Local News from WIKY

Indiana‘s oldest city is preparing for rising waters from the Wabash River. Flood gates are being installed in Vincennes and sandbags will be placed around the Knox County city. Heavy rains that fell last week have pushed the Wabash well over flood stage. The National Weather Service says the river is projected to crest in Vincennes on Saturday at about 27 feet. That‘s almost 12 feet above flood stage.

A former officer of the Order of the Eastern Star is given a three year prison sentence and is told she must pay the Eastern Star $290,000. 37-year old Susan Hilgeman of Newburgh had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft and forgery. Circuit Judge David Kiely could have sentenced Hilgeman to up to eight years in prison. Hilgeman's mother, 80-year old Marilee Garrison, is be tried July 18th on a charge of conspiracy to commit theft. They were officers of the organization associated with Freemasons. They're accused of embezzling $290,000.

Arbor Day is celebrated in Evansville, with Mayor Winnecke recognizing the contributions trees make to our environment. He used a proclamation at a downtown Keep Evansville Beautiful celebration to convey that trees need to be well-planned and nurtured. This is the 13th year that Evansville has received a Growth Award from Tree City USA. Last year the city accounted for more than 20,000 trees.

The Warrick County Sheriff''s Office is trying to keep up with the bad guys. The department is adding AR-15 semi-automatic rifles to its arsenal. Warrick deputies are undergoing hours of training with the weapons. Sheriff Brett Kruse says just about every patrol unit will carry one.