Give Peace A Chance
Give peace a chance
John Krull, publisher, TheStatehouseFile.com
“In war, truth is the first casualty,†Aeschylus wrote more than 2,500 years ago.
The centuries since 550 BCE, when Aeschylus offered that insight, have only established its wisdom.
When combat comes, the blood flowing and the bodies falling force people into camps. Loyalty becomes the paramount virtue. Every event—every fact—must be run through the filter that is one’s primary allegiance, making independent and critical assessments of what is happening and how we got to this point difficult, if not impossible.
We’re seeing that now in the war between Israel and Hamas.
That conflict has carved out deep divisions not just in the Middle East but around the globe, including the United States. Discussions have fast escalated into debates, then to arguments, then to angry disputes.
As is usually the case, the two sides in the dispute have a few things in common.
Both sides insist that their people are the victims in the conflict. That their cause alone is just—and therefore their violent acts alone are justified. And that the other side started the fight.
The reality is, as it always is, more complicated than that.
Wars are launched and waged by human beings, which means they are, by definition, flawed and messy enterprises. Because the stakes—life and death—are so high, the motivation to find fault with anyone who doesn’t agree unreservedly with one’s cause or methods is intense, even overwhelming.
Hence, Aeschylus’ observation about war’s first casualty.
But the truth is that no side in a war ever has a monopoly on virtue, on wisdom, on victimhood, on suffering, on grief.
Or on death.
Contrary to unquestioning partisans on both sides of this conflict, it is possible to keep at least two truths in mind at the same time.
The first is that the Oct. 7 sneak attack on Israel by Hamas was and is morally indefensible. The mass murder of civilians, rape of defenseless women, slaughter of innocent children, indiscriminate beheadings of noncombatants and taking of hostages, many of them ill and elderly, can in no way be legitimized by any sense of grievance.
Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth—or denies the vicious evil of such butchery—lacks a moral compass.
That does not mean, though, that the Palestinians in Gaza do not have valid grievances. Israel’s response to those grievances through decades has been at best cursory and at worst callous or even cruel.
Just as the suffering of the people cannot be used to rationalize the brutality of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the thuggish amorality of that attack cannot be used to dismiss the just complaints of the people of Gaza.
The truth remains the truth, even when war tries to stack it among the corpses.
There will be no resolution to this horrible conflict until the leaders on all sides realize that—and understand that peace is the only path forward.
The cease-fire that has allowed for hostages to be released demonstrates that.
This temporary stop in the killing is merely a repositioning for continued bloodshed.
The Israelis are trading time to clear their own citizens from the field of battle, thus making it easier for the nation’s armed forces to open fire without fear of killing some of their own.
When the fighting resumes, the Israelis are likely to use even deadlier force than they already have.
Hamas, on the other hand, has been battered by the Israeli response to their attack. The time they buy by releasing hostages here and there allows the terrorists to regroup and retrench, once again using civilians—this time, people from their own side—as human shields against the Israeli forces intent on exacting vengeance.
When the fighting resumes, Hamas will be even more dug in, making the warfare even more savage than before.
Blood and murder will continue to beget blood and murder until leaders on both sides recognize that maybe, just maybe, the other side has a point, too.
War won’t help them grasp that because war never offers an answer to suffering. It merely adds to it.
“War is cruelty,†U.S. Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman said, “and you cannot refine it.â€
That was the truth when he said it.
It’s the truth now.
FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College.
SEEKING CHANGE: Events like Period Action Day highlight differences
SEEKING CHANGE: Events like Period Action Day highlight the differences
By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
November 25, 2023
Before they try to sway lawmakers, activists first have to decide how they will advocate – mass protest, march, sit-in or informed discussion.
And when the issue is as contentious, and potentially embarrassing, as the desire to stop charging state sales tax on feminine hygiene products, determining how to push for change can be especially tricky.
MADVoters Indiana, a nonpartisan grassroots organization, plans to ramp up its advocacy for eliminating the “tampon tax†by holding a rally in January as the 2024 legislative session gets underway and then testifying at committee hearings during the session. But the group started its effort by hosting a Period Action Day on Wednesday at the Statehouse and focused on educating and informing through simple conversations.
Bills and amendments to end the sales tax on menstrual products that have been introduced in the Indiana General Assembly have been mostly met with silence. During the 2023 session, state Sens. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington and Kyle Walker, R-Indianapolis, authored House Bill 259, which would have eliminated the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, but it never received a hearing.
