Evansville Courier & Press

Tough Trash Talk Posey County Digs in to Get Rid of Junk

The problem of rural homes with broken appliances, junk cars and other trash littering the yards isn't restricted to Posey County, Ind. It is a description that has become an almost cliche image for painting a negative image of rural areas.

Evsc Rapped for Bid Process

Evansville's public school board has asked its attorney to review the bid process that was used to select an out-of-town health insurance company to cover about 2,900 employees. The School Board's 4-3 vote last week to hire UnitedHealthcare supported the unanimous recommendation of a 14-member insurance committee appointed by the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. administration and the Evansville Teachers Association.

Airport Plans Outlined

Evansville Regional Airport Manager Bob Working is leaning toward a plan that would move the airport's main runway 2,000 feet to the northeast. Although work on the runway likely would not begin for several years, a plan for modifying it will be included in the airport's master plan, which will outline airport development for the next 20 years.

Mellowing Mellencamp Stays True to His Roots

John Mellencamp vowed he would never do another major-label album. After a heated dispute with Columbia Records, which released him from recording the final four albums on his contract, he planned to spend his time writing songs for himself, creating artwork and finishing his Broadway collaboration with Stephen King.

$1,800 Rocking Chairs Don't Sit Well with Daniels

The state is trying to unload some expensive rocking chairs ordered under the watch of Gov. Mitch Daniels and never used. One rocking chair was posted for sale Wednesday on eBay with a minimum opening bid of $999 -- roughly half the purchase price for the chair. The winning bidder has the option to buy the remaining nine chairs at the same price.

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way in Bad Situation

Although I prefer to think of myself as a realist rather than a pessimist, I do have to admit to a healthy level of cynicism. Earlier this month, I'm happy to report, my faith in humankind was restored a at least briefly.

Istep Science Proves Tough Bar Was Set Deliberately High for Test, Says Suellen Reed, State Schools Chief

About 52 percent of Indiana's seventh-graders passed the new statewide ISTEP science test, the Indiana Department of Education said Wednesday. "The bar was intentionally set high in terms of our expectations of seventh-grade students in science," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed. "What is important is that we see progress from this starting point."

Daniels' Lapels Convey Message

Gov. Mitch Daniels supports Interstate 69 at all times -- but he doesn't always wear his I-69 lapel pin. In fact, the governor showed Southwestern Indiana two different looks Tuesday. Daniels wore an American flag pin while participating in a roundtable discussion with Dubois County business leaders in Huntingburg late Tuesday morning, according to photographs of the event. He was still wearing the pin when he spoke to a Metropolitan Evansville Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Casino Aztar mor...

Take Back the Night Ninth Annual Campaign Protests Rape and Sexual Assault

Candlelight flickered across the faces of the participants in the ninth annual Take Back the Night event, as one by one survivors of sexual assault or those affected by it came forward to tell their stories. "I hope to have a great effect on other people," one survivor said. "And maybe others will feel more open to tell their stories."

Change Studied at Berry

The owners of Evansville-based Berry Plastics are considering ways to "maximize shareholder value," including a possible sale of the company or a public offering of stock, the company said Wednesday. The company issued a short statement saying there is no certainty either of these transactions, or any other, will occur. It also had no information on terms or timing of a transaction or decision.

Local Republicans Offer Planks to State Platform Committee

Vanderburgh County Republicans got a feather in their collective cap Wednesday when the Indiana GOP brought its search for a 2006 platform to Evansville. The state party held the first of three scheduled public hearings at the Marriott at Evansville Regional Airport. The other hearings are scheduled for April 11 and April 18 in Indianapolis and South Bend, respectively.

Craftsman Renowned for His Custom Turkey Love Call

Editor's Note: Columnist Garret Mathews is on vacation. His column will return April 4. The last few mornings when the day has dawned still and clear, I've heard turkeys gobbling back on the Tradewater River when I went outside to feed the cats and dog.

Briefs

MAYFIELD, Ky. Kentucky historian Lon Carter Barton dies

Info Line

If you have a brief question about the news, use a Touch-Tone phone to call: (812) 464-7466

Question of the Day Wednesday's Online Question

Do you think newly appointed IU head coach Kelvin Sampson is the best choice? 275 votes cast as of 10 p.m. Wednesday

Evansville

Kentucky Tradition Fades Away

A picnic that drew high-powered politicians to Sorgho has died with its founder. Family members said the annual picnics started in 1958 by Thomas "Red" Saltsman, 78, have come to an end with Saltsman's death on Dec. 8.

Book Fair Hosting Civil War Author

Newburgh's place in Civil War history hadn't been fully explored when Ray Mulesky went to find a book about it. In fact, the Confederate raid of the riverfront city had barely been chronicled at all. So Mulesky, an author and historian, went to work piecing together the lead-up to and fall-out from the first rebel incursion north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Obituaries

Local obituaries Joshua Byrley

Indiana's Economic Score Remains Stagnant

For those who thought business tax cuts and regulatory changes undertaken in recent years have improved Indiana's economic performance, think again. According to a report commissioned by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and released Wednesday, Indiana has held steady at an overall "C-" in its efforts to be business friendly. That's the same grade the state got in 2001 and 2003.