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Eagles win big, snap streak

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball snapped a three-game losing streak with a big 79-47 victory over the University of St. Francis (Illinois) Tuesday evening at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Screaming Eagles rise to 3-9 after tonight’s action, while the Fighting Saints are 2-5 in 2023-24.

Following an extremely slow start by both teams, USI exploded on an 18-6 run midway through the opening half to take control, 23-11. Sophomore guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) led the charge with a pair of three-point field goals, while sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) and senior forward/center Nolan Causwell (Duluth, Georgia) added five points and four points, respectively, during the run.
 
The Saint climbed back into the contest with a 11-4 spurt to close the gap to 27-22 with 2:53 on the first half clock before the Eagles could take back control. USI scored seven of the final 11 points of the half to lead 34-26 at the break.
 
Sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) and Smith led the USI offensive attack during the first half with seven points each.
 
After the start of the second half, it was all USI as the Eagles went on a 13-0 run to lead 47-27 and held the Saints scoreless for the first 7:21 of the final half. Junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois) led the Eagles in the run with six of the 13 points.
 
USI continued to expand its lead to as many as 32 points in cruising to the 79-47 victory. The Eagles’ defense held the Saints to 28.6 percent from the field in the second half (8-28) and 35.8 percent from outside (19-53) for the game. Offensively, USI shot 59.3 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes (16-27), 63.6 percent from beyond the arc (7-11).
 
Individually, Mielke had 15 second half points and led USI in scoring with a career-high 18 points. The junior forward was a blistering six-of-eight from beyond the arc to lead the way.
 
Smith followed Mielke with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The sophomore guard/forward was four-of-eight from the field, including a pair of three-point field goals, and six-of-seven from the stripe.
 
Hall rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Eagles with a season-high 13 points, adding seven in the second half. He had the hot hand tonight, hitting five-of-seven from the field, including three-of-four from outside the arc.
 
Next Up For USI:
The Eagles conclude the non-conference portion of the 2023-24 schedule December 22 when they visit Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Tipoff has been changed to 6 p.m. 

The Salukis are 7-4 overall after snapping their two-game skid with a 76-63 win over North Dakota State University this evening in Carbondale.
 
The Eagles posted their first victory over the Salukis and in NCAA Division I play with a 71-53 win at Screaming Eagles Arena last season. Guard Jelani Simmons led the Eagles with 18 points. SIU leads the all-time series with USI, 3-1, dating back to 1981.
 

Aces welcome Tennessee Tech on Wednesday evening

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UE enters the game with a 9-2 mark

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A span of three games over a span of five days concludes on Wednesday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team faces Tennessee Tech at the Ford Center.  Tip is set for 7 p.m. with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.

Looking at the Start

– Sitting at 9-2, the Purple Aces are off to their best start since 2017 when the program won 10 of its first 12 games

– Evansville has won its first five home games for the first time since 2018; UE opened each season between 2015 and 2018 with wins in their opening five home contests

Last Time Out

– Once again, contributions came from everywhere on Monday as the Aces defeated UT Martin by a score of 98-91

– Five UE players reached double figures with Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registering a season-high 21 points

– Tanner Cuff set his career mark with 14 points and came close to a triple double, adding 8 assists and 8 caroms

– Ben Humrichous and Yacine Toumi scored 15 apiece while Chuck Bailey III finished with 12

 Make it Three

– When the Missouri Valley Conference announced its weekly awards on Dec. 18, Chuck Bailey III was named the Freshman of the Week for the third time in 2023

– In the win at Bellarmine, he scored 12 points and had a 4-point play that broke a tie in the final four minutes to give the Aces a lead they would not give up

– He followed that up with 12 points against UT Martin while adding 6 rebounds

– Bailey is fourth on the squad with 10.0 points per contest

Doing It All

– Monday’s game versus the Skyhawks saw Tanner Cuff put together the top game of his collegiate career

– He finished with a career-high 14 points along with 8 boards and 8 assists

– With 39 assists against 10 turnovers, he paces the MVC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.90; that tally is 10th in the NCAA

– Cuff has multiple assists in 7 of the last 8 games with his top total of eight coming at MSU and vs. UTM

– Over the last two games, Cuff has gone a perfect 10-for-10 inside the arc

Season-High

– Scoring seven of UE’s first 10 points against the Skyhawks, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. finished the game with a season-high 21 points

– His previous season mark of 17 came in the Nov. 25 win over SEMO

– In the second half of the Nov. 18 win over Ball State, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. reached the 1,000-point mark in his D1 career

Scouting the Opponent

– Tennessee Tech comes to Evansville with a 2-game win streak that has improved their record to 5-7 on the season

– The Golden Eagles are coming off a 70-67 win over North Alabama on Saturday

– Four players average double figures for TTU with Jayvis Harvey pacing the team with 16.4 PPG

– He is a 45.7% shooter from the field and holds the team lead with 37 assists

– David Early posts a 15.5 PPG average while Rodney Johnson Jr. and Josiah Davis average 13.1 and 10.8 points, respectively

– Johnson is the leading rebounder with 6.6 per contest

STATEMENT ON COLORADO SUPREME COURT DECISION

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Senator Braun released the following statement on Colorado’s Supreme Court decision disqualifying former President Donald Trump from appearing on ballots in the state in 2024.

