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Softball welcomes Valparaiso for 3-game home series

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Squads to meet up Friday through Sunday

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to keep the momentum rolling after an extra inning walk-off win on Wednesday, the University of Evansville softball team plays host to Valparaiso for a 3-game weekend series at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field and James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium.  The teams will play a 3-game series Friday through Sunday.

Evansville opened its Missouri Valley Conference slate against Indiana State earlier this week, splitting a pair of games.  After the Sycamores won the opener, the Purple Aces staged a furious rally to take Wednesday’s game by a 6-5 final.  Lacy Smith had a pair of clutch RBI hits that sealed the win.  Her single in the bottom of the 6th tied the game at 3-3.

Following a scoreless 7th frame, Indiana State plated two runs to take the lead in the top of the 8th.  Marah Wood led the bottom half of the 8th with a home run to left field.  Brooke Voss reached on a walk before moving to third on a double by Abby Bode.  Smith came to the plate and delivered once again, sending Evansville to the 6-5 walk-off win.

Sydney Weatherford made the start, allowing three runs in four innings.  Megan Brenton earned the win, tossing the final four frames with two runs, one earned, crossing the plate.

Valparaiso comes to Evansville with a 6-15 record.  Last Saturday, the Beacons earned a -5 win over Rider.  This will mark the first MVC game for Valpo.  They are led by Kam Utendorf, who is hitting .438 with 21 hits and eight runs scored.

Lady Trailblazers fall in Region Championship game to No. 2 Wabash Valley

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MATTOON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers earned their spot in the NJCAA Division I Region 24 Championship game for the second year in a row. Waiting for them was a familiar foe in No. 2-ranked Wabash Valley College.

The Lady Blazers fought hard throughout the game but unfortunately came up on the wrong end of a 95-79 final score.

Vincennes did not get off to a good start Thursday night at Lake Land College, with Wabash Valley quickly jumping ahead of VU 6-0 early in the first quarter.

After a timeout to settle things down, the Lady Blazers would answer back with an 8-2 run of their own to even the score at 8-8.

Wabash Valley would counter with a 10-3 run and close out the first quarter outscoring VU 11-5 to take a 19-13 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

The Lady Warriors added on to their lead in the second quarter, opening the second period by outscoring VU 17-9 to take a 43-22 lead.

Play was halted briefly as severe weather in the area of Mattoon Thursday night caused a 15-minute weather delay with under a minute to go in the first half.

After play resumed the two teams traded baskets to head into the halftime break with the Lady Trailblazers trailing Wabash Valley 45-29.

VU looked to have their best run at Wabash Valley to start the second half, with VU freshman Makyla Tucker (Indianapolis, Ind.) scoring eight straight points for VU as the Blazers cut the Lady Warriors lead down to 51-39.

Wabash Valley would get their lead back up to 19 later in the third quarter, but the Lady Blazers again refused to go away as Vincennes cut the deficit to 71-55 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Vincennes started to get the crowd behind them in the fourth quarter and were able to ride the momentum to getting within 12 points of Wabash Valley, before the Lady Warriors responded with a 10-2 scoring run.

VU again looked to gain some traction with six unanswered points but were unfortunately stopped by six unanswered for Wabash Valley.

The Lady Warriors were able to run the clock down the stretch with VU Hall of Fame Head Coach electing to play the final minutes with all five of his sophomores on the floor as Wabash Valley closed out the 95-79 victory over VU.

The Lady Trailblazers were led Thursday night by a monster double-double by sophomore Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) who finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, including 15 points coming in the second half of play.

Freshman Makyla Tucker came off the bench to 13 points, 11 of which coming in the second half.

Freshman Destinee Hooks (Indianapolis, Ind.) had to battle some tough defense all night and still almost came away with a double-double, ending her night with 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Freshman Karina Scott (Noblesville, Ind.) was the fourth VU scorer in double figures, getting the VU offense going early to score 10 of her 13 points in the first half, while also picking up a pair of steals.

Sophomore Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) came off the bench to hit all three of her shot attempts to finish with six points, while fellow sophomores Katrina Litte (Valmiera, Latvia) and Brie Miller (Bainbridge, Ind.) ended with five points and four points respectively.

Litte would also lead the Lady Blazers with six assists, while Miller grabbed five rebounds and tied Hooks for the team-high three steals on the night.

Thursday night’s loss likely ends the season for the Lady Trailblazers with a final record of 19-11, including winning 16 of their last 20 games of the season.

The loss also spells the end of the VU careers of the Lady Trailblazers’ five sophomores, Elikya Baseyila, Maycee Lange, Brie Miller, Katrina Litte and Najra Voloder (Konjic, Bosnia).

This sophomore group closed out their two seasons in the Blue and Gold with a final record of 40-22 and back-to-back runner up finishes in the Region 24 tournament.