More than an inconvenience, the sales tax is a financial burden with one in four menstruating women in Indiana struggling to pay for feminine products, according to information from MADVoters. Each year, the sales tax costs Hoosier women an estimated $5.6 million.
In planning the action day, Chelsea McDonnell, co-founder of MADVoters Indiana, said her organization wanted to focus on educating and helping people understand the burden of the sales tax. The nonprofit picked a day when several interim study committees were meeting, so many lawmakers would be in the building.
“We tried to take a more holistic approach to reaching people,†McDonnell said. “That includes treating the whole person and in order to do that, we have to be willing to meet people where they are and educate them and be the ones that start the conversation in a positive manner.â€
The approach contrasted with the protesters who filled the Statehouse when the legislature was debating controversial bills that would restrict abortion and ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports. At those times, the protesters waved handmade signs and yelled continually, while legislators were inside their chambers debating the bills.
Advocating for change is part of civic engagement, but does one form of public demonstrating work better than others?
Katie Blair, director of advocacy and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said the different ways to raise awareness and push an issue all have their place. An advocacy day, like the Period Action Day, can do a lot to teach people about a topic or problem and build momentum to advance legislation. However, “when things take a right turn at the Statehouse,†then a protest can be an effective response.
“I think they both serve different purposes but very important purposes,†Blair said.
Questions lead to education
Several other organizations joined MADVoters to support Period Action Day, including the ACLU of Indiana, Women4Change, Love HER League and the All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center. Staff members and volunteers from the different groups passed out brochures, collected emails and talked to anyone who stopped by.
Also, MADVoters was collecting donated packages of pads and tampons which would then be given to abused and battered women. The table piled high with boxes and bags underscored McDonnell’s point that paying for these products month after month is a hardship for low-income women and girls.
Amanda Eldridge, a MADVoters volunteer, was working at the game table. T-shirts, pens, stickers and small, zippered cloth bags stuffed with pads were spread across the tabletop. A couple of trivia boards posed questions about menstruation and the sales tax.
The trivia game, Eldridge said, helped start conversations about feminine hygiene products and period poverty which, admittedly, are not the usual topics of public discussions. People often got the answers to their trivia questions wrong and that led them to ask more questions.
A handful of Democratic legislators milled around the tables and talked to their constituents. McDonnell said her group invited all state senators and representatives to the event and sent emails asking each of them to eliminate the tax on feminine products.
McDonnell speculated the loss of revenue for state coffers was fueling the resistance to changing the tax code. “Money is the main motivator,†she said, and lawmakers do not want to give up those dollars by ending the sales tax on feminine products.
She also acknowledged legislators might be reluctant to debate lifting the sales tax because they are uncomfortable and squeamish over talking about women’s monthly menstruation cycles.
“I’m sure that’s a part of it in some ways,†McDonnell said. “But, you know, if all these people were able to talk about abortion for months, I don’t know why we can’t talk about periods, which we need those in order to get pregnant.â€
Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, spent some time at the event. He said the first step to removing the sales tax on menstrual products is to determine the fiscal impact on the state. Also key to moving the legislation forward is showing how the tax affects every Hoosier household, bolstering the argument that many will benefit if the sales tax is nixed.
Taylor liked the approach MADVoters was taking to advance the issue. He said engaging in calm discussion to educate and build understanding “has always been more successful†than confrontation and demanding support.
“With all the frustrating politics that we have across the country going to today, it is nice to see this type of peaceful protest, so to speak, information-gathering for legislators,†Taylor said. “For me, you tune out people who just get in your face and holler, because it’s really not providing any good information.â€
Pressure tactic, making an impact
Blair noted the message can be lost if the advocacy day or protest is not well-organized and well-attended. Legislators will interpret that low turnout as a lack of interest in the issue. Conversely, mobilizing large groups to rally at the Statehouse can show “you have an army behind you.â€
And when large groups are waving signs, yelling and chanting, that can scuttle controversial bills by showing lawmakers that “legislation cannot pass in the dark,†Blair said. She pointed to the rash of anti-Critical Race Theory bills that sprouted during the 2022 General Assembly session. Protests that rose in response helped block that legislation.
Blair said lawmakers need to know people are watching the Statehouse. “It’s really critical for this not to feel like it’s something that’s just happening behind closed doors without the voice of Hoosiers,†she said.
