FOOTNOTE: Â EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
UPDATE 12/21/2023: Danica Short has been located and is safe.Â
 UPDATE: Missing Juvenile / Attempt to LocateÂ
UPDATE 12/21/2023: Danica Short has been located and is safe.Â
On December 10, around 8:50pm, fifteen-year-old white female Danica Short left Hillcrest Youth Home. To this date, we are still requesting assistance from the public; if you have any information that could help locate Danica, you are asked to contact 9-1-1. Attached are photos of Danica, including photos of her leaving Hillcrest Youth Home. She is roughly 5’8†with shoulder length blonde har. She was last seen wearing a black shirt, dark colored jacket, black pants and Adidas style tennis shoes. (12/18/2023)Â
PRIMARY THOUGHTS
Primary thoughts
You know, I thought I was done with 2023.
I was planning to relax and be on autopilot for the next few weeks. What’s the phrase, “the best-laid plans of mice and men…”
Yes, everything was fine until Judge Patrick Dietrick ruled that Indiana’s rules for running in the primary violated the state and federal constitutions.
A quick recap: Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Rust was denied ballot access because he hadn’t voted in two previous primaries, as required by law. Nor could he get the sign-off from his Jackson County GOP chairwoman that he was a Republican in good standing. S0, Rust exercised his God-given right and filed a lawsuit.
And he won.
Marion County Judge Dietrick ruled that the law violated the U.S. and state constitutions.
Dietrick held the law violated the 1st, 14th, and 17th Amendments (yes, the one that changed how U.S. Senators were selected). But it also violated the state constitution by putting more qualifications to run for office than the constitution allowed.
Dietrick pointed out that if a qualification for office was that a person had to be a resident and 18 years old, there was no way they could run in a primary because they could not have voted in the last two. And there’s no legal standard for a county chairman to use when deciding whether to sign off on the candidate.
That decision sent shockwaves through Indiana’s political universe. The state appealed, and the Supreme Court decided to hear the case on Feb. 12 (Lincoln’s birthday, which I find somewhat ironic, but I’m digressing).
What’s interesting is that the state asked for a stay in the order while it was being appealed, which the court denied. That means we can expect a proverbial free-for-all this season, for now. Unless the court comes back and says the law is unconstitutional, which would technically have to be put out in four days after the oral arguments as the day to withdraw from the primary is Feb. 16.
All this could have been avoided.
First, it could have been avoided had county chairwoman Amanda Lowery just signed the damn letter and let Rust on the ballot. But she didn’t, so here we are.
Second, and more important, this would not be happening if Republicans and Democrats just followed the lead of Libertarians and paid for their own primaries.
I have argued this for years: Why should taxpayers foot the bill for political parties to nominate their candidates for a general election? Why should Democrats pay for Republicans to pick their candidates? Why should Republicans have to pay for how Democrats nominate theirs? And why should any of us have to pay for either party?
Political parties should have their own process for selecting candidates, which I am all for, and they should have to foot the bill.
If taxpayers are going to foot the bill, then Indiana should move to a more open primary system. Let everyone run on a combined ballot, and then let the top two candidates run in a general election. And for fun, if a candidate gets more than 60 percent of the vote, they automatically win. Problem solved. Issue addressed.
Hopefully, Indiana lawmakers will look at this next session, and the state will finally fix this broken system. Of course, it was Indiana lawmakers and politicians who broke it in the first place, so good luck with that one.
We now return to being done with 2023.
FOOTNOTES: Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the editor and publisher of Indy Politics. He is also a licensed attorney in both Indiana and Illinois.
SENATOR BRAUN CELEBRATES PASSAGE OF BILL TO REDUCE MILITARY OVERDOSESÂ
WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Braun joins fellow bill sponsors Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) celebrating Congress passing the Department of Defense Overdose Data (DOD) Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The bill will address the impacts of the opioid epidemic among members of the U.S. military and their family. It requires the Department of Defense to keep a collect an array of data needed to track and address the problem of military overdoses and require that drugs to reverse opioid overdose like naloxone are available on all military installations and operational environments.
“The federal government has a responsibility to protect the lives of service members, many of whom are impacted by the overdose crisis that has reached every corner of our country,â€Â said the Senators. “Over the last five years, we’ve lost hundreds of members of the military to overdose. This is a preventable crisis, and failing to act is immoral and a betrayal of the commitment we made to our servicemembers. By requiring the Department of Defense to track and report on overdose data and distribute overdose reversal medication to service members, we will help ensure no one else loses a loved one in uniform to a drug overdose. We look forward to this essential legislation being signed into law and the lives it will save in communities all across our country.â€
Specifically, the DOD Act as passed by Congress would require the Department of Defense to:
- Report annually on overdoses among members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force and related data, including demographic data, substances involved, number of intentional overdoses, number of members prescribed or provided naloxone prior to overdose, previous prescriptions, co-morbid mental health diagnoses, referral to treatment, history of positive drug tests, analysis of discernible patterns in overdoses, existing and anticipated response efforts, access to treatment, and available treatment programs, and;
- Ensure naloxone and any other medication to reverse opioid overdose is available on all military installations and in each operational environment.
