Local News

The Oaks Golf and Tennis Club in the Oak Meadow subdivision has closed it's doors. Employees were given pink slips and the golf course on Browning Road ceased operations in the last week. New owners came in last year and tried to energize the membership-only facility with a grand opening and special pricing packages. The course originally opened for play in the early 1970's

Even before the most recent wave of concern over mass murders using semi-automatic firearms, Indiana State Police were saying "no" much more often to requests for gun permits. Figures show the ISP nearly doubled the number of denials in the past four years. They said "no" more than 2,000 times in 2012, compared to about 1,000 times in 2009. Commander of Firearms Lt. Mike Rogers says state police are checking applications even more carefully now that they are arriving in increasing numbers.

Authorities in White County are investigating a double murder. Police were called to a home in Monticello early this morning after receiving a 911 call about a possible stabbing. When they arrived they found 41-year old Michelle Haskins and her daughter, 7-year old Jillian Haskins, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Michelle was able to call police before succumbing to her injuries. Officers arrested her son, 20-year old David Rodenbarger and charged him with murder. Authorities say they are still investigating.

An accident early this morning resulted in injury. Indiana State Police say 22-year-old Aaron Ripple of Cynthiana failed to follow a curve and drove off the roadway into a field, where his vehicle rolled at least twice. Ripple was taken to Deaconess Hospital for a head injury. Tropper Chris Dyer says alochol and speed contributed to the accident.

Two people were injured last night in Henderson during a shooting. Henderson police say Adrian Martinez, 27, and Alfonso Martinez, 29 were shot on Glover Drive after 10 pm and then taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville. Officers say the shots were fired outside of the home, travelled through the front glass door, and struck the victims. Kentucky State Police searched the area but have not yet identified any suspects.

University of Southern Indiana accounting students are offering free tax preparation from February 6th through April 10th.  USI is a site for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, a partnership with the IRS and national or local organizations.  The students will prepare federal and state tax returns during the appointment, which usually takes between 90 minutes and two hours to complete.  Individuals must bring tax information, photo identification cards, and Social Security cards for themselves and their dependents.

There's a green light for Kentucky Kingdom to re-open, as soon as the spring of next year. The State Fair Board has approved a new lease agreement. Investors still have to secure $25 million in private loans before the park can open. The investors have agreed to initially invest $45 million in the park, which has been closed since 2009. The Fair Board and the investors agreed to a 50-year lease after the state sought new proposals, after Holiday World and Splashin' Safari dropped its plan to reopen the park.

A Red Spot Paint employee was taken to the Deaconess emergency room after an incident at its plant on Columbia near Fares. Head of Human Resources Emilee Hille says there was a "minor flash" in a mixing tank at one of its paint facilities Friday morning. Hille says the man was wearing proper protective equipment, and followed company protocol. She says they're not calling it a fire. Red Spot makes big batches of paint for the automotive industry. 

Indiana lawmakers are considering letting motorcyclists run red lights, but only if they stop for two full minutes and there is no oncoming traffic. Many stop lights are triggered by magnets, which do not always recognize motorcyles as vehicles. This bill would allow motorcylists to carefully proceed through a red light, instead of waiting for another vehicle to trigger the light.

Lincoln Amphitheatre says it will offer a diverse line-up of entertainment starting in April. The backbone will again be "A. Lincoln: A Pioneer Tale," back for a second season. But the opening show will be "Celtic Spring Song and Dance" on April 14th. The season also includes "Mice!" by Tales and Scales. Another Evansville troupe, Civic Theatre, will present "Godspell." The National Theatre will present Lincoln's favorite play, "Macbeth."  And around Halloween, Lincoln Amphitheatre will partner with the Friends of Lincoln State Park for the third annual Trail of Terror.