Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
Saturday, November 10, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam graduation rate is on the rise, and that includes not just 2012, but the 1970s as well.
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Drivers running stop arm on school buses remains an issue
Friday, November 9, 2012
Drivers are required to stop for a school bus when the stop arm is engaged, but blowing past the signal has become a growing trend in the North Putnam community. The Indiana State Police are cracking down by following buses in unmarked vehicles.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
BAINBRIDGE -- Vehicles speeding to and from work along U.S. 36 have blown past stopped school buses at an alarming rate recently.
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and a stop-arm extended, cars going in both directions are required to stop, but bus drivers and parents have witnessed a number of violations.
"We have been contacted a number of times over the last couple years by the North Putnam School Corporation and parents along U.S. 36," Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts said.
On Thursday the ISP had a unmarked-car stakeout to catch possible violators, something they have done more than 10 times.
"It's getting worse," North Putnam bus driver Penny Rush said. "One of these days they're going to hurt somebody's child."
Rush has been a bus driver for the school for 8 years and said she and all of the other drivers are extremely protective of the students, being sure to turn on her yellow warning lights well in advance of a stop.
But that's not always enough to make motorists stop.
"Sometimes it's because they're on a cell phone, sometimes it's because they don't want to stop," Rush said. "You can tell. When they see the yellow lights come on, they speed up."
ISP officers issued a citation to one such motorist on Thursday.
Sgt. Watts said the driver stated he saw the yellow and red lights, but didn't believe he had time to stop. ISP officers disagreed.
Violators can be issued either a citation for a traffic infraction -- a $150 ticket -- or, if the perpetrator is behaving especially recklessly, a class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Stephen and Kim Lawrenz have an eight-year-old son, Seth, who attends Bainbridge Elementary.
The Lawrenzs live along U.S. 36 and meet Seth at the end of their driveway almost every day.
"If (drivers) see me, they know there is a kid getting off," Lawrenz said.
But that's not always the case.
A 230-foot skid mark in front of their driveway is from a semi driver that failed to stop in time for the bus. Luckily Seth doesn't have to cross the road on his way home, but a number of students along the route do.
"(Drivers) have to be patient, slow down and always look down range," Watts said.
When the semi skidded in front of the Lawrenz home, they took action. Kim got information and called state and local police to track the vehicle down.
Weeks later, ISP officers tracked the driver down and issued him a citation.
"The law says all we need to have is a preponderance of evidence," Watts said. "(To issue a citation) we don't need beyond a reasonable doubt."
Parents, bus drivers and other witnesses can write down the license plate number, a vehicle description and other markings and notify local or state law enforcement officers.
Police have up to two years to issue a ticket.
Rush said during the Covered Bridge Festival drivers were flagrant violators, even going as far as making eye contact and waving to her as they drove past a stop arm.
The students are taught to be careful and not cross the street until drivers wave them across.
For the past couple years, they've done a better job obeying signals than the passing motorists.
"When drivers see those yellow lights come on," Rush said, "that's a signal to them to be ready to stop."
Seats change for three of the four local school boards
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Longtime educator Darrell Wiatt was elected to replace incumbent Jacquelyn Simpson as the Russell Township representative on the North Putnam School Board.
Wiatt is among a number of new board members that were elected on Tuesday night.
Also new to the North Putnam School Board are Jill Summerlot, who ran uncontested in Franklin Township, and James Bowling, who was elected in Monroe Township over Dustin Osborn.
In the South Putnam corporation, Anthony Heavin and Angie Nichols will begin serving in January.
Heavin was elected in the at-large contest, defeating Trisha Shrader, and Nichols was elected to the Washington Township seat, defeating Tim McKean.
New members on the Cloverdale School Board include Christopher Mann and Rob Schroer.
Mann and Schroer, along with incumbent Donna Fidler, were elected to represent Cloverdale Township, defeating Chris Kaufman and Tim Powell.
Bobbie Nees retains her spot as the Jackson Township representative.
Wiatt (218 votes, 70 percent) is the only school board member to unseat a contesting incumbent.
"I'm honored and humbled that I get this opportunity to serve as the Russell Township representative," Wiatt said. "Sometimes it's hard to beat incumbents, and I think that Jacquelyn Simpson has done a good job."
Wiatt was an educator in the North Putnam district for 39 years until his retirement in 2011.
"I thought with my experiences I could make some improvements," Wiatt said. "Nobody likes to see cuts, but I feel like I can do it where it's not going to hurt the kids."
He also stressed the importance of working to improve the school grades, which, outside of the high school, were among the lowest in the county.
Wiatt, Summerlot (454 votes) and Bowling (296 votes, 54.7 percent) will join Mark Hoke (3,075 votes), re-elected to the at-large seat on Tuesday, Travis Lambermont, Ollie Haste and John Hays on the North Putnam board.
All the newly-elected members said they planned to attend the November and December school board meetings.
Hoke's new term begins in 2014.
"I'd just like to even the playing field for our students," Summerlot said. "I decided it was time that maybe we made some changes with our school board. There have been some issues that have been going on. I felt that, as a parent, it was time to make the move (to run)."
Summerlot, a mother of three, including two current NPHS students (Kelsey, 17, junior and Riley, 15, sophomore), is a special education parent advocate who also serves as vice president of the North Putnam Band Boosters.
"We need to move forward and make sure all of our kids have access to our curriculum; all of our kids have access to a safe school and that they are welcomed in our school."
Bowling said he is excited to take on a leadership role within the community, but will take a backset on the board initially.
"I've got to go to a couple meetings and get my bearings before I can see what needs to be done," Bowling said. "They need some changes up there."
Bowling has two children currently enrolled at North Putnam -- Raegan, a freshman, and Christian Pingleton, a seventh-grader.
The South Putnam board will gain a new member with experience in education as well. Angie Nichols (1,634 votes, 65.4 percent) is a former secretary at Reelsville Elementary, which closed this past year.
The South Putnam at-large winner, Heavin, is a South Putnam graduate who went on to attend DePauw University.
He said he hopes to help the corporation and its administrators continue down the path that helped raise him.
"(My wife and I) feel that there were a lot of teachers, administrators and community members that stepped up and made us who we are today," Heavin said. "It takes a village to raise a child, not just parents or teachers, but community members and volunteer."
Heavin (1,676 votes, 66 percent) will begin serving in 2014 when Nancy Wells' term is up.
Nichols and Heavin will join Steve Cash (2,129 votes), re-elected on Tuesday to the Marion Township seat, Wesley Hacker and David Bombei on the South Putnam board.
"We still need some experience to carry (the board) on and to help train the new people," Cash said. "There are always different areas that we need to improve on and stay on top of the new innovations in education and try to deal with what the state has imposed on us."
Cash said he is familiar with the new members and is excited to have them join.
"I think we'll be OK. (Electing Nichols) keeps a lady on the board, who will keep everyone on their toes," Cash said. "Anthony is sharp and he's a doctor. He'll help us in an education fashion and he will give us intelligent and well-thought-out answers on what we need to do."
The Cloverdale board is getting an infusion of new members as well.
Cloverdale Township representatives Dave Brinkman and Linda Mann did not seek re-election, but now there is a new Mann on the board.
Christopher Mann (1,296 votes) has three children in the school system and said he hopes to contribute to his community the best he can.
"I really hope to have outstanding academic success for all our students and to have a very well-run school," Christopher Mann said. "(My goals) are just to keep Cloverdale as a top-notch school with outstanding academics, good fiscal management and accountability to our taxpayers."
Rob Schroer (1,174 votes) will join Christopher Mann on the board and said he felt, as a life-long Cloverdale resident, he could give back to the school.
I really didn't have an agenda," Schroer said. "I thought I could do the school good, so I decided to run for (the board)."
Christopher Mann, Schroer, Fidler (1,559 votes) and Nees (1,230 votes) will begin their terms in January, joining sitting board members Duane Huge, Pamelia Hepfer and Brian Asbury.
Candidates in Cloverdale also received votes in Owen County.
All school board candidates run as non-partisan.
The North Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on the third Thursday each month.
The South Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on third Monday each month.
The Cloverdale School Board holds regular meetings on the second Monday each month.
Fire behind Wendy's sign smokes out customers
Monday, November 5, 2012
Firefighters for the Greencastle Fire Department cut down the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the restaurant on Monday afternoon to gain access to smoldering rubble behind it. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
The Greencastle Wendy's was abruptly evacuated a little after noon on Monday in the middle of lunch rush when smoke began billowing into the dining room.
An electrical short behind the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the building on Indianapolis Road on the city's East Side reportedly caused a fire to begin, sending smoke through the ventilation system and ceiling tiles.
"I smelled it before (I saw it)," worker Joann Whittaker said. "Electrical fires have a very distinct smell. I looked up and could see smoke and people were getting up."
The dining room was almost completely full, workers said, and patrons began rushing outside quickly.
"I had a full line of cars in the drive through," Megan Farmer said. "People were freaking out."
The Greencastle Fire Department responded to the scene, tearing the sign off the front of the building to get inside.
Assistant fire chief Jeff Mace said the Wendy's staff had already attacked the flames with dry chemical extinguishers before firefighters arrived.
"It appears the wiring behind the sign started the fire," Mace said.
The amount of damage is unknown, though it appears to be noninvasive as the restaurant was reopened Monday afternoon with approval from the State Board of Health.
Other Wendy's workers present during the incident included general manager Tabitha Kendall and crew members Hunter Winslow, Angus McGaughey and John Elmore.
"It was like Black Friday," Winslow said. "Except it's Monday."
With the dining room filling with smoke, diners and workers hurried to evacuate, with the exception of one who asked if they could hurriedly finish making a Spicy Chicken Sandwich for him.
The Madison Fire Department and Operation Life assisted on scene.
DePauw drops another, will take 2-7 record to Wabash
Sunday, November 4, 2012
DPU sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman threw for 255 yards but it wasn't enough as the Tigers lost to Denison University on Saturday. Seaman faced a heavy pass rush from Big Red senior Lane Hartfield.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Coming off a win the week before, an emotional DePauw University football team looked to carry momentum throughout the tail end of the 2012 season, but uncharacteristically bad tackling and a lackluster offense caused the Tigers to lose to Denison University on Saturday, 39-20.
Sophomore Drew Seaman threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, but completed only 20-of-43 attempts, stifling any chance of gaining traction in the team's no-huddle offense.
DePauw (2-1, 1-5) had 18 carries for negative-13 rush yards.
"We played well starting off then we just missed tackles," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "(Denison) didn't do anything different than we've been working on all week. They were about as good as I thought they would be. We missed tackles. We were poor.
"That's my fault, because obviously the defense wasn't ready to go."
DPU allowed more than 450 yards from scrimmage (211 rushing, 245 passing) to a balanced offensive attack led by senior quarterback Max Paulus.
The Big Red signal caller threw for three touchdowns and rushed for 21 yards and a score.
The DPU rush defense had been one of the few bright spots on the team this year, but the unit was scorched on Saturday.