Cosponsors in the Senate include Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
Biden Administration Announces $600M to 11 Grantmakers to Fund Environmental Justice Projects
Grantmakers selected to reduce barriers to federal funds and issue thousands of environmental justice grants over the next three years
WASHINGTON (Dec. 20, 2023) – As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration announced on Wednesday $600 million for 11 selected Grantmakers under EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program, created by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action in history. This new grant program, which will make it easier for small community-based organizations to access federal environmental justice funding, responds to community feedback about the need to reduce barriers to federal funds and improve the efficiency of the awards process to ensure communities that have long faced underinvestment can access the benefits of the largest climate investment in history. Communities will be able to apply to a Grantmaker for a subgrant to fund a range of different environmental project activities, including (but not limited to) small local clean ups, local emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency programs, environmental workforce development programs for local jobs reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fenceline air quality and asthma related projects, healthy homes programs, and projects addressing illegal dumping.
President Biden is delivering the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in our nation’s history. Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan were joined by Dr. Robert Bullard, a Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University to announce the historic Grantmaker awards.
“Every person has a right to drink clean water, breathe clean air, and live in a community that is healthy and safe,†said Vice President Kamala Harris. “For too long, however, low-income communities, immigrant communities, Native communities, and communities of color have endured disproportionate levels of air, water, and soil pollution. That is why President Joe Biden and I have put equity at the center of our nation’s largest investment in climate in history. Today’s announcement puts that commitment into action by ensuring critical resources to fund environmental justice projects across the country reach the organizations that know their communities best.â€
“For years, community advocates have been calling for federal support and resources to help address our country’s most pressing environmental justice concerns,†said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris’ leadership, we’re responding to these calls by removing barriers that have traditionally held communities and applicants back from accessing these historic investments in America. Together, in partnership with these Grantmakers, we are taking a giant step toward a future where every person in America has equal opportunity to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live a healthy, productive life.â€
The Grantmakers will work in collaboration with EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights to issue subgrants to community-based nonprofit organizations and other eligible organizations representing disadvantaged communities. The 11 Grantmakers will design comprehensive application and submission processes, award environmental justice subgrants, implement tracking and reporting systems, and provide resources and support to communities. The subgrants are expected to become available by summer of 2024.
The 11 Grantmakers consist of regional selectees (i.e., Regional Grantmakers) who will issue subgrants to communities in specific EPA Regions, as well as national selectees (i.e., National Grantmakers) who will provide additional support, coordination, and oversight to the subgrantees, applicants, and the Regional Grantmakers themselves, as well as issue additional subgrants to fill potential gaps in the regions. Ten Grantmakers are receiving $50 million each with one selectee, Research Triangle Institute, receiving $100 million to serve as both a Regional Grantmaker serving communities in EPA Region 4 and as a National Grantmaker in which part of their responsibility is providing subgrants to communities in EPA Region 7. Collectively, the 11 Grantmakers will issue thousands of subgrants to disadvantaged communities over the next three years.
EPA has selected the following nine organizations to serve as Regional Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmakers:
- Health Resources in Action, Massachusetts (EPA Region 1)
- Fordham University, New York (EPA Region 2)
- Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Inc., Maryland (EPA Region 3)
- Research Triangle Institute, North Carolina (EPA Region 4)
- The Minneapolis Foundation, Minnesota (EPA Region 5)
- Texas Southern University, Texas (EPA Region 6)
- JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc., Colorado (EPA Region 8)
- Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), Inc., California (EPA Region 9)
- Philanthropy Northwest, Washington (EPA Region 10)
In addition, EPA has selected three National Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmakers, including:
- Institute For Sustainable Communities, Vermont (EPA Regions 1-3)
- Research Triangle Institute, North Carolina (EPA Regions 4-7)
- Climate Justice Alliance, California (EPA Regions 8-10)
Grantmakers are expected to begin opening competitions and awarding subgrants by summer 2024. Community-based nonprofit organizations and other eligible organizations seeking subgrant funding will be able to apply for subgrants through three concurrent tiers offered by the Grantmakers. Tier One will consist of grants for $150,000 for assessment, Tier Two will consist of grants for $250,000 for planning, and Tier Three will consist of grants for $350,000 for project development. In addition, $75,000 will be available for capacity-constrained community-based organizations through a noncompetitive process under Tier One. Each Grantmaker will design and implement a distribution program best suited for their region and communities.
