Country star Rodney Atkins delighted all of his fans at the Victory Theatre on Friday night, March 29, with a “Most Hits for the Money Tour” performance that certainly lived up to its name. Atkins was joined by newcomers Tyler Farr and Josh Thompson who warmed up the crowd with impressive sets of their own. Farr and Thompson may currently be a little short on name recognition, but were clearly long on talent and were very well received.
When the affable Atkins hit the stage, he spent 90 minutes puting on a high energy show that focused on relatable themes of family and patriotism with some of his best-known “story songs.” His fans were happy to sing along, and at one point, Atkins invited two of the younger audience members up on stage to join him during “Watching You.”
“The Victory is an ideal venue for shows like this one,” said General Manager Ben Bolander. “The intimate setting of the theatre showcased the strong vocals and musicianship of these artists, which only added to the energy of a great country show.”
Upcoming shows at the Victory Theatre include Chanticleer April 13, Little Big Town April 18, Here Come the Mummies April 19, SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody May 22, and B.B. King June 5. The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra will also present performances on April 6 & 7, April 27, and May 18 & 19.
The Victory Theatre is managed by VenuWorks of Evansville, LLC.
For event information or to purchase tickets, please call (812) 422-1515, or visit
www.facebook.com/VictoryTheatre www.twitter.com/Victory_Theatre
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The Board of Commissioners of Vanderburgh County will hold their annual road hearing on Thursday, April 4th at 5:00pm in room 301 of the Civic Center, 1 NW MLK Blvd.

This public forum will provide citizens with information on road projects scheduled for 2013 and allow citizens to identify county roads to be included in the 2013 paving list.

Residents who wish to address the board with specific road concerns are asked to contact the County Commissioners office prior to April 4th so the issue can be investigated prior to the meeting. The Commissioners Office can be reached at 435-5241 between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm or you can email your concerns to commissioners@vanderburghgis.com.

The County Highway Superintendent and the County Engineer will also be on hand to field questions relating to county road projects.

The final list of paving projects will be on the Commissioners April 23rd meeting agenda for approval.

Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday, March 28, 2013.

Tosha Hallman: Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony
Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony

Keith Reiter: Burglary Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class A Felony (Two Counts)
Armed Robbery – Class B Felony (Two Counts)
Robbery Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class B Felony (Two Counts)
Criminal Confinement – Class B Felony (Two Counts)
Intimidation – Class C Felony (Two Counts)
Attempted Robbery – Class C Felony (Two Counts)
Intimidation – Class D Felony (Two Counts)
Theft – Class D Felony (Two Counts)
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class D Felony
Reckless Driving – Class B Misdemeanor
Failure to Stop After Accident Resulting in Damage to an Attended Vehicle – Class C Misdemeanor

William Rogers: Theft – Class D Felony
(Habitual Offender Enhancement)

Jeffrey Chumley: Possession of a Controlled Substance – Class D Felony (Two Counts)

Lloyd Pam: Possession of Marijuana – Class D Felony
Possession of Marijuana – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)

Drew Smith: Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class A Misdemeanor

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Regene Newman at 812.435.5156 or via e-mail at rinewman@vanderburghgov.org

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

Knox County – Sunday night, March 31, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Indiana State Police were assisting Vincennes Police with a meth lab that was discovered in a room at the Econo Lodge located at 600 Old Wheatland Road in Vincennes. While troopers were waiting for a search warrant for the motel room, Elias Brock, 42, of Vincennes, drove his vehicle into the parking lot. Troopers detected a chemical odor commonly associated with the manufacturing of methamphetamine coming from his vehicle. During a search, troopers found ingredients commonly used to manufacture meth and approximately 448 grams of meth. Brock was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail where he is currently being held on bond.

ARRESTED AND CHARGES:
• Elias A. Brock, 42, 1028 Barnett Street, Vincennes, IN
1. Manufacturing Meth over 3 grams, Class A Felony
2. Possession of Meth over 3 grams, Class A Felony
3. Possession of Precursors, Class D Felony

Arresting Officers: Trooper Doug Francis, Trooper Brandon Deig and Trooper Paul Stolz

Assisting Agency: Vincennes Police

Gibson County – Early Sunday morning, March 31, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Trooper Paul Stolz and Deputy John Fischer responded to 692 Concord Drive in Princeton to investigate a battery complaint.
While approaching the residence Trooper Stolz heard a male inside the garage yelling and a female screaming. Stolz ran to a window and observed a male kick a female lying on the floor. After kicking her, the male attempted to drag the female by her hair while striking her with his fist. Stolz immediately banged on the garage door and ordered the male to open the door. Eventually the male, who was identified as Russell Griesemer, 40, opened the door and was taken into custody. The female was identified as Erica Griesemer, 39. The couple is currently divorced, but has been living together. An ambulance was summoned, but she refused any further medical treatment. Russell Griesemer was arrested and is currently being held on bond in the Gibson County Jail.

Arrested and Charges:
• Russell Griesemer, 40, 692 Concord Drive, Princeton, IN
1. Domestic Battery, Class A Misdemeanor

Arresting Officer: Trooper Paul Stolz, Indiana State Police
Assisting Officer: Deputy John Fischer, Gibson County Sheriff’s Department

Assisting Agency: Princeton Police

Deaconess Women’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital for Women and Children are working together to achieve “Baby-Friendly Hospital” designations, with support from the Welborn Baptist Foundation and a CDC grant.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It recognizes hospitals that encourage and promote breastfeeding and facilitate bonding between mother and baby. The designation requires implementation of the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.”

