FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Gov. Holcomb issued the following statement on the passing of State Senator Jean Breaux
INDIANAPOLIS- Governor Eric J. Holcomb released the following statement today in response to the death of State Sen. Jean Breaux:
“State Senator Jean Breaux dedicated nearly two distinguished decades of her life serving others. Her passion for representing and helping her constituents, including serving on the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana and her commitment to public health, was a model and joy to be around. The statehouse will not be the same without her in the chamber, but her spirit and legacy will live on through the countless Hoosiers she inspired. Janet and I send our condolences to her loved ones including her mother, former State Senator Billie Breaux, during this difficult time.”
Trio of Trailblazers earn All-Region 24 honors
VINCENNES, Ind. – Honors and recognitions came in big time for the 2024 Region 24 and Central District Champion Vincennes University men’s basketball team, with VU sophomores Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.), Kris King (Washington, D.C.) and freshman Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) earning All-Region 24 honors.
The first Trailblazer recognized was VU leading scorer Lebron Thomas, who led the Trailblazers by averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Thomas got off to a great start to the season with 20 points, nine assist and seven rebounds in the Trailblazers win over Monroe College in November.
Thomas’s best game of the season came in a win over Olney Central, when Thomas recorded his only double-double of the season with a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds.
Thomas has scored in double figures in 27 of VU’s 33 games this season, while also leading the Trailblazers in three-point makes and free throws made this season.
“It means a lot to me,” Thomas said. “After not playing last year and earning this was just one step closer to what I have been working on.”
“My favorite memory at VU was probably when we went to Moberly in Missouri and got to practice at Mizzou,” Thomas added. “Stuff like that was a really cool experience for me.”
“My experience at Vincennes University has been different than what I thought completely,” Thomas said. “From the coaching, I didn’t really expect a lot of things we do, like the way we pass the ball and getting in rhythm of a shot or even what we wear on and off the court. But I am grateful for it and the position I am in to be a part of it.”
The next Trailblazer honored was 2024 Region 24 tournament MVP and now two-time All-Region 24 honoree Michael Osei-Bonsu, who nearly averaged a double-double this season with 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Osei-Bonsu is currently third in the Nation in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 4.6 offensive rebounds per game this season.
Osei-Bonsu has scored in double figures 21 times this season, with 11 times coming in double-doubles.
Osei-Bonsu’s best game this season came in the Region 24 Semi-finals when Michael set a career high with 33 points and 15 rebounds in VU’s win over John A. Logan College.
UE Theatre Performance Senior Presents Staged Reading Of New Play: GLOSSOLALIA
EVANSVILLE, IND. (03/19/2024) Senior theatre performance major, Christina Tinde Jesenski, from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., makes her playwriting debut with a staged reading of her new play, GLOSSOLALIA, in the John David Lutz Theatre Lab. GLOSSOLALIA is being presented in conjunction with the UE Honors Program as Jesenski’s Honors Project. This staged reading opens at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 22. Additional readings are at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23.
Somewhere in rural Kansas, sometime after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, two charismatic Christians face emotional and spiritual reckoning after having sex outside of marriage. Isaac, a convert called to preach, is nine years older than Evangeline, a sixteen-year-old pastor’s daughter raised in the faith. Faced with irreparable consequences in the aftermath of their tryst, Isaac and Evangeline struggle to reach moral common ground, craving redemption as deeply as they crave each other.
A fiery two-person play, GLOSSOLALIA bites down on age of consent laws, abortion legislation, and purity culture while questioning the lines between personal faith and organized religion, church and state, love and lust, and truth and lies.
GLOSSOLALIA is directed by Portia Krieger, an NYC-based guest artist and director of new plays and musicals. She has directed and developed work with Clubbed Thumb, Second Stage Theatre, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York Stage & Film, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Page 73, Ars Nova, Lark Theater, the Juilliard School, New York Music Festival, and others. Portia has been an O’Neill/National New Play Network National Director Fellow, a two-time New Georges Audrey Resident, a participant in the Drama League Directors Project, and an Ars Nova Director-in-Residence. She is a Clubbed Thumb Affiliated Artist, a company member of ColtCoeur and Lesser America, Co-founder of the New Georges Jam, and Associate Director of Broadway’s FUN HOME and SEMINAR, and ALMOST FAMOUS.
