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Weekend Readers Forum

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WEEKEND OFF TOPIC “READERS FORUM”

TELL US WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?

FOOTNOTE: Our next “IS IT TRUE” will be posted on this coming Monday?

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Todays “Readers Poll” question is: : Has Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and City Council been a “Good Steward of the Public Trust” ?

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Men’s golf travels west to MVC Championship

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Tournament to be played on Monday and Tuesday

This weekend, the University of Evansville men’s golf team heads west to Hutchinson, Kan. to take part in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s golf championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club.

Set for Monday and Tuesday, the teams will play 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday.  The Purple Aces were picked to finish seventh in the event with Wichita State being tabbed as the favorite going into the event.  Nine conference schools are set to participate.  The only school in the MVC that does not have men’s golf is Indiana State.

In the final regular season tournament, sophomore Tyler Gray was the low shooter in the final day as they Aces took seventh place in the Big Blue Invitational at Hermitage Golf Club.

Gray recorded a 74 in the final round to come home in a tie for 22nd place overall.  His final score was a 149.  Rick Voyvodic was the top finisher for the UE.  After carding a 73 on Monday, he came back with a 75 in round two.  He tied for 17th with his final score of 148.

Tying for 31st was Wil Pahud.  He notched a 77 in the final round to finish the tournament with a 151.  Following him was Will Knights.  The senior tied for 38th on the charts with his score of 153.  His rounds finished at 75 and 78.  Austin Carmack had a great improvement in round two, improving by 15 strokes.  He recorded an 81 after his opening-round total of 96.

Missouri State Tops Aces Tennis 7-0

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The University of Evansville Women’s Tennis (8-18, 0-6) headed to Columbia, MO to take on the Missouri State Bears on Friday.  In the end, the Bears were able to top the Aces by a final score of 7-0. Tomorrow, against Wichita State, will mark the final regular season match for the Aces.  The match against the Shockers is slated for a 9:00 a.m. CST start time.

In the match against the Bears, three Aces players were able to take their match into the third set to fall just short in their respective match.  The three included Andjela Brguljan at flight two singles, Marine Darzyan at flight three singles, and Kennedy Craig at flight six singles.  See below for the scores from all the Aces matches against the Bears.

Singles Competition

  1. Ema Turudija (MSU) def. Marina Moreno (UE) 6-2, 6-0
  2. Miranda Poile (MSU) def. Andjela Brguljan (UE) 5-7, 6-4, 10-8
  3. Anelisse Torrico (MSU) def. Marina Darzyan (UE) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
  4. Faty Khamissi (MSU) def. Katie Delgado (UE) 6-3, 6-4
  5. Phoebe Boeschen (MSU) def. Doreen Crasta (UE) 6-4, 6-2
  6. Ekaterina Donetskova (MSU) def. Kennedy Craig (UE) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 10-

Doubles Competition

  1. Ema Turudija/Miranda Poile (MSU) def. Marina Darzyan/Doreen Crasta (UE) 6-3
  2. Anelisse Torrico/Phoebe Boeschen (MSU) def. Kennedy Craig/Katie Delgado (UE) 6-4
  3. Faty Khamissi/Abbey Belote (MSU) def. Marina Moreno/Andjela Brguljan (UE) 7

Tomorrow the Aces will wrap up their regular season against the Wichita State Shockers.  The Shockers will come into the match with an overall record of 22-3 and they also boast a conference record of 5-0.  After their match with the Shockers, the Aces will come back to Evansville for 5 days just to turn around and travel back to Wichita for the MVC Tournament.

 

Eagles Remain Undefeated in GLVC with One to Play

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The University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team defeated Lewis University, 7-2, Friday afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. The win is the tenth in a row for the 45th ranked Screaming Eagles who improve to 15-3 on the season and 5-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference competition. During the team’s current win streak, they have outscored opponents 84-6.

