Latest Evansville, Indiana Stories
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer martinj@courierpress.com or 464-7594 Evansville's public school chief argued passionately Tuesday for his strategic plan before a friendly audience of businesspeople and other professionals. After Vincent Bertram's speech to the Downtown Rotary Club, University of Southern Indiana President H. Ray Hoops rose from his seat and told club members that "nothing's more important to our community in the next few years than getting this referendum...
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com The citizens group fighting for passage of the Nov. 4 referendum on funding for Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. construction projects is taking its campaign to cyberspace. Citizens Supporting Schools launched its Web site, www.citizens supportingschools.com, on Thursday. The site invites Vanderburgh County residents to join the organization as well as contribute to its pro-referendum campaign. The...
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com Every school day prepares a child for what lies ahead, speakers said at Thursday's kickoff of Attendance Awareness Month in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Poor school attendance causes a child to fall behind quickly, Superintendent Vincent Bertram said during Thursday morning's event at Daniel Wertz Elementary School. "Every day we learn new things, exciting things, and when we aren't in school we miss...
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com Supporters and opponents of a construction bond issue for Evansville's public schools are promising aggressive fall campaigns to draw voters' attention from the glut of federal, state and local government elections. Those backing the Nov. 4 referendum say the plans address student academic achievement, equity among school facilities and population shifts that have left some schools overcrowded. An opposition...
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com This year's overall SAT scores at Signature School were the third- highest in Indiana. Signature had the state's highest score on the reading and writing sections of the test, and the third-highest in math. The charter school's overall average score of 1,815 trailed only the Indiana Academy of Science, Math and Humanities, which is at Ball State University in Muncie, and West Lafayette Junior-Senior High...
By MARK WILSON Courier & Press staff writer 464-7417 or wilsonm@courierpress.com Despite the tighter economy this year, or maybe because of it, fall enrollments at two area colleges showed no signs of a major decline. The University of Evansville reported on its first day of classes Wednesday that 2,577 full-time students were enrolled, eight less than last fall but still an increase from the 2,564 enrolled in 2006- 07. In addition, 82 percent of last year's freshman class chose to return...
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com Federally mandated school choice options continue to play a role in population shifts in Evansville's public schools, Superintendent Vincent Bertram told the School Board on Monday. About 800 Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. children are attending school outside their home districts this year because of the seamless choice option. The option is available at high-poverty elementary and middle schools that...
By ROGER MCBAIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7520 or mcbainr@courierpress.com Even without live music, expect a big band of Evansville players to turn out Friday for services for veteran jazz and swing pianist and band leader Loren Blahovec. Blahovec, who sometimes used the stage name Loren Blake, died Saturday at the age of 80 after more than six decades as a professional musician. In that time, he played with some of the biggest acts on the bandstand, including George Shearing, Stan...
By RICH DAVIS Courier & Press staff writer 464-7516 or davisr@courierpress.com Karl Kae Knecht, a photographer and The Evansville Courier's front-page editorial cartoonist from 1906 until 1960, was a lifelong circus fan. He's also the reason Willard Library archivist Pat Sides will be giving a public slide show at 6 p.m. Wednesday about "The Early Years of Mesker Park Zoo.""Over the years, I've noticed we had hundreds of Knecht photographs of the zoo - wonderful pictures that are charming,...
By LARRY CAPLAN The Purdue Extension Service exists to provide unbiased information to the public on a wide variety of topics. There are several programs coming up over the next several weeks that we'd like to invite you to attend. First and foremost is my Master Gardener training for this fall. We still have openings for people interested in learning about home gardening and landscaping, and who will share their knowledge with others. Classes begin the first week of September. We will meet...
