Home Blog Page 5759

Online Survey by State Representative Wendy McNamara

1

Dear Friend,

The 2016 legislative session is here and I would like your feedback on several important issues.

I am committed to keeping the momentum going this session as we work toward developing a responsible, comprehensive andsustainable plan to maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure. As the Crossroads of America, our roads and bridges play a key role in our state’s economy.

I will also continue to address new rules set by the Higher Learning Commission, which threaten to undermine how dual-credit courses are handled in Indiana. We want to continue to offer college credit classes to high school students so that they have all the opportunities for growth available to them.

To best represent our community, I encourage you to click here to take my online survey and feel free to provide your comments as well. Your thoughts and opinions matter, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

State Rep. Wendy McNamara

Governor Pence Pens End-of-Year Message to Hoosiers

1

Pence: “In 2015, we made historic investments in our workforce, kids and teachers, and we’ve also put a high priority on the health and safety of all Hoosiers.”

 

Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today issued the following year-end message, outlining the accomplishments of 2015 and looking forward to the year ahead. Accompanying the message is an infographic entitled “Making Indiana Work: A 2015 Progress Report.”

 

My Fellow Hoosiers,

As 2015 comes to a close and we look back on the year gone by, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect upon what was a tremendous year in the life of our state.

With unemployment at its lowest rate since 2001 and more Hoosiers working than ever before in state history, Indiana has continued the economic growth that has become the hallmark of our state. In the last year, we have added thousands of jobs to our manufacturing base, the third most in the United States. In areas such as trade, transportation and utilities, we’ve added more than 20,000 new jobs, fifth best nationwide. Our economy is on a roll and as we look toward 2016, I am confident that we will continue to build on the progress of this past year.

In 2015, we made historic investments in our workforce, kids and teachers, and we’ve also put a high priority on the health and safety of all Hoosiers.


The budget I signed into law this past spring commits historic levels of new funding for education, teacher performance bonuses, domestic violence and infant mortality prevention and more than doubles funding for our Hoosier veterans.

Hoosiers can be proud that, along with members of the Indiana General Assembly, we enacted the largest K-12 education funding increase in state history. Just as Indiana is a leader on education reform, our students are achieving great results in the classroom. Test scores and graduation rates are up, and the latest National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show Hoosier children outpacing national averages at every level. That is a credit to our dedicated teachers and the hard work of our kids. 

We’ve also put a high priority on the infrastructure that has made Indiana the Crossroads of America.

Earlier this fall, I announced the 21st Century Crossroads plan to responsibly invest one billion dollars in our roads and bridges. Our transportation infrastructure must be able to support the economic growth while protecting Hoosiers from new tax increases. Our plan, along with legislation that will free up additional funds for local transportation projects will go a long way in ensuring that Indiana remains the Crossroads of America. I’ll pursue both proposals during the upcoming legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly.

We also know that the true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable. Hoosiers have seen the devastating effects of drug abuse throughout our communities and in response to this epidemic, I created the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment and Prevention, to combat the scourge of drug addiction in Indiana.

Based on the recommendations of the Task Force, my administration will pursue legislative action to increase penalties for the most serious drug dealers. But, for those struggling with the scourge of addiction, I believe our efforts with regard to treatment and prevention are of the utmost importance. In fact, my administration recently unveiled plans for a new state neuro-diagnostic and addiction treatment institute to improve the way we treat mental health issues in Indiana. The institute will serve as the centerpiece of our ongoing commitment to improve mental health and address the heartbreak of addiction that has beset far too many families in Indiana.

This year, we demonstrated that Indiana is a true innovator when it comes to delivering health care to our citizens. We expanded health care coverage to Hoosiers this past January through what we call the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0 and to date, more than 355,000 Hoosiers have enrolled. I am especially proud of the fact that Hoosiers in the lowest income brackets make up a majority of all HIP 2.0 enrollees. HIP now offers a Gateway to Work program, which connects Hoosiers to workforce training programs and potential employers. Voluntary programs like Gateway to Work just might offer the assistance some of our neighbors need in order to get back on their feet.

