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IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 15, 2017

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IS IT TRUE that hearts were on fire in downtown Evansville on this Valentine’s Day inspired by the opening of the new Hilton Doubletree Inn?…this hotel has been a long time coming and today was a day for the beautiful people to give each other congratulatory hugs and sip martinis together?…it has only been 9 years since former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel proclaimed that a JW Marriot would be built with no public incentive by one of his buddies from Indianapolis?…it has only been 8 years since the wheels came off off that bus?…another suitor came forward and didn’t deliver in 2011, followed by yet another wannabe hotelier the following year that got off of the hook?…finally at long last with a larger than expected handout for a shorter than expected hotel, the keys are finally turning?…we are curious to see if prosperity spreads like a bad cold now that there is another hotel in downtown Evansville?

IS IT TRUE yesterday it was stated during a Channel 25 TV news story that the per night rooms rates will be between $130 to $250 per room?  …we hope that Hilton Doubletree Inn Developer and CEO will have a lot of wiggle room concerning room rates so they can be competitive with other well established local Motels and Hotels?

IS IT TRUE we are puzzled why the Director of Gage wasn’t present at the new Hilton Doubletree Inn ribbon cutting event?  …we were just told that the most recent Director of Gage is no longer employed by them? …if this information is correct we wonder why he is no longer employed by Gage? …we hope our information is incorrect because we heard that he was doing and outstanding job as Director of Gage?

IS IT TRUE when it comes to telling people things were going to Happen and then pulling the old bait and switch, the last two mayors of Evansville are masters of the art?…former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel was famous for promising things would happen without a public handout and then seeing his promises vanish into thin air? …Weinzapfel saw both the 4 Star downtown hotel and the McCurdy Hotel vaporize before his very eyes?…Weinzapfel had big dreams that just never happened?…the one dream that happens picks the taxpayers pockets every year for $8Million in bond payments for the Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke on the other hand has seemly made a political career out of making capital projects happen by paying twice as many taxpayer dollars for half of the projects he has promised (new Downtown Doubletree Hotel and the IU Medical school)?…that is from the bait and switch playbook too but at least the people of Evansville see something for their money?…the common theme is that public project always comes up short when this individual is in charge in spending our hard earned tax dollars?

IS IT TRUE we wonder when Evansville Mayor Winnecke and Ivy Tech-Evansville Chancellor Jonathan Wienzapfel are going to publicly demand that soon to be built IU Medical School will include Ivy Tech 1,500 Medical Tech schools in their plans?  …that the taxpayers Evansville pledged $57 million dollars to insure that the new Downtown IU Medical School will house programs from the IU School of Medicine and the IU School of Dentistry, as well as Ivy Tech Community College,  the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville?  …could this be called a breach of contract and also a breach of the public trust?

IS IT TRUE we hear that deficit amount transferred from the 2016 Employee Healthcare program could be several millions of dollars? …it’s been alleged that that the City Controlled during the last week of February quietly transferred around $4 million dollars in the City Employee Healthcare account to pay off some of the  past due medical bills?  …we wonder where he got the $4 million dollars to pay down the past due medical bills?…we are now hearing that the as of today total deficit for 2017 Employee Healthcare program could be between $4 to $6 million of dollars?    …we are also hearing that around 150 city  employees have been sued because of non payment of healthcare bills?…we wonder where the City of Evansville are going to find the money to bring the Employee Healthcare program payment current?

IS IT TRUE that DMD purchased two lots located behind Gelhausen Paint on West Iowa street for the grand total $63,000.00 in exchange for letting the public park there on the finished paved parking lot during the week? …that DMD recently finished one lot into a first class paved public lot really used by the general public?   …the other lot had a dilapidated house on it and  was razed buy the City?  …we were to told the total investment for this project for purchasing two lots with one dilapidated home, razing home and turn one lot into first class paved public lot has costs the taxpayers well over additional $100,000?

 

A Sweet Celebration: DoubleTree Opens With Red Ribbon Cutting

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A Sweet Celebration: DoubleTree Opens With Red Ribbon Cutting

FEBRUARY 14TH, 2017 Lauren Leslie LAUREN LESLIE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA

 “A long time coming…” Those are the words Mayor Lloyd Winnecke used to describe the new DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Center project. This morning city leaders cut the ribbon on the new addition to the Evansville skyline. After the ribbon cutting the public was allowed inside to check everything out.

