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LaFief selected as USI Director of Technical Services, Information Technology

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LaFief was selected as USI Director of Technical Services, Information Technology

John LaFief has been named Director of Technical Services, Information Technology at the University of Southern Indiana, effective immediately. He will report to Austin Siders, Chief Information Officer.

LaFief will provide strategic leadership and oversee operations and service management for the service desk and tier one support of USI technology. Additionally, he will be responsible for supervising the USI IT Help Desk, managing technical operations related to audio-visual services and switchboard operations, as well as handling audio-visual replacement, installation and upgrades for the University.

LaFief comes to USI with over 26 years of experience in the IT field. His professional journey began at On-Site Computer Solutions in 1999, where he started as a technician. Over the course of 19 years, he transitioned into the role of President in 2009 and lead the company until 2018.

Most recently, LaFief worked as an IT Auditor at Deaconess Health Systems where he planned and executed IT-related audits, consulted on software implementations, and wrote and revised scripts to improve efficiency for various departments.

He received a bachelor’s degree in professional studies with a concentration in business from USI in 2015.

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Founded in 1965, the University of Southern Indiana enrolls nearly 9,200 dual credit, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in more than 130 areas of study. A public higher education institution, located on a beautiful 1,400-acre campus in Evansville, Indiana, USI offers programs through the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education. The University offers study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries and hosts international students from around the globe. USI is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged University and offers continuing education and special programs to more than 15,000 participants annually through Outreach and Engagement. USI is online at USI.edu. 

 

 

Conservation Board doubles Clean Water Indiana funding

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INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 22, 2023) — The State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) is allotting over $2 million in Clean Water Indiana (CWI) grants for 2023, which is a $1 million increase over 2022.

“As Secretary of Agriculture, I know how hard Hoosier farmers work to be good stewards of the land,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “So, I was pleased to see the legislature acknowledge the importance of soil and water conversation in Indiana by providing additional funding to Clean Water Indiana this past legislative session.”

This increased funding was allocated by the Indiana General Assembly during the 2023 legislative session. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s (ISDA) Division of Soil Conservation was awarded over $5 million additional dollars this year. The SSCB recently voted on how to spend the money and declared to increase funding to key water quality and conservation programs, including Clean Water Indiana’s competitive grant program. 

Clean Water Indiana was established to provide financial assistance to landowners and conservation groups and supports the implementation of conservation practices which will reduce nonpoint sources of water pollution through education, technical assistance, training and cost sharing programs. Programs under the Clean Water Indiana fund are administered by ISDA’s Division of Soil Conservation subject to direction from the SSCB. 

“We are so grateful to the Indiana General Assembly who recognized the importance of water quality in our state and allocated these additional funds to Clean Water Indiana during the past legislative session,” said Don Lamb, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “This increased funding for ISDA’s Clean Water Indiana program will assist soil conservation districts across the state as they work hand in hand with our Indiana farmers and landowners.”

There are more than double the amount of available funds to be awarded through a competitive grant process under Clean Water Indiana, with the State Soil Conservation Board voting to increase the grant pool to $2,000,000.

This funding will primarily be used to fund conservation projects and programs at the local level, with typical grantees being some of Indiana’s 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and other conservation organizations. The SSCB expects grant application dollar requests to exceed the available funding. Typical projects include cost-share programs for on-farm conservation best management practices, staffing positions for direct landowner technical assistance and district administration, water quality and soil conservation education programs and more.

“The Clean Water Indiana grants go a long way in ensuring Hoosier landowners and local soil and water conservation districts have the funding they need to complete critical water projects,” said Brad Dawson, Clean Water Indiana grant committee member. “Each year it is amazing to see the types of projects brought to us for funding, and we notice that they are located all across the state, which in turn helps the waterways statewide. Last year we were able to grant a little over $600,000, so I am extremely excited to see increased funding and be able to award more projects, and clean more waterways, going forward.”

The members of the Clean Water Indiana grants committee are Amy Burris, Kenny Cain and Brad Dawson. The SSCB is accepting competitive proposals for targeted projects up to three years in length. Applications are open and are due Sept. 8, 2023 at 12 p.m. E.T. To apply please visit isda.in.gov.

Additional key funding from Clean Water Indiana will go towards expanding Indiana Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, matching dollars available to Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and as match for Inflation Reduction Act proposals through the United States Department of Agriculture.

Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Awards Lampion Center with ARPA Funds

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Lampion Center is pleased to announce that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners, with the support of Vanderburgh County Council, has awarded Lampion Center $50,000 through the American Rescue Plan Act, COVID Relief Fund to help replace lost income due to the COVID pandemic.

Lampion Center is thrilled and honored to receive this award as it will greatly help us replace lost income from reduced services provided due to COVID in prior years, as well as help with recent funding changes in our community that have deeply impacted our overall budget.

Lampion Center since 1885, continues to push deeply into the needs of our community by providing high quality mental health therapy for children, families, and adults who need services. Specifically, Lampion Center answers the growing community need by serving those who need high quality care and would otherwise be unable to afford our services. Our services are open and affordable to all, including those on Medicaid, the under insured, and those with no insurance at all.

Quality mental health care is hard to access in our community, but it is even harder to find and maintain without affordable solutions. This funding will allow Lampion Center to continue to provide the highest level of care to those needing help through trauma, toxic stress, and life stresses, no matter their ability to pay.

Thank you to the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and Vanderburgh County Council for supporting and investing in our work through this incredible grant funding of $50,000. We are grateful for our community’s support to continue to make Vanderburgh County healthy and strong!

PORT AUTHORITY OF EVANSVILLE SPECIAL MEETING

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PORT AUTHORITY OF EVANSVILLE

SPECIAL MEETING

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CHAMBERS

ROOM 307, CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX

MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023

12:00 P.M.

 AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. MEETING MEMORANDUM N/A

3. OLD BUSINESS N/A

4. NEW BUSINESS Award contract and NTP for LST 325 Mooring Facility Dredging project.

5. REPORTS N/A

6. ACCEPTANCE OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE VOUCHER REGISTER N/A

7. ADJOURN 

Otters fall in series opener to Slammers

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Washington, PA. – The Evansville Otters fell into an early hole and dropped the series opener to the Joliet Slammers 9-3 on Tuesday evening at Bosse Field.

Joliet plated five runs in the third inning for a big early lead and amassed 13 total hits.

The Slammers used two doubles, a walk and single to score the first three runs of the ballgame in the third. A two-run homer in the frame capped off the Joliet scoring.

Joliet extended the lead in the fourth with two more runs on three straight singles and an RBI double. The Slammers finished their scoring with another two runs on three singles in the fifth inning.

Evansville scored their three runs in the sixth inning. The Otters notched five straight singles with two outs. Jomar Reyes, Kona Quiggle and Ethan Skender all batted in runs.

Joliet’s ace left-hander Cole Cook pitched six innings allowing eight hits on three runs and earned the win.

Evansville starter Justin Watland took the loss.

Reyes led the Otters offense with two hits. Dakota Phillips extended his hit streak to eight games with a single.

Evansville and Joliet play the middle game of the series on Wednesday evening with a 6:35 PM CT first pitch. The Otters will celebrate the final Senior Connection Wednesday of the season with $2 senior GA tickets.

All home and road Otters games this season are televised on FloSports with audio-only coverage available for free on the Evansville Otters YouTube page.

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. 

CK Newsome Center Update: Cooling Center Closed Due to Repairs

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“As of August 22, the CK Newsome Center is no longer serving as a cooling center until further notice.

Overnight, the building’s HVAC system shut down and is now awaiting major repairs. While the building remains open, all Parks Department programming has been canceled for today.”

Gov. Holcomb breaks ground on historic $ 95M ILEA expansion

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Darron Cummings/AP/Shutterstock (11717541e) Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb delivers his State of the State address virtually, in Indianapolis State of the State, Indianapolis, United States - 19 Jan 2021

PLAINFIELD, IN – Governor Eric J. Holcomb today broke ground on an historic expansion of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) training facility. Gov. Holcomb was joined by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Director Timothy Horty and Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter.

ILEA provides basic training to more than 600 Hoosier law enforcement officers annually and is the state’s only residential facility to house student officers who are in training from across the state. The project will provide a new dormitory, updated classrooms and training facilities, Indiana State Police offices, emergency vehicle track and a scenario-based training village.

“I am proud to break ground on this world-class facility so we can continue training up law enforcement officers throughout our state,” said Gov. Holcomb. “It is critically important to invest in police instruction and training and Indiana is doing just that.”

In 2021 Gov. Holcomb supported new funding for ILEA and signed HEA 1006 into law providing a $70M appropriation. Through this and additional federal funds, ILEA will now benefit from a total of $95M in greatly needed upgrades.

