Evansville Courier & Press

Sister Says Joyce Harbison has Faced Tough Times `She's Blocked Stuff Out'

Relatives say the actions of a woman who spent six days on the run with her fugitive stepson were affected by the tough life she's lived, including marriage to an abusive husband. "She tried to block this stuff out because she couldn't handle it," said Janey Burch, Joyce Harbison's sister. "She's been put down so much and she had such bad self-esteem that to this day, she doesn't think she's worth anything."

Mother Cleared in Son's Death Julie Rea Harper Acquitted in Retrial

Jurors cleared a woman Wednesday of charges she stabbed her 10- year-old son to death in his bed nearly nine years ago -- a killing the defense insisted was carried out by a masked intruder, possibly a Texas death-row inmate who has confessed. Jurors deliberated for more than 12 hours since Tuesday before acquitting Julie Rea Harper in her retrial on two counts of first- degree murder in Joel Kirkpatrick's death in their Lawrence County home early Oct. 13, 1997.

Sniper Suspect Was Angry

A teenager accused of killing a man and wounding another in a series of highway shootings had argued with relatives during a hunting trip and drove off in anger shortly before the attacks, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Zachariah Blanton, 17, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murder, attempted murder and three counts of criminal recklessness. He stared at the sidewalk as officers led him into the Jackson County Courthouse, where Circuit Judge William Vance set a tentative Dec. 13 trial...

Rescued From Lebanon

In five days last week, Evansville resident Mohammad Douleh went from peace to war and back again. He saw carnage, confusion, fear and destruction, but also helping and happiness.

Tv Ads Are Less Shocking Than the Real Thing

Sometimes, when I hear people say things or read their quotes in the paper, I conclude that either they or I must live on the moon. I reach this conclusion often when reading comments by members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or of federal and state bureaucrats. One of my favorites came when I used to cover schools. An Indiana Department of Education official, at the end of a lengthy conversation in which I suggested nobody would be able to make sense of the ISTEP scoring sys...

`The Fate of Our Country and Yours Is Tied'

The prime minister of Iraq warned Congress that if terror wins in Iraq, the war on terror will never be won elsewhere. "The fate of our country and yours is tied," said Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

I-69 Toll Road Concept Under Fire Democrats Voice Opposition to Feds

The expansion of Interstate 69 into Southwestern Indiana should not be a toll road, three Democratic lawmakers from Bloomington wrote in a letter to federal highway officials. The lawmakers -- Sen. Vi Simpson and Reps. Matt Pierce and Peggy Welch -- oppose the suggestion by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to build the I-69 extension as a toll road. They filed a three-page letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of the public comment portion of the project.

Burdette Receipts, Deficits Both Up

There's bad news and good news about Burdette Park. The bad news: Burdette, Vanderburgh County's largest park and the only one managed by county government, has an operating deficit currently estimated at $700,000. That's up slightly from a deficit of $600,000 in 2003 and $640,000 in 2004.

School's Special Ed Unit Suffers a Blow

A special education program at Farmersville Elementary School will have to be moved after Friday's storm blew part of the roof off its building. The main building of Farmersville Elementary sustained minimal damage, but the special education program was housed in portable classroom, similar to a mobile home.

Usi Associate Dean Sentenced to Work-Release On Dui and Battery Charges

Six months in a work-release center was the sentence for an associate dean of the University of Southern Indiana who admitted to driving while intoxicated and then biting the leg of a passer-by who tried to assist him. Robert Earl Mays, 64, was sentenced Wednesday in Vanderburgh Superior Court after pleading guilty last month to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class D felony, and to battery, a Class A misdemeanor.

Brief Walk in Another's Shoes a Lesson in Humility

You complain to anyone who will listen that you haven't had a decent morning run for more than three months. When your heels aren't hurting, they're stiff. When one stupid leg muscle finally heals, you pull another one.

Briefs

ANGOLA, Ind. Identifying victims could take days

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

Are TV commercials that depict children in fatal situations too harsh for general audiences? 141 votes cast as of 10 p.m. Wednesday

Evansville

Warrick County Enacts Surface Water Rules

Residents and builders in Warrick County will have to comply with new rules designed to keep pollution out of surface waters. Eventually, property owners will be assessed a still undetermined fee along with their property taxes to help fund the ordinances, said Warrick County Commissioner Don Williams.

Obituaries

Local Obituaries Dennis W. Beadles

Daniels Forms House Pac

Gov. Mitch Daniels has formed a political action committee to help raise money for Republican candidates for the Indiana House, a chamber the GOP narrowly controls 52-48 heading into the November election. The "Mitch for a Majority" PAC has taken in nearly $200,000 so far at fundraisers in Fort Wayne and in Lake County, The Indianapolis Star reported Wednesday. More events are being planned for Indianapolis and Evansville.

Learning the Steps

Advice Offered for Uninsured Kids

Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe and other state officials urged parents to tap into programs such as Medicaid and Hoosier Healthwise to help the state's more than 150,000 uninsured schoolchildren gain coverage and thrive in school. During an event Wednesday at the Statehouse, they joined members of the advocacy group Covering Kids & Families of Indiana in launching its annual back-to-school campaign to reach parents of uninsured children.