Senior running back Sam Fioroni total 147 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
"I'm just disappointed because we didn't play like we should have. It's my fault because I didn't get them prepared," Srnka said. "Obviously we weren't ready. I don't know why. I'm not blaming anybody but myself."
DePauw continued a recent trend of rotating quarterbacks.
Seaman started the game and played most of the first half. When the offense stalled late, freshman Justin Murray entered and led the team to a fourth-quarter touchdown.
The two-quarterback system looks likely to continue in the 2012 finale.
The Tigers will wrap up their disappointing season at Wabash next week in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
Srnka said he is not worried about a carryover from the poor effort on Saturday.
"We haven't talked about Wabash once. And they (the players) haven't talked about it," Srnka said. "The Wabash game is the Wabash game. If you can't get excited for that then you've got problems."
At Blackstock Stadium
Denison University 0 19 13 7 -- 39
DePauw University 6 6 0 8 -- 20
First Quarter
DPU -- Coburn 34 yd pass from Seaman (2 pt failed), 0-6 7:40
Second Quarter
DEN -- Lilley 5 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick failed) 6-6 10:20
DPU -- Dwenger 55 yd fumble recovery (Malm kick blocked) 6-12 7:42
DEN -- Fioroni 6 yd run (Puracchio kick failed) 12-12 4:43
DEN -- Fioroni 20 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick) 19-12 1:05
Third Quarter
DEN -- Fioroni 14 yd run (Puracchio kick failed) 25-12 13:29
DEN -- Paulus 4 yd run (Puracchio kick) 32-12 7:54
Fourth Quarter
DEN -- Lilley 7 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick) 39-12 7:30
DPU -- Wagner 6 yd pass from Murray (D.J. Steward pass from Murray) 39-20 6:38
Individual Stats
Rushing
DEN -- Fioroni 28, 147, 2; Paulus 11, 21, 1; Brown 1, 13; Lilley 2, 11; Sklenar 2, 10; Wilson 3, 6; Morris 3, 3
DPU -- Galley 5, 10; Cato 4, 4; Muray 6, -8; Seaman 3, -19.
Passing
DEN -- Paulus 17-29, 245, 3 TD, 0 INT; Wilson 0-1, 0, 0, 0.
DPU -- Seaman 20-43, 255, 1, 1; Murray 6-14, 96, 1, 0.
Receiving
DEN -- Fioroni 6, 54, 1; Layer 4, 95, 0; Morris 3, 19, 0; Lilley 2, 12, 2; Keller 1, 48, 0; McHugh 1, 17, 0.
DPU -- Wagner 6, 100, 1; Coburn 5, 86, 1; Sansone 5, 72, 0; Kirtley 4, 24, 0; Alleman 2, 41, 0; Steward 2, 18, 0; Galley 2,10, 0.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
Saturday, November 10, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam graduation rate is on the rise, and that includes not just 2012, but the 1970s as well.
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Drivers running stop arm on school buses remains an issue
Friday, November 9, 2012
Drivers are required to stop for a school bus when the stop arm is engaged, but blowing past the signal has become a growing trend in the North Putnam community. The Indiana State Police are cracking down by following buses in unmarked vehicles.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
BAINBRIDGE -- Vehicles speeding to and from work along U.S. 36 have blown past stopped school buses at an alarming rate recently.
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and a stop-arm extended, cars going in both directions are required to stop, but bus drivers and parents have witnessed a number of violations.
"We have been contacted a number of times over the last couple years by the North Putnam School Corporation and parents along U.S. 36," Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts said.
On Thursday the ISP had a unmarked-car stakeout to catch possible violators, something they have done more than 10 times.
"It's getting worse," North Putnam bus driver Penny Rush said. "One of these days they're going to hurt somebody's child."
Rush has been a bus driver for the school for 8 years and said she and all of the other drivers are extremely protective of the students, being sure to turn on her yellow warning lights well in advance of a stop.
But that's not always enough to make motorists stop.
"Sometimes it's because they're on a cell phone, sometimes it's because they don't want to stop," Rush said. "You can tell. When they see the yellow lights come on, they speed up."
ISP officers issued a citation to one such motorist on Thursday.
Sgt. Watts said the driver stated he saw the yellow and red lights, but didn't believe he had time to stop. ISP officers disagreed.
Violators can be issued either a citation for a traffic infraction -- a $150 ticket -- or, if the perpetrator is behaving especially recklessly, a class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Stephen and Kim Lawrenz have an eight-year-old son, Seth, who attends Bainbridge Elementary.
The Lawrenzs live along U.S. 36 and meet Seth at the end of their driveway almost every day.
"If (drivers) see me, they know there is a kid getting off," Lawrenz said.
But that's not always the case.
A 230-foot skid mark in front of their driveway is from a semi driver that failed to stop in time for the bus. Luckily Seth doesn't have to cross the road on his way home, but a number of students along the route do.
"(Drivers) have to be patient, slow down and always look down range," Watts said.
When the semi skidded in front of the Lawrenz home, they took action. Kim got information and called state and local police to track the vehicle down.
Weeks later, ISP officers tracked the driver down and issued him a citation.
"The law says all we need to have is a preponderance of evidence," Watts said. "(To issue a citation) we don't need beyond a reasonable doubt."
Parents, bus drivers and other witnesses can write down the license plate number, a vehicle description and other markings and notify local or state law enforcement officers.
Police have up to two years to issue a ticket.
Rush said during the Covered Bridge Festival drivers were flagrant violators, even going as far as making eye contact and waving to her as they drove past a stop arm.
The students are taught to be careful and not cross the street until drivers wave them across.
For the past couple years, they've done a better job obeying signals than the passing motorists.
"When drivers see those yellow lights come on," Rush said, "that's a signal to them to be ready to stop."
Seats change for three of the four local school boards
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Longtime educator Darrell Wiatt was elected to replace incumbent Jacquelyn Simpson as the Russell Township representative on the North Putnam School Board.
Wiatt is among a number of new board members that were elected on Tuesday night.
Also new to the North Putnam School Board are Jill Summerlot, who ran uncontested in Franklin Township, and James Bowling, who was elected in Monroe Township over Dustin Osborn.
In the South Putnam corporation, Anthony Heavin and Angie Nichols will begin serving in January.
Heavin was elected in the at-large contest, defeating Trisha Shrader, and Nichols was elected to the Washington Township seat, defeating Tim McKean.
New members on the Cloverdale School Board include Christopher Mann and Rob Schroer.
Mann and Schroer, along with incumbent Donna Fidler, were elected to represent Cloverdale Township, defeating Chris Kaufman and Tim Powell.
Bobbie Nees retains her spot as the Jackson Township representative.
Wiatt (218 votes, 70 percent) is the only school board member to unseat a contesting incumbent.
"I'm honored and humbled that I get this opportunity to serve as the Russell Township representative," Wiatt said. "Sometimes it's hard to beat incumbents, and I think that Jacquelyn Simpson has done a good job."
Wiatt was an educator in the North Putnam district for 39 years until his retirement in 2011.
"I thought with my experiences I could make some improvements," Wiatt said. "Nobody likes to see cuts, but I feel like I can do it where it's not going to hurt the kids."
He also stressed the importance of working to improve the school grades, which, outside of the high school, were among the lowest in the county.
Wiatt, Summerlot (454 votes) and Bowling (296 votes, 54.7 percent) will join Mark Hoke (3,075 votes), re-elected to the at-large seat on Tuesday, Travis Lambermont, Ollie Haste and John Hays on the North Putnam board.
All the newly-elected members said they planned to attend the November and December school board meetings.
Hoke's new term begins in 2014.
"I'd just like to even the playing field for our students," Summerlot said. "I decided it was time that maybe we made some changes with our school board. There have been some issues that have been going on. I felt that, as a parent, it was time to make the move (to run)."
Summerlot, a mother of three, including two current NPHS students (Kelsey, 17, junior and Riley, 15, sophomore), is a special education parent advocate who also serves as vice president of the North Putnam Band Boosters.
"We need to move forward and make sure all of our kids have access to our curriculum; all of our kids have access to a safe school and that they are welcomed in our school."
Bowling said he is excited to take on a leadership role within the community, but will take a backset on the board initially.
"I've got to go to a couple meetings and get my bearings before I can see what needs to be done," Bowling said. "They need some changes up there."
Bowling has two children currently enrolled at North Putnam -- Raegan, a freshman, and Christian Pingleton, a seventh-grader.
The South Putnam board will gain a new member with experience in education as well. Angie Nichols (1,634 votes, 65.4 percent) is a former secretary at Reelsville Elementary, which closed this past year.
The South Putnam at-large winner, Heavin, is a South Putnam graduate who went on to attend DePauw University.
He said he hopes to help the corporation and its administrators continue down the path that helped raise him.
"(My wife and I) feel that there were a lot of teachers, administrators and community members that stepped up and made us who we are today," Heavin said. "It takes a village to raise a child, not just parents or teachers, but community members and volunteer."
Heavin (1,676 votes, 66 percent) will begin serving in 2014 when Nancy Wells' term is up.
Nichols and Heavin will join Steve Cash (2,129 votes), re-elected on Tuesday to the Marion Township seat, Wesley Hacker and David Bombei on the South Putnam board.
"We still need some experience to carry (the board) on and to help train the new people," Cash said. "There are always different areas that we need to improve on and stay on top of the new innovations in education and try to deal with what the state has imposed on us."
Cash said he is familiar with the new members and is excited to have them join.
"I think we'll be OK. (Electing Nichols) keeps a lady on the board, who will keep everyone on their toes," Cash said. "Anthony is sharp and he's a doctor. He'll help us in an education fashion and he will give us intelligent and well-thought-out answers on what we need to do."
The Cloverdale board is getting an infusion of new members as well.
Cloverdale Township representatives Dave Brinkman and Linda Mann did not seek re-election, but now there is a new Mann on the board.
Christopher Mann (1,296 votes) has three children in the school system and said he hopes to contribute to his community the best he can.
"I really hope to have outstanding academic success for all our students and to have a very well-run school," Christopher Mann said. "(My goals) are just to keep Cloverdale as a top-notch school with outstanding academics, good fiscal management and accountability to our taxpayers."
Rob Schroer (1,174 votes) will join Christopher Mann on the board and said he felt, as a life-long Cloverdale resident, he could give back to the school.
I really didn't have an agenda," Schroer said. "I thought I could do the school good, so I decided to run for (the board)."
Christopher Mann, Schroer, Fidler (1,559 votes) and Nees (1,230 votes) will begin their terms in January, joining sitting board members Duane Huge, Pamelia Hepfer and Brian Asbury.
Candidates in Cloverdale also received votes in Owen County.
All school board candidates run as non-partisan.
The North Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on the third Thursday each month.
The South Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on third Monday each month.
The Cloverdale School Board holds regular meetings on the second Monday each month.
Fire behind Wendy's sign smokes out customers
Monday, November 5, 2012
Firefighters for the Greencastle Fire Department cut down the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the restaurant on Monday afternoon to gain access to smoldering rubble behind it. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
The Greencastle Wendy's was abruptly evacuated a little after noon on Monday in the middle of lunch rush when smoke began billowing into the dining room.
