CONSENT AGENDA:Â FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS
A.
ORDINANCE F-2024-02 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Burton Discussion Led By:Â Finance Chair Burton Discussion Date: 3/11/2024 Notify: Robert Gunter, Controller
ORDINANCE F-2024-01 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Burton Discussion Led By:Â Finance Chair Burton Discussion Date: 2/26/2024 Notify: Robert Gunter, Controller
ORDINANCE F-2024-02 An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Evansville Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations, Additional Appropriations and Repeal and Re-Appropriation of Funds for Various City Funds Sponsor(s): Burton Discussion Led By:Â Finance Chair Burton Discussion Date: 3/11/2024 Notify: Robert Gunter, Controller
FOOTNOTE: Â PLEASE LOOK AT FUNDS TAKEN FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUND# 1176 CONCERNING GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING AWARDED TO Â SEVERAL BUILDERS. Â WE WONDER WHY THE NEW CITY CONTROLLER -ROBERT HUNTER DIDNT BREAKDOWN HOW MUCH Â EACH BUILDER RECIEVE Â FROM THE $5,730,000. AMERICAN Â RESCUE PLAN GRANT MONEY..
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend beginning on Thursday, as the Purple Aces will open a three-game Valley series with Southern Illinois at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville. First-pitch for the series-opener is set for 6 p.m.
Evansville will bring a 9-15 overall record into Thursday’s opener. The Purple Aces will be trying to snap a six-game losing streak this weekend, the longest for UE since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Evansville and Southern Illinois split four games last season, including a 7-3 UE victory in the 2023 MVC Tournament opener for both schools.
Evansville’s offense will be buoyed by the return to graduate first baseman Chase Hug this weekend. Hug, who missed 20 games after straining his biceps on a swing in the second game of the year, officially returned to the UE lineup on Sunday against Murray State, and he picked up his first hit since returning Tuesday night with a three-run home run against SIUE. Hug was a first-team all-MVC selection last year, and was a preseason all-Valley player in a vote of the league’s coaches. Overall, Evansville is hitting .293 this year, led by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger’s .375 batting average.
Southern Illinois will bring a 17-8 overall record and 3-0 MVC mark into this weekend’s series after dropping an 8-7 decision to UT Martin on Tuesday night in 10 innings. The Salukis opened Valley play by sweeping Valparaiso at home last weekend. The Salukis will bring a .295 team batting average into the series, with senior Nathan Bandy leading the way with a .426 average in part-time action this year. Bandy went 3-for-4 on Tuesday night against UT Martin, driving in five runs for SIU. Outfielder Mathieu Vallee is next for the Salukis with a .333 average.
All three games of the weekend series can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS, with the Voice of the Aces Jevin Redman providing the play-by-play. The games on Thursday and Friday night (both 6 p.m. starts) can be seen live on ESPN+. The series is moved up a day to Thursday, Friday and Saturday to accommodate the Easter holiday on Sunday. Senior RHP Shane Harris (1-4, 5.12 ERA) is expected to get the start for UE in Thursday’s opener.
After seeing record attendance at its March 8th Lenten Fish Fry, Germania Maennerchor’s Good Friday Fish Fry is this week, March 8th from 5-7:30pm. The fish fries are open to the public for dine-in or carry out at 916 N Fulton in Evansville. There will be plenty of seating, both in the Rathskeller plus upstairs in Fest Halle for the first time.
Meals consist of two breaded & deep-fried filets, choice of German or American potato salad, creamy coleslaw, baked beans & rye bread – all for $13 per plate. Or a fish sandwich and one side for $11. Desserts will also be for sale.
Thank you to several area businesses and organizations that contributed to the Germania Fish Fries:
– Altstadt-Hoffman Plumbing – Schneider Heating & Air
– Fehrenbacher Cabinets
– Straub Outdoor Power
– CRS OneSource
– Banterra Bank
– West Side Nut Club – Donut Bank
“Immaculate” is far from it, but a wild second half in which Sydney Sweeney shines makes it more than just another scary nun movie.
