|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and have some food while socializing with fellow Democrats! We will meet this Friday from 5:30pm – 7:00pm at Doc’s (1305 Stringtown Road). This is a great way to kick-off your weekend and enjoy time with party members. Appetizers provided! |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Please join us for the first VCDP Breakfast in 2024! Iron Workers Local 103 is hosting and providing breakfast for everyone. We will hear from some of our 2024 candidates including Ed Sein, 8th District Congressional candidate, Hope Fussner, County Commissioner candidate, Gina Ungar, candidate for Recorder, Keith Mosby, candidate for Coroner and Marc Carmichael, candidate for the US Senate. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
ONLY 300 TICKETS AVAILABLE! Our 2024 Red, White & Blue kicks off on March 16th! The success of the raffle determines the level of support for our 2024 candidates. We will use the funds for mailers, texting, phone banks and advertising. Visit our website for information on purchasing tickets through Venmo, or contact Cheryl Schultz (812-459-7645) to use cash or check. Tickets will also be available for purchase at our March 16th breakfast. Support of the Raffle is greatly appreciated! |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Join us to provide your input and suggestions for the 2024 Indiana Democratic Party Platform! |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Absentee ballots for the May 7 primary will be mailed beginning March 22. You can request your ballot by going to indianavoters.com or calling Cheryl Schultz at 812-459-7645. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
If you would be interested in helping voters complete their primary ballots, please contact Cheryl Schultz at 812-459-7645. Workers travel in pairs to various nursing homes, private residences, etc. to assist voters who are unable to leave their homes or need help in completing their ballots. Workers are compensated for their time. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special thanks to our In to Win monthly donors! Blue — Dona Hall, Glenn Boberg Bronze — Ann Wallis, Edie Hardcastle, Connie Parker, Jane Duesterberg, Valerie Ewers, Kristi Roll, Genny Tenbarge, Nancy Higgs, Melissa Moore
|
Join us for our first breakfast meeting of the year this Saturday!
Dinner on the Bridge is March 23rd!
|
|
Statement by Administrator Regan on the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget
President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget requests $11 billion to support EPA’s essential work to tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and protect human health and the environment
WASHINGTON – Today, March 11, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Following historic progress made since the President took office—with nearly 15 million jobs created and inflation down two-thirds—the Budget protects and builds on this progress by lowering costs for working families, protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, investing in America and the American people, and reducing the deficit by cracking down on fraud, cutting wasteful spending, and making the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the FY 2025 Budget for EPA deliver bold environmental actions and economic benefits for communities across the county,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The Budget announced today will advance the agency’s ongoing efforts to address our most critical environmental challenges, from combating climate change, to ensuring clean air, safe water, and healthy lands, to protecting communities from harmful chemicals. EPA’s work will benefit all Americans and we have made it a priority to ensure that a commitment to environmental justice is central to all of the agency’s efforts as we continue our work to help disadvantaged and overburdened areas become healthier, more resilient, communities.”
The Budget makes critical, targeted investments in the American people that will promote greater prosperity for decades to come. At EPA, the Budget will:
- Advance Environmental Justice. The Budget bolsters the agency’s efforts to achieve environmental justice in communities across the Nation by investing nearly $1.5 billion in environmental justice-related programs. This investment supports the implementation of the President’s Justice40 commitment, which ensures at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy as well as infrastructure work reach disadvantaged communities, including rural and Tribal communities. These investments continue to support efforts to promote cleaner air and cleaner water, focusing on frontline communities.
- Urgently Tackle Climate Change. The Budget prioritizes combatting climate change with the urgency that science demands. The Budget includes $2.9 billion in climate-related programs to support work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, building resilience in the face of climate impacts including engaging with the global community, expanding upon the GHG Reporting Program and Sinks Inventory, and implementing provisions in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to continue phasing out the production and import of hydrofluorocarbons.
- Invest in Clean Air. The FY 2025 Budget provides a total of $1.5 billion for the Office of Air and Radiation, an increase of $690 million since the beginning of the Administration, to continue the development of national programs, policies, and regulations that control indoor and outdoor air pollution and radiation exposure. This funding includes $423 million to assist EPA’s Tribal, state, and local partners in implementing their air quality management programs, an increase of $158 million from the current levels. Also included is $100 million for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program, which funds grants and rebates to reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines, and $70 million for the Targeted Airshed Grants, which help reduce air pollution in the most polluted nonattainment areas. The Budget provides $186 million for the Federal Vehicle and Fuels Standards Certification Program, which develops analytical methods, regulations, and analysis to reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources.
