| (WASHINGTON, D.C.) –  Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. released the following statement after the House passed the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, which provides funding for President Trump’s agenda and the entire federal government for Fiscal Year 2018:
“For far too long, Washington has succumbed to irresponsible budgeting. Today, that ended and the people’s voices were heard. For the first time since 2009, the House passed all 12 appropriations bills on time. We made the tough decisions required of a governing majority. We achieved substantial conservative victories, provided funding for the military and border security, and restored the government funding process to regular order,†said Bucshon. “The House has done its job. It’s time for the Senate, which has yet to pass a funding bill, to join us in moving the President’s agenda forward and fulfilling our promises to the American people.â€
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Dr. Bucshon’s Statement on the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018
Indiana Reaches Medicaid Fraud Settlement With Pharmaceutical Company Novo Nordisk, Inc.
Attorney General Curtis Hill today announced that Indiana reached an agreement in principle with Novo Nordisk, Inc. – a pharmaceutical company known for insulin manufacturing.
The signed agreement settles allegations that Novo Nordisk failed to comply with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) required Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for the company’s Type II diabetes medication Victoza.
When Victoza was approved in 2010, the FDA required REMS to lessen the potential risk of a rare form of cancer in humans who take the drug. The cancer is called Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) and the REMS required that Novo Nordisk included information about Victoza and the potential risk of MTC to physicians.
Any failure to comply with the REMS such as failure to accurately communicate potential risks means the drug is misbranded, according to the law. Novo Nordisk’s failure to do so resulted in a $46.5 million settlement with the federal government and states to resolve claims under the False Claims Act. The penalty resolves allegations that Novo Nordisk submitted false claims from 2010 to 2014 to federal healthcare programs for Victoza by arming its salesforce with messages that could result in a false or misleading impression with physicians that the potential risk of MTC was irrelevant or unimportant by encouraging the use of Victoza and sale of it to patients who did not have Type II diabetes.
The federal government will receive $43,129,026 and state Medicaid programs will receive $3,320,963. Indiana Medicaid will receive $155,101.
The settlement resolves six lawsuits filed under the whistleblower provision of the federal FCA and the Indiana Medicaid FCA, which permit private parties to file suit on behalf of the federal government and the State for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery.
A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units Team participated in the settlement negotiations on behalf of the states and included representatives from the Offices of the Attorneys General, Medicaid Fraud Control Units for Texas California, Nevada, and Rhode Island in addition to Indiana.
Cardinal Classic On Tap For Women’s Golf
Fall play continues for the University of Evansville women’s golf team as they head to The Players Club in Yorktown, Ind. for the Cardinal Classic.
Set for Monday and Tuesday, the will feature 36 holes on day one with the final 18 set for day two. Action on Monday starts with an 8:30 a.m. ET shotgun while the final round begins at 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Par is set for 72 while the yardage comes in at 6,204.
A crowded field of 19 squads includes: Ball State, Akron, Austin Peay, Bowling Green, Bradley, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Drake, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indiana State, Indianapolis, Northern Illinois, Northern Kentucky, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Western Illinois and Western Michigan.
The Purple Aces opened their season two weeks ago in Youngstown, Ohio at the Roseann Schwartz Invitational. Freshman Sophia Rohleder carded a 77 in the final round finish in 19th place at Mill Creek Park Golf Course.
After an opening-round tally of 82, the Evansville product improved by five strokes to finish with a 159 for the event, taking 19th place.
Fellow newcomer Minka Gill saw her score jump by eight strokes on Tuesday. Gill notched an 86 in the first round of action, but fired off a 78 in the final round to tie for 34th with a 164. Giulia Mallmann matched that total with identical rounds of 82.
Next up was Maria Pickens. She also saw an improvement in day two. Pickens followed up Monday’s 86 with a score of 82. Her total of 168 tied her for 43rd. Lexie Sollman was next up with a 171.
Madison Chaney came home in a tie for 43rd as an individual with her rounds finishing at 83 and 85. Carly Waggoner was tied with Sollman for 49th with a 171. Waggoner shot an 84 on Tuesday.
UE Homecoming 2017 Reunion Weekend Planned for October 13-15
  The University of Evansville Homecoming 2017 Reunion Weekend is October 13-15. Special events are planned for parents and alumni, many of which will be open to the public.
Dr. Guy Banta Distinguished Lecture Series – Speaker Zach Cheviron ’00, Environmental and Wildlife Biology
Friday, October 13, 3:00 p.m. Vectren Lecture Hall, Room 100, Koch Center for Engineering and Science.
Reunion Celebrations
Anniversaries to be celebrated at homecoming include the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1967, 65th anniversary of Phi Mu sorority, 60th anniversary of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and the 60th anniversary of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Homecoming Tailgate
Saturday, October 14, 2:00-5:00 p.m., H-Lot, South Frederick Street
Food, games, live music, and fun. Open to public.
The Ace RaceÂ
Saturday, October 14, 9:00 a.m., UE campus. Open to public.
This 5K run benefits Ace CARE, UE’s pro bono physical therapy clinic run by doctor of physical therapy and physical therapy assistant students for the uninsured, underinsured, and homeless. Participation fee for the public is $25 before October 1 or $30 after October 1. Those registering before October 1 will receive a long sleeve T-shirt. To register, go to www.uealumnionline.com/acerace2017.
UE Women’s Soccer versus Drake
Saturday, October 14, 2:00 p.m., Arad McCutchan Stadium. Open to public.
UE Men’s Soccer versus Loyola (followed by fireworks display)
Saturday, October 14, 5:00 p.m., Arad McCutchan Stadium. Open to public.
For the full schedule of events or more information, visit www.evansville.edu/alumni or contact alumni@evansville.edu or 812-488-2586.
