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Governor Pence Cuts Ribbon on Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve

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Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today cut the ribbon on Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve in Shelbyville as part of the Bicentennial Nature Trust (BNT). The 60-acre wooded land is one of the state’s last remaining old growth forests and today’s dedication as a nature preserve brings the total number of acres in the Indiana nature preserve system to 50,000.

“I’m pleased to join the Meltzer family, Central Indiana Land Trust, Indiana Bicentennial Commission, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as we cut the ribbon to officially open Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve here in Shelby County,” said Governor Pence. “By marking the Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve as an official part of the Bicentennial Nature Trust, we are ensuring part of Indiana’s unmatched natural beauty will remain intact for generations to come. I can’t think of a better gift during this Bicentennial year than recognizing the importance of preserving pieces of our natural legacy to remind Hoosiers where we came from, and to cherish the Indiana we inherited.”

Indiana’s system of Nature Preserves was established by a 1967 Act of the Indiana General Assembly, called the 1967 Nature Preserves Act. The system’s purpose is to provide permanent protection for significant natural areas within the state. There are 272 preserves in 71 of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Former Governor Mitch Daniels announced the BNT in his 2012 State of the State Address as a new statewide effort to honor Indiana’s 200th anniversary in 2016.  The BNT was created to preserve and protect important conservation and recreation areas throughout Indiana by matching donations of land or dollars. Property acquired with this fund becomes part of the public trust to ensure that the land is protected for future generations of Hoosiers to use and enjoy. To date, the BNT has approved $29.2 million for 183 projects in 66 counties, 109 of which are complete for a total of 10,004 acres.

Photos from today’s Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve dedication can be found below.image003

 

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Eagles finish fourth in GLVC All-Sports Trophy race

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The University of Southern Indiana Department of Athletics finished fourth in the bid for the 2015-16 Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy.

 

Buoyed by the first-place finishes of its men’s and women’s cross country teams, USI finished with 146.75 points, the most by any non-football/non-swimming & divining institution.

 

The Screaming Eagles also benefitted from the efforts of men’s tennis, women’s golf, baseball, and softball. Men’s Tennis earned second-place points, while baseball, women’s golf, and softball each garnered third-place points.

 

USI finished less than 60 points away from first-place University of Indianapolis and less than 30 points shy of second-place Lewis University. UIndy, which has football and swimming & diving, captured its fifth straight All-Sports trophy as well as its second Commissioner’s Cup with point tallies of 203.00 and 86.00, respectively.

 

The Eagles finished eighth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, which allocates points based on the athletic department’s finish in the GLVC’s postseason tournaments in men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball, and baseball. Each of the league’s members sponsors these sports at the intercollegiate level.

 

USI finished with 64 points, two back of seventh-place Drury University and five behind sixth-place Lewis.

 

This season marks the fourth consecutive year that the Eagles have finished fourth in the All-Sports Trophy standings. USI was 13th in the Commissioner Cup standings in 2014-15 and fifth in 2013-14.

 

Final GLVC All-Sports Standings

1. Indianapolis (203.00 pts)

2. Lewis (171.50 pts)

3. Bellarmine (156.00 pts)

4. Southern Indiana (146.75 pts)

5. Drury (134.25 pts)

6. Truman State (126.00 pts)

7. Rockhurst (113.00 pts)

8. Missouri-St. Louis (110.50 pts)

9. McKendree (109.50 pts)

10. Quincy (97.25 pts)

11. William Jewell (93.00 pts)

12. Maryville (92.00 pts)

13. UW-Parkside (90.50 pts)

14. Missouri S&T (84.00 pts)

15. Saint Joseph’s (81.25 pts)

16. Illinois Springfield (76.00 pts)

 Final GLVC Commissioner’s Cup Standings

1. Indianapolis (86.0 pts)

2. Rockhurst (80.0 pts)

3. Bellarmine (79.0 pts)

4. Quincy (75.0 pts)

5. Truman State (71.0 pts)

6. Lewis (69.0 pts)

7. Drury (66.0 pts)

8. Southern Indiana (64.0 pts)

9. Missouri-St. Louis (59.5 pts)

10. McKendree (54.0 pts)

11. UW-Parkside (50.5 pts)

12. Missouri S&T (44.0 pts)

Saint Joseph’s (44.0 pts)

14. Maryville (41.0 pts)

15. Illinois Springfield (34.0 pts)

16. William Jewell (33.0 pts)

 

AG Zoeller, IPATH launch awareness effort to  curb sex trafficking ahead of Indy 500 

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller today joined U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Josh Minkler and other members of the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans (IPATH) Task Force to launch a public awareness effort to help combat domestic sex trafficking of minors.