“With the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, the self-anointed ‘defenders of democracy’ have removed their political enemy from the ballot, stripping Colorado voters of their right to vote for the candidate of their choice and joining radical AGs and Biden DOJ in interfering in the 2024 election.”

Vanderburgh County Courier Warrants

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Vanderburgh County Courier Warrants

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

 

 

FOOTNOTE:  EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Vanderburgh County Crash Report

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Crash Report

Vanderburgh County Recent Bookings

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Booked Last 24 Hours-Public

Bailey earns third MVC Freshman of the Week honor

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Freshman had another exceptional performance on Saturday

ST LOUIS – Chuck Bailey III earned his third Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week award on Monday following a clutch performance in the University of Evansville’s road win at Bellarmine on Saturday.

Bailey finished the game with 12 points, including a 3-for-5 effort from long range.  His biggest shot of the game occurred when his team needed it the most.  With the game tied at 59-59 entering the final four minutes, the guard converted a 4-point play that put the Purple Aces in front.  From that point on, UE never relinquished the lead.

In a season-high 28:29 of work, Bailey recorded 12 points and three rebounds.  Bailey was also named the Freshman of the Week on Nov. 13 and Dec. 4.

SENATOR BRAUN’S RECENT WINS FOR VETERANS

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WASHINGTON – Following the passage of the Department of Defense Overdose Act which is soon to be signed into law, Senator Braun has shepherded 4 bills for Veterans through the U.S. Senate to become law this year.

The four bills are the Department of Defense Overdose Act, the Reforming Benefits for Children of Vietnam Veterans with Spina Bifida Act, the Wounded Warrior Access Act, and the Korean American Valor Act. All four bills were bipartisan.

“Veterans represent the absolute best our country has to offer—and they deserve the absolute best when they return home. I’m proud to have led these four solutions for Veterans through Congress to become law this year. These new laws will help wounded Veterans get easier access to their health records through the VA, to help the children of Vietnam Veterans suffering from spina bifida due to their parent’s service, to fulfill our obligation to Korean-Americans who fought alongside American servicemen and later became U.S. citizens at no additional cost to the United States, and to help address the crisis of overdoses killing our active duty servicemembers.” – Senator Mike Braun

Below are the details on three of these bills that have been signed into law in the last two months – theDepartment of Defense Overdose Act has passed both Houses of Congress and is expected to be signed into law soon.★

REFORMING BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS WITH SPINA BIFIDA ACT

Persistence pays off when it is in the best interests of constituents.

In 2019, Sen. Braun’s office gets complaints from constituents about poor program administration, leading him to ask the Inspector General of the Veterans Affairs Department (VA OIG) to examine the program management.

In July 2019, the Braun office asked for more formal evaluations of what was happening in the program. On February 23, 2021, the VA OIG issues its report affirming problems in program administration. The VA OIG found that: “VBA and VHA did not adequately communicate or share data, contributing to improper payments being sent to beneficiaries after their deaths and delays in new beneficiaries being enrolled in health care. Further, because VA did not consistently and accurately reach out and communicate with eligible and enrolled beneficiaries, individuals with Spina Bifida and their caretakers did not receive needed information about Spina Bifida benefits and how to obtain them.”

On May 5, 2020, in the 116th Congress, Sen. Braun and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced legislation to address program shortcomings. On December 9, 2021, in the 117th Congress was re-introduced by Senator Braun, along with Senators Rubio, Hassan and Booker. On November 13, 2022, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a legislative hearing on the bill. On January 26, 2023, in the 118th Congress, Senator Braun re-introduced as S.112 with Senators Rubio, Hassan, Booker, Rick Scott, Cornyn, Warnock, Young and Hirono. On February 16, 2023, SVAC considered and reported the measure without amendment.

The full Senate then approved the bill unanimously on July 13, 2023, followed by unanimous passage in the U.S. House of Representatives (422-0) on September 19, 2023.

President Biden signed this bill into law on October 6, 2023. Upon enactment, Senator Braun noted: “This law will ensure that the children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida due to a parent’s exposure to Agent Orange will get the care and benefits they deserve for the rest of their lives. I’m proud to have led this valuable bipartisan bill into law and look forward to helping these veterans’ kids.”

This legislation was endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, and the Fleet Reserve Association.

THE WOUNDED WARRIOR ACCESS ACT

The Veterans Benefits claims process should be simple. That is why Senator Braun introduced the Wounded Warrior Access Act (S. 2803/H.R. 1226) with Senator Alex Padilla of California to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create an online tool for Veterans to access their claim files electronically.

Currently, Veterans must either travel to a regional VA location, or wait for a physical copy to come in the mail to access their claims information. When a Veteran submits a claim for benefits to the VA, a claims file (C-File) is created. C-Files contain a veteran’s service records, results of VA exams, additional information submitted by the veteran, and any material the VA deems necessary to decide the claim. Veterans must travel to a regional VA location or mail in a form to request a paper copy of their C-Files, slowing down the process for individuals.