The hotel features 241 rooms, a full service restaurant and several event spaces. Mayor Winnecke says this new facility allows Evansville to be a player again in the convention business, “Once they knew an approximate opening day they could go out and sell it, so they’ve booked a number of conventions here as a result of that work and this opening. That’s what it’s all about, it’s about bringing visitors to our city who are going to spend millions of dollars annually that will pour into our economy,” Winnecke referencing the Evansville Conventions and Visitors Bureau. Officials say if it were not for the new Hotel those conventions would not have been booked.

COA Allows Vectren To Move Forward With Coal-Powered Plants Project

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COA Allows Vectren To Move Forward With Coal-Powered Plants Project

Olivia Covington for www.theindinalawyer.com

An Indiana energy company can proceed with its plans to bring two of its coal-powered plants into compliance with federal emissions standards after the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected an appeal to force the company to build natural gas plants instead.

After receiving a notice of violation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding emissions from three of its coal-powered generators in 2013, Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana Inc. reached a settlement in principle with EPA to resolve the alleged violations and also became subject to new federal mandates regarding mercury emissions standards.

As a result of those compliance issues, Vectren filed a petition with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in January 2014 for approval of modifications to four of its coal-powered facilities. Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana Inc., Sierra Club Inc. and Valley Watch Inc. intervened and opposed the petition in April 2014, arguing that Vectren should replace all or some of the four units with new electricity-generating sources as a cost-saving measure for customers.

The IURC ultimately approved Vectren’s petition in January 2015, but the intervenors appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals. In its October 2015 opinion, the appellate court ordered that two of Vectren’s proposed projects be issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity, but sent the case back to the IURC to consider the other two projects, which dealt with soda ash and lime injection systems, based on Indiana Code 8-1-8.7-3(b).

On remand, the IURC rejected the intervenor’s petition to reopen the evidentiary record and found that under I.C. 8-1-8.7-3(b), the other two projects should be granted certificates of public convenience and necessity.

In their second appeal before the appellate court, the intervenors argued that the IURC’s findings on remand were not adequately explained, were arbitrary and capricious, and were not supported by substantial evidence because the commission only considered Vectren’s pre-filed direct testimony. Had the IURC considered other testimony, it would have learned that the long-term cost of installing pollution controls on the existing coal-powered units would be more than the cost of building new natural gas plants, they said.

But Judge Robert Altice, writing Tuesday for the unanimous panel, noted that the IURC’s first order granting all four projects remained intact even after the court’s decision to remand after the first appeal. The commission was merely instructed to consider the other two projects under a different section of Indiana Code, which it did, Altice said.

“Moreover, the cost analysis was not the sole basis of the IURC’s decision to issue the CPCN to Vectren,” Altice wrote. “The IURC issued specific findings on all nine statutory factors as set out above, many of which had nothing to do with the cost analysis.”

Further, the commission was not required to reopen the evidence and re-litigate the case on remand, especially considering the fact that there was ample evidence in the existing record for evaluation on remand, the judge wrote.

The case is Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Inc., Sierra Club, Inc., Valley Watch, Inc. v. Southern Indiana Gas and Electricity Company d/b/a Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana, Inc., Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, 93A02-1607-EX-1637.

IU Women’s Swimming & Diving Ready for Big Ten Championships

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IU Women’s Swimming & Diving Ready for Big Ten Championships

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University women’s swimming and diving team will head to West Lafayette, Ind. this week looking to win the program’s sixth conference title at the 2017 Big Ten Championships.

The four-day meet will begin with on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. On Thursday through Saturday, the teams will swim a preliminary session in the morning at 11 a.m. with the championship session to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Live results for the swimming events can be found at IUHoosiers.com. Live results for the diving events can be found at DiveMeets.com. For more information on the Women’s Big Ten Championship, including a schedule of events, fans can click HERE.

The Big Ten Championships will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go. The Big Ten Network will also televise Saturday’s finals Sunday, Feb 19 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Complimentary access to BTN2Go is available to viewers connected to the internet network of a Big Ten university. Fans elsewhere can sign up for the pay-per-view webcasts.

Scouting the Hoosiers

Indiana enters this week’s Big Ten Championships ranked No. 15 in the nation in the latest CSCAA/TYR Top 25 poll. IU is one of five league teams in the poll along with Michigan (No. 6), Wisconsin (No. 12), Minnesota (No. 21) and Ohio State (No. 22).

During the dual-meet season this year, the Hoosiers posted an overall record of 7-4 and a Big Ten mark of 2-1, beating both Michigan State and Purdue. IU again faced one of the toughest schedule in the country, with eight of the 11 teams earning a spot in the national poll.