Looking forward to 2016, we’ll remain committed to strengthening Indiana’s economy. We’ll continue to implement the kind of policies that improve the lives of all Hoosiers and make this a state that attracts and keeps talent and investment. We’ll do so with an ear attuned to the issues that matter the most to Hoosiers. Our formula for success in 2015 will be the guide for continuing to make Indiana a great place to work, live and raise a family.

As we close the chapter of 2015 and enter our state’s bicentennial year, I wish every Hoosier a happy and prosperous new year.

Sincerely,
Governor Mike Pence 

 

 

Some Police, Prosecutors Back Tougher Cold-Medicine Law

0

IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

Some Indiana police agencies say their fight against methamphetamine production would be helped by a proposed state law change to require a doctor’s prescription for a common cold medicine that is used to make the illegal drug.

The head of the state police meth suppression unit said it spends nearly all its time dealing with hazardous small-time meth labs and dump sites.

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council are among those supporting a GOP-proposed bill that would end over-the-counter sales of medicines containing pseudoephedrine.

Marshall County in rural northern Indiana, which spent several years among the state’s top 10 counties for meth labs, has an ongoing problem with the illegal drug. Sheriff Matthew Hassell told the South Bend Tribune the tighter restrictions could frustrate meth makers.

“My thinking is, with our state dealing with this methamphetamine crisis, make it more difficult for (manufacturers) to receive the pseudoephedrine,” Hassell said. “It’s an extra step for the person who is properly using it, but I don’t think it’s that big of an inconvenience for a person to call their physician or stop in at a local clinic.”

Opponents maintain requiring prescriptions would be bothersome for law-abiding people who have allergies and colds and increase health care costs by forcing people to make more doctor visits.

Dr. Christina Barnes, an allergist with South Bend Clinic, said she and other doctors already write pseudoephedrine prescriptions, allowing people to buy a 30-day supply at once instead of having to return to the pharmacy weekly per the state’s current restrictions.

“We have a lot of patients who are very grateful because they have a prescription, and not having to go back and have their ID scrutinized and all that,” Barnes said.

Indiana State Police reported 1,488 meth lab incidents in 2014 and said the state was on pace this year for about 1,500 lab discoveries.

Sgt. Mike Toles, who leads the state police’s meth suppression unit, which includes 18 full-time investigators, spends 95 percent of its time responding to and cleaning up hazardous meth labs and dump sites rather than working to stop organized methamphetamine trafficking from Mexico and elsewhere.

:We want to go after these import cases, we want to go after the big hitters,” Toles said, “but when we’re spending all our time with these little hitters, that’s very difficult to do.”

University Of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball Overwhelmed Purdue University North Central

0

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball overwhelmed Purdue University North Central, 102-67, Wednesday night at the Physical Activities Center. USI sees its record go to 10-2 overall, 7-1 at the PAC this season, while PNC falls to 10-7.

The victory marked the Screaming Eagles’ sixth-straight victory and their third 100-point game of the year. USI also finishes the non-conference portion of the schedule 8-2 against non-league opponents.

The Eagles started the game by flying out to a 23-7 lead by the 12:50 mark. PNC, however, was not about to let USI run away with the contest, posting a 22-9 run of its own to cut the Eagles’ advantage to 32-29 with 4:43 left on the clock until the half.

USI would push the lead back to double-digits, 41-31, in the final minutes before settling for the 42-33 intermission advantage. Junior guard Jeril Taylor (Louisville, Kentucky) and freshman guard Alex Stein(Evansville, Indiana) led the Eagle scorers with 13 points and 10 points, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes.

In the second half, USI wasted little time in gaining total command of the contest by extending the halftime advantage to 31 points, 74-43, at the midway point of the final stanza. The Eagles’ lead grew to as many as 42 points, 100-58, before settling for the 102-67 victory.

Taylor added 11 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds. The junior guard, who was nine-of-16 from the field, four-of-nine from beyond the arc, and a perfect two-of-two from the line, also had season-high six assists and six steals. He also has had four double-doubles through the first 12 games.

Stein followed Taylor in the scoring column with 19 points, while senior forward Shane Seniour(Newburgh, Indiana) added 13 points and followed Taylor on the glass with eight rebounds. Freshman forward Jacob Norman (Evansville, Indiana) and junior guard Bobo Drummond (Peoria, Illinois) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

Drummond also added a career-high and game-high 10 assists and followed Taylor with three steals.