Scott McDaniel, assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College.Photo provided: https://franklincollege.edu/academics/majors/multimedia-journalism-franklin-college/scott-mcdaniel/
The rising Sweeney (“Anyone But You,” “Euphoria”) plays Sister Cecilia, an American who has been brought to Italy to join a fancy convent. Before long, she finds out she’s pregnant, despite being a virgin, and her new religious community labels it a miracle and treats her like a saint.
Obvi, this immaculate conception must be the second coming of Christ.
Except, obviously not. Nearly everyone there is shady, and as she learns the truth, the story grows more and more twisted, keeping me on edge with unexpected turns and surprising amounts of cringe-inducing gore.
It’s too bad it took suffering through a dragging start to get to the good stuff.
In the second half, Sweeney’s depiction of horror, despair, and primal rage are bewitching—a performance that’s sure to be talked about. In 2024 talk: It’s the stuff that memes are made of.
And yet, she was the cause of a lot of long blinks through the first half of the film. It’s because she has a way of sounding disingenuous with everything she says. And that’s not unique to this movie.
Again, she proves her acting chops by the end—with less speaking and more reacting—but the rough beginning had me questioning her leading lady status.
The script builds in intensity and culminates with one of the most memorable horror endings in some time.
Still, when the credits rolled, my first feeling was confusion. The religious implications weren’t clear. Certain connections weren’t made in the writing, so I was left wondering—why?
What I did find interesting was the peculiar framework for a commentary on a woman’s right to make decisions about her body and pregnancy.
“Immaculate” is cut from a different holy cloth—original enough to warrant a watch from fans of the genre, even if it takes a bit before Sweeney gets going.
MOVIE RATING
3 / 5 Rosaries
FOOTNOTE: Scott is an assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
20240324_Baseball_USI vs. Tennessee Tech University_
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball continues a five-game road swing this weekend with a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Morehead State University. The series start Thursday with a 4 p.m. (CDT) first pitch before continuing Friday at 4 p.m. (CDT) and concluding Sunday at noon (CDT). Links to follow the Eagles during the opening weekend of 2024 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule. USI concludes the five-game road swing with a visit to Murray State University April 2 before starting a four-game homestand. The homestand includes the second half of a series with Murray State April 3 and a three-game OVC set with Lindenwood University April 5-7. USI Baseball Notes:
USI Eagles open road trip with loss. The USI Screaming Eagles lost the opening game of a four-game road swing, 12-5, at Ball State University Tuesday. Four of USI’s five runs came via the long ball, including a two-run shot and a pair of solo blasts. Ellis leads Eagles in homers. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis leads the USI Eagle with four this season. He had a two-run homer Tuesday at Ball State. USI won series with TTU. The USI Screaming Eagles won the first series of the OVC season, taking two of three from Tennessee Tech University over the weekend. USI lost the opening game in 10 innings, 9-7, but bounced back to win on a walk off three-run homer, 7-5, and took the series finale, 8-1. USI has won four series in 2024. The Eagles have won four season series this year, matching the total for all of last year. USI leaders last week. USI senior designated hitter Jack Ellis led USI last week with a .500 average (8-16) in four games. Freshman outfielder Cameron Boyd posted a team-best five RBIs and had the Eagles’ lone home run of the week, a three-run walk off bomb versus TTU. Best outing of last week. USI junior right-hander Gavin Seebold had the Eagles’ best outing of the week, throwing six scoreless innings to earn the victory in comeback win over TTU. He also had a career-high tying six strikeouts in the game and was the runner-up in the OVC Pitcher of the Week voting. The Last 10 Games for USI. USI, which is 5-5 in the last 10 games, is led by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis. Ellis is hitting .500 (18-36) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI. Senior catcher Tyler Kapust also is hitting .500 (4-8) in five of the last 10 games. Junior right-hander Gavin Morris leads the Eagles on the bump with a 3-0 mark, posting a 2.00 ERA (18 innings) and 12 strikeouts. Leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellisis hitting a team-high .463 and four home runs this season, while senior outfielder Ren Tachioka follows with a .403 mark. Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-hander Gavin Seebold and Gavin Morrislead the team with three victories each. Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit had a team-low 2.29 ERA in 11 games and 19.2 innings pitcher, recording one save, while junior right-hander Tyler Hutson has a team-best three saves. Morris also has a team-high 31 strikeouts. Morehead in 2024. The Eagles of Morehead State University are 14-11, 1-2 in the OVC, this season after losing two of three with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock last weekend and defeating Bellarmine on Tuesday. MSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games but has lost three of five entering the series. USI vs. MSU. The Screaming Eagles were blanked in the season MSU last season in the OVC series, 3-0. Murray State in 2024. The Racers of Murray State University are 18-6 overall in 2023-24 and take a seven-game winning streak into the weekend series at home versus Belmont University. USI vs. Murray State. Murray State leads the all-time series, 9-3-1, after sweeping a three-game series from USI last year in Murray, Kentucky.