Along with calm conversations, MADVoters was using a pressure tactic during the action day.
The organization encouraged women to gather their sales receipts from the purchase of feminine products and submit them with a tax refund request to the Indiana Department of Revenue. McDonnell explained that mailing the receipts to the revenue department would emphasize the financial burden of the tax.
She did not see the potential for the effort to backfire, since it would show legislators how much tax revenue is collected on the products. Instead, she said, the extra work created in the revenue department by having to open each envelope, pull out the form and input the information into the computer, would foster more calls for change.
“I think this will be a good way to wake people up who aren’t necessarily involved, but who will be involved in the process of filing these things,†McDonnell said. “And then you also have to think about the legislators who might be getting phone calls, (from revenue officials who say), ‘I don’t ever want to deal with this at work again. Can we do something about this?’â€
Megan Flynn, a third-year law student at New York University who was representing the national organization Period Law, was working at the receipt table, helping women fill out the paper refund forms. The 28-year-old has participated in Black Lives Matter protests, been a regular at the Women’s March, joined a community activist group to raise awareness about reproductive rights, and talked to legislators about asylum and immigration issues.
The large protests and marches can make an impact, when “they are so widespread and in strategic locations where they can’t be ignored,†Flynn said. But she sees the kind of advocacy practiced during the Period Action Day as doing more to bring about change.
“The times when I feel like I have the most impact is not really those protest-type situations, but when I get to talk to legislators or their staff directly, which can be really hard to find those opportunities,†Flynn said. “I have written a lot of postcards and done a lot of phone calling and can feel there’s not a lot of validation as to what impact that is having.â€
Dwight Adams, a freelance editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Evansville erases 20-point deficit to pick up overtime win
Evansville erases 20-point deficit to pick up overtime win
Aces defeat Mocs by a final of 85-77Â
NOVEMBER 25, 2023
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team staged one of the largest rallies in Missouri Valley Conference history to defeat Chattanooga in overtime by a final of 85-77 inside McKenzie Arena.
With 11:40 remaining in regulation, the Purple Aces trailed Chattanooga by a 62-42 margin. From that point on, UE outscored the Mocs by a 43-15 margin to pick up the improbable road win. Chattanooga was shooting 53.3% (24-of-45) from the field and 47.8% (11-of-23) at that point. Over the final portion of regulation and overtime, the defense for UE held the Mocs to 4-for-24 from the field and 3-of-18 from long range (both 16.7%). The comeback by Evansville tied the 8th-largest comeback in MVC history.
“This was a huge win for us; our guys never gave up and we continued to battle regardless of how many points we were down,†Purple Aces head coach David Ragland explained. “We challenged the group with about 11:40 left and said, “Do we believe?â€Â Seeing the looks in their eyes, we could see that they believed and they responded the right way.â€
Evansville’s win gives the program its best start since an identical 5-0 mark to open the 2017-18 campaign while matching the win total from the entire 2022-23 season. Anchoring the comeback was Ben Humrichous. He finished with a game-high 28 points, 18 of which came during the Aces comeback. He was 11-for-21 from the floor while draining five triples. Antonio Thomas finished with 11 points while Tanner Cuff and Chuck Bailey III scored 10 and 9, respectively. Cuff picked up his first double-double at UE, hauling in 11 rebounds.
Yacine Toumi hit his second triple of the season to open the scoring as the Aces began the day with a 7-2 lead. Ben Humrichous and Antonio Thomas added baskets in the early stretch. The Mocs rallied right back with seven in a row to take their first lead of the afternoon at 9-7 five minutes in. Cam Haffner tied the score with a floater, but the Chattanooga run continued as they tacked on five more to go up 14-9. In total, the Mocs outscored UE by a 12-2 margin.
Ben Humrichous hit from downtown and Tanner Cuff added his first basket of the day as the Aces tied it up at 14-14 at the 13:09 mark. Another 3-pointer put Chattanooga back on top, but UE staged a rally of its own to go up 24-20 near the midway point of the period. Gage Bobe hit a triple to highlight the run.
Things continued to go back and forth with Humrichous’ second long ball of the day knotting the score at 29-29 with exactly four minutes showing on the clock. Over the final minutes of the stanza, the Mocs would retake the advantage and head to halftime up by a 40-36 score. Humrichous had a game-high 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.