With each graduating class, ILEA strives to produce highly trained officers to protect and serve Hoosier communities while continuing to search for the best in contemporary, state-of-the-art instruction. Law enforcement agencies who use the facility include state police, conservation officers, excise police, sheriffs’ departments, local police departments and more.

The expansion is expected to be completed by late December 2025.

Trailblazers open 2023 season with strong sweep over Shawnee

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VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University volleyball team got the 2023 season started off with a bang, defeating Region 24 opponent Shawnee Community College in three sets 25-15, 25-8, 25-7 Tuesday night.

VU got off to an excellent start in front of the home crowd, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the opening set, before the Saints would battle back and capitalize off some Vincennes errors to cut the deficit to 14-10.

The Blazers would rebound and close out the set with four unanswered points to take the first set of the season 25-15 over Shawnee.

Vincennes again got off to a great start in set two, jumping out to an early 10-3 lead, before trading points with the Saints to make the score 12-6.

The Trailblazers then took their game up another level, closing out the second set by outscoring the Saints 13-2 and taking set two 25-8 and a 2-0 match lead.

VU carried this momentum into the third set, with sophomore Maecy Johnson (Chrisman, Ill.) leading off the set and serving on nine straight points.

After back-to-back Shawnee points, the serving then turned to freshman Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) who would go on an 8-0 scoring run of her own as VU built a commanding 17-2 advantage in the third set.

Shawnee would not go away quietly however, continuing to battle late, but were unable to overcome the massive deficit as VU took set three and completed the sweep over the Saints 25-7.

“I’m not entirely sure we can just call them ‘freshman mistakes’ in that first set,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “Some of our veterans made some mistakes there early on as well. In our last scrimmage against Kentucky Wesleyan, we really played at a high level. It’s obviously a different level coming in here and playing Shawnee, so we probably came in with a mindset that we won’t typically have because we always have a really tough schedule.”

“But, regardless of that, we still have to play at a high level,” Sien added. “It was the first real game over here and we have eight freshmen this year, so at least they were aggressive mistakes being made. It wasn’t like we were being hesitant and hitting the ball into the net, we were going for it. I’ll take aggressive mistakes any time.”

“I really like how we came back in the second and third sets,” Sien said. “It was like we just took a deep breath and started playing like we have been all preseason. We executed really well tonight. We were very efficient with our hitting tonight. We had about eight hitting errors tonight, it seemed like seven of those were in the first set. But in the second and third sets I thought we really swung well.”

“We gave up 15 points in the first set but came back and only gave up 15 points combined in the second and third sets,” Sien added. “So, we really took control of the game. We took control of every play and we were able to really execute our offense. I really liked how we were able to come back in the last two sets and really take control of the match.”

The Trailblazers were led offensively by sophomore Paige Parlanti (Las Vegas, Nev.) who just missed on a double-double to open the season, finishing with a team-high 14 kills, nine digs, four aces, two blocks and two set assists.

Freshman Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) did not disappoint in her VUVB debut, finishing with 12 kills, a team-high five blocks, including three solo blocks and one dig.

Sophomore Audrey Buis (Franklin, Ind.) finished her night with five kills, six digs and one block, while freshman Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil) ended with four kills and two blocks.

Freshman Allison Czyzewski (Louisville, Ill.) and sophomore Kennedy Sowell (Effingham, Ill.) each recorded three kills on the night, with Czyzewski finishing with four blocks, including two solo blocks and Sowell recording two blocks and one set assist.

Freshman Ellie Reed (Washington, Ind.) rounded out the VU offense Tuesday night, closing out the match with a kill to go along with one dig.

VU was very efficient offensively Tuesday night, recording a team hitting percentage of .457 and also controlled the net defensively very well, recording 16 total blocks as a team.

Sophomore Maecy Johnson ran the offense extremely well from the setter position, finishing with 26 set assists and two digs on the night.

Freshmen Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) and Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) also had their turns at setter, with Mehringer recording three set assists, one dig and one ace, while DeCoursey finished with two set assists and two digs.

Sophomore libero Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) controlled the back row defense well on her way to six digs and one set assist, before turning over libero duties to freshman Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) for the third set. Flexter would end her night with three digs and two aces.

“Our middles with Kennedy and Allison, we definitely need to get them more sets, but they hit pretty efficiently tonight,” Sien said. “Our other hitters, Audrey and Isadora also hit at a high percentage as well. It seemed like everyone really swung well tonight, after the first set.”