An electrical short behind the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the building on Indianapolis Road on the city's East Side reportedly caused a fire to begin, sending smoke through the ventilation system and ceiling tiles.
"I smelled it before (I saw it)," worker Joann Whittaker said. "Electrical fires have a very distinct smell. I looked up and could see smoke and people were getting up."
The dining room was almost completely full, workers said, and patrons began rushing outside quickly.
"I had a full line of cars in the drive through," Megan Farmer said. "People were freaking out."
The Greencastle Fire Department responded to the scene, tearing the sign off the front of the building to get inside.
Assistant fire chief Jeff Mace said the Wendy's staff had already attacked the flames with dry chemical extinguishers before firefighters arrived.
"It appears the wiring behind the sign started the fire," Mace said.
The amount of damage is unknown, though it appears to be noninvasive as the restaurant was reopened Monday afternoon with approval from the State Board of Health.
Other Wendy's workers present during the incident included general manager Tabitha Kendall and crew members Hunter Winslow, Angus McGaughey and John Elmore.
"It was like Black Friday," Winslow said. "Except it's Monday."
With the dining room filling with smoke, diners and workers hurried to evacuate, with the exception of one who asked if they could hurriedly finish making a Spicy Chicken Sandwich for him.
The Madison Fire Department and Operation Life assisted on scene.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
Saturday, November 10, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam graduation rate is on the rise, and that includes not just 2012, but the 1970s as well.
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Drivers running stop arm on school buses remains an issue
Friday, November 9, 2012
Drivers are required to stop for a school bus when the stop arm is engaged, but blowing past the signal has become a growing trend in the North Putnam community. The Indiana State Police are cracking down by following buses in unmarked vehicles.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
BAINBRIDGE -- Vehicles speeding to and from work along U.S. 36 have blown past stopped school buses at an alarming rate recently.
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and a stop-arm extended, cars going in both directions are required to stop, but bus drivers and parents have witnessed a number of violations.
"We have been contacted a number of times over the last couple years by the North Putnam School Corporation and parents along U.S. 36," Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts said.
On Thursday the ISP had a unmarked-car stakeout to catch possible violators, something they have done more than 10 times.
"It's getting worse," North Putnam bus driver Penny Rush said. "One of these days they're going to hurt somebody's child."
Rush has been a bus driver for the school for 8 years and said she and all of the other drivers are extremely protective of the students, being sure to turn on her yellow warning lights well in advance of a stop.
But that's not always enough to make motorists stop.
"Sometimes it's because they're on a cell phone, sometimes it's because they don't want to stop," Rush said. "You can tell. When they see the yellow lights come on, they speed up."
ISP officers issued a citation to one such motorist on Thursday.
Sgt. Watts said the driver stated he saw the yellow and red lights, but didn't believe he had time to stop. ISP officers disagreed.
Violators can be issued either a citation for a traffic infraction -- a $150 ticket -- or, if the perpetrator is behaving especially recklessly, a class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Stephen and Kim Lawrenz have an eight-year-old son, Seth, who attends Bainbridge Elementary.
The Lawrenzs live along U.S. 36 and meet Seth at the end of their driveway almost every day.
"If (drivers) see me, they know there is a kid getting off," Lawrenz said.
But that's not always the case.
A 230-foot skid mark in front of their driveway is from a semi driver that failed to stop in time for the bus. Luckily Seth doesn't have to cross the road on his way home, but a number of students along the route do.
"(Drivers) have to be patient, slow down and always look down range," Watts said.
When the semi skidded in front of the Lawrenz home, they took action. Kim got information and called state and local police to track the vehicle down.
Weeks later, ISP officers tracked the driver down and issued him a citation.
"The law says all we need to have is a preponderance of evidence," Watts said. "(To issue a citation) we don't need beyond a reasonable doubt."
Parents, bus drivers and other witnesses can write down the license plate number, a vehicle description and other markings and notify local or state law enforcement officers.
Police have up to two years to issue a ticket.
Rush said during the Covered Bridge Festival drivers were flagrant violators, even going as far as making eye contact and waving to her as they drove past a stop arm.
The students are taught to be careful and not cross the street until drivers wave them across.
For the past couple years, they've done a better job obeying signals than the passing motorists.
"When drivers see those yellow lights come on," Rush said, "that's a signal to them to be ready to stop."
Seats change for three of the four local school boards
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Longtime educator Darrell Wiatt was elected to replace incumbent Jacquelyn Simpson as the Russell Township representative on the North Putnam School Board.
Wiatt is among a number of new board members that were elected on Tuesday night.
Also new to the North Putnam School Board are Jill Summerlot, who ran uncontested in Franklin Township, and James Bowling, who was elected in Monroe Township over Dustin Osborn.
In the South Putnam corporation, Anthony Heavin and Angie Nichols will begin serving in January.
Heavin was elected in the at-large contest, defeating Trisha Shrader, and Nichols was elected to the Washington Township seat, defeating Tim McKean.
New members on the Cloverdale School Board include Christopher Mann and Rob Schroer.
Mann and Schroer, along with incumbent Donna Fidler, were elected to represent Cloverdale Township, defeating Chris Kaufman and Tim Powell.
Bobbie Nees retains her spot as the Jackson Township representative.
Wiatt (218 votes, 70 percent) is the only school board member to unseat a contesting incumbent.
"I'm honored and humbled that I get this opportunity to serve as the Russell Township representative," Wiatt said. "Sometimes it's hard to beat incumbents, and I think that Jacquelyn Simpson has done a good job."
Wiatt was an educator in the North Putnam district for 39 years until his retirement in 2011.
"I thought with my experiences I could make some improvements," Wiatt said. "Nobody likes to see cuts, but I feel like I can do it where it's not going to hurt the kids."
He also stressed the importance of working to improve the school grades, which, outside of the high school, were among the lowest in the county.
Wiatt, Summerlot (454 votes) and Bowling (296 votes, 54.7 percent) will join Mark Hoke (3,075 votes), re-elected to the at-large seat on Tuesday, Travis Lambermont, Ollie Haste and John Hays on the North Putnam board.
All the newly-elected members said they planned to attend the November and December school board meetings.
Hoke's new term begins in 2014.
"I'd just like to even the playing field for our students," Summerlot said. "I decided it was time that maybe we made some changes with our school board. There have been some issues that have been going on. I felt that, as a parent, it was time to make the move (to run)."
Summerlot, a mother of three, including two current NPHS students (Kelsey, 17, junior and Riley, 15, sophomore), is a special education parent advocate who also serves as vice president of the North Putnam Band Boosters.
"We need to move forward and make sure all of our kids have access to our curriculum; all of our kids have access to a safe school and that they are welcomed in our school."
Bowling said he is excited to take on a leadership role within the community, but will take a backset on the board initially.
"I've got to go to a couple meetings and get my bearings before I can see what needs to be done," Bowling said. "They need some changes up there."
Bowling has two children currently enrolled at North Putnam -- Raegan, a freshman, and Christian Pingleton, a seventh-grader.
The South Putnam board will gain a new member with experience in education as well. Angie Nichols (1,634 votes, 65.4 percent) is a former secretary at Reelsville Elementary, which closed this past year.
The South Putnam at-large winner, Heavin, is a South Putnam graduate who went on to attend DePauw University.
He said he hopes to help the corporation and its administrators continue down the path that helped raise him.
"(My wife and I) feel that there were a lot of teachers, administrators and community members that stepped up and made us who we are today," Heavin said. "It takes a village to raise a child, not just parents or teachers, but community members and volunteer."
Heavin (1,676 votes, 66 percent) will begin serving in 2014 when Nancy Wells' term is up.
Nichols and Heavin will join Steve Cash (2,129 votes), re-elected on Tuesday to the Marion Township seat, Wesley Hacker and David Bombei on the South Putnam board.
"We still need some experience to carry (the board) on and to help train the new people," Cash said. "There are always different areas that we need to improve on and stay on top of the new innovations in education and try to deal with what the state has imposed on us."
Cash said he is familiar with the new members and is excited to have them join.
"I think we'll be OK. (Electing Nichols) keeps a lady on the board, who will keep everyone on their toes," Cash said. "Anthony is sharp and he's a doctor. He'll help us in an education fashion and he will give us intelligent and well-thought-out answers on what we need to do."
The Cloverdale board is getting an infusion of new members as well.
Cloverdale Township representatives Dave Brinkman and Linda Mann did not seek re-election, but now there is a new Mann on the board.
Christopher Mann (1,296 votes) has three children in the school system and said he hopes to contribute to his community the best he can.
"I really hope to have outstanding academic success for all our students and to have a very well-run school," Christopher Mann said. "(My goals) are just to keep Cloverdale as a top-notch school with outstanding academics, good fiscal management and accountability to our taxpayers."
Rob Schroer (1,174 votes) will join Christopher Mann on the board and said he felt, as a life-long Cloverdale resident, he could give back to the school.
I really didn't have an agenda," Schroer said. "I thought I could do the school good, so I decided to run for (the board)."
Christopher Mann, Schroer, Fidler (1,559 votes) and Nees (1,230 votes) will begin their terms in January, joining sitting board members Duane Huge, Pamelia Hepfer and Brian Asbury.
Candidates in Cloverdale also received votes in Owen County.
All school board candidates run as non-partisan.
The North Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on the third Thursday each month.
The South Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on third Monday each month.
The Cloverdale School Board holds regular meetings on the second Monday each month.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
Saturday, November 10, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam graduation rate is on the rise, and that includes not just 2012, but the 1970s as well.
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Drivers running stop arm on school buses remains an issue
Friday, November 9, 2012
Drivers are required to stop for a school bus when the stop arm is engaged, but blowing past the signal has become a growing trend in the North Putnam community. The Indiana State Police are cracking down by following buses in unmarked vehicles.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
BAINBRIDGE -- Vehicles speeding to and from work along U.S. 36 have blown past stopped school buses at an alarming rate recently.
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and a stop-arm extended, cars going in both directions are required to stop, but bus drivers and parents have witnessed a number of violations.
"We have been contacted a number of times over the last couple years by the North Putnam School Corporation and parents along U.S. 36," Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts said.
On Thursday the ISP had a unmarked-car stakeout to catch possible violators, something they have done more than 10 times.
"It's getting worse," North Putnam bus driver Penny Rush said. "One of these days they're going to hurt somebody's child."
Rush has been a bus driver for the school for 8 years and said she and all of the other drivers are extremely protective of the students, being sure to turn on her yellow warning lights well in advance of a stop.
But that's not always enough to make motorists stop.
"Sometimes it's because they're on a cell phone, sometimes it's because they don't want to stop," Rush said. "You can tell. When they see the yellow lights come on, they speed up."
ISP officers issued a citation to one such motorist on Thursday.
Sgt. Watts said the driver stated he saw the yellow and red lights, but didn't believe he had time to stop. ISP officers disagreed.
