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Fiddling around at the Salem Public Library Oct. 5

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On Saturday, Oct. 5, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., enjoy An Afternoon of Indiana Fiddle Tunes at the Salem-Washington Township Public Library. This program is free and open to the public, and offers a wonderful chance to listen to the tunes and stories of Southern Indiana’s rich fiddling tradition from musicians with deep roots in Southern Indiana’s old-time music community. Sponsored by Indiana University’s Traditional Arts Indiana and funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the concert will feature the talents of area musicians Paul Goodpasture and Larry Hopkins.

Goodpasture is a longtime bluegrass fiddler from the region. In addition to being a popular player, he’s also written many tunes and songs that are played throughout Southern Indiana in jam sessions and performances.

Larry Hopkins has been a driving force for fiddling in the Washington County area, supporting community music jams. He began playing the fiddle at the encouragement of his uncle, and later took up building instruments to become a master fiddle and mandolin maker.

Through songs, tunes, and the life histories of these two players, learn how this music was passed down, how it bridges genres and generations, and how it remains a vibrant part of community life today.

For more information, please contact the Salem-Washington Township Public Library at (812) 883-5600, or find them online at http://www.salemlib.lib.in.us.

Kane Wins Legends Championship At French Lick

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Lorie Kane let a victory slip away on the LPGA Legends Tour two weeks ago when she lost in a five-hole playoff to Rosie Jones in the Harris Charity Classic in Maine.

There was no such negative carryover to Sunday when Kane put herself in position to win again, however. The Canadian golfer put a 40-foot chip shot to within two inches of the cup on the final hole for the birdie she needed to bag the biggest title in the history of the 13-year old circuit for LPGA players who have reached their 45th birthday.

Kane and playing partner Laurie Rinker started the round tied for the lead at 3-under-par with Val Skinner, the only other player in red numbers, another shot back.

Skinner hooked her first tee shot into a hazard, setting the stage for an opening bogey that kept her chasing the co-leaders the rest of the way.  Kane opened a two-stroke lead on the front nine then gave it back with bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14.  That set the stage for a dramatic finish at the finishing hole, a dogleg par-5.

A 25-foot birdie putt pulled Skinner to 2-under and within a shot of the leaders as Kane and Rinker prepared to hit their second shots to the green.

“You have to hit a good shot because it’s off a sidehill-downhill lie,” said Kane. “I knew Laurie could have a little trouble with her lie and – very fortunate for me – I missed my shot in the right spot.  I wound up a little right of where I wanted to go but had a good chance to chip in.”

Rinker hit her second shot thin and her third short of the green.  She wound up with a bogey after Kane notched her birdie to finish at 3-under-par 213. The bogey dropped Rinker into a tie with Skinner, two strokes behind the winner.

The first LPGA Legends Championship, staged on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort, had the most players (58) and the biggest purse ($500,000) in the circuit’s history. Kane claimed the biggest prize — $60,000 – for winning the only 54-hole event of the season.  Her only previous Legends win came in a one-day tourney.

“I don’t consider myself a legend, but they gave me a place to play,” said Kane. “This will give me the boost my game needed. I am totally honored to win here.  I had the chance to meet Pete Dye, and I really like the golf course.  It’s fun to play.”

Not everyone agreed.  The Dye Course was brutal in Sunday’s conditions.  A steady morning rain required the lift, clean and place rule to be put into effect and misty, cold, windy weather was prevalent throughout the day.

Only fourth place Laura Davies (1-under 71) bettered par in the final round and Kane and Trish Johnson, who finished in a tie for ninth, matched it. Kane hadn’t played in weather like that since last year’s Women’s British Open.

“I’m part-Irish and part-Scottish,” said Kane. “But that was a tough test of golf, and it was so much fun to win again.”

Kane has struggled on the LPGA circuit and plans to improve her status at the fall qualifying school after competing for the World team in the Legends’ Handa Cup event in Nashville, Tenn.

The LPGA Legends Championship is scheduled to be played on the Dye Course the next two years and the Legends Hall of Fame at the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel will be completed in time for next year’s event, tentatively planned for August.

