Lemon is a 4-month-old female kitten from the Fruit litter! She and her siblings were born at the shelter when their super-pregnant mom, Citron, was surrendered. They spent their first 8 weeks in foster care and are now ready for new homes! Lemon’s adoption fee is $60 and includes her spay, microchip, and first vaccines & deworming. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or visit www.vhslifesaver.org to adopt!
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 Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Amberlin S. Boileau: Operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator (Level 6 Felony)
Sean Michael Crawford: Criminal trespass (Level 6 Felony)
Drake Aaron Duncan: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Marchello D. Hoskins: Criminal mischief (Level 6 Felony), Criminal mischief (Class B misdemeanor)
Jeffrey D. Waltman: Domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury (Level 6 Felony), Intimidation (Level 6 Felony), Criminal mischief (Class B misdemeanor)
Meagan Leann Smith: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)
Brandon M. Church: Obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony), Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Two juvenile males, one a resident of Garrett, and the other a Fort Wayne resident, were taken into custody on Wednesday, following a joint investigation by the Garrett Police Department and the Indiana State Police regarding Monday’s shooting incident on Keyser Street in Garrett.
On Monday at approximately 10:41 PM, the Garrett Police Department received an emergency medical call from the 400 block of E. Keyser St, in regards to a white male who was shot by a firearm. Police units arrived to the area and the male victim, Thomas R. Bryant of Garrett, was already receiving treatment for his wound. Police attempted to locate the suspect(s) in the immediate area by using foot patrol, vehicular patrol, and a K-9 track, but did not locate the suspects. The adult male victim sustained serious injuries as a result of the incident and was transported to a Fort Wayne area hospital for treatment, and currently remains hospitalized.
As the investigation continued, at the request of the Garrett Police, a Detective and Crime Scene Investigator from the Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post were called in to assist. Through this joint investigative effort, leads were developed which quickly identified two juvenile males as the possible suspects. Once located, both juveniles and their parents were brought in for questioning.
Charges brought forth from this investigation have been reviewed and approved by the DeKalb County Prosecutor’s Office, and the matter is currently being handled through the DeKalb County Juvenile Probation Division. Both Juveniles were subsequently transported to the Allen County Juvenile Detention Center, where they currently remain in protective custody. As the charges brought forth in this case are being handled through the juvenile court system, the identifications of both boys will be withheld from release.
Further media questions should be directed to the Garrett Police Department and/or the DeKalb County Prosecutor’s Office.
Barbara Ruth Leslie
Boonville, IN. – Barbara Ruth Leslie, 89, of Boonville, Indiana passed away surrounded by the love of family on
September 5, 2019 at St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville, Indiana.
She was born August 31, 1930 in Warrick County Indiana to the late Roy and Nora (Simpson) Leonard.
Family was everything to Barbara. She and her husband Alvis Leslie, Jr. were married for 57 years before his passing in 2005. As the loving mother to Linda, Steve, and Roger, Barbara spread her love through the years as their families grew. Her favorite activities included planning family gatherings and
making chocolate chip cookies for all the grandkids. For over 60 years, Barbara was been a member of Terrace Parke General Baptist Church (now called New Life) in Evansville. In later years, she also attended Main Street General Baptist Church in Boonville. Barbara participated in various Bible study groups. Barbara was a graduate of Tennyson High School. She also worked as a nursing assistant. As an active member of WWW Camping Club
and the Warrick County Council on Aging, Barbara enjoyed activities with her senior citizen friends. Playing dominoes with family and friends was another favorite pastime.
Barbara is survived by daughter, Linda Payne of Chandler, IN; and son, Roger (Sabrinia) Leslie of Murray, KY; Grandchildren include David (Wendi) Leslie, Morgan (Kris) Hale, Holly (Jimmy) Inglish, Derek (Vicki) Leslie, Ryan Leslie, Emily (Jamie) McReynolds, Sara (Tony) Waddell, Brian Payne, and Blake (Colleen) Payne. Also surviving are great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; sister Louise Lamping; brother Jerry (Emma Sue) Leonard; nieces and nephews.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband Alvis; son Steve Leslie; sisters Aileen Tremper, Dorothy McLaughlin; brother LeRoy Leonard; and son-in-law Tony Payne.
Services will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at Koehler Funeral Home in Boonville,
Indiana with Pastor Jeff Hartford officiating. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery, Boonville, Indiana.
Friends may visit from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Monday, September 9, 2019 at Koehler Funeral Home and again from 9:00 A.M. until service time on Tuesday.
Memorial contributions may be made to Warrick County Council on Aging, 150 W SR 62, Boonville, IN. 47601.
To send flowers to the family of Barbara Ruth Leslie, please visit Tribute Store.
