Local News from WIKY

Minimized preschool education coming to Indiana

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 5:20pm
For the first time, Indiana will earmark some state funding for preschool next school year -- but not as much as advocates had hoped for. Indiana will offer four-million dollars over the next two years to preschools to give more pupils an early start. House Republicans had proposed $14 million for a pilot program in five counties to give scholarships directly to low-income students to pay for preschool. read more

Rallies planned to support Boy Scouts ban on gay members and leaders

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 5:19pm
An organization called "On My Honor" is staging rallies Friday in support of the Boy Scouts of America ban on gay members and leaders. The group is a coalition of parents, scout leaders, donors, Eagle Scouts and others.  They oppose the compromise being considered by the National Boy Scout Council to allow openly gay Scouts while keeping the ban in place for scout leaders. A Boy Scout backer from Kokomo, Jeff Britton, says homosexuality is immoral. He also predicts an exodus of members if the resolution is adopted.

Dog shooting upsets Patoka residents

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 10:21am
Some residents in Patoka are seeking justice for a dog that was shot and killed when it entered a man's yard. Some neighbors have posted signs on their homes in memory of Jack, the McGrew family's young, white pit bull, who they say wasn't threatening anybody. Children were also nearby when the dog as shot last week. The Gibson County Prosecutor's Office is considering charges of criminal recklessness and animal cruelty.

Owensboro man faces 1,100 child porn charges

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 10:20am
A man arrested on charges of child exploitation goes to court...and hears his bond set at $50,000 cash. 25-year old James Christopher Payne of Owensboro was charged with almost 1,200 counts of child porn after police served a warrant at his house. The arrest capped an undercover investigation into possession of images of child sexual exploitation. Detectives sent what's being described as evidence to the Kentucky State Police forensic laboratory for processing. Payne was told to return to court May 22nd for a preliminary hearing.

Garage fire is suspicious

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 10:18am
Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire in Evansville. Firefighters were called to 15 W. Tennessee at about 12:30 Wednes morning and found a garage on fire. They knocked down the flames in about ten minutes and then found a metal can with some type of accelerant in it. Nobody was injured and there's no word of any arrests.

John Whinrey wins coveted Rotary Civic Award

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 4:42pm
The latest in a long succession of Rotary Civic Award winners is named by the Rotary Club of Evansville. Civic Award Committee Chairman Tom Austerman noted John Whinrey's leadership of the Yucatan Project, which is sending needed medical supplies to the Tizamen District - one of the poorest areas on the continent. One spin-off of Whinrey's work was the City of Evansville and Tizamen signing a sister-city relationship that includes cultural exchanges as well as support for the region in the Yucatan.

Beer sales battle hits courts

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 4:21pm
Indiana convenience stores are suing the state for the right to sell cold beer. Under current law, only carryout stores can sell beer cold. A complaint in the US District Court filed by the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, a statewide trade association, challenges that law. Indiana is the only state in the country that regulates beer sales based on temperature. A 2012 proposal to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell cold beer as long as that beer is made in Indiana died in the legislature.

UE engineering students step-up to help Rehab Center clients

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 4:19pm
A mechanical engineering project at the University of Evansville will help the Easter Seals Rehab Center and its clients. The UE Wheelchair Aquatic Team donated a special chair that will get people in and out of the center's salt water therapy pool. Team leader Kenneth Kaufman says it was a lengthy, but worthwhile project. Materials for the chair cost about $23,000. Much of which had to be raised by the students. Kaufman says he and the other students feel good about helping the community.

John Whinrey wins coveted Rotary Civic Award

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 4:11pm
The latest in a long succession of Rotary Civic Award winners is named at a mid-day meeting of the Luncheon Rotary Club in Evansville. Civic Award Committee Chairman Tom Austerman noted John Whinrey's leadership of the Yucatan Project, which is sending needed medical supplies to the Tizamen District - one of the poorest areas on the continent. One spin-off of Whinrey's work was the City of Evansville and Tizamen signing a sister-city relationship that includes cultural exchanges as well as support for the region in the Yucatan.

Mt. Vernon couple arrested in Tennessee for Dale Pharmacy robbery

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 1:17pm
Authorities have tracked down a Mt. Vernon couple accused of robbing a southern Indiana pharmacy. Federal officers arrested 26-year-old Jacob Beyers and 27-year-old Mallory Johnson in Knoxville, TN. Indiana State Police say tips from the public following the hold-up at the Dale Pharmacy helped identify and locate Beyers and Johnson.