameters set forth in the law by divesting Hoosier’s pension dollars from China ASAP,” Comptroller Nieshalla said.
“By divesting from China and focusing on investments in countries that value the principles of democracy, capitalism and freedom, we are safeguarding the best financial interest of Hoosiers and our nation,” said Treasurer Elliott.
Both Comptroller Nieshalla and Treasurer Elliott commend Senators Chris Garten, Aaron Freeman and Travis Holdman who authored SEA 268, and the Indiana General Assembly for passing this necessary common-sense legislation.
Are you ready to discover some literary treasures? The Better Books Sale at Willard Public Library is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited! This year’s sale is packed with unique and rare finds.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, September 3 – Sunday, September 8
Time: During Operating Hours
Location: The Browning Gallery
What to Expect:
Rare, Antique, and Special Collection Books: Including 1st Editions, High School and University Yearbooks.
Collectibles: Don’t miss the rare Stave Puzzles and Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls.
Great Deals:
Tuesday & Wednesday: Regular Price
Thursday: Half Price
Friday through Sunday: Bag Sale
This is more than just a book sale—it’s a significant fundraiser supporting both Willard Public Library and The Friends of Willard Library.
No Library Card Required: Everyone is welcome, and you can make purchases with cash, check, or credit card (with a $5 minimum).
Mark your calendar and bring a friend! We can’t wait to see you at the Better Books Sale.
Willard Public Library encourages patrons and visitors to donate graciously to ensure the continuation of events like this for years to come. The WPL’s Foundation is a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3). >> https://www.willardlib.org/donate
AUGUST 5, 2024
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters demolished the Dark Side on a Star Wars Saturday night, defeating the New Jersey Jackals 21-0 at Bosse Field.
Dakota Phillips broke the Otters’ (29-41) career home run record, hitting his 51st and 52nd on a three-run homer in the sixth inning, and a grand slam in the eighth. The two homers elevated him over Chris Sweeney, who held the previous record at 51.
Evansville tied its season high in runs, matching when they scored 21 against Gateway in early June. They picked up hits all over the yard tonight, picking up 20 on the Jackals’ (23-47) pitching staff.
Despite all the offensive explosion, the Otters’ arms should not go unnoticed as they notched their third shutout of the year, holding New Jersey to just three hits. Right-hander Casey Delgado (1-0) was given his first decision of the year after pitching in five scoreless frames, allowing two hits while racking up six strikeouts with no walks.
Out of the bullpen, Parker Brahms, Chip Korbacher, Jakob Meyer and Alex Valdez each pitched in one scoreless inning.
Eight of the starting nine had multi-hit nights. Tallying four knocks, Mason White garnered as many RBI. Pavin Parks and Logan Brown also had a homer and three RBI each.
Phillips picked up seven RBI with his two jacks. He is now one RBI shy of John Schultz’s all-time career record of 220.
In the first inning and second innings, the Otters jumped ahead with a run in each frame. They then scored five in the third, four in the fifth, six in the sixth and four in the eighth to finalize the run totals.
The night consisted of many smiles for the home crowd as the Otters have a chance to close out the homestand 6-1 with the brooms looming tomorrow against New Jersey. Looking to sweep, Evansville will take the field first with a 12:35 p.m. CT first pitch. Coverage is available on the Otters Digital Network and FloBaseball.
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