Stories from Tuesday, March 2, 2021

A year after the world, not just the basketball world, stopped in its tracks, the IHSAA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament gears up for action this week with all four Putnam County teams aiming for a sectional title to add to their trophy cases. Three games will involve county teams in the opening rounds at Frankfort and Cloverdale with the Clovers getting the ball up first Tuesday against Parker Heritage, followed by South Putnam and North Putnam squaring off at Al Tucker Court Wednesday while Greencastle battles North Montgomery at Case Arena.. ...

With IHSAA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament play beginning this week, anything that might be a distraction from sectional play would be an unwelcome development, even if it were an important part of the educational process such as choosing a place to continue secondary education...

Craig A. Monnett, age 69, unexpectedly left this world for his heavenly home on Feb 5, 2021. Craig lived most of his life in Putnam County, the last 13 years at Heritage Lake. He attended Greencastle High School and graduated from Wentworth Military Academy...

The Putnam County Health Department announced Tuesday that the Indiana Department of Health has lowered the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility age to 55 and older. As with before, all vaccinations require an appointment in advance. Appointments may be made by calling 2-1-1 or vising www.putnamhealthindiana.org and selecting the COVID-19 Vaccinations link at the top of the page...

A tenacious civil rights leader and a trusted adviser to American presidents, 1957 DePauw University graduate Vernon E. Jordan died Monday night. He was 85. Jordan grew up in Atlanta but chose to come north to attend DePauw University for his higher education. He knew he would stand out as an African-American matriculant from the segregated south, and he was the only Black student in the Class of 1957 and one of only five African Americans in the student body when he first stepped onto campus...

The Putnam County Public Library has announced a new digital lab in its archives department that will provide equipment and space for the community to digitize photographs, videos, sound recordings and more. “As our technologies continue to change, as they always have, the digital lab will allow patrons to migrate old formats to newer formats,” said archivist Anthony Barger...

The boil order for Reelsville Water Authority customers along Manhattan Road has been lifted. The order had been in place since late last week following a broken water main. Two clean samples were returned from the state, meaning customers can return to normal water consumption...

DePauw University will return to normal classroom and living operations in the fall, President Lori S. White announced Tuesday. “I am extremely pleased to officially confirm our plans to return to a fully residential living, learning and working environment for fall term 2021,” White said. ...

Michael “Mike” “Big Ugly” Lanham, 45, Bluffton, Ohio, formerly of Bainbridge, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021 at 4:12 p.m at his residence after a long battle with heart disease and diabetes. Mike was born Dec. 22, 1975 in Okinawa, Japan, to Michael Lanham and Linda Kinn...