Emily Baggarly, an actress, dancer, singer, choreographer, and educator based in NYC, serves as the guest Intimacy Director. After graduating summa cum laude from Otterbein University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance, Emily joined the Verdon Fosse Legacy by completing their Professional Training Program 1 and 2.
Jonah Charpie, a first-year design and technology major from Noblesville, Ind., Bailey Piontkowski, a first-year design and technology major from Fort Worth, Texas, and Jess Simmons, a first-year design and technology major from Indianapolis, Ind. serve as the lighting designers. Beverly Buchanan, a senior performance major from Tomball, Texas, serves as the sound designer; Katie Lawhorn, a junior stage management major from Louisville, Ky., is the stage manager, and Marguerite Winzinger, a first-year directing and dramaturgy major from Bordentown, N.J., is the dramaturg.
The cast features Aiblinn Rose 23, a guest artist from Clackamas, Ore., as Evangeline and Garrett Hale, a senior performance major from Haslet, Texas, as Isaac.
Tickets are free to the public and seating is general admission. Tickets may be reserved by calling the ticket office at 812.488.2031.
Scott Massey And Ivan Ball Tackling food insecurity in Lesotho and rural southern Indiana
Scott Massey and Ivan Ball Tackling food insecurity in Lesotho and rural southern Indian
Anu establishes smart, aeroponic greenhouses that grow daily servings of produce in Africa and North America
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An agricultural startup founded by Purdue University alumni is addressing international food insecurity in the Kingdom of Lesotho and rural southern Indiana, to expand domestically and internationally.
Heliponix LLC, doing business as anu™, commercializes fully automated, in-home smart gardens that grow daily servings of produce using aeroponics. Aeroponics is a form of hydroponics, the technique of growing plants without soil.
The anu smart gardens consume less energy and more than 98% less water than conventional field farming. Produce includes most leafy green vegetables, culinary herbs, and fruiting and flowering plants, which Anu manufactures in seedpods.
Purdue Polytechnic Institute alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball founded anu, inspired by working on NASA-funded hydroponic research at Purdue led by Cary Mitchell, professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture. Purdue Innovates has invested in Anu, and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. awarded the company an Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grant in 2023.
Anu in Lesotho
According to the World Food Programme, Lesotho has a population of 2 million. More than 24% of the population lives in extreme poverty, and around 580,000 people face food insecurity.
In the summer of 2017, Massey met Fellows from the U.S. Department of State’s Mandela Washington Fellowship, who spent six weeks at Purdue for a Leadership in Business Institute. During their Institute, Fellows had the opportunity to learn about hydroponic farming. Massey participated in the fellowship’s Reciprocal Exchange component to build the first hydroponic systems in Togo in 2018 and Cameroon in 2019. Reciprocal Exchanges strengthen mutual understanding between the U.S. and Africa and contribute to U.S. public diplomacy efforts. U.S. experts and leaders are encouraged to collaborate with Fellows on critical issues such as promoting peace, stability, and economic prosperity.
In 2022 Massey mentored Tiisetso Sefatsane, a Mandela Washington Fellow and Mosotho, or member of the Basotho people, during her Leadership in Business Institute at Purdue. Sefatsane returned to Lesotho with hardware to create a functional proof-of-concept system of Anu’s technology. It was solar-powered to achieve complete off-grid self-sufficiency.
“Having Scott as my mentor has been a true turning point for me and the community,” Sefatsane said. “Scott not only assisted me on my business pitch, but he also gifted me a pair of grow-ring aeroponics systems. These have been used as proof-of-concept systems in the mountain kingdom to grow vegetables all year round so Basotho can learn climate-smart agriculture tools and techniques.”
Sefatsane, Massey, and Ball received a Reciprocal Exchange grant to increase the capacity of the systems from 250 to 750 plants at a time.
“Today, we host students from different backgrounds for capacity building by producing high yields on small spaces and saving water using environmentally friendly tools and techniques,” Sefatsane said. “The menu system has proven its sustainability as we grow vegetables throughout the year, even in the winter season’s harsh, cold weather conditions. The system also can be used in rural areas where there is no grid power because it can be solar-powered.”
