NORMAL, Ill. – Sydney Weatherford allowed just one run on five hits, but Paige McLeod’s no-hitter paced Illinois State to a 1-0 win over the University of Evansville softball team on Friday at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Weatherford’s lone run was unearned, scoring on an error in the bottom of the second. She walked just one batter in the contest. McLeod struck out two Purple Aces batters and did not issue a walk.
Jayden Standish opened the bottom half of the second with a double and would score the lone run of the game on an error.
Evansville’s first baserunner came in the fifth when Jess Willsey reached on a fielding error before the threat was ended on a double play. Brooke Voss reached on an error in the seventh before a strike out ended the game.
Saturday’s game has been moved up to 12 p.m. due to inclement weather in the forecast.
THE PODCAST OF DR RICHARD MOSS SPEAKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GRASSROOTS INVOLVEMENT IN LOCAL POLITICS
MAY 4, 2024
Dr. Richard Moss, a candidate for the Eighth Congressional District seat, discusses his background as a doctor and the changes he has witnessed in the medical profession.
He criticizes the loss of independent voices in medicine and the lack of early treatment options during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Moss also shares his views on immigration, the United Nations, and the importance of grassroots involvement in local politics.
He emphasizes the need for strong families and a strong civil society to reduce reliance on government.
BELOW IS THE LINK TO JOHNNY KINCAID’S PODCAST FEATURING DR RICHARD MOSS
FOOTNOTE: THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER POSTED THIS PODCAST WITHOUT BIAS OR EDITING.
Mr. Samuel F. Preston
Assistant Director of Public Safety
Office of Public Safety
Sam Preston has been named Director of Public Safety at the University of Southern Indiana, effective immediately. He will report to Steve Bridges, Vice President for Finance and Administration.
As Director, Preston is responsible for ensuring the security and safety of a diverse University community comprised of students, faculty, staff and visitors. The USI community spans across the 1,400-acre main campus and the Stone Family Center for Health Sciences, located in downtown Evansville, along with extension centers in Posey and Vanderburgh counties. Preston serves as the main point of contact and liaison with external law enforcement agencies (local, state and federal) and emergency response organizations.
Before his role as Director, Preston served as Interim Director of Public Safety at USI following Steve Bequette’s retirement. Prior, Preston served as Assistant Director of Public Safety since May 2018. He is a 26-year veteran (retired) of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. Preston is a 2016 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, a certified Master Instructor by the State of Indiana, a peer support and suicide prevention instructor and has experience in crisis negotiation.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in criminology from Indiana State University.
The Announcement MarksThe Largest Planned Capital investment in state history
MAY 1, 2024
NEW CARLISLE, Ind. – Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com. Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), plans to invest $11 billion to build a data center campus in north central Indiana and create at least 1,000 new jobs. This planned investment marks the largest capital investment announcement in Indiana’s history.
“Indiana’s long-term economic strategy is paying dividends for Hoosiers as we cultivate the growth of critical sectors like technology infrastructure,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana, and we are excited to welcome AWS. This significant investment solidifies Indiana’s leadership position in the economy of the future, and will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect on the town of New Carlisle, the north central region and the state of Indiana for years to come.”
AWS is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, and its data centers enable customers of all sizes and across all industries, such as automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, public sector, and more, to transform their businesses. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—are using AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster. The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing capabilities, and generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
“AWS’s unwavering commitment to supporting our customers and helping drive digital transformation has been evident through our infrastructure investments across the United States,” said Roger Wehner, AWS director of economic development. “Building upon this, we are thrilled to be expanding our operations in Indiana through this planned $11 billion investment, which will create numerous well-paying job opportunities and tap into the state’s burgeoning tech sector, while contributing significantly to the state’s growing economy. This investment will include our continuing commitment to fostering workforce development and educational initiatives in areas where we operate, and we look forward to helping nurture the next generation of talent in the Hoosier State. We are excited to partner with Governor Holcomb, IEDC, and other state and local leaders to forge a path toward a brighter future for Indiana’s tech landscape.”
