Home Blog Page 556

VU baseball season ends after pair of tough losses in Region tournament

0

NORMAL, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball season came to an abrupt end Friday evening as the Trailblazers fell in their two games to start the 2024 NJCAA Division II Region 24 Pod A Tournament hosted by Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.

The Blazers fell to host and defending National Champion Heartland C.C. 10-9 on a walk-off sac fly, before falling to Spoon River 11-8 in the very next game.

VU got off to a great start to the day in game one against Heartland Community College, opening up the scoring in the fourth with four big runs.

Vincennes got the rally going with a double by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.), followed by three straight singles by sophomore Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.), freshman Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) and sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Montgomery’s and Hinton’s singles driving in runs.

VU would add on with a run scoring groundout put in play by redshirt freshman Holden Clifton (Louisville, Ill.) before capping off the inning with an RBI double by sophomore Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) to put the Blazers on top 4-0.

Heartland immediately answered back on the home turf, scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning to take their first lead of the game at 5-4.

The Trailblazers would get back on top in the sixth with the help of three straight doubles by Hinton, Clifton and Parnin and an RBI single by sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) to regain the lead for VU at 7-5.

Vincennes would tack on two more runs in the seventh after a leadoff double by freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) and Blake Heyerly being hit by pitch for the second time in the game.

Douglas would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Nate Montgomery, while Heyerly would be driven in on an RBI single by Kade Hinton to put the Blazers ahead 9-5.

Heartland again struck back with a big inning of their own in the bottom of the seventh, rallying back to even the score at 9-9 heading into the late innings of the game.

VU continued to battle, including getting a leadoff double by Blake Heyerly in the ninth, his fifth time reaching base safely in the game, but the Blazers were unable to capitalize and retake the lead.

Heartland found a way in the end, coming away with the game one victory in walk-off fashion with a sacrifice fly to give the Hawks the 10-9 victory and send the Blazers immediately into an elimination game against Spoon River College.

Sophomore Max Lines (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start for the Blazers in game one and did his job, pitching two shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one.

Freshman Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.) gave the Blazers some big momentum innings in the middle of the game, going two and two-thirds innings without allowing a hit and striking out two.

Sophomore Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) was called on to get the Blazers out of a jam in the seventh and held on to pitch the final two and two-thirds innings of the game, allowing one run on four hits and striking out three.

NATIONALLY-RANKED SYCAMORES RALLY FOR 5-4 WIN OVER BASEBALL ACES

0
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. –  The nationally-ranked Indiana State Sycamores rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday afternoon to rally past the visiting University of Evansville baseball team, 5-4, at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I thought that we had a great effort from our club today in a nationally-televised game,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “We had a lead with six outs to go, but just couldn’t close the door.
“I thought that we got an outstanding performance from Kenton Deverman today.  He really battled against a very good Indiana State lineup.  Now, we need to bounce back tomorrow to get back in the series.”
Indiana State struck first with a solo home run to left field by catcher Grant McGill in the third inning, but, after that, UE starter Kenton Deverman buckled down and got out of the frame and worked a perfect fourth inning.
His teammates would give him the lead in the fifth inning thanks to wildness by the Indiana State pitching staff.  Five walks by Indiana State pitching, including bases-loaded walks to UE junior outfielder Harrison Taubert and graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger gave UE a 2-1 advantage.  A sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse pushed the UE lead to 3-1 halfway through the contest.
Indiana State would answer back with single run in the bottom of the fifth inning, but UE would take a 3-2 lead to the eighth inning, as Deverman retired seven of the final eight men he faced on the mound.  Overall, Deverman limited Indiana State to two runs on seven hits and a walk in 7.0 innings of work, while striking out six.
UE would tack on a run in the top of the eighth inning on a double by graduate third baseman Brent Widder and an RBI single by junior infielder Cal McGinnis to take a 4-2 lead.  But, that lead would be short-lived, as a lead-off walk by Indiana State and a two-run home run by outfielder Dominic Listi would tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth.  The Sycamores would add on an unearned run to grab a 5-4 lead, and ISU reliever Jacob Pruitt (3-2) would make the lead stand up by working a scoreless ninth inning to seal the victory.
Shallenberger was the only Purple Ace with a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Shortstop Randal Diaz went 3-for-3 with a run scored and RBI to lead Indiana State, while McGill went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
With the victory, Indiana State improved to 35-10 overall and 18-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Evansville, meanwhile, dropped to 28-21 overall and 14-8 in the MVC with the loss.  The series will continue on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. central time.  Graduate LHP Donovan Schultz (3-1, 6.01 ERA) will get the start for UE.  Saturday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on-line on ESPN+.

CLEARING THE AIR ABOUT REPUBLICAN POLITICAL SQUABBLES 

0
RADAR

CLEARING THE AIR ABOUT REPUBLICAN POLITICAL SQUABBLES 

by JOHNNY KINCAID
MAY 11. 2024

In this episode of This Week in Evansville, Johnny discusses the recent primary election in Vanderburgh County and the need for unity within the Republican Party. The episode emphasizes the importance of voting and encourages listeners to participate in the political process. He also highlights the power of precinct committee people (PCs) and the upcoming state convention, where decisions will be made regarding the Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor candidates.

