Stories from Thursday, June 17, 2021

BAINBRIDGE — Two dogs were lost but a family of seven is safe following a fire Thursday morning. The Bainbridge Fire Department and multiple other fire departments were able to contain the fire at 106 E. Depot St. to two upstairs rooms and the attic. The first floor sustained smoke and water damage. The home is the residence of the Jesus and Tara Pagan family...

Greencastle has a new police officer and the same old set of concerns. The Board of Public Works and Safety Thursday selected 34-year-old Seth Doty of Greencastle as a new patrol officer for the Greencastle Police Department. He replaces Eric Vaughan who left the department earlier this year to take a Community Corrections post in Vigo County...

There wasn’t a whole lotta shakin’ going on but west central Indiana experienced a mild earthquake Thursday afternoon. At 3:18 p.m., a magnitude 3.8 earthquake occurred 1.9 miles west of Bloomingdale in Parke County, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. Residents in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio reported shaking from the earthquake...

CLOVERDALE — Two motorists are dead following a head-on collision on State Road 42 southeast of Cloverdale late Tuesday morning. At about 11 a.m., first responders were called to the iron bridge crossing Mill Creek for a two-vehicle crash. Putnam County EMS arrived at the scene at about 11:07 with other personnel coming shortly afterward...

The fate of a Warren Township Music Festival will have to wait another month. Already on the Putnam County Board of Zoning Appeals agenda twice, the decision on a requested special exception by Willer Timber Ridge to host LIVEstock music festival will not formally be heard until BZA meeting on Monday, July 12...

Contractors needing inspections by the Putnam County Building Department should soon find the process more efficient. On Tuesday, the Putnam County Council gave Putnam County Plan Director Lisa Zeiner the go-ahead to hire a full-time building inspector...

With $7 million in American Rescue Plan funds coming the county’s way, a new board was established to review proposals for the funds. In a joint meeting Tuesday, the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council agreed to establish a five-member board to consider possible uses for the money...

The words “boot camp” may conjure mental images of marching, running and calesthenics in the hot sun. The annual Police Boot Camp, presented by Greencastle Parks and Recreation and Greencastle Police Department, has been that for 43 kids this week, but also such much more...

By Trent Scott Sports Editor At the same time that Matt Pickerill will be moving into the boys’ varsity basketball head coaching position at South Putnam, one of the two prior head coaches of the Eagles will be back in the saddle elsewhere come next school year...

Ava is a graduate of South Putnam and participated in three sports: cross country, basketball and softball. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Ava McHugh: “Sports are very important to me and a huge part of who I am. ...

At last week’s South Putnam School Board meeting, Matt Pickerill was appointed as the new varsity boys’ basketball coach. Pickerill arrives from the East Washing School Corporation, having been a teacher at East Washington Elementary School, first coaching at East Washington Middle School before becoming an assistant at Eastern (Pekin) High School for the past few years...

Thomas (Tom) Lloyd Miller passed at home on June 15, 2021 at the age of 76. He was surrounded by family. Tom was a lover of all things food and cooking and often the source of many “Tom” jokes and stories and mishaps only he could master. He was the passionate owner of his grandfather’s 1941 Willys Americar that he restored to all original parts, winning multiple awards on the car show circuit...

Greencastle Eagles Lodge 4388 is having a benefit chicken dinner for the Keyt family from 5-7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The public is invited to support the family and enjoy musice from Frequency Band from 8 p.m.-midnight. Cost is $8 a plate. The fundraiser will also include a silent auction of homemade baked goods...

John Ashton Davies, 88, of Fillmore, passed away on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Mill Pond Health Campus. John was born in Youngstown, Ohio, on Aug. 5, 1932, the son of John E. and Amy (Burdett) Davies. He was a graduate of Amo High School. Mr. Davies proudly served in the United States Marine Corps...

PLAINFIELD — Two Duke Energy Foundation grants totaling more than $113,000 will help improve broadband internet access in underserved areas in 15 Indiana counties. The Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the Purdue Center for Regional Development to work with counties to develop “digital inclusion plans” to assess broadband access and needs. The targeted counties will receive $5,000 each to develop the plans...

BRAZIL — The Brazil Concert Band will present Dad’s Night Out on Sunday, June 20 at 8 p.m. in Forest Park, rain or shine. The band and director Matthew Huber will honor Father’s Day with a variety of music, including a march written by John Camp. Camp is a retired lieutenant commander in the United States Navy and recently retired from teaching at Ivy Tech. ...

The children of Don and Micalene (Sinclair) Walton are pleased to announce the 60th wedding anniversary of their parents. Don and Micalene both graduated from Belle Union High School and they were married June 30, 1961 in Greencastle by Brother Lewis Willis...

Mary Beth Petrie, dean of admissions at Lawrence University, will return to her native Indiana Aug. 1 to join DePauw University as its new vice president for enrollment management. Her appointment is the result of a nationwide search assisted by Chuck O’Boyle, DePauw’s higher education search counsel...

Mary Allison Children’s Trust President Jim Jackson and board member Jim Staggers present a $400 check recently to sixth-grade math teacher Cathy Smith and guidance counselor Kathleen Glaser of Cloverdale Middle School for the bird house projects at the Knoy Resource Center...

Beta Psi Chapter of Tri Kappa celebrated the recent initiation of five new members. The new members are (from left) Abby Simmerman, Ashley Kuhne, Carol Miller, Kate Chassey and Melissa Lawson. Simmerman is a legacy, the granddaughter of member Carolyn McKee.

The following cases were filed in Putnam County courts recently. Richard J. Thomas, 45, Roachdale, Level 6 felony escape Sandra R. Sanchez, 33, Greencastle, Class A misdemeanor theft, Class A misdemeanor criminal trespass Kevin R. Patterson, 44, Terre Haute, Class B misdemeanor harassment by means of a telephone call...

In my last article, I wrote about the Putnam County Youth Philanthropy (YP) Committee and described the work in which the committee is engaged. I bragged that they are amongst the best and brightest anywhere. For those who work alongside these exceptional students, this is both a time of celebration and sadness; five of our “kids” are graduating and leaving YP. So indulge me for a few more minutes and let me brag on them as they move on...

Eight people were booked in the Putnam County Jail recently. Thursday • At 1:21 a.m. Coty A. Gray, 26, Indianapolis, was booked in on a local warrant for theft. Wednesday • At 2:13 p.m. Samantha J. Johnson, 22, Terre Haute, was lodged at the jail for disorderly conduct...

CLOVERDALE ­— Cloverdale Schools will be getting another boost of funding to continue mitigating lingering effects of COVID-19 on learning and providing for students and staff. The Cloverdale School Board approved to receive $1,703,451.50 through the third phase of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) grant program...

RUSSELLVILLE — Town officials and the community at large in Russellville are now again looking forward to grant funding to replace the town’s dilapidated water tower. The Russellville Town Council held a hearing Wednesday evening at which Amy Miller of Cornerstone Grant Management gave an overview of reapplying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA)...

Nolan Ginther (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) of the men’s basketball team has been selected the 2021 Phil Eskew Award recipient as DePauw’s top senior male student-athlete. Ginther will be DePauw’s nominee for the North Coast Athletic Conference’s Don Hunsinger Award...

Becca St. Germain (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) has been selected DePauw’s 2021 Amy Hasbrook Award recipient as the top senior female student-athlete. St. Germain will be DePauw’s nominee for the North Coast Athletic Conference’s Pam Smith Award and the NCAA Woman of the Year Award...