Local News from WIKY

Aztar hotel renovation in the works

Submitted by WIKY News on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 7:19am
As the process of building a new convention hotel continues in downtown Evansville, there's word that Casino Aztar is going to renovate its hotel on Riverside Drive. Aztar General Manager Ward Shaw has announced a $5 million face-lift for the hotel. He says the work will start soon and most of it will be finished by the end of this year. Work on the hotel's meeting rooms will be done early next year. The 250-room Casino Aztar Hotel hasn't been renovated since it was built 15 years ago.

Suspicious fire damages house

Submitted by WIKY News on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 7:16am
Evansville firefighters extinguish a suspicious house fire. They were called to 629 E. Tennessee at about 1:00 Thursday morning and found flames coming from the rear of the house. As crews battled the blaze, a district chief called for an extra pumper. No people were inside the burning house, but Animal Control was called to pick up a dog at the scene. Firefighters tapped out the blaze in about a half-hour. It's considered suspicious because nobody was living there.

Fire forces residents outside

Submitted by WIKY News on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 7:13am
A smokey fire forces residents of a near-downtown home out of bed and outside. It happened at about 4:25 Thursday morning in the 1200 block of S. Evans. Everyone got out safely, as Evansville firefighters ripped insulation from the walls and tapped out the fire. There's no word on what caused it.

Police investigate possible abduction

Submitted by WIKY News on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 7:12am
Evansville police are looking for a man with silver hair and a silver front tooth, in connection with a possible attempted abduction. Police say a 15-year-old girl entered the Chuckle's convenience store on South Weinbach at about 9:40 Wednesday morning. At the same time, a man driving a red Chevy S-10 pickup truck pulled into the parking lot and purchased gas. After pumping the gas, he waited for the girl to leave the store. read more

Large crowd turns out for State Police Memorial Service

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 5:45pm
The strength of the Indiana State Police lies in the character of its people. And during the once a year Memorial Service at the Evansville post, a big crowd was reminded of the deceased. The emotional event honored 46 employees killed in the line of duty since the department was created in 1933. Two deaths involved troopers from the Evansville District. "Joe" Trees died in 1972, when his vehicle crashed while he was chasing a traffic violator. read more

Police provide names from Starr Market shooting

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 5:43pm
Police provide the name of a suspect, and the man shot while outside the Starr Market Tuesday afternoon. Detective Brent Melton says an arrest warrant has been issued for 20-year old Joe Lewis Moore the third, on charges of crimnal recklessness and aggravated battery with a firearm. Melton says 18 year old Jordan Wilson had argued with Moore inside the store, located near downtown Evansville in the 500 block of Powell Avenue. read more

Here comes another "Click it or ticket"

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 5:41pm
Federal funds will help more than 250 law enforcement agencies in Indiana to participate in another "Click It or Ticket" campaign. Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Dave Wedding says half of those who die in traffic crashes are not buckled up, and among those age 18 to 34, or thoe in pick-up trucks, the figure jumps to 60 percent. The campaign begins Friday and runs through Memorial Day weekend, until June 3.     

Evansville third graders score an 80 on new reading test

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 6:59am
The results from the new I-READ-3 exam show 84 percent of the third-graders in Indiana passed the test. It's a requirement to advance to fourth grade. The EVSC rate was almost 80 percent.. It was over 92 percent in Warrick County, 91 percent at North Posey, 87 percent in Mount Vernon, and between 79 and 86 percent in Gibson County. Kids who failed to pass the test will get some intense instruction and have another chance to take it this summer.

Life-long weatherman dies

Submitted by WIKY News on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 6:50am
He kept his eye to the sky for decades. John Payne has died at the age of 93. The McCutchanville resident had been an unpaid weather observer for the National Weather Service since November 1949. Payne said his obsession with weather started in 1925, when he was just six years old. His cousin, a National Guardsman, took him to Griffin, Indiana. The small town northwest of Evansville had been destroyed by the Great Tri-State Tornado — the worst in U.S. read more

Crash kills Boonville man

Submitted by WIKY News on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 6:41pm
A crash on I-164 claims the life of a Boonville man. Authorities say 47-year-old Michael Horn was driving northbound just before 5:00 Tuesday afternoon when his car left the highway and hit a bridge support at Elberfeld Road. Before the crash, other drivers had called Central Dispatch to report Horn's car was "driving erratically." No other vehicles were involved in the accident. It forced officers to close one lane of northbound I-164 during rush hour. An autopsy will be performed.