Stories from Monday, October 12, 2020

An increase in City of Greencastle water rates is one step closer to reality after action by the City Council at its recent October meeting. Meeting Thursday night at City Hall, the Council unanimously passed Ordinance 2020-9 on a motion by Councilman Dave Murray...

With 40 new cases over the previous seven days, Putnam County has had 665 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March, according to information released by the Indiana State Department of Health on Monday. Over the course of the previous week, the county had a seven-day positivity average of 2.4 percent, or 4.7 percent on unique individuals...

BROWNSBURG – Cloverdale will send its girls’ cross country team on to the Ben Davis Regional after a fourth-place finish at the IHSAA Brownsburg Cross Country Sectional Saturday morning. The Clover squad, which included fifth-place finisher Ella Szczerbik, Lily Monnett, Abigail Nees, Daphanie Geiger, Jessica Geiger and Sydney Willis, will be joined on the west side of Indianapolis by 11 other Putnam County runners this coming Saturday...

Rebidding has had its rewards for the Greencastle Park Department. A second bidding of Phase II of the aquatic center project has at last produced the desired results with Mammoth Inc., Frankfort, submitting the low bid of $366,000 for final work on the bath house and a makeover for the zero-entry portion of the city pool...

So long, Putnam County! After four and a half years as your sports editor, I have started a new position this week as the editor of The Brazil Times. The Times is a sister publication of the Banner Graphic, and both publications (along with the Greene County Daily World) are owned by Rust Communications...

The City of Greencastle is in the midst of finding its way in a wayfinding world. Wayfinding, you see, is kind of a newfangled, fancy way of providing directional support. Signage, signage, signage. Wayfinding “encompasses all of the ways in which people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place” -- at least if you can believe Wikipedia...

MONROVIA -- The interstate 70 project in Hendricks County will have overnight lane closures this week, the Indiana Department of Transportation has announced. From Tuesday, Oct.13 through Thursday, Oct.15 there will be various lane closures on I-70 westbound between State Road 39 (Exit 59) to State Road 267 (Exit 66) for asphalt patching operations...

Showing out in support of President Donald Trump, a caravan makes its way into Greencastle Sunday afternoon...

The City of Greencastle is attempting to qualify for a $700,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (IOCRA) and is currently seeking grant funding to complete a water improvements construction project with grant dollars...

There will be a Gleaners drive-through food giveaway from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. The event is open to all Putnam County residents. Moving forward, the Gleaners drive-through for seniors age 55-plus will be on the second Thursday of each month from 10 a.m.-noon, while the all-ages event will be on the third Thursday from 4-6 p.m...

Any photographer who’s ever had questions about lighting knows the struggle. How do I get enough light? How do I use a speedlight? What does E-TTL mean? How does an off-camera flash work? To answer these and other questions, the Putnam County Photography Club is sponsoring “Bring the Light,” a presentation by professional photographer Tim Biddle, owner of Photos by TK...

Rotary members in Greencastle are taking action on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today. This year, the event will be brunch-to-go to end polio, a partnership with Almost Home that will provide a drive-through breakfast of cinnamon rolls and mimosas on World Polio Day, which is Saturday, Oct. 24...

Mary Allison Children’s Trust President Jim Jackson and board member Jeff Kiger take the next leg on the elementary school road trip to the northern part of the county, presenting $1,000 each to Bainbridge Elementary and Roachdale Elementary to assist with the assistance the students may need during the first semester of the 2020-21 school year...

It isn’t a pleasant thing to think about, but as the farmers finish up harvest and the temperatures continue to drop, the number of mice seeking refuge into houses is going to increase. Mice are brown rodents with large ears and small eyes that weigh about half an ounce. Their tail is generally three to four inches long...

Patricia Henthorn Hetrick, 83, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020 at Life’s Journey Hospice of Avon with her loving husband at her side. She had commented that she wondered what the music will be like in Heaven. Now she knows. Born May 7, 1937, Patricia was the beloved only child of Marcus Dewey Henthorn and Esther Stamp Henthorn. ...

With the October meeting of the DePauw University Board of Trustees concluding Friday, and discussions held with staff members who are part of DePauw’s COVID-19 operations team, faculty, students and health officials, President Lori White has announced that for spring term DePauw will welcome all students who choose to live and learn on campus...

ROACHDALE -- Administration at North Putnam Schools will now get to see increases to their base salaries. However, two of them did not have complete support from the North Putnam School Board. During its regular meeting last Thursday, the board individually approved $1,200 pay increases for North Putnam’s principals and assistant principals. These also included Athletic Director Roger Busch and Director of Operations Terry Tippin...

What started out with Amber Blevins selling clothing from her home culminates as she cuts the ribbon on a new storefront for Simply Rustik at 21 S. Indiana St., Greencastle. Present to welcome Blevins to the Putnam County Chamber are (from left) Kristin Clary, Executive Director Brian Cox, Shannon Detro, Brooke Trissel, Jinsie Bingham, Vincent Aguirre and Beau Battin...

Five people were booked in the Putnam County Jail on Thursday. • At 1:17 p.m. Joshua A. Harbrueger, 36, Terre Haute, was lodged at the jail for petition to revoke probation. • At 10:31 a.m. Ronda R. Lewis, 51, Brazil, was taken into custody for driving with a suspended license...

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Daniel J. Doerflein, 31, Poland, Level 6 felony auto theft, Class A misdemeanor invasion of privacy Carol M. Anderson, 43, Quincy, Level 6 felony possession of methamphetamine Ryan E. Griesenauer, 28, Nashville, Tenn., Class C misdemeanor reckless driving...

It’s hard to have a political discussion in 2020 without the topic of COVID-19 being prominent. The recent candidate forum featuring District 37 State Senate candidates Republican Rodric Bray Democrat Tom Wallace was no different, though the topic of education was also a hot-button topic, as it is in any state election cycle...

The Greencastle Middle School 7th grade volleyball team finished its season undefeated, compiling a record of 14-0, along with winning the Putnam County Championship and the WIC Championship. The team beat Sullivan and North Clay in the first two rounds of the WIC on Saturday, Oct. 3 to win the West Division...

A familiar face is returning to Putnam County to serve as the sports editor of the Banner Graphic. Trent Scott will be the new sports editor, taking over for Joey Bennett, who departs Greencastle to serve as the editor for sister paper The Brazil Times...

Kenneth Lee Ames, 85, of Fillmore, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. Born in Clay County, he was the son of John and Lucille (Aker) Ames . He was a graduate of Fillmore High School. Kenny was a lifelong farmer. He was awarded the Prairie Farmer “Master Farmer Award” in 2002; served on the Putnam County Fair Board as a member and past president; was a past supervisor of Putnam County Soil and Water District; and a member of the Fillmore United Methodist Church...