Massey said Anu will continue its work with Sefatsane and her farm.
“We will maintain the growth of Tiisetso’s farm and we look forward to expanding across the Kingdom of Lesotho and eventually the African continent in parallel to domestic U.S. growth,” Massey said.
Anu in rural southern Indiana
Ray Niehaus is a former high school teacher and Vincennes University’s Center for Technology, Innovation, and Manufacturing director. He met Massey and Ball when they debuted their smart garden during an event at Purdue WestGate, an economic development accelerator formed by the partnership among WestGate Authority, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Purdue University, and Purdue Research Foundation.
Niehaus kept in touch with Massey after the event to find ways to involve his students in Anu’s future work. Niehaus and the faculty at Perry Central High School in Leopold led their students’ involvement in bringing smart gardens to the area.
“My colleagues and I were interested in the technology and vertical agriculture, along with the impact they could have on a rural community,” Niehaus said. “We thought bringing Anu’s smart gardens to Perry Central would be a great experience for students to understand the future of agriculture and the importance of growing our food.”
Niehaus said Massey and Ball shared their vision of the technology with Perry Central faculty and students.
Smart gardens from ANU use aeroponic technology to grow fruiting pepper plants at Perry Central High School in Leopold, Indiana. (Perry Central High School photo/Ray Niehaus) Download image
“Partnering with Anu was very valuable to our students and community,” Niehaus said. “Scott and Ivan brought authentic experiences and future-oriented technology that will help our students prepare for the workforce they will be working in.”
Perry Central students set up three grow towers and designed their structures to contain them. They created a manual that specified the needed materials, explained how to assemble the towers, and included a business plan to make the product sustainable for other high schools.
“The students gave presentations to elementary students about how to grow their food,” Niehaus said. “They also designed experiments to determine how much water it would take to run one tower with lettuce, how much lettuce they could harvest out of one pod, etc.”
Perry Central leaders are working to redesign the school’s greenhouse to include more vertical agriculture options.
“The goal is to produce food for our cafeteria and local food pantries,” Niehaus said. “Also, they have worked to get our kitchen certified to process and sell food products in the lab. This will provide an opportunity for our students to not only gain valuable, authentic experiences but teach our community the benefits of vertical planting and self-sufficiency, impacting the world they live in.”
International food scarcity and security
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report:
- Around 9.2% of the world’s population was affected by hunger in 2022, an increase from pre-pandemic levels of 7.9% in 2019.
- Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people in Africa facing hunger has increased by more than 57 million people.
- 33.3% of adults living in rural areas were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022, compared to 26% of adults in urban areas and 28.8% in peri-urban areas. Peri-urban areas are zones where land use transitions from rural land use to urban land use.
- It is estimated that by 2030, nearly 600 million people around the world will be chronically undernourished.
Massey said conflicts such as shipping disruptions in the Red Sea and the Russia-Ukraine war pose serious risks to global food security.
“They disrupt food exports and key resources like natural gas, which is essential to produce the fertilizer that half the world’s population depends on for food cultivation,” Massey said.
About anu
Anu™ is leading the charge in the AgTech revolution, empowering people to grow their fresh produce right at home. With its patented technology and expert knowledge, anyone can become a farmer and take control of what they eat.
About the Mandela Washington Fellowship
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by IREX. Purdue University is a sub-grantee of IREX and has implemented Leadership in Business Institutes as a part of the Fellowship since 2016. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among the top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computer — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer/Media contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org
Source: Scott Massey, scott@growanu.com
END FENTANYL ACT SIGNED INTO LAW
WASHINGTON – Last night, the END FENTANYL ACT was signed into law. This bill, introduced by Senator Mike Braun, Senator Rick Scott, and Senators Jacky Rosen, Mark Kelly, and Maggie Hassan, will require the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to update its policies at least once every three years to ensure operational field manuals, including their drug interdiction guidance, are up to date.
This legislation builds off the 2019 GAO report, “Land Ports of Entry: CBP Should Update Policies and Enhance Analysis of Inspections,” that found drug interdiction guidance has not been updated in 20years.