The Grantmakers program is part of the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network and delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Grantmakers will work in collaboration with the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) to create a robust support network to assist eligible entities when applying.
UE Men’s basketball earns 10th victory with win over TTU
Aces improve to 10-2 on the season
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time in five seasons, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team has won double digit games, earning its 10th win over 2023 with an 82-51 victory over Tennessee Tech at the Ford Center.
With the win, UE clinched its first 10-win season since earning 11 victories in 2018-19. The 10th win also doubled the win total from the entirety of last season. The 31-point win margin was the most for the Purple Aces against a Division I program since Feb. 24, 2018 when UE defeated Southern Illinois by a final of 75-44 at the Ford Center.
“Credit our group for having the right approach as we played three games in five days. We talked about mindset this morning and I feel like we had great urgency and executed well,†Aces head men’s basketball coach David Ragland exclaimed. “We took a lead and kept building on it. Sometimes you can get complacent, but every time out, our group stayed connected and kept building.â€
Chuck Bailey III led a trio of double figure scorers with 18 points. The 3-time Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week was 2-for-2 from outside and converted all four free throw tries. Ben Humrichous had a perfect 5-of-5 effort from long range on his way to 15 points while Yacine Toumi earned his first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 boards. David Early and Jayvis Harvey led the Golden Eagles with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Tennessee Tech opened the evening with a triple while Humrichous tied it up at 5-5 with a triple at the 18:02 mark. After the Golden Eagles knocked down another triple to go up 8-5, the Purple Aces turned it on, scoring 10 in a row to go up 15-8 just over eight minutes in. Tennessee Tech missed eight in a row as the Aces made their run.
Cam Haffner connected on back-to-back field goals to give Evansville its first advantage of the evening at 9-8 while Chuck Bailey III added the final four points of the run. TTU ended the stretch with a bucket, but the UE run continued with another 7-0 run. Five of those tallies came from Tanner Cuff as the lead extended to 22-10 at the halfway mark of the period.
Over the next three minutes, the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to eight before Humrichous took matters into his own hands. Consecutive 3-pointers saw the Aces take their largest lead of the half (41-22) before holding an 18-point advantage at the break.
Evansville’s defense was the story in the second half, holding TTU scoreless for the first six minutes while holding them to 0-for-8 shooting and forcing three turnovers. Humrichous made it a perfect 5-for-5 start from 3-point range as the offense hit 5 of its first 8 second-half attempts to go up 56-26. Bailey added a triple to push the lead to 37 points (66-29) with 12:13 left in the game.
With 4:55 remaining in the contest, UE took a game-high 82-42 lead with the Golden Eagles closing in the final minutes to the final score of 82-51. The Aces shot 48.5% for the night with Tennessee Tech finishing at 32.1%. In the rebounding battle, UE finished with a 45-30 advantage. Evansville dished out a season-high 22 assists in the win; the team has recorded 16 or more helpers in 10 of the last 11 games.
One more non-conference game awaits the Aces when they travel to Cincinnati on Dec. 29. The new year opens with a road game at Indiana State on Jan. 3 before UE is back at the Ford Center on the 6th to face Murray State.
Two-time All-Region 24 VUVB Libero Morgan Netcott signs with University of Montevallo
VINCENNES, Ind. – Two-time All-Region 24 honoree and VUVB libero Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) signed her letter of intent to continue her volleyball career this spring at NCAA Division II University of Montevallo in Alabama this week.
“After I had a really great phone call with Coach Haven, I went down to visit and the school and program just checked all of my boxes,†Netcott said. “I loved the girls and the coaches and with a great Psychology and volleyball program, there was no way I could turn it down.â€
Netcott leaves Vincennes University with a trail of many athletic and academic accomplishments over her two years with the Blue and Gold.
Netcott helped guide the Trailblazers to a combined record of 61-16 including an unbeaten 26-0 record against Region 24 opponents and two Region 24 Championships.
Netcott also helped the 2023 VUVB team record the best season in program history since moving to Division I, ending with 32 wins, being ranked No. 18 in the country and VU’s first appearance in the Division I Midwest District Championship game.
Netcott had another big year running the Trailblazers back row defense, leading the Blazers with 692 digs, fifth most in the country this season.
Netcott closed out her Trailblazer career by surpassing the 1,000 digs milestone, becoming the third VUVB player in the 25-point rally-scoring era (2008-present) to reach this milestone and set a new school record with 1,389 digs.
