Stories from Monday, April 8, 2013

The first dancers of the night set the standard high at Saturday's Dancing with the Putnam County Stars event. In the end, 11 other strong dances couldn't stand up to the original, with Mike Balka and Ashley Clute taking home the 2013 title. The high-energy rendition of "Gangnam Style" from the Autumn Glen Senior Community director and his professional partner kicked the night off in rousing style, getting high praise from the judges and audience...

Tri Kappa recently conducted its annual bingo fundraiser at Tzouanakis Intermediate School. Tri Kappa appreciates the continued community support of this event, which enables Tri Kappa to assist many local organizations, as well as provide a scholarship for women through the Putnam County Community Foundation.

Members of the Crafty Cougars 4-H club tackled a large community service project for the Russellville Community Center recently. Youngsters in the club and several parents spent countless hours building from scratch three eight-foot sections of shelving to hold all the roller skates at the Community Center.

Coldwell Banker has announced that Peggy Miller of Greencastle has been named a 2013 Five Star Real Estate Agent. Miller is being recognized by the largest and most widely published real estate agent award program in North America. Coldwell Banker said Miller has reached a level of excellence achieve by fewer than seven percent of real estate agents...

Soon ponds will be teeming with spring peepers and tadpoles. Some people are looking forward to fishing their ponds and watching the wildlife come and go. Ponds can be a wonderful addition to your country lifestyle. It seems almost every person in Putnam County either has a pond or wants a pond on their property. What many people don't realize is that ponds do take work to maintain...

Putnam County Hospital and TX:Team are celebrating Occupational Therapy Month during April. PCH is partnering with TX:Team to provide Putnam County and the surrounding areas occupational therapy services. What is occupational therapy? Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. It gives people the "skills for the job of living" necessary for independent and satisfying lives...

The West Central Chapter of Quail Forever (formerly "Quail Unlimited") is sponsoring the distribution of free food plot seed on Saturday, April 13. The giveaway is scheduled from 9 a.m. through noon in the northeast corner of the Dollar General store parking lot on Indianapolis Road, Greencastle...

The Putnam County Public Library and the DePauw University Libraries presents the second program of Books That made a Difference series on Monday, April 15 at 11:40 a.m. at PCPL. The series features local personalities who speak on the impact of a book on their lives...

The South Putnam baseball continues to search for its first win. The Eagles lost to North Central on Saturday 14-2 in five innings. SPHS (0-4) was led at the plate by junior Tyler Long, who went one-for-three with an RBI, and senior Justin Bumgardner, who was one-for-two with an RBI and a run scored...

NASHVILLE -- The Greencastle baseball team got its first win of the season this weekend, winning at sectional-rival Brown County 12-3. Senior Brett Gierke started and lasted six innings for the Tiger Cubs. He allowed six hits and three runs while striking out two...

COVINGTON -- The North Putnam baseball team stayed undefeated with a dominant win at Covington on Saturday, 21-3 in five innings. The Cougars (4-0) started the game with senior Jake Haste (2-0) on the mound. Haste allowed one hit in three innings, a two-run homer in the third. He struck out three and walked two...

EMINENCE -- A more relaxed Greencastle High School girls' softball team earned its first victory of the season Saturday at Eminence. Led by senior Ellen Gobert with four hits and Courtney Adams with four RBI, the Tiger Cubs defeated Eminence 12-2 in six innings on the 10-run rule...

TERRE HAUTE --The South Putnam softball team saw it's 58-game win streak come to an end on Friday night with a loss to Roncalli at the Terre Haute South Brave Bash, but the Eagles rebounded Saturday and swept three games to finish in first place in the Silver Division...

The Greencastle Civic League along with multiple organizations will come together to clean up the city of Greencastle for Clean City Month 2013. Clean city month will kick off on April 13 with a community clean up at Robe Ann Park from 12-3 p.m. Community members are invited to join in the clean up and should wear work clothes...

As mayor of Greencastle, Sue Murray has had her versatility truly tested over the past five-plus years as the city's chief executive. After all, she's flown into the teeth of a typhoon to represent the community's interests in the Far East while talking turkey with Chinese and Japanese industrialists...

HARMONY -- Two young people, including a 20-year-old woman who worked in Greencastle, were killed early Saturday in a one-car accident south of Harmony in eastern Clay County. Alexis J. Holbert-Darkis, 20, who was employed at International Automotive Components (IAC) plant in Greencastle, and Darrell R. Moore, 18, both of Brazil, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Clay County Coroner's Office. (An obituary for Holbert-Darkis appears on Page 2A)...

Shanker Shetty, 89, of Greencastle, passed away on Monday, April 8, 2013. A PhD recipient, he was a retired professor emeritus of economics at DePauw University. Private arrangements are being handled by Hopkins-Rector Funeral Home, Greencastle.

Paula Kay Wisener, 54, Crawfordsville, passed away of natural causes in her home on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 5 p.m. She was born July 31, 1958, in Indianapolis to David Paul and Ella Marie (Blair) Wisener. Ms. Wisener was a homemaker and a 1976 graduate of North Putnam High School...

PUTNAMVILLE -- The weather couldn't have been much better for the opening night of the Bill Gardner Indiana Openwheel.com Racin' Fest. A packed grandstand was on hand along with a talented crop of hot shoes looking for a spot in Victory Lane. The headline event was a crop of sprint car drivers chomping at the bit for the nearly $1,500 worth of lap money as well as the $2,000 on hand for the pilot that crossed the finish line first...