Stories from Friday, April 23, 2004

SWITZ CITY ---- The White River Valley Board of School Trustees voted 6-1, with board member Bruce Porter opposing, to RIF (reduction in force) four teachers for the 2004-05 school year. The teachers affected by the RIF are Luann Allen, Angie York, Deborah Pruett and Renee Welch...

The weather wasn't enough to keep three area golf teams from hitting the links for some nine hole action on Thursday night. At Phil Harris, the Linton Miners (156) defeated Clay City (167), and Owen Valley (173). Drew Dunkerly led the Miners with a score of 36. Caleb Fischer was second for the team with a score of 39...

Cletho Summerville, 87, of Lyons, passed away Wednesday, April 21, 2004, at 2:50 p.m. at Lyons Health and Living Center. Born Feb. 27, 1917 in Daviess County, he was the son of Thomas Franklin and Allie Gertrude (Cox) Summerville. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran and dairy farmer, a member of the American Legion Post 479, and a member of the 8th Air Force 305th Bomb Group Memorial Association...

Donald Kenneth Russell, 72, of Linton, passed away Friday, April 23, 2004, at 4:26 a.m. at his residence. Born March 24, 1932 in Indianapolis, he was the son of Kenneth N. and Alma (Lynch) Russell. He was a 1950 graduate of Linton-Stockton High School. ...

FRANKLIN ---- Irene E. Ranard, 99, of Franklin and formerly of Bloomington, passed away Wednesday evening at Franklin United Methodist Community. Born March 11, 1905 in Richland Township, Bloomfield, she was the daughter of Albert H. and Eliza (Ray) Heaton...

Linda L. Porter, 67, of Switz City, passed away Thursday, April 22, at11:35 a.m. at her residence. Born July 22, 1936 in Greene County, she was the daughter of Linley and Mary Lou (Charleston) Leavitt. She was married to Louie G. Porter. She was a homemaker, worked for General Electric in Bloomington, was a bus driver for Switz City schools, and worked for Bloomfield Silo. ...

Moving on up to the east side of ... Linton. Wabash Valley Human Services is moving the Linton Client Services office to a new location at 109 E. Vincennes St. in the former Craven's Insurance office in Linton. "It is a bigger space with more parking. We feel we will be better able to serve the people," said Sandy Fiscus, client services specialist...

EASTERN HEIGHTS ---- About an hour before a mock wreck drill was about to be staged at Eastern Greene High School, to educate students about the perils of drinking and driving, a real traffic accident unfolded. The wreck happened about 1,000 feet from the school near the intersection of S.R. 54 and S.R. 43 that sent four people to Bloomington Hospital...

The annual Sample Fair, which showcases local businesses and services ---- and where you can shop, win door prizes and get lots of "freebies" ---- is Saturday. Held at the Greene County 4-H Fairgrounds on State Road 54 east of Switz City, the event is sponsored each year by the Linton Ladies Civitan...

The manager of the Linton Movie Gallery is holding the first-ever Safety In Spring day to promote child safety from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The event is a way to let people meet their local police and emergency response personnel ---- and to make our children safer through a valuable tool, fingerprinting...

The Bloomfield School District has earned high academic distinction among the state's 293 school corporations. The Bloomfield Board of School Trustees learned Thursday night that the school district has been honored for student achievement levels on the Fall 2002 Indiana Statewide Testing For Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP-Plus), rates of participating in testing, attendance rates for elementary, middle schools and school corporations and graduate rates for high schools...

The contract impasse between the Bloomfield Board of School Trustees and the Bloomfield Teacher's Association appears near an end. On Thursday night, the school board set a special meeting for 6:30 p.m. on April 29 for the purpose of possibly ratifying a multi-year collective bargaining agreement, according to superintendent Ron Hasler...

EASTERN HEIGHTS ---- The stillness of an overcast spring morning near Eastern Greene High School was disturbed Thursday by the screech of tires, then the clanging, banging and crush of metal and broken glass was heard. The ear-ringing sound of sirens followed...

Bloomfield State Bank helped 71 county first-grade students on the path to positive financial management Thursday by participating in "National Teach Children to Save Day," a yearly nationwide program aimed at teaching kids their financial ABCs...

Eighteen members of the Alpha Co. 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry have been ordered to report to the Linton National Guard Armory on Monday. All of the soldiers being "put on alert have not seen active duty," according to Sgt. First Class Brian Fletcher, of the 152nd at Linton...

With baseball, softball, and tennis taking the night off because of all the rain, area track and field athletes weathered the miserable conditions for competition on Thursday. The Eastern Greene Thunderbirds' boys track team entered the three-way meet with North Knox and Linton after an impressive win at White River Valley earlier in the week...