Stories from Sunday, November 22, 2015

Eva Merl Kennedy passed away at age 96 on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 at Palms West Hospital, Wellington, Fla. Eva was born in Eminence, Ind., on April 25, 1919. She was the daughter of Sampson S. and Clara E. Staley, who preceded her in death along with her brothers and their wives, Bill and Audrey Staley, Albert "Sticks" and Imo Staley, and Ivel "Cotton" Staley. Cotton's wife Vanita Staley resides in Martinsville...

Antonette "Toni" Torr, 68, of Greencastle, passed away peacefully on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 with her family by her side. Toni was born on Feb. 17, 1947 in Hillsboro, Ill., to George Junior and Matilda Louise (Hall) Christian. She married Terry L. Torr in 1984, and he survives...

Betty Sue Kiger, 79, of Greencastle, passed away Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 at Asbury Towers, Greencastle. She was born on May 11, 1936 in Indianapolis to the late Charles Trail Jr. and Marjorie Rogers. On May 27, 1954, in Greencastle, Betty married Everett Joe Kiger. They were married more than 51 years before he passed away on Sept. 17, 2005...

With the recent departure of five armored semi tractors, the Putnam County Sheriff's Department rid itself of one of some of the last, most visible symbols of the department's former involvement with a military surplus program. Another big step came several months ago when Sheriff Scott Stockton and Chief Deputy Phil Parker oversaw the return of five machine guns. ...

Sixteen local schools converged on South Putnam Central Elementary School Thursday evening for the annual Elementary Spell Bowl competition. Two local schools rose to the tops of their divisions locally, with Bainbridge Elementary Team 1 winning the Red Division and Tzouanakis Intermediate winning the Orange Division...

Downtown Cloverdale is now covered by an emergency siren. Duke Energy and Endeavor Communications spent Friday afternoon mounting the siren in the town park. Putnam County Emergency Management Director Tom Helmer said the siren will be tested the first Friday of each month at 11 a.m., except in the event of inclement weather. ...

Here are the latest stray animals currently held at the Putnam County Animal Care and Control Shelter, 4700 E. State Road 240, Greencastle. -- Dog: Adult, female, black/white/tan, Australian Shepherd mix, found in Fillmore. -- Dog: Adult, male, black/white, Pitbull mix, found on the DePauw University campus...

Inviting citizens to run, walk and trot together for our health and our community, All-American Karate Academy and Fitness is sponsoring the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26. The trot begins at 8 a.m. and the only fee is donated items for the Humane Society of Putnam County or the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry...

To the Editor: On behalf of the Putnam County Youth Development Commission, we would like to thank the many individuals, businesses, organizations and school communities that contributed to the success of our 16th annual Coats for Kids campaign. Thanks to Putnam County's generosity, over 400 coats and light weight jackets were distributed on Saturday, Oct. ...

To the Editor: On behalf of the Putnam County Board of Realtors, I would like to thank everyone that attended our Bingo Event on Saturday, Nov. 14. We were excited to have 200 players in attendance, and we were able to give away bingo and pull tab prizes of over $5,000!...

To the Editor: The Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry is sending a thank you for all the support for this past year. The need for food continues to grow and we look forward to food and monetary donations. The donations are our only source of incomes so that we can provide food for families in Putnam County...

To the Editor: I stopped in at the Humane Society for their grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 24. I was truly astonished with the changes made to this facility and didn't recognize it from the way it used to be. Fresh bright paint, new flooring, spaces rearranged for convenience and efficiency, and a loving energy pervaded each and every room. I could feel the caring for the dogs and cats from each staff member and volunteer...

End of year is a time that many begin to finalize tax considerations and reflect on the past calendar year. You may receive a direct deduction of 50 percent off your tax bill when donating up to $200 per individual and $400 for couples filing jointly, given to an Indiana funded university...

RUSSELLVILLE -- The Community Christmas Choir will mark its 14th annual concert at the Russellville Community Center Dec. 4-6. This year's concert is titled "The Heart of Christmas -- A Journey of Joy," created by Phil Barfoot, and arranged and orchestrated by Cliff Duren...

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority has made the following tax incentives available to anyone who pays Indiana state taxes, giving them the opportunity to profoundly impact the community while also gaining significant tax credits and benefits...

Myers 5 East, a new event space launching in Greencastle during the 2015 Holiday Season, will host a "pop-up shop" for holiday shoppers on Saturday, Nov. 28 from 4-9 p.m. Planned to coincide with Small Business Saturday, the Vintage and Handmade Pop-Up Shop will feature offerings from local vendors...

The Putnam County Giving Tree project is seeking groups or individuals to help sponsor families in need again this Christmas. Since its inception, the Giving Tree program has continued to provide needed clothing items, special-need gifts and other wished-for toys to children and families throughout Putnam County...

Looking for all the world like he just slid down the hill, leaving big footprints in his wake, a smiling snowman rests in front of a Greenwood Avenue home in Greencastle's Northwood Addition. A wet, slushy first snow of the season -- ideal for snowman building -- fell Saturday across Greencastle. Most of the west-central Indiana area saw one to two inches of snow, most of which had melted off streets and sidewalks by mid-day Sunday...

A new protocol instituted by Putnam County's judges is costing keeping county departments busy, but also shedding light on an ongoing drug problem in the county. Adult Probation Officer Teresa Parrish appeared before the Putnam County Council last week to request a pair of additional appropriations for a total of $8,000...

By Jay Lockett Sports Editor The North Putnam girls' basketball team came out and competed in its consolation game against Cloverdale Saturday without its center Taylor Nauert who went out early Friday with an ankle sprain. The Clovers, however, stood tall and used a strong defensive fourth quarter to earn its first victory of the season, 44-29...