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Vanderburgh County legislators remind Hoosiers of Oct. 10 voter registration deadline

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September marks National Voter Registration Month

STATEHOUSE (Sept. 26, 2023) – Vanderburgh County legislators encourage Hoosier voters to register or check their voting status by the Oct. 10 deadline.

“I encourage informed citizens to vote, whether they have been doing so for decades or will be casting a ballot for the first time,” said State Rep. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka). “It’s always important to exercise your right to vote and participate in your government.”

State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) said Hoosiers can visit IndianaVoters.com and quickly access a link to register to vote or check their voter registration record. The state’s website also provides voters with local polling locations and who’s on their ballot.

“This is a great resource both to make sure you’re registered to vote and check who’s on your ballot,” McNamara said. “There are lots of opportunities to complete your ballot whether it’s voting early in person or absentee by mail, and the online portal makes it easy to plan ahead.”

Hoosiers can also register to vote by visiting a county clerk’s office and a directory is available online at in.gov/courts.

State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) said to register, Indiana residents must be at least 18 years old on or before the upcoming election, have a valid Indiana Driver’s License or Indiana State Identification Card, be a citizen of the United States, have lived in the same precinct for at least 30 days before the next election, and not currently imprisoned after being convicted of a crime.

“The best way to engage in the civic process and make our voices and values known is by voting,” O’Brien said. “I hope voters will take a few minutes to verify their registration and make a plan to cast their ballots.”

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 10. Early in-person voting starts Oct. 11. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

ECHO Housing Receives First Annual S.P.A.R.K Award

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – ECHO Housing attended the 2023 Indiana Housing Conference this
week in Indianapolis, where they received the first annual S.P.A.R.K (Serving with Partners to Achieve Real Kinesis) award. The award honors an organization that serves Hoosiers
experiencing homelessness in a way that can be described as going above and beyond. Through innovative and/or new programming that includes community partnerships to address service gaps or unique local crises and produces significant outcomes.

As the leading provider of permanent supportive housing in southwest Indiana, ECHO Housing strives to provide housing stability to numerous individuals that previously experienced homelessness. ECHO Housing is a member of a task force under the Evansville-Vanderburgh Commission on Homelessness. The task force works collaboratively to create innovative solutions to address homelessness in Evansville. Partners include the Evansville Police Department, ECHO Healthcare, Aurora Inc., Southwestern Behavioral Health, Deaconess, Ascension, United Caring Services, and the Evansville Rescue Mission.

CEO, Savannah Wood, of ECHO Housing – “We have dedicated organizations within our
community that are willing to put in the time and effort to support those experiencing
homelessness in our community. Homelessness cannot be addressed by a single organization, it takes a proactive, collective approach across multiple agencies and systems for the individual to overcome the barriers that led them down the path to housing instability. ECHO Housing received the award, but it is through collaboration that we have been successful.”

As part of ECHO Housing and community partners’ goals to provide permanent housing
placement, the task force works by conducting regular case conferencing meetings to address issues with tenants whose housing stability is in jeopardy and/or for those who are currently experiencing homelessness. This method has resulted in an annual housing placement and retention rate of 87% amongst the most vulnerable. Aside from the scheduled case conferencing sessions, ECHO Housing has a close, continued partnership with the Evansville Police Department’s Mental Health & Homeless Liaison team, who can often respond during a situation with heightened crisis and/or conflict, working alongside ECHO Housing to provide immediate support, while often preventing incarceration and/or criminal charges. The true definition of wrap-around service provision, the collaboration and outcomes that are achieved through the task force and partners’ quick response not only results in stability but affords those that are/have experienced homelessness the ability to receive an established positive support network.

Sergeant Joshua Brewer with the Evansville Police Department – “We continue to have a close partnership with ECHO Housing and the partners involved in our efforts to end homelessness in the community. It takes time, dedication, and consistency to not only house those individuals that have experienced homelessness, but to ensure they remain in their homes with the supports they need to increase their quality of life. Our homeless liaison team within the Evansville Police Department works with the agencies represented to educate and empower these individuals with the goal of reducing crime, reduce the use of emergency services and to reduce the instances of victimization amongst some of the most vulnerable in the community. ECHO Housing is proactive and collaborative in their approach to preventing a return to homelessness.”

