Stories from Monday, February 5, 2007

Temperatures fell below zero Sunday night and early this morning in Greene and surrounding counties, attributing to four of the county's five schools calling a two-hour delay. White River Valley School Corporation was running on a two-hour delay, however classes are canceled for today. The heat wasn't functioning properly at the junior/senior high school campus in Switz City; therefore, classes at all three campuses -- Switz City, Lyons and Worthington -- were canceled...

Winners of three straight games, the Eastern Greene Thunderbirds will have some time off to prepare for their opening round contest when they begin sectional play on Friday against the host Paoli Rams, with tip off set for 7:30 p.m. "I think we are playing pretty well right now," said Eastern Greene coach Dan Fidago. ...

SWITZ CITY -- Eastern Greene's Jeremy Stanger helped the Thunderbirds jump out to an early lead before holding on in the fourth quarter to defeat White River Valley, 51-45, Friday night in a SouthWestern Indiana Athletic Conference tilt. "We didn't play well at all," said Eastern Greene coach Andy Igel. "We didn't play well, even early. We hit shots and sometimes that makes you look better."...

Bloomfield, which has been ranked No. 1 in Class A for the better part of the 2006-07 season, will be looking for a third consecutive girls basketball sectional championship, starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 when the Lady Cardinals (19-1) open the tournament against Shakamak (6-14) in the bye game at the Class A Clay City Sectional...

Shakamak will be less than 100 percent, when the Lady Lakers begin play at the Class A Clay City Sectional against two-time defending champion Bloomfield (19-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 in the bye game. The Lady Lakers, who finished the regular season with a 6-14 record, will be without forward Brooke Collins (knee injury). Guard Tiffani Vash sprained her ankle against Union on Jan. 23 and her status is unknown...

White River Valley has carved out 12 wins in their first 20 games this season, working it way back to respectability after back-to-back losing seasons. The Lady Wolverines, who only have one senior on the roster, appeared to be peaking at the right time until freshman point guard Tayler Kail hurt her knee in practice on Jan 25...

If anyone knows what it's like to deal with expectations when you are the No. 1 ranked team in the state, like Bloomfield has been for most of the girls basketball season, it would be Joe Pigg. The White River Valley girls basketball coach can remember what it was like when the Lady Wolverines won their first 25 games in 1999-2000 and was the team to beat in Class A...

Shakamak allowed 66 points in two games as the Lakers defeated Clay City and Riverton Parke in two high school boys basketball games this weekend. On Friday night at Jasonville, the Lakers (10-7. 5-1 in the Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference, 2-2 in the Tri-River Conference) limited Clay City to just one field goal in the first half as they defeated the Eels 52-37 in the dual conference contest. This avenged a 50-29 loss to Clay City on Jan. 6 in the Greene County Daily World Invitational...

The Linton Miners had their best season since the late 1980s when they finished 12-8. But if they want to post their first sectional title since also the late 80s, they'll have to start with a familiar foe when they challenge the Mitchell Bluejackets (14-6) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Paoli Sectional...

Linton-Stockton scored 30 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 90-79 Tri-River Conference victory over host Eminence on Friday night. The Miners, winners of two of their last three, improved to 9-8 overall and remained a top of the TRC standings with a 3-0 record. North Central (13-4 overall) also has won its first three games in the conference...

FARMERSBURG -- In the end, North Central just wore down Union (Dugger) physically. The taller and stronger Thunderbirds used a 7-0 spurt in the final two minutes, 41 seconds of the first half to take the lead for good as North Central came away with a 60-35 Tri-River Conference boys basketball victory Friday night...

FARMERSBURG -- Katie Brown scored 25 points and Krista Himebrook added 17 as North Central defeating Union (Dugger) 69-54 in a Tri-River Conference girls basketball Friday night, denying the Lady Bulldogs their first Sullivan County championship since 1987...

When Union and North Central open play at the Class A Clay City girls basketball sectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday, the two will be very familiar with each other. The two members of the Northeast School Corporation faced each other 96 hours earlier to conclude the regular season, with Union winning xx-xx...

The Eastern Greene Thunderbirds don't schedule the Paoli Rams, their opponent in the bye-game of the sectional which begins for the two teams on Friday. The Rams and Thunderbirds have only one common opponent (Mitchell) with both teams falling to the Bluejackets...

