Stories from Friday, July 5, 2019

A Greencastle woman was airlifted to and Indianapolis hospital after her compact car was struck by two larger vehicles just north of Greencastle Friday afternoon. At 1:21 p.m., Stacy Sparks, 41, was northbound on U.S. 231 at the intersection with County Road 25 South when her Ford Focus was rear-ended by a minivan, the impact of which pushed the small car into the southbound lane...

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who The New York Times called “one of the country’s most distinguished and widely respected diplomats,” will come to DePauw University on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to deliver an Ubben Lecture. Details of the event - including time and venue - will be issued at a later date. Like all Ubben Lectures, the event is presented free of admission and is open to all. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and no tickets will be distributed...

Local poet and DePauw professor of English Eugene Gloria has produced a fresh slate of poems in his newest collection “Sightseer in This Killing City.” Called a poet whose “gift is breathtaking” by Naomi Shihab Nye, Gloria says his work is rooted in surreal and unreal feelings of the present and meditates on memory, heritage and identity. Booklist calls this new release “A seriously outstanding collection.”...

The other day, someone I’ve known for years offered a pointed bit of criticism. “It’s easy for people like you to make long lists of things Congress should do to improve,” he said. “But you know good and well most of them won’t happen. So if you’re really serious, what’s the one most important thing it could do? What does Congress absolutely need to start getting itself back on track?”...

State health officials have confirmed the presence of West Nile virus in mosquitoes in two counties and are urging Hoosiers to take steps to protect themselves from the insects and the diseases they can carry. As of July 1, mosquitoes in Elkhart and Clark counties have tested positive for West Nile virus. ...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Criminal Cases Heather D. Griffith, 27, Indianapolis, Level 6 felony unlawful possession of a syringe, Class B misdemeanor false informing Mindy R. Barton, 25, Wagoner, Okla., Class C misdemeanor driving while intoxicated...

A new law that took effect the very day a crash took the life of a California truck driver has a Brazil man facing a more serious charge than originally believed. Already facing four felony charges for striking and killing 66-year-old Freddie L. Smith of Sacramento on Monday, July 1, Brian P. ...

County Jail Four people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently. Friday • At midnight, Haven Matthew Kleiber, 21, Bainbridge, was lodged at the jail for theft, resisting law enforcement, criminal mischief and public intoxication. Thursday • At 7:44 p.m. Mindy Rachelle Barton, 35, Wagoner, Okla., was taken into custody for driving with a BAC of .15 or more...

Reading can bring many worlds together. Reading to animals, though, can bring joy, inspiration and the possibility of a forever home. The Putnam County Humane Society hosts a reading program in which children are able to read to dogs and cats at the animal shelter...

Marking another occasion celebrating charity, Walmart awards a $1,000 grant to the Trinity Center in Amo Tuesday morning..