In the win over Ball State, Evansville outscored the opposition by a 17-0 margin in the opening moments of the latter half. It was a different story on Friday with UTC doing the damage. Six in a row by the Mocs, coupled with a 0-for-7 start by the Aces, made it a 46-36 contest in the first three minutes. After Evansville scored four in a row, Chattanooga reeled off 13 consecutive points to cap off a 19-4 run to open the half and go up 59-40.
Chattanooga extended the lead to 20 (62-42) before the Aces fought back. Bobe’s second triple completed a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 13 with 9:13 left in the contest. Two minutes later, Humrichous made it ten Evansville points in a row with another triple to cut the Mocs lead to 62-52. Rudy Fitzgibbons III ended a scoreless stretch that exceeded five minutes with a three, but the Aces posted the next four to make it a 65-56 game entering the final five minutes.
Another triple by the Mocs reestablished the double figure lead on the ensuing possession, but Tanner Cuff immediately drained a three to make it a 9-point game once again. With 3:31 on the clock, Joshua Hughes nailed a triple that got his squad within six tallies. As the contest entered its final two minutes, Humrichous took full control. With 2:06 remaining, his triple made it a 3-point game and, following a Chattanooga turnover, he was true from outside once again to tie the score at 68-68 with 98 ticks left.
Two free throw misses by the Mocs gave the ball back to UE and Humrichous converted a jumper to give the Aces their first lead since the first half. UTC knocked down a pair of free throw tries with 33 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Riding the wave of momentum from their comeback, the Aces got right back to work in overtime. Humrichous had a 3-point play to get things started while Antonio Thomas hit a pair of free throws to make it a 75-70 game less than a minute in. Thomas added a field goal and Cuff converted a pair of free throws to cap off a 9-0 run to open the OT period. Chattanooga posted its first overtime points with 1:02 remaining, but the UE lead was too much to overcome. As the clock reached zeroes, Evansville finished off an 85-77 triumph.
Five Mocs reached double figures with Honor Huff tallying 17. Sam Alexis registered 10 points while hauling in a game-high 15 boards. Evansville finished with a 41-39 rebounding edge while outshooting the Mocs by a 42.6%-40.6% tally.
Tomorrow, the Aces complete the Coke Zero Sugar Classic against Southeast Missouri State. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT.
Organization Day kicks off 2024 legislative session
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This week, Hoosier lawmakers gathered at the Statehouse in Indianapolis for Organization Day, which is the official start to the 2024 legislative session. Session kickoff is an exciting and important opportunity to meet with fellow policymakers to discuss issues facing our communities and state, and make plans for the session ahead. |
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Lawmakers won’t return for session until Jan. 8 and must complete their work before the March 14 deadline. Please stay connected with me as January approaches and proposals for new laws come before the legislature for consideration. I can be reached at h76@iga.in.gov or by calling 317-232-9600.
Another great resource to stay involved and informed is by visiting iga.in.gov, which is the Indiana General Assembly’s website providing helpful information on proposals for new laws, and on committee hearings and session meetings.I look forward to working hard on behalf of our community and delivering results for House District 76. |
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Eagles falls short against #9 Blue Devils
USI starts 3-GM homestand next week
DURHAM, N.C. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball concluded the Duke Blue Devil Challenge with an 80-62 loss to ninth-ranked Duke University Friday evening at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Screaming Eagles are 1-6 after tonight’s action, while the Blue Devils are 5-1 to begin the season.
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The Eagles stunned the Blue Devils in the first five minutes of the game, quickly building a 10-point lead, 15-5, when the first media time out was called. USI would go on to lead by 10 points six different times during in the first 20 minutes.
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Following USI pushing the lead back to 10, 32-22, with 5:02 left in the half, Duke used a 9-3 run to close the gap to four, 35-31, at the break. USI was led in the first half by sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois), who had 11 points and nine rebounds.
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Junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) followed Smith in the first half with seven points each. Campion also had a team-high three assists in the opening half and would tie a career-best with seven assists in the contest. Â
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The second half saw Duke exploded out of the locker room with an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, 42-35, its largest lead to that point. The Duke lead expanded to as many as 16 points, 58-42, but USI was not done.
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The Eagles used a 6-0 run that was capped off by a dunk by sophomore forward Kiyron Powell (Evansville, Indiana) to close the gap to nine points, 58-49. The nine-point deficit would be as close as the Eagles would come the rest of the way.
