- The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this Friday, October 20, 2017 from 11:00 pm until 2:00 am.
Law enforcement officers from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and the Evansville Police Department will join together to conduct this checkpoint. The location for Friday’s checkpoint was chosen based on local traffic collision data. Analysis of data captured in October of 2016 indicated that several geographical areas within Vanderburgh County accounted for a disproportionately high number of reported hit and run crashes. The upcoming checkpoint will be located within one of those areas. Hit and run crashes are often the result of impaired drivers who try to avoid arrest by fleeing the scene.
The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership conducts sobriety checkpoints in an effort to detect and deter impaired drivers (thereby reducing the occurrence of alcohol and drug related traffic crashes). Funding for local sobriety checkpoint operations is provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
FOOTNOTE: Pictured above: Sheriff’s deputy monitors nighttime traffic during a recent sobriety checkpoint.
DUI Checkpoint this Weekend
“READERS FORUM” OCTOBER 20, 2017
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Designs Unveiled For Kids Kingdom 2.0
Designs Unveiled For Kids Kingdom 2.0
OCTOBER 19TH, 2017Â 
JEFF GOLDBERGÂ EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
That shouldn’t give the 100,000 kids who played on the playground last year any pause: designs were unveiled Thursday for Kids Kingdom 2.0. Bolin and his team targeted Leathers and Associates to design the new park, they are the same firm that made the designs for the original. Leathers and associates spent the last week touring local elementary schools, getting feedback from kids on what they want to see and play on.
Officials say the old wooden playground was splintering, and needed an upgrade. The new park will be made of composite recycled plastics. Officials say this park should last 30 years, instead of the 15 that the current playground has lasted.
The playground will be all inclusive which is something Bolin pushed for. Some features include: a wheelchair swing, an inclusive merry-go-round, and other wheelchair accessible elements.
The folks at Leathers and Associates say they take great pleasure in bringing local history into their playground projects. For Kids Kingdom, they have designed a model LST for the kids to play on.
It will be awhile before the playground is up and running. The team hopes to have it installed before the current one closes in 2019. First, they will have to raise a million dollars and find hundreds, if not thousands of volunteers to build the new park.
Holly’s House to Receive $70,000 Grant from The Allstate Foundation
Holly’s House to Receive $70,000 Grant from The Allstate Foundation
The Allstate Foundation will present a check for $70,000 to Holly’s House, a non-profit organization that provides services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse in southwest Indiana. Holly’s House is a non-residential victim advocacy center whose mission is to empower victims of intimate crime by providing support, promoting justice, and preventing violence.
Since opening its doors in September of 2008, Holly’s House has facilitated interviews for more than 3,500 adults and children while bridging connections between families and services with more than 1,700 referrals to various community agencies each year. Holly’s House has also provided child abuse prevention education to more than 37,000 elementary school children. The agency’s services are now reaching nine southwest Indiana counties.
Since 2006, the Allstate Foundation has contributed over $600,000 dollars to Holly’s House. This grant supports the collaborative services offered by Holly’s House, Albion Fellows Bacon Center and the Lampion Center. Each organization provides unique expertise. By working together, with the support of the Allstate Foundation, these organizations ensure a continuum of services is available for survivors of family violence and other intimate crimes in southwest Indiana.
Tom Schmitt, Allstate territory sales leader and Evansville Allstate agency owner Jay Rietman will present the check to co-founders of Holly’s House Brian Turpin and Holly Dunn Pendleton.
 WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
 WHERE: Cambridge Golf Course
Sullivan Honored As AIM Legislator Of The Year
State Rep. Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville) was recently named an Accelerate Indiana Municipalities Legislator of the Year for her work to pass a long-term road funding plan.
“We were committed to remaining fiscally responsible while passing the largest road funding plan in the state’s history,†Sullivan said. “Local communities maintain 86 percent of our roads and bridges. I would like to thank AIM for its work to continually improve Indiana’s cities and towns, and for supporting our road funding plan. This push to upgrade our state’s infrastructure will have a positive effect on our community and state for many years.â€
In addition to Sullivan, House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis), Rep. Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) and Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) were honored by AIM for their work to fund a long-term plan to improve Indiana’s roads and bridges. As a result of the legislation, cities and towns across the state are now ramping up for major road maintenance projects that have been long-delayed, according to Matt Greller, AIM CEO.
“It’s a true honor to thank House Speaker Bosma and Representatives Brown, Soliday and Sullivan for their unwavering dedication this past legislative session,†Greller said. “They worked tirelessly to ensure that 2017 was the year Indiana began re-investing in our infrastructure in a meaningful, sustainable way. Hoosiers will reap the benefits of this investment for decades to come.â€
Sullivan serves on the House Committee on Roads and Transportation and the House Committee on Ways and Means, which makes recommendations to the Indiana General Assembly on any legislation dealing with the expenditure of money.