- Support the President’s Goal of Replacing All Lead Pipes. The Budget includes a total of $101 million for two EPA grant programs dedicated to remediating lead contamination in drinking water—the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water grant program and the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program—an increase of $53 million over 2021 levels. This investment, along with other programs at EPA that can be used for lead projects, builds on the historic $15 billion in direct funding for lead pipe replacement through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and underscores the President’s commitment to ensuring access to safe drinking water and creating good-paying jobs in the process.
- Invest in Critical Water Infrastructure. The Budget provides a total of $2.4 billion for the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, an increase of more than $1 billion over the current levels. The SRFs provide states with resources to fund high priority projects that improve human health and environmental conditions. These funds, and other water infrastructure programs within EPA, like the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) credit program and the two $25 million grants programs focused on infrastructure resilience and sustainability, complement funding provided for water infrastructure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Budget also includes $30 million for a new program that addresses gaps in resources to help improve the Federal response to water-related emergencies, such as the recent arsenic contamination of a public well in Coachella Valley, CA, and the drinking water access crisis in Jackson, MS.
- Safeguard Against Dangerous Chemicals and Protecting Public Health and the Environment. EPA has a responsibility under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure the safety of chemicals in or entering commerce and addressing any unreasonable risks to human health or the environment. The Budget invests nearly $132 million, an increase of $49 million above current levels to continue building core capacity and modernizing information technology and data software for the TSCA Program. The Budget also provides $208 million for Brownfields to support efforts to revitalize sites by awarding grants and providing technical assistance to Tribes, states, local communities, and other stakeholders to plan, inventory, assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields sites. Additionally, the Budget proposes approximately $170 million for EPA to continue addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through actions highlighted in the agency’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap.
- Continue to Build Back Capacity to Carry Out EPA’s Core Mission. The Budget adds more than 2,000 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) relative to the 2023 Operating Budget, for a total of more than 17,000 FTEs. This continues to build back capacity for oversight of delegated programs, enforcement and compliance, land clean-up, grant deployment, public communication and engagement, and scientific research in support of all offices at EPA. These staffing investments will enable EPA to better serve the American people and protect public health and the environment.
- Ensure Compliance with and Enforcement of the Nation’s Environmental Laws. The Budget provides $260 million for civil enforcement efforts, which includes funding to prevent the illegal importation and use of hydrofluorocarbons in the United States. The Budget also includes $172 million for compliance monitoring efforts, including funds to conduct inspections in underserved and overburdened communities and rebuilding the inspector corps, and $77 million for criminal enforcement efforts. The agency will implement the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives to target these investments at the most serious environmental violations.
- Support State and Tribal Partners. The Budget continues to request additional resources to directly support EPA’s Tribal, state, and local partners with an investment of $1.5 billion in categorical grants, an increase of $304 million. This includes a new $25 million program to develop and fund Direct Implementation Tribal Cooperative Agreements to advance equitable implementation of EPA authorities and directives in Indian Country, which will include a focus on increasing resilience to climate change impacts.
The Budget builds on the President’s record while achieving meaningful deficit reduction through measures that cut wasteful spending and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.
Collective Soul performs at Victory Theatre on July 28th!
Collective Soul performs at Victory Theatre on July 28th!
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 15TH AT 10 AM!
Evansville, IN– It’s probably (well, definitely) somewhat of an understatement to say Collective Soul frontman and chief songwriter Ed Roland is unwaveringly driven in his desire to double down on doing more of what he does best — making music, sweet music, both in the studio and onstage.
“People ask me if I have a hobby, but for me, it’s just music,” Roland confirms. “I mean, I don’t know what else to do, because that’s what I love to do. I live in the studio — but then the time comes when I go, ‘Well, now I wanna go play live.’ I just love the creation of music, and the process of finding out what’s gonna happen with it next. That kinda defines it all for me.”
In following his ever-tenacious muse, Roland is always looking to connect with his current Collective Soul bandmates any which way he can. Actually, the word current is a bit of a misnomer, since Roland truly believes the Collective Soul of the here and now is as permanently intertwined as any group of musicians he’s ever worked with over the course of his illustrious career. “It’s worth noting See What You Started by Continuing was really the demo for this band as it stands right now,” Roland points out, referring to the 2015 album that realigned the rock quintet’s creative compass. “I mean, this is the band for the rest of my life. This is it, man.”
Indeed, if a) 2015’s aforementioned See What You Started by Continuing was the reset blueprint for how a revamped and revitalized five-man lineup fully gels as a unit, and b) 2019’s Blood was the ensuing coagulant further infused by an in-tune rock ensemble clearly firing on all corpuscles, then c) Collective Soul’s upcoming, long-awaited 2022 album release Vibrating simply sends the band’s artistic spirit into the next stratosphere.