Pekin man in off-road accident on Saturday

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A Pekin man suffered serious injuries after his off-road motorcycle hit a tree Sunday.

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an off-road motorcycle accident that occurred in Washington County Saturday evening. At approximately 12:45 p.m., conservation officers were called to the accident scene on private property located off of Horner’s Chapel Road near Pekin.

According to ICO Jim Schreck, 28-year-old Devan Porter, of Pekin, was thrown from his motorcycle as he was reportedly riding a wheelie before striking a tree. Porter suffered injuries, including a brain contusion and several broken bones, and was later transported to University of Louisville Hospital for treatment.

Schreck says, Porter was wearing a helmet, which likely reduced the severity of his injuries.

Indiana Conservation Officers strongly encourage riders to always wear a helmet and necessary safety equipment when operating an ATV or off-road motorcycle.

Is Lead level related to crime?

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Did the rise and fall of the use of products containing lead help cause the rise and fall of violent crime? No one is sure, but one doctor says lead exposure to children can cause changes to their brains.

Several studies have been published showing that increases and decreases in crime in several cities came roughly 20 years after the liberal use of products such as lead-based paint and leaded gasoline.  The studies show that many cities have seen a decrease in overall violent crime in recent years, as the use of lead-based material has been phased out since the late 1970‘s.

While those studies don‘t claim that lead exposure caused some people to become more violent, emergency room Dr. Ryan Venis at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis says exposure does affect the brain.  “Specifically, what‘s been looked at is impulse control,” said Venis.  “There‘s been some thought that lead acts on the part of the brain that may control our impulses to do certain things.  So, if a person who is not lead-exposed has an impulse to pocket a candy bar in the store, then that part of the brain lets them know not to do that.”

While exposure to lead is never safe at any level, Venis says changes to the brain typically only happen to those who are exposed as children, especially between the ages of one and five.   He says this has also been demonstrated in intelligence tests. “If you look at groups of children, say one subset of a population that lives in a housing development that has lead paint, compared to their non-lead exposed peers, their IQ may be a few points lower.”

Leaded gasoline has been phased out in the U-S since 1973 and was banned outright by the Clean Air Act of 1996.  The use of lead-based paint was made illegal in 1978.   But Venis says that while it is less common, lead exposure can still happen.  “Because of the combustion of leaded gas and other parts of the world where lead has not been outlawed, there is still lead in the environment,” Venis said, adding that some lead could be found in the soil in the U-S for many years to come.

Turtles the size of small cars

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A Chupacabra was spotted recently in Missouri.  At least, a few people who saw it *thought* it was a Chupacabra, a mythical goat-like creature said to have glowing red eyes and might be responsible for the deaths of many farm animals from Texas to the Caribbean. Whether that‘s true or not, lore plays a pretty big role in our history and culture.  Indiana is home to a few different creatures, none with the same notoriety or ferocity as Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, or the Abominable Snowman, but we do have “Oscar.”  Oscar is a really big turtle that was spotted in a small lake in Churubusco in the late 1940‘s.

Known dramatically by a wire service account as the “Beast of Busco”  more than 60 years ago, this turtle was the size of a small car.  But no one actually photographed Oscar.  In fact, deep sea divers, and an expensive attempt to drain the small lake never turned up a car-sized turtle.  But that hasn‘t stopped Churubusco from capitalizing off of the account.  Known as “Turtle-Town U.S.A.” Cherubusco holds a “Turtle Days” celebration in June.

Phil Bloom with the Department of Natural Resources says we can go deeper into Hoosier lore, and find a time before Europeans, when there was the Pukwudgie, smaller, somewhat elfin “people of the forest.”  The Pukwudgie was part of Indian lore, though there are still accounts of Pukwudgie activity today, at Mounds State Park in Anderson.

Time running out for Indiana Amtrak

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It appears the clock is ticking for Amtrak‘s Hoosier State Service between Indianapolis and Chicago. Amtrak says it needs assurances of $3 million a year in state funding by October 16th to keep the line running.

