Stories from Thursday, October 20, 2016

Today is Thursday, Oct. 20, the 294th day of 2016. There are 72 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Oct. 20, 1976, 78 people were killed when the Norwegian tanker Frosta rammed the commuter ferry George Prince on the Mississippi River near New Orleans...

A suspect who tried unsuccessfully to flee from police at the Putnam County Courthouse last Friday couldn't outrun his criminal history either. Carey K. Carr, 50, Brownsburg, a suspect with nine separate sentences to the Indiana Department of Correction between 1989 and 2009, appeared before Judge Pro Tem Mindi Jackman-Hanlin in Putnam Superior Court Monday afternoon on two counts of resisting law enforcement in what appears to be just the latest of his indiscretions...

Helen Joan Hendricks, 84, of Ladoga, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 at Hendricks Regional. She was born Nov. 17, 1931 in Indianapolis, daughter of the late Earl and Helen Anna (Gantz) Simon. She attended the Full Gospel Church in New Maysville...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. The following cases have been filed recently in Putnam County courts. Criminal Cases • Michael Eugene Skinner, 44, Greencastle, possession of methamphetamine • Cassidy Jane Frost, 19, Bainbridge, Level 6 felony unlawful possession of a syringe, Class A misdemeanor theft...

City Police Two recent arrests were reported by Greencastle City Police officers. • At 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, Max Morphew, 45, Greencastle, was arrested at a Maple Avenue apartment by Reserve Officer Billy Wallace. Lodged in the Putnam County Jail, Morphew was picked up on a Putnam County warrant for strangulation and domestic battery...

To the Editor: The Greencastle Fire Department would like to extend a special “Thanks” to the following supporters who contributed to the 16th annual GFD Open House event on Oct. 6. We had a huge success this year. The winners of the coloring, poster and art contests were recognized with ages ranging from pre-K to 12th grade...

To the Editor: Even if you enjoy hunting and fishing, please vote “no” on Indiana’s Ballot Question No. 1, Right to Fish/Hunt/Harvest Wildlife. Evvery citizen in the U.S. already has equal opportunity to hunt and fish. Enshrining a failing conservation system in the constitution for “the public good” is dangerous. Politicians are consistently reluctant to uphold regulations that protect biodiversity and sound conservation practices. Reaffirming existing laws renders regulation nearly impossible...

To the Editor: I have always suspected that I was a chump and a loser, but it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that I realized the full magnitude of my stupidity. For my entire working life, I have paid income taxes -- even when I was in high school working in a shoe store. As my income climbed over the years, the tax percentage went up and up. Like a moron, I paid the full rate...

We should change the nature of presidential debates to put control of the process on the voters’ side, and not let the candidates get away with fluff. We’re in the middle of the presidential debates, and not surprisingly, they’re drawing viewers in great numbers. The contest is close, and the chance to watch the two candidates spar with one another face-to-face makes for entertaining television...

Election fever has caught on around the nation, around the state and right here in Putnam County. It’s not hard to see why. With a presidential election seemingly unprecedented in its divisiveness, people are choosing sides and finding someone to vote for — or against...