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Baseball Fields Across Indiana Illuminated Following The Passing of Ryan Wilcoxen
Owen Valley High School coach Ryan Wilcoxen has passed away of arteriovenous malformation after suffering a brain bleed on February 19th. The 31 year-old was a husband and father of two young daughters, in addition to being an Owen Valley High School coach and special education teacher. Wilcoxen became an organ donor and matches were made for his heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Owen Valley High School asked for high schools to illuminate their baseball diamonds for the next 48 hours following the announcement of Wilcoxen’s passing. Baseball fields were seen illuminated across the state to honor Wilcoxen including Owen-Valley, Bedford North Lawrence, and Eastern-Greene Baseball fields. Social Media posts had over 100 different locations across the state showing their support and condolences both to the family and his players.
Indiana Lady Hoosiers play strong down the stretch to defeat #15 OSU on the road
The 11th nationally ranked Women’s Basketball team defeated Ohio State on the road for the first time in more than a decade! The Hoosiers played aggressive defense, holding the Buckeyes to 12 first quarter points, although the final moments of the first half added 6 OSU points in the waning 9 seconds, including a near half-court buzzer beater by Sophomore Guard Jacy Shelden. A difficult 3rd quarter for Indiana, as they struggled offensively against a strong defensive Buckeye zone; however, they were able to begin getting Mackenzie Holmes into play. Indiana played with heart, and fought hard on both sides of the court, working Ohio State into foul trouble. By the end of 40 minutes, 3 of their starters had fouled out. Clutch shots down the stretch by Alex Gulbe, Nicole Cardano-Hillary, and Ali Patberg solidified the 87-75 victory, catapulting IU’s record to 16-4, 14-2 in the Big Ten Conference.
IU Coach Teri Moren said, “To win the game, we had to be aggressive in order to get the best shots.” Moren added, “Our girls demonstrated great composure throughout, and were able to hit free throws. This was a terrific win for our program and one we had to fight hard for!”
All 5 Hoosier starters ended with double digit points totals, and Cardano-Hillary recorded a double double (16 points and 11 rebounds) . . . a perfect way to celebrate her double double (22nd) birthday. Next up, Indiana hosts Iowa on Wednesday, March 3rd in a make-up game that was previously postponed due to Covid protocols.
Indiana State Police-Warning: Ongoing “Child Safety Kit” Facebook Scam
The Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post recently received a complaint from a local resident advising of what appears to be an ongoing scam solicited via Facebook. This scam involves the offering of a “Child Safety Kit” by clicking on a link provided in the Facebook post. A resident stated that the provided link to receive the “Child Safety Kit” asks the requestor to submit personal information, to include: name, address, and phone number, information which is then followed up by a phone call wherein the scammer requests to set up an in-home visit to further the transaction. She reports having received two phone calls from two very persistent males requesting to come to her home and be allowed to load an App onto her phone as part of their “Child Safety Kit” service. She stated the callers were very persistent on setting up an appointment, and they falsely claimed they work directly with the Indiana State Police. She was never provided with name or a company name.
This scam has apparently been ongoing for quite some time, and was even reported on by the Louisville based WDRB news channel back in December 2019, wherein an Evansville, Indiana women was victimized. The Indiana State Police would remind all Hoosiers that scam artists are pervasive across the internet and all social media platforms. Scammer’s methods and tactics are primarily intrusive to your personal and financial information, but as noted in this instance, they may often resort to invading your personal space as well. Luckily this resident was on the alert and did not fall prey to these scammers tactics.
- This complaint reported to the State Police is full of red flags, and luckily this local resident did not fall prey to these scammers tactics. You can protect yourself by:
- ALWAYS consider any unsolicited internet/social media transaction with a “Buyer Beware”
- NEVER provided personal or financial information to an unknown source, whether it be on the internet, by email, or by phone.
- NEVER invite or allow a stranger into your home, especially an unsolicited sales person- thieves commonly use this as a way to case your home for future burglary.
- Don’t be INTIMIDATED by a scammer’s pervasiveness. Delete the internet conversation or just hang up the phone when something doesn’t feel right.
If you feel you have been victimized by a scammer, suspicious or threatening activity should be reported to your local law enforcement immediately.