BRAD ELLSWORTH
JASON DICKEN
JEAN BLANTON
CHARLOTTE NIXON
ERIC KNELLER
DEBBIE KERNEY
MISSY MOSBY
STACEY GODBOLD
GINA GIBSON
RUSS LLOYS
ROSH HASHANAH
COLIN SMITH
JANE PRITCHETT
SANTO RIVERA
MELANIE LEACH-MORRE
CONNIE RALPH
ANDREW LOBACZ
AL LINDEY
DAVID BOTHAST
KATHERINE FEIDMEIER
BOB WOODRUFF
NICK JOHNSON
CHARLOTTE NIXON
JASON DICKEN
KEVIN HUNTER
SARAH NELSON HUGHES
JOHN SCHILLING
EMIE GRIFFIN
SCOTT MEINERT
JAYON HARPER
THOMAS E. GRAVES
JOHN DAVIS
THOMAS E. GRAVES
JAYSON JOHNSON HARPER
JERRY WIRTH
JOVANNI DB
AMANDA GREEN
COLIN SMITH
JANA PRITCHETT
SANTO “CHAN” RIVERA
VICKI HUBIAK
ROBYN MASTISON
SARAH WILLIS
CONNIE RALPH
IVAN HAUER
MELANIE LEACH-MOORE
JIM HADDEN
CHAD SCHMIDT
We hope that today’s “READERS FORUMâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way.
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays “Readers Poll’ question is: Do you feel that the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum in downtown Evansville should be turned into a Military Museum?
If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com
By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—Results from the state’s newest standardized tests show that more than half of all third through eighth-graders fell far short of meeting basic skills in math and language arts.
The results of the new ILEARN tests, presented Wednesday to the State Board of Education, show that only 47.8% of students were proficient in math, 47.9% were proficient in English and language arts – and a dismal 37.1% were proficient in both.
“Fewer than 50% of students not meeting basic proficiency startles and concerns me,†said David Freitas, a member of the Board of Education.
The board passed a pass a resolution recommending against using the ILEARN scores to lower a school’s grade on the state’s A through F scale. They also requested a pause in the timeline the board uses when it decides whether to intervene in a poorly-performing school and allow time for emergency rulemaking.
Gov. Eric Holcomb and the General Assembly’s legislative leaders last week called for holding schools harmless for a year after they were made aware that the scores from the ILEARN test, administered in the spring, were so low.
On Wednesday, Tony Walker, secretary of the board, said of the hold harmless proposal: “We have done this before…I really don’t like it. The scores are what they are.â€
Overall, Hoosier students experienced a collective 16.7% drop in English and language arts scores and 11.1% dip in math from the previous ISTEP+ exam, following an already steep drop of 13.4% and 22.5% respectively in the 2014 to 2015 school year.
One parent at the meeting questioned why such young children should be subjected to such rigorous testing.
“I am sick of my kid being a guinea pig,†said Kathryn Francis, a parent of two children.  â€It’s not the child’s responsibility to assess the instruction. I also think it is a little absurd to judge a third-grader, an 8-year-old’s college readiness.â€
Her son, she told the board, “is proficient in math. He is proficient in English.†He gets nearly straight As in school, she said, yet failed two of three sections of ILEARN.
“The grades he got on ILEARN are not a reflection of his ability,†Francis said, her voice filled emotion.
Francis’s concerns were shared by teachers from the Terre Haute area.
“There are much more powerful predictors of a kids’ success that are not test-based,†said Ross Caddick, a teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, agreed and said there are other aspects of children’s lives that can’t be tested, such as their perseverance and a passion for learning. She is a math teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
“A lot of kids are late bloomers,†Pfaff said. “They can’t sit still in a classroom for five 70-minute class periods a day but they go out and they are your best workers, they are your smartest surgeons. Everyone learns in different ways.â€
Marie Theisz, who also teaches at Terre Haute North, said that when she started teaching, students took exams but they weren’t as test-driven.
“I personally feel our kids were better problem solvers, creative thinkers and had a focus on just the learning and getting ideas, and then we became more test-focused,†she said. “I have two kids in college and that’s not what college is about.â€
Pfaff, Cadick, and Theisz all continue to encourage their students by reassuring them that they are worth more than a test score.
Rep. Terry Goodin, D-Austin, is the superintendent at Crothersville Community Schools and expressed similar frustrations with the test.
“The most important thing for me as a school superintendent is to instill in elementary students a love of learning,†he said.
Goodin said a problem is constantly changing standards.
“If you’re told you’re going to have soup and they bring your entree and it’s steak and all you have is a spoon, it’s going to be very difficult to eat that. You’re going to get through it as they do but it’s going to be very difficult and the result of that meal will probably not be the same had you been given the proper tools to work with,†he said.
Regardless of the tools provided, Goodin said, the only way to truly know if a student is on track is through their teachers because of their daily interaction with each student.
FOOTNOTE: Brynna Sentel is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.
