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OTTERS SIGN LOCAL STAR FOR 2024 SEASON

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Otters kick off 2024 signings with local star

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters have begun building the 2024 roster with the signing of Evansville native, catcher Logan Brown.

Brown attended Mt. Vernon High School in Mt. Vernon, IN before signing with the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville in 2015. He hit for a .310 average in his three seasons, helping USI advance to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regionals each year and the Division II Championship Series in 2016 and ’18.

“Logan is a great player to kick off the 2024 signings,” Evansville Field Manager Andy McCauley said. “He’s worked hard to get to each step of his career and we know he will make an impact here in Evansville.”

Following the 2018 season, Brown was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 35th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft. From 2018 to 2022, Brown fought up the affiliation, making it as high as Double-A Mississippi in 2022. Throughout four seasons in the minors, he hit for a .241 average, with 215 hits and 116 RBIs in 251 career MiLB games.

In 2022, Brown played for the Lexington Counter Clocks in the Atlantic League. He had a .275 batting average and 108 hits, 21 doubles and 57 RBIs in 103 games.

The Otters also announce the trades of catcher Dakota Phillips and outfielder Kona Quiggle to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks after each player requested trades to the American Association, each looking for a new opportunity in independent baseball.

Phillips, a four-year Otter, has been an offensive standout his entire tenure in Evansville. The Nacogdoches, TX native hit .266 as an Otter, highlighted by a shortened 2022 season, where he hit .313 before a hand injury sidelined him in July. In 2023, Phillips added 74 RBIs to his career total, finishing his Otters career with 188, good for 2nd all-time in Otters history.

“Evansville, the support you’ve shown me over the years means the world to me,” Phillips said. “Thank you for the incredible memories. I will forever cherish my time I had here in Evansville.”

Quiggle was a early-season acquisition for the Otters, joining Evansville following Opening Weekend. Immediately, his impact was felt in the outfield and at the plate. Quiggle hit for a .268 clip in 2023, with 22 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. He was also responsible for the Otter’s biggest hit of the 2023 season, a two-run walk-off home run in game one of the Frontier League Divisional Series against the West Division regular season champion Gateway Grizzlies.

“Kona was a huge piece of our team last year,” McCauley said. “We hope the best for him in the next step of his baseball career.”

The Otters wish the best for these two men and thank them for their time in Evansville.

The 2024 season is right around the corner. For information on season or group tickets, call 812-435-8686. Single-game tickets will go on sale in the Spring.

The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.

The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up-to-date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

The Week Ahead: Happy Birthday Mississippi, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Alabama!

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December 10, was the 206th anniversary of Mississippi’sstatehood. Today is the 207th statehood anniversary of Indiana.

Two other states will also celebrate their anniversaries of statehood this week: Pennsylvania (December 12) and Alabama (December 14).

Explore Census Bureau data on these states’ populations with our America Counts state profiles.

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USI Baseball releases 2024 schedule

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball has unveiled its 2024 schedule that includes 56 games, seven home series, and the Ohio Valley Conference Championship May 22-26 in Marion, Illinois.

The Screaming Eagles compete in the Jaguar Classic in Mobile, Alabama to kick off the 2024 campaign and will battle a trio of teams including the University of South Alabama (February 16 & 19), the University of North Alabama (February 17), and Lamar University (February 18).

After the season-opening tournament, USI heads back to USI Baseball Field for a seven-game homestand that features Eastern Michigan University (February 23-25), Ball State University (February 27), and St. Thomas University (March 1-3). Other non-conference home games will include Murray State University (April 3), Saint Louis University (April 9), Western Kentucky University (April 16), Belmont University (April 23), and Middle Tennessee State University (May 14).

The Eagles will take flight against big non-conference opponents on the road including a bout against the University of Tennessee on March 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers made a run in the College World Series after winning the Clemson Regional and Hattiesburg Super Regional last season. Another Power Five opponent will be a three-game series at the University of Illinois March 15-17 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. The Eagles and Fighting Illini will meet for the first time in program history.

Other non-conference road games include Bellarmine University (March 8-10), Middle Tennessee State (March 12), Western Kentucky (March 19), Ball State (March 26), Murray State (April 2), Southern Illinois University (April 30), and the University of Evansville (May 7).