The host calls for party leadership to bring everyone together and avoid internal squabbles.

FOOTNOTE:  THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER POSTED THIS PODCAST WITHOUT OPINION, EDITING OR BIAS.

Commission on Homelessness Issues RFP for Strategic Plan Consultant

0

The Evansville-Vanderburgh Commission on Homelessness is seeking a consultant to assist in updating its strategic plan to end homelessness.

The Commission today released a Request for Proposals for “qualified consultants to help develop a five-year strategic plan to end homelessness.” The request will remain open until Friday, May 24, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. CST.

The city’s original plan to end homelessness originated in 2002, and was amended in both 2012 and 2022.

“The plan has since expanded,” reads the new Request for Proposals, ”and there is a need for a strategic plan(s) that target more specific goals and accomplishments.”

The current plan, including the original plan and amendments, can be found atwww.evansvillehomeless.org/about/plan. The Commission’s goal is to replace that plan by the end of 2024.

A copy of the Request for Proposals is attached. Qualified consultants with questions regarding the requirements may contact Gayl Killough, Community Development Specialist, via email at gkillough@evansville.in.gov.

Media inquiries may be directed to Joe Atkinson, Communications Director for Mayor Stephanie Terry, at 812-436-4965 or jatkinson@evansville.in.gov.

OK, that’s done.  Can we talk now?

0

Freedom, IndianaAuthor Andrew Horning is the Libertarian Party of Indiana’s candidate for Indiana’s US Senate seat in 2024.

Our nation is in big trouble; for the first time in decades, and in more ways, and far worse, than ever.  The way we’ve been voting is not working.  What we’ve been told about critical things, is not true.  Our nation, and much of the world, is now led by a consortium of Malthusian eugenicist psychopathic elites, who make anti-USA agreements in foreign nations, strengthen our enemies.  They own and operate this inherently tribal and so-called “Two-Party System” as a puppet show, to divide us against ourselves, and divert our attention from what’s really going on.  I wish I was making that up.  But I’m not.

Yes, it is a puppet show.  The first opportunity to weed out the disobedient and attach the strings to candidates who’ll dance, is Primary Elections, which, as implemented in Indiana and most other states, are an unconstitutional, costly and taxpayer-supported, year-long promotion scheme for only the status quo crony parties, and the corrupting organizations that own and operate them.  Worse still, it’s during primaries that many voters decide their votes for the General Election. 

Alternative party candidates like me, who earn their place on the General Election ballot without taxpayer money, are not only excluded from the primary election ballot, we’re also denied the free media, and political advertising rates granted to only Democrats and Republicans…not to mention all the dirty corporate, NGO, INGO and elite money that attaches those puppet strings to the self-styled “Major Party Candidates,” who end up becoming incumbents until they die of mildew.  We shouldn’t keep re-electing this destructive corruption.  We should in fact be very suspicious of the candidates who make it through the costly and corrupting degradation.  But the media rarely even mention alternative candidates, and there are rarely any public debates or forums, until early voting has already started, when over a quarter of us vote, without ever hearing there’s easy opportunity for change.

That said, 2024’s damnable primary election is now done, and we need to talk, and there’s not much time.  We The People really do need to talk…about our collapsing money, economy and culture, on the eve of WWIII, that is by easily available facts, the result of our collective compliance, inaction, and votes. 

This is much simpler than we’ve been led to believe.  We The People have all the power, because we have the numbers, the voices, and even the money and working hands that make, buy, sell, and empower, everything.  And every Election Day, we still have the Power of Peaceful Revolution.  Yes, election fraud is a thing, but we could fix that, too, if we really wanted to.  We have no excuses.  You know the saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?”  Are we still fooled?  Are we hurting enough yet to change our choices, and thus change the world? 

The most timely, actionable words of our once-precious Declaration of Independence are, “…that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

We’ve been repeatedly warned about that “same Object,” by heroes like General Smedley Butler, Presidents like Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy, and all the wise people in between and after; yet we did not heed.  So now, many of us are needlessly suffering.  We’re told it’s our duty to vote, but too few of us know what our vote is for.  (Hint: it’s not to hire politicians).  Too few voters are even looking for alternatives, though most now say they want them.  Most people say they’re sick of the so-called “Two Party System.”  But alternatives have always existed in and around every one of us.  Alternatives have always been on the ballot.  We’ve never actually had a Two-Party System.  That’s been yet another of many lies that we should never have believed.  You can see that the primaries have innumerable candidates of highly varied ideology and beliefs, and can win with less than a quarter of the vote; yet we’re told we must have only two choices on the day that really counts?

Our constitutional design for a republic is still the newest and best thing in politics.  It’s a design for self-government; which cannot be delegated away.  Only We The People can fix this, and only by changing our choices and actions.  More simply, nothing gets better until we fire the crony network ruling class, and elect new guards for our future security.