Air Quality Forecast
Air quality forecasts for Evansville and Vanderburgh County are provided as a public service. They are best estimates of predicted pollution levels that can be used as a guide so people can modify their activities and reduce their exposure to air quality conditions that may affect their health. The forecasts are routinely made available at least a day in advance, and are posted by 10:30 AM Evansville time on Monday (for Tuesday through Thursday) and Thursday (for Friday through Monday). When atmospheric conditions are uncertain or favor pollution levels above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, forecasts are made on a daily basis.
Ozone forecasts are available from mid-April through September 30th. Fine particulate (PM2.5) forecasts are available year round.
| Friday
September 15 |
Saturday
September 16 |
Sunday
September 17 |
Monday
September 18 |
Tuesday
September 19 |
|
| Fine Particulate (0-23Â CST avg) Air Quality Index |
Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | NA* |
| Ozone Air Quality Index |
Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | NA* |
| Ozone (peak 8-hr avg) (expected) |
NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* | NA* |
* Not Available and/or Conditions Uncertain.
Air Quality Action Days
Ozone Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when maximum ozone readings averaged over a period of eight hours are forecasted to reach 71 parts per billion (ppb), or unhealthy for sensitive groups on the USEPA Air Quality Index scale.
Particulate Alerts are issued by the Evansville EPA when PM2.5 readings averaged over the period of midnight to midnight are forecasted to reach 35 micrograms per meter cubed (µg/m3).
Current conditions of OZONE and FINE PARTICULATE MATTER are available in near real-time on the Indiana Department of Environment Management’s website.
National and regional maps of current conditions are available through USEPA AIRNow.
Adopt A Pet
Cheddar is a 1-year-old female orange tabby. She spent several weeks in foster care learning to open up, and she’s done great! She’s now living in the Cageless Cat Lounge and gets along fine with other cats. Cheddar’s adoption fee is $30. This includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 Tuesday-Saturday 12-6 for adoption details!   Â
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Rep. Messer Votes to Crack Down on Illegal Immigrant Gangs
U.S. Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) today voted in support of the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, which combats gang violence by criminal aliens and enhances public safety.
Messer spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.
“Today, the House passed immigration reform that ensures violent gangs are kept off our streets,†Messer said. “For too long, dangerous criminals have exploited our nation’s failed immigration laws and made our communities less safe. Hoosiers are tired of it. It’s well past time to crack down on this illegal activity, restore rule of law and protect the American people.â€
The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act would allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and deport criminal alien gang members who pose a serious threat to the safety. The bill also prevents these criminals from receiving asylum and bars them from re-entering the United States.
The bill must now be considered by the U.S. Senate and the President to become law.
A video of Messer’s remarks is available here and full text of his remarks is below:
“Mr. Speaker, the federal government’s first duty is to protect its citizens.
For too long, dangerous gangs like MS-13 have exploited our nation’s failed immigration laws and made our communities less safe. Hoosiers are tired of it. It’s well past time to crack down on this illegal activity and restore the rule of law in America. Today, the House passed commonsense immigration reform that ensures violent gangs are kept off our streets.
The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act allows law enforcement to detain and deport criminal alien gang members who pose a serious threat to our safety.
Instead of waiting on another tragedy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be allowed to remove these criminals before they have the chance to harm innocent Americans.
The bill also prevents these criminals from ever entering the United States again. This is good, commonsense legislation that improves our national security supports our law enforcement and protects the American people.
I am proud to support the bill and I yield back.â€
It’s Not Opinion; It’s Fact by Jim Redwine
It’s Not Opinion; It’s Factby Jim Redwine |
Once upon a time one could read a newspaper or listen to the radio or watch television and get information on current events. One might hear a report about our nation’s involvement in a war for example. I was born in 1943 so my first war memory is from Korea. Perhaps Korea might provide war tocsin again.
Anyway, I recall news reports about General MacArthur and President Truman. I do not recall anybody calling anybody else a liar for expressing their views or positions. Issues as raw and visceral as Commander-In-Chief versus commander in the field were discussed and analyzed without resort to epithets. About the worst MacArthur ever said about Truman was he was only a captain in WWII and about the worst Truman ever said about MacArthur, even as he relieved him of command, was that MacArthur failed to salute him.
The conversations and arguments as to the relative merits of civilian control over the military and the authority of Congress to declare war were presented as honorable people with differing views. I do not recall my parents or my teachers in school using ad hominem arguments instead of evidence-based analysis. In other words, each side accepted their views were merely opinions based on facts, as were the opposition’s views. Neither side was so sure of its own omniscience and the other side’s venality as to assert its own opinions were synonymous with unmitigated facts.
While I was not sent to Vietnam I did serve in the military during that war. When I returned to my college campus after receiving my honorable discharge, the country was embroiled in a bitter and divisive argument about the draft and the war.
When Vice President Hubert Humphrey came to IU to present the Administration’s position on the war, students protested but without violence and without accusing the speaker of false motives. Most students were against the war and our government was supporting it. It took millions of arguments and another several years but finally we left Vietnam. I never heard Humphrey call any students liars nor did I or any of my fellow students attempt to prevent him from speaking. We certainly felt free to disagree and to loudly say so.
The media reports of the latter half of the 1960’s and first half of the 1970’s were often hard hitting on the recitation of facts with which President Johnson was confronted. But I never heard a national news figure say about the President, “He flat out lied!†Such argument quashing language was reserved for pool halls and bar room brawls.
So, assuming I may be at least somewhat correct in my impressions that our civil society is now just a society, how did we get here? You probably have a thought or two on this topic. If so, you probably have plenty of friends and family who never let you voice them. I know I do. Thank goodness I can get my views published in several newspapers. Well, at least, I think that’s a good thing.