Stories from Wednesday, July 6, 2011

It's always nice when your leadoff hitter has a nice blend of speed and power. Following in the steps of his teammate Cameron Chestnut last season, South Putnam's Rob Gibson personified those attributes and has been named the 2011 Banner Graphic Player of the Year...

To the Editor: As our 2011 Save the Day annual campaign concludes, the Putnam County Unit of the American Red Cross would like to thank our numerous supporters that helped us reach our goal. Through your generosity, local residents will benefit from the mission of the American Red Cross in ways of disaster relief, life saving skills, and services to our local armed forces...

To the Editor: Sue Dillon's June 29 letter to the editor, "Time for a summertime reality check," was right on target. Late sunsets in the summer, because of Indiana's placement in the Eastern Time Zone, play havoc with families, especially those with young children...

With sincere apologies to Neil Armstrong, today we find ourselves confronting one small misstep for man, one giant thud for mankind. When the final space shuttle mission blasts off with Atlantis on Friday, the final frontier will go on the back burner. It may not be the end of all manned space flight, but it is the end of the space program as we know it. Possibly for our lifetime...

County Jail Candace Janine Benson, 51, Greencastle: Public intoxication, intimidation, resisting law enforcement, criminal mischief, probation violation, July 2, 12:05 a.m. Trisha Lynn Brickert, 20, Greencastle: Theft, July 2, 10:21 p.m. David Andrew Burger, 46, Coatesville: Probation violation, July 1, 5:15 p.m...

The Putnam County Public Library has a busy beginning to this month with two weeks full of activities. Today at 4 p.m., the library will be holding "Teen Time: Tie Dye" for area adolescents. The program requires registrations which can be made with Cortina at 653-2755 ex 121...

The Putnam County Community Foundation has announced the establishment of a new endowment benefiting the Community Grants program. "These unrestricted endowments are particularly beneficial because they allow the Community Foundation to respond to new opportunities and changing needs," Foundation Executive Director Elaine Peck said. "The Community Foundation would not have been able to help bring Ivy Tech and Rural Transit to Putnam County without unrestricted endowments."...

With money to patch Putnam County's roads running out fast, the Putnam County Commissioners are looking for more money to at least keep the county's roads drivable. County highway co-supervisor Jim Smith reported during the Tuesday meeting that money for making the patching material will run out very soon, leaving the county unable to patch roads for the remainder of the year. The only remaining solution would be to fill holes with gravel, which easily washes out...

Three fire safety violations at Los Martinez have kept the Greencastle restaurant closed for the last week. A June 27 emergency order from Indiana State Fire Marshal James L. Greeson required the building at 11 W. Franklin St. be closed immediately and vacated for the purpose of preparing and selling food until the three violations could be corrected...

Mary Helen DeLaCruz, 86, Indianapolis, passed away on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at St. Francis Hospital, Beech Grove. She was born on Oct. 22, 1924 in Owen County and was the daughter of the late Ross Myrl and Mary Catherine (Pullen) Paris. She was married to Pedro DeLaCruz Jr. on June 19, 1965 and he preceded her in death on Jan. 31, 2001...