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HOT JOBS
 
Easily applyDenigan Qualifies for Olympics in Open Water
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana swimming and diving junior Mariah Denigan qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics Saturday (Feb. 3) with her performance in the 10K open water event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
Denigan finished sixth, well inside her needed placement, in a time of 1:57:31.10. The Walton, Kentucky, native can qualify in a second event Wednesday (Feb. 7) when she swims the 5K.
The junior is in her third world championships in three years and has improved each year in the 10K from 15th in her 2022 debut to eighth last season and now Saturday’s sixth-place result.
Denigan is joined in Doha by IU swimming and diving associate head coach Cory Chitwood, serving Team USA as head coach of open water swimming at these championships. Chitwood has led IU’s women’s distance program to recent success – both Denigan and fellow junior Ching Hwee Gan finished top-10 nationally in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Gan will also compete at the world championships later this month, representing Singapore in the pool.
Shooting Incident/Attempted Murder Investigation Update (Lloyd/Lemcke Ave)
 On February 4th, Evansville Police Officers responded to W. Lloyd Expressway near Lemcke Ave. in reference to a victim who had been shot in the head while he was driving. The victim survived and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Two passengers were also inside the vehicle during the time of the shooting, however, they were not injured.Â
During this investigation, it was found that the victim had been involved in an altercation at a local bar on Franklin St. prior to being shot. The suspect who was involved in that altercation was identified as Jason D. Goss Jr. Goss waited for the victim to leave the bar and followed behind the victim in his vehicle. Goss was seen following the victim’s car all the way to Wabash Ave. and Lloyd Expressway. Goss then fired shots at the victim’s vehicle, which ultimately struck the victim in the head.Â
Members of the Organized Crimes Unit assisted the Adult Investigations Unit in locating Goss. Goss was detained during a traffic stop on February 7th and taken into custody without incident. Goss was transported to the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center and charged with 3 Counts of Attempted Murder.Â
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Original Summary 02/05/24:Â
On February 4th, just after midnight, Evansville Police Officers responded to W. Lloyd Expressway near Lemcke Ave.in referenceÂ
 to shots fired. The caller was inside a vehicle and told Dispatch that the Victim, who was driving the vehicle, had been shot. Officers arrived on scene and located a vehicle that was pulled over on the Lloyd Expressway. They located an adult male Victim inside the vehicle, who had been shot in the head, but was alert and conscious. The Victim was transported to a local hospital.Â
The Victim did not provide any suspect information and no arrests have been made at this time. If anyone has information in reference to this on-going Investigation, please contact the Evansville Police Adult Investigation Unit at (812) 436-7979 or the EPD Tip Line at (812) 436-6194Â
  Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the Evansville Police Detective OfficeÂ
USI stumbles in final minutes to EIU
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball stumbled in the final three minutes and lost to Eastern Illinois University, 81-71, Thursday evening in Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles fall to 6-18 overall and 3-8 in OVC play, while the Panthers are 11-13 overall, 5-6 OVC.
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The Eagles needed the first four minutes of game to get the offense jump started before sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) hit a three-point bomb to shrink a five-point deficit to two, 5-3, with 16:15 left on the first half clock. The three-pointer ignited a 15-8 run to take the lead, 15-13, with 10:33 before halftime.
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EIU would regain the lead and raced to a halftime margin of 31-27, getting a bucket in the final seconds before the break. Sophomore guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) led the Eagle scores during the first 20 minutes with six points.
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In the second half, USI grabbed the momentum and outscored EIU, 13-3, to jump into the lead, 40-34, with 14:33 remaining. Junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) led the run with five of the 13 points, while the Eagles as a team were four-of-nine from the field and four-of-five from the stripe during the offensive surge.
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The Panthers battled back to even the score at 40-40 before the Eagles exploded on a 10-2 to lead by eight, 50-42, with 12:11 remaining. Campion led the charge with six of the 10 points that gave USI its largest margin to that point.
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USI’s offense, however, would go cold for the next 3:45 as EIU raced by the Eagles to lead, 53-51, with 8:00 on the clock after an 11-1 dash. The teams post a combined 10 ties and lead changes over the next six minutes until EIU grabbed a 66-61 lead with 2:36 to play.
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The Eagles shrank the gap to three, 66-63, with 2:30 to play on a layup by Campion, but that would be as close they would come the rest of the game. The Panther extended the final lead to as many as 12 before the Eagles got the final bucket of the game in the 81-71 decision.
