The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 2

WEDNESDAY. MAY 25, 1994. HEW ALBANY NEW ALBANY Dj3 State to widen strip of Charlestown Road City hopes to hitch a ride to fame with aspiring racer 1 i CHARLEST0WH ROAD IMPROVEMENTS By JOHN C. PILLOW Staff Writer The Indiana Department of Transportation has begun acquiring the right-of-way to widen a one-mile stretch of Charlestown Road. The work is to begin sometime next year.

Charlestown Road which is also Ind. 311 will be widened from two lanes to four from near Klerner Lane north to Blackiston Boulevard. Some residents expressed hope at a public hearing two months ago that work could begin this summer, but Chris Ramsey-Baynes, a Transportation Department spokeswoman, said that was not possible. "That's a developed area, and it consists of a lot of different parcels. That means a lot of people have to be contacted," she said.

The project will start 300 feet north of the Klerner Lane-Charles-town Road intersection and will include intersections with Colonial Drive, Lafayette Drive, Mount Tabor Road, Rainbow Drive, Blackiston Mill Road and Blackiston Boulevard. A bridge over Slate Run and a box culvert over Land Run are also included in the $4 million project. Provisions will be made for construction of a sidewalk sometime later. The project will require about eight acres of right-of-way. No businesses or farms will be displaced, but several residences will lose part of their front yards.

Those portions will consist mainly By Ed Schueler CM! War Museum wants you to enlist Research is under, way to develop the Col. Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, which will be in the Indiana State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on the cir-, cle in downtown Indi- anapolis. The exhibit 5 will show the impact of the war on the people of Indiana. Indiana residents are invited to share -family stories and general information about Civil War connections for the development of the exhibit. Supply the full names of ancestors, those who stayed at home and those who served in the military.

Copies of photos, letters, diaries, newspaper clippings or other primary-source materials are wel- come. r. Do not send original items. All material received will become -the property of the Col. Eli Lilly Civil War Museum-Exhibit.

All participants will be acknowledged in the final exhibit. Send a narrative and description of your data with your full name, title, address and telephone num-' ber by June 15 to: Rita Kohn, coordinator, Indiana Hu-' manities Council, 1500 N. Delaware Indianapolis, Ind. 46202-2419; phone, (317) 638-1500. STAFF MAP BY STEVE DURBIN of a small drainage ditch.

Ramsey-Baynes said development spurred by nearby Interstate 265 has made the widening necessary. Some limited widening has been done from Lafayette Drive to Payne-Koehler Road, but residents say more work is needed and that traffic accidents are a problem. "The traffic is so bad some evenings I have trouble getting out of my driveway," said John Appell, who lives in the 3100 block of Blackiston Mill Road. "This is the main road people from the Knobs and IUS use to get over to the malls" in Clarksville. Ed Saltsgaver, who lives in the 3000 block of Blackiston Mill Road, agrees.

"There is a lot of traffic over there" where Blackiston Mill and Charlestown Road meet," he said. "It is really a bad intersection." By VALERIE KINCAID Staff Writer The city of New Albany is betting $4,000 in tax money that former resident and aspiring race driver Chris Miles can do for his hometown on Saturday just a little of what Charles Lindbergh did for St. Louis in 1927. Piloting "The Spirit of St. Louis," Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris and became a world hero.

Driving "The Spirit of New Albany," Miles will compete Saturday at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the U.S. Auto Club Formula 2000. It's not exactly the Indianapolis 500 that's the next day at nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But New Albany Mayor Doug England said he hopes the city's partnership with Miles will give New Albany some attention in the national spotlight. England said he got the $4,000 for the city's one-race partial sponsorship of Miles' leased car from a discretionary promotional fund.

Miles' other sponsors for the race include a company that makes sunglasses. Miles' expenses for the race will total about $9,500, he said. Miles said Saturday night's race will be televised by ESPN, but whether it is tape-delayed will depend on ESPN's commitment to the National Hockey League playoffs. (This would not be the metropolitan area's first "Spirit of racing car. In 1989 an Indy car owned by Louisville businessman Gene Harrington and driven by his son, Scott, was dubbed "The Spirit of Miles, 26, a 1986 graduate of New Albany High School, formerly worked as an entertainer on the Nickelodeon TV show "Family Double Dare." England said Miles whom he has known since Miles was a boy approached him late last year with the idea of racing under "The Spirit of New Albany" logo with some financial backing from the city.

In exchange, Miles pledged to donate an as-yet-undetermined amount of his winnings, if he becomes a successful professional driver, to the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. "It's my way of giving back to the community that's given to me," said Miles, who has attended race-car driving schools in Georgia and in Florida, where he lived until recently. Dale Orem, executive director of the foundation, said he's excited Murder, arson counts filed in Marengo woman's death STAFF PHOTO BY LARRY SPITZER Former Nickelodeon TV entertainer Chris Miles, 26, will drive "The Spirit of New Albany" Saturday in the U.S Auto Club Formula 2000 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. about Miles' plan and believes he has a good shot at breaking into the top level of professional racing. "He's quite serious about it," Orem said.

"He's an outstanding young man." Orem also commended Miles for wanting to use whatever fame and fortune he might make as a driver to help Southern Indiana. Next year Miles wants to drive in the BuickFirestone Indy Lights Series, a top minor league for would-be Indy-car drivers. But first he'll need a major corporate sponsor. He's already working on that, he said, and hopes Saturday's race will give him additional exposure. From Staff and Special Dispatches MARENGO, Ind.