UE Volleyball welcomes Indiana State on Friday
UE looking for second home win in a rowÂ
Meeks Family Fieldhouse will be the scene of the start of the second round of Missouri Valley Conference matches for the University of Evansville volleyball team as it welcomes Indiana State on Friday evening for a 7 p.m. match.
Evansville returns home for three matches in a row following a quick trip to Loyola and Valparaiso last weekend. The Aces are 2-1 in their last three outings, picking up 5-set wins over Bradley and Loyola. Mildrelis Rodriguez was the top performer in the victories, notching a total of 35 kills.
Mildrelis Rodriguez averaged 3.23 kills per set and 3.77 digs as the Purple Aces earned a pair of conference wins. In a 5-set win over Bradley, Rodriguez had a great 20-20 performance, notching 21 kills and 22 digs while adding three block assists. It was the first such performance for a UE player since Brooke Maher in 2010. Maher had 20 kills and 31 digs versus Drake on Nov. 20, 2010. She had another great effort at Loyola, posting 14 kills and 15 digs in the victory. The weekend finale at Valparaiso saw her notched seven kills and 12 more digs.
Rodriguez has been on quite a run as of late. Through her first 15 matches this season, the junior posted 97 kills. In her previous five outings, Rodriguez has had 63.
Over the last week, UE grabbed its first two league victories against Bradley and Loyola, both in five sets. The largest difference came in the team defense. In its two MVC wins, the Aces have allowed the opposition to hit .155. In its seven losses, opponents are hitting .236.
Friday’s win over Loyola came despite the Ramblers notching 18 more kills. Evansville won with 45 kills while the Ramblers finished with 63. It was the largest disparity in kill in a UE win since last season when SEMO had 71 while the Aces had 56 in a 5-set win.
Indiana State improved to 7-14 overall and 5-4 in the Valley with a sweep last weekend over Valparaiso and Loyola.  The Sycamores earned a 3-0 win over Valparaiso before hanging on at Loyola by a 3-2 final on Saturday. Laura Gross paces the offense with 3.27 kills per set, sitting 8th in the league. In the Sycamore win over the Aces last month, Gross notched 16 kills to lead them to a 3-2 win. Damadj Johnson leads the conference in blocks, notching 1.09 per set.
D-Patrick Volkswagen To Host Tiguan Launch Party At D Patrick Motoplex
D-Patrick Volkswagen will host the Tiguan Launch Party on Friday, October 20th, from 4pm – 8pm to showcase the all-new 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The event will be held at D-Patrick Volkswagen at 200 North Green River Road.
During this one day event, D-Patrick Volkswagen will have Volkswagen representatives
on hand to demonstrate and explain all the exciting new features of the 2018 Volkswagen
Tiguan. Guest will be able to get up close and personal with the fresh design and learn
about the new premium upgrades. This is the perfect opportunity to test drive the 2018
Tiguan and to see why there is so much buzz around this new model launch. The Tiguan
is also equipped with “The People First Warranty†covering 6 years or 72,000 miles. Stop
by to register for prizes and enjoy food from the Bruce Li food truck.
D-Patrick, Inc. currently employs approximately 365 local people in a variety of positions and now carries nine vehicle lines (Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Lincoln, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Porsche, and Volkswagen) with 7 showrooms, 4 service departments, 4 parts departments, 3 body shops, and a corporate office. D-Patrick, Inc. employs the finest dealership staff, offers a superior service and sales experience, maintains a tremendous selection of new and used vehicles, and strives to offer the best deals in the tri-state area.
For more information on this event, please contact Tony Ricketts at 812-473-6590.
Fall Shaw Lecture to highlight forensic artist
Joe Mullins, Washington-based forensic artist, will present a special fall installment of the University of Southern Indiana’s Marlene V. Shaw Biology Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 25 in Mitchell Auditorium located in the Health Professions Center on the USI campus. Mullins’ presentation, “Forensic Art: Where Art and Science Collide,†is free and open to the public.
Mullins is the forensic imaging specialist for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, where he assists in the search for missing children by creating age progression drawings. He also assists in police investigations through facial reconstructions based on skeletal and soft tissue remains.
His work has been featured on CNN’s The Hunt and the Science Channel’s Mysteries of the Missing, and he also uses his skill for ‘fun but scientific forecasts’ of the looks of celebrities 20 years from now or how their children might look. He serves as an adjunct instructor in forensic art at the New York Academy of Art, George Mason University and The Art League. He holds a bachelor’s degree in art from James Madison University and studied at the Savannah College of Art & Design.
“This lecture series was designed to provide an opportunity for speakers who span multiple disciplines to present to the University community—in particular, those who bridge the gap between the sciences and other disciplines,†said Dr. Brent Summers, chair and associate professor of biology at USI. “The fall 2017 speaker is someone who will do just that.â€
The Marlene V. Shaw Biology Lecture Series is funded through an endowment established by the USI Foundation. This event is being held in addition to the annual spring lecture.
For more information, contact Summers at 812-461-5405 or bsummers@usi.edu.