Indiana justices hear appeal of man convicted of killing 4
IL for www.theindianalawyer.com
The attorney for a southern Indiana man appealing his quadruple murder conviction told the Indiana Supreme Court that circumstantial evidence linking him to that crime doesn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt he was the killer.
A Bartholomew County jury convicted Samuel Sallee last year in the fatal 2013 shootings of three men and a woman. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Sallee’s attorney, Jane Ann Noblitt, told the Supreme Court on Thursday there’s no forensic evidence linking Sallee to those slayings.
But deputy attorney general Jesse Drum noted the male victims’ wallets were found at a home where Sallee was staying. He told the justices that evidence and an inmate’s testimony that Sallee confessed to the killings allowed jurors to reasonably conclude Sallee committed the killings.
Grooms, Marcum combine for 48 as Eagles end slide
Sophomore guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) and junior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) combined for 48 points as University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball earned a 74-61 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over visiting Maryville University Thursday evening at the Physical Activities Center.
Grooms finished with a career-best and USI season-high 27 points, while Marcum added 21 points as USI ended a 10-game losing streak.
After falling behind by a point midway through the opening quarter, the Screaming Eagles used a 13-2 run to take an 18-8 lead late in the first period.
Maryville (10-11, 4-10 GLVC) cut USI’s advantage to three midway through the second quarter, but back-to-back three-pointers by junior guard Kendyl Dearing (Huntingburg, Indiana) gave the Eagles a 31-22 cushion with 4:30 to play in the half.
The Saints got to within six points late in the second frame, but a 6-0 run that featured baskets by Grooms, Marcum, and freshman center Kacy Eschweiler (St. Charles, Missouri) staked the Eagles to a 41-29 lead at the break.
An old-fashioned three-point play by Grooms early in the third period saw USI’s advantage balloon to a game-high 14 points (49-35). Grooms had 18 of her 27 points in the final 20 minutes as USI’s lead did not slip below nine points throughout the final 19 minutes of the contest.
USI (11-11, 4-10 GLVC) dominated the game inside the lane as it outscored the Saints 30-14 in the paint. The Eagles had five players with at least five rebounds, including five for both Grooms and Marcum, as USI held a 36-32 rebounding edge.
The Eagles also went 6-of-13 from downtown, with Dearing scoring all nine of her points from behind the arc.
Sophomore guard Ali Ringering and sophomore forward Madeline Hartke each had 17 points to lead the Saints, who were held to 39.6 percent (19-48) shooting and 30.0 percent (6-20) from three-point range.
The Eagles return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when they host the University of Missouri-St. Louis for Homecoming and their annual Play4Kay game-USI fans are encouraged to join the Eagles by wearing pink. The Tritons (9-13, 4-10 GLVC) suffered a 66-47 setback to Bellarmine University Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky.
Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center Students Advance to State SkillsUSA Competition
Twenty-two students from the EVSC’s Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center earned the opportunity to advance to the state SkillsUSA contests April 15 and 16 after competing in the regional contests this past weekend.
In addition to advancing to the state level, Vincennes University provides scholarships to students who finish in the top five. Students placing first receive a $2,500 scholarship; those placing second receive $1,000; and those placing third, fourth or fifth receive $500.
Students from SICTC who will advance to the state competition, include:
| Skylar Burkhart | 1st | Architectural Drafting | NTI |
| Isaac Holden | 1st | Mechanical Drafting | NTI |
| Layne Jones | 2nd | Mechanical Drafting | NTI |
| Noah Mayer | 3rd | Mechanical Drafting | NTI |
| Brian Dunigan | 1st | Internetworking | Gibson Southern |
| Gibson Holder | 2nd | Internetworking | North |
| Bryce Higgonbotham | 3rd | Internetworking | North |
| Austin Fest | 1st | Carpentry | Castle |
| Martin Seifert | 3rd | Carpentry | Mt. Vernon |
| Matt Walker | 5th | Carpentry | Home school |
| Ethan Hurst | 1st | Masonry | Castle |
| Jack Jackson | 2nd | Diesel | Tecumseh |
| Isaac Sollman | 4th | Diesel | Gibson Southern |
| Evan Gick | 5th | Diesel | Gibson Southern |
| Shawn Pemberton | 4th | Auto Collision | Tecumseh |
| Steven Devine | 1st | Automotive Service | Central |
| Tyler Knott | 2nd | Automotive Service | Castle |
| Scott Dayton | 2nd | CNC Milling | Castle |
| Hannah Gray | 3rd | CNC Milling | Mt. Vernon |
| Joe King | 1st | CNC Technician | Boonville |
| Tyler Baker | 2nd | CNC Technician | Boonville |
| Trenton Harter | 3rd | Precision Machine | Boonville |
ADOPT A PET
If Patrick looks a little nervous here, it’s because he is. This sweet boy is approximately 1 year old. He is blind and has some sort of neurological condition that affects his balance, but otherwise he’s healthy! The shelter is a scary place, so he needs a quieter home ASAP. $30 includes his neuter, microchip, & vaccines. Visit www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563 to save a life!