This effort is supported by the Welborn Baptist Foundation through a Community Transformation Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The purpose of the grant is to prevent chronic diseases by promoting healthy, active lifestyles. Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding leads to positive health outcomes for both mother and baby. According to the CDC, a baby’s risk of becoming an overweight child decreases by 4% with each month of breastfeeding. This means children who are breastfed for the first 9 months of life are more than 30% less likely to become overweight, compared to children who were never breastfed.

In addition:
• Breastfed children have lower rates of many serious illnesses, including SIDS, childhood cancers, and diabetes.
• Both mother and baby enjoy the emotional benefits that come with bonding through breastfeeding.
The goal of this community effort is for both hospitals to achieve Baby-Friendly designation by the beginning of 2015.
For more information on the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” please visit: http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/

St. Mary’s Health is proud to host its 5th annual “Spring in to Feed the Hungry” food drive to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Donations will be accepted Tuesday, April 9th through Thursday, April 11th.

The public is invited to join St. Mary’s employees in contributing to this food drive. Visitors can drop-off non-perishable food items or monetary donations at the entrance of the Center for Advanced Medicine, located on St. Mary’s main campus in Evansville. Valets with the Courtesy Services department will come to your vehicle to take the donations. Drop off times are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

This food drive is part of the Feinstein Challenge, a national competition in which one million dollars will be divided proportionately to agencies across the country, based on the amount of food and cash donations each organization receives during the months of March and April.

Over the last four years:
•St. Mary’s has collected about 4,450 pounds of food and nearly $2,900.
•Combined with the Feinstein Challenge, a total of 5,573 pounds of food and $4,028 has been donated to St. Vincent de Paul.

In 2012, the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry served an average of about 1,100 households – or 2,770 people – per month.

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A long and special ride came to an end on Saturday as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team
fell to East Carolina by an 81-58 final in the semifinals of the CollegeInside.com Tournament.

Leading from start to finish, the Pirates (22-12) led by as many as 27 points while shooting 55.4% from the floor. After shooting 50% in the first half, ECU hit 17 out of 28 second-half shots.

Colt Ryan was the lone Aces (21-15) player to register double figures, finishing with 12. The UE all-time scoring leader finishes his career with 2,279 points. Egidijus Mockevicius had one of his best overall games versus the Pirates, tallying 9 points and 5 blocks while tying his career mark with 13 rebounds.

“That first half, we had a hard time stopping guys and did not do a good job on the glass,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said. “We missed a bunch of open shots right at the rim. Give East Carolina credit, we knew they were very athletic.”

Simmons also commented on the seniors, who gave the Aces four great years.

“Our seniors have all been incredible. They had had great attitudes and have continued to work and work. We have done some things in the last 3-4 years that we have not done for a while,” Simmons continued. “It is a credit to our fans and the community who have supported these guys. You will not find six more guys who have given more to a program.”

Miguel Paul got ECU on the board on the opening possession hitting a three. Troy Taylor scored UE’s first point before the Pirates jumped out to an 8-2 edge in the opening moments of the game. That lead would grow for the Pirates as they would drain six of their first 10 shots while Evansville began the game hitting just 4 out of 17 attempts as ECU took a 17-8 lead midway through the opening frame.

Shots kept on falling for ECU as they knocked down 11 out of 16 to go up by a 31-15 tally 13 minutes in. Miguel Paul was responsible for 13 of those points as he knocked down all three 3-pointers. As hot as the Pirates were, the Aces were cold, knocking down just 7 of their opening 25 shots.

East Carolina slowed down a bit offensively, but still shot 50% in the half (14-28) on their way to a 40-26 lead. The Aces were just 10-of-39 in the first half of play as Ryan led the way for UE with six points. Evansville utilized a zone defense in the latter part of the period, which held East Carolina to just 3-12 in the final minutes.

Out of the break, the Pirates scored eight out of the first ten points to open up their largest lead of the game at 20 points. That lead grew to as many 25 points at 57-32 as the Pirates knocked down 7 out of 10 shots to open the half. The run marked a 17-6 spurt to begin the latter half.

Evansville cut into the deficit, cutting it down to 20 with about 12 minutes left, but the deficit proved to be too much. The Aces got within 16 points at 67-51, but an 11-0 stretch saw the Pirates push the lead to as many as 27 points before settling for the 81-58 win.

Ryan Sawvell came off the bench to post seven points and six rebounds while Lewis Jones chipped in six points and three rebounds. For the game, the Aces shot 31.8% (21-66); following a 10-of-39 first-half performance, the offense rebounded to hit 11 out of 27 attempts (40.7%) in the second half.

Maurice Kemp was one of four ECU players to finish in double figures as he led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Miguel Paul tallied 19 while Ty Armstrong had 17.

The Aces finish their best season in 13 years with a 21-15 record. They also bid adieu to six seniors as Andy Chinn, Ned Cox, Lewis Jones, Colt Ryan, Troy Taylor and Brandon Williams have played their final games at UE