USI’s conference schedule begins with a home series against Tennessee Tech University March 22-24. The Eagles will also host Lindenwood University (April 5-7), the University of Tennessee at Martin (April 19-21), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (May 3-5), and Western Illinois University (May 16-18). The road portion of OVC play will start with Morehead State University March 29-31 and continue with Southeast Missouri State University (April 12-14), the defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois University (April 26-28), and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (May 10-12).

Last season, the Eagles posted a 17-38 overall record and went 8-15 against OVC opponents. USI clinched a conference tournament berth but dropped out in the opening round to fifth-seeded and eventual champion EIU. This year’s OVC Championship will return to Marion Stadium in Marion, Illinois where the top eight teams make the postseason.

Season Tickets
Catch all the action at USI Baseball Field this season by purchasing a season ticket package. The Eagles are offering a season ticket package that includes all 27 non-conference and OVC home games for just $150. With the holidays just around the corner, USI is offering a special deal where you can get two season ticket packages for just $250. You can also purchase a season parking pass for just $100. Go to USIScreamingEagles.com for more information or follow this link to purchase your season tickets today.

For more information, visit our website at USIScreamingEagles.com or find us on social media at USIAthletics.

USI receives $1 million Lilly Endowment grant to promote literacy through teaching

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The University of Southern Indiana has been awarded a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI). Funding will support several initiatives within USI’s Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education through its Teacher Education Program, ultimately, aiming to strengthen literacy in the state.

USI is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities receiving grants from Lilly Endowment to support efforts integrating Science of Reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.

The Science of Reading, as defined in statute (IC 20-18-2-17.5), encompasses explicit, systematic inclusion of five essential components—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Supported by evidence, it informs the development of proficient reading and writing, addresses difficulties some students face and guides effective assessment and teaching methods. Successful implementation leads to increased student competency in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary development, oral language skills, reading comprehension and writing/spelling.

USI’s grant funded efforts will include revising teacher education curriculum to incorporate the Science of Reading approach to better equip prospective P-12 teachers. Additionally, funding will be used to establish a literacy resource center at the University and broaden clinical experiences in reading instruction for USI students.

“The support from Lilly Endowment positions USI to expedite the transition to the Science of Reading approach and expand our opportunities for teacher candidates,” says Dr. Tori Colson, Assistant Dean of the Pott College and Associate Professor of Education. “The grant provides support for resources such as faculty development in Science of Reading, innovation technology such as Mursion and GoReact, and licensure preparation vouchers for the new literacy licensure test. These supports and resources will provide a solid foundation for reshaping how USI prepares teacher candidates to teach reading.”

Lilly Endowment launched the Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative in 2022. It compliments a statewide effort undertaken the same year by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to improve reading achievement in K-12 schools by helping current teachers implement Science of Reading-aligned principles in their classrooms. In 2022, the Endowment made a $60 million grant to the IDOE to support that work with school districts and teachers across Indiana.

“It is imperative that more of Indiana’s elementary students learn to read proficiently, and it is essential that current teachers and the next generation of teachers are prepared to use proven principles to teach reading in their classrooms,” says Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Education. “We are pleased therefore to help Indiana colleges and universities strengthen the use of these research-based principles to teach reading in their teacher preparation programs.”

Four Eagles named CSC Academic All-District

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – College Sports Communicators announced Tuesday afternoon that University of Southern Indiana Volleyball had four Screaming Eagles land on the Academic All-District list for the 2023 season. Senior Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois), senior Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), junior Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana), and sophomore Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) each secured academic accolades this year after outstanding status in the classroom and success on the court.

To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or an important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least 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.

Anderson, an exercise science major, earns her second CSC Academic All-District award to cap off her senior campaign. She received the second-most votes to earn first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference accolades after posting the third-most kills and second-most points in the conference. Anderson was voted as OVC Offensive Player of the Week three different times and played in a career-high 119 sets and 31 matches while starting in all. Her stat line found a career-high 526.5 points, 445 kills, 334 digs, and 59 blocks in her final season at USI. Anderson left her mark at USI by standing second in kills and aces, fourth in digs, 17th in block assists, and 20th in total blocks in the USI Volleyball record book.

Bednar, a psychology major, secures her first CSC Academic All-District honor in her four-year career as an Eagle. She was voted to second-team All-OVC after landing in the top 10 in kills per set, aces per set, and points per set within the conference. Bednar was named to the Bellarmine Invitational and OVC Volleyball Championship All-Tournament teams and left her mark by securing a career-most 373 kills, 223 digs, 76 blocks, and 43 aces in 118 sets played and 31 matches. After four seasons, Bednar finds herself in the top 20 all-time at USI in career kills with 898.