Indiana is an ideal hub for data processing due to its business-friendly environment, abundance of infrastructure resources, availability of skilled labor and growing technology and semiconductor sectors.
“The AWS announcement today will be a generational boost to our local and regional economy, and we are excited for the opportunity to welcome the AWS team and workforce into our community,” said Carl Baxmeyer, President of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. “This new data center campus to be built in the Indiana Enterprise Center (IEC) over the next decade will be a major employment center for all of northern Indiana. This project announcement also shows our alignment with the State’s goal to create next level jobs that benefit all Hoosiers.”
Based on the company’s significant capital investment plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in AWS in the form of data center sales tax exemptions for eligible capital investments over a 50-year term. The IEDC also committed an investment of up to $18.3 million in the form of headcount-based tax credits, up to $5 million in training grants, up to $55 million in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits, and up to $20 million in redevelopment tax credits. These incentives are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim state benefits once investments are made. In addition to its community investment and engagement activities, AWS will also contribute up to $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements being conducted by the state and local community along State Road 2 surrounding the company’s planned development. The company’s investment plans are dependent upon the execution of long-term energy service agreements.
Attorney General Todd Rokita is suing the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) over its frontal assault on the rights of girls and women via a radical rewrite of Title IX rule.
The new rule allows biological men to invade the private spaces of girls and women — such as bathrooms and locker rooms — as part of the Biden administration’s hellbent determination to advance the extreme ideology of the far-left transgender movement.
“We cannot effectively protect women’s rights — or even their physical safety — if we refuse to acknowledge there are in fact two sexes, male and female–and ONLY two sexes,” Attorney General Rokita said. “We cannot function effectively as a republic if we deny the basic facts of creation.”
The six-state lawsuit is being spearheaded alongside Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Enacted in 1972, Title IX helped equalize women’s access to educational facilities and programs by barring discrimination based on sex by federally funded schools. At the same time, because of the enduring physical differences between men and women, Title IX has always allowed the sex-segregated spaces — like bathrooms and locker rooms — that are ubiquitous across the nation.
The new DOE rule, in the guise of confronting “gender identity discrimination,” essentially abolishes sex-based distinctions in educational activities and programs. It forces Indiana and other states to accept radical gender ideology in our schools.
DOE has adopted the new rule in blatant defiance of Congress’s repeated refusal to extend Title IX’s protections to anything other than sex.
If DOE’s unauthorized rewrite of Title IX is allowed to stand, Indiana schools will have to allow males self-identifying as female — in every grade from preschool through college — to use girls’ and women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, play on girls’ and women’s sports teams, and access other female-only activities and spaces. Otherwise, schools risk losing billions in federal funding.
“Congress intended Title IX to prevent discrimination against girls and women,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The point was to encourage increased participation by girls and women in middle school, high school and college athletics. Now leftists are trying to twist Title IX to codify the very kind of anti-woman prejudice and discrimination this law was originally intended to remedy. With this lawsuit, we intend to stop this travesty.”
WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Braun introduced a bill to increase air traffic controller hiring in September 2023. The language of that bill has been included in the FAA reauthorization package that will become law in the next few weeks.
The original bill, the Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2023, was introduced by Senator Braun, Senator Marshall, Senator Lujan, Senator Shaheen, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Boozman.
“Air traffic controllers work around the clock to ensure that America’s aircrafts are taking off and landing safely and on time. At a time when our air traffic controller workforce is below national standards, Congress needs to do its part to help alleviate employment shortages and make sure United States aviation operations are living up to America’s gold standard for air travel. That’s why I’m proud that our language is being included in the FAA bill and will become law.” — Senator Mike Braun
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association applauded the inclusion of the language.
Eleven groups have endorsed the Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2023, including: theNational Air Traffic Controllers Association, Association of Flight Attendants, Transportation Workers Union, Air Line Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, International Association of Machinists, the National Business Aviation Association, the National Safety Council, U.S. Travel Association, and Heritage Action for America.