“Our fans have already picked up on that,” agrees Roland, “because they’ve been waiting for Vibrating for almost three years now — and I can’t wait for them to hear it. They’re excited because both See What You Started and Blood set such a high standard for where we’re going as a band — and it’s only going to continue getting better with Vibrating. I really do believe that.”
You can believe it too, for the proof lies within the new album’s deeply delineated grooves. Fact is, Vibrating positively pulsates with the boundless energy that has been Collective Soul’s aural calling card for going on three full decades. From the propulsively gnarly kiss-off of “Cut the Cord” to the reflective midtempo jangle of “Take” to the heart-wrenching reality check of “Rule #1” — replete with a soaring string section, no less! — to the choir-backed emotional crossroads of “Where Do I Go,” Vibrating contains 42 minutes of irrefutable sonic evidence of a band wholly uninterested in sitting still. “I think we’re on a roll,” observes Roland. “We’re not afraid to stretch the boundaries — but we do know how to stay in our lane when we need to. Sometimes, though, we just have to go faster.”
The next logical acceleratory step, of course, resides in taking Vibrating out on the road where the band belongs, and test-driving how this electrifying new material meshes with indelible Collective Soul setlist classics like “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” “Gel,” “AYTA,” “Why, Pt. 2,” “Precious Declaration,” and “Heavy” — in addition to more recent, Blood-spawned tracks like “Right as Rain,” “Observation of Thoughts,” and “Over Me.”
“We’re ready to go,” declares Roland. “Most of us grew up together and knew each other as kids, so that helps with the live chemistry. I’ve always said this about this band — we know when to knock each other out, and we know when to hug each other. We won’t put up with any crap, but if you’re feeling down and need help, we’ll pick you up. We’re coming up on 30 years as a band, so we have to be friends first and foremost to keep it all going. If we aren’t friends like that, then we’re not going to have longevity in our career in order to continue doing what we love to do. That’s just the bottom line.”
Seeing eye to eye, and ear to ear, is part of the secret sauce of why Collective Soul continues to both record and play together at an uncompromised level of high quality. “That’s the end goal for everybody in this band,” agrees Roland. “Just because I write the songs doesn’t mean I’m the only one who wants it all to come out right. We all want it to be right — and that’s because this is a band that acts like a band.”
Working in tandem, sharing unbridled opinions, and listening to what everyone else has to say without recrimination are all key proponents in fostering Collective Soul’s perpetual harmony. “That’s the forte of this band,” Roland acknowledges. “We discuss things together, we figure them out together, and we make sure to get everything right. That’s how we love to do it. And I say this out of confidence, and not out of ego — we’re really, really good at it, too.”
You’ll get no arguments here. As 2022 unfurls, it’s clear heaven continues to shine its light down on Collective Soul, a formidable five-man band humming along in unison with many more good vibrations of their own to share with the masses far and wide. There’s a reason Collective Soul are made for me and you — so be sure to see and hear them for yourself first-hand, the next time they make their presence known in your neck of the woods.
Tickets may be purchased at Ford Center Ticket Office or www.Ticketmaster.com
For more information about the Victory Theatre, visit:
www.victorytheatre.com www.facebook.com/VictoryTheatre www.twitter.com/Victory_Theatre
About VenuWorks
VenuWorks provides customized management solutions for arenas, stadiums, theatres and convention centers throughout the country with services that include operations, catering, and concessions, along with the booking and marketing of sports and entertainment events
Totality exhibit on display at USI New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
The University of Southern Indiana’s New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art (NHGCA) in New Harmony, Indiana, is proud to present Totality, an exhibition juried by Dr. Kent Scheller, Professor of Physics. Totality is on display now through Saturday, April 20.
Totality refers to the sum or whole of an overall amount. Totality can also refer to a quality or state of being total, whole or complete. The terms “totality” and “totalization” have been used in literary and cultural philosophy to refer to the possibility and practice of total, unified closure. It refers to the processes that enable seemingly unrelated events to convey themselves as part of a larger, more complex whole. Totality also describes a phase of an eclipse. On Monday, April 8, New Harmony, Indiana, will be in the path of totality. To commemorate this astronomical event, artwork related to and/or inspired by the idea of an eclipse was solicited.
Exhibiting artists include Andy Batt, Ariana Chilvers, Audra Lynn Clayton, Rita H.G. Davis, Vernelle Farrington, Mary Kay Glinis, Brian Hitselberer, Heather Landry, Beata Renata Marczak, Ravyn McHugh, Rob Millard-Mendez, Sarah Moschel Miller, Jakey Mumfie, Dawn Murtaugh, Laura Foster Nicholson, Sheryl Sullivan and Bill Tortoriello.
