Stories from Wednesday, December 30, 2009

ELNORA -- The Cloverdale boys' basketball team defeated Springs Valley 62-54 in the second day of the Graber Post Buildings Classic at North Daviess Tuesday. The Clovers trailed for most of the game, but put together a solid defensive effort in the final quarter to secure the win. They trailed by nine late, but held Springs Valley to 11 points in the fourth quarter...

MOORESVILLE -- The Greencastle swim teams competed in the Mooresville Invitational Tuesday, with both teams coming away with second place finishes on the day. For the girls, Melissa Ball was a three-time winner, capturing the 50 freestyle in 25.78 and the 100 butterfly in 1:05.01. She was also part of the 200 freestyle relay team, along with Natasha Aring, Sydney Terry and Melanie Bittles, which was victorious...

GREENCASTLE -- Amy Hasbrook brought passion and intensity to the basketball court every time she put on DePauw University uniform No. 34. She set the DePauw field goal shooting percentage record of 65.2 percent by scoring inside, many of those shots coming from offensive rebounds, and she is fourth on the program's all-time rebounding list...

GREENCASTLE -- The Clay City boys' basketball team fought valiantly, but ultimately dropped its third consecutive game, losing a tight 41-38 game against the previously winless Eagles of South Putnam in first round action of the Eagle Holiday Classic...

Deer Meadow Primary School Parent Teacher Organization is preparing for the school's Winter Festival fundraiser set for Feb. 12. "This is a fun-filled evening in the middle of winter for all local families to attend with many activities for the kids, dinner and at the heart of it all ... the highly-anticipated raffle," said Lynn Ramey, PTO Raffle Chairperson...

The Putnam Ants 4-H Club career development event team from Greencastle competed in the junior division of the State 4-H Entomology contest on Dec. 12 at Purdue University. The team is coached by Gayle Hansen and includes Levi Lewis, Amanda Beals, Kelly Hansen and Beth Ann Hansen...

To the Editor: If I were a fan at Lucas Stadium on Sunday evening at the Jets game, I would feel cheated. Fans expected a football game instead of a surrender. I am dissapointed with the coaching staff and management deciding to bench so many starters in the third period...

To the Editor: Family Support Services would like to thank the Greencastle Moose Lodge for donating their banquet room for the Breakfast with Santa that was held on Dec. 12 A very special thanks to Tim and Debbie Spurlock who worked with the staff to make sure that the annual event was a success...

I love to look at the online news and see what "scientific" studies are happening. The other day, I chanced to come across one done by livescience.com that ranked the happiness of the United States (including the District of Columbia). "A new study found that a person's self-reported happiness matches up with objective measures of state-level happiness," the report said. ...

Allie Taylor Harp, 91, died on Dec. 29, 2009. She was born to George and Lola Wilson Taylor on Jan. 2, 1918, at her parents' home in the community of Buffalo, near Rockholds, Ky. She married Walter Clifford "Honey" Harp on March 12, 1934 and devoted her life to raising their nine children...

GREENCASTLE -- The Greencastle High School Alumni Scholarships are once again being offered this year. Applications are available from the Greencastle High School guidance counselor or the Putnam County Community Foundation. The GHS Alumni Scholarship Fund has awarded more than 70 scholarships to GHS graduates since its inception in 1995. The fund is housed in the Putnam County Foundation. Only the interest is used for scholarships, so the fund will continue into perpetuity...

Greencastle Fire Department Crews were dispatched to 600 Kirkwood Drive at 11:36 a.m. Dec. 24 for an alarm. They were back in service at noon. Crews were dispatched to US 231N at 2:34 p.m. Dec. 24 for an automobile accident. They were back in service at 2:51 p.m...

GREENCASTLE -- The spot where the Fleenor Building on the square in Greencastle stands has been a commercial site since 1835 when Captain William Thornburgh built the first brick building there. He opened a dry goods store in the building, and because he had the only safe in town he acted as a banker, keeping people's money there...

GREENCASTLE -- The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its annual dinner for Jan. 30, at the DePauw University Indoor Tennis and Track Facility. The evening will begin with the social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. with DJ Jim "Figgy" Hardwick providing music. He is sponsored by Duke Energy...

GREENCASTLE -- At approximately 3 a.m. on Dec. 22, Humphrey's Outdoor Power, located on Jackson Street, was burglarized. The suspect entered the business after breaking a window and stole several Stihl chainsaws. The suspect is described as a white male aged 35 to 45 years old, with black or dark brown hair and a full beard. The suspect is described as being 5-feet-11 or 6 feet in height and weighing 175 to 195 pounds...

GREENCASTLE -- The day after Christmas was a day to sleep in and enjoy new Christmas presents for many, but the Youth Philanthropy Committee of the Putnam County Community Foundation was volunteering its time at the St. Andrew's Non-Food Pantry. This group of high school youths from across the county determined earlier in the fall that they would give a $1,000 grant to the non-food pantry to purchase essential items and then see, firsthand, what impact their grant would have by working at the pantry themselves.. ...

One of the gems of the summer, ironically, was 500 Days of Summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel and directed by Marc Webb. Its non-linear storyline and a great performance from Levitt made this the best romantic comedy of the year...

This is part eight of a 10-part series on Jared's favorite albums of each year of the decade. The series will conclude with his top 10 albums of 2009, which will be published in the Dec. 31 edition of the Banner Graphic. One of my favorite things about music is its ability to surprise me. Unfortunately, when you consume music like it's water, the surprises are often in short supply...