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.
Indiana Swimming and Diving Mourns The Loss of Ken Nakasone
BLOOMINGTON – The Indiana swimming and diving program is mourning following the death of Ken Nakasone this month. He was 82.
Nakasone swam at IU from 1959-63, earning All-America distinction from each of his final three seasons. He swam the breaststroke leg of IU’s third-place 400-yard medley relay in 1962 and placed top-10 in the 100-yard breaststroke each season, peaking at fourth in 1963.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Indiana swimming great Ken Nakasone,†IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “He will forever be remembered as a tremendous leader, student, and swimmer. Our thoughts are with his family.
“Our program has an extensive history with Hawai’i. Doc Counsilman and Soichi Sakamoto had a deep friendship over many years, which resulted in numerous high-level Hawai’ian swimmers attending Indiana University. Mahalo.â€
Nakasone competed at the 1959 Pan American Games, winning a gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay and a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. During his career, he established American records in the 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter breaststroke and 220-yard breaststroke.
Nakasone was born and raised in Pu’unene, Hawai’i. He was inducted into the Hawai’i Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005.
No. 21 Trailblazers start postseason with strong showing at windy Region 24 meet
CHARLESTON, Ill. – The No. 21-ranked Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams began their 2023 postseason Thursday afternoon with the 2023 NJCAA Region 24 Championships hosted at Eastern Illinois University.
The Blazers were one of three teams competing Thursday but were again in a unique situation, being the only Division I team competing, with Heartland CC and Kaskaskia College both being Division II in Cross Country.
The day began with the women’s 5k and the No. 21 VU women’s team more than held their own, with four of the Blazers’ six runners posting season best times.
Freshman Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) paced the VU runners, coming away with the honor of being NJCAA Division I Region 24 individual champion with a time of 20:57.1 and finishing sixth overall out of 22 runners competing.
Sophomore Ada Peterman (Clay City, Ill.)Â and freshman Lani Baskett (Sebree, Ky.) were next across the line, with Peterman posting a time of 21:35.0 and Baskett crossing the line at 21:41.1 for 10th and 11th place overall.
Freshman Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) took the fourth spot for the Blazers, finishing with a time of 22:32.6 and taking 13th overall.
Freshmen Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) and Madeline Esslinger (Bloomington, Ind.) closed out the day for the VU women’s team, with Haynes ending with a time of 23:53.6 and Esslinger ending at 24:33.0.
Haynes placed 17th overall and Esslinger took 19th overall, with the VU women’s team placing second overall with 50 points.
“Today was a good tune up before Nationals,†VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “The wind was really difficult to run though, especially during the men’s race. The women had their best meet of the season and did really well with four of the six runners running season bests (Adi, Ada, Jasmyn and Grayson) and Lani was just off of hers.â€
“They did a really good job of fighting through the conditions and have set themselves up well for a solid finish at the National meet,†Steigenga added. “Adi especially has come a long way in the past three weeks. She has the potential to be a really good low stick for us at Nationals.â€
The men’s 8k closed out the day at Eastern Illinois University, where the No. 21 VU men’s team had another great race, with three Trailblazers placing in the top-10 overall.
Freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) paced the VU men’s team with a time of 27:17.2, taking second overall in the race and collecting NJCAA Division I Region Champion honors.
Freshman Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) had a big finish to his race, turning it on down the final stretch to pass a few runners to take sixth overall out of 28 runners with a time of 27:50.9.
Freshman Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) was the third VU runner in the top-10, taking 10th overall with a finishing time of 28:24.7.
Sophomore Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) and freshman John Hackney (Evansville, Ind.) were the next VU runners across the line, with Worzella ending his day at 29:56.3 and Hackney posting a time of 30:05.7, good for 16th overall for Worzella and 17th for Hackney.
Sophomore Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and freshman Max Pendley (French Lick, Ind.) rounded out the Trailblazers day with Gray posting a time of 31:27.5 and Pendley crossing the line with a time of 33:49.4.
The VU men’s team placed second overall with a total of 43 points.
