Stories from Thursday, October 31, 2013

Do you have a Halloween photo you'd like to share? Email it to news@bannergraphic.com or jjernagan@bannergraphic.com. Be sure to include names of the people in the photo.

PUTNAMVILLE -- A 29-year-old former reserve Greencastle Police officer has been charged in a domestic battery case, Indiana State Police at the Putnamville Post reported. Ivan Croy has been charged with two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury and two counts of domestic battery...

It recently came to the attention of Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray that few local residents have taken advantage of the county's Emergency Notification System. During a recent natural gas leak in the city, residents in the affected area who were registered with the Emergency Notification System were notified of the situation and how to respond to it...

One recent property-damage accident was reported by city officers. -- At 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, a two-vehicle mishap was reported on the parking lot at Putnam Plaza, north of Indianapolis Road. Betty Shoemaker, 81, Greencastle, was driving a 2008 Ford down the main traffic lane toward the storefronts when she encountered a 1999 Oldsmobile Alero, being backed from a parking space by Roger Kell Jr., 25, Greencastle...

The musicians of the DePauw University Orchestra will swap their tuxedos and black concert dresses for blue jeans and T-shirts as they kick off DePauw's 12th annual ArtsFest this Sunday, Nov. 3. The 3 p.m. concert will be staged in Kresge Auditorium, located within the Green Center for the Performing Arts...

PUTNAMVILLE -- Starting Wednesday night and continuing throughout Thursday, soaking rainfall is being forecasted for parts of Indiana, Indiana State Police officials warn. Heavy rainfall increases the possibility for flooding. Floods occur as streams and rivers overflow their banks...

Mother Nature's autumn tricks have local communities moving the treats back one day. Trick-or-treating hours, originally scheduled for Halloween night around the county, are being moved to Friday in a number of local communities. The late change is due to the threat of inclement weather...

Facade renovation work has moved to the northeast corner of the courthouse square as ongoing Stellar Grant efforts in Greencastle now focus on the old Goodwill store at 21 N. Indiana St. among other structures in the downtown.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, the annual Putnam County FOP "Santa Drop" efforts are under way and have gotten a surprising head start. For Assistant Chief Brian Hopkins of the Greencastle City Police Department must feel as though Santa Claus has already paid him an early, unexpected visit...

Being in charge of putting a daily newspaper can be part air traffic controller, part jigsaw puzzle. In reality, it's often a series of seat-of-the-pants decisions. This plane needs to land. That one has enough fuel to last until tomorrow. If you can't make a decision, won't make a decision or just plain hate making decisions, it's probably not the life for you...

To the Editor: The Bainbridge Improvement Society (BIS) recently hosted its semi-annual Jonah Fish Fry early in October followed by its 10-day Garage Sale during the Covered Bridge Festival. BIS wishes to extend a big heartfelt "Thank You" to all the dedicated volunteers, the businesses who helped, and the visitors who made these two events such a huge success...

To the Editor: I would like to personally thank everyone who participated in the Greencastle Police Department's Drug Take Back Event VII held on Saturday, Oct. 26. I want to thank the Greencastle School Corporation for the use of the Greencastle High School and the parking lot for the event. This four-hour event saw approximately 40 vehicles utilize the site, collecting 15 boxes of medication...

NORTH SALEM -- McCloud Nature Park will be hosting a free guided hike of McCloud's trails on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. McCloud's perimeter trails offer some of the best opportunities to experience various aspects of nature, from native birds and mammals to the spectacular fall colors of the majestic trees along the Big Walnut Creek...

The Putnam County Public Library is hosting a candidate for the open director position on Monday, Nov. 4 at noon. The candidate will meet with staff then give a short presentation in the Kiwanis room, followed by a brief question and answer session...

The Russellville Community Church will host its annual country store and smorgasbord on Satuday at the church. The country store will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the smorgasbord at 5 p.m.

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale High School FFA, Cloverdale Student Council, South Putnam Student Council, South Putnam FFA and North Putnam FFA are teaming up again to host a Christmas Toy Drive. They are currently collecting donations of new or gently used toys, books, new hats and gloves to provide for area children...

Robert "Bob" S. Adler, vice chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), will visit DePauw University on Monday, Nov. 4, for a Horizon Lecture hosted by DePauw's Department of Political Science, Management Fellows Program and Media Fellows Program...

County Jail Several people have been booked into the Putnam County Jail recently. At 2:35 p.m. Tuesday, Chelseii Eden Reynolds, 24, Crawfordsville, was arrested for theft and probation violation. At 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Chelsea Rose Gallagher, 22, Greencastle, was charged with possession of a device interfering with a drug screening and parole violation...

Part of the fun of following sports is looking at the teams, surveying the field and trying to guess the future. It's fun to predict that the Colts will win go 6-2 down the stretch, clinch a first-round bye and play the Browns-Jets winner in the divisional playoffs or that the Pacers will beat the Heat in five games during the second round of the playoffs...

Following just two weeks of practice, the DePauw men's basketball team opens its season with an exhibition against a Big East team on Saturday. So while the players are still learning the offensive and defensive systems while trying to develop chemistry with teammates, they're also preparing to look competitive against Butler, a team that played in back-to-back Division I men's basketball title games not too long ago...

Kris Huffman has been here before. After DePauw won its first national championship in 2007, she felt the pressure to defend the title and she passed that pressure onto her assistant coaches and players. Everything had to be perfect, every day, and by the end of the season the pressure was more cumbersome than motivating...

Putnam County Extension Homemakers and the Purdue Extension Service are again teaming up with Sharon Black of Putnam County Hospital and Area 30 Career Center culinary arts students to offer another edition of Cooking 101. This year's cooking program will feature fondue, just in time for the holiday entertaining season...

The Putnam County Public Library will host a special ArtsFest event on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m., featuring playwright and DePauw University Professor of Theatre Steve Timm. Timm will perform his monologue "In My Father's Wild" with musical accompaniment by Jennifer Peacock, a DePauw junior and School of Music major...

Nearly a dozen DePauw University male students will travel to Dana in western Indiana Saturday to help the community plant trees along two principal streets where more than 100-year-old trees had to be replaced because of a new sewer system. The students, members of DePauw's Phi Delta Theta social fraternity, will be assisting the Vermillion County Soil and Water Conservation District in Newport, and volunteers from the Dana community of around 500 residents...

Thursday's weather may have postponed trick or treating and other activities, but it couldn't drown the Halloween spirit in the little readers during the Putnam County Public Library's story time.