Violators can be issued either a citation for a traffic infraction -- a $150 ticket -- or, if the perpetrator is behaving especially recklessly, a class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Stephen and Kim Lawrenz have an eight-year-old son, Seth, who attends Bainbridge Elementary.
The Lawrenzs live along U.S. 36 and meet Seth at the end of their driveway almost every day.
"If (drivers) see me, they know there is a kid getting off," Lawrenz said.
But that's not always the case.
A 230-foot skid mark in front of their driveway is from a semi driver that failed to stop in time for the bus. Luckily Seth doesn't have to cross the road on his way home, but a number of students along the route do.
"(Drivers) have to be patient, slow down and always look down range," Watts said.
When the semi skidded in front of the Lawrenz home, they took action. Kim got information and called state and local police to track the vehicle down.
Weeks later, ISP officers tracked the driver down and issued him a citation.
"The law says all we need to have is a preponderance of evidence," Watts said. "(To issue a citation) we don't need beyond a reasonable doubt."
Parents, bus drivers and other witnesses can write down the license plate number, a vehicle description and other markings and notify local or state law enforcement officers.
Police have up to two years to issue a ticket.
Rush said during the Covered Bridge Festival drivers were flagrant violators, even going as far as making eye contact and waving to her as they drove past a stop arm.
The students are taught to be careful and not cross the street until drivers wave them across.
For the past couple years, they've done a better job obeying signals than the passing motorists.
"When drivers see those yellow lights come on," Rush said, "that's a signal to them to be ready to stop."
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
Saturday, November 10, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam graduation rate is on the rise, and that includes not just 2012, but the 1970s as well.
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The DePauw University football team wrapped up its worst season in nearly two decades with a disappointing 23-0 loss to rival Wabash College on Saturday in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
Thursday, November 15, 2012
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
BAINBRIDGE -- First-grade students at Bainbridge Elementary recently made their annual trip to the town's volunteer fire department and utilities buildings.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Because binge drinking by underage people creates unsafe and medically hazardous situations, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and State Senator Jim Merritt visited DePauw University on Wednesday to remind the students that the new Indiana Lifeline Law protects young people from arrest if they seek help for an
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
Thursday, November 15, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel said Wednesday the school board intends to address redistricting at the monthly meeting on Thursday night.
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
Friday, November 16, 2012
BAINBRIDGE -- For the past couple months the Bainbridge Town Council has discussed the possibility of repairing the cracked sidewalks running along Main Street downtown.
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
Friday, November 16, 2012
ROACHDALE -- The Roachdale Town Council was happy enough with the partial compliance of its orders to again delay a decision on issuing liens on the unsafe building orders filed recently.
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
The Greencastle girls' basketball team topped Cloverdale in the second semifinal of the 2012 Putnam County Tournament on Friday, utilizing steady defense and an energetic bench to secure the 36-25 win.
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ROACHDALE -- Although the North Putnam School Board was reluctant to cut any big checks at its monthly meeting Thursday, the members agreed to spend money to improve the schools technology.
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Monday, November 19, 2012
ROACHDALE -- When first-year Superintendent Dan Noel began his North Putnam career in May, he was embarrassed by the sound quality in the high school gym.
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Switching from an 8 p.m. start to 6:30 p.m. was like night and day for Cloverdale as the girls' basketball team bounced back from a loss on Friday to top North Putnam in the Putnam County Tournament on Saturday, 45-26.
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
Monday, November 19, 2012
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An icy-cold start left the South Putnam Eagles searching for answers in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament final.
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Greencastle started out strong, scoring 14 first-quarter points while holding the Eagles to just one-of-13 shooting.
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Eagles rally to win second-straight county tournament
South Putnam senior Mallory Cash sinks the game-winning basket over Greencastle's Jessica Lenihan to secure for her team the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament title. Cash had 17 points in the win.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
They found it with seniors Kelsey Whitaker and Brittany Birt as the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat the Tiger Cubs 41-39.
"We finished the first half with that lineup, and we felt like that was the best one as far as defensive pressure and settling down on offense," SPHS coach Lindsey Blackman said. "I thought that was the turning point of the game, that second half lineup with Brittany Burt in there and having Mallory Cash and Mattie Varvel share the point guard responsibilities."
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis (23) absorbs contact inside and tries to finish a layup over South Putnam's Leanna Masters. Amis finished with 5 points in the loss.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
The cold start on offense continued for the Eagles into the second, but the team's defense began playing with more energy and intensity when Blackman inserted Whitaker and Birt into the game.
"The first half we had wide open looks, our shooters were shooting and it wasn't going in," Blackman said. "We told them at halftime, just keep shooting, keep shooting, and the shots finally fell for them."
SPHS outscored Greencastle in the second quarter, though only 6-5, and trailed 19-9 at the half.
"South, every time you play them they come, they play hard and they're really well coached," GHS coach Bradley Key said. "My girls did everything that I asked them to do.
"I've got to do a better job of making some adjustments. It's the second year in a row that in the fourth quarter South has had some players come up with some big shots."
Blackman left Whitaker and Birt in the game to start the third quarter, and kicked up the energy in a fast-paced period.
Senior Mallory Cash began raining threes. She finished with 17 points on 14 shots.
When the shots weren't falling, Whitaker and senior Leanna Masters were there to grab offensive rebounds and keep the possession alive.
GHS sophomore forward Jessica Lenihan battled back, scoring 12 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the inside intensity of the Eagles.
The Tiger Cub lead was 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, and SPHS looked tired from their third quarter rally.
But the Eagles refused to roll over.
SPHS opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, taking its first lead since leading 3-2 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
As the teams traded buckets, the play became more and more physical.
With 2:47 left, Lenihan sank a pair of free throws to give GHS a 35-33 lead.
Cash immediately went to the block on the other end and got fouled as she put in a layup.
She missed the free throw, but tied the game and left Greencastle flustered.
After a pair of missed free throws by Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis, Cash set up in the corner and drained another three, putting SPHS up 38-35 with 1:45 left.
GHS sophomore Callan Taylor, who spent much of the evening applying man-to-man pressure full court, got fouled on the other end and sank a pair.
The exhausting assignment left Taylor reaching, and she picked up her fifth foul with 1:12 left to play.
SPHS senior Mattie Varvel missed on the front end of the one-and-one, Amis grabbed the rebound from a pile and was sent to the line on the other end.
The senior sank both free throws to retake the lead.
Cash shook it off, crossed over the defense and hit a 15-food jump shot from the left corner, giving her team a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play.
"We were trying to get the ball down to Jessica Lenihan, have her square her shoulders and get to the free throw line, maybe an and-one," Key said.
But South Putnam was ready for it.
"Defensively, we knew we needed a stop and we needed a rebound and we knew we couldn't put them on the free throw line," Blackman said. "The discussion in that last time out was, 'Play tough defense; don't bail them out with a foul. If they tie it, that's fine, but we need to have a good defensive possession.' And we were able to get that stop."
Greencastle found junior Shelby Earl in the post, but the ball caromed to SPHS senior Matty Varvel.
A quick foul put Varvel at the line and she sank one-of-two.
Greencastle went back to the drawing board but still couldn't score and the Eagles escaped with a 41-39 win.
South Putnam made seven-of-nine shots in the fourth quarter.
Blackman said winning the county tournament can have lasting effects.
"It's a way to start the whole year off on the right foot," Blackman said. "We were able to do it last year, and I know this group of seniors wanted to repeat and be the leaders of this team and they were able to accomplish it.
"It makes you closer as a team to be able to celebrate together this early in the season."
Key said he believes his team can learn from the defeat and move forward.
"You don't ever want to lose games, especially in county," Key said. "You practice all summer and all spring and fall for February. As long as we're taking steps forward and we're trying to get better and better ... I'm proud of them."
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against West Vigo.
Greencastle hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Greencastle -- 14 5 9 11 -- 39
South Putnam 3 6 16 16 -- 41
Individual Scoring
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12, Taylor 10, Amis 5, Basile 5, Earl 5, Covert 2. Totals 17-26 FT, 10-39 FG, 39 TP.
South Putnam -- Cash 17, Masters 10, Varvel 6, Birt 4, Whitaker 2, Nichols 2. Totals 3-6 FT, 17-53, 41 TP.
Clovers rebound to top Cougars in consolation game
Cloverdale senior Amillia Nally skies over the defense to bank in a layup in Saturday's consolation victory over North Putnam. The Clovers won 45-26 in the 2012 Putnam County Girls' Basketball Tournament.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
Senior Paige Gruener had a game-high 18 points on only 12 shots to lead the Clovers.
Cloverdale scored only 25 points in its loss to Greencastle on Friday, but head coach Matthew Langdon said his team gained confidence in their defense, which showed in the consolation game.
"It's amazing how when you're aggressive, the shots just seem to fall," Langdon said. "I don't think we became better shooters overnight. I just think, when you're playing aggressive and confident, the shots just fall."
Senior Sydney Shrum also had a big day for Cloverdale, pulling in 13 rebounds to go with 15 points on nine shots and three blocks.
The Clovers were held without a shot attempt for the first three minutes of the game, but they still held and 8-6 lead after the first quarter.
They expanded on it in the second. Senior point guard Amillia Nally had six points at the half as Cloverdale lead 18-11.
"(Nally) has been our leading scorer a lot of games," Langdon said. "She wasn't our leading scorer but she handled the ball really well and she contributed many assists. She played a huge game."
Cloverdale turned up the intensity even more in the third quarter, going on a 19-5 run and putting the game out of reach.
North Putnam tried to respond by increasing its defensive pressure full court, but Nally maintained her dribble and knifed passes behind the Cougar defense.
"Once Cloverdale got up double-digits, we had to do something to try to change the tempo," North Putnam coach Curtis Lawrence said. "When you do that, it's going to get you tired and your offense is going to suffer a little bit."
North Putnam was again led in scoring and rebounds by senior forward Sam Lucas, 3-of-9, but her nine points weren't enough.
"She had really good ball games this weekend," Lawrence said. "We just didn't have the help (around her) that we had last night against South Putnam.
"Give Cloverdale credit. They took the other shots away and made Sam do the work."
Cloverdale unleashed a renewed emphasis on pressure defense, and Langdon said he believes that can continue.
"With us and our scoring woes at times, I think we have to be an aggressive pressure team," Langdon said. "We didn't start out pressing at the beginning of the year. We came into the county (tournament) saying that we wanted to use this as a stepping stone to put in the press and be able to stick with it."
Cloverdale plays again tonight at Owen Valley.
For North Putnam, the team will look to play with more energy and work harder on offense going forward.
"We're just not screening enough," Lawrence said. "Our turnovers were down. We got (Cloverdale) to turn the ball over and we just didn't capitalize."
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday at South Vermillion.
At South Putnam
Putnam County Tournament
Cloverdale: 8 10 19 8 -- 45
North Putnam: 6 5 5 10 -- 26
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale -- Gruener 18, Shrum 15, Nally 9, Stevens 3. Totals 7-10 FT, 18-45 FG -- 45 TP.