FSSA is sharing the following information to guide Aged & Disabled (A&D) Waiver & Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waiver recipients and families who are transitioning away from attendant care provided by a legally responsible individual (LRI). As previously announced, legally responsible individuals (LRI) currently providing attendant care may no longer provide paid attendant care beginning July 1, 2024.
As you consider this transition, the following information and guidance should be helpful in clarifying expectations and supporting you in making decisions.
FSSA has been meeting regularly with care managers to provide guidance and equip them to support you through this process. Those meetings will continue during the transition.
FSSA kicked off a series of Family Webinars today that are intended to provide individuals and families with updates, information, and resources to support you, as well.
Below, we’ve outlined things you should expect in May and June. In addition, we are sharing that, in response to feedback from families during the waiver public comment period, FSSA requested approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for eligible individuals to be able to receive skilled respite while receiving structured family caregiving (SFC). This is in addition to the 15 days per calendar year of unskilled respite available within SFC. Also, foster parents will be able to provide SFC. Both changes are pending CMS approval. More information on these updates is available in the FAQ.
What to expect in May and June 2024:
You should be in active conversations with your care manager planning for your transition. If you are not actively engaged with your care manager, you should contact your care manager. If your care manager is not responsive, you should contact your Area Agency on Aging or care management company. If after following these steps you are not receiving a response from your care manager, you may email DAresponseteam@fssa.in.gov.
Your care manager will work with you to update your service plan according to your needs. Your care manager must submit your updated service plan by June 15, 2024.
As previously announced, eligible individuals have several options:
You may work with your care manager to receive attendant care from an individual who is not an LRI.
or
You may continue to receive paid support from an LRI through Structured Family Caregiving
If you select Structured Family Caregiving, care managers will work with you to select an SFC provider. Care managers will use the SFC assessment to determine the appropriate SFC level. This should occur during May 2024.
If you select Attendant Care, care managers will work with you and your attendant care provider to help you select an attendant who is not an LRI. Your service plan will be reviewed to determine if the requested units of service are consistent with need. This should occur during May 2024.
Children (Age birth-17)
If you choose SFC, care managers will work with you to select an SFC provider. The SFC level will be determined based upon the authorized attendant care hours as of May 1, 2024:
SFC Level One: 1-20 hours/week
SFC Level Two: 21-40 hours/week
SFC Level Three: 41+ hours/week
If you choose Attendant Care, care managers will work with you and your attendant care provider to help you select an attendant who is not an LRI. Your service plan will be reviewed to determine if the requested units of service are consistent with need. This should occur during May 2024.
What is happening after July 1, 2024?
FSSA will continue to refine how SFC levels are determined for the pediatric population in the coming months in accordance with the CMS-approved waivers. After June 30, 2024, you can expect the following:
July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 – Health & Wellness (H&W) Waiver (formerly A&D Waiver), TBI Waiver, & Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver
Adults (Age 18+)
No change to SFC assessment process.
Children (Age birth-17) – H&W Waiver & TBI Waivers Only
FSSA will be training care managers to use the SFC assessment tool for assessing a child and their needs.
New waiver recipients and any eligible individuals who newly select SFC after July 1, 2024, will be assessed using this tool.
Eligible individuals receiving SFC as of July 1, 2024, will continue to receive their current SFC level until July 1, 2025 unless they request a service plan change with their care manager.
Children (Age birth-17) – H&W Waiver & TBI Waivers Only
FSSA will develop and implement a pediatric assessment for SFC alongside pediatric eligibility (level of care) improvements. Both the assessment and level of care updates will be applied at the annual review or when an eligible individual requests a change to their service plan.
Billboards erected around the state by ReCenter Indiana are urging Democrats to vote in the Republican primary in an attempt to advance more centrist candidates.Photo provided.
If you have driven down I-465 recently, you may have seen a billboard by ReCenter Indiana saying, “Even Democrats can vote in the Republican primary” on Tuesday.
This is part of a controversial campaign that comes from some Democrats being dissatisfied with not having an elected governor for over 20 years and feeling like their votes don’t matter in a supermajority Republican state.
