Indiana State Police Seeks Recruits for the
Capitol Police SectionNOVember 23, 2023
The Indiana State Police Capitol Police Section is accepting applications.  Individuals interested in beginning a rewarding career as a Capitol Police Officer may apply online at https://www.in.gov/isp/career-opportunities/capitol-police/. This website provides a detailed synopsis of the application process and information on additional career opportunities with the Indiana State Police Department.
Applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm (EST) on Sunday, December 31, 2023.
Basic Eligibility Requirements and consideration factors for a Capitol Police Officer:
Must be a United States citizen.
Must be at least 21 years of age when appointed as a police employee.(Graduation date is June 21, 2024)
Must meet a minimum vision standard (corrected or uncorrected) of 20/50 acuity in each eye and 20/50 distant binocular acuity in both eyes.
Must possess a valid driver’s license to operate an automobile.
Must be a high school graduate as evidenced by a diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED).                                       The academy begins on Monday, April 15, 2024. The starting salary for a Capitol Police Probationary Officer is $62,327 a year.  After the first year of employment, the salary will increase to $64,472.  The Indiana State Police Capitol Police Section also offers an excellent health care plan, including medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy coverage for current and retired employees and their families.  The State maintains short-term and long-term disability plans for full time employees after six (6) months of continuous employment.  As an Indiana State Police Capitol Police Officer, you are automatically enrolled in the Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERF), and the State will contribute to your retirement account.
Interested applicants can obtain additional information about a career as a Capitol Police Officer by visiting https://www.in.gov/isp/career-opportunities/capitol-police/. Applicants can also contact a recruiter at isprecruiting@isp.in.gov.
Indiana State Police Seeks Recruits for the Capitol Police SectionÂ
VHS Volunteers Giving Shelter Pets Some Extra Love on Thanksgiving
[Evansville, Indiana] — A crew of volunteers is making sure that shelter pets aren’t lonely in their kennels on Thanksgiving evening!
The Vanderburgh Humane Society staff works 365 days per year, in all types of weather and on every holiday, to make sure the animals are fed, watered, and have clean & cozy bedding for the night. Animals who are on medications receive those, and dogs are taken out for playtime like they are every other day. There is never a single whole day off. On major holidays like Thanksgiving, the staff then go home to their own families for some much-deserved time off. Tomorrow is no exception.
But oftentimes, volunteers are willing to come in on holidays and work around their own family plans. This will be happening tomorrow on Thanksgiving! A group of volunteers will be arriving at the shelter at 2:30 pm and staying until 5 pm to give dogs an extra afternoon walk, freshen up cats’ food and water, and provide dogs with a “Thanksgiving platter†of green beans, mini dog-safe pumpkin pies, and Cool Whip. This will be an adorable photo op that will demonstrate the tireless efforts of animal welfare workers and volunteers 365 days a year, much like first responders and medical personnel, even when other types of jobs are “off.â€
Members of the media are welcome to cover this story tomorrow as these volunteers generously give their time to shelter pets on Thanksgiving. Contact Amanda today (Wednesday) or Mackenzee tomorrow (Thursday) to arrange a coverage opportunity!
Aces travel to Coke Zero Sugar Classic in Chattanooga
Games set for Friday and SaturdayÂ
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to continue the best start in six years, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Coke Zero Sugar Classic to face Chattanooga and Southeast Missouri State. UE faces the Mocs on Friday before facing SEMO on Saturday; both games tip at 1 p.m. central. The Purple Aces Radio Network will have coverage of both games while ESPN+ will be available for Friday’s opener.