ECHO Housing Corporation is a designated non-profit 501(c)(3) community development
corporation with a mission to create and sustain safe and affordable housing, to provide
compassionate supportive services, and to promote community and economic development
within the urban core of our community. Since its founding, ECHO Housing has been the
leading provider of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness in the community. ECHO has continued to grow, now encompassing five permanent supportive housing programs, all dedicated to serving those experiencing homelessness or housing instability. In 2024, ECHO will add a 6th permanent supportive housing program – the Promise Home, dedicated to serving the chronically homeless in Region 12.

New free soil sampling program coming to life for Indiana farmers

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INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2023) —The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and partners throughout the state have worked with the Gulf Hypoxia Program (GHP) to develop a no-cost program with a focus on increasing the knowledge and use of soil sampling as a nutrient management practice to benefit farm operations. The program, titled Indiana’s Mississippi River Basin Soil Sampling Program, is open now for applicants.

“Hoosier farmers care deeply about the land and work hard each year to keep their soil healthy,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This free program is a great way for farmers to test their soil and ensure the proper nutrients are being utilized on their fields.”

ISDA promotes the importance of nutrient management and the principle of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework. The 4R framework incorporates using the “Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place” to achieve cropping system goals. The new program focuses on soil sampling and testing because it is a key component, and first step, of developing a plan for nutrient management.

Soil sampling provides an assessment of the soil’s fertility which can be used for making fertilizer application recommendations, assessing available nutrients over time, increase farmer profitability and enhance environmental protection by reducing the risk of nutrient loss. This project was developed to help further Indiana’s State Nutrient Reduction Strategy efforts.

“This free program for farmers will help them assess their land so they can continue to produce as much food as possible with fewer fertilizer inputs. As a farmer myself, I know how critical that is,” said Don Lamb, ISDA director. “This program would not be possible without a few incredible partners whose top priority is assisting Hoosier farmers and keeping Hoosier land in great shape.”

This program includes row crop fields, pastures and specialty crops located within Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin. Participating landowners will be prioritized by fields that have never been soil sampled and fields that haven’t been sampled regularly (i.e., within the last 3-4 years). Further prioritization may be implemented based on interest in the program. This program excludes hobby gardens and private lawns. Interested farmers can sign-up online at ISDA’s website or by reaching out to soilsampling@isda.in.gov.

Sign-ups are now open and ISDA is accepting sign-ups until April 17, 2024.

Paul Hodgen, president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, is excited to bring this program to fruition. Hodgen is well versed in soil fertility with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, a master’s degree in soil science and a doctorate degree in agronomy and soil fertility. 

“Regular soil sampling and testing is a critical part of a nutrient management plan to economically produce a crop,” Hodgen said. “We look forward to working with ISDA and other partners to help Hoosier farmers continue to make informed decisions on nutrient management. Soil testing is a keystone to sustainably producing a crop. This effort will further our goals for nutrient management stewardship across Indiana. This will help us make smarter decisions about where to apply nutrients and to spread that data across more acres. This program will be a great way to increase the number of farmers who better understand their soils, and it will allow them to make improve management decisions based on good data.”

This program was made possible thanks to ISDA, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance (IANA), Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) members, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, farmers and Certified Crop Advisors.

VUVB back to winning after Region 24 road sweep at Shawnee

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ULLIN, Ill. – The Vincennes University volleyball team fell out of the NJCAA Division I Top-20 rankings this week after Saturday’s five-set loss at Wallace State, but still received votes.

The Blazers responded in a big way Tuesday night by picking up their 32nd straight win over a Region 24 opponent by sweeping Shawnee Community College 25-8, 25-13, 25-13 in Ullin.

“After such a tough weekend, we find ourselves on the road again,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “This time facing an opponent who will play us hard but less competitive than the teams we played. We must stay focused and play hard no matter who is on the other side of the net. We must respect them as fellow student-athletes who are not much different from ourselves. I feel we did that tonight, where we played aggressive from beginning to end.”

