Downtown Evansville's holiday decor going bigger this year

Just one day after Evansville residents were busy with candy-filled pursuits and decked in their Halloween costumes, the downtown area was covered in Christmas decor.

Friday was the big day that Evansville's holiday decorations went up around downtown.

And the Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District (EID) has vied to go even bigger this year, EID President Josh Armstrong said.

Read More

Sig students win 5th Annual Changemaker Challenge, securing full scholarship funding at UE

A group of Signature School students won the 5th Annual Changemaker Challenge Wednesday, with each team member securing full tuition scholarships to the University of Evansville.

Project Oasis, which includes students Graham Griffin, Ranny Badreddine, Futhallah Hamed and team coach José Mota, pitched the development of a mobile food store for people in low-income areas with no access to groceries.

Read More

EVSC hosts Olympic-style game days for special need students

Local students bear-crawled and tugged their way through a series of obstacle courses Tuesday during the district's Special Education Unified Game Days that continue Wednesday.

For weeks, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. middle and elementary students trained to participate in the Olympic-style program. The event included more than 200 students from 10 EVSC elementary schools competing on Central High School's track and football field.

Read More

USDA invests $4.2 million to renovate Boonville water utility system

As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $10 million investment in Indiana, the city of Boonville will receive more than $4.2 million to renovate the city's water utility system. .

The USDA announced a statewide initiative to improve Indiana's water and wastewater infrastructure Friday. The Warrick County seat will benefit from a $3,657,000 million loan and a $629,000 grant to improve the system for the Boonville Water Utility service area.

Read More

UE, students help reinstate local music program

Joshua Academy's music program was disbanded in 2017 due to a lack of funding but has been brought back to life with the help of students from the University of Evansville.

At the start of the academic year, a group of UE students started working with staff and students at the Evansville charter school to help reestablish their music program. 

Read More

Remembering Bunny, Evansville's beloved elephant, two decades since she left the city

It's been 20 years since Evansville's beloved attraction left the Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden — Sept. 29, 1999. The Asian elephant, affectionately named Bunny, was a mainstay at the zoo.

After being captured in Burma, Bunny arrived in Evansville in 1954. Over the next 45 years, she grew from her 4 foot and 450-pound-frame to a hulking 7,800-pound creature and was one of Mesker Park Zoo's biggest attractions.

Read More

EVSC board members dispute over secrecy and meeting litigations

Ann Ennis, a member of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. School Board, couldn't get answers to her questions about workman's compensation for EVSC staff during a regularly-scheduled board meeting on Sept. 9. 

So Ennis — an elected official — filed for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with EVSC. After several days, the school corporation approved her request giving her access to the information. But she's still concerned about communication and transparency.

Read More

Former 'Carver kid' returns to Evansville for annual celebration

Ondra Berry never lost sight of the lessons he learned growing up in Evansville and being a part of the Carver Community Organization.

As a former "Carver kid, Berry's participation in the community-based organization helped mold him to become the man he is today. All that has come full circle as Berry, now an inspirational speaker, is coming back to speak about that impact at Carver's annual meeting and luncheon Friday.

Read More

EVSC ILEARN scores suggest link between poverty and student performance

Results from Indiana's new online assessment suggest a correlation between poverty levels and student performance in Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. schools.

The data from the Indiana Board of Education, released Sept. 4, showed a large disparity between low and high poverty schools and their online assessment scores.

Read More

RAMP program boasting early impact on Evansville high school students

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.'s latest initiative seems to have made an early impact on high school students.

Tuesday officials from EVSC and local food processing company AmeriQual along with students from RAMP — Real-World Application; Maximizing Potential — spoke about the new work-based learning program's success since its launch in August. 

Read More

Record growth continues in graduate enrollment at USI

For the seventh consecutive semester, graduate enrollment at the University of Southern Indiana has increased to record-setting growth while overall enrollment decreased by 2.6 percent.

Since 2016, graduate student numbers have surpassed those established in USI's 54-year history. And now at 1,537 graduate students, graduate enrollment has increased 6.1 percent compared to last year.

Read More

EVSC school board address recent ILEARN scores

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. superintendent David Smith said although raw data from the ILEARN results may not have looked positive, schools in the district have improved remarkably.

During Monday’s school board meeting, Smith told the board and those attending the meeting that the district’s test results have steadily increased since 2010, as he cited the EVSC’s placement among other public and private schools in the region.

Read More

Evansville celebrates opening of new Ascension St. Vincent YMCA

Larry Miller's eyes widened as he witnessed the ribbon cutting of the new Ascension St. Vincent YMCA Downtown on Thursday afternoon.

For Miller, who said he helped build the former Downtown YMCA, the ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house symbolized something beyond the building's updated features and freshly buffed floors.

Read More

ILEARN test scores impact Evansville students, teachers and families

Testing stress isn't limited to just the day of the exam. Parents, students and teachers report an impact from standardized tests like the ISTEP and ILEARN for months leading up to the exam and even afterward.

One Evansville parent even considered opting her son out of the ILEARN last year because it caused so much anxiety and turmoil for her son. 

Read More

OU celebrates 50 years of Convo history

The day was filled with tokens of remembrance from Ohio University’s past, as current students and alumni reflected on the memorable moments in the Convocation Center since its opening on Dec. 3, 1968.

With a basketball doubleheader, a concert and Bobcat fans on hand, OU celebrated the Convo’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Read More