North Putnam -- Lucas 9, Smith 8, Asbell 5, Wiatt 4. Totals 6-11 FT, 9-42 FG -- 26 TP.
Improved stereo sounds good to North Putnam
Noel said he went to a musical in the spring and he was unable to hear it in the back.
Since then he's made it his quest to make a change.
On Thursday the North Putnam School Board approved $29,000 to modernize and repair the stereo in the high school gymnasium.
With the help of the choir director, knowledgeable community members and new athletic director John Danaher, Noel said he believes the new sound system will be money well spent.
"I just think our kids need to have a first-rate system," Noel said.
Danaher added that although the system will be used primarily by the choir and for assemblies, the sports programs will see some gains.
"The athletic department benefits from whatever we have in that system," Danaher said. "It's going to be a lot tighter system than what's been done in the past."
Once it is installed -- hopefully, before the winter concerts in December, Noel said -- a number of faculty members will get extensive training so the system doesn't go to waste.
"I know it's pretty needed, I just want to make sure that we're able to use that to the potential that we need it," board member Ollie Haste said.
Haste suggested that the intensive training -- more than just a few hours, Noel said -- be filmed.
The board approved the purchase by a 6-0 vote. Board member Charlie Boller, whose term is up in December after he chose not to seek re-election, abstained, saying he's been trying to make a change to the sound system for eight years and nothing was done.
The board meeting was held at Roachdale Elementary School.
Noel gave the floor to Roachdale principal Scott Spencer, who told the board it's been a busy year for the staff and kids.
The primary focus, Spencer said, has been installing a 90-minute reading block each day.
The school had over 100 percent attendance at last month's parent-teacher conferences, which counts single-parent homes, and earned $7,600 at a recent PTO fundraiser.
In other business:
* Noel said the board talked about redistricting with an ACLU attorney in an executive session before the meeting. After "a lot of discussion," the ACLU gave North Putnam a deadline of Nov. 30 to correct its problem.
* The board approved a number of personnel decisions. Patrick Burke resigned as high school health aide, Judith Proctor (Bainbridge teacher, effective at the end of the year), Debbie Carrico (food service director), RhoDonna New (bus driver) and Barbara Schultz (bus driver) retired.
Eschol Eavey (cafeteria aide) was terminated.
Margaret Smith (middle school special education), Karen Noel (high school treasurer) and Lori Danikow (high school cafeteria aide) were hired.
Kristie Hankins (girls' basketball volunteer assistant), Bucky Kramer (middle school wrestling head coach), Michael Murphy (high school assistant wrestling coach), Bradi Fielden (middle school academic coach) and Robin Smith (cafeteria) were hired.
* All three newly-elected board members, Darrell Wiatt, Jim Bowling and Jill Summerlot, were in attendance and following along with board packets.
North Putnam board continues to spend within its budget
A lengthy discussion about phase one of the technology plan eventually led to unanimous approval.
Phase 1 will provide all of the school buildings with power over Ethernet (POE) switches.
Ethernet switches are used to connect multiple devices onto the same network.
In March 2011 the school purchased Ethernet switches that require an electrical outlet to operate. POE switches are more self-sufficient and can be installed anywhere, which helps spread technology throughout the building.
At the time, board members John Hays and Ollie Haste objected to the quality of the equipment but the measure still passed by a vote of 4-2.
The school hired Five Star to handle its technology a few months later, and the switches have proved to be inadequate for future needs.
"Frankly, there was a purchase made a long time ago and you shouldn't have bought the stuff," North Putnam Superintendent Dan Noel said. "I'm not going to go out and spend the money on technology just because we have the money to do that."
Noel, and Five Star director of K-12 services Steve Ricketts said they have researched the schools needs and believe purchasing new switches will allow it to move forward.
"Before you grow and expand, you've got to have a good foundation," Ricketts said. "(Buying POE switches) really starts to provide the foundation for the projects that we've got coming in the next couple years."
The switches are part of a five-stage process that Noel and Five Star has designed for the school. All subsequent steps require the switches to be in place.
Future stages include installing wireless Internet in all buildings, buying tablet computers for teachers and students and utilizing a new phone system that can tap into the Ethernet switches, saving the school the cost of operating dozens of individual phone lines.
Like in 2011, Hays was reluctant to spend the corporation's money on technology that might soon become redundant or outdated. He asked for more information about the research.
"I'm not against doing this, but it's the first we're hearing about it tonight," he said. "We've already made a bad decision (last April)."
Hays said the previous purchase was made under pressure to get it done before ISTEP testing that spring.
Haste was on board with the purchase this time.
"I personally think it's much needed," Haste said. "It's more than a Band-Aid, which is what we've had up to today."
Haste, who does construction work for schools, said the Five Star recommendations were solid and that the old switches, though limited, would still be useful.
Jacqui Simpson, defeated in last week's election and normally understated, was uncharacteristically vocal about the importance of moving the school corporation's technology forward.
"Anything to get them going, I think we need to do as a board," Simpson said. "I really feel phase I needs to be done tonight and phase II as soon as we can fiscally handle it."
Charlie Boller, who chose not to seek re-election and will end his term after December, asked about the possible changes in need that could occur with the election results and the ousting of State Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Scott Spencer, the principal of meeting host Roachdale Elementary, fielded the question.
"Unless we pull out of (common core testing) as a state, that need for testing is still going to be online," Spencer said.
It is becoming more common for schools to submit and conduct state testing using Internet and electronic technology. In many cases, this is required.
Ricketts said the school could meet its current needs with the switches it has, but to move forward something would have to be done.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the switches.
It appears the plan is to tackle future stages in the technology project as it becomes fiscally possible. The next step likely won't occur until next spring.
Greencastle stifles Cloverdale
Greencastle senior Rayleigh Amis attempts a jump shot from the corner over Cloverdale's Bristy Skiles in the team's 2012 Putnam County Tournament semifinal match-up. Greencastle won the game, 36-25. [Order this photo]
Sophomore Jessica Lenihan led the Tiger Cubs with 12 points.
Greencastle head coach Bradley Key said the key to scoring on the inside against Cloverdale's zone defense was the passing of his senior guard.
"Rayleigh Amis did an outstanding job of looking for (Lenihan)," Key said. "I thought Ray played a great game. A lot of Jessica's 12 came because Rayleigh gave her good feeds."
Greencastle mixed up its starting lineup and was active with substitutions. The fresh legs showed up in the fourth quarter when the Tiger Cubs closed the game with a 13-5 run.
Cloverdale began the game with an early 4-0 lead but they were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
Greencastle stretched a 12-0 run between quarters and took a 17-11 advantage into halftime.
The Clovers played tough defense and dominated the glass, but they couldn't make a shot -- 4-for-19 in the first half -- and they turned the ball over nine times.
"I couldn't say enough for the girls' effort tonight. It's been a while since we played a quality team and just stuck in it," Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said. "To only score 25 points and to be right into the middle of a game going into the fourth quarter shows how well the girls committed to the defense."
The Clovers outscored Greencastle in the third quarter, 9-6, and allowed only 2-of-12 shooting.
Turnovers again doomed the team in the fourth.
Greencastle switched from its traditional 2-3 zone to a man-to-man and held the Clovers without a field goal for the last six minutes.
"The 2-3 zone wasn't quite as active as we normally have it," Keys said. "We felt like (with the man-to-man) we were getting some touches and some pressure and we were doing a good job of the help side defense."
The Tiger Cubs will get another chance to work on their defense tonight.
Greencastle advanced to the county tournament final to face South Putnam, which defeated North Putnam on Friday.
Although the main focus this early in the season is to improve, Key said getting a win on Saturday would be big for his club.
"We'd like to come out and get one for Ray and Jessi, our two seniors," he said. "Last year we didn't win it and we felt terrible for the seniors."
Cloverdale squares off with North Putnam in the consolation final, which tips at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at South Putnam High School.
"It would be huge for us to come out here and get a county win that we haven't gotten in a while," Langdon said. "I think it's important to us. I think the county is wide open this year. It's important for us to come out tomorrow and prove that we're not here to just play one good game."
At South Putnam
Greencastle 7 10 6 13 -- 36
Cloverdale 4 7 9 5 -- 25
Individual scorers
Greencastle -- Lenihan 12; Taylor 9; Amis 7; Basile 3; Covert 3; Smiley 2; Earl 2
Cloverdale -- Nally 9; Gruener 7; Skiles 5; Shrum 2; Wellington 2
Team shooting
Greencastle --12/37 (3/10), 9/15, 36
Cloverdale --10/36 (1/8), 4/9, 25
Council adds time to unsafe houses, approves new list
The town sent notices to five homeowners in September that their unsafe, and unsightly, houses need to be fixed or demolished.
By the October meeting, one was torn down and the other four asked the council for an extension. Each was supposed to have the building cleaned up and ready to be torn down by Nov. 5.
At the November meeting on Tuesday, those same four returned, again asking for an extension.
"My problem is we gave everybody a time limit and not one person has come through with what they were supposed to do," council member Zach Bowers said.
Although the buildings were not in compliance, the council said most have improved.
One, Daniel Asher, owner of 209 N. East St., brought the council a second set of plans to demolish the building. They did not yet decide whether to accept them.
Sheila Gail Williams, owner of 302 E. Columbia, has the house ready to be torn down, and an excavator ready to start pending the council's approval to potentially rebuild on the lot.
The council agreed to issue a letter stating that, subject to the demolition occurring within 10 days of receiving it.
Robert Wiggins, owner of 206 W. Street, remains in a standstill with his insurance company.
That property has been cleaned up, but there are issues remaining.
With things moving along in the first group, Bowers brought forth another list of houses he said he would like to see demolished.
The council had already issued one earlier in the meeting, for 104 W. Railroad St., and Bowers listed four more.
Council president Jack Jones was upset that the list of suggestions had be created without his input.
Bowers and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said they went around the town together looking for the most dilapidated and unsightly, unoccupied houses, and Jones had not been invited.
Because the council consists of three members -- Jones, Bowers and Barbara Scott -- anytime two of them discuss town business it is considered a public meeting.
Open Door Laws for such events require it to be advertised and open to the public, which would be difficult to do in a vehicle.
In the future the council agreed to bring suggestions to town clerk Martha Louk in advance of the meeting so the buildings can be checked out by everyone.
Despite the brief controversy, the council unanimously agreed on Bowers' list.
The owners for 502 N. Indiana St., 405 E. Washington St., 208 N. West St. and 204 N. West St. will be sent letters asking them to cleanup or tear down their houses.
In other business:
* All of the new gas mains have been installed. The old gas lines, originally scheduled to be shut off on Thursday, will now be shut down on Monday, Nov. 19.
* The council agreed to purchase reflective signs and barrels to aid in street-side repairs and work.
* New signs warning against engine braking for semi trucks have been purchased and will be installed. The town banned that practice in September.
Bainbridge will wait on sidewalk repairs
At the November meeting on Wednesday council members decided that because the sidewalks are privately owned it is best to wait and take no action.
Sidewalks running north and south along Washington Street will be repaired and, in some places, installed next year and the council is hopeful they can expand that to the sidewalk on Main Street as well.