The VU offense was led Tuesday night by freshman Laura Tavares (Meridia, Venezuela) who finished with 15 kills and one block with an unreal .444 hitting percentage.

Freshmen Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) and Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil) just missed hitting double-digit kills, with Dalla Pozza ending with nine kills, four digs, two blocks and a pair of aces and Dias leading the Blazers with 14 digs to go along with eight kills.

Sophomore Kennedy Sowell (Effingham, Ill.) ended her night with five kills and a .417 hitting percentage and one dig.

Freshman Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) had an outstanding team-high five aces, four kills, two blocks and two digs, while fellow freshman Allison Czyzewski (Louisville, Ill.) rounded out the VU offense with one kill and one dig.

Sophomore setter Maecy Johnson (Chrisman, Ill.) had another big night running the Trailblazers offense, ending with 37 set assists, two kills, one ace and one dig.

Sophomore libero Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) ended her night with 12 digs, three set assists and one ace, while freshmen Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) and Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) each recorded three digs.

“Offense is something we do not lack,” Sien said. “I knew we would have quite a bit of firepower coming into the season. We hit over .340 tonight without Audrey and Paige. Having everyone together will bring back one of the most potent offenses in the Nation. We will be a better team with this situation occurring with those two. Just like on Saturday, here is an opportunity to be the main hitter, who wants it?”

The Blazers will now look to get ready for another big weekend slate of games when VU travels to Champaign, Ill. to take part in the Parkland College Fall Challenge Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30.

Three of VU’s four games over the weekend are against teams in the NJCAA Division II rankings, beginning the weekend Friday against No. 17-ranked Illinois Central College at 5 p.m. eastern and facing Southeastern Community College at 7 p.m. eastern.

The tough weekend for the Blazers will conclude Saturday, Sept. 30 when VU faces No. 4-ranked Heartland Community College at 12 p.m. eastern and No. 10 Lincoln Land Community College at 4 p.m. eastern.

“We will be more prepared to handle the different lineups and rotations as we will have a few matches and practices under our belt,” Sien added. “We will have more consistency and confidence now with more time together. I do not think people outside of volleyball understand the dynamics of a change in a lineup. It’s huge. It greatly influences the overall effectiveness of the team. Our expectations do not change. We are coming to win no matter who we have in the lineup.”

BOX SCORE

VUVB (19-2, 8-0) – 25   25   25    x    x

Shawnee – 8   13   13    x    x

VINCENNES STATS

Grace Flexter – 3 digs

Dylan DeCoursey – 3 digs

Morgan Netcott – 1 point, 1 ace, 12 digs, 3 set assists

Isadora Dias – 8 points, 8 kills, 14 digs

Allison Czyzewski – 1 point, 1 kill, 1 dig

Maecy Johnson – 3 points, 1 ace, 2 kills, 1 dig, 37 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 5 points, 5 kills, 1 dig

Elisa Dalla Pozza – 12 points, 2 aces, 9 kills, 2 block assists, 4 digs

Laura Tavares – 16 points, 15 kills, 1 solo block

Libby Mehringer – 10 points, 5 aces, 4 kills, 2 block assists, 2 digs

Eagles tie, break four records at Derek Dolenc Invitational

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USI finishes tied for 7th

MADISON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Golf tied for seventh in the Derek Dolenc Invitational with a two-under 850 (286-272-292) over the 54-hole tournament. The invitational was hosted by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at the Gateway Golf Links in Madison, Illinois.

In the opening 18 holes, the Screaming Eagles were tied for eighth after shooting a two-over 286 and was 20 strokes behind front-running University of Tennessee Martin, which posted a blistering 18-under 266 to begin the tournament. USI followed a strong first round with a blistering second 18-holes of its own.
 
The Eagles had three players under 70 and posted a program-record 272 in the second round on Monday to move up to third. USI Jason Bannister (Laguna Nigel, California) tied a school record with a six-under 65, while senior Jace Day (Bloomington, Indiana) and junior Sam Vertanen (Ames, Iowa) followed with 66 and 68, respectively. Day’s second-round 66 is the third best round all-time at USI, while Vertanen’s 68 tied for 7th all-time.
 