However, InDot Spokesman Will Wingfield says much of InDot‘s money is already allocated and they‘re asking localities like Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Crawfordsville, Lafayette, West Lafayette, Renssalaer and Dyer to pitch in.

Amtrak serves those localities. Wingfield says they‘re working on a short term contract to keep the service running. Amtrak says the line serves about 36-thousand riders and generates just under $900,000 annually.

Company officials add that track and service upgrades could boost ridership, but would require a significant multi-million investment every year. Wingfield says funding will have to come from taxpayers to keep the line running.

He adds any agreement would be between the state and Amtrak with financial assistance from localities.

Remedial math and English for Hoosier high school students

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Indiana has taken a first step toward trying to get high school students remedial math and English help before they start college.

Ivy Tech has estimated 70-percent of its students need remedial math, and other Indiana colleges say they have to bring some of their students up to speed too. Starting this year, high school sophomores who need more than two tries to pass the required end-of-course exam will take a college readiness test called AccuPlacer.

Ivy Tech associate vice president John Newby says the community college already uses the test, and has been urging schools to join them. He says he‘s reluctant to impose yet another exam on high schools, but says he believes this one can prevent a lot of problems.

Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers says remediation is one reason for low college completion rates. She says students struggling to afford college can end up exhausting their funds or patience without earning their diploma, because they‘ve spent too much time on remedial work instead of degree requirements.

The AccuPlacer directive is a stopgap while the State Board of Education continues work on a more detailed way of identifying which students need extra help.

Blood stains reviewed in Camm trial

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The focus is back on blood evidence at the Lebanon murder trial of a former state trooper.

Two prosecution experts contend blood found on David Camm‘s T-shirt, shoes and socks was blowback from shooting his wife and daughter to death. Defense lawyers question both their credentials and their conclusions. Now, the tables are turned, with prosecutors trying to poke holes in a defense expert‘s argument that the pattern of bloodstains supports Camm‘s story.

The former trooper says he found his family murdered when he came home from playing basketball, and got blood on him when he brushed against the bodies while trying to reach his son to attempt C-P-R.

Camm has twice been convicted of the 2000 murders at his Georgetown home. Both times, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled prosecutors had prejudiced the jury with evidence that shouldn‘t have been admissible.

Indiana back on top in business

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Indiana is once against tops when it comes to business.

The Hoosier State is on Forbes Magazine‘s 2013 list of the best states for business. Indiana has consistently been on the list, but has tumbled to 16th this year.  The study ranks states using six factors: costs, labor supply, potential growth, quality of life, government regulations and current economic climate. Virginia tops the list.

University of Indianapolis‘ Dr. Matt Will says caps on the property tax, efforts to get rid of the corporate income tax, elimination of the inventory tax and the ease of business creation in Indiana all make the state tops for business.

Will says he believes Indiana should be higher on the list.  He says Indiana‘s corporate law rivals Nevada and Delaware when it comes to business creation.

Former Bank Manager Arrested for Alleged Theft of Over $63,000.00

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Earlier this morning, trooper Tim Denby of the Indiana State Police Special Investigations Unit arrested Renea D. White, 24, of Scottsburg, IN. Renea D. White surrendered to the Scott County Circuit Court and was charged with Five Counts of Defrauding a Financial Institution, Felony and Five Counts of Theft, Felony. The arrest came after a seven month long investigation conducted by Trooper Denby at the request of the Scott County Prosecutor, Jason Mount.

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After completing the seven month long investigation, Trooper Denby found out that while Renea D. White was employed as the manager at the Centra Credit Union located in Scottsburg, IN, she allegedly ran multiple schemes to take monies which totaled over $63,000.00.

The schemes ranged from allegedly taking monies from the teller drawer to allegedly manipulating customer’s accounts. The alleged incidents took place from January 2, 2012 through January 18, 2013. Centra Credit Union has made all effected customer’s accounts whole.

Renea White was remanded to the Scott County Jail. This investigation is continuing.

Assisting Agencies, Scott County Prosecutor’s Office and the Scottsburg City Police Department.