The University of Southern Indiana will present the 2024 Rethinking Autism Conference from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in Carter Hall, located in University Center West. The Conference is intended for physicians, nurses, therapists, mental health professionals, community providers, students and parents. Registration is required. Early bird rates are available through World Autism Day on Tuesday, April 2.
The Conference will feature a keynote presentation, “The Autistic Experience Recounted Through the Digital Lens” by Dr. Elizabeth Torres, Head of the Sensory-Motor Integration Lab at Rutgers University. Over the past two decades, she has been at the forefront of developing biometrics to enhance understanding of autism. Her Precision Autism platform, which emphasizes early detection, has introduced standardized methodologies for categorizing autism classes based on biophysical data.
Torres’ work extends beyond research as she actively collaborates with organizations like the New York Institute for Brain Research to advance methods for longitudinally tracking early neurodevelopmental deviations using readily available and noninvasive techniques. She is committed to integrating the perspectives and needs of the autistic community into scientific endeavors.
Elizabeth Bonker, nonspeaking autistic advocate, will also present at the Conference. A recent graduate and valedictorian from Rollins College, her commencement speech went viral, receiving over four billion views. She will help attendees understand what is possible for students who are believed to be “low functioning.”
In addition, the Conference will explore the transition from a behavioral understanding of autism to a precision medicine approach, aiming to equip attendees with the tools to shift their perspective.
This Conference is made possible through generous donors to the USI Foundation. It was created in collaboration with USI Disability Resources and Optimal ACCESS, Inc.
To register, visit the 2024 Rethinking Autism Conference Eventbrite webpage.
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
The Purple Aces will have 10 runners competing over three days in two separate meets
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A small group of runners from the University of Evansville’s track and field program will compete over the weekend in two different meets.
The Purple Aces will be sending eight runners to the prestigious Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State starting on Thursday, March 28. Along with eight runners in Raleigh, two runners will participate in the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis on Friday, March 29. UE’s runners’ events will be spread out over three days in both Raleigh and St. Louis with one race on Thursday, five races on Friday, and three races on Saturday.
Evansville’s lone race on Thursday is freshman Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) in the men’s 1,500 meters at the Raleigh Relays at 3:40 p.m. CT. Friday kicks off for the Aces with the women’s 400-meter race in Raleigh with freshmen Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway) and Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria) at 1:40 p.m. CT followed by the men’s 400-meter race with Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) at 2:10 p.m.
Also competing in Raleigh on Friday for UE is freshman Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada) and Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) at 3:20 p.m. Evansville’s two runners participating in the WashU Distance Carnival, freshman Samuel Lea (Worchester, England) and Sonja Inzinger (Mautern an der Donau, Austria) will race Friday evening in the men’s and women’s 5K at 9:20 and 9:40 p.m. CT.
The Aces will wrap up the weekend on Saturday in Raleigh starting with the women’s 800-meter race at 12:45 p.m. with Brenne, Martin, Prauchner, and Urbaniak all competing in the event. Also on Saturday, UE will have runners in the men’s 200-meter race at 2:55 p.m. with Felton III. Evansville’s final race of the weekend will be the men’s 800-meter with Losma, Alvaro Monfort (Castile Y Leon, Spain), and Rafael Rodrigeuz (Segovia, Spain) running at 3:20 p.m.