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Duke hit the gas one more time in the final five minutes and outscored USI, 22-13, the rest of the way to close out the 80-62 final.
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In the scoring column, USI was lead by Hernandez’s team-high 15 points. The junior guard, who had eight points in the second half, was five-of-13 from the field, including a three, and four-of-four from the stripe.
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Junior guard/forward Javius Moore (McComb, Mississippi) and Smith followed with 11 points each to round out the double-digit scorers. Moore was a blistering four-of-six from the field and three-of-four from beyond the arc.
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Smith finished the game with a team-high 13 points to produce his third double-double of the season. Twelve of Smith’s 13 boards came on the defensive end.
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Next Up For USI:
The Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of Screaming Eagles Arena next week to start a three-game homestand. USI begins the homestand Tuesday (November 28) by hosting East/West University at 7 p.m.
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East/West, which will be making its first appearance at Screaming Eagles Arena, is 3-9 this season and 1-4 in its last five games.
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The homestand will continue December 2 when USI hosts Bowling Green State University and concludes December 6 versus Purdue University Ft. Wayne. Tipoff versus Bowling Green is 3 p.m., while tipoff against Ft. Wayne is slated for 7 p.m.
No. 5 Trailblazers pick up first win away from home over State Fair C.C.
MOBERLY, Mo. – The No. 5-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers faced their first game away from the Physical Education Complex this season and were able to come away with a 78-69 victory over State Fair Community College at the Moberly Area C.C. Thanksgiving Classic.
Vincennes got off to a slow start Friday afternoon, turning the ball over four times in the first four minutes of the game and found themselves facing a 16-12 deficit midway through the first half.
VU would score five unanswered to grab the lead back at 19-18, one of 11 lead changes during the opening half of play.
The two teams continued to battle, with VU looking to grab the momentum with an open dunk by freshman Damarien Yates (Somerville, Tenn.) and freshman Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) connecting on three of three from the free throw line to give the Blazers a 35-30 advantage.
The Roadrunners answered back before the half, cutting the deficit to two and heading into the halftime break trailing Vincennes 38-36.
State Fair continued to ride this momentum in the second half, taking the lead back at 49-48.
The lead changed hands eight times in under five minutes before VU looked to take control with a 6-0 scoring run to lead 67-61.
State Fair again would answer back, cutting the lead back down to two, but were unable to take the lead back as VU closed out the game to pick up the 78-69 victory.
“At the end of the day, we were a little bit more efficient offensively than they were,†VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. “I think that if you look at both teams, when you look at shooting the ball and putting the ball into the basket, lack of turnovers, hitting threes, it was a high quality game. I tip my hat to State Fair. I thought State Fair played the heck out of it today.â€
“When you look at the shooting numbers, they were 25 of 48, 8 of 18 from three and 11 of 14 from the free throw line,†Franklin added. “They had 11 turnovers. We got a few as the game went along. I thought they played really well. I thought they made us pay.â€
“I thought the key to the game though, when we couldn’t get away from them enough, was we let Alex Gunnels have,†Franklin said. “Because at the end of the day, you can’t have the secondary guys go to the thing that they do and that really bothered me on that sideline. We knew he was going to drive it right. He had the one bank in three, those things happen, but he had about four or five layups going to his right, right from the top where we did not follow the assignment. If you follow the assignment on him, he’s not going to get that and he ends up with 19 points.â€
“When you are playing somebody that is play well like they did and you have to dig the game out, it’s hard enough when their good players are going, which they were,†Franklin added. “But you can’t let the secondary guy beat you. Particularly to the one thing you know in the scouting report, that’s what he’s going to do. That’s a lesson we are going to have to learn. We are going to get tougher minded about those things.â€
“But I thought, other than that, we didn’t finish on two situations when we went to the foul line when I thought we were about to extend the lead and get it to eight or 10,†Franklin said. “We played fine because we got to the line on two different trips and we went 0 for 4. We missed one front end of a bonus and two free throws, out of four points we got none. Then the next trip down we had a point blank shot and then a tip-in at point blank and it ended up being knocked out and being a bucket going the other way. So out of three possessions when we had all free throws and layups, we ended up with no points and they ended up with a layup.â€
“But we made the plays,†Franklin added. “When you look at our numbers, we’re 27 of 52 and nine of 16 from three and I don’t think we took a bad one. We were patient. Sometimes almost too patient and weren’t ready a few catches. But we were patient. We found the shooters and were able to get a quality, balanced shot up and guys made them. 15 of 23 on free throws, we’d like to get a little better from the line. We only had 10 turnovers. We had a few tentative, sloppy ones in the first half that gave them a little courage. But we only ended with 10 for the game.â€
“At the end of the day, you tip your hat to State Fair,†Franklin said. “I don’t know if they will play like this every day or not. But if they play like this, they are going to win a lot of ball games. They were a plenty good enough team today to give most people a run for their money. Because we shot it and handled it and didn’t turn the ball over. Whether it was pretty or not, at the end of the day, those things we did well enough and we needed to to get this win.â€
The Trailblazers were led offensively by Lebron Thomas, who scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the first half, while also dishing out five assists on the night.
