Stories from Thursday, July 7, 2016

CLOVERDALE -- A Carmel man missing for five days was found dead Thursday near Lieber State Park. John Schlieper, 49, was last seen at his girlfriend's house on July 2. Schlieper's black BMW was found earlier this week in southern Putnam County near the state park...

A need to keep pace with new 911 software and an aging fleet of ambulances put Putnam County Operation Life (OL) on the agenda of the Putnam County Commissioners on Tuesday. For Executive Director Eric Claflin, the real answers will come when he visits the Putnam County Council on July 19...

Six young ladies will vie for the title of 2016 Miss Putnam County Fair Queen on Saturday, July 16. Candidates for the 2016 crown include Rosemary Hurst, Caitlyn Anderson, Emma Hiigel, Lauren Johnston, Bailey York and Michayla Sanders.

The image of an angry woman hitting her uncooperative husband over the head with a frying pan is usually a cartoonishly laughing matter. After all, it's a staple of comic strips, Ma and Pa Kettle movies and cartoons where the outline of the victim's face is usually left forged in the misshapen skillet as birds and stars encircle his head...

Norma Ann Ray, 85, of Indianapolis, died on Saturday, July 2, 2016. Visitation will be held Monday, July 11 from noon until 1 p.m. at Legacy Cremation & Funeral Service -- Lawrence, 5215 N. Shadeland Ave., Indianapolis. A graveside service will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. at the Cloverdale Cemetery in Cloverdale...

Norma Jean Bartley, 75, of Greencastle, died at Putnam County Hospital on Saturday, July 2, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. She was born Aug. 14, 1941 in South Bend, Ind. She graduated from Sunnymeade High School in Sunnymead, Calif. She married Marlin Bartley on Oct. 7, 1957...

CRAWFORDSVILLE --A 2003 Wabash graduate will become the next head baseball coach for the Little Giants, as the school announced Thursday that veteran coach Jake Martin is leaving North Coast Athletic Conference rival DePauw to return to his alma mater...

The 2016 DePauw University Volleyball Clinics will take place on Sunday and Thursday. "These clinics are designed to meet the needs of youth in Putnam County and surrounding areas by offering strong fundamental instruction, flexible schedule and a reasonable price," DePauw coach Deb Zellers said...

Roger and Cassie (Hunt) Busch left Indiana in August of 2015 for a new adventure in Connecticut, as Roger was named head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at the University of Hartford -- a Division I school which competes in the America East Conference...

After a lengthy discussion, the South Putnam School Board voted to upgrade the internet connection at Fillmore Elementary at a cost of $31,685.80. The need for the upgrade comes after the school received the Digital Learning Grant from the Indiana Department of Education, which will be used to purchase in-class devices for the third and fourth grades at Fillmore Elementary. The devices are expected to be available this fall...

Seven people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Taylor Michael Thornell, 30, Indianapolis, was lodged at the jail on a warrant. At 9:33 p.m. on Tuesday, Angel Lynn Chaliss, 50, Beech Grove, was taken into custody for operating while intoxicated with injury...

American Legion Riders will sponsor a motorcycle ride to benefit Greencastle City Police Department efforts to begin a K9 program. Registration will be at 9 a.m. at Greencastle American Legion Post No. 58 at 1401 Indianapolis Rd. with kickstands up at 11 a.m....

COATESVILLE -- Saturday, July 16 marks the fourth annual Cruisin' in Coatesville car show and street fair in which, based on the three previous years, more than 150 classic vehicles are expected to be entered. And with more than 40 handmade trophies to be presented this year, owners of all makes and models are encouraged to attend. ...

A 24-year-old Parke County man, already in prison at New Castle for similar crimes, has been charged with child molesting in a four-year-old Putnam County case. Charges have been filed in Putnam Circuit Court against Cody B. O'Haver, 24, Rockville, for allegedly pressuring a 12-year-old Bainbridge area girl into having sexual relations with him when he was 20 or 21 years old...

After a lengthy discussion, the South Putnam School Board voted to upgrade the internet connection at Fillmore Elementary at a cost of $31,685.80. The need for the upgrade comes after the school received the Digital Learning Grant from the Indiana Department of Education, which will be used to purchase in-class devices for the third and fourth grades at Fillmore Elementary. The devices are expected to be available this fall...

Cheryl J. Severe, 68, of Roachdale, passed away Thursday, June 30 at Hendricks Regional Health. She was born on Oct. 10, 1947 to Lester and Martha (Whitcomb) Godbey at Witham Hospital. Cheryl was a graduate of Grandville Wells High School in 1965. She married LaRue Severe Jr. on Aug. 24,1968, he preceded her in death...

Penny Lee Michael Moore, 63, of Greencastle, formerly of Fortville, passed away Tuesday, July 5 at Putnam County Hospital. Penny, a 1970 graduate of Greencastle High School, was a dental hygienist and pharmacy tech. Survivors include two daughters, Nicci (Bo) Bowser of Ft. ...

Sad to say, but some apologies are in order here today. Yep, although I've written (a few years back, mind you) about how you take your chances in the crosswalks around the Putnam County Courthouse in hoping that vehicles approaching will stop but knowing full well they likely won't...

Indiana enacted 215 new laws during the last General Assembly, and the majority of those went into effect while most of us were pondering the extended Fourth of July weekend. Effective July 1, a number of those new laws are now affecting how Hoosiers live and work and drive and play...