Local News from WIKY

Authorities have given the all-clear at the post office on S. Green River Road. Police were called to the facility in Lawndale just before 7:30 Friday morning, when postal workers found a suspicious package on a scale. They evacuated the building, police sent in a robot, and firefighters stood by as a precaution. But they say everything was okay, and the box was empty.

Former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says that City Councilman John Friend's "focus" has brought all progress in Evansville to a grinding halt. Weinzapfel sent a letter to media outlets that's aimed at setting the record straight and warning that without "positive" leaders, the city will "descend into mediocrity." Weinzapfel sharply disagrees with Councilman Friend's assertion that the Winnecke Administration "inherited a mess" regarding city finances. Weinzapfel says the combined cash balances and general fund increased 180 percent during his eight years as mayor.

Governor Pence has replaced four members of the State Board of Education. Six of the 11 board seats were up for reappointment. Pence kept two Mitch Daniels appointees but replaced four others with his own. One of the board‘s first tasks will be to reassess whether Indiana should withdraw from the Common Core curriculum standards. Pence says he didn‘t look for members on one side of that issue or the other.

A major sewer and road widening project is underway in Evansville. Crews have closed Oak Hill Road to through traffic between Pigeon Creek and Lake Drive until October 25th for phase one of the project. The work will eventually move farther north, all the way to Lynch Road. The project will eventually expand Oak Hill to three lanes from the creek to Lynch, with bicycle paths on each side. The project will cost $4.9 million, with 80 percent coming from the federal government.