Evansville Courier & Press (2007-Current)

Ending with a Bang

Andrea Wisnewski brought an umbrella Downtown to shield her two small children from the sun on Wednesday. She didn't know until the end of the day that she'd wind up better prepared than almost anyone who attended the air show and the last day of the Freedom Festival.

Goosetown Party Potter's Wheel Feeds 1,000 People

When Cpl. Mike Winters started patrolling the streets of Goosetown 20 years ago, the parking lot at Governor Street and Jefferson Avenue was a haven for drug users. "People would sit out there and drink at night," the Evansville police officer said Wednesday during his lunch break as he watched residents celebrate the annual Fourth of July block party in the lot.

Highway Info Signs Being Removed

Some of the large electronic message boards on Evansville-area roadways will be coming down next week, and the state aims to better use the remaining units. This is the second time the state Department of Transportation has announced plans to remove four of the area's 12 electronic signs, first installed in 1998. Two years ago, the state said it would remove them, but workers never did.

Adorable Kittens Draw Animal Lover's Attention

Adorable kittens. The inclusion of those two words in a news release caught my eye. I am, as my colleague Susan Orr will attest, a fan of adorable kittens. So, it was with great anticipation that I read the release from the WHS Pet Adoption Center, formerly known as the Warrick Humane Society, in Newburgh.

Schools Seek Full-Day Kindergarten Funding

Evansville's public school system and a few others in the region are among 263 in Indiana applying for state assistance with the cost of full-day kindergarten. The program is being returned to all Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. elementary buildings for the upcoming school year, at a cost of nearly $3 million.

Fishing Derby Competitors Reeling in Smiles

Kirsten Coffee wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to join her brother, Jordan, at the 17th annual Fourth of July Fishing Derby for Kids at Garvin Park on Wednesday morning. Jordan and his 15-year-old sister were among the 126 competitors. She caught a 12 1/4-inch channel catfish with 10 minutes to go in the derby, which gave her the biggest fish of the day and the trophy for big fish in the 11-15 age group.

Woman Dies After Trip to Holiday World Pool

The Indiana State Police say they have started a death investigation after a 29-year-old woman was pulled Wednesday from one of the two wave pools at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. Paula Werne, a spokeswoman for the amusement park in Santa Claus, Ind., said the woman was standing at the edge of The Wave, in just inches of water, when she apparently lost consciousness and collapsed. The pool, the first one built at the water park, is "zero entry," meaning people can simply walk into it like...

Driver Fears Worst, Escapes Major Injury

The driver of a Party Ice truck said he feared he was going to die when he pulled out onto U.S. 41 and his engine unexpectedly quit. Sitting in the northbound lane near Hillsdale Road, Andy Bonnelo said a semitrailer was barreling toward him. He knew he'd be hard to miss. And the big rig, he said, was aimed directly at the driver's side door.

Kennel Club Dog Trials to Attract Wagging Tails

Trained purebred dogs will be heeling, retrieving, jumping and scrambling through obstacle courses this weekend at an American Kennel Club licensed trial event in Evansville. The event, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Metro Sports Center on Evansville's East Side, is expected to draw about 300 dogs from around the Midwest. The Evansville Obedience Club is hosting the competition.

Info Line

If you have a brief question about the news, use a Touch-Tone phone to call: (812) 464-7466 If someone is too large for a seat belt to fasten around them, what can they do?

Red Cross Volunteer Sent to Disaster Area

With less than 24 hours notice, a local Red Cross volunteer and retired Evansville police officer left Wednesday morning for Oklahoma, a state recently devastated by flooding. Terry Brooks is part of an always-on-alert team that deploys when disaster strikes to make sure the situations are safe for Red Cross workers.

Hostettler Dissolves Campaign Committee

Former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler has dissolved his campaign committee eight months after an election defeat that ended 12 years in Congress representing Southern Indiana. A report dated Monday and filed with the Federal Election Commission said that the $5,341 remaining with the Friends of John Hostettler Committee would be given to charity.

Briefs

Evansville Girl, 8, suffers injuries after being hit by truck

Kentucky Lawmaker to Be Deployed to Afghanistan

It's a good bet Lt. Col. Tim Moore will be multi-tasking from a remote location somewhere in Afghanistan this summer. The Kentucky Air National Guard pilot is headed to the war-torn country later this month.

Nonprofits Sharing $2.5 Million to Help Build Partnerships

Five community service organizations in Vanderburgh County are among the 113 nonprofits statewide to share in $2.5 million in state incentives to help them generate more private funding. The incentives, in the form of tax credits to be awarded to donors, were announced Tuesday by the Neighborhood Assistance Program and approved by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

Obituaries

Local Barry Kae Cato

Western Ky. Man Convicted of Manslaughter, Burglary

HENDERSON, Ky. - A Western Kentucky man was convicted on second- degree manslaughter and first-degree burglary in the death of an 80- year-old woman. Jurors deliberated for eight hours Tuesday before handing down guilty verdicts on lesser charges against Jeffrey A. Scherretz in the death of Anna Green of Henderson.

Former Paducah Mayor Dies

PADUCAH, Ky. - William "Bill" Smith Murphy, who was mayor of Paducah from 1976 to 1980, died Tuesday in Eugene, Ore. He was 96. Murphy, a Stanford native, was honest, fair and a gentleman, said City Commissioner Robert Coleman. Murphy created the city's Human Rights Department late in his term, Coleman said.

Hundreds Rally in Protest of Property Tax Increases

INDIANAPOLIS - About 400 people rallied Wednesday outside the governor's mansion, many of them Marion County residents outraged over steep increases in their property tax bills. People spoke out and stopped traffic along busy Meridian and 46th streets just north of downtown. Many carried signs and banners protesting the higher taxes in Marion County and throughout the state.

Illinois State Is Banking On Renewable Energy Field

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State University is looking to a new degree program to catch a wave of high-tech jobs expected to rise as the United States strives to ease dependence on imported oil and other fossil fuels. In May, the 20,000-student university's trustees approved creating a bachelor of science degree in renewable energy, training students for jobs in fast-growing fields ranging from ethanol and biofuels to wind and solar power.