Evansville Courier & Press (2007-Current)

Adding Page to History Guard, State Honor Fallen Soldier

Sgt. Joseph A. Ford was remembered Tuesday as a history buff, a loving relative and friend and, most of all, a patriot who wore his Indiana National Guard uniform with immense pride. The 23-year-old former University of Southern Indiana student was killed in a vehicle crash May 10 in Al Asad, Iraq. About 25 relatives and more than 100 other people attended a memorial service at the National Guard Armory.

Arena Drives Hotel Idea Downtown Is Key to Plan: Developer

An Indianapolis company may erect a hotel in Downtown Evansville, but only after the city builds an arena there. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Jamie Browning, vice president of development with Browning Investments, said the company thinks a four-star hotel would be a good investment only if it stood near an arena that city leaders are considering somewhere Downtown.

Clinton Takes Ky. In a Walk Win's Value Matter for Debate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hillary Rodham Clinton coasted to overwhelming victory in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, a triumph of scant political value in a Democratic presidential race moving inexorably in Barack Obama's direction. The two rivals also collided in Oregon's unique vote-by-mail contest, and Obama predicted he would finish the night with a majority of all delegates at stake in the 56 primaries and caucuses on the campaign calendar.

Indy to Host Super Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS - City leaders shook hands, slapped high fives and congratulated each other for winning the bid to host the 2012 Super Bowl. But soon they'll be rolling up their sleeves to make the projects they dreamed up in the bid a reality. "Now it's time to get to work and start organizing this," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

Paper Money Ruled Unfair for Blind People

WASHINGTON - Close your eyes, reach into your wallet and try to distinguish between a $1 bill and a $5 bill. Impossible? It's also discriminatory, a federal appeals court says. Since all paper money feels pretty much the same, the government is denying blind people meaningful access to the currency, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday.

Chance to See Bald Eagles Best in Decades

The chances of an Indiana resident seeing a bald eagle have never been better than now. And there is nothing like seeing a fully grown eagle in flight or sitting in its massive fortress of a nest atop a tree. Last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources reported the number of nesting bald eagles in Indiana had reached 100 pairs this year, the most since their reintroduction began.

Dems Back Lunsford for Senate; Mcconnell Rolls to Easy Victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Businessman Bruce Lunsford, who rose from the tobacco fields to the corporate boardroom, captured Kentucky's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, winning a chance to challenge Republican leader Mitch McCon-nell, a four-term incumbent with a big campaign bankroll. Lunsford capitalized on his name recognition from an aggressive TV campaign and two failed runs for governor to defeat another businessman, Greg Fischer, and a pack of little-known Democrats.

Former Congressman Wins Primary

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Former U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard, who served time in federal prison after the House banking scandal, is getting another chance at resurrecting his political career. The former Democratic congressman scored a victory Tuesday over Rick Johnson, an attorney and former appeals court judge, putting him in a November race for a state Senate seat. Hubbard, who started his political career representing the district nearly 40 years ago, takes on incumbent state Sen. Ken Winters in the...

Henderson Elects Watkins to Another House Term

David Watkins will continue to represent the bulk of Henderson County in the Kentucky House of Representatives The incumbent beat back a Democratic primary challenge by former magistrate Herb McKee by a margin of 5,302 to 3,482 votes during Tuesday's primary, according to unofficial final results.

'Disappointing' Turnout Marks State's Late Primary

Despite predictions that Kentucky's late-in-the-season primary could make or break the Democratic presidential bids of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, voters in the Bluegrass State appeared to take a ho-hum attitude Tuesday. "Slow but flowing" is how election worker Nelda Pitt described the stream of voters at Henderson's Holy Name Catholic School, where turnout Tuesday afternoon was approaching 28 percent of those registered.

Abuse Registry Weighed

Community agency leaders and politicians joined residents at the second meeting of a group interested in pushing for change in the child welfare system. The effort is led by Patricia Galbraith, a resident with many years of experience in medical and mental health fields. Galbraith has said the death of 3-year-old Kalab Lay, allegedly at the hands of abusive parents, galvanized her to appeal to the community for change.

Club Hopes Restroom Relieves Problem

The owner of an East Side nightclub is adding a restroom to his business after a number of patrons were arrested over the weekend allegedly for urinating outside. Thirteen men are facing preliminary charges of public nudity or public intoxication after the Evansville Police Department conducted a special detail early Sunday near Icon at 111 S. Green River Road.

Green River Project Optimism County Hopes to Keep Road Open

Vanderburgh County officials remain optimistic they can keep North Green River Road between Lynch and Millersburg roads open during a two-year widening project tentatively set to begin in September. But that is not a sure thing.

Sifting Through History Usi Students Dig at New Harmony

A University of Southern Indiana class is peeling away layers of time in the backyard of a community house at Historic New Harmony in hopes of learning more about the site's original inhabitants. Although it isn't the first archaeology work done in New Harmony, the five-week project is the first official archaeology field class offered by the university, said teacher Michael Strezewski, an assistant professor of anthropology.

State Steps Up with Greenway Trail Grant

INDIANAPOLIS - The state is providing a $900,000 grant for the city of Evansville to extend the Pigeon Creek Greenway trail by seven-tenths of a mile, the governor's office announced Tuesday. The trail is one of 28 such projects being funded by $19 million in grants from the Department of Natural Resources that will result in 104 miles of new trails and acquisition of land for 26 more miles of future trail development.

Daniels Visits with Hoosier Troops

As he met in Iraq this week with Indiana National Guard soldiers from the 76th Infantry Brigade, Gov. Mitch Daniels was impressed by their morale, their ingenuity and the pride they take in their mission. "I think they're very glad to have a chance to show what they can do and put all that training to work," Daniels said from Kuwait, after completing a two-day visit to Iraq to thank Hoosier soldiers deployed there.

Briefs

Princeton, Ind. Two sisters sentenced on drug charges

Teachers Union Head Critical of Administrative Costs

A teachers union official this week reopened criticism of what he calls excessive administrative hiring and pay by the Evansville- Vanderburgh School Corp. The Monday night comments by Evansville Teachers Association Executive Director Dan Hartz reflect ongoing disagreements between the union and Superintendent Vincent Bertram as the parties prepare to begin negotiating a new teachers contract.

Usi Study Looks at Old Courthouse Future

Awaiting evaluation by the Old Courthouse Foundation is a 50- page marketing proposal and business plan for Evansville's Old Courthouse produced by graduate students at the University of Southern Indiana. The master's of business administration students spent the past three months formulating their recommendations for the historical Downtown structure at the request of Commissioner Troy Tornatta.

Obituaries

Local Mary Lee Davenport