Scheller has been teaching physics at USI for 25 years. He was recognized in 2007 with the H. Lee Cooper Core Teaching Award for the creativity and success of his teaching. In 2011, he was selected by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to serve a two-year term as the faculty representative on the 14-member Indiana Commission for Higher Education. In 2014, faculty colleagues selected Scheller for the USI Distinguished Professor Award for his achievements in scholarship, teaching, and University and community service. His current research is focused on the presence and nature of environmental radon in Southwestern Indiana.
Scheller earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Evansville and a master’s degree in physics and a doctorate in nuclear astrophysics, both from the University of Notre Dame.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Gallery is open to the public at no charge.
The NHGCA at University of Southern Indiana promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region. The NHGCA is a proud outreach partner of the University of Southern Indiana.
This exhibition is made possible in part by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.
USI Women’s Basketball receives first-ever ranking in CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25®
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball made its first-ever debut in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25® rankings Tuesday evening, checking in at No. 22 in the latest poll.
Now in its’ 14th season, the Women’s Mid-Major Top 25® is voted on by 31 Division I coaches. The poll is announced every Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Southern Indiana (24-6) had been receiving votes for the mid-major rankings since January 30, but the Screaming Eagles cracked the top 25 following a sweep of the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and most recently the 2024 OVC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship. USI was the only OVC school to be ranked or receive votes in the latest release of the rankings.
The Screaming Eagles captured the first two OVC team championships for USI Athletics this season, capturing the regular-season title by six games before winning back-to-back games against Eastern Illinois University and the University of Tennessee at Martin in last week’s OVC Championship Tournament. USI defeated the Panthers by a score of 69-54 in the semifinals and by a score of 81-53 over UT Martin in the championship game.
USI’s 28-point margin of victory in Saturday’s championship game also ranked among the largest margins of victory in the OVC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game history, just short of the championship game’s top-two point differentials of 32 and 30 points.
Compared to recent history, Saturday’s championship win put Southern Indiana with the likes of the University of North Dakota’s 2011-12 team (Great West Conference) and California Baptist University’s 2020-21 team (Western Athletic Conference) to win a regular season and conference tournament championship in the same season during a transition period.
Plus, Southern Indiana is currently enjoying a 10-game winning streak for the second time this season, matching a team best since the 2017-18 season. The 2017-18 season was also the last time USI had won at least 24 games overall as the Screaming Eagles have done so far this season.
Sycamores defeat Aces in Valley opener
Teams meet up again on Wednesday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After scoring two runs in the first and four in the second, Indiana State defeated the University of Evansville softball team by a final score of 9-0 at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium on Tuesday.
Indiana State used the long ball to open a 6-0 lead in the opening two innings. Abby Robakowski opened the scoring with a RBI single with a second run scoring on an error on the play. Danielle Henning and Robakowski each had 2-run homers in the second to push he lead to 6-0.
Evansville had its first scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third, loading the bases as Zoe Frossard picked up the Purple Aces’ first hit of the game before a flyout got ISU out of the inning. The Sycamores responded with a 3-run fourth frame to push the lead to 9-0.
ISU would hold strong from there, taking the MVC opener by a 9-0 final.
Frossard and Alexa Davis accounted for the Aces hits. Mikayla Jolly tossed three innings with eight runs scoring, six of which were earned. Elle Jarrett gave up one earned run in two frames. Lauren Sackett threw the complete game for ISU on the way to her 6th win of the season.
Wednesday night will feature another meeting between the squads at 5 p.m.
HOT JOBS
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
Easily apply
USI Screagle Showcase to highlight demonstrations, activities by campus community at Solarpalooza
The University of Southern Indiana is excited to present the Screagle Showcase in conjunction with Solarpalooza from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, April 8 in the Screaming Eagles Arena. The hands-on activity expo will feature K-12, engaging activities and demonstrations from academic programs and University clubs. It is open to the public at no charge.
Demonstrations and activities include, but are not limited to, the presentation of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts by the USI Geology, Physics, and Environmental Science Departments; exploring native and invasive plants at USI and the importance of dark skies to increasing pollinators with the USI Biology Department; and several child-friendly stations (including planets and playdough, moon jumping, and a solar-themed bean bag toss) presented by the USI Teacher Education Department.
For exact locations of all happenings, browse the USI Solarpalooza Map.
USI will host Solarpalooza Sunday and Monday, April 7-8, beginning with a talk by trailblazing electrical engineer and retired NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham, at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 7 in the Screaming Eagles Arena, followed by a full day of experiential learning and engagement on Monday, April 8, the day of the eclipse.