Stories from Friday, March 22, 2013

The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce will host the March Business After Hours, sponsored by Ivy Tech and Green Street, on Tuesday, March 26. It will take place at Ivy Tech and will run from 5-7 p.m. The event, open to all Chamber members and their guests, is an opportunity for networking, door prizes, food and fun...

Celebrate Easter in a new way this year. McCloud's Easter Egg-stravaganza will take place on Saturday, March 30 from 1-4 p.m. Craft tables will host ongoing projects and the family-friendly trails will be bursting with the sights and sounds of the season. McCloud will be holding special activities such as: scavenger hunts, hikes, teaching how to use natural dyes to color eggs and create a springtime bouquet...

Everyone is invited to help celebrate the beginning of Spring Break on Monday, March 25 with Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat and the staff at the Putnam County Public Library. The 5-7 p.m. program will feature games, prizes, a movie, books to read and treats. It is free of charge...

A Putnam County resident recently received his 50-year pin of service from the Indiana Volunteer Fire Association. Jimmy Proctor was honored by the department as well for 50 years of community service. His long list of accomplishments include being a Korean War veteran, teaching math at Reelsville High School and Cascade High School over a 25-year period, being a 50-year member of the Reelsville VFD and serving as chief, assistant chief, lieutenant and treasurer for 32 of his 50 years. ...

To the Editor: "Generations Nourishing Generations" was the theme celebrated at the Saturday, March 16, 2013 Putnam County Ag Day where families came together to learn about a farmer's everyday life. Ag Day kicked off its festivities with an Ag Day Breakfast followed by a short program by Putnam County's two state FFA Officers, Cameron Mann and Katherine Spencer. ...

To the Editor: I am writing to express my extreme admiration for the DePauw women's basketball program. Their accomplishments this season were extraordinary. I'm not just talking about the skill of the athletes, their physical toughness, and their mental toughness all of which are immense. I'm talking about the whole program. I'm talking about the fact that the players are also conscientious students and great DePauw citizens and great role models...

To the Editor: I don't believe the mentally ill belong in jail or prison for long periods of time. I cite the man in New Mexico who spent 22 months in solitary. He never went to court, was never convicted of a crime. He was denied help for depression and dental care. He had bedsores and fungus growing on his skin...

West Central Indiana Area Health Education Center (WCI-AHEC) is inviting all kindergarten through third-grade students in the area to take part in a fun program during spring break. The Great Hospital Adventure will take place at Putnam County Hospital (PCH) on Thursday, March 28, and there is still time to register children for the free program...

The Cloverdale High School Student Council and the Cloverdale Community Schools Wellness Committee sponsored a Leprechaun Run on Saturday. The event was a 5k run/walk and had nearly 200 participants. Proceeds benefited the Student Council's Senior Citizens Prom, which takes place no Saturday, April 13. ...

The Putnam County Public Library Board made it a priority Wednesday night to deal with several of the issues that have been lingering over the past few months. Program Coordinator Barbara Timm came before the board to give a presentation on coming up with new program additions for the library...

RUSSELLVILLE -- Tying up the last few ends of Russellville's water projects, the town is looking to other projects that need to be done to help make the community better. The Russellville Town Council held its monthly town meeting on Monday to discuss these projects...

It was business as usual for the Putnam County Council as it met for its monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, at which it approved the purchase of 16 new Hazardous Material suits as well as working toward a cumulative fire fund for the Walnut Creek Fire Protection District...

Putnam County dropped three spots but stayed in the top 10 in the fourth annual report ranking the health of Indiana counties released Wednesday. Ranking as the 10th healthiest in Indiana, Putnam County continues a four-year trend in which it has been ranked between seventh and 12th healthiest in the state...

Two older homes positioned along the west side of South Jackson Street are jacked up and ready to roll to their new Greencastle homes on Monday, March 25. In order to move the houses across South Jackson Street, however, the roadway will be closed to traffic on Monday from 8 a.m. ...

The youngest and least involved of the three former North Putnam staff members charged in a high-profile child seduction case involving the same male student was sentenced Thursday in Putnam Circuit Court. Brandon D. Largent, 21, Crawfordsville, a volunteer assistant swim coach and paid lifeguard at North Putnam from November 2011 through spring 2012, accepted a plea agreement last month and agreed to plead guilty to battery, a Class B misdemeanor...

AUSTIN, Texas -- A former Greencastle student who wrestled locally from third grade through his sophomore year recently capped his high school career with a big accomplishment. Kody Collins, a senior from Byron Nelson High School in the city of Roanoke, was a 4A state finalist in the 152-pound weight class...

A Friday morning fire at the Dixie Chopper Business Center at the Putnam County Airport was contained to one room. The Greencastle Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel and conference center shortly after 7:30 a.m. to a report of heavy smoke in the laundry room...

Cold weather and precipitation has prevented many of the local teams from getting outside to practice so far, but things cleared up long enough for the North Putnam baseball team to get a scrimmage in against North Montgomery on Friday. The Cougars were still shaking off rust, but the competition reinforced one thing: Spring is officially here. (Above) New North Putnam baseball coach Phil Webster (dark clothes) instructs the Cougars' defense during a meeting on the mound in the first inning. Senior Jake Haste (right) stretches to haul in a throw during infield drills prior to the start of the scrimmage against the Chargers. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)