Two seniors continued their strong 2015-16 campaign in the conference win. Jack Joyce (Bournemouth, England) and Joel Stern (Mjoelby, Sweden) improved their undefeated record this year to 11-0 with their 8-3 win at number two doubles. Not to be outdone, junior Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) and freshmanJames Hardiman (Blackwell Bristol, United Kingdom) earned an 8-3 win to push their record to 12-0 together this season.

Joyce was also able to pick up a win in singles play marking his 11th consecutive win. The 6-2, 6-0 victory for the senior improves his season record to 17-4. Hardiman improved his win streak to nine matches with a 6-2, 7-5 win at number three. Sealing the fifth victory of the contest for the Eagles was Stern who picked up the win at number four to improve his season record to 15-3.

Also getting wins for USI were juniors Paul Forichon (Nimes, France) and Barris. The two picked up wins at numbers five and six, respectively. Forichon pushed his win streak to nine straight matches and moved his season record to 17-3. Barris earned his tenth win of the season.

The Eagles now prepare for their final match of the season tomorrow in Indianapolis. USI will take on the University of Indianapolis who are currently first and second in the GLVC East Division Standings. The match, which is being held at Center Grove High School, will start at 1 p.m.

University of Southern Indiana Tennis
Southern Indiana vs Lewis Flyers (Apr 22, 2016)

#45 Southern Indiana 7, #39 Lewis Flyers 2
Apr 22, 2016 at Romeoville, IL (Jack Oremus Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. #40 Mate Srdanovic (LEWIS) def. Samuel Kiladejo (USI) 6-1, 6-1
2. Jack Joyce (USI) def. Alan Braschinsky (LEWIS) 6-2, 6-0
3. James Hardiman (USI) def. Andre Norasith (LEWIS) 6-2, 7-5
4. Joel Stern (USI) def. Brendan Peterson (LEWIS) 6-0, 6-1
5. Paul Forichon (USI) def. Chandler Stimpert (LEWIS) 6-2, 6-2
6. Aaron Barris (USI) def. Anton Levitin (LEWIS) 6-2, 6-2

 

Doubles competition
1. #14 Alan Braschinsky/Mate Srdanovic (LEWIS) def. Paul Forichon/Samuel Kiladejo (USI) 8-5
2. Jack Joyce/Joel Stern (USI) def. Brendan Peterson/Andre Norasith (LEWIS) 8-3
3. Aaron Barris/James Hardiman (USI) def. Chandler Stimpert/Anton Levitin (LEWIS) 8-3

 

Match Notes
Southern Indiana 15-3, 5-0 GLVC; National ranking #45; Regional ranking #4
Lewis Flyers 12-8, 4-2 GLVC; National ranking #39; Regional ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,2,3,4,5,6)

Adopt A Pet

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Eagles Drop First Match of the Weekend to Lewis

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The University of Southern Indiana women’s tennis team was defeated by Lewis University, 8-1, Friday afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles move to 7-11 on the year in dual matches. The loss also drops the team to 3-2 in conference play with seeding for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament up for grabs in the final weekend of the regular season.

The lone USI winner was sophomore Jennifer Mizikar (Batavia, Illinois). At number-five singles, Mizikar was able to defeat Megan Conlin of Lewis by a score of 6-2, 6-0. Mizikar improved to 10-11 on the season will also winning her second straight match. The sophomore also holds a 4-1 mark in singles play of conference action.

The team’s final match of the regular season is tomorrow afternoon. The Eagles stop in Indianapolis on their way back from Romeoville to wrap up the season against the University of Indianapolis. With a win tomorrow and a Bellarmine University loss this weekend, USI would be awarded the two seed in the conference tournament. If Bellarmine wins both of their matches along with an Eagles win, USI would secure the third seed. If the Eagles drop their match on Saturday, the fourth and final seed in the East Division will go to USI.

Tomorrow’s match with Indianapolis will be held at Center Grove High School beginning at 1 p.m. (CDT).

