Stories from Thursday, November 9, 2017

James H. Smithers, 85, of Peoria, Ill., passed away at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 at Unity Point Health Methodist in Peoria surrounded by his loving family. He was born on June 19, 1932 in Greencastle to Ollie and Lucille (Custis) Smithers...

Thanksgiving is a time our nation has set aside to thank God for the many blessings He has given us. However, not everyone in the Greencastle/Putnam County community has family nearby with whom to celebrate. Many do not have the means to purchase food supplies to celebrate Thanksgiving this year...

ROACHDALE ­— All veterans and their spouses are entitled to a free meal at the Roachdale VFW post on Friday, Nov. 17. The dinner is set for 5-7:30 p.m. at the post, 206 N. Meridian St. The dinner is free for veterans and spouses and available for a free-will donation for non-veterans...

Jim and Glenda Nelson will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 12, 2017 They were married on Nov. 12, 1967 at the Ladoga Christian Church. They have one daughter, Jayme Kay and son-in-law Ben Merkling and two grandsons, Zac and Ty.

Putnam County Farm Bureau, Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association and Purdue Extension are teaming up to offer a program on planning for retirement on Monday, Nov. 20. The free program will feature: • End of Life Care by Tammy Hunter, Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Vanessa C. Weddell, 19, Greencastle, passing stopped school bus Ronald G. Hayden, 73, Coatesville, speeding Kameron J. Schultz, 17, Greencastle, speeding Brittany R. Davis, 18, Greencastle, seat belt violation...

As winter approaches, the need for supplies increases for food pantries. From Nov. 13-17 Teachers Credit Union in Greencastle will be accepting canned foods of all sorts, paper products and hygiene items as well as cash donations. All items collected will go to Lifespring Food Pantry, located on U.S. 36 just east of the U.S. 231/36 intersection (1700 W. U.S. 36 Bainbridge)...

The last part in a series of programs on alternative healing at the Putnam County Public Library will feature a segment on herbal cooking with Constance Ferry of Hobbitt Gardens near Fillmore. The free program is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the library, 103 E. Poplar St., Greencastle...

Audiences can enjoy an uplifting array of works for symphonic band and wind ensemble at the DePauw University Band’s fall concert on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. in the Green Center’s Kresge Auditorium — and give to a great community cause through its collection drive for the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry...

All the leaves aren’t brown but parking your car under a tree on a frosty night in Indiana can still leave you with a surprise come morning, as the owner of this leaf-covered car parked along North Indiana Street certainly found out Thursday...

Reporting some shocking statistics regarding hunger and homelessness locally, Mayor Bill Dory recently recognized Nov. 11-19 as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in the City of Greencastle. Surrounded by several community stakeholders, including several from Beyond Homeless Inc., Dory reported that 88 students in Greencastle Community Schools were identified as homeless at the start of the 2017-18 school year...

Last Sunday, Crown Equipment Corp.’s Celina, Ohio, manufacturing plant sustained damage due to a tornado. Fortunately, employees had plenty of time to take shelter and no injuries were reported. According to the National Weather Service, one of two EF-2 tornadoes in the area touched down in Celina and some of the most significant damage was at Crown Equipment Corp. where a significant portion of the roof was removed and exterior walls on the southwest side of the building collapsed...

With 12 break-ins reported in the Heritage Lake area over the last two months, detectives with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department are trying to find how many of them are linked to one man. Austin W. McFerron, 22, Coatesville, was booked in the Putnam County Jail on Nov. 2 for burglary, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a syringe and possession of paraphernalia...

With four years in the U.S. Army and 40 as a nurse, Rosa Rivera knows a thing or two about toughness. So even at 95 years old, the woman believed to be Putnam County’s oldest living female veteran wasn’t going to let a recent fall get in the way of doing something she wanted to do...

South Putnam hosted North Clay in eighth-grade boys’ basketball on Wednesday. The Eagles won the “A” game 25-22, and North Clay won the “B” game 23-7. “The ‘A’ team played a much-improved game,” coach Scott Fosdick said. The Eagles trailed at the end of the first quarter 4-2, but went on a 9-2 run behind a five-point second quarter by Clay Cash to lead at 11-6 at halftime...

Although ESPN celebrated just its 38th anniversary a couple of months ago, the cable television leader in televised sports programming has undergone many changes during that brief tenure. Bill Rasmussen, a 1954 DePauw graduate, has been on campus all week speaking to several different student groups and making other appearances during Monon Bell Classic week...

TERRE HAUTE — Fresh off her victory in the Indiana High School Athletic Association cross country state finals last month, Greencastle junior Emma Wilson will look to make her mark on the national level on Sunday. Wilson will be competing in the Nike Cross Regionals Midwest at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course, the same facility where she won her first state title...

Game time: 1:07 p.m. (gates open at 11:30 a.m.). Location: Blackstock Stadium. On the air: WGRE-FM 91.5 will broadcast the game. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana and FOX Sports College Central, as well as the FOX Sports Go app...

High school football came to an end Friday night for Putnam County teams, and each of the four teams should feel good about its season. • North Putnam won its 12th county championship in the last 24 years, but ran into a little bad luck — and an excellent Tipton team — in the sectional...

Game time: 7:30 p.m. varsity tipoff. The coaches: Gary Sims is in his 11th year at Edgewood with a record of 155-96. Brian Gardner is in his third year at South Putnam with a record of 26-23. So far: Edgewood defeated West Vigo 56-20, South Vermillion 66-59 and Greencastle 51-45 before losing 78-33 to Bloomington South. South Putnam won its opener 54-50 over Rockville on Tuesday...