The third round saw the Eagles fall off the pace they set in the second round, posting a 292 for an 850 total and falling four spots to seventh. USI’s three-round 850 set a new 54-hole team mark. SIUE won its home tournament with a 34-under 818 (273-271-274).
 
Individually, Bannister tied for 10th with a school-record tying 208 (72-65-71). Vertanen followed, tying for 18th with a 211 (70-68-73), while Day completed the three rounds tied for 28th with a 213 (74-66-73).
 
The next tournament for the Eagles is October 16-17 when they play in The Buddy, hosted by Murray State University at the Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray, Kentucky.

Trailblazer Golf has three Top-12 finishers at Danville Invitational

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DANVILLE, Ill. – The 2023 Vincennes University fall golf season continues to roll on as the Blazers took part in the one-day, 36-hole Danville Invitational at the Danville Country Club Monday.

VU had a very good showing with three Trailblazer golfers placing in the top 12 for the tournament.

Vincennes was led by sophomore Preston Broce (Indianapolis, Ind.) who came out firing in the first round of the day, shooting an even par 71.

Broce would continue this hot start in the second round but had to battle through some tough brakes late in the round before sliding back with a second round 76, placing him seventh overall, his second top-10 finish this season.

Sophomore Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) had a very good tournament, securing his first top-10 finish of the season with back-to-back three-over 74 rounds, Brink would finish in a tie for eighth overall.

Freshman Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) rounded out the VU top-15 scorers, shooting a 77 in the first round of the day, before moving up the leaderboard with a second round two-over par 73 to finish 12th overall.

The VU day was rounded out by freshmen Trejan Morrison (Ferdinand, Ind.) and Xavier Brown (Franklin, Ind.).

Morrison shot an 84 and an 87 on the day, placing him in a tie for 51st place overall, while Brown had a first round 89 before coming back and shooting an 84 in the second round to place 55th.

The Trailblazers as a team shot a 306 in the first round and a 307 in the second round, finishing seventh out of nine teams but were only seven shots out of fourth place and 15 shots out of second place on the day.

“We had three players finish in the top 12 and in that field it’s really good,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “Preston actually led the tournament for a few holes but had some bad breaks finishing the second round. Preston is a good player and I feel confident that he will win a tournament or more before his career is over at VU.”

“Aaron has really stepped up his game this season,” Chattin added. “He is working hard and it shows. The seventh place finish looks much worse than we played. With it being close with all of the teams but Parkland, we could have literally been second had a few things gone our way. But that’s golf. Greens were tough but as they say, we were all playing the same greens.”

VU will look to continue to improve as the fall season moves along to the Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) Fall Preview Monday, Oct. 2 hosted at Crestwicke Country Club in Bloomington, Ill.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

Parkland – 293, 287 – 580

Black Hawk – 303, 295 – 598

Rend Lake – 307, 292 – 599

Mineral Area – 302, 304 – 606

Heartland – 303, 306 – 609

Danville Area – 306, 304 – 610

VINCENNES – 306, 307 – 613

Illinois Central – 310, 304 – 614

Lincoln Trail – 316, 323 – 639

VINCENNES RESULTS

Preston Broce (7) – 71, 76 – 147

Aaron Brink (T8) – 74, 74 – 148

Alex Nealis (12) – 77, 73 – 150

Trejan Morrison (T51) – 84, 87 – 171

Xavier Brown (55) – 89, 84 – 173

USI Soccer kicks off OVC action this week

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Eagles host SIUE, visit Lindenwood

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer kicks off its first Ohio Valley Conference schedule this week by hosting Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Thursday and visiting Lindenwood University Sunday. Game time versus SIUE at Strassweg Field is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, while kick off at Lindenwood in St. Louis is slated for 1 p.m.
 