Sobieralski, a business administration major, lands her first-ever CSC Academic All-District accolade. USI’s leading setter had a breakout season by earning 1,153 assists to become the sixth setter since 2000 in program history to earn 1,000 assists in a season. She was named OVC Setter of the Week three times and nabbed USI Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. Sobieralski recorded the most assists in a four-set match in the OVC and NCAA Division I with a career-high 65 assists against Western Illinois. She secured 17 double-doubles with 13 40+ assist nights, four 50+ assist games, a pair of 60+ assist performances, and two 20+ dig matches.
Sobieralski enters the 2024 season 10th in career assists at USI with 1,779.

Moore, a psychology major, is a first-time CSC Academic All-District recipient in her first eligible season. Moore stepped up in a big way defensively for USI, earning 498 digs for the fifth-most in a season in program history. She played in all 31 matches and 119 sets as the libero and ended the season with 4.18 digs per set for eighth most in the OVC. Moore posted 27 double-digit dig nights and ended the season on an 11-match double-digit dig streak.

Each of these athletes were on the OVC Commissioner’s Roll of Honor list in August 2022 while Moore and Anderson secured OVC Medal of Honor accolades after their first season at the DI level.

The Eagles completed a successful season by making their first OVC Championship berth and earning their first tournament victory while going 15-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play. 

THUNDERBOLTS HOST FREE KIDS FRIDAY, JURASSIC NIGHT THIS WEEKEND

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Evansville, In.:  Now with wins in three consecutive weeks, the Thunderbolts look to continue their turnaround this upcoming weekend at Ford Center as they host the Huntsville Havoc for Free Kids Friday on Friday night and the Peoria Rivermen for Jurassic Night on Saturday night.

Week In Review:  

On Friday night in Peoria, the Thunderbolts trailed 1-0 following the first period, then went goal-for-goal with the Rivermen as both teams combined for 8 goals in the second period.  Despite the Thunderbolts tying the game twice in the second period, the Rivermen came up victorious 5-4.  Scott Kirton scored the first Evansville goal to become the franchise leader all time in goals with 43 and counting, while Tommy Stang and Bair Gendunov combined to score only 7 seconds apart, also setting a new franchise record for quickest consecutive goals.  Chays Ruddy also contributed with a goal in the second period.  In Saturday’s rematch at Ford Center, Gendunov scored the lone goal in the first period, to kick off the Teddy Bear Toss which saw over 2,000 stuffed animals tossed from the stands, all of which to be donated to local children’s charities this week.  In goal, Cole Ceci stopped all 41 Rivermen shots to pick up his first professional shutout.

The Week Ahead: 

Friday will be Free Kids Friday presented by Old National Bank, as the Thunderbolts host the Huntsville Havoc. All kids 12 and under get in for free with the purchase of an adult ticket (Offer good ONLY at the Ford Center ticket office).  In addition, there will be plenty of activities for kids in attendance, including inflatables and more.  On Saturday the Thunderbolts will turn back the clock as they host the Peoria Rivermen for Jurassic Night.  For tickets to this weekend’s home games, call (812)422-BOLT (2548), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Coming Soon: 

Following 5 games on the road after this coming weekend’s home games, the Thunderbolts will return home to host the biggest New Year’s Eve party in Evansville as they host the Macon Mayhem on Sunday, December 31st, featuring a postgame jersey auction, followed by a fireworks show inside Ford Center.  Opening face-off will be set for 7:00pm CT.

Scouting the Opponent: 

Huntsville Havoc: 
    • Record: 8-8-2, 18 Points, 6th Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Doug Elgstam (8 Goals)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Doug Elgstam, Alex Kielczewski (13 Points Each)
    • Primary Goaltender: Matt Petizian (3-3-1, .899 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs HSV: 0-2

The Havoc squared off against their in-state rivals the Birmingham Bulls for a pair of games this past weekend, starting with a 3-0 shutout defeat at Birmingham on Friday.  Huntsville got revenge on Saturday at home, defeating the Bulls in overtime 2-1, with Brandon Osmundson scoring to tie the game in regulation and David Thomson scoring the winning goal in overtime.