Setting the Scene
– Evansville recorded a 74-50 win over Ball State on Saturday to improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season
– The Purple Aces square off against Chattanooga for the first time in program history as they look to win their fifth in a row
– UTC is also 4-0 with a road win at Louisville highlighting their start
– Both schools are ranked in the Field of 68 Mid-Major Top 25 with UE coming in at 20th and UTC sitting at 21st
Last Time Out
– Up by three points at halftime, the Aces held Ball State scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second half while scoring 17 in a row and cruising to a 74-50 victory
– Evansville led by as many as 29 points in the final minutes
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. led UE with 13 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his Division I career
– Joshua Hughes and Ben Humrichous recorded 12 points apiece while Yacine Toumi finished with 8 points and 8 boardsÂ
Double Digits
– Ben Humrichous continued his unbelieve start to the season with 12 points against Ball State; he has scored at least 11 in each game and leads the Aces with 14.8 PPG
– He scored 18 in the wins over Miami Ohio and SEMO
– Humrichous’ MVC stat rankings include: blocks (T-6 | 1.75/gm), FG% (8th | 59.5%) and 3-point% (T-10 | 50.0%)
Reaching the Mark
– 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
– Scoring a season-high 13 points in the victory, Strawbridge pushed his career mark to 1,002 points
– Aside from his scoring, Strawbridge has created major problems for opposing offenses, averaging 3.33 steals per game while setting his career-high with five against Ball State
Turning Some Heads
– Freshman Joshua Hughes is one of the top shot blockers in the MVC and ranks third with 2.25 per contest
– He has posted at least two blocks in all four games while adding at least three boards to average 4.8 per game
– From the field, he is shooting 61.1% and has averaged 7.5 points
– His top efforts of 12 points came against Miami OH and Ball State; in the win over BSU, he hit 5 of his 6 attempts
Looking at the Numbers
– UE has held last three opponents to 57 points or fewer – that happened just twice in the 2022-23 season
– The last three opponents have shot just 31.4%; last two opponents have shot just 37.5% – in 32 games last year, defense held just one opponent under 38%.
– Evansville has outrebounded D1 opponents by 9.0 per game – UE outrebounded just one opponent by more than 6 in all of 2022-23 (+11 at Indiana State)
USI Women’s Soccer gets four named CSC Academic All-District
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer senior midfielder Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio), senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri), sophomore defender Charli Grafton (Sunriver, Oregon), and sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division I. All four earned their first CSC Academic All-District Award.
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To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at minimum a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
Schone, an elementary education major, registered three points on one goal and one assist in 14 starts and 19 appearances this past season for the Screaming Eagles. Schone scored USI’s goal in a 1-1 tie against Northern Illinois University on September 10. She totaled 12 shots with five on goal in 1,240 minutes played.
Vanek started 17 matches and appeared in every contest for USI during the 2023 season. She placed 11 of her 17 shots on goal at a .647 clip in 990 minutes of action. The civil engineering major scored her first career goal in USI’s 3-0 win against Lindenwood University on October 8 on Senior Day.
Grafton was an All-Ohio Valley Conference Second Team recipient in 2023 after leading USI’s defensive unit. She started all 19 matches and played in all but 21 minutes during the season, totaling 1,689 minutes of action. Grafton was OVC Defensive Player of the Week twice this past season. The centerback was part of Southern Indiana’s defense that posted six shutouts in 2023 and held opponents scoreless for 290 minutes during USI’s season-best six-match unbeaten streak in the middle of the conference season. Grafton also had an assist this season. The defender is pursuing a degree in nursing.
Murphy, also a nursing major, started every match for the Eagles this past season, playing 1,551 minutes. Murphy posted seven points on two goals and three assists while pacing USI with 33 shots and second on the team with 11 shots on goal. The midfielder ranked eighth overall in the OVC in assists and shots, and she was also top 10 in points, goals, and assists in OVC-only action. Murphy was OVC Offensive Player of the Week in mid-October after scoring a game-winning goal against Western Illinois University on October 5 and tallying a goal and an assist in USI’s win against Lindenwood. The sophomore received the OVC Medal of Honor in August.
All four Screaming Eagles were named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll in August.
Southern Indiana concluded its 2023 season with a top-four seed and a quarterfinal appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament. USI earned its second consecutive OVC tournament berth in the second year of the transition to Division I. The Screaming Eagles seek to continue to build and take another step forward in 2024.
Three Hoosiers Earn Big Ten Weekly Awards
BLOOMINGTON – Indiana swimming and diving received three of the six available Big Ten weekly awards this cycle, the conference announced Wednesday (Nov. 22).
IU earned a men’s victory and a women’s second-place finish at their midseason meet, the Ohio State Invitational. On the men’s side, senior Jassen Yep was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and Mikkel Lee was picked the as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Representing the women’s team, junior Skyler Liu was selected as the Big Ten Diver of the Week for the second time this season.
Liu recorded two victories and one runner-up finish in her dominant midseason showing. She also was the top qualifier in each preliminary and tallied NCAA Zone Qualifying scores from each set of dives. The junior won on the 1-meter springboard (297.25) and platform (351.00) and was second on the 1-meter board (330.65).