Improving efficiency in the Veterans claims process will make getting determinations swifter and more transparent. American Veterans represent the absolute best our country has to offer—and they deserve the absolute best when they return home. Veterans should not have to jump through hoops just to gain access to benefits for which they are entitled.

President Biden signed this reform into law on November 13, 2023.

THE KOREAN AMERICAN VALOR ACT

Senator Braun introduced the Korean American VALOR Act (S. 2648/H.R. 366) with Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii to allow Republic of Korea (ROK) Vietnam Veterans who fought alongside the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, and who have since become naturalized U.S. citizens, access to medical services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), paid for by the South Korean government.

Speaking to the need for this legislation, Senator Braun remarked, “This legislation guarantees that the men and women who bravely fought alongside U.S. troops and have become American citizens will have access to the care and benefits they deserve, paid for by the South Korean government.”

The bill requires the VA to enter into a reciprocal financial agreement with the ROK so the United States will be reimbursed for any expenses the Vietnam Veterans of the ROK Armed Forces incur at the VA. There are approximately 2,800 ROK Vietnam Veterans residing in the U.S. today, and they have experienced the same exposure to toxic chemicals as their American counterparts. This bill ensures they receive the same level of care as all other Vietnam Veterans. Korea will reimburse the U.S. for healthcare services VA furnishes to Korean American veterans. In exchange, the U.S. will reimburse Korea for the healthcare it provides to veterans of the U.S. armed forces residing in Korea. The U.S. has established reciprocal agreements with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. Veterans from these nations do not need to be U.S. citizens to be eligible for care, and VA has the authority to treat veterans of any combat era.

President Biden signed this reform into law on November 13, 2023.

 

Five reach double figures in 98-91 win over UT Martin

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Five reach double figures in 98-91 win over UT Martin

Aces improve to 9-2 in 2023 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another total team performance by the University of Evansville men’s basketball team saw five players in double figures as the squad improved to 9-2 with a 98-91 victory over UT Martin on Monday evening at the Ford Center.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered a season-high 21 points with Yacine Toumi and Ben Humrichous finishing with 15 apiece for the Purple Aces.  Tanner Cuff added 14 points while Chuck Bailey III scored 12.  Humrichous paced the team with nine boards while Toumi added seven caroms, two blocks and two steals.  Cuff had another extraordinary all-around game, adding eight boards and eight assists to his 14-point night.

“It is a 40-minute game and sometimes you just need to find a way to win.  UT Martin is extremely talented and they average 85 points for a reason.  It was an up and down game with a lot of points.  We did not plan on playing zone tonight, but had it in our back pocket in case we needed it.  I feel like we are getting closer every day and credit our guys for sticking with it.  Tonight was a complete team win.”

Toumi opened the night with a 3-point play while a jumper by Kenny Strawbridge Jr. gave the Aces an early 5-0 advantage.  Strawbridge added a triple and dunk as he posted seven of UE’s first 10 points as they held a 10-4 lead at the 17:10 mark.

UT Martin countered with a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the night at 13-10 less than three minutes later, but the ensuing two minutes belonged to Evansville.  Five in a row by Joshua Hughes gave the Aces a 17-15 lead.  At the 11:08 mark. Tanner Cuff picked up a second-chance basket to push the lead to 27-21.

Once again, the Skyhawks answered, posting the next 11 to jump back in front, 32-27.  A fast-paced contest continued with Ben Humrichous taking over, connecting on back-to-back triples to put the Aces back in the lead at 33-32.  With 4:20 on the clock, the Skyhawks broke a 36-36 tie with four in a row and would take that same 4-point edge into the locker room with a 44-40 halftime lead.

The furious pace continued in the second half.  Evansville posted the opening six points to retake the lead in the opening two minutes.  Toumi accounted for four of the six tallies.  Antonio Thomas’ field goal at the 16:35 mark made it a 51-48 Evansville lead.  Over the next two minutes, UTM erupted with a 12-2 run to take their largest lead at 60-53.  Jordan Sears, who was held to six points in the opening stanza, registered 12 tallies in the first eight minutes of the second half.

Evansville stormed back with triples by Strawbridge and Chuck Bailey III helping the Aces go back in front.  After a UTM field goal gave them a 66-65 lead with 11:25 showing, UE switched to a zone defense and the adjustment paid immediate dividends.  The Aces reeled off 11 in a row over the next three minutes to take their largest lead at 76-66.  Tanner Cuff scored four in the rally while Bailey knocked down three free throws to complete the run.

Things continued to go the Aces way as the lead hovered around 10 points, but with UE holding an 88-80 lead with under two minutes left.  The Skyhawks made a furious rally, getting as close as three points in the last minute before two late stops and four Thomas free throws clinched the 98-91 triumph.

Shooting 56.3% in the second half, the Aces wrapped up the night with a 45.8% showing.  UT Martin finished the game at 48.6%.  Jordan Sears was the leading scorer in the contest, posting 26 points with 20 of those coming in the second half.  Jacob Crews recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Home action continues on Wednesday when the Aces welcome Tennessee Tech for a 7 p.m. game.

 

 

 

 

 

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