The town was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant earlier this year, which provides financing for sidewalks that allow children to travel to and from school.
Bainbridge Elementary, located on Washington Street, currently has no sidewalks that approach it.
The council, and assistant utility superintendent Troy Elless, believed it would look better, and likely be less expensive, to wait until the Safe Routes to School sidewalk is built and work on the Main Street sidewalks at the same time.
Downtown changes remained the focus for the council during the meeting.
Council members decided against adjusting parking realignment, which was brought up in October.
They also opened discussion on closing the alley directly west of the Bainbridge Tap.
Council member Bonnie Osborn asked town attorney Jim Ensley to examine procedures for shutting down an alley in town.
Although it doesn't appear to be so, the less than 10-foot wide, unpaved path is a town alley.
Osborn said the owner of the Bainbridge Tap is hoping to close the alley so the bar could potentially expand service outside.
A decision was not made, but the council seemed receptive to the idea and asked that more research be done.
In other business:
* North Putnam superintendent Dan Noel thanked the council for allowing the school to purchase the old Bainbridge police car for $1.
* Elless recently used extra blacktop to pave around the exercise equipment at East Point Park
* The council discussed the possibility of reimbursing a resident who had his property damaged during repairs to the storm sewer along Washington Street earlier this year.
North Putnam board to discuss plans for redistricting tonight
The ACLU sued North Putnam last month for allegedly failing to allow each voter to have an equal opportunity to elect board members.
At the Bainbridge Town Council meeting on Wednesday Noel addressed the issue publicly for the first time.
He said there will be an executive session of the North Putnam School Board on Thursday prior to the regular board meeting, during which they intend to discuss the issue and go over the school's options.
Noel said the board's attorneys have met with ACLU attorneys and begun discussion possible plans for redistricting.
It appears likely the school board will choose to either continue the system of having single-member electoral districts and redraw the division lines for those districts, or transition to a new residential district system.
In the past, including last week's election, voters in each of the corporation's townships voted only on members of that township to represent them.
Because the townships have unequal populations, voters in smaller townships have a stronger vote than voters in larger townships.
According to the 2010 census, Russell Township, the corporation's smallest, has a population of 823.
Floyd, the corporation's largest, has a population of 4,011.
Each vote in Russell counts for 0.122 percent of the vote, in Floyd each vote is 0.025 percent -- about five times less.
Using single-member electoral districts, the board is required to redraw district lines prior to the next election following each census, a process North Putnam has not done in several decades.
If the board maintains this system, these district lines would no longer be tied to townships.
The other likely scenario is for the board to adopt residential districts.
This would allow all voters in the corporation to vote on members from each of the six districts.
Using residential districts would allow North Putnam to continue having a single board member represent each of the six townships: Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Clinton, Monroe and Floyd.
Noel said the council will meet with ACLU attorneys during the executive session and he hopes they will emerge with a solution.
The executive session, which is not a public meeting, begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Roachdale Elementary.
The regular session, which is a public meeting, begins at 7 p.m. and will occur at the Roachdale Elementary media center.
Once a plan is implemented, Noel said he intends to host a public meeting in each area township to discuss the resolved issue.
The North Putnam School Board has been aware of the issue since at least the end of 2011 and failed to act prior to the 2012 election.
South Putnam and Cloverdale, each in a similar situation, resolved the issue last year by switching to residential districts.
Attorney general, state senator promote Lifeline Law at DPU
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller (left) and state senator Jim Merritt speak at DePauw about the new Lifeline Law that took effect on July 1.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
alcohol-related medical emergency.
"Although college students proposed this bill and the legislature passed it without opposition, some young people are unaware that the Indiana Lifeline Law is now in force and exists to encourage medical intervention if they make mistakes with alcohol," Zoeller stated. "By raising public awareness that the Lifeline Law protects them, we hope that young people will no be reluctant to call 911 -- and will instead seek medical help for impaired friend and not look the other way."
DePauw was one of many campuses at which Zoeller and Merritt have spoken, including Purdue University and, as Zoeller jokingly called it, "a college not to be mentioned," DPU rival Wabash College, on Wednesday.
Merritt said they were making the trip not only to speak about the importance of effective student leadership, but also encourage others to step up continue spreading the word about the law.
The law states that a person who makes an emergency phone call to police, stays with the victim until police arrive and then cooperates will have an opportunity to prove they qualify for immunity from prosecution for public intoxication, minor possession and minor consumption of alcohol.
"We don't want to incentivize the underage consumption of alcohol ... by no means are we condoning that," Merritt said. "There is a different legal jargon to it, but the bottom line is (if underage kids help) they won't get in trouble."
The law passed legislature in March and took effect on July 1.
Merritt said that due to anonymity in such cases it is unclear how many people have potentially been victims of alcohol poisoning since then and been saved by the law, just that "I hope that goes down."
He said between 12 and 36 college students have died from alcohol poisoning in the recent past.
"You get into a situation where people are going to get in trouble and panic ensues," Merrit said. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented if bystanders or actual friends sought medical attention immediately for the victims.
"Indiana's Lifeline Law encourages students to do just that -- make the call to save a life."
Eleven other states have enacted similar laws to provide partial immunity to underage people that call in an emergency.
There is no immunity for someone 21-years or older, as providing for a minor is not covered.
There is also no such law in Indiana to protect someone from calling in a drug overdose. Lifeline applies only to alcohol.
Zoeller said it is unlikely any drug-related law will come about, but that judges have discretion on sentencing for that very reason. A judge may be more lenient on someone who helps an overdose victim, he said.
Angie Nally, director of public safety at DePauw, said the university has already had a similar policy for some time.
"We have had many occasions where kids have called for the welfare of their friends and we have not had a situation where they should have and didn't," Nally said. "I need to knock on wood."
Nally said DePauw police are called weekly about a potential overdose.
"I'd rather have a lot of runs to the hospital than one that requires it and doesn't go," she added.
With the Monon Bell Classic taking place at Wabash this past weekend, Nally said she made it known to students that although they weren't on the DPU campus the state law was in effect and they should feel safe in making an emergency call.
Nally also said DePauw's concern is for the students health and in situations involving an overdose of narcotics and other substances, leniency is also considered.
Merritt said he is encouraging universities to include information about the law in freshman orientation programs, which DePauw has also been doing for some time.
With the passage of the Lifeline Law, DPU students -- and local high school students facing alcohol-poisoning situations -- are now more likely to save a life.
Immunity does not apply to the victim, but Merritt said he doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"You would rather have that person alive and legally at risk than dead," he said.
For more information on the law, visit IndianaLifeline.org.
Bainbridge students learn the importance of fire safety
First-graders from Bainbridge Elementary learned about the importance of fire safety recently. Firefighter Kevin Thorson demonstrated some of the safety equipment.
With the help of an Indiana State Police officer, the students walk from the school to the fire department.
"This is probably the biggest (trip) in first-grade," first grade teacher Jennifer Conley said. "We've done it for a lot of years. We do it as an educational experience."
Conley said it can help the kids to see, and hear, a firefighter in full uniform. Without experiencing that, they might feel intimidated during an emergency.
"To remove fears, we give them knowledge," Conley said.
Kevin Thorson, father of one of the first-grade students, demonstrated the equipment and helped teach them about fire safety and emergency procedures.
The trip is done in conjunction with fire safety week.
Students are taught the importance of knowing their addresses and phone numbers, as well as escape procedures from their homes and bedrooms.
"It's something every kid needs to know and a lot of parents take it for granted," Conley said. "(The kids) are very interested in it and that's nice because this is the type of thing that could save a life later on."
Conley said the students tell stories they can relate to previous fire experiences, and ask specific questions like how to get out of a room with no windows or if a firefighter will find them if they hide in a closet.
In addition to fire safety, the kids also learn about the town utilities and watch a presentation from the ISP.
Utilities workers Troy Elless and Ronnie Black help teach the kids about safety with downed power lines and water emergencies.
The lesson also gives the students an appreciation for utilities workers who are out during storms.
Bainbridge Elementary has four sections of first grade with a total of 79 students.
Wabash keeps Bell for fourth-straight year
DePauw defenders Robby Schuler (21) and Dennis Callicutt (13) sandwich Wabash quarterback Chase Belton during Saturday's Monon Bell Classic. The Tigers lost the game 23-0. [Order this photo]
The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games against their rivals.
"This is why you go to one of these schools -- to play in this game. We just couldn't get it done," DPU senior Cody Crook said. "Losing the Bell, not having the Bell for four years ... It's tough to deal with."
Little Giants junior running back Tyler Holmes had 33 carries for 169 yard and a touchdown as the team out gained DPU on offense, 432 yards to 142.
"We just didn't put enough together to make it matter and get the ball in the end zone," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "For the most part we were playing well. We were letting (the Little Giants) do their thing and hurt themselves (with penalties) and we kind of fell lapsed into that."
DPU finished the year 2-8, its worst season since going 2-8 in 1994.
The Tigers began the year 0-2 before firing head coach Robby Long after two-plus years at the helm.
The team was 2-6 after, but failed to establish an identity on either side of the ball.
Defensively the team played well in spots early, only giving up a few big plays per game. Late in the year the unit struggled to get off the field.
The offense showed few bright spots.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman began the year as the starter, but a week-three concussion forced him out of action.
Freshman Justin Murray stepped in, but was unable to establish any rhythm or consistency in the passing game.
When Seaman returned to action in week seven, the two young quarterbacks began splitting time.
Seaman found occasional success, but it was rarely consistent throughout an extended time.
The sophomore started against Wabash and played most of the first three quarters, completing just 14-of-31 passes for 103 yards and an interception.
Murray, used early only in non-traditional and running formations, came in for the last few drives of the game, going 2-for-7 for four yards.
Wabash's shutout victory could have even more decisive.
The Little Giants committed 18 penalties for 133 yards.
The rival schools battled to a 0-0 tie midway through the second quarter when senior quarterback Chase Belton connected with junior receiver Sean Hildebrand in the endzone.
Wabash added a field goal before the half.
With DPU's inability to move the ball, the 9-0 lead proved to be insurmountable.
"I can't say enough about my teammates and my coaches for just pushing through the adversity we've had this year," Crook said. "I'm so proud of how we played and how we handled ourselves like men, and like gentlemen, throughout this whole season."
Srnka said after the game he is proud of his team, despite the loss, for continuing to fight through the adversity they faced throughout the season.
"We didn't stop playing. We played our butts off," Srnka said. "That's because of these darn seniors. Because of their commitment and what they wanted to do -- they wanted to finish on a strong note."
Wabash continued to control the clock in the second half with its powerful inside running game. The Little Giants added two more rushing touchdowns to salt away the victory.
The DPU seniors became the first group to lose four straight Monon Bell Classics since the Tigers won five straight from 1996-2000.
In 119 meetings between the two schools, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 edge.
The Tigers seniors finished with a 22-18 career record.
In addition to the head-coaching search, DPU will also be looking for a new face to lead its offense.
