Stories from Thursday, February 6, 2014

Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. company, has acquired the assets of Dixie Chopper, a Putnam County-based manufacturer of zero-turn-radius mowers for the commercial and residential markets, it was announced Thursday. "The addition of Dixie Chopper expands our reach into the consumer and commercial sectors, including municipalities, with a full range of zero-turn mowers known for their speed, quality and performance," Jacobsen President David Withers said...

Greencastle Youth Baseball will conduct signups on three upcoming dates. Signups will take place on Feb. 8 at 15 from 9 a.m.-noon at Tzouanakis Intermediate School and Deer Meadow Primary School. An additional date will be conducted from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 13 at McDonald's...

The South Putnam Quarterback Club will conduct a parent meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 in the high school library. All high school, junior high and youth football parents are asked to attend. The meeting will included planning for the 2014 season, election of officers and fundraising plans...

On Friday, the North Putnam Cougars will host the South Putnam Eagles in their annual Coaches vs. Cancer game. Organizers are hoping to have a $1,000 night, so everyone is asked ot come in a giving mood, prepared to donate to a cause that has affected millions of lives...

The inaugural Big Buck Classic sponsored by "Buck And Dumb Bass Outdoors" in Cloverdale concluded at the end of deer season on Sunday, Jan. 5. Although there were many respectable bucks checked by the new outdoors store in Cloverdale, most of those hunters were not entered in the contest...

Greencastle High School bowlers Austin Alspaugh and Reggie Alex, both seniors, have advanced to the semi-state competition on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Western Bowl in Indianapolis at 9 a.m. Alspaugh rolled at 601, putting him in seventh place at the Lafayette regional, and Alex rolled a 587, putting him in 13th place. The top 13 bowlers advanced to semi-state...

Every few days, we learn yet one more way in which government's expanded surveillance powers intrude upon our privacy and civil liberties. Last week, it was the revelation that spy agencies in the U.S. and Britain have been snagging personal data from the users of mobile phone apps. ...

To the Editor: The family of Pat Carrico wishes to express sincere thanks and appreciation to so many people who helped make our sudden loss more bearable. Tears were replaced with smiles, and we had a lightness in our hearts from all that kindness that was shown...

To the Editor: Our rescue was one of three (along with Lucky Pups and For Paws Sake) rescues that assisted with the recent removal of 67 dogs from a New Maysville residence. We would like to thank Officer Downing and Detective McFadden for all of their hard work on this case and for making the loading of the dogs go as smooth as possible. ...

To the Editor: For the fourth year in a row State Sen. David Long has sandbagged time zone resolutions by assigning them to his committee and then not giving them a hearing. What issues do he and other legislative leaders want kept from public scrutiny? Is it exposure of the myth about Eastern Time's benefits to Indiana businesses?...

My wife and I were staring at our bookcase the other day. We used to refer to it as an entertainment center, but the cassette player broke, so now we're just calling it like it is. The shelves needed a little rearranging, so I suggested that we bring up a few knick-knacks from the basement and get rid of that old set of "World Book Encyclopedias."...

One recent arrest was reported by Greencastle City Police officers. James Timothy Coy, 36, Greencastle, was arrested on a theft warrant at 10 p.m. Wednesday by Officer Matt Huffman. Lodged in the Putnam County Jail, Coy faces charges of theft, leaving the scene of a traffic accident and bond revocation...

The Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department has announced a Create-a-Valentine workshop set for Wednesday, Feb. 12. Youngsters from kindergarten age through fifth grade are invited to the Putnam County Museum from 4-6 p.m. to create a valentine for that special someone...

On Saturday, Feb. 1 Greencastle Middle School vocal and piano students competed in the Indiana State School Music Association Solo and Ensemble competition at Terre Haute North High School. The students spent many hours preparing a solo or ensemble piece and performed before a highly qualified judge...

The Putnam County Retired Teachers Association will award a $500 scholarship to a third- or fourth-year college student who aspires to become a future educator. The recipient must be a Putnam County high school graduate and an Indiana college/university student enrolled in an undergraduate program that will result in a degree in education...

As cold temperatures continue to blanket the area, a growing number of seniors may wind up in trouble, possibly even stuck in life-threatening situations. They may slip and fall, their car might break down, and they may get lost, confused or stranded -- literally left out in the cold...

PLAINFIELD -- While larger schools are likely to fight it out for the Plainfield swimming sectional title on Saturday, a number of local athletes should represent Putnam County well with strong swims. The Greencastle High School 200 medley relay team of Mallary Meyer, Emily Wheeler, Amelia Smith and Corrie Romer kicked Thursday night's preliminaries off right, qualifying for the top seed in the race with a time of 1:56.30...