We’ve seen that with more than two choices on the ballot, winners don’t need 51%, so blaming “the masses” is no excuse to keep re-electing what we’ve got.  Enough of us want more freedom, prosperity, security and justice, with less spying, lying, war and cultural collapse, that Libertarians should have won even more than the 12 races won in Indiana elections in 2022.  We would win many, many more in 2024, if people would just vote the way they talk.

Do you want the kind of politicians with a plan that most say they want from their party?  I’m here.  There are lots of us, ready and waiting.  Let’s talk, please.

Liberty or Bust!
Andy Horning

USI GWEP releases new bOLDer People Podcast episode 

0

USI GWEP releases new bOLDer People Podcast episode 

MAY 10. 2024

Screenshot 2024-05-08 145042.jpg

Image copyright: USI Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program

Bolder People, a podcast from the University of Southern Indiana Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) that strives to showcase and explore the dynamic lives of older adults in southwestern Indiana, has released its seventh episode to streaming platforms.

In this episode, Mr. John Crawford and the Importance of Family, Leah Flake, Gerontology Curriculum Coordinator and former bOLDer People Producer, interviews John Crawford, a retired engineer whose passion is now digitizing historical records to make them available to the public for free.

Topics discussed in this episode include:  

  • Family and its importance
  • The significance of lifelong learning
  • Passing along the wisdom that comes with life

“This episode of bOLDer People is really sweet,” says Lynn Brantley, USI student and bOLDer People Producer. “Mr. Crawford is very passionate about his family, and you can hear in his voice how much he cares for and loves them.”

bOLDer People is available to download or stream for free on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The podcast is produced on the USI campus with help from USI faculty, students and staff.

For more information, visit the podcast page on the USI website.

The bOLDer People Podcast is a project of the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program at the University of Southern Indiana. Support for bOLDer People comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,691,706 million with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

FOOTNOTE: Founded in 1965, the University of Southern Indiana enrolls nearly 9,300 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. A public higher education institution, located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, Indiana, USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education and School of Graduate Studies. USI is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University and offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through Outreach and Engagement. USI is online at www.usi.edu.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $41 million in Available Grants to Upgrade Stormwater and Sewer Infrastructure

0

Under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, EPA offers grant assistance at no cost to small and financially distressed communities

WASHINGTON – Today, May 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of nearly $41 million in funding through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program to help communities address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs. Safely managing stormwater is critical to preventing contaminants, including untreated sewage, from polluting waterways. EPA’s grant funding is available to states to support projects in cities and towns that will strengthen their stormwater collection systems to be more resilient against increasingly intense rain events made worse by the climate crisis.

“Our nation’s waterways are vital to healthy communities. They provide sources of drinking water, support farming, power economic opportunity, and give us opportunities to swim and to fish. Keeping our waterways clean and safe is essential, and stormwater runoff is one of the biggest pollution challenges facing our water ecosystems,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “Under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, EPA is making grant funds available for stormwater solutions. Because it does not have to be paid back, this funding is especially effective in helping disadvantaged communities protect their waterways.”

When rain and floodwaters overrun sewer and stormwater systems, they bypass treatment and transport pollution and sewage directly into creeks, streams, and rivers. These untreated discharges threaten human health, economic prosperity, and ecological function. Stormwater management is a complex challenge for communities across the country. Through changes made by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this grant program will prioritize stormwater infrastructure projects in small and/or financially distressed and disadvantaged communities and prevent cost share requirements from being passed on to these communities.

Additional funding for stormwater and wastewater upgrades is available through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is providing $11.7 billion to states to upgrade wastewater infrastructure through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Additionally, the seventh round of EPA’s WIFIA financing is available—with $6.5 billion through WIFIA and $1 billion through SWIFIA. EPA is currently accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and SWIFIA, a loan program exclusively for State infrastructure financing authority borrowers. Learn more about submitting a letter of interest for a WIFIA loan.

These programs advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leads 25-state lawsuit to pull the plug on Biden’s ‘Clean Power Plan 2.0’

0

Attorney General Todd Rokita is co-leading a 25-state lawsuit that seeks to overturn an invasive new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that threatens the reliability of our power grid and will once again jack up utility costs for regular, everyday Hoosiers.

Attorney General Rokita’s latest fight against continued EPA overreach into Hoosiers’ wallets takes aim at the agency’s inefficient new rule that oversteps the federal government’s authority and imposes unrealistic mandates on power plants — all so the Biden administration can appease the powerful political forces behind the climate agenda.

“Hardworking Hoosiers and businesses depend on reliable energy at affordable prices,” Attorney General Rokita said. “They understand these draconian measures are chasing unrealistic goals and will do nothing to actually improve our already good air quality. They also know the importance of protecting the authority of state and local government against power-hungry unelected federal bureaucrats. This lawsuit is all about standing up for Hoosiers on all these counts.”

The wildly inefficient new rule imposes significant restrictions on coal-fired plants, requiring them to capture 90% of carbon emissions using expensive, unproven technology. The rule exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and gives insufficient consideration to important facts, such as cost and grid reliability.

In squaring off against the EPA’s newest  confusing and radically inefficient rule, Attorney General Rokita is co-leading this lawsuit with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.