“The hitting efficiency though starts with having better ball control,” Sien added. “We were able to get a nice pass, so our setters could make good choices instead of getting sets from 10 to 15 feet out. We were really able to run our play sets out of that and when we are able to do that, it really puts our hitters into a nice position to hit the ball. Taking control of the game, really helped put our offense into great position to be so efficient.”

The Trailblazers extended their winning streak over Region 24 opponents to 25 matches Tuesday night, a winning streak that dates back two seasons.

VU will put this winning streak on the line again Thursday, Aug. 24 when VU travels to nearby Robinson, Ill. to faceoff against Region 24 opponent Lincoln Trail College. This match is set to begin at 7 p.m. eastern.

“We need to be ready to get going right at the beginning Thursday,” Sien said. “In a way, if you have a slow start at home, it is more than likely you can recover from that. If you are behind in the first set on the road, it’s going to be hard to recover from. That’s what happened last year when we went there, they gave us everything we could handle and ended up winning the first set. So we do not want a repeat of that Thursday.”

“They always play us hard,” Sien added. “Probably because they are so close by and they recruit some of our local kids. Another thing is that they are the new Division I program in Region 24 for volleyball, so they are going to go out there to prove that they belong.”

“I always say that they are going to play at a high level, so we just have to go out there and match their level and match their intensity,” Sien said. “Typically, they will have a pretty big crowd. It’s an older gym where the sound just reverberates in there and it makes it sound like there’s 10 times the amount of people in there. We’ve got to be ready that if they make a play, we’re going to hear it, so we are going to have to play at a high level, so we don’t hear it.”

“But this match Thursday should really let us know where we are at right now,” Sien added. “One nice thing about our preseason schedule is that we’ve already had two pretty tough road matches against Saint Mary of the Woods and Kentucky Wesleyan. Of course it’s different once it’s in a real game, but at least we’ve already experienced traveling a bit this season.”

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

Shawnee – 15   8   7   x   x

VUVB (1-0, 1-0) – 25   25   25   x   x

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Grace Flexter – 2 points, 2 aces, 3 digs

Audrey Buis – 5.5 points, 5 kills, 1 block assist, 6 digs

Dylan DeCoursey – 2 digs, 2 set assists

Morgan Netcott – 6 digs, 1 set assist

Paige Parlanti – 19.5 points, 4 aces, 14 kills, 1 solo block, 1 block assist, 9 digs, 2 set assists

Isadora Dias – 5 points, 4 kills, 2 block assists

Allison Czyzewski – 6 points, 3 kills, 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists

Maecy Johnson – 2 digs, 26 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 4 points, 3 kills, 2 block assists, 1 set assist

Laura Tavares – 16 points, 12 kills, 3 solo blocks, 2 block assists, 1 dig

Libby Mehringer – 1 point, 1 ace, 1 dig, 3 set assists

Ellie Reed – 1 point, 1 kill, 1 dig

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

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 2023-2024 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – this weekend at the Indiana Invitational at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles will face a trio of opponents starting with the University of New Hampshire and Radford University on Friday, August 25 at noon and 3 p.m. respectively then Indiana University on Saturday, August 26 at 9 a.m.

Game Coverage

Information about USI Volleyball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on USIScreamingEagles.com.

Tickets

For more information about Indiana Invitational ticket prices, follow this link.

Screaming Eagles Headlines:

New Year, New Fortunes. The Screaming Eagles look to improve off last year’s NCAA DI inaugural season, going 1-28 overall and 1-17 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

You Have To #OVCit. The Eagles are in their second season in NCAA Division I and the OVC. USI is looking for their first conference tournament berth in the DI era.

New Faces. USI has added five newcomers to the roster: Leah Coleman, Ellie Marbet, Mariah Minor, Jillian Moonan, and Maeve Moonan. The Eagles also hired first-year head coach Jeffrey Aucoin as the 13th head coach in program history.

Preseason Poll and All-OVC. Senior Leah Anderson scored enough votes to land herself on the Preseason All-OVC Team. The Eagles were picked to finish last out of 11 teams within the conference.

Conference Top 10. The Eagles ended last season with four players ranked in the top 10 within the OVC in five categories. Senior Leah Anderson stood fourth in points/set (3.77), fifth in kills/set (3.24), and 10th in digs/set (2.95). Junior Carly Sobieralski ranked sixth in assists/set (6.32) with junior Paris Downing sitting ninth in blocks/set (0.99). Sophomore Keira Moore kicked off her collegiate career with a 3.87 digs/set average, ranking seventh.

