Stories from Friday, June 21, 2019

CLOVERDALE — Two truck drivers were injured in a dust explosion at POET Biorefining Friday afternoon. The incident took place around 12:30 p.m. in the grain-loading facility of the plant at 2265 E. CR 800 South, north of Interstate 70 near Cloverdale. Two truck drivers — not POET employees — who were unloading corn were injured in the blast. They were taken to the hospital by Operation Life ambulances...

BAINBRIDGE -- Following the departure of a well-respected school administrator, North Putnam Schools is welcoming a new educator into its ranks. Through its routine approval of personnel during its regular meeting Thursday evening, the North Putnam School Board enthusiastically approved hiring Brandon Wagler as assistant principal at North Putnam High School...

Jimmy Beasley worked in Greencastle schools for just three years. He is a native of Clinton in western Indiana, and currently works for White River Valley schools in Greene County. Yet, while he was deployed overseas for nine months from August 3, 2018, to May 23, 2019, neither his current employer or his hometown provided him with the most emotional support...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers selected center Goga Bitadze with the 18th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. At 6-foot-11, 245 pounds, he adds depth to a front-line that could undergo major changes this summer with starting forwards Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young set to become free agents next week. The Pacers have five players from their rotation who could hit the open market...

Evelyn R. Teaford, 103, of Greencastle, passed away Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at Mill Pond Health Campus in Greencastle. She was born Sept. 21, 1915 in Paoli to Ross Rutherford and Stella Kirby Rutherford. She married George Wayne Teaford on July 27, 1940...

Longtime local musician Mike Van Rensselaer will bring his banjo, guitar, songs and stories to the Music Mondays children’s concert series Monday at Robe-Ann Park. The concert will take place at 12:30 p.m. in sheltherhouse No. 2. The former Greencastle Middle School teacher has entertained young and old alike since retiring, playing in elementary schools, nursing homes, college classrooms and various other venues in Putnam County...

DePauw University is No. 3 among America’s small colleges (defined as fewer than 5,000 students) for sending the most students overseas through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program in the 2017-18 academic year. An announcement praises DePauw, which produced 13 Gilman Scholars, and other top institutions which “made international study and internships more accessible and inclusive for the highest number of American students of all backgrounds.”...

CLOVERDALE — The Cloverdale High School Alumni Association will host its annual banquet at 6 p.m. Friday, June 28 in the Cloverdale Middle School Cafetorium. Doors will open at 5 p.m. for registration and informal visitation with fellow alumni. The cost of the meal is $20. ...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Criminal Cases Stacy D. Gaskins, 33, Kansas City, Mo., Level 5 felony trafficking a controlled substance with an inmate, Level 5 felony dealing in a Schedule III controlled substance, Class A misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance...

City Police Greencastle Police officers recently issued three tickets. • At 3:16 p.m. on Wednesday, Jeramiah Reed, 32, Cloverdale, was ticketed by Officer Nick Eastham. Stopped on Veterans Memorial Highway, Reed was cited for driving without financial responsibility...

The Balloon Assisted Stratospheric Experiments (BASE) program of the Physics and Astronomy Department at DePauw University has announced its plan to conduct a high-altitude balloon flight to the edge of space on Saturday, July 20. The flight will celebrate the 50th anniversary of man landing on the Moon. Release of the balloon will happen at 8:52 a.m. to commemorate the time when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong entered Eagle, the lunar lander, to begin preparations for descent to the surface...

Twenty-nine Area 30 students were recognized for their achievements as they graduated from the Adult Education Program Friday afternoon. In a simple and to-the-point ceremony held in the community room inside the Area 30 Career Center, friends and family celebrated as the graduates received their diplomas. Their plans for further training or entering the workforce were also highlighted...