Sophomore Kris King (Washington, D.C.) picked up the scoring in the second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes of play, including hitting three of three from behind the three-point arc.
Sophomore Karyiek Dixon (Enfield, London, UK) finished his night with 12 points, six rebounds and a team-high four blocks defensively.
Sophomore Ryan Oliver (Antioch, Tenn.) was the fourth Vincennes scorer in double-figures, ending with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Freshman Mathieu Nader-Kalombo (Longueuil, Quebec) also helped get the VU scoring going in the first half, connecting on three of four from behind the arc for nine points on the night.
Sophomore Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) battled foul trouble in the first half and came back with a strong second half to finish with eight points and nine rebounds.
“I thought we shot it,†Franklin said. “And the guys that shot it, shot it pretty well. It was on and off, up and down, good and bad. It’s hard to say that somebody sustained it all night. I didn’t think Kris had a great first half but in the second half he stepped up and played big. Karyiek had moments and some moments not so much. Michael was the same way. So I thought it was across the board like that.â€
“I thought Mathieu gave us some good minutes in the first half when we needed it,†Franklin added. “But I thought most guys, as far as shooting the ball, were pretty good. Ryan didn’t want to shoot the ball as much as he should have and then finally before the last time we sent him in, we were all over him to be ready and then one time it swings and he busted it. There’s no coincidence to that. We didn’t take bad shots. I didn’t think we forced anything. I thought as a group, collectively, we tried to break that zone down and offensively we were pretty good.â€
“Defensively, eh, but they played really well,†Franklin said. “At the end of the day you have to tip your hat to the other team sometimes and State Fair, I thought, was really good tonight. We may have helped them on some things, but I thought other than Gunnels, there were just individual breakdowns here and there. But they made us pay. Every time we relaxed a little, things that you might not have paid for other times, we paid for tonight.â€
“I thought we overall did what we had to do,†Franklin added. “Gutted it out. Kris King shot the ball in the second half and we made some big shots with different guys doing it. I thought Karyiek did some good things defensively late that were key. Michael got on the boards pretty good and cleared the glass when we had to. So it was a collective and I thought that Kris in the second half was probably the offensive spark that we needed to get over the top. He made the big shots when we had to make them right when the game is hanging in the balance and had a couple of big drives against the zone when it opened up. But this was a good gut-check win.â€
The Trailblazers will face another tough test tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 25 when VU faces No. 12 Moberly Area Community College in the final game of the MACC Thanksgiving Classic at 8 p.m. eastern.
This will be the third straight Saturday the Trailblazers have faced a team ranked in the top-25 after facing Monroe College and Indian Hills the past two Saturdays.
“I just hope we ratchet up the intensity on defense and we follow the game plan,†Franklin said. “I thought like, on Gunnels, that we broke the game plan tonight and it almost cost us the ball game. Those things are important and hopefully they have learned that now.â€
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (78): Kris King 4-5 3-4 14, Kent King 1-6 2-2 5, Lebron Thomas 5-12 5-5 16, Michael Osei-Bonsu 4-7 0-0 8, Karyiek Dixon 4-10 4-7 12, Damarien Yates 2-2 0-0 4, Mathieu Nader-Kalombo 3-4 0-1 9, Alphonse Muteba 0-0 0-2 0, Ryan Oliver 4-6 1-2 10, Team 27-52 15-23 78.