The Eagles (1-6-0) are hoping to ride the momentum of their first victory of the season last week, defeating Northern Kentucky University in thrilling fashion, 3-2. USI had goals from senior midfielder Nick Faddis (St. Louis, Missouri), freshman midfielder Pablo Juan (St. Louis, Missouri) and junior midfielder Garland Hall (Evansville, Indiana).
 
USI, which is in its third conference in the last three seasons, renews league play against this week’s opponents. The Eagles play SIUE in a conference match for the first time since 2007 when the Cougars were members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
USI and Lindenwood make the move over to the OVC this season after both competed in the Summit League last year.
 
The SIUE Cougars (5-0-2) begin this week’s action as the OVC’s only unbeaten team in non-conference action and has been ranked nationally in the top 25.
 
SIUE leads the all-time series with USI, 13-3-1, and in conference play, 12-1-1 (GLVC). Two of USI’s three victories over SIUE came during the Eagles’ first move to Division I in 1993 (4-2 at Strassweg Field) and 1994 (4-0 at SIUE). The Cougars, who are visiting Strassweg for the first time since 2006, won last year’s match-up in Edwardsville, 5-1, and have taken the last five meetings, dating back to the 2002 GLVC Tournament.
 
Lindenwood (3-3-2) 2-0-1 in the last three matches after getting an 8-0 win over the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis and 2-1 win at LeMoyne College last week. The Lions open OVC play Thursday at Eastern Illinois University before hosting USI.
 
The Eagles and Lions are knotted up a 2-2-0 in the all-time series. Lindenwood has taken the last two matches, including last year’s in St. Charles, Missouri, 2-0. USI snatched the first two meetings in the series, 2-0 and 4-3, with both being played in Evansville.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $16 Million WIFIA Loan for Water System Reliability in Oregon

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WASHINGTON (Sept. 26, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $16 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Oregon City, Oregon. This funding will modernize century-old infrastructure to meet the drinking water needs of the city’s 37,000 residents while better preparing the community for wildfires. Since its creation, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced $19 billion in financing to support 110 projects that are strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while creating over 60,000 jobs.

“Through our WIFIA loan program, the Biden-Harris Administration is making critical investments in water infrastructure in communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Oregon City – like other cities that have received WIFIA funding – is prioritizing upgrading outdated water infrastructure and securing its water system against threats such as cyber-attacks and wildfires, ensuring clean, safe, and reliable access to water for generations to come.”
Located in a wildfire-prone region, Oregon City currently relies on infrastructure that is over 100 years old to meet local demand. This WIFIA loan accelerates investment to modernize aging, high-risk water pipes, some of which are lined with cast iron and asbestos. By improving this infrastructure, the city will be able to meet peak demands that meet the fire department’s water pressure and flow needs. Additionally, this loan is enabling the city to enhance the water system’s cybersecurity through a new computer system. By completing these projects, the city will improve the reliability and resiliency of its drinking water service to meet the everyday needs of its residents and be more prepared for wildfires and other potential service disruptions.

“I created the WIFIA program to invest in water infrastructure projects and job creation after hearing from local Oregon leaders that water infrastructure is one of the top issues facing their communities,” said Senator Jeff Merkley.  “This WIFIA funding through the EPA will help Oregon City improve their water infrastructure and strengthen the city’s resilience to wildfire. WIFIA continues to be a great model for delivering results through local and federal collaboration.”

“With voter approval combined with federal grant funds made available from the American Rescue Act, the City was able to pursue and secure a loan through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA),” said Special Projects Senior Engineer and Project Manager for the City and the WIFIA Program Manager Patty Nelson. “Funding will allow the city to address cyber security, rehabilitate and replace aging infrastructure and improve water transmission in the system to better serve its customers now and in the future.”

“The voters of Oregon City also get the credit for making this project possible,” said Oregon City Mayor Denyse McGriff. “If it weren’t for their approval, we wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of the WIFIA program.”

Through the WIFIA program, Oregon City is accelerating investment in its water system while saving rate payers money. The city will increase capital investment in the next two years by 300% and save approximately $3 million. Investing in water infrastructure will create nearly 200 construction and operation jobs.
Learn more about EPA’s WIFIA Program and water infrastructure investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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