Stories from Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Greene County Highway Department will be shut down next week in a move that is aimed at saving fuel dollars. Highway Superintendent Brent Murray says this is the second year the Thanksgiving holiday week will be on mandatory shutdown. The week logistically works well because workers were already scheduled off on Thursday and Friday as regular paid holidays...

SWITZ CITY ---- White River Valley School Corporation will enjoy something unusual for the next year in the health insurance industry -- a reduction in premium cost. Supt. Layton Wall announced at Thursday night's meeting that the district's health insurance plan through Anthem will have a 2 percent decrease based on a quote from Worthington agent Larry Dyar...

A common scam involving official-looking Publisher's Clearing House winning notification letters has cropped up in Greene County. Cheri Campbell, with the Greene County Sheriff's Department, reports she took a complaint this week by a county woman, who apparently has been bilked out of $2,950...

The stomping and cheering echoed down the halls of Linton-Stockton High School Thursday evening, a 7:45 p.m. pep session for Friday's semistate football game carrying out into the parking lots as a city's hopes rose. Smiling down from framed photographs placed in positions of honor on both sides of the lengthy entryway, the young gridiron heroes of decades past were the only ones standing silent. Inside the gym, the crowd roared...

William Alan (Bill) Nickelson, 38, of Vero Beach, Fla. and formerly of Jasonville, was tragically killed on Nov. 12, 2011 at 9:35 p.m. while riding his bicycle in Vero Beach, Fla. He was born Jan. 24, 1973 in Sullivan to Harry and Jennie Sue (Hair) Nickelson...

As Linton's Knights of Columbus chapter presented a $399 donation Tuesday evening to the Special Olympics bowling team, Linton City Councilwoman Linda Bedwell wound up bowled over by a surprise. Awarded the Area 7 Spirit of Special Olympics Award for 2011, Bedwell smiled, shocked as she was presented with the honor by Greene County Special Olympics coordinator Susan Isenogle...

Sharon Elaine Vanatti, 60, of Jasonville, passed away peacefully at 2:03 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2011 in I.U. Methodist Hospital Yellow Rose Unit in Indianapolis. She was born Sept. 2, 1951 in Hammond, IN to Morris Vanatti and Darlene (Wisely) Vanatti...

Indiana Eighth District Congressman Larry Buschon (R-Evansville) says his office is doing everything within its power to curtail the planned closure of small, hometown post offices throughout Indiana and across the country. He is also working to make sure the vital regional mail distribution centers, like the one in Terre Haute, remains open -- despite an earlier announcement by U.S. Postal Service officials...

The early season struggles that have plagued the Linton-Stockton Lady Miners continued Thursday night in a 34-18 Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference loss to visiting North Daviess. It was their third straight loss to open the year and their second straight SWIAC defeat...

DUGGER -- After making just 4 of 11 free throws through the first three quarters, Union cashed in on 12 of 17 in the fourth quarter as the Lady Bulldogs defeated visiting Eminence 47-42 here Thursday night in a high school girls basketball game. Union led 22-18 at intermission, but trailed 32-30 after three...

The White River Valley-Worthington Elementary fifth and sixth grade boys basketball teams swept a pair of games at North Daviess on Wednesday night. The fifth graders got six points from Shawn Gibson and four from Jalen Swaby as they posted a 20-9 win over the Cougars...

They were the stuffed that dreams are made of -- an array of teddy bears, toy giraffes, camels and lions, a pig and a dog. Tucked into a shared sleeping bag, the dozen or so stuffed animals left in the Linton Public Library on Tuesday for a sleepover by the kids who loved them looked peaceful...