A 29-year-old Marengo woman was killed early yesterday in a fire at her home, and a Depauw man has been charged with arson and murder, authorities said. Karen Jean Fulkerson died of smoke inhalation, Crawford County Coroner Marquita Newkirk said. Paul Elliott, 30, was charged with murder, arson of a residence and resisting law enforcement, state police in Jasper said. Elliott is being held in the Crawford County Jail pending arraignment. Police said Elliott, his nephew, Aaron Elliott, and a 17-year-old girl were leaving Fulkerson's home about 1:10 a.m.

when the girl noticed flames coming from the trailer. Aaron Elliott tried to re-enter the trailer to wake Fulkerson but was unable to because of intense heat, police said. Police said it was unclear why the Elliotts and the girl were at Fulkerson's home, and their relationship to her is unknown. Fulkerson was a native of Yakima, and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Survivors include two sons, John J.

Parrot and Branden Dunn, both of Milltown; her mother, Carolyn Pearson of New Albany; two brothers, Kenneth E. Fulkerson of Cartersville, and Dennis Trent of Indianapolis; and a sister, Roxanne Marie Moore of Clarksville. The body was cremated. A memorial service will be at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at Kraft Funeral Service in New Albany.

Corrections clarifications Because of a reporter's error, a profile of Merrell Williams yesterday misspelled the last name of his second wife, Mollie Nickels. pital are represented by the Kentucky Nurses Association. The association withdrew as representative in 1990. Because of a reporter's error, a story in Business yesterday said that nurses at SS. Mary Elizabeth Hos JEFFERSONVILLE 'II Officer's off-duty beat is schools, his lesson: Pick a goal and pursue it Grant, they flash a thumbs-up sign.

That's the sign that they've turned Grant's dream into their goal. "You got it?" Grant asked. The answer was loud and clear. "All right." Grant is 31, a husband, father of Arms extended, backs bent, the two eighth-graders Joe Grant had chosen carried absolutely nothing onto the stage in front of their classmates. "Can you see the rock right there? Grant asked the group at River Valley Middle Purdue has designs on would-be engineers Purdue University's department of freshman engineering will sponsor seminars for top engineering prospects July 10-15 and July 17-22.

The seminars will give students a chance to become acquaint- ed with the university and to learn more about educational and career opportunities in engineering. The cost of the program, including housing in a dormi-' tory, is $400. The ap- -plication deadline is Tuesday. To be eligible for -the program, students must be entering their senior year in high school and have completed three years of high school math and one year of chemistry or physics. Ap- -plicants also must be recommended by a counselor or their -math or science teacher.

For information, call Cindey Isenberg at (317) 494-3889. OTHER PAGES three, and a 10-year veteran of the Jeffersonville Police Department. For the last two years, he's been part of the Southern Indiana Drug Task Force. No one told him to spend this recent Monday morning off in front of 100 middle school students. None of his dozen or so talks the past seven months was part of his job.

"He's doing what he School. No one spoke. A couple nodded tentatively. "I can," Grant answered himself. "I can." Hands rose in a wave.

Grant is a police officer, with shoulders as straight as a girder and thighs like hams. No one would want to disappoint him. "Use your imagination," Grant said. "See something in there?" STAFF PHOTOS BY KEITH WILUAMS Detective Joe Grant recently addressed students at Bridgeport Elementary. Below, Grant leaned In for a few friendly words with Travis Allen.

Costume changes like the one Grant underwent during this visit show children how undercover police officers dress. DALE MOSS SOUTHERN INDIANA COLUMNIST tried to motivate children by organizing a youth boxing program. But it fell to opposition. "He took that defeat and turned it around," said his boss, Chief Rick Elliott. "He made something positive." Grant's talks are nothing but positive.

"He hands them a few anchors which they can hold on to," Black said. "Kids hear it from us," said George Weber, principal at Northaven Elementary, where Grant spoke recently. "But they need to hear it from somebody else." The stack of thank-you letters Grant has gotten tells him his message is getting through. "I learned that if you believe in yourself, you can make a difference," wrote Billy McNicol, of another River Valley class. "I learned that being a good person can't hurt sometimes," Janet Martin, also of River Valley, wrote.

The imaginary rock was placed next to Grant's bike, which he really did ride across the stage. Dressed in a cyclist's cap and spandex outfit, Grant told his crowd of a recent ride up into Floyds Knobs. "It'd have been a lot easier to quit," he said. "But I kept going and, eventually, I made it. "A lot of people would say, 'So I say I couldn't have felt any better." To schedule Grant to speak, call the police department at 283-6633.

Almost every head began to bob. "I see myself on a bicycle. Can you see it?" Grant weaved through the cafeteria, his smile broadening with each confirmation. "Some of you laughed when they brought that in," he said. "When you tell people your dreams, they're going to laugh." His audience was silent, though, as Grant relayed his dream.

It's one in which youngsters -never stop reading or learning. They create rather than destroy. They take responsibility for what they do and need to do. They believe in themselves. And the next time they see should be doing," said Gail Black, a Clark Superior Court 1 probation officer who has provided Grant with materials.

"It comes from his heart. That's why he's so successful." It is a way to give back, to lift up. Grant's belief is that if people feel better about African Americans, good. If they feel better about police, great. If they feel better about themselves, perfect.

"I don't think by me coming here, these kids suddenly will be responsible and stay in school," Grant said. "But everybody has to involve themselves." An athlete, Grant had already Sixth-graders at Rensselaer Middle School will learn about AIDS next fall through the autobiography of Ryan White. Pago 6 Indiana deaths 4 Loulsvlll daaths 4 Kentucky deaths 4 Indiana Digest.