Local News

What started as a graduation celebration ends with a mom shot dead....her 8th grade graduate nearby. That's how Princeton Police describes what happened at mid-day Wednesday. The mother and son had left Princeton Community Middle School's 8th grade graduation to celebrate at Los Aztecas restaurant. The woman's ex-boyfriend, who the woman tried to bar from the graduation at the school, intercepted them. The man, Jason Perry, is said to have shot the woman outside the restaurant.

Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) says he's satisfied with a bipartisan, 5-year farm bill that the Senate will begin debating this week. The Indiana Democrat told WIKY and other media outlets that the measure includes significant cuts in food stamps, as part of an effort to get the deficit under control, and help the nutrition program function more effectively.

C.J.’s Bus is no-more. The renovated place for kids to gather after disasters in their area is being rebuilt into a mobile command post to be used by hospitals. Assets connected to the bus have also been transferred to the St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation. The bus was created by Kathryn Martin in memory of her son, 2 year old C.J. Martin, who was among 25 victims of the Nov. 6, 2005 tornado that hit the Tri-State. The bus had helped kids cope in Henryville, Indiana, Sellersburg, Indiana and Tuscaloosa, Alabama following tornadoes. Keith Kahre at St.

A person is dead following gunshots outside Los Aztecas restaurant in Princeton. Police have arrested a man identified as Jason Perry following a search of the Gibson County Fairgrounds. The victim is believed to be a woman. Her name has not been released. She was shot around the noon hour outside the restaurant on West Broadway Street. Perry was arrested in front of 1002 North Embree. The Princeton Daily Clarion says officers, with guns drawn, searched animal stalls near the livestock pavilion before finding Perry on North Embree.

The Evansville Convention and Visitors Board has extended the contract of Bureau Director Bob Warren by three years. Board President John Montrastelle tells WIKY News that Warren has accomplished a lot in his first two, including new policies and a new "transparent "budget. Montrastelle also says Warren will lead the Bureau on important new projects like the convention hotel and a new baseball-softball complex. Monstrastelle say the bureau is negotiating with a property owner on a possible site for the complex.

An architectural firm is looking around downtown Evansville to find suitable locations for a proposed IU medical school. The Redevelopment Commission has approved a $10,000 contract with VPS Architecture. The company's Sarah Schuler told the commission that the work will consist of design studies, and some work is already done. IU is considering an Evansville site where medical students can complete all four years of their studies while having residency opportunities at area hospitals and other medical facilities. A local two-year program is currently offered at USI.

Some members of the Evansville City Council have expressed concerns about the cost of the planned downtown convention hotel. Mayor Winnecke's Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer went before the Redevelopment Commission Tuesday and tried to alleviate those concerns, saying the mayor is working to get the best deal for the city and nothing's final yet. The commission also responded to questions raised by Randy Jones of Evansville about $20 million in taxpayer money that would go to the hotel developer. Commission attorney Ted Zeimer said the city has to provide an incentive.

The Evansville City Council takes action against the Smart City initiative designed to modernize the city’s water meters. The Council voted 5-to-2 Monday night to appeal a ruling by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that endorsed a contract between the city and Johnson Controls. The Winnecke administration has asked the City Council for $53 million in bond financing to implement the program that would upgrade Evansville’s older water meters.

One of the workers on the Blue Bridge at Owensboro is dead, after being injured Monday. Crew members who are painting the bridge found a 35-year-old co-worker unconscious in safety netting. Workers raised the netting, cut the injured man from it, and he was taken to the Owensboro hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time later. His name has not been released yet. The worker had burns on his hands, indicating he may have been electrocuted by power lines on the bridge.

A criminal investigation ends - but an Internal Investigation will continue at the Evansville Police Deparrment after the family of  a local school student filed a complaint against an EPD officer last week. A police department spokesman says the department has been working closely with the family. The EPD told the family it would pursue charges the same as they would with any other citizen. The mother advised the department that the student didn't want to see the officer charged criminally and the parents concurred with his wishes.