ReCenter Indiana is “two separate bipartisan organizations to help move Indiana politics closer to the center and to bring more civility to political discussions,” according to its website. “One organization is an Indiana political action committee (PAC), and the other organization is an Indiana not-for-profit corporation.”
According to a ReCenterR Indiana press release, billboards are currently posted:
In Indianapolis, on I-465 just west of the White River bridge between North Keystone Avenue and Allisonville Road.
In Fort Wayne, at 9212 Lima Road (State Road 3).
In Bloomington, on the State Road 45/46 Bypass just west of North Kinser Pike.
In Evansville, on North Green River Road just north of State Road 66.
In Merrillville, on Broadway just north of U.S. 30 as well as east of I-65.
A South Bend billboard also is coming to South Bend Avenue at Napoleon Street.
Phil Bremen, an associate professor emeritus at Ball State University and a member of the political action committee board, said, “The members of the organization are funding it, and we’ve had some outside support. Some people around the state … They like our message and they’re helping us.”
Bremen explained how a voter can select a candidate in a different party’s primary:
“In Indiana, the only registration is as a voter, and that means that in the primary, you can ask for whichever ballot you want. You can ask for a Republican or Democratic or libertarian, and the election official is supposed to give it to you,” Bremen said.
“And because Indiana has an open primary, it’s a chance for people who are not Republicans to influence who is likely to be the next governor because this state has not elected a Democrat for governor in 24 years.”
The last elected Democratic governor was Joseph E. Kernan (2003-2005). There are six Republicans in the primary race for governor in Indiana this year: U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Brad Chambers, Eric Doden, Curtis Hill and Jamie Reitenour. On the other hand, the Democratic party has already chosen Jennifer McCormick as the Democratic nominee.
“A few other states have variations of open primaries. It’s just not something that gets discussed much, and it’s the whole process that is kind of confusing,” said Bremen. “And so a lot of people can certainly be forgiven for not knowing.”
Campaign controversy
There is controversy on both sides, with some Democrats as well as Republicans opposed to the ReCenter campaign.
Griffin Reid, a press secretary and digital director for the Indiana Republican Party, said, “It is unfortunate that Democrats in Indiana can’t win elections on the merit of their own policies so they have to resort to antics like this. This is a reminder that Republicans should come out to vote in this year’s primary to ensure their voices are heard as we elect our party’s nominees.”
Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, is a ReCenter Indiana advisor but was not directly involved in the billboard outreach.
“I’m one of the people who give them advice from time to time,” he said. “I’m not a part of the organization, and I’ve specifically advised that this was a bad idea. I’m just conversing with people who want to improve politics. …
“I’m not angry at them, but I just remember they’re a new group. They’re amateurs politically,” Delaney said. “They’re troubled rightly by the lopsided representation that gerrymandering has led to, and so they’re trying and, you know, they represent a very interesting nucleus. They’re most interesting people. They represent our people who are what I call traditional Republicans who believe in our institutions, believe in democracy, believe in honesty, are very, very troubled and don’t know where to go.”
Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl spoke on why he thinks Democrats should vote in their own primary.
“Twenty years of one-party Republican administration has our state going in the wrong direction, and we badly need more balance again in Indiana’s politics. All six of the Republican candidates for governor are for Indiana’s near-total abortion ban and against restoring a women’s right to choose.
“Our party endorsed Jennifer McCormick because she’s committed to restoring women’s rights and supporting our local schools. Jennifer is the only choice to get our state on the right track, both this May and in November.”
Indiana Democratic spokesperson Sam Barloga followed up:
“We believe Democrats have great candidates to support across the state and up and down the ballot this May, including Jennifer McCormick in the governor’s race. These candidates deserve support in the primary to help them gain momentum heading into the summer,” he said.
“Indiana won’t achieve balance again in our politics until we end one-party control, and by supporting Democratic candidates in the primary election, we can send that message.”
Jocelyn Vare, chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, said she alsoopposes the message ReCenter Indiana has been advertising and recommends Democrats to vote their values.