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USI had three players in double-digits, led by Campion’s career-high 20 points. The sophomore guard was seven-of-11 from the field, four-of-seven from beyond the arc, and two of two from the stripe to mark his first collegiate 20-point game.
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USI sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) followed with his 10th double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Mielke rounded out the double-figure scorers for USI by dropping in 10 points.
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The Evansville Courier & Press Employees Vote To Unionize.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — After nearly four weeks of campaigning, the award-winning journalists of the Evansville Courier & Press have voted unanimously to unionize.
The union campaign was made public Jan. 8, with the staff citing slashed resources and jobs and the prospect that nothing would change without action.
Courier & Press journalists asked its parent company Gannett to voluntarily recognize its union, which would have erased the need for a vote. Gannett refused.
Gannett bought the newspaper in 2016, and since then Courier & Press journalists, who have been repeatedly recognized by their peers for their work, have steadily left the newspaper as resources are reduced. Others have been forced out. The newsroom is a fraction of its former size — but the care and effort shown by the remaining reporters and photographers has not wavered.
All nine of the editorial staff, two sports reporters, six news reporters and one photographer, voted yes to unionize on Wednesday.
As was shared when the effort went public in January, every member of the Courier & Press newsroom wants to continue to provide the top-notch journalism to which this community has become accustomed. And every member deserves respect and fair wages.
Evansville NewsGuild will be a bargaining unit of TNG-CWA Local 34070, which also represents workers of the Indianapolis NewsGuild and Courier Journal Guild.
The NewsGuild is part of Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in the US and Canada.
You can find more information on the journey of the past few weeks at the Evansville NewsGuild Twitter – @EvansNewsGuild. The Guild can also be found on Facebook.
Thank you for your consideration!
FOOTNOTE- THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER POSTED THIS ARTICLE WITHOUT BIAS, OPINION, OR EDITING.
UE women’s basketball makes northern MVC road swing
The Purple Aces will visit UIC and Valparaiso after seeing both teams two weeks ago
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville women’s basketball team heads up to the northernmost Missouri Valley Conference opponents over the weekend.
The Purple Aces will look to get their first conference win of the season on the road as they visit Chicago on Friday and Valparaiso on Sunday. UE saw both teams only two weeks ago on its home court to close out the month of January. Evansville had a close loss to the Flames while the Beacons pulled away for two losses. The Aces hope to use their recent play with both teams to see different results this weekend.
UIC comes into Friday’s game with back-to-back losses following their win over UE in January. The Flames had a last-second loss to Valpo on Sunday in Credit Union 1 Arena as the Beacons hit a baseline layup with 1.3 left in the game. In the team’s last game Evansville saw its first second-half lead of MVC play in a gritty match-up against the Flames. Foul trouble for UE in the game’s final five minutes hindered the Aces in the nine-point loss. Post players center Barbora Tomancova, forward Nevaeh Thomas, and forward Maggie Hartwig all scored in double-figures to lead Evansville on offense.
The Beacons picked up their third Valley win on Sunday in Chicago. Valparaiso is on a two-game win streak that started in Evansville almost two weeks ago. Along with a dramatic win against UIC, the Beacons had their best game behind the arc with 14 made treys. Freshman forward Nevaeh Jackson matched the program’s freshman record for 3-pointers in a game, knocking down six triples, while guard Olivia Brown was four-for-four behind the arc.
It was another fight to the finish for the Aces in a close back-and-forth affair against Bradley. Evansville swapped the lead five times with the Braves while also tying the game up on seven different occasions. But no made shots in the final two and a half minutes signaled the end for UE as they dropped the close contest 79-72 to Bradley. While the result on Saturday night wasn’t what the Aces had hoped for, they did play in an electric environment. For National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Evansville hosted almost 100 local members of the community for a clinic and the evening game. It was a loud and supportive environment for UE while battling with the Braves.
Junior guard Julia Palomo had a season-best game from the floor on Saturday night. Palomo set a new career-high for field goals made in a game by hitting four against the Braves. She also tied her current career-high in scoring with nine points in 22 minutes.
VU baseball falls in doubleheader at Cleveland State C.C.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball season continued Thursday afternoon as the Blazers headed back down to Tennessee for a doubleheader showdown with Cleveland State Community College.
The Blazers dropped both games of the doubleheader to the host Cougars, falling in game one 8-3 before dropping game two 5-4.
VU got the day started off with a bang as sophomore Dylan Ecken (Louisville, Ky.) led off the opening game of the doubleheader with a solo home run, his second home run of the season.
Sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) followed that by reaching base by a fielding error and later came around and scored on an RBI single by sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.) to give VU an early 2-0 lead.
Cleveland State would get a run back in the bottom of the first before VU answered back with a run of their own in the second on another RBI single by Kade Hinton.
The Cougars would continue to battle, scoring a run in the second and the third innings to even the score at 3-3, before taking control of the game with a big four-run fifth inning and another run in the sixth to take an 8-3 lead.
Bryton Griffy looked to start a late rally in the seventh, leading off the inning with a single, the Blazers bats could not push a run across as VU fell in game one of the day 8-3.
Sophomore Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start on the mound for Vincennes in game one, throwing two and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out one.
Freshman Kaleb Marrs (Terre Haute, Ind.) was the first out of the pen in game one, throwing two and a one-third innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out three.
Freshman Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) came on to pitch the sixth, allowing one run on no hits in one inning of work.
The Blazers looked to bounce back in game two at Cleveland State but got off to a slow start, with the Cougars taking an early lead with a pair of runs in the first.
VU would get on the board in the second after a leadoff walk by redshirt freshman Holden Clifton (Louisville, Ill.), who later came in to score after a bases loaded walk by freshman Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.).
Cleveland State would answer with two more runs in the second before the Blazers again got the leadoff man on, this time on a fielding error put in play by freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.).
Douglas would come around to score on an RBI single by Dylan Ecken to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Hartke Pool to close for 2024 Due to Safety Concerns
Due to safety concerns with both the pool and deck areas, Hartke Pool will not open for swimming in Summer 2024.
In order to accommodate, the city will open Lorraine Pool seven days a week during the summer months, with Mosby and Rochelle-Landers pools also open during the summer. Officials with the Department of Parks & Recreation have aspects of all three pools in the past two years, and will also create additional programming – including free swimming lessons to beginning swimmers – at Lorraine Pool this summer.
Meanwhile, city officials will begin moving immediately to commission a study regarding the future of Hartke Pool, looking at designs and costs to repair the current pool; to create a new pool at Hartke; or to create another kind of recreational space, such as a splash pad, on the site.
“Hartke Pool has been a gem for our community since it opened in 1978,†said Danielle Crook, executive director of the Department of Parks & Recreation. “We don’t take the decision to close any recreational space lightly – especially not one as beloved, and that holds as many memories for as many people, as Hartke Pool.
“Unfortunately, the structural issues in and around the pool have reached the point where safety concerns require us to take this step and close the facility.â€
Among the safety concerns with the pool, which was last renovated in 1989, are:
Uneven surfaces on the pool deck, with many examples of parts of the deck settling or rising due to crushed pipes under the surface leaking water into the ground. These leaks, which also exist beneath the pool itself, eventually create voids under the pavement that have the potential to collapse without warning.
- Holes in the pool walls, through which groundwater seeps into the pool and contaminates the water.
- Cracks in the pool deck, many of which are around drains and stretch into the walls and even floor of the pool itself, creating a danger to the feet of swimmers.
- Slopes around the poolside drains that exceed required maximums which, coupled with the uneven surfaces from the rising and setting deck, create a tripping hazard and an increased likelihood of foot injuries.
The pool also faces numerous mechanical issues, including numerous damaged pipes under the concrete deck, significant corrosion on pool pumps and hardware, and near-full thickness corrosion on the steel filters.
A video walk-through of the space, discussing many of these issues, can be found at facebook.com/evansvillemayor.
Closing the pool also will coincide with construction on Division Street, which will connect the Roberts Park area with Boeke Avenue. That construction will begin next week.
The combination of the Hartke Pool closure and the road construction also means that the Department of Parks & Recreation will not hold Camp Swonder in Summer 2024.
“SCOTUS MUST REJECT THIS PARTISAN SCHEME†– SENATOR BRAUN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S COLORADO BALLOT CASE STARTING ARGUMENTS IN SUPREME COURT
WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Braun released the following statement as the U.S. Supreme Court begins hearing arguments on the Colorado case barring former President Donald Trump from that state’s primary ballot.
“Joe Biden’s allies in states are interfering in the 2024 election, because their candidate has wrecked our economy with inflation, opened our border to millions of illegal aliens, got Americans soldiers killed in his botched Afghanistan withdrawal, and has the worst job approval of any modern president seeking reelection. The Supreme Court must reject this partisan scheme to disqualify the Republican nominee, and the American people shouldn’t accept our legal system being reduced to a political weapon.†– SENATOR MIKE BRAUN