The Indiana’s Not Buying It awareness effort coincides with the upcoming Indianapolis 500, which will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city during Memorial Day weekend, and which – like other large sporting events – can also attract sex trafficking.

The Not Buying It effort aims to refute myths about the commercial sex industry and reduce the demand for commercial sex that fuels trafficking. Some of the messages include “She looked 18; She’s Not” and “Everyone Says It’s a Victimless Crime; It’s Not.”

In the lead up to the 500, the Not Buying It message is being publicized on three billboards in Speedway, as well as on 23 IndyGo buses. The campaign will run through the end of the month. IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter is featured in the Not Buying It video PSA, which can be viewed at www.INNotBuyingIt.com.

“Indiana’s Not Buying It shares the message that commercial sex is not harmless; it is serious, dangerous and leads to the trafficking of minors,” Zoeller said. “I want all men to step up and realize this behavior is not OK, and we won’t tolerate it in the Hoosier State.”

The average age of someone first recruited into the sex industry is 12 to 14, and 83% of sex trafficking victims in the U.S. are U.S. citizens.

Zoeller is co-chair of IPATH alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana. IPATH is made up of 60 member organizations.

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery and preys on the most vulnerable in our society,” U.S. Attorney Minkler said. “Sexually exploiting children for profit is not just morally wrong, it is illegal and those who engage in it will be identified, investigated, prosecuted, and sentenced to decades in federal prison.”

The AG’s Office originally launched the Not Buying It effort before the 2015 NCAA Final Four championship held in Indianapolis. The AG’s Office tracked Backpage.com ads offering “escort services” in the Indianapolis area during Final Four weekend and found a spike of more than 100 ads per day. There were 18 commercial sex-related arrests during the 2015 Final Four in Indianapolis.

“Human trafficking is an unfortunate reality in our community that we take seriously and prosecute vigorously. Our office has a team dedicated to prosecuting this crime and assisting the young victims involved to escape their exploitation,” Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said. “Many of these victims are young women from here in Indianapolis, and it is our responsibility as a community to stand up and protect them.”

In addition to the billboard campaign, the AG’s Office and IPATH volunteers have been distributing Not Buying It flyers, victim recovery posters and “red flags” fact sheets to 150 businesses in and around the city, including 49 hotels, ahead of race weekend.

Kenneth Allen, program manager of the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program with Indiana Youth Services Association (IYSA), also urged people to be vigilant if they see a child who may be at risk.

IYSA recently received funding from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and created the Indiana Trafficking Victim Assistance Program to identify and provide comprehensive services to youth (21 and under) victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation. The program serves the entire state by creating five regional coalitions, engaging community partners to raise awareness and increasing identification of exploited youth, and establishing a statewide network of trained service providers ready to respond.

The program staff and service partners have served over 90 young people since October 2015. Training requests, resources, and additional information can be found on the IYSA website at www.indysb.org.

This year, Zoeller advocated for the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 14, which increased criminal penalties for some of the worst crimes against children, including possession of child pornography and child exploitation.  

Red flags of human trafficking can be found here. For more information, visit www.INNotBuyingIt.com.

Human trafficking tips can be reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at: 888-3737-888 (text BeFree to 233733). If it is an emergency, call 911. If a child may be in danger, call the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: 1-800-800-5556.

A PHOTO from the press conference is attached along with photos of the public awareness campaign provided by ClearChannel. Pictured left to right: IMPD Captain Robert Holt, Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Shaunestte Terrell, US Attorney Josh Minkler, Attorney General Zoeller, Kenneth Allen with IYSA.

USI WGolf, Soccer’s Durham, Woodford receive sportsmanshhip honor

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The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced that University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf is one of 20 teams to earn the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award for the 2015-16 season.

Additionally, Men’s Soccer senior Lucas Woodford (Newburgh, Indiana) and Women’s Soccer senior McKinsey Durham (Madisonville, Kentucky) have been selected by USI as the Screaming Eagles’ nominees for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award nominees.

Woodford and Durham also were selected as USI’s Male and Female Screaming Eagles Pride Award winners this year.

About the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award

The Spalding Sportsmanship Awards are given to 20 teams—one per GLVC sponsored sport—and 32 student-athletes—one male and one female per school—at the conclusion of each academic year.