“We had a solid top three for the men,†Steigenga said. “Cody went out with the front pack and moved up the field to finish second. Tanner also worked his way up the field and had a great kick to pass three runners in the home stretch and was the only one on the men’s team to finish with a PR. John also had a solid race and was just off his PR.â€
“We have the potential to do well on the men’s side at Nationals, but it all depends on how our fourth and fifth runners do,†Steigenga added. “Nathan has been up there with Tanner and Caden all season but has been dealing with a knee injury. The biggest unknown is where our fifth runner will be Ever since we lost Isaac, that has been the key to how well we can do. We have three guys that can step up to fill that role but we’ll have to wait and see.â€
The VU Cross Country teams will now have over two weeks to prepare for the 2023 NJCAA Division I National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 11 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala.
The 2023 VU Cross Country season will then conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 14 with the 2023 NJCAA Half Marathon National Championships, also held at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.
MEET RESULTS
WOMEN’S RESULTS
Heartland – 15
VINCENNES – 50
Kaskaskia – 75
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Adi Fuller (6) – 20:57.1
Ada Peterman (10) – 21:35.0
Lani Baskett (11) – 21:41.1
Jasmyn Self (13) – 22:32.6
Grayson Haynes (17) – 23:53.6
Madeline Esslinger (19) – 24:33.0
MEN’S RESULTS
Heartland – 20
VINCENNES – 43
Kaskaskia – 74
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Cody Noel (2) – 27:17.2
Tanner Spence (6) – 27:50.9
Caden Hostetler (10) – 28:24.7
Griffin Worzella (16) – 29:56.3
John Hackney (17) – 30:05.7
Matthew Gray (22) – 31:27.5
Max Pendley (26) – 33:49.4
Office of Environmental Adjudication director set to retire
INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced today that Mary Davidsen, the state’s longtime chief environmental law judge, plans to retire at the end of the year. Judge Davidsen has served in her role as director of the Office of Environmental Adjudication (OEA) since being appointed in 2003.
Under Davidsen’s leadership, OEA has concluded more than 2,300 cases, facilitated resolution of more than 90% of its cases without resorting to extensive litigation efforts, and has not been reversed for avoidable error on judicial review. OEA also provides mediation services to cases involving other Indiana state agencies and the citizens they regulate.
“Judge Davidsen has had an incredible tenure dealing with often complex cases involving environmental concerns. She dedicated her career to this important work and it’s an honor to recognize her as a colleague,†said Gov. Holcomb.
OEA provides independent resolution of disputed decisions rendered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Issues decided by OEA involve permitting and enforcement of air, land and water laws, and the Excess Liability Trust Fund (ELTF), and examples include cases concerning electric utility fly ash ponds, community sanitary sewer and water supplies, confined feeding operations, and ELFT reimbursements claimed for site cleanups.
“It has been the greatest honor of my legal professional life to serve Hoosier citizens across the state for 20 years,†Judge Davidsen said. “The challenges of providing a fair, efficient forum to hear the first level of legal challenges to decisions made by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) could not have evolved as smoothly without the commitment of the parties to advocating their positions. I am incredibly proud of the work being done by our state and will be forever grateful to those who continue to fulfill the needs of our communities by improving the environmental conditions for Hoosiers.â€
Judge Davidsen also has served in leadership positions with the Sagamore American Inn of Court, the environmental section of the Indiana State Bar Association and assisted the Indianapolis Bar Association’s pro-bono initiative to connect qualified estate attorney volunteers with indigent hospice patients with urgent needs for representation for end-of-life concerns.
The process to replace Judge Davidsen will commence before the end of the year.
Update : Officer Involved Shooting 1700 blk S Evans Ave.
