Afternoon News: Wednesday January 4th 2023

Posey County Radio News and Sports

News:

Posey County 911 Dispatch is hiring candidates for a Full-Time 911 Dispatch Operator. Applicants must have a high school diploma. Candidates must be able to type 40WPM, handle many tasks, and have excellent communication skills. Experience in public safety is preferred, but not required. Must be able to pass a Background Check. Applications can be obtained Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM at the Dispatch Office, which is located at 305 Mill St. in Mt. Vernon. All applications/resumes are due back to Dispatch by Tuesday, January 17th at 8:00 AM.

Yesterday, Vanderburgh County saw its newest elected officials inaugurated at Old National Events Plaza. Among them is new sheriff, Noah Robinson, and prosecutor, Diana Moers.

Robinson, a democrat, defeated his republican challenger Jeff Hales in November, getting about 56% of the vote. Robinson’s campaign promises included increased department transparency and accountability, prioritizing school safety, and stopping arrests solely for marijuana possession. Robinson is taking the reins from the retiring Dave Wedding, a 42-year veteran of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department and sheriff since 2014.

Prosecutor Diana Moers, a republican, defeated her democratic challenger Jon Schaefer in November, getting about 59% of the vote. She says her first order of business in office is getting familiar with her team. Moers is looking to tackle some of the most daunting issues Evansville is currently facing. According to Moers, Evansville is at a critical point with crime as the murder rate is going up. She says she is excited to collaborate with law enforcement to keep Vanderburgh County safe and make sure they are getting convictions on cases.

Moers is taking over for Nicholas Hermann, who she defeated in the republican primary in May. Moers and Robinson were two of over 50 officials, including school board members and surrounding township board members, that were sworn in yesterday.

On January 1^st, a new law went into effect that replaced previous turn signal policies. Previously, the law stated that drivers had to signal a turn at least 200 feet beforehand. The signal needed to be on 300 feet before turning if the vehicle was traveling over 50 miles per hour. Now, the law simply states that a signal must be turned on a “reasonable” amount of time before the turn. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson said that may not lead to many changes and doesn’t anticipate it’s going to change much in terms of their enforcement behavior.

The Vanderburgh County Commissioners have selected Easterseals as a recipient of American Rescue Plan Act Funds to the tune of $300,000. The President and CEO of Easter Seals, Kelly Schneider, says the funds will help the organization continue to provide services to vulnerable children in Vanderburgh County.

The Evansville Fire Department wrapped up a busy 2022 with a 4-alarm fire at the warehouse on North Garvin that was sparked on the morning of New Year's Eve. That was the final run of the month and the year for EFD. The EFD responded to 11,210 calls for service in 2022. According to numbers released by the department, firefighters responded to 831 total calls in December. That includes 430 EMS calls and 257 fire calls. The department says it responded to 18 commercial structure fires, 23 residential, and 13 working fires. EFD responded to 60 more fire calls than in it did in the month of November.

Sports: 

- Evansville Men's Basketball plays at Missouri State at 7:00 PM. The Purple Aces are 4-11 on the season. 

- In other Men's College Basketball...Indiana State (11-4) is at Illinois State at 7:00 PM. The SIU Salukis (11-4) play host to Drake at 7:00 PM. Murray State (8-6) is home against Bradley at 7:00 PM. Illinois (9-4) is on the road to battle Northwestern at 8:00 PM. 

- The Indiana Pacers head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers at 6:00 PM. The Pacers have won 4-straight games and sit at 21-17 on the year.