Opinion

Each year, the Daughters of the American Revolution celebrate the Constitution of our great country. More than 200 years ago, American colonists sacrificed thier lives and fortunes to establish the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States of America...

As a reporter for the Banner Graphic, I often get to interact with some of the movers and shakers in our community, as well as those leading our school systems and businesses. For about the next three months, I will get to learn more about how I can become an influencer, as well as what it takes to promote growth throughout Putnam County...

About a dozen years ago, my then-wife Ruth was in line at O’Hare Airport, ready to board a flight from Chicago to Omaha. Suddenly there was some confusion as a slender middle-aged Black man made his way through the waiting area. She got close enough to get a good look before calling me on her cellphone...

It’s getting to the point in my life where friends and acquaintances are starting to say their eternal goodbyes. Thursday it was legendary DePauw University football coach Nick Mourouzis who left us (see separate stories). Over the weekend, we paid our respects to longtime Banner Graphic Sports Editor Steve Fields, a fellow I brought to Greencastle to cover Putnam County sports, something he did for 40 years...

It probably wouldn’t be accurate to call former DePauw football coach Nick Mourouzis a friend of mine, but he always treated me as if I were. The legendary Coach Nick, who passed away Wednesday night, had been out of coaching for three full seasons when I came to town 13-1/2 years ago...

If you’ve been reading this paper for very long, you’ve seen the picture. And what a picture it is ... of one of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century, a civil rights icon, on the short list of greatest orators in our nation’s history. Not only that, but he’s obviously in Greencastle. If you’ve ever been in Gobin Church, it’s clear. It’s absolutely the same pulpit. The arches behind him? The very same...

Sept. 5, 1960 was not your typical Labor Day Monday in Greencastle or anywhere else. Soon-to-be racing legend A.J. Foyt was posting his first of 67 Indy Car victories with a win at DuQuion, Ill. Cassius Clay -- not yet known as the legendary Muhammad Ali -- was beating the three-time European champ to win the Olympic light heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1960 Games in Rome...

Just last month I wrote the bittersweet end to the saga of Dixie Chopper in Putnam County. What was once a glorious homegrown story of national success has ended with a thud as the Dixie Chopper product is now produced in Gibson City, Ill., and the sprawling Fillmore facility is being repurposed into a tire distribution center...

Over a tasty Hoosier tenderloin and an ice-filled glass of tea the other afternoon, I listened to a story we all should hear. A friend of mine stopped by the table to chat, and what he shared with me admittedly scared the daylights out of me. He is a COVID-19 survivor. Caught the dastardly disease, battled it for several weeks, recovered and is doing pretty well now...