Peoria Rivermen: 
    • Record: 9-5-1, 19 Points, T-4th Place
    • Leading Goal Scorer: Alec Hagaman, Ryan Nolan (8 Goals Each)
    • Leading Point Scorer: Alec Hagaman, Cayden Cahill, Zach Wilkie (14 Points Each)
    • Primary Goaltender: Nick Latinovich (5-3-1, .885 Save %)
    • Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs PEO: 1-4

In their 5-4 win over Evansville on Friday, Adam Keyes and Tristan Trudel each scored a pair of goals, while Alec Hagaman scored one goal.  Although they were held off the scoreboard on Saturday, the Rivermen had solid goaltending from Nick Latinovich, only allowing a single goal on 21 shots.  Before they return to Evansville this coming Saturday, the Rivermen will be playing at home on Thursday morning against the Quad City Storm before playing in Quad City on Friday night.

Call-up Report 

– Colton Kalezic (Cincinnati Cyclones)

– 6 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 0 PIM

Transactions:     

Fri. 12/8: D Grayson Valente activated from Injured Reserve

What do you think?

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The 2024 legislative session is quickly approaching, and I want to know what you think about issues impacting our community and state.   
  
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to fill out my survey and help me better serve you and Hoosiers across the state. 

This year’s survey includes questions on several issues and a space where you can share any other ideas or concerns with me.
  
Your input is important to me, and I look forward to reviewing your responses.  

Click here to take my 2024 constituent survey by Jan. 2.  2023

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

 

 

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

USI to host President, CEO for annual MLK, Jr. Memorial Celebration

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Copyright 2014 Lifetouch National School Studios, Inc

The University of Southern Indiana will host a presentation by retired Major General Barrye L. Price, honoring the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Celebration Luncheon at 11 a.m. Monday, January 15 in Carter Hall, located in University Center East. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. The presentation is open to the public. Tickets are required to attend.

Price presently serves as the President and CEO of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). A 1985 distinguished military graduate of the University of Houston’s College of Business Administration, he also boasts an impressive military career. His extensive military service included a range of notable assignments, showcasing his leadership and strategic acumen. Price’s roles encompassed Executive Officer, Battalion Commander, and Deputy Commanding General, among others, with assignments spanning various locations such as Fort Polk, West Point and Washington, D.C.

Notably, he served on the President and First Lady’s Task Force on Raising Responsible and Resourceful Teenagers in 2000 and contributed to President Clinton’s Mississippi Delta Task Force from 1999-2000. Price is also a published author, with volumes examining urban unrest and federal intervention within the United States. His accolades and honors during his army career include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.

“As we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is befitting that we have Major General Barry L. Price as our keynote speaker,” says Dr. Pamela Hopson, Executive Director of the USI Multicultural Center. “Both leaders represent peace and inspiration. Regardless of the circumstances in their life, they have never given up.”

Tickets are $35 for USI employees and students and $45 for the general public. They can be purchased on the USI Multicultural Center website. A ticket includes lunch.

Joe Wallace, CEO and CINO Of The Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) Announced His Plans To Retire

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joe wallace
joe wallace

Joe Wallace, CEO and CINO of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP) announced his plans to retire in mid-2024.

Wallace has been mentoring individuals and businesses for more than 30 years. He joined CVEP in 2012 to serve entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Coachella Valley.

Wallace has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career for his contributions to CVEP and the Coachella Valley over the years.

“It has been a privilege and a joy to have served as the founding managing director of the iHubs in Palm Springs and Palm Desert,” said Joe Wallace. “As the longest serving CEO in CVEP’s history, I believe with the expansion of the CSU Palm Desert Campus and a regional focus on economic development, the future of the Coachella Valley is bright.”

Wallace informed the CVEP board of directors Wednesday about his plan to retire in June 2024, giving the economic partnership a transition period and time to consider and select a new leader.

FOOTNOTE:  Joe Wallace is a technology entrepreneur who came to the Coachella Valley to start the Palm Springs iHub. With degrees or credentials from Stanford, Harvard, Evansville, and MIT plus a dozen startups under his belt, Joe values common sense business solutions that are rooted in scientific analysis.

He chose engineering and entrepreneurship over his early goal of becoming a rock star. His first book is Living Outside the Box.

Joe was also the past Editor of the City-County Observer before he moved to Coachella Valley to start up the Palm Springs iHub.

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