“We are excited to see the Hoosier ladies have a comprehensibly successful competition in both swimming and diving over the next four days” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “The key to having a great championship meet is to have seven consecutive sessions where we support each other better than any other team in the Big Ten. If our women do that, we will be in position to maximize our abilities.”

Indiana head diving coach Drew Johansen will lead the IU divers in to West Lafayette this week, as the contingent – including 2015 NCAA and Big Ten champion in the platform dive Jessica Parratto along with senior Michal Bower – will look to score critical points for Indiana.

“We are really looking forward to the championship season,” Johansen said. “Jessica and Michal both had terrific years for us. Michal has really had an outstanding senior season and Jessica has reacclimated herself to the springboard coming off the Rio Olympics.”

Big Ten Championship History
The Indiana Hoosiers women’s swimming and diving team has won five conference championships in program history.

IU has placed first or second at the Big Ten Championships in each of the last eight years, winning the title three-straight times from 2009 to 2011. The Hoosiers have finished second the last four seasons. Indiana also won the league title in 2003 and 2007.

2016 Big Ten Championships

At last year’s league championships, Indiana finished second overall with 1,207.5 points, falling just short of host Michigan who won the team title with a total of 1,361.

Lilly King was name Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten after winning four gold and one bronze medals in her first Big Ten Championships. Joining King on the All-Big Ten First Team were Marie Chamberlain, Gia Dalesandro, Kennedy Goss, Haley Lips and Grace Vertigans. Delaney Barnard and Miranda Tucker were named Second-Team All-Big Ten.

Over the course of the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosiers posted some impressive accolades. Overall the team totaled seven school record swims, two Big Ten records, four Big Ten meet records, five Canham Natatorium records, six NCAA A cuts, 59 NCAA B cuts and 37 personal-best marks.

Last year, IU claimed six Big Ten titles – Haley Lips (500 freestyle), Lilly King (100 and 200 breaststroke), Gia Dalesandro (200 butterfly) and both the 200 and 400 medley relays.

IU Racks up Medals at FINA Short Course World Championships
Lilly King led a group of five IU swimmers that won medals at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Ontario in December. Over the course of the six-day competition, current, former and postgrad Indiana swimmers combined for 12 medals – six gold, five silver and one bronze. King took home five medals, including four golds, while Blake Pieroni won two silver medals and one bronze. IU alum Cody Miller won a gold medal to go with a silver.

Also winning medals on the week were Kennedy Goss and IU postgrad Zane Grothe. Goss won gold with Team Canada in the 800 freestyle relay, while Zane Grothe won silver with Team USA in the 800 freestyle relay.

IU Sends 11 to Rio Olympics, Winning Seven Medals
The Indiana Swimming and Diving program sent 13 swimmers, divers and coaches to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics – James Connor, alumna Amy Cozad, Marwan Elkamash, Kennedy Goss, Michael Hixon, Ali Khalafalla, Lilly King, alum Cody Miller, Jessica Parratto, Blake Pieroni and Anze Tavcar. Drew Johansen served as the head coach of USA diving, while Ray Looze was an assistant coach for USA Swimming.

At the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the IU swimmers and divers won a total of seven medals – four golds, one silver and two bronze. Lilly King headlined the group with two gold medals, while Cody Miller won gold and bronze. Blake Pieroni earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA’s 4×100 freestyle relay team, junior Kennedy Goss earned a bronze medal as a member of Team Canada’s 4×200 freestyle relay team and junior diver Michael Hixon won silver in the men’s 3m synchronized springboard.

King Wins Two NCAA Titles in 2015
Indiana’s Lilly King dominated the breaststroke at the 2016 NCAA Championships, winning both the 100 and 200 breast with the fastest short-course yard times in history. The freshman broke every record in the event with her historic swim – the American, NCAA, NCAA Meet, U.S. Open, Indiana school, Big Ten and Georgia Tech Pool records – and owns all of the aforementioned records in both the 100 and 200 breast. In total, King recorded an impressive four All-America honors at her first NCAA Championships.