Prior to the April 13 namesake change announcement, the GLVC Sportsmanship Award was presented to one team in each of the GLVC’s 20 sports, as well as one male and one female student-athlete at the end of the academic year who had distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The voting process had previously been coordinated through each institution’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since the award’s inception in the 2007-08 academic season.

Now, each institution – through the head coach – names one award honoree in each sport sponsored. These individual sport honorees became candidates for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award. Each institution then selected one male and one female student-athlete from its season-long list of honorees to be named as James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners. Following this announcement, one letter of institutional recommendation must be submitted for each winner, showing how they have displayed exemplary conduct of fairness, graciousness, and respect toward teammates, opposing teams, coaches, and officials before, during, and after competition as a representative of the GLVC and their institution. The Conference office will then select one male and one female from the 32 winners as the GLVC nominees for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

 

Furthermore, during the initial nomination process, each institution’s coach will rank the top-three teams within the sport that best displayed good sportsmanship throughout the season. The team with the highest point total is then named that sport’s James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award winner. At the conclusion of the academic year, the institution that accumulated the highest point total across all sports will be named the James R. Spalding Overall Sportsmanship Award winner.

 

2015-16 GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Overall Winner: Maryville

Men’s Cross Country: Illinois Springfield Women’s Cross Country: Maryville
Football: Indianapolis and Truman State Volleyball: William Jewell
Men’s Soccer: Maryville Women’s Soccer: Saint Joseph’s
Men’s Swimming: William Jewell Women’s Swimming: Indianapolis
Men’s Basketball: McKendree Women’s Basketball: Rockhurst
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Indianapolis Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Lewis
Men’s Golf: UW-Parkside Women’s Golf: Southern Indiana
Men’s Tennis: Quincy Women’s Tennis: Quincy
Baseball: Truman State Softball: Missouri S&T
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field: Lewis Women’s Outdoor Track & Field: Lewis, Maryville

 

2015-16 GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING INDIVIDUAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

School Male Winner Female Winner
Bellarmine Lovice  Pollock
Cross Country		 Ali Cheesman
Golf
Drury Lucciano Gamiz
Basketball		 Emily Cline
Soccer
Illinois Springfield JJ Cravatta
Basketball		 Rebecca Ramirez
Golf
Indianapolis Luke Hubert
Tennis		 Molly Ward
Golf
Lewis David Heckman
Basketball		 Nicole Dominguez
Soccer
Maryville Troy Payton
Baseball		 Elizabeth Kiblinger
Cross Country/Track & Field
McKendree Isaac Fisher
Football/Baseball		 Karis Johnson
Cross Country/Track & Field
Missouri S&T Tyler Bodenstab
Baseball		 Racheal Lawal
Track & Field
Missouri-St. Louis Julien de Poyen
Golf		 Lindsay Meyer
Volleyball
Quincy Mike Crotteau
Cross Country/Track & Field		 Rebecca Powers
Softball
Rockhurst Brett Marr
Baseball		 Lauren Meyers
Basketball
Saint Joseph’s Dawson Gore
Basketball		 Kalene Davis
Softball
Southern Indiana Lucas Woodford
Soccer		 McKinsey Durham
Soccer
Truman State Matt Peterson
Tennis		 Laura Tarantino
Cross Country/Track & Field
UW-Parkside Mathew Yang
Soccer		 Kelly Trojak
Soccer
William Jewell Billy Kirkpatrick
Baseball		 Gretchen Mayes
Track & Field

 

Governor Pence to Offer Remarks at NRA-ILA Leadership Forum

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Governor Mike Pence will offer remarks at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action’s (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum in Louisville, KY. Details below.

Friday, May 20:

3:50 p.m. EDT – Governor Pence to offer remarks at NRA-ILA Leadership Forum

*Media are welcome to attend.

Freedom Hall Building, Kentucky Exposition Center – 937 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY

Eagles Add Three to 2016-17 Roster

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The University of Southern Indiana men’s golf team announced the signing of three players for the 2016-17 season.

Signing national letters of intent for the 2016-17 season are Trevis Bell (Madisonville, Kentucky), Will Giesler (Jasper, Indiana), and K.O. Taylor (Madisonville, Kentucky).

“I am pleased to have these young men as part of the USI men’s golf program,” said Head Coach Greg Charnes. “Not only are they excellent golfers, they are excellent young men and will be a credit to the University and great additions to the USI family.  Our program made some great progress this past year and K.O., Trevis and Will are going to help continue that trend.”