Last weekend the Aces competed in their first meet of the outdoor season in the Margaret Simmons Invite hosted by Murray State. UE’s men’s team finished third out of 12 teams while the women finished sixth of 11 teams. Evansville had a strong showing with 13 podium finishes among 22 scored events including six first-place finishes.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (March 27, 2024) – The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) today announces the promotion of Patrick Hickey to Economic Development Director. Previously Hickey served E-REP as an Economic Development Program Manager.
“Patrick has been working in our region, bringing jobs and opportunity to our four-county footprint, since January 2023,” said Josh Armstrong, Chief Economic Development Officer of E-REP. “He is already guiding important initiatives which will incrementally grow our economic and community development capacity and provide sustainable benefits to our region for decades to come.”
Hickey has been the key leader driving E-REP’s current Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy; a step towards a federal designation that provides ongoing financial support and additional points in applying for federal grants. Additionally, Hickey is guiding numerous rural communities in their application to Indiana’s Stellar Pathways program.
In his new role, Hickey will work with local units of government, site selectors, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and other economic development organizations to attract employers and investments, as well as to assist in retaining our current employers, particularly during times of growth. He also will work to advance E-REP’s Talent EVV goals of population growth, a thriving workforce, health living for regional residents, and creating opportunity for all our residents. Hickey previously held positions at Crossroads Christian Church and served as a sports reporter at the Courier & Press. He attended the University of Southern Indiana.
“Economic development is a team sport. I’m excited to play my role by building relationships and being the connector and facilitator that the Evansville Region needs to grow and thrive,” said Hickey.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the fourth Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test order requiring testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under EPA’s National PFAS Testing Strategy, the latest action taken under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap to confront contamination from “forever chemicals” nationwide.
This action orders the 3M Company and Wacker Chemical Corporation to conduct and submit testing on the physical-chemical properties of 2-(N-Methylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamido)ethanol (NMeFOSE) (Chemical Abstract Service Reference Number: 24448-09-7), including testing on the health effects following inhalation of this chemical. NMeFOSE has been used widely in product, including clothing and carpet treatments as well as furniture coatings (paint and varnish). NMeFOSE has been found in the air and in biosolids, which are a byproduct of the water treatment processes often used on agricultural fields as fertilizer. Studies have also demonstrated that NMeFOSE can accumulate in indoor dust and air, as well as in outdoor environmental media.
“Communities across the country need information about whether or not PFAS are in our air and water, and any health risks caused by these chemicals,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “This year, we’re continuing to use test orders to gather data about the health effects of PFAS so that we can take any necessary action to protect people and the environment.”
After thoroughly examining existing hazard and exposure data, EPA has concluded that NMeFOSE may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. The potential hazards from exposure to this chemical could include damage to the nervous system and immune system, as well as cancer. The test order will help EPA better understand the potential hazards and potential exposures associated with NMeFOSE.
The information EPA receives under this order will not only improve the Agency’s understanding of human health effects of NMeFOSE, but also potential health effects of more than 100 PFAS that are structurally similar to NMeFOSE and add to the agency’s overall understanding fo this category of PFAS.
The companies subject to the test order may either conduct the tests as described in the order, or provide EPA with existing information that they believe EPA did not identify in its search, but which satisfies the order requirements.
EPA encourages companies to jointly conduct testing to avoid unnecessary duplication of tests and will also consider possible combinations of tests that cover all required endpoints to diminish the amount of time, animal subjects and costs required.
The order employs a tiered testing process, as TSCA requires. The order is effective today, March 25, 2024. The results of all the first-tier testing are required to be submitted to EPA within one year of the effective date of the order and will inform the decision as to which additional tests are necessary. The order and any data submitted in response to this order will be made publicly available on EPA’s website and in the applicable docket on the Regulations.gov page, subject to confidentiality considerations under TSCA section 14.