University of Southern Indiana
Southern Indiana vs Lewis (Apr 22, 2016)
Lewis 8, Southern Indiana 1
Apr 22, 2016 at Romeoville, IL (Jack Oremus Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. Dora Andrejszki (LEWIS) def. Elizabeth Wilm (USI) 6-3, 6-3
2. Nora Mindiyarova (LEWIS) def. Kelsey Shipman (USI) 6-1, 6-0
3. Megan Nguyen (LEWIS) def. Brenna Wu (USI) 6-3, 6-3
4. Jill Wetmore (LEWIS) def. Kymberly Brannon (USI) 6-3, 6-0
5. Jennifer Mizikar (USI) def. Megan Conlin (LEWIS) 6-2, 6-0
6. Hannah Cross (LEWIS) def. No player (USI), by default

Doubles competition
1. #6 Nora Mindiyarova/Dora Andrejszki (LEWIS) def. Elizabeth Wilm/Brenna Wu (USI) 8-1
2. Jill Wetmore/Megan Nguyen (LEWIS) def. Kelsey Shipman/Kymberly Brannon (USI) 8-2
3. Hannah Cross/Megan Conlin (LEWIS) def. No player/No player (USI), by default

Match Notes
Southern Indiana 7-11, 3-2 GLVC
Lewis 15-4, 6-0 GLVC; Regional ranking #6

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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Below is a list of the felony cases filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.

Mary Patrice Chalona Woodruff Resisting law enforcement, Level 6 felony

Maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony

Possession of a controlled substance, Class A misdemeanor

Reckless driving, Class C misdemeanor

Gly Shane Fulkerson Theft of a firearm, Level 6 felony

 Daniel Cody Hayes Battery with moderate bodily injury, Level 6 felony

Anthony Wayne Cox Battery with moderate bodily injury, Level 6 felony

Disorderly conduct, Class B misdemeanor

James William Thomas Operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, Level 6 felony

Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony

False informing, Class B misdemeanor

Deonshay Jamar Sherman Operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, Level 6 felony

Ahnalisa Bratique Carter Operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, Level 6 felony

AG Zoeller, Missouri AG’s Office host 3rd annual No Call Summit focused on new efforts to stop unwanted calls

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Zoeller: While new technology to block calls emerges, so too does technology to scam

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office kicked off their third-annual No Call Law Enforcement Summit today in Indianapolis, focusing on new efforts to stop unwanted calls that continue to harass consumers.

Bringing together consumer protection experts from across the country, the goal of the summit is to share best practices, information on new technologies and innovative law enforcement techniques to reduce unwanted calls.

Unwanted calls and robocalls remain the most common type of consumer complaint made to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. On average, the AG’s Office receives new Do Not Call and robocall complaints at a rate of 48 complaints per day. If this rate continues, the number of Do Not Call and robocall complaints could exceed 17,000 in 2016.

The YouMail National Robocall Index (YNRI) recently estimated that 2.3 billion robocalls were made in the U.S. in the month of January 2016 alone.

“It has been a long, tireless battle to help protect Hoosiers’ privacy by working to stop unwanted calls that pester, intrude and all too often scam people,” Zoeller said. “Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. As technology improves to stop these calls, so too does technology used by scammers to evade detection. The good news is government, law enforcement, industry and entrepreneurs are coming together to find new strategies to combat these frustrating, costly and time-wasting interruptions.”

At the urging of Zoeller and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster along with several other state attorneys general, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year declared that federal law does not prohibit phone carriers from blocking robocalls and robotexts before they reach residential landlines or cell phones. This ruling cleared legal hurdles that some say were preventing the phone carriers from offering call-blocking services. After this ruling, Zoeller led 45 state attorneys general in a letter to five major phone carriers, urging them to utilize their capabilities to take action on call-blocking.