Biographical information on the signees:

Bell: A senior at Webster County High School (Dixon, Kentucky), lettering eight-times in basketball and golf…two-time All-Pioneer Athletic Conference (PAC), PAC Individual Champion, All-Region team selection, 2015 Webster County Individual Champion, 2015 Kentucky PGA Junior 17-18 Player of the Year, 2015 Hurricane Cup Team Captain and Kentucky points leader.

Giesler: A senior at Jasper High School (Jasper, Indiana), lettering in golf and basketball as a student manager…previously attended in Liceo Aleman del Verbo Divino (Los Angeles, Chile), where he was awarded the Golf Special Mental Attitude Award his junior year.

Taylor: A senior at Madisonville North Hopkins High School (Madisonville, Kentucky), lettering in golf seven times…qualified for the 2014 Kentucky State Tournament, 2014 Honorable Mention All-State, 2015 Eli Baron Junior Champion and Western Kentucky University Golf Showcase runner-up.

Ex-Prosecutor Brizzi Faces Disciplinary Complaint

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by Scott Olson for www.theindianalawyer.com

The Indiana Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Commission is recommending former Marion County Prosecutor Carl J. Brizzi III be punished for “a pattern of misconduct” that occurred during his time in office.

In the eight-page complaint filed this week, the commission chastised Brizzi for participating in a questionable real estate deal and for intervening in a criminal case involving the client of an attorney friend and business partner.

Reached by phone, Brizzi described the commission’s actions as “bizarre,” since the commission previously indicated it would not be pursuing disciplinary action.

In a letter dated March 2, which Brizzi forwarded to IBJ, the commission dismissed the grievance “on grounds that there is not reasonable cause to believe that you are guilty of misconduct.”

“I find this very suspect, very unusual,” Brizzi said. “I relied on those representations as true, and they have not given any sort of explanation why they would suddenly reopen them.”

Commission officials did not immediately respond to IBJ’s request for information about the March 2 letter.

Brizzi served as prosecutor from 2002 until 2010. The commission’s request that Brizzi be disciplined stems partly from an eight-year-old real estate deal first scrutinized by IBJ.

Brizzi in 2008 became a co-owner with Indianapolis attorney Paul Page in an office building in Elkhart, according to the complaint. The state Department of Child Services leased space in the building.

Page pleaded guilty in January 2013 to a wire fraud charge stemming from a 14-count indictment alleging he and other parties defrauded the state and a bank over their purchase of the Elkhart building and the subsequent lease deal with the state.

Brizzi failed to mention his interest as an owner in the building in his annual Statement of Economic Interest required by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission, the commission alleges.

By failing to disclose his interest, Brizzi violated the rules of professional conduct for attorneys, the disciplinary commission charged in its complaint.

The commission also slammed Brizzi for intervening in a criminal case involving one of Page’s clients.

In February 2008, Joseph Mobareki was charged in Marion Superior Court with seven counts related to the possession of controlled substances—with the most serious charge a Class B felony. In addition, the prosecutor’s office sought the forfeiture of $17,550 in cash that Mobareki held at the time of his arrest.

The case was handed to deputy prosecutors Ronald Buckler and Lawrence Brodeur, who worked out a plea agreement in which Mobareki would plead guilty to one Class C felony and forfeit the cash.

Brodeur later learned that a new plea agreement arranged between Brizzi and Page would allow Mobareki to plead to a single Class D felony and keep the entire $17,550 in cash, according to the commission’s complaint.

The more lenient plea deal prompted the Indiana Supreme Court in October 2014 to begin investigating Brizzi’s involvement in the Mobareki case. The commission alleges in its complaint that Brizzi intentionally made a false statement in his response to the investigation about his knowledge of the situation.

“[Brizzi] knew his statement was false at the time he made it,” the commission said in its complaint.

Brizzi also became the target of a federal investigation over whether he intervened in the case. But the U.S. Attorney’s Office, led then by current Indianapolis Mayor Joseph Hogsett, ultimately chose in October 2013 not to charge Brizzi. 

“These allegations are literally eight years old,” Brizzi said. “They have been investigated and vetted by federal and state governmental agencies. There’s nothing new here.”

The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether to discipline Brizzi.

USI Baseball advances w/7-5 win

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The University of Southern Indiana baseball team rallied twice to defeat Missouri University of Science & Technology, 7-5, on the first day of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Thursday morning in Quincy, Illinois. USI sees its record go to 34-19 overall, while Missouri S&T watches its mark go to 35-18.