 On October 25th, around 5:42 p.m., Evansville Police Officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Cross St. in reference to a Disorderly Conduct. The caller stated that the subjects were fighting and threw a fish tank out the door.Â
Around 5:55 p.m., the responding EPD Officer arrived on scene and made contact with a female who was walking out of an apartment. She told the officer that everything was fine. Another female who was inside of the apartment, closed the door when the officer tried to speak with her. The officer did not witness any injuries on either female and since the parties had separated on their own, the officer left the scene.Â
At 6:02 p.m., Dispatch received another 911 call about a person with a gun. The caller saw the same female, who had been involved in the earlier Disorderly Conduct run, walking outside towards the park carrying a gun. The female was described as a white female wearing a multi-color hoodie with black leggings.Â
At 6:08 p.m., a responding EPD officer encountered the female walking in the 1700 block of S. Evans Ave. The officer stops his squad car, opens his car door, and tells the female to stop. The female turns around and looks at the officer but continues to walk away. The officer tells her at least 3 more times to come back to him. The female eventually complies and walks toward the officer. She was carrying a basketball under her right arm. The female starts reaching into her jacket pocket with her left hand. The officer yells at the female to stop reachingÂ
two separate times but she continues to dig into her pocket. The officer pulls out his duty weapon and points it at the female. The female pulls out a gun from her pocket and holds it down to her side. The officer yells at the female to drop the gun but instead, it appears that she tries to hide the gun behind her back. The female then brings her arm up in a motion as if lifting the gun. At that time, the officer discharged his duty weapon. The female was shot, fell to the ground, and landed on the gun.Â
For officer safety purposes, an EPD K9 was used to separate the female away from the gun so officers could safely approach her to render first aid. Officers, including an EPD Tactical Medic, rendered first aid to the female until AMR and Evansville Fire Medics arrived on scene. They also attempted life-saving measures, but the female was pronounced dead at the scene. No other individuals were injured during this incident.Â
Per protocol, the officer was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw. Our EPD Peer Support Team was called in to be with our officer during the process.Â
The gun was recovered from the scene and was determined to be a Smith & Wesson airsoft gun. It was photographed and collected from the scene. The gun looked like a revolver and did not have any type of orange or bright color tip.Â
The name of the female may be released by the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office at a later time.Â
Officer Involved Shooting in the 1500 blk S Evans Ave.
 On October 25th, around 5:42 p.m., Evansville Police Officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Cross St. in reference to a Disorderly Conduct. The caller stated that the subjects were fighting and threw a fish tank out the door.Â
Around 5:55 p.m., the responding EPD Officer arrived on scene and made contact with a female who was walking out of an apartment. She told the officer that everything was fine. Another female who was inside of the apartment, closed the door when the officer tried to speak with her. The officer did not witness any injuries on either female and left the scene.Â
At 6:02 p.m., Dispatch received another 911 call about a person with a gun. The caller saw the same female, who had been involved in the earlier Disorderly Conduct run, walking outside towards the park carrying a gun. The female was described as a white female wearing a multi-color hoodie with black leggings.Â
At 6:08 p.m., a responding EPD officer encountered the female in the 1500 block of S. Evans Ave. The female displayed a gun, and the officer ordered the female to drop the gun. The female did not comply with the officer’s commands. The officer discharged his duty weapon. The female was shot, fell to the ground, and landed on the gun.Â
For officer safety purposes, an EPD K9 was used to separate the female away from the gun so officers could approach her to render first aid. Officers, including an EPD Tactical Medic, rendered first aid to the female until AMR and Evansville Fire medics arrived on scene. They also attempted life-saving measures, but theÂ
female was pronounced dead at the scene. No other individuals were injured during this incident. This is still an active investigation.Â
A Media Press Conference will be held at EPD Headquarters at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, October 26th, to discuss updated information and review officer body cam footage.Â
Drugs are a Trick Not a Treat Halloween trick-or-treating event
 911 Gives Hope is proud to bring Drugs are a Trick NOT a Treat event to Evansville. 911 Gives Hope is partnering with the DEA, Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, other community organizations, and other local first responders to provide a safe trick-or-treating event geared at putting prevention materials in the hands of youth and families.Â
We encourage kids of all ages to dress in their favorite costume and come by Bosse Field on October 26th between 5-7 p.m. to meet your local first responders and get some candyÂ