 

Aces women’s basketball ends season with 85-64 loss to Illinois State

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The Purple Aces end the 2023-24 season at 4-28

MOLINE, Ill. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome the Illinois State Redbirds in the first round of Hoops in the Heartland.

The Purple Aces saw their season come to an end in the first round of the MVC Hoops in the Heartland postseason tournament. UE struggled to stop Illinois State’s offense and find consistent offense in the loss. But three Evansville players found their way into double figures while freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas led the team with 23 points and a season-high four steals.

“I’m really proud of my team,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells following the loss. “We fought really hard. We didn’t always execute everything exactly how we hoped for going into this game. But it’s been a tough season with a lot of different injuries and a lot of different lineups for us.

“I think our team showed an amount of toughness throughout the season as they fought to get better. And I think they have. It doesn’t always show up in the win’s column. But this is a really young team and I’m so proud of them. I think we’re laying a really good foundation for our future,”.

Freshman forward Maggie Hartwig kicked off the game with a bang for the Aces, sinking a three-pointer in the first minute and a half. But UE’s offense struggled to get going after a three-minute cold spell. Evansville wasn’t able to string a run together in the first quarter, falling behind by 12 points following the first 10 minutes of play.

The Aces started clicking in the second frame as they opened the quarter going shot-for-shot with the Redbirds. UE strung together a four-point run early that Illinois State responded to with a five-point run. But a big three from guard Lexie Sinclair with under five to go cut Evansville’s deficit into single digits. The Redbirds tore off on a seven-point run to put the Aces down by 16 points.

A foul got UE back into the game on offense as guard Kynidi Mason Striverson hit two at the line. She hit an open three just over a minute later to end Evansville’s scoring in the first half. The Aces headed into the locker room down by 18 after the second.

UE put up the first five points of the second half as Sinclair hit a second three in the first minute thirty. Illinois State put together two small scoring runs but Evansville continued to break up the runs with field goals. But five straight points over 30 seconds for the Redbirds had the Aces trailing by 22. UE broke out onto one of their largest runs of the day with six straight points to get back within 16. But only two free throws over the final two minutes of the third quarter had Evansville facing a 23-point deficit with only 10 minutes to play.

It was a back-and-forth pace early in the fourth but down by over 20 matching shots didn’t get the Aces within striking distance of Illinois State. Midway through the quarter, neither team was able to make a basket for almost three minutes. The Redbirds broke the scoreless streak but UE had four straight points from Thomas at the free throw line. But a late three from Illinois State ended Evansville’s brief run, stopping any potential comeback in the 85-64 loss.

Thomas led the Aces on offense while Hartwig added 16 points and graduate center Barbora Tomancova had 10 before fouling out early in the fourth. Thomas and Hartwig also led UE on defense with five rebounds each. Thomas also had Evansville’s only block of the game.

The Aces end the season with a 4-28 record while going 2-18 during Missouri Valley Conference play. UE says goodbye to Tomancova and Sinclair as the seniors graduate from the University of Evansville in the spring.

Five Hoosiers Snag National Bids from First Day of Zone Diving

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana swimming and diving expanded its NCAA Championships roster to 26 combined men and women after five divers qualified for the national meet from the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships Thursday (March 14) inside Ralph Wright Natatorium on the campus of the University of Louisville.

Indiana’s five qualifiers was the most from any program on the first day of the regional meet. Three men qualified on the 3-meter springboard, and two women advanced on 1-meter.

“Our team had a good start to the zone meet today,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Our veterans showed their experience today with 5 A cuts by our upperclassman. This will strengthen both the men’s and women’s teams at the NCAA Championships.”

Zone C continues action this weekend as the athletes build out their programs for the 2024 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships later this month. Springboard competitions resume Friday (March 15) followed by platform diving Saturday (March 15).

Junior Big Ten 3-meter champion Carson Tyler and classmate Quinn Henninger were the top two divers in the men’s event. Tyler totaled 910.65 points on the day, over 40 points better than the field. Henninger, last year’s NCAA bronze medalist on the board, finished second with an 869.35. Needing to finish top 10, sophomore Maxwell Weinrich clinched his second NCAA Championships with a score of 752.85 that placed him ninth.

Seven qualifying spots were available from a tightly contested women’s 1-meter competition. Senior Anne Fowler led the way with a score of 606.60. Big Ten Diver of the Championships Skyler Liu took fourth place with a 598.05. Freshman Lily Witte missed seventh place by just 2.65 points, and classmate Ella Roselli (549.75) was the fourth Hoosier in the final and finished 11th. However, the freshman duo can still qualify for the national 1-meter competition as top-12 finishers if they can secure automatic bids on either the 3-meter springboard or platform.