“In Missouri, we are escalating our efforts to end unwanted and illegal telemarketing calls, even filing lawsuits in federal court where the telemarketers face higher penalties of up to $16,000 per violation. When law enforcement and private industry work together to support and offer technologies that arm consumers to protect their privacy, we can make an even stronger impact,” Attorney General Chris Koster said. “It is critical that law enforcement seize upon opportunities such as the No-Call Law Enforcement Summit to discuss the challenges and share best practices in combating this issue.”

Since the adoption of this rule, efforts to block unwanted calls have emerged.

Zoeller’s office created a call-blocking reference sheet to inform the public about available options and encourage development of new options. The non-exhaustive reference sheet outlines different call-blocking applications and information about each option, including who is able to use it, the cost, benefits, weaknesses and how to obtain it.

Entrepreneurs from PrivacyStar, WhitePages, Inc. and Call Control Technologies participated in the Summit today to discuss their new innovations to help consumers stop unwanted calls.

But as new technology has emerged, so have new scam trends aimed at victimizing consumers.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposter scam exploded onto the scene and quickly became the top telephone privacy complaint received by the Indiana AG’s Office in 2015, with 1,700 complaints received last year and more than 1,000 complaints received so far this year.

The IRS imposter scam uses fear tactics to convince people they owe the government money. These scammers can spoof Caller ID to make it look like the calls are actually coming from the government agency. Hoosiers lost $65,000 to IRS imposter scammers last year. Nationally, it has cost consumers $15.5 million.

“The best advice I can give to consumers to avoid scams like the IRS scam is don’t use caller ID to verify a caller’s actual identity.  And, if anyone ever calls you and demands immediate payment for anything, especially if they ask you to pay by wire transfer or gift card, hang up.  Legitimate callers will never engage in such nefarious tactics,” said Bikram Bandy, FTC, Do Not Call Program Coordinator.

Zoeller continues to push for laws that crack down on unwanted calls. Just this month a federal court issued a ruling that was a  big win for Hoosiers’ telephone privacy rights, upholding Indiana’s comprehensive ban on automated robocalls to peoples’ phones without their consent.

Zoeller is also urging Congress to pass the HANGUP Act, which would reverse a new law allowing debt collection robocalls to cell phones.

“Crooks are increasingly using robocalls to rip off vulnerable consumers with the latest scams,” said Tim Marvin, the End Robocalls campaign manager for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports. “Consumer education can play an important role in helping the public avoid getting ripped off, but it’s only part of the answer. The phone companies need to empower their customers to protect themselves by providing free tools that block robocalls from reaching their homes.”

Participants in this year’s No Call Law Enforcement Summit included representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, multiple state attorney general offices, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, representatives of the telecommunications industry, consumer advocacy groups and business entrepreneurs.

Zoeller reminded Indiana residents to sign up for Indiana’s Do Not Call list, which helps to deter unwanted sales calls and text messages, by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or calling 1.888.834.9969.

People who are registered on the Do Not Call list and receive an unwanted call can file a complaint by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or calling 1.888.834.9969.

WE NEED TO DO MORE FOR HOOSIER VETERANS

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By John Gregg, Democratic Candidate for Governor

As the former president of Vincennes University and Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, I have come to know personally hundreds of Hoosier veterans and I, and all Hoosiers, have deep respect and gratitude for their service. I was pleased to see that the Indiana General Assembly recently passed a number of bills related to Hoosier men and women who have served or are currently serving in the military and their families. However, as I talk to veterans around the state I hear that these bills do not address the major issues faced by our veteran’s community and while Indiana will always be a patriotic state, we can and must do more for our military families.

Hoosier veterans are a resource that we must do a better job of cultivating. Veterans are motivated, hardworking and bring unique skills to our state. They should be at the very heart of our efforts to strengthen the economy, revive our state’s manufacturing sector and adapt to a globalized 21st century marketplace economy. Currently, Indiana is ranked 46th in the nation for veterans receiving the benefits they earned—primarily because of not knowing what benefits are available or how to access them. A recent survey also ranked Indiana dead last, 51st in the country, for military retirees. This survey was based on three metrics: “economic environment,” “quality of life” and “health care.”