“Democratic voters voting according to their values and voting consistently and strongly as the Democrats that they are, that helps Democratic candidates get elected and therefore helps Democratic values be represented in an elected capacity,” Vare said. “We and voters who want their voices heard and their values to be represented need to consistently vote for those candidates that will commit to do so.”
Vare thinks Hamilton County has a unique opportunity this election.
“Hamilton County, Indiana, is a county in the state that has the best opportunity of achieving political balance very soon,” she said. “Hamilton County has always been considered a GOP stronghold, and over the last few years, we are seeing a red county transition to purple. …
“I find that political balance to be healthy and the best way that citizens are represented. So, this is especially important for Hamilton County voters to vote according to their values, and that means Democratic voters choosing a Democratic ballot in this primary election.”
Uncompetitive races
Michael Wolf, acting director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne, said the ReCenter concept is not new.
“There’s two different kinds [of crossover voting],” he said. “I mean, there are potentially so many examples; one is called raiding, where some Democrats in this case would jump into the Republican primary to support potentially the weakest or the most extreme candidate. They would have a hard time getting elected in the general election. And the second kind is more strategic, and that’s where maybe Democrats would cross over to support somebody, as the ReCenter is pushing for a more moderate candidate. …
“As I know it, there’s not a whole lot of evidence that it tends to end up working, particularly in a state like Indiana, which has what’s referred to as a semi-open primary.”
He reiterated: “The literature largely shows that there’s not usually a huge effect of this. So, it typically doesn’t end up making a difference in the race.”
Julia Vaughn, executive director for Common Cause Indiana, thinks that most Hoosiers are independent and don’t really feel a strong allegiance to either party.
“What I’m most concerned about is people voting and, you know, sometimes because of gerrymandering, there can be not a lot of choices for people. So I think, you know, people should follow their interests and what issues they think are important,” Vaughn said. “And the really underlying most important thing is that people participate in the primary election because, again, turnout is typically very, very low, much less than 50%.
“When you only have about a quarter of the people participating, your impact is going to be much bigger, you know, so, whichever ballot you choose, it’s just really important for voters to get out and participate on May 7.”
Bremen of ReCenter said gerrymandering in Indiana dilutes Democratic votes by carving up city districts and combining them with rural districts to give Republicans an advantage. This makes many races uncompetitive, which can discourage voter participation. It also means that the most extreme Republican candidates are more likely to win elections, he said, which contributes to some voters feeling unrepresented. Overall, he continued, gerrymandering makes it harder for Democrats to win elections in Indiana and can reduce voter participation over time.
“That’s why there often are uncompetitive races,” he said. “That’s why, for instance, there are a lot more Republicans challenging each other for the chance to get elected in November—because they know whoever wins the Republican primary is likely to win in November.”
Indiana’s low voter participation numbers last November placed it 50th among all states.
“A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that people just don’t think their votes count or there’s nobody on the ballot they cared about,” Bremen said.
“We’re trying to do something about that because when few people take part, the system doesn’t work. When few people take part, a small minority gets to call the shots for all the rest of us and gets to make policies for all the rest of us. And chances are, because they are nominated by the extremes, the most, the most partisan members of their parties—typically, it’s the Republican Party in Indiana—they’re not going to like what turns out.
“The thing about the governor in particular, the governor is supposed to represent all of us, even people who didn’t vote for him or her, but it’s very tempting to ignore the folks who didn’t even bother to vote at all. The way to make your vote count is to vote in the primary of the party that’s likely to win in November.”
Evansville, IN – Sophia Hape, an Ivy Tech Evansville dual enrollment student in the Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and a senior at F.J. Reitz High School, was the winner of the 2nd Annual Ivy Tech Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition on May 2.
Hape’s business plan is for a beauty and skincare company called “Sophia’s Salon and Skincare.” The business would specialize in in-person Esthetic skincare, and personalized subscription boxes of items.
She said she plans to go to Esthetician school after her high school graduation and will use the $3,000 prize to help pay her tuition. She also won the $500 Best Booth Design, as judged by attendees of the expo.
