Greencastle Banner-Graphic: Opinion

Local Columnists

Extension open house and 4-H enrollment night (02/08/10)
Have trouble making it into the office during regular hours at the Extension office to enroll or pick-up 4-H or other materials? On Feb. 22, the office will be open from 5-7 p.m. for an "Extension Open House and 4-H Enrollment Night" enabling 4-H youth and parents to stop by for forms, manuals and to submit completed forms for registration...

It couldn't happen to a nicer guy (02/05/10)
As I write this, it's unclear if there will even be any Putnam County high school basketball played tonight. (I'm betting no.) All the same, if we get hoops action, then I'll be headed for Speedway High School to see the Cloverdale boys battle the host Sparkplugs. With a victory, the Clovers will clinch a share of the West Central Conference crown...

Happy Birthday to My Dad (02/03/10)
My dad would have been 70 years old today. He died in June of 2001 after battling heart disease for several years. My dad fought the good fight, but finally just got too tired to do it anymore. My dad -- William "Bill" Lemke Sr. -- taught me a lot of very important life lessons. ...

Keeping horses healthy in the cold months (02/01/10)
When cold weather comes it is very likely that you will not continue to ride your horses throughout the cold months. Most horse owners don't own an indoor arena and also have no desire to ride in the cold weather. Especially during the coldest temperature and the nastiest weather we need to remember that our large animal companions need attention...

What's in the safe? (01/29/10)
"There is a marvelous peace in not publishing," J.D. Salinger told The New York Times in 1974. "Publishing is a terrible invasion of my privacy. I like to write. I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure." That seemed to be the great quest of Salinger's life, in a nutshell: a search for peace. The 1951 publication of "Catcher In the Rye," followed by its instant (and ongoing) success, afforded him that peace while depriving him of it at the same time...

She's no friend of mine (01/27/10)
I lead a fairly busy life, and so do most of my friends. For us, the advent of Internet-based social networking has been a godsend. I was raised in Michigan, and most of my longtime friends still live there (the majority in the Kalamazoo area). As such, I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, but we are able to keep in touch -- pretty much on a daily basis -- through Facebook...

Time to start thinking of spring (01/25/10)
It was great to see such a good turnout for the Food Preservation Workshop last week. It was especially heartening to see a mix of both adults and youth come to learn together. We were very thankful to Virginia Servies of Montgomery County for coming to share from her wealth of experience...

A few months too late (01/22/10)
This week held an all-too-real reminder of how bittersweet life can be. As my wife and I make more plans to welcome new life into this world, we had to pause to say goodbye to another. The deceased man is Miles Kennedy, possibly the warmest, kindest soul you'd ever wish to cross your path. The child my wife carries -- on the coin flip chance it's a boy -- is to be named Miles Jernagan...

Everyone's afraid of something (01/20/10)
I'm remotely uneasy about lots of things ... the dark, driving in bad weather, spiders. But the thing that has always paralyzed me with fear is needles. Shots, blood draws, IVs, whatever ... anything involving a needle makes me break out into a sweat and start to hyperventilate. I have terrible veins, and sometimes I have to be poked several times...

4-H'ers, volunteers equal dedication (01/19/10)
An awesome 2009 statistic for the Putnam County 4-H program is that 92 percent of those who enrolled in 4-H completed a project. In many counties, this number is in the 65-80 percent range. First and foremost, the more than 80 volunteers who serve as the spokes in the wheels advancing the 4-H program have been key to this statistic. In many cases parents are also volunteers but parents play a key role in this awesome statistic...

Is now really the time? (01/15/10)
I don't generally like to get political in this column, so I'll keep this brief. As I write this, the Red Cross is estimating between 45,000 and 50,000 people were killed in Tuesday's earthquake that rocked Haiti. While this would be a tragedy anywhere, things are only compounded by the fact that Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere...

Escape with a good book (01/13/10)
There are a lot of things in life I don't understand. For instance, I don't understand how "Full House" stayed on the air as long as it did (seriously, those two guys who lived with the Tanners couldn't find their own houses for 10 years ... even after one of them got married and had kids?)...

Living on the Land program offered in Putnam County (01/11/10)
Ever dreamed of living in the country? Have you inherited or bought some land and are wondering what to do now? Do you want to make your land pay for itself? Do you want to explore different opportunities for growing and selling what you produce? Are you feeling overwhelmed by how much there seems to do on your property? Do you feel that you need help and don't know where to get it?...

Letters to the Editor

How you can help with the tragedy in Haiti (01/29/10)
To the Editor: On Jan. 12, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti causing catastrophic damage and loss of life. The American Red Cross is currently responding to this tragic event with what is needed most---financial assistance. There are several ways you can help locally. ...

Shelters are still safest bet (01/29/10)
To the Editor: The bill that would require pet stores to post information about the background and medical history of the dogs and cats they sell is a step in the right direction, but the best way to ensure that you aren't supporting cruel puppy mills is to adopt an animal from your local shelter instead...

Changes under Obama are inspiring to reader (01/27/10)
To the Editor: That the changes occurring under the leadership of Barack Hussein Obama inspire hope, not fear, for me compels response to Dale Covert's Letter to the Editor ("Leadership making reader uneasy," Jan. 6, 2010). I have given his words much more than a "second thought."...

Program helped families have happier holidays (01/20/10)
To the Editor: You hear the phrase "times are tough" a lot lately. Loss of employment, foreclosures, cost of medications and high gas prices are only a few of the troubles facing people everywhere, and that list goes on and on. Thanks to some very giving residents in Putnam County, 58 families hopefully had it a bit easier when they had food baskets delivered before the Christmas holiday...

A clarification (01/20/10)
To the Editor: I am writing in regards to the Angela C. Weeks who has recently been in the Putnam Scanner for various charges and arrests. My name is Angela Gayle Weeks. I teach first grade at Deer Meadow with the Greencastle Community School district. I have lived here for nine years...

Authors congratulated (01/20/10)
To the Editor: Putnam County Public Library would like to congratulate the authors featured in the 2009 Literary Magazine: Dean Finley, Lori Crosby, Theresa Hendrixson, Tom Smith, Mary S. Smith, Ted Yahraus, Addison Hughes, Evaline Clark, Adam Addison, Nancy McFarland, Dianna Huff, Cynthia Dewes, Ted Callender, Anne Phipps and Larry Reeves...

Giving Tree thankful for support (01/15/10)
To the Editor: The officers and volunteers of the 2009 Putnam County Giving Tree program wish to express our sincere appreciation to the following Putnam County organizations, businesses and individuals for their financial support, gift buying and assistance with the 2009 program. The PCGT program was able to provide assistance to over 225 Putnam County families and 583 children because of your generosity...

Ellsworth: No pay raises here (01/15/10)
To the Editor: Recently, a friend forwarded me a chain e-mail regarding Congressional pay raises. You may have seen it too. The e-mail declares that Congress has voted to provide members with a $10,000 pay raise over the last two years. This claim is simply untrue. So I wanted to take a few minutes to set the record straight and provide you an update on this important issue...

Master tobacco settlement: 11 years later (01/15/10)
To the Editor: It has been eleven years since the gavel fell on the Master Tobacco Settlement in November of 1998. Several states and US territories sued the tobacco companies for the huge cost of treating and burying tobacco users. In the settlement, the tobacco companies agreed to pay these entities lump sum payments to "offset" those costs. And much of these funds were to be earmarked for tobacco prevention programs and tobacco cessation services to help our country to move away from tobacco...