“Our communities are under attack from deadly fentanyl. The END FENTANYL Act makes sure Customs and Border Protection policies are up to date to best stop fentanyl from entering our country and killing Americans.” – Senator Mike Braun
“For nearly two years, I have been fighting to make my bipartisan END FENTANYL Act law. I am proud that Congress finally passed, and the president signed into law, this important legislation to better combat America’s lethal opioid epidemic. President Biden must do more to secure the border and stop the deadly fentanyl that continues to flow illegally into the U.S. over the southern border and kills tens of thousands of our citizens. I look forward to seeing the Biden administration immediately implement this law and give America’s brave CBP agents the tools needed to keep these dangerous drugs out of our communities. While nothing can heal the crushing heartbreak felt by the hundreds of thousands of families torn apart by fentanyl and who have lost loved ones, the END FENTANYL Act will make a difference in our fight to end the suffering. I am grateful for the strong support of Senators Jacky Rosen, Mike Braun, Maggie Hassan and Mark Kelly, and Representatives Michael Guest and David Trone in getting this done.” – Senator Rick Scott
The END FENTANYL Act:
Requires the Commissioner of CBP to review and update the Office of Field Operations’ policies and handbooks, as necessary and at least once every three years in order to respond to illegal activity, such as the trafficking of drugs and humans, along the border.
Requires the Commissioner of CBP to submit a report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives that summarizes the policy and manual changes every three years.
Attorney General Todd Rokita invites Hoosiers to visit Indiana Unclaimed to see what gold awaits this St. Patrick’s Day
Attorney General Todd Rokita invites Hoosiers to visit IndianaUnclaimed.gov to see if they have any money waiting for them this spring.
“May the luck be with you this St. Patrick’s Day,” Attorney General Rokita said. “One of our top missions in the office is to reunite hardworking Hoosiers with their unclaimed property. This green holiday is a perfect time for Hoosiers to find a pot of gold.”
After decimating the prior record set in 2014, Attorney General Rokita’s office returned over $81 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners in 2023. Over $1.5 MILLION is returned to Hoosiers every week, and hundreds of millions are just waiting to be claimed.
Some property owners in the Unclaimed Property Division’s database include such holiday-appropriate first or last names of Ireland, Gold, Clover, Shamrock, and Green.
Here are the types of property that might go unclaimed this St. Patrick’s Day that are even better than finding a four-leaf clover:
- Unclaimed wages or commissions
- Money orders
- Safety deposit box contents
- Savings and checking accounts
- Refunds
- Overpayments such as:
- Credit card balances
- Cell phone bills
- DMV payments
Once unclaimed property is in its custody, the Unclaimed Property Division conducts an aggressive outreach effort to locate the rightful owners or heirs. Individuals and/ businesses have 25 years to claim money once it is reported to the Unclaimed Property Division.
Are you feeling lucky this St. Patrick’s Day? Why not try the luck of the Irish and search for unclaimed property? Visit IndianaUnclaimed.gov or text CLAIM to 46220 to search your name, family, or business.
Gov. Holcomb appoints new acting budget director for the State Budget Agency
INDIANAPOLIS-Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced he appointed Deputy Director Joseph M. Habig as the acting budget director of the State Budget Agency. Habig will replace Budget Director Zac Jackson who will step down from his role on April 5.
“Joe has proven his dedication, financial expertise and leadership qualities during some of the most unpredictable times in recent history,” Gov. Holcomb said. “He is a steward of fiscal leadership who cares deeply about the future of Indiana which is why he is the perfect candidate to provide the continuity during the remainder of my administration.”
Habig will continue to serve in his current role as deputy director of the State Budget Agency while taking on the duties of budget director. As acting director, he will work with agencies to prepare the next biennial budget.
Habig has served more than eight years in Indiana’s Army National Guard and is currently an infantry officer in the 1st Battalion 151st Infantry Regiment of the 76th Infantry Brigade.
He earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree from Indiana University’s Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
University of Evansville to Host IBJ Media’s First Engage Indiana Series of 2024
EVANSVILLE, IND. (03/20/2024) The University of Evansville (UE) is pleased to announce it will host Engage Indiana Southwest, an initiative dedicated to fostering economic prosperity across the state. The upcoming event will be held in Ridgway University Center, Eykamp Hall, on Friday, April 12, 2024.