State Fair – 36   33 – 69
VU (8-0) – 38   40 – 78
Three-point goals: VU 9 (Kr. King 3, Nader-Kalombo 3, Ke. King, L. Thomas, Oliver). Rebounds: VU 29 (Osei-Bonsu 9). Assists: VU 23 (Ke. King 6). Steals: VU 6 (Kr. King 2). Blocked shots: VU 7 (Dixon 4). Turnovers: VU 10. Personal Fouls: VU 14. Fouled out: None.
Ingredion to Spend $8 Million in Settlement Over Violations Involving Emissions of Particulate Matter at Indianapolis Corn Wet Mill
WASHINGTON (Nov. 22, 2023) – Plant-based ingredient maker Ingredion Incorporated today agreed to a settlement with EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice, along with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, to settle claims that it violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its corn wet milling facility in Indianapolis. Ingredion will pay a civil penalty of $1,139,600 and implement measures at a cost of nearly $7 million to reduce and offset unpermitted emissions of particulate matter (PM) and to comply with lower future PM limits.
A complaint filed with the consent decree states that Ingredion violated CAA permit limits on PM emissions, including inhalable PMs with a diameter of 10 microns or less, and volatile organic compounds. The complaint also states that Ingredion did not operate and monitor certain equipment as required to minimize air emissions.
“This settlement requires Ingredion to lower its emissions of particulate matter, which can cause serious health problems, and also requires Ingredion to take steps to offset the unlawful emissions it released in the past,†said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “To help ensure the Company’s future compliance, Ingredion must implement a compliance management system that is subject to an independent audit program.â€
“Today’s settlement will not just bring Ingredion back into compliance with the Clean Air Act, it will hold it to more stringent air pollution standards going forward,†said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This settlement will result in cleaner air for the residents of Indianapolis, particularly those who live in the overburdened community near the Ingredion facility.â€
“IDEM is happy to be a part of this resolution that ensures responsible operations in compliance with the Clean Air Act,†said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess. “Good air quality is a shared resource that requires partnership between government entities, the public and industry. This settlement will benefit residents in Marion County and Hoosiers across Indiana.â€
PM is composed of microscopic solids or liquid droplets. It can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems including coughing, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis and premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
The settlement requires Ingredion to install and operate new equipment to meet PM limits that are lower than the plant’s current permitted limits. The company completed installation and testing of the new system in advance of today’s filing. The settlement also requires Ingredion to implement a modernized compliance management system to address repeated operation and monitoring failures at the facility and hire an independent auditor to verify the effectiveness of the system.
Under today’s settlement, Ingredion committed to mitigating the harm associated with past excess PM emissions by paving onsite unpaved and partially paved roads and parking areas to reduce PM emissions generated by vehicle traffic, which Ingredion completed in advance of today’s filing. The company will also replace aging railway locomotives at the facility with two modern locomotives that meet emissions standards.
As a state supplemental environmental project, the settlement requires Ingredion to contribute $560,400 to the State of Indiana to support Brownfields redevelopment in and around Marion County, Indiana.
The EPA and IDEM are investigating the case. Attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Enforcement Section and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office are handling the case.
WAGNER, DORSEY SCORE IN 5-2 LOSS TO STORMÂ
Moline, Ill.:  Despite outshooting the Storm by a 35-31 count and dominating the first period and stretches of the third period, the Thunderbolts were unable to hold even with the Quad City Storm, losing 5-2 at Vibrant Arena on Friday night. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Friday, December 1st against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.
Evansville dominated the first period, outshooting Quad City 14-5 in the opening frame, however the Thunderbolts were unable to score first as the Storm converted on a power play, with Logan Nelson opening the scoring late in the period. In the second period, Matt Ustaski and Michael Moran added goals nearly halfway through the period, before Aiden Wagner scored to get Evansville back to within two goals. The goal was his first as a Thunderbolt, assisted by Scott Kirton and Mike Ferraro only three seconds into a power play at 16:34. John Schiavo scored to restore the three goal lead early in the third period, before Matt Dorsey responded late in regulation, scoring with 3:32 remaining from Colton Kalezic to pull the Thunderbolts back to within a pair of goals. Following a penalty shot save from debuting Thunderbolts’ goaltender Cole Ceci, the Storm scored an empty net goal in the final minute to seal the 5-2 final score.
Wagner and Dorsey each finished with one goal, while Ceci finished with 26 saves on 30 shots. The Thunderbolts and Storm meet once again on Saturday, November 25th at Vibrant Arena.