As a team, USI shot 56.7 percent (38-67), 67.6 percent in the second half (23-34), and won the battle of the boards, 48-27. The Eagles also grabbed a season-high 11 steals.

Great Lakes Valley Conference action resumes next week for the Eagles when they make the trip to western Missouri to visit Rockhurst University January 7 and William Jewell College January 9. USI is 2-0 in GLVC action after defeating McKendree University and the University of Illinois Springfield to start December.

The USI Varsity Club is inviting fans to watch the live video stream of the USI-Rockhurst women’s and men’s doubleheader in the Varsity Club Room January 7. The women’s game is 5:30 p.m., while the men’s game is slated to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Adopt A Pet

0

Turtle is a 6-month-old male solid black kitten! Midnight, Moonshine, and Wiggles are his siblings. Turtle loves people and playing with toys. He’d get along just fine with other cats in his new home! His $30 fee includes his neuter, microchip, vaccines, and more. Call (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org for adoption details!

LOCAL CA FANTASY FOOTBALL REGULATION

0

2016: WHAT TO EXPECT

0

Raging Moderate by Will Durst

It’s hard to believe, but we’re on the brink of another presidential election year. Let us pray. Every quadrennial, the American political process plays out as a big-top carnival sideshow featuring moral contortionists, ethical geeks and fat sweaty white guys teetering on slack media wires.

Fortunately, we Americans have become as resilient to this format as fourth-generation cockroaches are to watered-down insecticide. To show how familiar, we here at Durstco have compiled a political forecast of what to expect over the coming year. Clip and save. All dates are approximate. Your mileage may differ.

FEBRUARY 1, 2016: The results of the Iowa Caucuses are dismissed by non-winning candidates as an irrational political stunt, much like a game of musical chairs without the music. And no chairs.

FEBRUARY 9, 2016: Some type of victory in the New Hampshire primary, moral or otherwise, is claimed by no fewer than seven candidates.

MARCH 1, 2016: Super Tuesday. So called for the quantity of primaries, not the quality.

MARCH 11, 2016: A rumor about a low-polling politico having an affair with an aide is revealed to be a last-ditch cynical attempt to humanize him.

MARCH 20, 2016: A flag factory in New Jersey bans all photo-ops by Presidential aspirants in an attempt to get some work done.

APRIL 16, 2016: Ronald Reagan is reported to be in a Swiss spa getting transfusions of Keith Richards’ blood. “Draft Reagan” groups spring up in thirty-seven states.

APRIL 29, 2016: A New York Times poll says 40 percent of the American public sees a need for a third party.

APRIL 30, 2016: Ben Carson announces he will run as a third party candidate.

APRIL 31, 2016: A USA Today poll says 43 percent of the American public sees a need for a fourth party.

JULY 18, 2016: In Cleveland, the Republican National Convention outlines a platform that proposes hunting the homeless for food.

JULY 22, 2016: After the Republican National Convention, the conservative wing accuses the nominee of selling out the party. Cleveland cab drivers express disgust.

JULY 25, 2016: In Philadelphia, the Democrats float a platform that endorses good and condemns bad.

JULY 26, 2016: Due to pressure from large donors, the platform is watered down.

JULY 30, 2016: After the Democratic National Convention, the liberal wing accuses the nominee of selling out the party. Philadelphia Uber drivers express dismay.

AUGUST, 2016: Absolutely nothing happens in August and it is reported upon at great length.

OCTOBER 4, 2016: The Vice Presidential debate is beaten in the ratings by a Weather Channel special on topsoil. Two days later, the DEA rules it illegal to stream a recording of it while driving.

OCTOBER 19, 2016: No Presidential candidate personally appears at the final debate. Instead, spin-doctors give detailed answers as to how the candidates would have responded if particular questions were asked in a certain way.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016: In a concerted effort not to encourage these hypocritical tools, the public stays away from the polls in record numbers.

NOVEMBER 9, 2016: The losing party’s Vice Presidential nominee calls the election an aberration and fires an opening shot kicking off the 2020 campaign. The collective national groan registers a 4.2 on the Richter scale.