“Lily and Ella both earned ‘B’ cuts today, and, if we can build on that momentum, they will have a chance to dive in multiple events at the NCAA meet,” Johansen said.

RESULTS
WOMEN’S 1-METER
1. Anne Fowler – 606.60 (NCAA Qualifier)

  1. Skyler Liu – 598.05 (NCAA Qualifier)
  2. Lily Witte – 574.40 (Finalist)
  3. Ella Roselli – 549.75 (Finalist)
  4. Morgan Casey – 226.35

    MEN’S 3-METER
    1. Carson Tyler – 910.65 (NCAA Qualifier)

  5. Quinn Henninger – 869.35 (NCAA Qualifier)
  6. Maxwell Weinrich – 752.85 (NCAA Qualifier)
  7. William Jansen – 269.30

    UP NEXT
    The men and women will swap springboards Friday (March 15) as each Hoosier looks to add another event to their NCAA Championships schedule.

Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

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Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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Booked Last 24 Hours-Public

Mayor Terry talks about her first 60 days.

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Mayor Stephanie Terry discusses her experience as the Mayor of Evansville and her priorities for the first year. She emphasizes the importance of neighborhood revitalization and development, partnerships and collaboration, and addressing housing and education challenges. The Mayor also discusses the need for maintenance and budgeting, the future of Mesker Amphitheater, and the impact of the Centerpoint rate increase. She highlights the administration’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the importance of community engagement.

LETTER TO EDITOR: Proposed CenterPoint Energy seeking $118.8 million in revenue, would raise consumer costs

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hatfield
hatfield

Dear Neighbor,

I wanted to provide you with an important and thorough update on a recent request by CenterPoint Energy to increase consumer residential bills.

Recently, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) sent a notice regarding the CenterPoint Energy Electric rate case seeking written consumer comments.

On March 1, I attended a public hearing alongside concerned residents of Vanderburgh County residents who stated their opposition to the proposed rate increase. I am thrilled that so many in our community showed up and submitted written comments to the OUCC on this issue.

CenterPoint Energy is seeking $118.8 million in additional revenue and by proposing a rate hike to residential bills in three phases. If approved, the phased approach would increase consumer residential bills by 6.5% in late 2024, 3.6% in early 2025 and 7.3% in early 2026. Gas rates are not included in this case.

The OUCC recommends a substantial reduction to bring CenterPoint’s request down to $33.2 million.

This week, the Citizens Action Coalition (CAC) filed testimony with recommendations to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to mitigate the impact this proposal would have on residents. CAC Program Director Ben Inskeep recommends the following actions:

  • Dismiss this rate case and direct CenterPoint to refile a rate case in the near future that includes appropriate consideration of ratepayer affordability;
  • Direct CenterPoint to freeze or curtail non-essential spending and investments until it can present an adequate plan demonstrating a pathway toward more affordable ratepayer bills;
  • Order a management audit of CenterPoint to identify additional efficiencies and opportunities to reduce costs, examine leadership decision-making processes and incentives, and identify reforms to ensure ratepayer affordability is appropriately prioritized by management and incorporated into decisions;
  • Disallow a return “of” or “on” utility plant that is no longer used and useful or otherwise not in the public interest or resulting in just and reasonable rates;
  • Make additional adjustments to revenue requirement to remove items such as a portion of CenterPoint management employee compensation;
  • Reduce CenterPoint’s authorized Return on Equity (ROE), or profit.

If the IURC refuses to dismiss the case, Justin Barnes, President of EQ Research LLC, recommends the following actions:

  • The IURC should direct CenterPoint to establish a residential affordable power rider that will provide immediate, direct bill assistance to some of CenterPoint’s most vulnerable low-income households;
  • The IURC should significantly reduce CenterPoint’s proposed revenue requirement including reducing its authorized return on equity from 10.4% to an ROE that the Commission determines is on the lowest end of the range it determines is reasonable;
  • The IURC should deny the use of unreasonable cost allocation methodologies when setting rates which have disproportionately burdened residential customers, as detailed in the direct testimony of CAC witness Justin Barnes;
  • The IURC should deny CenterPoint’s proposal to increase the monthly fixed charge, which reduces a customer’s ability to control their bill and benefit from energy efficiency, and instead assign the cost-based fixed charge recommendation supported by CAC witness Barnes;
  • The IURC should modify the TDSIC tracker to remove the fixed charge component so that all TDSIC Plan costs are recovered through variable per-kWh charges for Residential (“RS”), Water Heating (“B”), and Small General Service (“SGS”) customers;
  • The IURC should direct CenterPoint to analyze the creation of a separate multi-family rate class for presentation in its next base rate case, so that the lower cost to serve multi-family customers relative to single-family premises can be reflected in lower rates for these customers;
  • The IURC should reduce or eliminate late payment fees, reconnection fees, and per-transaction fees, which reduce electric bill affordability primarily for customers dealing with economic hardship; and
  • The IURC should deny CenterPoint’s proposal for remote disconnections, which would exacerbate residential disconnections, and implement a 12-month moratorium on residential disconnections for nonpayment.