IU Swimming & Diving on Social Media
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING SCHEDULE

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BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS

REGULAR MEETING

KEVIN WINTERNHEIMER CHAMBERS

ROOM 301, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

12:00 NOON

 AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. MEETING MEMORANDUM   FEBRUARY 1, 2017

3. CONSENT AGENDA

a.  Request Re:  Approve and Execute- Agreement Extension with Priority One Fire and Safety

Company for all Park facilities.

b.  Request Re:  Approve and Execute- Agreement with Aquatic Control for Lake Maintenance

Program at Helfrich Golf Course.

c.  Request Re: Approve and Execute- Park Use Application with March of Dimes “March for

Babies Walk and 5K Run.”

d.  Request Re: Approve Painting with a Twist event at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden

– Maureen Duncan*

e.  Request Re: Approve and Execute Contract with Comaier Services for Mesker Park Zoo

& Botanic Garden- Maureen Duncan*

f.  Request Re: Approve and Execute Contract with Swat Pest for Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic

Garden- Maureen Duncan*

g. Request Re: Approve and Execute Contract with Mike Wathen for

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden- Maureen Duncan*

f.  Request Re: Approve and Execute Contract Extension with Maxitrol Inc- Mesker Park Zoo

& Botanic Garden- Maureen Duncan*

*Recommendation from Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Advisory Board.

 

4.        OLD BUSINESS  

 

5.         NEW BUSINESS

a.   Agreement with Convention and Visitors Bureau for Management of Goebel

Soccer Complex- Holtz

b.   Permission to establish a rental rate for the outside Skate Park at Swonder- Fankhouser

 

c.   Request Re: Any Other Business the Board Wishes to Consider and Public Comments

 

6.        REPORTS

a.   Brian Holtz, Executive Director

7.        ACCEPTANCE OF PAYROLL AND VENDOR CLAIMS

 

8.        ADJOURN

Adopt A Pet

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 Jillian is an adult female tortoiseshell cat. She came to the shelter with her 3 kittens who have already been adopted. Jillian is FIV+, but that’s okay! She can live a long, healthy life with other cats even if they don’t have FIV as long as everyone gets along well! Her $30 adoption fee includes her spay, microchip, vaccines, and more. Contact the Vanderburgh Humane Society at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org for details!

 

Indiana State Police Laboratory Forensic Firearms Identification Unit Reaches Milestone with 500th “Hit”

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The Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Laboratory Forensic Firearms Identification Unit recently achieved a nationally recognized milestone. During the month of January, 2017, they surpassed 500 “hits” at this laboratory while utilizing the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) Program.  This means that on over 500 occasions the Fort Wayne Regional Laboratory assisted local, state, and federal law enforcement in linking over 500 shooting scenes.  These crimes included, drive-by shootings, attempted murder, and homicide. 

The NIBIN Program automates ballistics evaluations and provides actionable investigative leads in a timely manner. Since 2000 the Indiana State Police Laboratory has used the NIBIN database to assist their contributors in solving gun related crimes.  NIBIN is the only interstate automated ballistic imaging network in operation in the United States and is available to most major population centers in the United States.

Prior to the NIBIN Program, firearms examiners performed this process manually which was extremely labor intensive. To use NIBIN, firearms examiners or technicians enter cartridge casing evidence into the Integrated Ballistic Identification System. These images are correlated against the database. The Indiana State Police Laboratory can search against evidence from their jurisdiction, neighboring ones, and others across the country. This program is one investigative tool accessed by law enforcement that allows the sharing of information and easily making law enforcement more effective in closing cases.

“Achieving this milestone at our Fort Wayne Regional Laboratory is truly a reflection of our staff’s quality of work from our Forensic Firearms Identification Unit,” said Laboratory Division Commander Major Steve Holland.  “Forensic Scientists Stacey Hartman and Michelle Fletcher are responsible for our laboratory system reaching this milestone, and we are fortunate to have such a professional, and dedicated staff in our system.”
MYERS

Photo # 1 Stacey Hartman
Photo # 2 Michelle Fletcher

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
Register with Nixle.com to receive news releases and other information from the Indiana State Police

 

Experience History Register Now for Our Veteran Storytelling Night

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Experience History Register Now for Our Veteran Storytelling Night

Join us on February 23rd at the American Red Cross for the second in our series of Veteran Reflections. Speakers will include WWII veteran Doug who landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, John who served in Vietnam and was recently honored as one of the Great Living Cincinnatians, and Leslie Edwards–one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen from WWII. There will be 6 speakers in total representing World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Enduring Freedom. This is an evening of history that you will not want to miss!

Court Denies Motions Attacking Jury Verdict For Worker In Wage Suit

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Court Denies Motions Attacking Jury Verdict For Worker In Wage Suit

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

A federal judge Thursday rejected motions for judgment in its favor or a new trial by employers who lost a jury trial over unpaid wages to a Terre Haute worker.

