Stories from Monday, November 7, 2016

Gerald "Jerry" A. Baker, 57, Reelsville, passed away Oct. 30, 2016 at his residence after battling pancreatic cancer. He was born in Niles, Mich., on Oct. 13, 1959, the son of George and Edna Baker. He retired from Verizon Wireless in 2011 as a RF engineer...

Gertrude "Marie" Norris Lawson, 93, of Greencastle, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 at The Waters of Greencastle, where she had been a resident since October 2010. Marie was born on April 25, 1923 in Greencastle to Charles and Mackie Lee Brown...

Thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, the new Greencastle Police Department K9, Cain, will receive a bullet and stab protective vest. K9 Cain's vest is sponsored by an anonymous donor and will be embroidered with the sentiment, "This gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s Inc." Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks...

George Bland Durham, 68, Melbourne, Fla., lost his battle with leukemia on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. Born in Greencastle on Aug. 21, 1948, George was the son of the late J. Frank and Frances H. Durham of Greencastle. After graduating from Greencastle High School, George joined the U.S. Air Force, where his talent for languages was discovered...

Ongoing work at the Putnam County Courthouse will cause the south entrance to remain closed on Election Day. The south entrance is normally the one used as an entrance to the polling place for the Greencastle Township First South precinct. However, the other three entrances of the courthouse will remain open, so voters should have no trouble casting their ballots...

Ivy Tech Community College is hosting events Nov. 14 and 15 for special programs offered at the Greencastle Campus. The Monday, Nov. 14 event is for those who want to learn more about the Practical Nursing program and the Tuesday, Nov. 15 event is for those who want to learn more about the Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP)...

Putnam County voters came early to the polls in record numbers this year. Closing with a flurry of activity in the final days, 3,629 registered voters cast early in-person ballots at the Putnam County Courthouse between Oct. 12 and Nov. 7. This is 836 more early in-person voters than the previous record of 2,793, set in 2008. It is also nearly 1,300 more than the 2,354 figure of four years ago...