Evidentiary hearings in the rate case are slated to begin on April 30 in Indianapolis. A resolution from the IURC is expected during the fourth quarter of 2024.

I hope you find this information helpful and I will continue to update you as information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Ryan Hatfield, District 77 State Representative

BREAKING NEWS: The US Military Academy At West Point Suddenly Removed The “Duty, Honor, Country” Motto From Its Nission statement

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West Point accused of ‘going woke’ after suddenly dropping ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from mission statement

By RONNY REYES

Social Links fo Ronny Reyes
Published March 14, 2024

Updated March 14, 2024, 5:26 p.m. ET

The US Military Academy at West Point suddenly removed the “Duty, Honor, Country” motto from its mission statement — causing critics to blast the institution for “going woke.”

The phrase, which was first added to the mission statement in 1898, is set to be replaced with the words, “Army Values,” according to a letter sent to students and supporters from the school.

The new mission statement for the senior army leadership will now read: “To build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and Nation.’”

The change stemmed from a regular reassessment of the academy, according to Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland, who penned the letter on Monday.

“Our responsibility to produce leaders to fight and win our nation’s wars requires us to assess ourselves regularly,” Gilland wrote.

The academy’s mission statement has been changed multiple times over the past century, West Point spokesperson Col. Terence Kelly noted in a statement to The Post.

“Duty Honor Country is West Point’s motto and the foundation of our culture as it has been since 1898,” Kelley said. “As we have done nine times in the past century, we have updated our mission statement to now include the Army Values, loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.”

The school added that the old phrase would still be adorned throughout the school as it is carved all over entrances and cadets’ uniforms.

“Duty, Honor, Country is foundational to the United States Military Academy’s culture and will always remain our motto,” Gilland wrote.

The change was approved by both Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Randy George, according to Gilland.

EVANSVILLE NURSE RECOGNIZED BY PRESTIGIOUS CORE VALUES AWARD

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EVANSVILLE NURSE RECOGNIZED BY PRESTIGIOUS CORE VALUES AWARD

MARCH 15, 2024

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Darla Bell, director of clinical services for integrated home-based care company Compassus, received the organization’s highest individual honor for her embodiment of the core values of compassion, integrity, excellence, teamwork, and innovation. Bell was awarded the company’s prestigious Carlos Burruel Compassus Core Values Award last week during its annual awards ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona.

Bell is a registered nurse who has been with Compassus since 2019, joining first as clinical manager and quickly progressing to director of clinical services. During her time with Compassus, she has grown her career while uplifting her fellow teammates, providing ethical leadership and oversight, lending a hand to her community in times of need and always looking for ways to improve care delivery. Her teammates describe her as an outstanding manager whose compassion knows no bounds. Not only does she help her team professionally, but she’s risen to emotionally support teammates in times of tragedy, demonstrating a profound level of compassion that goes beyond professional duties.

“Darla embodies all the qualities Compassus aims to deliver in pursuit of our mission to advance the well-being and honor quality of life,” said Compassus CEO David Grams, who first announced the bestowment of the award to Darla during a meeting with the Evansville team. “I am continually humbled by the selflessness and dedication of our teammates, and seeing how Darla has made a lasting impact not only on her peers and community but on the patients and families we serve demonstrates just how well she epitomizes our core values in every aspect of her life.”

The Carlos Burruel Compassus Core Values Award is presented annually to a team member who exhibits personal and professional character imbued with compassion, integrity, excellence, teamwork and innovation in every interaction with patients, families and teammates. It is named in honor of an inspiring teammate who lost his battle with cancer in 2016.

Compassus provides home-based care services including home health, infusion therapy, palliative and hospice care. Nearly 6,000 team members serve more than 100,000 patients annually across 29 states. Compassus provides care in eight markets and surrounding areas in Indiana, including Anderson, Bedford, Evansville, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie and Seymour.

About Compassus

Compassus provides a continuum of integrated home-based care services, including home health, home infusion, palliative and hospice care. Nearly 6,000 teammates and more than 250 access points nationwide provide high-quality care and manage patients’ advanced illnesses in partnership with health systems and long-term care partners. The Compassus Care for who I am culture reflects its unique care delivery model, which focuses on each person as an individual as well as a patient, to improve their quality of life in a meaningful way. The company was honored as one of Newsweek’s Greatest Places to Work for Women and Parents and Families in 2023. Learn more at compassus.com.

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