Team Leaders. Senior Leah Anderson led the group with 347 kills, 316 digs, and 28 service aces. Junior Carly Sobieralski took the reins as the setter, earning 512 assists. Junior Paris Downing handled the front lines for USI, tallying 92 total blocks.

All-Conference Selection. Senior Leah Anderson nabbed the program’s first-ever All-OVC honor, securing second-team accolades.

Schedule Forecast. The Eagles’ 2023 campaign will consist of 12 home, 13 away, and four neutral matches. USI will also host a four-team tournament in September. The conference slate will feature nine home and nine away matches including the OVC Championship in late November.

Eagles in the Classroom. 10 Eagles scored OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll accolades after earning a 3.25 or higher GPA during the 2022-23 academic year.

History in Progress. Senior Leah Anderson will look to leave her mark as one of the greatest in USI Volleyball history. She enters the 2023 season ranked No. 3 all-time at USI with 167 career service aces, No. 7 with 1,231 kills, and No. 10 with 1,106 digs. The outside hitter became the 15th player to reach 1,000 kills, the 13th player to reach 1,000 digs, and the fifth player in program history to reach both feats. She has joined an elite group that includes Shannon Wells, Jamie Roth, Danielle Peter, and Leeanne Gross in the 1,000 kills/1,000 digs club.

About New Hampshire. The Wildcats finished last season 19-10 overall with a 6-5 record in the America East Conference. UNH was picked to finish third in the America East Conference. The Wildcats ended the year with 1,208 kills, 1,087 assists, 1,501 digs, 220 blocks, and 183 aces. UNH’s 1.76 aces per set margin ranked 37th in the nation last year. With an opponent attacking percentage of 0.167 in 2022, the Wildcats ranked 21st in NCAA DI. The USI, UNH match will be the first match of the season for both teams.

Leading the Wildcats. Senior Hannah Serbousek returns to the squad after throwing down a team-high 225 kills last season. Senior Jamison White held the second-most assists with 274 while sophomore Avery LePore served up a team-leading 28 aces. Defensively, senior Mia Pagliarini nabbed 294 digs while senior Kelly Kaufmann earned 82 total blocks.

About Radford. The Highlanders look to improve off last season’s 12-16 overall record and 8-8 Big South Conference mark. The team is predicted to finish fourth in the Big South Conference. Radford captured a five-set victory over OVC foe, UT Martin, to kick off 2022. In 2022, the Highlanders earned 1,187 kills, 1,113 assists, 1,632 digs, 171 total blocks, and 128 aces. Radford’s 16 digs per set marked 43rd best in the NCAA while an opponent hitting percentage of 0.185 stood 69th in DI. The USI, Radford match will be the first for the Highlanders in 2023.

Leading the Highlanders. Radford’s top-three attackers from last season are no longer on the roster so junior Sophie Paspal will lead the charge at the net on both ends after tallying 177 kills and 65 blocks in 2022. Senior Shelby Hernandez was a team leader in two categories after securing 420 digs and 25 aces. Sophomore Jackeline Nerro will step up after an impressive 402 assists season, second-most on the squad.

About Indiana. The Hoosiers were split last season, going 16-16 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten Conference. The team is predicted to finish eighth in the conference. Indiana was able to get the best of OVC rival, Tennessee Tech, in three sets. The Hoosier know how to split the gaps from the line, serving up the 12th most team aces (218) and the 33rd highest ace per set margin (1.77) in the country.

Leading the Hoosiers. Junior Mady Saris returns to the squad after posting the most points on the team and the 67th most points in the NCAA DI (489). Saris secured the most kills on the team with 427, 69th most in the country. Junior Camryn Haworth set the Hoosiers up in the passing game, earning 1,111 assists, good enough for 59th most in the nation. Haworth also nabbed a team-leading 0.40 aces per set while posting the lone triple-double.

Welcome to Division I. USI Board of Trustees voted unanimously in January 2022 to transition to NCAA Division I athletics beginning in the fall of 2022. The Eagles are a full-time member of the OVC and will face Division I opponents during the regular season for just the second time in program history. The Eagles previously spent 42 seasons in NCAA Division II.

More Information. For more information about USI Volleyball and Athletics, go to USIScreamingEagles.com or follow USI Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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