Yep led Indiana to sweeps of the breaststroke events, winning both the 100-yard breast and 200-yard breast. In the 200-yard event, Yep posted an NCAA A cut, pool record, meet record and the fastest time in the country this season, touching in 1:50.71. His 51.49 in the 100 breast ranks as the No. 4 time in the country and the best in the Big Ten. Yep also set Olympic Trails cuts in the 100-meter breast (1:01.65), 200-meter breast (2:13.88) and 200-meter IM (2:03.00). He was the third-place finisher in the 200-yard IM with an NCAA B cut 1:44.93.
Lee recorded a handful of top-five finishes at midseason, but his meet was highlighted by his performance in IU’s 400-yard freestyle victory. He was the only swimmer under 42 seconds in the race, going 41.66 as IU’s anchor to overtake the leader and win by seven tenths of a second. The freshman also finished third individually in the 50-yard freestyle (19.43) and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle (42.67) and was the leadoff in IU’s second-place 200-yard freestyle relay finish, splitting 19.75.
The Hoosiers are back in action December 1 when they welcome Cincinnati to the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center for their last meet of the fall.
THUNDERBOLTS BATTLE TO THE FINISH IN LOSS TO QUAD CITYÂ
Moline, Ill.:  Rallying once from two goals down and nearly doing so again late in regulation, the Thunderbolts gave the Storm all they could handle, losing 4-3 in a very close game at Vibrant Arena on Wednesday night. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Friday, December 1st against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.
The Storm worked their way to a 2-0 lead in the first period off goals from Logan Nelson and Nicola Levesque in the opening 10 minutes but could not extend their lead any further as goaltender Michael Herringer stood on his head with some help from the defense and two penalty kills to keep the deficit at two goals. In the second period, Scott Kirton scored at 10:50 from Mike Ferraro and Brendan Harrogate to halve the Storm lead to 2-1, before Harrogate scored to tie the game 1:08 into the third period from Ferraro. However, the Thunderbolts could not find a lead or hold the tie late, as the Storm scored twice later in the third period, with goals  from Chris Perna and Darren McCormick, to reestablish a late 4-2 lead. In the final minute with Herringer pulled, Tommy Stang scored from Chays Ruddy and Bair Gendunov to get Evansville back to within one, however this time the Thunderbolts were unable to find the tying goal, coming up just short by a 4-3 score.
Harrogate finished with a goal and assist, while Stang and Kirton scored one goal each. Ferraro tallied two assists, while Herringer finished with 38 saves on 42 shots. The Thunderbolts and Storm meet once again on Friday, November 24th at Vibrant Arena.
Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2023-24 season. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are also on sale. Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.
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Vicious thug who brutally killed pregnant young mother Amanda Blackburn will stay behind bars
Convicted killer claimed on appeal that his Miranda rights were not read quickly enough
Attorney General Todd Rokita’s team has defeated an effort by a vicious killer to overturn his conviction for the murder of a young mother in her home.
“Even the worst criminals get their day in court,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Our job, though, is to make sure that the outcome of that process is justice for their victims. We pursue that mission with the utmost of seriousness, and all Hoosiers are safer because we consistently succeed in keeping violent felons locked away.â€
Amid a frenzied crime spree on Nov. 10, 2015, Larry Taylor and two other men watched from afar as Amanda Blackburn’s husband, Pastor Davey Blackburn, left the family’s home shortly after 6 a.m.
The trio then broke into the home with the intent to commit robbery — at which time they encountered Amanda Blackburn and her toddler son. At the time, Amanda Blackburn was pregnant with the family’s second child.
Taylor’s two accomplices left the home to withdraw money from an ATM using Amanda Blackburn’s debit card. Alone with the woman and child, Taylor attempted to forcibly have sexual intercourse with the pregnant 28-year-old woman. When she resisted, Taylor shot her in the head, back and arm — and watched her as she lay on the floor, helpless and bleeding. When the two accomplices returned from the bungled bank trip, Taylor casually remarked that he “watched (Amanda) bleed out.”
Taylor appealed his murder conviction on the premise that a police officer asked him several questions before reading him his Miranda rights.
Attorney General Rokita’s team successfully showed that, as the appellate court stated in its decision, Taylor’s pre-Miranda statements “were not admitted into evidence during the trial†and, “even if Taylor’s statements had been admitted, any error would have been harmless†because of “overwhelming evidence†outside of those statements.
Attorney General Rokita thanked his team — particularly Deputy Attorney General Megan Smith — for their excellent work on this case.