Stories from Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A new report detailed in the journal Social Science Quarterly shows that boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Alec. David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of male juveniles in the population...

The storm chasers training session hosted by the National Weather Service on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. has been moved to the Putnam County Annex (the old Jones School). The meeting is open to the public and pre-registration is not needed. The class takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It covers a range of topics relevant to finding out information about the storm including intensity, tornado activity and levels...

A Spencer man is in the Putnam County Jail in lieu of 10 percent of a $15,000 bond after being charged in an attack on a Cloverdale woman. Charles M. Collins, 41, is charged with strangulation and criminal confinement, both Class D felonies, and battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor...

In March 1995, John and Sheila English purchased their first three buffalo, Cherokee, Dakota and Cheyenne, and brought them home. "They were so wild we couldn't get near them. We were beginning to think we made a big mistake," said English. In August of 1995, they added a one-year-old bull named Chester. The next year they bought five more animals. Soon they outgrew their 26 acres...

First I would like to introduce myself as the new Purdue Extension County Director and 4-H Youth Development Educator for Putnam County. This column will appear weekly in the Monday edition and rotate between Consumer Family Science Educator Jackie Baumann, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Ann Delchambre and I...

February is designated as American Heart Month to bring about awareness and provide strategies for individuals to make the best health choices in an effort to prevent or delay developing cardiovascular disease. For those who have experienced a cardiac event, the question is often asked, "What do I do now?"...

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Town Council has announced Don Guthrie will take over as utility manager for the town effective immediately. Guthrie has been acting as interim manager since the beginning of November. He was filling in for Mike Gray, who was on medical leave at the time. When Gray resigned, the position opened up for Guthrie and a few other applicants...

Putnam County Jail Several arrests were made over the weekend. Jesse McKinney, 25, Greencastle, was booked at 2:25 a.m. Saturday for public intoxication, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and operating per se. Ryan Myrehn, 20, Greencastle, was booked at 3:12 a.m. Saturday for public intoxication and possession of alcohol by a minor...

Ida Mae Scott, 70, of Yorktown, Texas died Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 at Cuero Community Hospital She was born Feb. 18, 1938 in Putnamville to Charles and Mary Alexander Renfro. She was a graduate of Cloverdale High School. On May 18, 1955 she married Cecil D. Scott, and he survives...

Roy L. Cassady, 89, formerly of Cloverdale, died on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 at Regency Manor in Floresville, Texas. He was born in Cloverdale on July 28, 1919, the son of the late Porter Marcy and Viola Blythe Cassady. He married Bertha June Boswell on Nov. 5, 1954, and she preceded him in death on Dec. 11, 1976...

Carolyn Nanette Smiley Arbuckle, 55, of Greencastle died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 at The Waters of Greencastle. She was born in Greencastle on March 1, 1953. Ms. Arbuckle had worked as an embroiderer at Fine Threads. Survivors include parents Carl and Marilyn Miller Arbuckle of Greencastle; sister Cindy Simpson and husband Larry of Valrico, Fla.; brother Chris Arbuckle of Avon; nieces Kristin Simpson, Jenna Simpson and Kirtley Arbuckle; nephews Jeff Simpson and Christian Arbuckle; and several other nieces and nephews from the Smiley family.. ...

Greencastle High School will host its 48th Annual Cumulative Honors Banquet, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the high school. The 145 students who have maintained a grade point average of 3.4 or better, on a 4.0 scale, will be recognized at the dinner...

New Putnam County 4-H youth development extension educator Mark Evans is enthusiastic about the local program and is already looking at ways he can expand and improve it. "I'd like to really build up our Web site," he said. "I've started a Facebook page, and I'm working on making that something meaningful."...

The floor just inside the entrance to Greencastle City Hall looked more like the living room where a child plays than a city government building. Lego building blocks were strewn about with the help of Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department. It was for a good cause. Children of various ages were invited to participate in Brick Mania, a 2009 building brick series the parks department sponsored...

Putnam County Commissioners Gene Beck and Jim Baird talked to County Assessor Wanda O'Neal about a proposal from Tyler Technology to work with the county on assessments prior to their regular meeting Monday evening. Tyler Technology manages assessments for all sizes of entities. Their services range from data collection and valuation to consulting on complex projects...

This was her fourth and final time at the state swim meet. And it was the best performance of her career. Kelsey Murtagh swam in the consolation round on the 100-yard backstroke event in the IHSAA Girls State Swim Meet in Indianapolis on Saturday and won the round with a time of 58.11, finishing ninth in the state...