What does this all mean?

It means that veterans are leaving Indiana. Between 2013 and 2014 Indiana saw a 65 percent increase in the number of veterans who left for other states. We must turn this around. We need to get serious about working to attract and retain veterans in Indiana and, as Indiana’s next governor, I will make this a top priority of my administration.

So how do we do this?

Many, if not most, of the benefits veterans earned during their service are federal benefits so first and foremost, as governor, I will work with our members of Congress and federal administration officials to make sure they understand the needs of Hoosier veterans. Currently, Indiana based Veterans Administration claims have an average wait time of 226 days, the 8th poorest performance in the country. This is simply unacceptable. I will urge our federal representatives to enact innovative approaches like full “freedom of choice,” which could allow veterans to access private health care services closer to home. It just doesn’t make sense that veterans in Northwest Indiana have to waste an entire day traveling to Chicago to see a doctor because that is the closest VA hospital. We should be able to find better, more efficient and convenient ways to serve them.

Here in Indiana we need to do a number of things. The Indiana Department of Veteran’s Affairs must do a better job of reaching out to veterans and do more to support our county veterans service officers—the folks that are on the front lines of helping Hoosier veterans access their benefits. Indiana should create state level veterans service officers to support county officers who are stretched thin by high caseloads. We should support organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion who take it upon themselves to help their fellow veterans when county service officers are unable. We also need to make sure there are more women veteran service officers who understand the specific needs and benefits associated with Indiana’s 35,000 women veterans. Increasing the amount of benefits received by our veterans by just 10 percent, a completely reasonable number, would inject more than $853 million dollars into the Hoosier economy.

We will also eliminate the current duplication of job placement services being offered by both the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.  We will take a look at what’s working in the current system and strengthen it, and reform what’s not working, so that our job placement programs are able to better address the specific needs of our veterans and highlight the unique skills that they offer Indiana employers.

Finally, Indiana must do a better job of addressing the health and safety needs of veterans including working to reduce veteran’s homelessness and making the prevention of veteran suicide a priority. I will create a dedicated veteran suicide hotline and we will make sure that local officials are trained on how to address emergency situations and recognize the warning signs of suicide or family crisis.

If I am honored to serve as the governor of this great state, I pledge that every morning when I wake up I will say, “Our veterans have served us, are we doing everything we can today to serve them?” Over the coming weeks my team and I will continue to sit down with Hoosier veterans, learn about their needs and, then, lay out my vision for how we make Indiana the most pro-veteran state in the country.

Veterans Peer Support Outreach PSA-Public Service Announcement 

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Who We Are: The Veterans Peer Support Outreach (PSO) Peer Support Outreach

Established: November 2015,

Mission: We do not leave anyone behind, but we help each other adjust to coming back home. 

Location: Veterans Peer Support Outreach (PSO) meeting are located at: Indiana National Guard Armory.

Off the Lloyd Expressway 3300 E. Division Street Evansville IN

Group Meets: Every Tuesday Night from 5:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. or 1700 hours until 1930 hours

Service Support: Each Thanksgiving season the Veterans Peer Support Outreach will continue to provide a full course Thanksgiving

Home Cooked meal for the men and women at the Riverwalk Communities that so faithfully

feel to join us at the table, even door to door delivery is available if they’re unable to attend.

Yearly Supporter: We also will continue to support the Riverwalk Communities Antique Car’s and Sock Hop Event and more,

while providing volunteer cooking participation each year.

Upcoming Special Event: Veterans Peer Support Outreach will be hosting its second PTSD Awareness Family Training Conference’ 

Free: To all soldiers, families and communities.

Date: April 30, 2016, 

Time: 1:30 PM until 5:30 PM

Extend To: All Veterans Group Supporters, National Guard, American Legions,Â