Netcott also finished her Trailblazer career with a long list of recognitions as well, twice earning First Team All-Region 24 honors.
Off the court Netcott also has a long list of academic recognitions as well, earning 2023 First Team Academic All-American honors and being named the Top Student in the Psychology Department at VU in April.
“When I think of my accomplishments, the one that stands out the most is making it to the Division I District finals with the team,†Netcott added. “Although we would have loved to go further, this was something tat we worked towards the entire season and it was so fulfilling to see our hard work get us somewhere.â€
“Going into the year Morgan wasn’t really sure if she wanted to continue playing or just continue with her academics, so it had to be a really good situation for her to continue to play,†VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “We’re really glad that she found a University that is a really good situation for her, both academically and athletically.â€
“Because Morgan was so far ahead academically, she was able to graduate in December, so we began looking for opportunities for her to sign and transfer in January,†Sien added. “Morgan, of course, had a great year and there was some interest, but just before finals week she got a message from Montevallo that they were really interested in her and they wanted her to come down for a visit. I know Montevallo years ago when they were in the NAIA were a National power and now, they are Division II playing a really tough schedule against a lot of Florida schools, so I thought this sounded like a really good situation for her.â€
“Because of the short notice, it seemed like she had to make a quick visit, going down and back in about 32 hours and everything went well,†Sien said. “She met the coaches and met the team, saw the campus and spoke to people in admissions and it turned out to be a perfect situation for her and it made it almost like a no-brainer.â€
“Morgan is someone who has her life very well thought out and twice over the last year and a half she had to reconsider whether or not she was going to pursue volleyball,†Sien added. “And because she has twice decided yes, Montevallo is going to get a person that is not only committed to her studies but also very committed athletically.â€
“It’s hard to pick just one memory to say is my favorite,†Netcott said. “But I’m sure that it would involve all of the friends I have made here. From the sophomores last year, the freshmen this year and the people I’ve been with both years, they are definitely what has made my time at VU most worthwhile. Between practicing with teammates and studying with my classmates, my most cherished memories will be with the people that I’ve met.â€
“Athletically, Vincennes University has given me the on the court experience against talented players that underclassmen usually don’t get at four-year schools,†Netcott added. “This has allowed me to build my confidence as a player while gaining in game experience as a collegiate athlete.â€
“Academically, VU has provided a great transition point while moving away from home,†Netcott said. “Moving so far from everyone I knew was scary, but the homelike feel of the professors in the Psych program made the transition much easier than expected.â€
“I also just want to say that I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coach,†Netcott added. “The Vincennes volleyball program has taken such good care of me for these past three semesters and I don’t know where I would be without them.â€
“Morgan will definitely be missed in our program,†Sien said. “I always say, ‘you can replace the position, but you can never replace the person’ and that definitely applies to Morgan. We can talk about her abilities as a player, but you have to also talk about her leadership and the example that she sets. She is a real leader on the court that I always really depended on to communicate things to everyone else on the team. So just looking at the leadership side and as a person, not even looking at the volleyball part of it, that’s Morgan.â€
“Volleyball wise, I said after the District tournament that Morgan has helped set the standard for the liberos in this program,†Sien added. “Her two years here, as the saying goes, the next person who steps into that position has some immense shoes to fill. She has really defined what we look for in that position.â€
“She’s someone who the game and the team mean a lot to her,†Sien said. “And you know that she loves the game because she made two big-time decisions on whether or not to play and I don’t think most people would make that same choice. Morgan defines the libero position on the court not only with her ability to read the setter and pick up shots coming in at a million miles per hour but as someone who can direct our defense and as someone who is going to be very vocal.â€
“When we were down two sophomores during the season, Morgan really willed us to a couple of wins,†Sien added. “When you talk about a libero, you don’t usually get that type of leadership out of your libero. Normally it will be a big time hitter or a setter, those will be your leaders but that didn’t define Morgan. If Morgan were a hitter, she’d still be a leader. It wouldn’t matter what position Morgan played, she would be a leader and that’s a reason why we recruited her, not just because of her skills, but because of all the other things that she brings to the court.â€
“Her high school coaches raved about her and in talking to them we knew we were getting someone who could really help establish the culture we want in this program,†Sien said. “I have no doubt that Morgan is going to do wonders for Montevallo. She is going to pick them up. She is going to lead. They are getting a good one, that’s for sure.â€
Netcott is joining a Falcons squad who finished this past season with a record of 13-18 and a 10-6 record in Gulf South Conference play under Head Coach Haven O’Quinn.
The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Morgan Netcott on her signing with the University of Montevallo and wishes her good luck as she continues her volleyball career in the spring.