Dr. Bucshon Comments on SCOTUS Delay of EPA’s Clean Power Plan
 Eighth District Congressman and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Larry Bucshon, M.D. released the following statement after the Supreme Court issued a stay of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan:
I’m happy to see the Supreme Court rule in favor of states like Indiana that depend on coal for low-cost energy and good-paying jobs. Let’s be clear: these regulations are not about the environment. They are about controlling our nation’s energy sector and transforming it to fit the ideological views of liberals in Washington, D.C., even at the expense of middle class families here in coal country.Â
 “I’ve always maintained that our energy policies should strike the appropriate balance between the way we generate energy and protect our environment. I support an all-of-the-above strategy that incorporates renewables as well as fossil fuels. However, the way forward is through private sector innovation, not top down federal regulations that damage our economy and stymie research and development.â€
Last year, a coalition of states, including Indiana, filed a lawsuit challenging the legal standing of the EPA’s “Clean Power Planâ€. In December, the House passed a resolution disapproving the plan.
Additionally, in June, the House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042), a bill introduced by Congressman Ed Whitfield (KY-01), to protect families and businesses from significant electricity rate increases or reduced electric reliability that may result from EPA’s regulations. Following the vote, Bucshon said:
Tri-State Genealogical Society Meeting Notice
TSGS Program Chair Person Barbara Manzi has announced that the Program will be:100 Years of Fashion – presented by Jennifer Greene the Archivist at University of Southern Indiana. This is a program you will not want to miss. This is a chance for you to hear about fashions of yesteryear. All tri-state residents are encouraged to attend.
Meetings are held the second Tuesday of most months. Visitors are always welcome, feel free to share the surnames you are researching. We begin with a short business meeting followed by an informative program.
Except for the April Dinner
To contact us – email:Â tsgs.membership@yahoo.com or phone 812-499-5542.
Our website address is:Â tristategenealogicalsociety.weebly.com
You do not have to be a member to come and participate at the society’s monthly meetings (no meetings in July and August).
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This time of the year, weather conditions may cause the society to cancel meetings… the decision to cancel usually is determined the day of the meeting, providing short notice. Since a bad weather system may develop later in the day (or that night), check our web site tristategenealogicalsociety.weebly.com for cancellation notice or call Willard Library (812-425-4309).
UE softball to open season on Friday
University of Evansville head softball coach Mat Mundell is ready to begin his second season at the helm of the Purple Aces as the squad will open the season on Friday at the Trojan Invite.
Evansville opens up the tournament with a pair of games on Friday, two more on Saturday before one contest on Sunday. The Aces first game at the event will be on Friday morning at 11 a.m. versus Eastern Michigan.
Each game in the tournament will feature live stats and live video. Click on the tournament link at the top of the page for links to stats and video for each game.
Here is the full schedule for UE’s opening weekend:
2/12 – vs. Eastern Michigan – 11 a.m.
2/12 – vs. Alabama State – 2 p.m.
2/13 – vs. Alabama State – 9:30 a.m.
2/13 – at Troy – 2:30 p.m.
2/14 – vs. Eastern Michigan – 9:30 a.m.
Leading the way into the 2016 campaign is Danielle Freeman, who earned a spot on the All-MVC Preseason Team. A Second Team All-MVC player a season ago, Freeman led the Aces with a .339 batting average and sat atop the conference, slugging .723. Playing in just 35 out of 55 games due to her commitments to the UE swim team, Freeman recorded 13 home runs, finishing third in the conference.
Also earning conference accolades last season was Morgan Lambert. In her redshirt freshman season, Lambert garnered MVC All-Defensive Team honors as she played in 51 games while making 46 starts primarily at first base. She finished the season with a .980 fielding percentage and made just five errors over the course of the season.
Michal Luckett and Chandra Parr are also two of the top returning offensive forces for UE. Luckett was second on the team with a .311 average in 2015. She finished in a tie for third on the Aces with 21 runs scored. Parr batted .297 while finishing second on the squad with nine home runs and third with 23 runs batted in.
AG Zoeller testifies before U.S. House subcommittee on preserving state authority to regulate lending, consumer access to credit
 Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit today in opposition to new rules proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that would preempt state authority to regulate small loan lending and consumer access to credit.
While small loan lending is a policy area that has historically been left to the states, Zoeller said the CFPB’s proposal would create a vast regulatory framework at a national level that would undermine years of state efforts to carefully regulate the industry based on local markets and consumer needs. The top-down regulations, Zoeller said, would constrict the small loan lending market by reputable lenders and force Hoosiers to turn to less scrupulous offerings.
As Indiana’s chief consumer protection advocate, Zoeller testified before committee members on Indiana’s work crafting meaningful, state-specific regulations that give Hoosiers access to credit while not inadvertently driving them to unregulated, unsafe loan products.
“Like other states, Indiana has worked hard to strike this balance between access to credit and protections against predatory lenders,†Zoeller said in his testimony to the subcommittee. “The proposed federal regulations would throw this balance off and reduce access to short-term loans for the people in my state and others who need this type of financial assistance the most and who need it from reputable lenders.â€
The CFPB’s proposed regulatory framework was first introduced in March 2015. Zoeller and several other state attorneys general sent letters to the CFPB sharing concerns about the proposal to little avail. A copy of Zoeller’s letter to CFPB Director Richard Cordray is attached.
“The progress we’ve made to advance strong consumer protections that work best for our states should not be undermined,†Zoeller said in his testimony today. “One-size-fits-all, blanket regulations from a federal bureaucracy will only wipe out years of thoughtful, state-specific efforts to assist and protect our citizens.â€
The U.S. Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit heard testimony from various individuals during its hearing today on the topic of federal vs. state regulation of small loan lending.