The Screaming Eagles began the scoring in the opening frame when sophomore second baseman Sam Griggs(Evanville, Indiana) singled in senior centerfielderHamilton Carr (Evansville, Indiana) to put USI on top, 1-0. The lead would last until the top of the second when the Miners scored a pair of tallies to lead, 2-1.

After Missouri S&T increased the lead to 3-1, USI rallied for the first time to take the lead 4-3 with a three-run fifth inning. Griggs singled in his second RBI of the game before senior catcher Ryan Bertram(Zionsville, Indiana) blasted a two-run home run to put the Eagles out in front.

The Miners erased the Eagles lead with a pair of tallies in the top of the sixth and jumped back in front, 5-4.USI, however, was not to be denied in the NCAA II Midwest Regional opening game by regaining the lead for good with two in the bottom half of the sixth to make the score 6-5.

Senior shortstop Kyle Niemeier (Evansville, Indiana) drove in the eventual game winning run and sixth with an RBI-single through the right side of the infield. Carr had tied the game one batter earlier with a ground out.

The Eagles picked up an insurance run in the eighth inning when freshman pinch runner Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) scored on a throwing for the final score of 7-5.

Griggs and Bertram led the way for USI with two RBIs each, while sophomore designated hitter designated hitter Joe Reburn (Newburgh, Indiana) tied a career-high with a team-best three hits.

On the mound, junior right-hander Lucas Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) picked up his team-best seventh win of the year in six tough innings of work. Barnett (7-5) allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out four.

Senior right-handed closer T.J. Decker (Brazil, Indiana) closed out the game for the Eagles by pitching the final three frames for his team-high seventh save of the year. Decker allowed one hit and two walks, while striking out one.

The fourth-seeded Eagles advance in the winners bracket Friday at 5 p.m. and will play top-seeded and host Quincy University. The Hawks rose to 38-16 after defeating eighth-seeded Alderson Broaddus University, 20-0.

 

YESTERYEAR: 301-303 MAIN STREET

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The Crescent City Bank existed on this site as early as the 1850s, and in 1883, the German National Bank opened here, although it is unclear if the present building replaced the earlier one or was merely renovated. When this photo was taken circa 1918, the bank had departed, and a cigar shop occupied the corner space on the ground level. The jewelry store Kruckemeyer & Cohn was adjacent to the cigar shop, and a business college held classes on the upper floors. In recent years, the distinctive corner dome reappeared during a major renovation of the building, which now houses apartments and a Subway restaurant.

FOOTNOTES: We want to thank Patricia Sides, Archivist of Willard Library for contributing this picture that shall increase people’s awareness and appreciation of Evansville’s rich history. If you have any historical pictures of Vanderburgh County or Evansville please contact please contact Patricia Sides, Archivist Willard Library at 812) 425-4309, ext. 114 or e-mail her at www.willard.lib.in.us.

Carter jumps up leaderboard in round two

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University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf senior Anastasia Carter (Granger, Indiana) sits in a tie for 36th after round two of the NCAA Division II National Championships at CommonGround Golf Course. Carter’s 73 in the second round bested her round one score by six strokes.

With birdies on 11 and 12, Carter was two strokes under-par in her first three holes of round two. Consecutive bogeys on 13 and 14 brought her back to even-par, just before an eagle on the par-five 15th. Carter’s combined score for the three par fives on the back nine was three under-par. Closing her first nine with a bogey and two pars, Carter carded a 35 (-1) on the back nine.

Moving to the front nine, Carter recorded bogeys on holes one, five and eight. She ended her round with her third birdie of the day to finish the front with a 38 (+2). With her one-over round of 73, Carter moved 20 spots up the leaderboard after finishing the first round in a tie for 56th.

Hally Leadbetter of Rollins College leads all individuals at the event after her round of 69 on Thursday. Leadbetter’s total for the event sits at 141, giving her a two-stroke lead. Four players sit in a tie for second, each carding rounds of one under in the second round.

Rollins remains in the lead for teams competing at the national championships, after having a share of the lead at the conclusion of the first round. The defending national champion University of Indianapolis moved into second place with a team score of two-under-par (286) in the second round. Dallas Baptist University remains in third place, 13 strokes off the pace set by Rollins, with a total score of 591.

The third round will see Carter paired with Kasey Frazier of Wheeling Jesuit University and Caroline Fredensborg of Arkansas Tech University.  The group will tee off at 9:50 a.m. (CDT), central starting on the back nine.

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