Robert Wells (13) and Levi Holscher (10) combined for 23 points to lead South Knox to a 42-37 victory over host Eastern Greene in a battle to two boys basketball teams that are members of the Class 2A Paoli Sectional. South Knox, which had scored at least 60 points in each of its last eight games, won for the 14th time in 17 tries. It was the eighth win in nine games for the Spartans...

When the Indianapolis Colts won its first Super Bowl crown since moving the franchise to Indiana 23 years ago several Greene Countians were in the stands at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Fla., cheering for their favorite team. On Sunday night, the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 to win the coveted Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLI...

One of Greene County's most devout Indianapolis Colts fans -- Eugene Davis of Bloomfield -- is wearing a satisfied and relieved smile today. Davis wasn't able to make the trip to Miami to witness the Super Bowl game with the Chicago Bears on Sunday in person, but he and about 15 friends from the Refuge Assembly of God Church gathered at the home of pastor Rev. Kirk Brown to catch the action on television...

Former Greene County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Charley Dibble, who resigned that post effective Aug. 31, 2006 after an eight-year stint, has left his new job with The Economic Development Group of Connersville. The Fayette County-based economic development organization in eastern Indiana announced late last month that it will begin a search for a new director after the submission of a letter of resignation by Dibble, who had served as executive director since Nov. ...

It's soul-searching time for members of a grassroots volunteer organization that has been charged for the last three years with a mission to get the word out about the perils of methamphetamine use, manufacturing and dealing in the Greene County community at large...

JASONVILLE -- Donald Pastore, a Republican, has thrown his name into the hat to be mayor of Jasonville. "I just think it's about time we've had a change -- new blood," Pastore said of why he made the decision to run for the office of mayor. Updating the streets within the city is a change Pastore would make it elected mayor...

No one was hurt when a pickup struck an Indiana Railroad Company locomotive at a rail crossing on State Route 57, south of State Route 54 intersection -- known as the Lighthouse Junction -- early Saturday evening. Richard Knepp, 24, of Montgomery, was southbound on State Road 57 about 5:05 p.m. in a 2001 GMC pickup and did not see the red flashing lights at the railroad crossing because of glare from the sun, according to Greene County Sheriff's Department Deputy Terry Wade...

Norma Geanne Dyar, 77, Las Vegas, NV, passed away Jan. 18, 2007, at her residence. She was born Sept. 22, 1929 in Worthington. She graduated from the Indianapolis City Hospital School of Nursing with her RN and later from George Washington University School of Nursing in Washington, DC, with her specialty in anesthesiology. ...

Mildred Anita Leavitt, 95, Route 2, Linton passed away at 11:55 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1 at Glenburn Home in Linton. Born April 4, 1911 in Greene County, she was the daughter of John Frances and Olive Huffman Leech. She formerly worked in L&M School cafeteria and was a member of the Eastern Star in Linton and the Lyons United Methodist Church...

Katherine L. Marsh, 66, of Bloomington, passed away Friday. Feb. 2, 2007 at Golden Living Center in Bloomington. She was born January 14, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was the daughter of George Smith and Lillian Loraine West. She was a certified EMT and had worked in Home Healthcare. She was very active in the A.L.S. Association and was a tissue donor for A.L.S. research...

Mary Marie Utterback, 99, of Linton, died at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007 at Glenburn Home in Linton. She was born in Linton on Jan. 28, 1908, the daughter of James M. and Theckla L. (Bennett) Hawk. She worked 10 years at F.W. Woolworth in Terre Haute and she was co-owner of Daisy's Cigar Store in Linton from 1943 to 1969, with her husband Francis "Cappy" Utterback. She was also a member of the Elite Club and First United Methodist Church, both of Linton...

Marilee A. York, 70, of Johnston, Iowa passed away Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston. She was born Sept. 16, 1936 in Pleasantville. She had lived in Des Moines since 1957 where she was a homemaker and had worked as a church receptionist...

Bloomfield misfired on 6 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter as the host Cardinals lost 36-33 to North Daviess in a Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference boys basketball game Friday night at Glover Gymnasium. The Cardinals (6-13, 4-3 in the SWIAC), led by five points in the final minutes before opening the door with their shooting at the foul line. Bloomfield finished 10 of 17 at the charity stripe compared to 13 of 20 for the Cougars (11-6, 3-1 in the conference)...

Jared Maners had 19 points and 11 assists to lead host Owen Valley to a 68-58 high school boys basketball victory over White River Valley Saturday night at Spencer. Maners, who hit two of the Patriots eight 3-pointers, dished out four assists on four consecutive OV possessions to start the third quarter. They led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before the Wolverines (3-14) battled back...