DePauw announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Joe Deifel on Monday.
Including the shutout against Wabash, Deifel's offense averaged a disappointing 17.7 points per game, which was 190th out of 239 teams in NCAA Division III.
Deifel coached at DePauw for two seasons.
Srnka, who was the teams defensive coordinator and secondary coach prior to beginning his head coaching responsibilities, let Deifel and the offensive staff control all aspects of that side of the ball.
Deifel stated he was resigning to pursue non-coaching opportunities.
North Putnam to honor veteran with diploma
The school board voted last month to approve an honorary degree for former student Michael Lewis, who left school at 17 to join the Army.
"It's not a great story," Lewis said. "People do what they need to do."
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Superintendent Dan Noel brought the idea of awarding a high school diploma to Lewis to the North Putnam School Board at the September meeting, and the response was unanimously positive.
Noel talked about Lewis and the board agreed it would be a nice gesture to someone who has given back to his country.
That it is timed around Veterans Day only adds to that.
Lewis approached the school recently and asked about the possibility of getting his diploma.
Having spent the last 30 years working construction, he got jobs from experience and hadn't needed a diploma. But times are changing and construction is no longer a viable option.
Lewis enlisted in 1974 and served as a member the First and 41st Infantry, Second Armory Division.
He was young, recently married and had a child on the way.
"I wasn't a real military guy," Lewis said. "It was just the only thing I could think of to support my family."
Lewis left school in February of his senior year, during the height of the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it.
After his three-year stint ended, Lewis began living in Texas and working construction jobs that have taken him all over the country.
Eventually, after a lot of heartache, he found his way back to Putnam County.
The Bainbridge native was reluctant to speak about his personal life, but said he is currently married to the high school sweetheart that he enlisted to support.
Lewis recently suffered an injury serious enough to keep him from continuing construction work.
His quest for something else brought him back to North Putnam High School and, nearly four decades later, a diploma.
Indiana Department of Education law 20-20-7 allows eligible veterans to apply, at no fee, for a diploma if they left school before graduation to join the military.
Lewis said he is thankful to the school, and for the government, for working with him.
"Back in the '70s and '80s, lots of people dropped out of school to take care of their brothers and sisters," Lewis said. "I appreciate the government for allowing me to get my diploma."
Lewis served one term, and said had things been a little different he may have stayed in the service longer.
Although, like many Vietnam vets, he has faced obstacles -- personal, professional and otherwise -- Lewis has managed to keep working.
That drive will allow him to finally get a diploma from his high school.
With Veterans Day coming up Sunday, Lewis happy to see the appreciation and support military members have been getting, particularly in recent years.
Were it not for the holiday, Lewis said, he wouldn't have shared his story at all.
"I am a real patriot since my military days," Lewis said. "There are certain things you get from being in the military. Patriotism -- respect for your country -- is one of them."
Drivers running stop arm on school buses remains an issue
Drivers are required to stop for a school bus when the stop arm is engaged, but blowing past the signal has become a growing trend in the North Putnam community. The Indiana State Police are cracking down by following buses in unmarked vehicles.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)[Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and a stop-arm extended, cars going in both directions are required to stop, but bus drivers and parents have witnessed a number of violations.
"We have been contacted a number of times over the last couple years by the North Putnam School Corporation and parents along U.S. 36," Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts said.
On Thursday the ISP had a unmarked-car stakeout to catch possible violators, something they have done more than 10 times.
"It's getting worse," North Putnam bus driver Penny Rush said. "One of these days they're going to hurt somebody's child."
Rush has been a bus driver for the school for 8 years and said she and all of the other drivers are extremely protective of the students, being sure to turn on her yellow warning lights well in advance of a stop.
But that's not always enough to make motorists stop.
"Sometimes it's because they're on a cell phone, sometimes it's because they don't want to stop," Rush said. "You can tell. When they see the yellow lights come on, they speed up."
ISP officers issued a citation to one such motorist on Thursday.
Sgt. Watts said the driver stated he saw the yellow and red lights, but didn't believe he had time to stop. ISP officers disagreed.
Violators can be issued either a citation for a traffic infraction -- a $150 ticket -- or, if the perpetrator is behaving especially recklessly, a class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Stephen and Kim Lawrenz have an eight-year-old son, Seth, who attends Bainbridge Elementary.
The Lawrenzs live along U.S. 36 and meet Seth at the end of their driveway almost every day.
"If (drivers) see me, they know there is a kid getting off," Lawrenz said.
But that's not always the case.
A 230-foot skid mark in front of their driveway is from a semi driver that failed to stop in time for the bus. Luckily Seth doesn't have to cross the road on his way home, but a number of students along the route do.
"(Drivers) have to be patient, slow down and always look down range," Watts said.
When the semi skidded in front of the Lawrenz home, they took action. Kim got information and called state and local police to track the vehicle down.
Weeks later, ISP officers tracked the driver down and issued him a citation.
"The law says all we need to have is a preponderance of evidence," Watts said. "(To issue a citation) we don't need beyond a reasonable doubt."
Parents, bus drivers and other witnesses can write down the license plate number, a vehicle description and other markings and notify local or state law enforcement officers.
Police have up to two years to issue a ticket.
Rush said during the Covered Bridge Festival drivers were flagrant violators, even going as far as making eye contact and waving to her as they drove past a stop arm.
The students are taught to be careful and not cross the street until drivers wave them across.
For the past couple years, they've done a better job obeying signals than the passing motorists.
"When drivers see those yellow lights come on," Rush said, "that's a signal to them to be ready to stop."
Seats change for three of the four local school boards
Longtime educator Darrell Wiatt was elected to replace incumbent Jacquelyn Simpson as the Russell Township representative on the North Putnam School Board.
Wiatt is among a number of new board members that were elected on Tuesday night.
Also new to the North Putnam School Board are Jill Summerlot, who ran uncontested in Franklin Township, and James Bowling, who was elected in Monroe Township over Dustin Osborn.
In the South Putnam corporation, Anthony Heavin and Angie Nichols will begin serving in January.
Heavin was elected in the at-large contest, defeating Trisha Shrader, and Nichols was elected to the Washington Township seat, defeating Tim McKean.
New members on the Cloverdale School Board include Christopher Mann and Rob Schroer.
Mann and Schroer, along with incumbent Donna Fidler, were elected to represent Cloverdale Township, defeating Chris Kaufman and Tim Powell.
Bobbie Nees retains her spot as the Jackson Township representative.
Wiatt (218 votes, 70 percent) is the only school board member to unseat a contesting incumbent.
"I'm honored and humbled that I get this opportunity to serve as the Russell Township representative," Wiatt said. "Sometimes it's hard to beat incumbents, and I think that Jacquelyn Simpson has done a good job."
Wiatt was an educator in the North Putnam district for 39 years until his retirement in 2011.
"I thought with my experiences I could make some improvements," Wiatt said. "Nobody likes to see cuts, but I feel like I can do it where it's not going to hurt the kids."
He also stressed the importance of working to improve the school grades, which, outside of the high school, were among the lowest in the county.
Wiatt, Summerlot (454 votes) and Bowling (296 votes, 54.7 percent) will join Mark Hoke (3,075 votes), re-elected to the at-large seat on Tuesday, Travis Lambermont, Ollie Haste and John Hays on the North Putnam board.
All the newly-elected members said they planned to attend the November and December school board meetings.
Hoke's new term begins in 2014.
"I'd just like to even the playing field for our students," Summerlot said. "I decided it was time that maybe we made some changes with our school board. There have been some issues that have been going on. I felt that, as a parent, it was time to make the move (to run)."
Summerlot, a mother of three, including two current NPHS students (Kelsey, 17, junior and Riley, 15, sophomore), is a special education parent advocate who also serves as vice president of the North Putnam Band Boosters.
"We need to move forward and make sure all of our kids have access to our curriculum; all of our kids have access to a safe school and that they are welcomed in our school."
Bowling said he is excited to take on a leadership role within the community, but will take a backset on the board initially.
"I've got to go to a couple meetings and get my bearings before I can see what needs to be done," Bowling said. "They need some changes up there."
Bowling has two children currently enrolled at North Putnam -- Raegan, a freshman, and Christian Pingleton, a seventh-grader.
The South Putnam board will gain a new member with experience in education as well. Angie Nichols (1,634 votes, 65.4 percent) is a former secretary at Reelsville Elementary, which closed this past year.
The South Putnam at-large winner, Heavin, is a South Putnam graduate who went on to attend DePauw University.
He said he hopes to help the corporation and its administrators continue down the path that helped raise him.
"(My wife and I) feel that there were a lot of teachers, administrators and community members that stepped up and made us who we are today," Heavin said. "It takes a village to raise a child, not just parents or teachers, but community members and volunteer."
Heavin (1,676 votes, 66 percent) will begin serving in 2014 when Nancy Wells' term is up.
Nichols and Heavin will join Steve Cash (2,129 votes), re-elected on Tuesday to the Marion Township seat, Wesley Hacker and David Bombei on the South Putnam board.
"We still need some experience to carry (the board) on and to help train the new people," Cash said. "There are always different areas that we need to improve on and stay on top of the new innovations in education and try to deal with what the state has imposed on us."
Cash said he is familiar with the new members and is excited to have them join.
"I think we'll be OK. (Electing Nichols) keeps a lady on the board, who will keep everyone on their toes," Cash said. "Anthony is sharp and he's a doctor. He'll help us in an education fashion and he will give us intelligent and well-thought-out answers on what we need to do."
The Cloverdale board is getting an infusion of new members as well.
Cloverdale Township representatives Dave Brinkman and Linda Mann did not seek re-election, but now there is a new Mann on the board.
Christopher Mann (1,296 votes) has three children in the school system and said he hopes to contribute to his community the best he can.
"I really hope to have outstanding academic success for all our students and to have a very well-run school," Christopher Mann said. "(My goals) are just to keep Cloverdale as a top-notch school with outstanding academics, good fiscal management and accountability to our taxpayers."
Rob Schroer (1,174 votes) will join Christopher Mann on the board and said he felt, as a life-long Cloverdale resident, he could give back to the school.
I really didn't have an agenda," Schroer said. "I thought I could do the school good, so I decided to run for (the board)."
Christopher Mann, Schroer, Fidler (1,559 votes) and Nees (1,230 votes) will begin their terms in January, joining sitting board members Duane Huge, Pamelia Hepfer and Brian Asbury.
Candidates in Cloverdale also received votes in Owen County.
All school board candidates run as non-partisan.
The North Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on the third Thursday each month.
The South Putnam School Board holds regular meetings on third Monday each month.
The Cloverdale School Board holds regular meetings on the second Monday each month.
Fire behind Wendy's sign smokes out customers
Firefighters for the Greencastle Fire Department cut down the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the restaurant on Monday afternoon to gain access to smoldering rubble behind it. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN) [Order this photo]
An electrical short behind the "Wendy's" sign on the front of the building on Indianapolis Road on the city's East Side reportedly caused a fire to begin, sending smoke through the ventilation system and ceiling tiles.