BSens Recall Greenham, IceMen Sign Defenseman Joseph

0

Bengtsberg activated from Injured Reserve, will dress in Quad City tonight.

  

The Evansville IceMen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, and Head Coach Al Sims announced Wednesday that the AHL’s Binghamton Senators have recalled goaltender Scott Greenham for the second time this season. The IceMen also activated goalie Christoffer Bengtsberg from Injured Reserve.

 

This comes one day after Evansville signed defenseman Chris Joseph Tuesday to bolster a depleted corps on the blue line. The Levittown, NY native suited up in 20 games this season for the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

 

Greenham  returns to Binghamton, where he spent nearly a month from November 16-December 10. The Ottawa, ON native appeared in two games for the BSens during his AHL stint, and stopped 20 of 25 shots in 61 minutes of action.

 

He will return to Binghamton indefinitely, after goaltender Matt O’Connor suffered an injury in the BSens 2-1 shootout win Tuesday against Lehigh Valley. Greenham posted a record of 4-3-1-0 in eight games with the IceMen, with a goals-against average of 2.88 and a 91.1 save percentage.

 

Bengtsberg had been on Injured Reserve since November 16, after suffering a lower body injury in Evansville’s 4-2 loss November 15 at Wheeling. The Stockholm, Sweden native started seven consecutive games from November 1-15, and posted a 2-4-0-0 record in that span. He has a 2.48 goal-against average and 91.4 save percentage in his first season of pro hockey in North America.

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

0
SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

Aces open MVC slate at home on Wednesday

0

Evansville hosts Indiana State at the Ford Center

  The University of Evansville men’s basketball team opens up Missouri Valley Conference play in a big way, hosting Indiana State in the league opener on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. inside the Ford Center.

 

Wednesday’s game against the Sycamores will be “West Side Night with the Aces” as fans can pick up vouchers to purchase $5 tickets to the game at several locations throughout the west side of Evansville.  The game will also promote awareness of Logan’s Promise at the Ford Center.

 

For the second year in a row, Evansville went through non-conference play with just two losses, finishing up at 11-2.  The much-awaited MVC schedule will begin on December 30 with a visit to the Ford Center by Indiana State.  That game will be followed by a pair of tough road tests at Missouri State and Wichita State.  UE is a perfect 7-0 at home for the first time since 2008-09 when the Aces won their first 10 games at Roberts Stadium.

 

Evansville is an unbelievable 16-2 in its last 18 games, dating back to the beginning of the CIT Championship run in March.  The run is UE’s top streak since 1988-89 when the Purple Aces went 21-2 from December of ‘88 through February of ’89.  UE has gone 11-2 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1987-88 and 88-89 campaigns.  After beginning at 14-2 in 87-88, UE went on to play in the NIT; a season later, the Aces were 11-2 en route to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Reigning MVC Player of the Week Egidijus Mockevicius has moved to the top of the national lead in rebounding with 13.9 per game.  In just 24 minutes of play last week against Alabama A&M, Mockevicius posted his 11th double-double in 13 games with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

 

D.J. Balentine continues to be the nation’s leading active scorer with 2,048 points.  He is the only player in the NCAA, regardless of division, to stand with 2,000 points or more.  Balentine recorded 19 points against the Bulldogs last Tuesday and remains atop the conference.

 

Jaylon Brown set his career high for the second time in three games, posting 19 points in the win over Alabama A&M as he hit 7 of his 9 attempts.  Over his last seven games, Brown has knocked down 30 of his 49 attempts, 61.2%.  Since scoring four points in the opener against SEMO, Brown has registered six points or more every time out, including eight double-figure outings.

 

Indiana State begins league play with an even 6-6 record after defeating Ball State on December 22 by a final of 73-61.  Devonte Brown leads the Sycamores with 14.1 points per game and has taken a team-high 140 shots.  Brenton Scott is just behind him with 13.4 PPG and was the top scorer in the win over the Cardinals, tallying 19 points.  Khristian Smith sits at 11.4 points and is the top rebounder on the squad, checking in at 6.2 per game.

1...5,7585,7595,760...7,228Page 5,759 of 7,228