With a steadfast commitment to advancing Indiana’s economy, Engage Indiana events take place in every region of the state, and the upcoming event held at UE will be the first in the region this year.
Engage Indiana Series is a year-long, statewide series of events conducted in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce. The event convenes Indiana’s business executives, education and philanthropic leaders and community leaders to discuss how communities are breaking down barriers to partner in building the state’s future.
Attendees will delve into the unique challenges and promising opportunities that define Southwest Indiana’s economic landscape, aiming to facilitate discussions on tailored programs aimed at bolstering local communities.
The event will kick off with a networking session at 11:30 a.m., providing attendees with ample opportunities to connect with key stakeholders, industry experts, and community leaders. The program will begin at 12:00 p.m., featuring engaging discussions centered around critical topics such as talent attraction, retention, education, and economic development.
The lunch event will feature Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg. A panel of regional leaders moderated by Gerry Dick, host of IBJ Media’s Inside INdiana Business television program, will also provide insight on relevant topics. Panelists include:
- Tim Hollander – President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc.
- Christopher Pietruszkiewicz – President, University of Evansville
- Ron Romain – Executive Chairman, United Companies
- Roland Shelton – Executive Vice President, Chief Strategic Business Partnership Officer, Old National Bank
- Mayor Stephanie Terry – City of Evansville
- Lloyd Winnecke – CEO, Evansville Regional Economic Partnership
“IBJ Media is thrilled to bring Engage Indiana Southwest to Evansville for the third consecutive year, underscoring our unwavering dedication to driving economic growth across all regions of the state,” said IBJ Media CEO, Nate Feltman. “This event serves as a platform for collaborative dialogue, where we can collectively address the pressing topics and capitalize on the unique strengths of Evansville and the Southwest Indiana community.”
“It is an honor for the University of Evansville to host the Engage Indiana series, as we believe this collaborative effort embodies the spirit of partnership and innovation, qualities that are deeply ingrained in the fabric of our institution,” said UE President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz. “Our commitment to excellence extends far beyond our campus. We are deeply invested in making our community a better place and we believe hosting Engage Indiana’s Evansville event will be an invaluable opportunity for businesses, policymakers, educators, and residents to come together, exchange ideas, and chart a course towards a prosperous future for our city and the entire state of Indiana.”
Event Details:
- Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
- Location: University of Evansville – Ridgway University Center, Eykamp Hall
- Address: 1800 Lincoln Ave, Evansville, IN 47714
- Networking: 11:30 a.m.
- Program: 12:00 p.m.
For more information and to register for the event, please visit https://www.ibj.com/events/2024/engage-southwest-indiana-evansville
NCAA will host Division II pre-championship Coaches press conference on Monday
NCAA will host Division II pre-championship Coaches press conference on Monday
MARCH 21, 2024
EVANSVILLE, IND. (March 20, 2024) – The NCAA will host a news conference on Monday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ford Center with head coaches from the eight teams participating in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight. Evansville mayor, Stephanie Terry, will make an opening statement before the evening quarterfinal session coaches’ availability at 1:30 p.m. followed by the afternoon session coaches at 1:55 p.m. Those wishing to cover the event and/or the press conference must apply for credentials at ncaa.com/media.
What: NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight Pre-Championship Coaches Press Conference
When: Monday, March 20 – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Ford Center Lobby
Coaches attending the press conference will be:
(Seed) Region: School (Record) – Coach – Alma Mater (Years at Institution)
(1) Central: Minnesota State (32-2) – Matt Margenthaler – Western Illinois (23rd season)
(8) Midwest: Ferris State (28-7) – Andy Bronkema – Cornerstone (10th season)
(4) South Central: West Texas A&M (29-4) – Tom Brown – Winona State (10th season)
(5) Southeast: North Georgia (28-6) – Dan Evans – Lawerence (5th season)
(2) South: Nova Southeastern (30-2) – Jim Crutchfield – West Liberty (5th season)
(7) East: Southern New Hampshire (24-10) – Jack Perri – Bentley (6th season)
(3) Atlantic: Gannon (32-2) – Jordan Fee – West Liberty (1st season)
(6) West: Cal State San Bernardino (26-7) – Gus Argenal – UC Davis (1st season)
A complete schedule of events can be found in the attached PDF.