A jury in December awarded $171,345.76 to Daniel L. Brown, who sued Presstime Graphics Inc., Osler Institute Inc., and owner Joseph Selliken Jr. in December 2013. The total included damages for unpaid overtime Brown worked plus liquidated damages under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Indiana Wage Payment Statute.

Brown provided security and maintenance services for the defendants from June 2010 to October 2013. He claimed he turned in timecards reporting he worked 35 hours a week, but he actually was working many more hours, often seven days a week. He claimed supervisors told him to track his overtime separately, and the he would be paid for that time in the future.

The defendants moved under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 50(b) and 59(a) for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial, but District Judge William T. Lawrence denied the motion. Defendants argued in part that Brown wasn’t under the direct supervision of a named defendant, but Lawrence ruled otherwise.

“There was ample evidence at trial to support a finding that the Defendants knew or had reason to know that the Plaintiff was working overtime on a regular basis,” he wrote in Daniel L. Brown v. Presstime Graphics, Inc., et al., 2:13-cv-425. “As the Defendants acknowledge, the law does not permit an employer to avoid paying overtime by remaining willfully ignorant of an employee’s hours.”

Eagles host final homestand of ’16-17 regular season

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The 14th-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball team concludes the 2016-17 home slate this week when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and McKendree University Saturday at 3:15 p.m. The USI-McKendree match-up is Senior Day for the Screaming Eagles.

Game coverage for this week’s games, including live stats, video streams, and audio broadcasts, is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on WEOA 98.5FM/1400AM and 95.7FM The Spin.

The Screaming Eagles (23-2, 13-2 GLVC) start the week in sole possession of second in the GLVC East Division, one game behind seventh-ranked and first place Bellarmine University (22-3, 14-1 GLVC) and two games ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (19-5, 11-4 GLVC), Lewis University (16-9, 11-4 GLVC), and the University of Indianapolis (14-9, 11-4 GLVC). Illinois Springfield (8-16, 3-12 GLVC) and McKendree (9-14, 3-12 GLVC) begin the week tied for sixth in the GLVC East.
Following this week’s homestand, USI will conclude regular season action with a visit to Bellarmine on February 23.

USI Men’s Basketball vs. Week 16 Quick Notes:

  • USI in national rankings.The University of Southern Indiana jumped in the NCAA Division II rankings this week, rising one spot to 14th in the NABC Division II Top 25 and three spots to 11th in the D2SIDA Media Top 25. USI also is ranked ninth in the HeroSports.com  and 10th in the NCAA Division II power rankings.
  • Eagles cruised to two road wins.USI cruised to a 71-58 victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis Thursday and an 82-66 victory over Maryville University Saturday. Sophomore guard Alex Stein led the Eagles with 14.0 points per game, while senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor and senior guard Bobo Drummond rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.0 and 10.0 points per contest.
  • Victory earns USI GLVC Tournament bye.USI can wrap up a GLVC-Tournament first round bye with a victory this week. The Eagles leads the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Lewis University and the University of Indianapolis by two games each and Truman State University by three games in the race to secure a first round bye.
  • Rajala returned to action.Junior forward Julius Rajala returned to action after missing the last two weeks with a broken finger. Rajala averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds on the road trip in 18 minutes of action.
  • 20-Win Season.USI surpassed the 20-win mark in February and has reached 23 victories for the first time since the 25-win season of 2013-14. USI has won 20-or-more games 26 times in the history of the program, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament 23 times in the previous 20-win seasons.
  • USI at home in 2016-17.USI is 10-1 at home this year, averaging 90.6 points per home game.  Senior guard Jeril Taylor is averaging 19.9 points per game, while sophomore guard Alex Stein is posting 17.7 points per outing.
  • Taylor closing on 1,000 points.Senior guard/forward Jeril Taylor needs 12 points to reach 1,000 career points and become the 19th Eagle all-time to reach the milestone. He also would be the first since Geoff Van Winkle in 2007.
  • USI vs. Illinois Springfield.The Eagles lead the all-time series with the University of Illinois Springfield, 9-3, and at home, 6-1. USI, which has won four of the last five meetings with Illinois Springfield, won the first meeting of the year, 86-75, and was led by sophomore guard Alex Stein‘s 26 points.
  • USI vs. McKendree.USI leads the all-time series with McKendreee University, 8-7, and holds the advantage at the PAC, 5-3. The Eagles, who have won eight of the last nine match-ups with the Bearcats, won the GLVC season-opener, 104-58, in Lebanon, Illinois, and was led by junior guard Marcellous Washington‘s season-high 20-point performance.
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