Stories from Monday, December 21, 2009

GREENCASTLE -- Even though Greencastle had a few of their key wrestlers out of commission due to being under the weather, the Tiger Cubs put on a solid performance at their annual Holliday Classic Saturday afternoon. The Tiger Cubs finished the day with a 3-1 overall record with their only loss on the day coming in the their match with South Vermillion. The Wildcats topped Greencastle 42-34...

GREENCASTLE -- The Greencastle Tiger Cubs snapped two streaks Saturday night at McAnally Center. Led by Nick Hutcheson's 19 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, the Tiger Cubs ended their three-game losing streak with a 51-49 victory over the previously undefeated South Vermillion Wildcats. The Tiger Cubs' win ended the Wildcats' three-game winning streak...

CLOVERDALE --The Cloverdale Clovers boys' basketball team hosted possible sectional opponent Tri-West Saturday night, hoping to get back on track after suffering a tough loss to Monrovia the previous evening, 64-78. Tri-West had defeated Sheridan the prior night, 81-47...

ROACHDALE--North Putnam's boys overcame a sluggish first quarter to defeat Riverton Parke, 44-37, Saturday night in a nonconference basketball game on the Cougars' court. North Putnam (3-4) was coming off a West Central Conference victory on the road, 71-66 over Cascade, on Friday and avoiding a letdown presented a challenge to Cougars' coach Nathan Martindale...

GREENCASTLE -- With 2010 just a flip of the calendar away, many people are pondering resolutions for the New Year. The most common is being more fit or healthy for a brighter, longer future. A new business in Greencastle should make this resolution more easily attainable...

GREENCASTLE -- In October 2005 when Julie Martin opened a small consignment shop, she knew her business would grow. This month she moved to her fourth location and an even bigger space in the old Marsh/Lo Bill store on Indianapolis Road. "I have now reached my goal of a store that is big enough to carry everything from the day you are born, your first day of school, senior prom, first real job, Wedding day and watching your daughter walk down the aisle," Martin said...

GREENCASTLE -- All-American Karate moved earlier this year from Mill Pond Lane to the old Marsh building on Indianapolis Road. The Academy was at the Mill Pond address for over six years, but had outgrown the space. "We had no other recourse," Steve St. Pierre said. "We were turning away students and putting them on waiting lists because we didn't have the room to accommodate them in our old school."...

Wendy K. Wright, 58, of Belle Union died on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. She was born Aug. 12, 1951, in Greencastle and was the daughter of the late Walter C. Bright Sr. and Elizabeth A. Brokamp Bright Woodard. Mrs. Wright was a cook at the Department Corrections Facility in Plainfield and a member of St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Greencastle. She was married to James Craigory Wright Sr. and he preceded her in death on May 2, 2005...

Steven W. "Steve" Bonebrake, 65, of Lafayette on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 at his residence. He had been in failing health the past 2 years. He was born in Parris Island, S.C. on Aug. 8, 1944, the son of Richard W. and Frances Louise Armstrong Bonebrake. He was a 1962 graduate of Williamsport High School and later attended Manchester College...

Wendell David Bitzer, 76, of Greencastle died Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 at his home. He was born June 1, 1933 in Greencastle, the son of Orville and Alma Crabtree Bitzer. He was a 1951 graduate of Greencastle High School and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1953 to 1956 during the Korean War. He retired from IBM after 32 years of service. He was a member of the Fillmore United Methodist Church, American Legion and VFW...

Cadet Norman Tanner, center, of Cloverdale graduated from Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy on Saturday at Franklin Community High School after a completing a five-month program at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh. Pictured with Tanner are U.S. Representative Mike Pence and Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger. More than 70 cadets from across the state completed the program that began last August. The next session will begin Jan. 10.

INDIANAPOLIS -- In a Dec. 14 Statehouse ceremony, Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman awarded the Town of Bainbridge a $234,300 Community Focus Fund grant for a sewer rehabilitation project. The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) administers the grants, which are funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Thirty-three communities and counties were recognized at the ceremony, with grant awards totaling more than $15 million...

GREENCASTLE -- Want to know the secret to living to be 102 years old? According to Madge Greenlee, there is no secret. "It's just ordinary country living. They never had any secrets about that," Greenlee said. The Mill Pond Health Campus resident celebrated her 102nd birthday Saturday with a visit from a few friends and family...

GREENCASTLE -- The Putnam County Museum recently announced the publication and release of its second book, "Peeler Pottery; A Retrospective." The 342-page book tells the story of Richard and Marj Peeler from their meeting in 1941 as art students at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech High School through their college and courting years and the building of their self-constructed rammed earth home in southern Putnam County...

GREENCASTLE -- Approval to award a bid and begin a project to replace a 40-ton heating and air conditioning unit on the roof of the Putnam County Jail has been delayed by the Putnam County Commissioners. At their meeting Monday, commissioners decided to wait on giving their OK to go forward with the project until they were sure they were doing so correctly...

Putnam County residents are reminded that Jan. 4 is the final day to submit nominations for the 2009 Putnam County Citizen of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the Chamber's Annual Dinner on Jan. 30. Nominees must be a resident of Putnam County for five or more years, and have given extended service to the county in more than one area...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ice skater Taylor Felton of Bainbridge found perfection in early December when she competed at the Indiana State Ice Skating Championship and earned a perfect score and a gold medal in the Beginner Free Skate Test Track. Topping off the day was her team win. Felton skates with the Indianapolis Skating Club of Indiana, which placed first with 203 points over everyone skating that day...

CLOVERDALE -- During a special meeting Saturday, the Cloverdale Town Council voted 3-to-2 to de-fund the deputy-clerk's position in the 2010 Salary Ordinance. This will leave the town the ability to hire an additional utility worker. The utility department has been shorthanded for several years and is suffering from an overload of work in need of attention. But the final vote to cut funding for the deputy-clerk's $28,700-per-year salary didn't come easy for the council...