Stories from Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Beverley J. O'Conner, 66, of Greencastle, passed away Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016 at her residence. She was born April 1, 1949 in Greencastle. She was the daughter of the late Paul and Wanda (Alexander) Harvey. She married Frank O'Conner Sr. on June 22, 1967, and he survives...

Area 30 Career Center is hosting an open house for the community on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 4:30-6 p.m. The open house will give individuals the opportunity to: Explore the 18 career and technical education programs available to juniors and seniors who attend Cloverdale, Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam and Eminence schools...

LITTLE POINT -- A routine Indiana State Police commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 70 evolved into a fraud and forgery investigation Monday. Just after noon, Trooper Yan Dravigne of the Indiana State Police Post at Putnamville stopped an eastbound 2007 Volvo tractor, pulling a box trailer near the 51-mile marker of I-70, approximately 10 miles east of Cloverdale...

There are those who wreak havoc on our communities through the violence of drug trafficking and drug dealing. Under current Indiana law, a convicted heroin dealer could get as little as a one-year sentence (minimum on a Level 5), and all of that time could be spent on probation and not in a prison...

There have been encouraging signs that the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill wants to make Congress function again. They've talked about using conference committees more, allowing a more open process for rank-and-file members, enacting separate appropriation bills rather than using omnibus bills, and letting committees lead on legislation rather than hoarding all power in the leadership offices. ...

County Jail Several people have been booked in at the Putnam County Jail recently. At 12:15 p.m. Steven Soto, 22, Indianapolis, was lodged at the jail for operating while intoxicated, operating with a BAC greater than .08 and operating never having received a license...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Criminal Cases Steven R. Burnett II, 30, Rockville, Level 6 felony theft of a firearm Nicholas G. Rogers, 26, Fillmore, Level 6 felony domestic battery Matthew G. Kennedy, 33, Coatesville, Level 6 felony auto theft...

REELSVILLE -- A spaghetti dinner to benefit Bill Lee will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12 at the Reelsville Fire Department. Lee is a professional tree trimmer and the owner-operator of a vegetable/floral business. In December 2015 he had a massive heart attack and has since had quadruple bypass surgery and been in the hospital twice. He had canceled his health insurance when premiums skyrocketed, and hoped to make it to August 2016 when he would be eligible for Medicare...

The Putnam County 4-H Horse and Pony Club will sponsor its annual 4-H auction and chili supper Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Putnam County Fairgrounds in Greencastle. The chili supper will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the auction commencing at 5 o'clock. Todd Yundt Auctioneer Service will provide tack and other western-themed items...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann is stepping down from the state's No. 2 office and Gov. Mike Pence wants to replace her with a former state Republican Party chairman. Pence announced Tuesday he's nominating Eric Holcomb as her replacement...

"I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world" is the 4-H Pledge. A number of individuals have done just that throughout history and have contributed to the agricultural world. Those individuals have put in time, effort and energy to help make large advances in agriculture and should be thanked, not within a given month, but year round...

Greencastle High School students competed in the Jan. 30 Indiana State School Music Association Solo Ensemble Contest for Vocal and Piano at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Results are as follows. Group III: Gold Award -- Kensie Bumgardner, vocal solo; Skyla Hart, vocal solo; Briar Heller, vocal solo; Hunter Zimmerman, vocal solo; Mandy Zheng, Kensie Bumgardner, Megan Manning, Hailey Walden, vocal ensemble...

Greencastle Middle School vocal and piano students competed in the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Solo and Ensemble competition Saturday, Jan. 30 at Terre Haute North High School. The students spent many hours preparing a solo or ensemble piece and performed before a highly qualified judge...

James M. Mannon, professor emeritus of sociology at DePauw University, will sign his new autobiography, "Close, But No Cigar," at a Saturday, Feb. 13 event in Greencastle. The retired professor will be at Eli's Books on the courthouse square for the book signing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m...

South Putnam seventh-grade girls beat North Clay Monday night 25-13. Drew Steffy was leading scorer for the Eagles with 10 points. Ava McHugh had four points. Chloe Sprinkle, Brionna Egold, Alex Steffy, Saydee Proctor and Bree Mahoney-Sutherland each had two points. Macie Bumgardner rounded out the scoring with one point. The Eagles (2-0) are back in action Wednesday night at Rockville...

The South Putnam boys' basketball team couldn't finish a second-half rally Tuesday night at South Putnam and fell to the Clay City Eels in an Indiana High School basketball game. Clay City won the game to 47-40 to improve to 7-12, while the Eagles fell to 2-14 on the year...

The Putnam County Boys' Basketball Tournament will feature a pair of interesting rematches when the games begin Friday night at McAnally. North Putnam will face South Putnam at 6 p.m. in the first game. The Cougars have defeated the Eagles twice this season, once in the WIC crossover game at South Putnam, once in Roachdale and both times by double digits...

Putnam County's Civil War is the topic of an upcoming talk at the Putnam County Museum by John Schlotterbeck, the A.W. Crandall Professor of History at DePauw University. Schlotterbeck will recount a variety of experiences and contributions of county residents and soldiers to wartime events and memory...

FILLMORE -- In their ongoing efforts to get and keep customers up-to-date on utility payments, Town of Fillmore officials have added credit and debit cards to the list of ways to pay utility bills. The Fillmore Town Council announced the new program during its Thursday, Feb. 4 meeting...

In association with State Farm Insurance, Greencastle High School senior Zach Wilkerson has taken it upon himself to keep his friends focused while behind the wheel. With the "Celebrate My Drive" initiative, Wilkerson and his friends have been spreading posters around town in an effort to reduce distractions while driving...

Statistically speaking, 2015 proved to be a landmark year for the Greencastle City Police Department. Total run calls were up by nearly 600 last year, coming in at 5,965 after city officers had responded to 5,377 calls the year before. Police Chief Tom Sutherlin distilled some of the more interesting numbers in his year-end report for the Greencastle City Council Tuesday night...

Supposedly there are eight million stories in "The Naked City." At least that's what the intro to the old black-and-white TV crime drama set in New York City told us. "And this has been one of them," the 1960s show sign-off would add. In court recently there were considerably fewer than eight million stories, and this piece will focus on none of them...