"I smelled it before (I saw it)," worker Joann Whittaker said. "Electrical fires have a very distinct smell. I looked up and could see smoke and people were getting up."
The dining room was almost completely full, workers said, and patrons began rushing outside quickly.
"I had a full line of cars in the drive through," Megan Farmer said. "People were freaking out."
The Greencastle Fire Department responded to the scene, tearing the sign off the front of the building to get inside.
Assistant fire chief Jeff Mace said the Wendy's staff had already attacked the flames with dry chemical extinguishers before firefighters arrived.
"It appears the wiring behind the sign started the fire," Mace said.
The amount of damage is unknown, though it appears to be noninvasive as the restaurant was reopened Monday afternoon with approval from the State Board of Health.
Other Wendy's workers present during the incident included general manager Tabitha Kendall and crew members Hunter Winslow, Angus McGaughey and John Elmore.
"It was like Black Friday," Winslow said. "Except it's Monday."
With the dining room filling with smoke, diners and workers hurried to evacuate, with the exception of one who asked if they could hurriedly finish making a Spicy Chicken Sandwich for him.
The Madison Fire Department and Operation Life assisted on scene.
DePauw drops another, will take 2-7 record to Wabash
DPU sophomore quarterback Drew Seaman threw for 255 yards but it wasn't enough as the Tigers lost to Denison University on Saturday. Seaman faced a heavy pass rush from Big Red senior Lane Hartfield.
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
(Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)
Sophomore Drew Seaman threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, but completed only 20-of-43 attempts, stifling any chance of gaining traction in the team's no-huddle offense.
DePauw (2-1, 1-5) had 18 carries for negative-13 rush yards.
"We played well starting off then we just missed tackles," DPU interim head coach Scott Srnka said. "(Denison) didn't do anything different than we've been working on all week. They were about as good as I thought they would be. We missed tackles. We were poor.
"That's my fault, because obviously the defense wasn't ready to go."
DPU allowed more than 450 yards from scrimmage (211 rushing, 245 passing) to a balanced offensive attack led by senior quarterback Max Paulus.
The Big Red signal caller threw for three touchdowns and rushed for 21 yards and a score.
The DPU rush defense had been one of the few bright spots on the team this year, but the unit was scorched on Saturday.
Senior running back Sam Fioroni total 147 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
"I'm just disappointed because we didn't play like we should have. It's my fault because I didn't get them prepared," Srnka said. "Obviously we weren't ready. I don't know why. I'm not blaming anybody but myself."
DePauw continued a recent trend of rotating quarterbacks.
Seaman started the game and played most of the first half. When the offense stalled late, freshman Justin Murray entered and led the team to a fourth-quarter touchdown.
The two-quarterback system looks likely to continue in the 2012 finale.
The Tigers will wrap up their disappointing season at Wabash next week in the annual Monon Bell Classic.
Srnka said he is not worried about a carryover from the poor effort on Saturday.
"We haven't talked about Wabash once. And they (the players) haven't talked about it," Srnka said. "The Wabash game is the Wabash game. If you can't get excited for that then you've got problems."
At Blackstock Stadium
Denison University 0 19 13 7 -- 39
DePauw University 6 6 0 8 -- 20
First Quarter
DPU -- Coburn 34 yd pass from Seaman (2 pt failed), 0-6 7:40
Second Quarter
DEN -- Lilley 5 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick failed) 6-6 10:20
DPU -- Dwenger 55 yd fumble recovery (Malm kick blocked) 6-12 7:42
DEN -- Fioroni 6 yd run (Puracchio kick failed) 12-12 4:43
DEN -- Fioroni 20 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick) 19-12 1:05
Third Quarter
DEN -- Fioroni 14 yd run (Puracchio kick failed) 25-12 13:29
DEN -- Paulus 4 yd run (Puracchio kick) 32-12 7:54
Fourth Quarter
DEN -- Lilley 7 yd pass from Paulus (Puracchio kick) 39-12 7:30
DPU -- Wagner 6 yd pass from Murray (D.J. Steward pass from Murray) 39-20 6:38
Individual Stats
Rushing
DEN -- Fioroni 28, 147, 2; Paulus 11, 21, 1; Brown 1, 13; Lilley 2, 11; Sklenar 2, 10; Wilson 3, 6; Morris 3, 3
DPU -- Galley 5, 10; Cato 4, 4; Muray 6, -8; Seaman 3, -19.
Passing
DEN -- Paulus 17-29, 245, 3 TD, 0 INT; Wilson 0-1, 0, 0, 0.
DPU -- Seaman 20-43, 255, 1, 1; Murray 6-14, 96, 1, 0.
Receiving
DEN -- Fioroni 6, 54, 1; Layer 4, 95, 0; Morris 3, 19, 0; Lilley 2, 12, 2; Keller 1, 48, 0; McHugh 1, 17, 0.
DPU -- Wagner 6, 100, 1; Coburn 5, 86, 1; Sansone 5, 72, 0; Kirtley 4, 24, 0; Alleman 2, 41, 0; Steward 2, 18, 0; Galley 2,10, 0.
Pacers eek out win in double overtime game against Kings
Pacers guard/forward Lance Stephenson emerged as a late-game option on Saturday in the team's double-overtime win against Sacramento.
(Courtesy photo)
(Courtesy photo)
A balanced effort saw six players score in double-digits, while holding the Kings to just 36.3 percent shooting in the 106-98 victory.
Third-year guard Paul George had a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 16 points.
Point guard George Hill and forward David West led the team with 18 points each.
"I don't think I've played one of those games in a minute," Hill said. "It was tough, but you have to tip your hat to this Pacers team. (We) keep pounding the rock and keep grinding it out."
Hill, an Indianapolis-native, has taken a leadership role in his second year with the Pacers.
"It's good for our team to know that, in tough situations when things may not go well -- when we're not playing well -- that we can continue to grind out a long game," he said. "I'm happy we're learning right now in November rather than in April or May (during the playoffs)."
Indiana continues a trend they started last year: winning games with defense.
Forward Gerald Green, starting in place of the injured Danny Granger, scored 17 points in just 24 minutes, then sat on the bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter and overtime in favor of Lance Stephenson.
"Lance plays with great energy," Pacer head coach Frank Vogel said. "He's a presence at both ends."
As Granger, the team's all-star forward, recovers from a knee injury (timetable for his return is TBD), the team continues to win.
Carry that 2-1 start (.670 win percentage) the rest of the way, and they'll win 55 games, which is almost always enough to get a top-three seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
"We condition ourselves," West said. "That's what we're paid to do ... We're going to fight. We're going to hang our hats on defense."
But if they keep playing as they have -- two games coming down to a last-second shot; a win Saturday in double-overtime -- they won't be able to last (in good condition) to the playoffs.
Saturday's game was the second half of a back-to-back for the Pacers after they were pushed to their limits on Friday night.
The Bobcats, outmatched on talent, unleashed a full court press that exhausted Indiana, and ultimately led to guard D.J. Augustin being forced to take a corner three for the win.
Hill made a similar shot on Wednesday at Toronto, ringing a shot from the top of the key through to snatch a victory against the Raptors.
Augustin's shot on Friday missed.
The Pacers had two similar chances on Saturday -- West missed a three at the end of regulation; Hill a baseline jumper at the end of the first overtime -- but they found no rhythm.
The schedule gets no easier. The Pacers begin a three-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs (3-0), the best they've faced.
The next Indiana home game is Saturday, Nov. 10 against the Washington Wizards.
Greencastle Tiger Cubs prepare for top-ranked Bishop Chatard Trojans
Greencastle will need to rely on solid defense and a near-flawless performance from senior quarterback Nick Gilliam to defeat Indianapolis Bishop Chatard on Friday.
(Banner Graphic/CAINE GARDNER) [Order this photo]
(Banner Graphic/CAINE GARDNER) [Order this photo]
The Trojans (9-2) have won the last two Indiana 3A state championships, but GHS coach Josh Buis said he isn't ready to call his team a long-shot to win.
"I've had a lot of people asking me, 'Are you scared to play them?' It's football. They're 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids just like we are," Buis said. "I wouldn't necessarily call us the underdog. If this was the World Series and you have to play the best of seven, that might be a different story.
"All you've got to do is beat them once. You don't have to win a seven-game series."
Greencastle (11-0) faced its stiffest test of the year last week, beating Tri-West 20-14 after going ahead on a late touchdown run by senior quarterback Nick Gilliam.
The 14 points allowed matched the defense's season total up to that point, but it was still well below the Bruins' average of 25.7 points per game.
To get a win on Friday, the Tiger Cubs will have to overcome an even tougher challenge.
"If you can slow the running game down, you've got a chance," Buis said. "Teams that are successful against them play well enough on defense to slow down the running game and (offensively) throw the ball on them a little bit.
"You're going to have to spread them out a little bit; get their linebackers out of the box."
That plan of attack -- solid run defense and a wide-open passing game -- has been the GHS calling card all year.
"We're going to do what we do," Buis said. "We're going to be gap sound. We're going to be fundamentally sound. It's going to be a big challenge, but it was a big challenge stopping Tri-West from throwing the ball. It was a big challenge stopping South Putnam from running the ball (in week five)."
Stopping the Chatard offense is only part of the challenge. To keep up on the scoreboard, GHS will need to rely Gilliam more than ever.
Since returning from an injury in the week eight game against Cascade, he has been trying to get back in sync with the receivers and regain command of an intimidating spread offense.
He went 10-for-16 for 145 yards in last week's win and will need to improve on that to keep the Chatard defense on its heels.
"We're not going to do anything special." Buis said. "We're not going to game plan any differently for Chatard than we did for Tri-West.
"It's not going to come down to coaching. No game comes down to coaching. It's going to come down to which team wants it most."
The game will be played at Lawrence North High School, and, because of the hour and a half travel time, it will begin at 7:30 p.m.
After hosting a game last week on a muddy, cold night, the change of scenery and lengthy travel time could lead to a slow start, but Buis said his leaders will have the team ready to play.
"I think the senior class we have, if we told them we are going to play in the middle of a cornfield they'd be excited about it." Buis said. "You always want to start off well and finish a game strong, and our seniors will make sure that happens.
"You can't be undefeated and not have a senior class that has strong leadership."
Entering a game as underdogs, winning the mental battle can be just as import as the physical.
Buis said reading message boards and hearing chatter about the team's fate is unavoidable, but the only thing he is worried about is how his players handle themselves.
"I tell my kids, 'The only people that have to believe that we can win are in this room,'" he said. "It's a big opponent. You can play it down as much as you want. They're a good football team, but I think we're a good football team.
"The media doesn't decide a game. The people on message boards don't decide a game.
"That's why you play the game and let the players decide the outcome."
Greencastle is the last team standing in the county, which means they already have a leg up on next year, but just reaching the sectional final is short of the potential Buis sees in his team.
"In order to win championships and put trophies in the case, you've got to be able to play your best football in late October and November," Buis said. "We'll be prepared, our kids will be ready and we will find a way to bring a sectional championship back home to Putnam County."
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