Perspective

Building Broader Communities to Fight Addiction


A heartbreaking epidemic is going on in Putnam County— heroin overdose deaths have more than doubled in Putnam County during recent years. Thirty-three fatalities occurred in the two-year period of 2012 and 2013—that is up from 15 in 2010 and 2011. These grim statistics have made a tragic mark on families, friends and our community. This scourge is one of […]

4,000 Easter Eggs Found by Putnam Kids



Old Man Winter failed to deter more than 500 boys and girls from collecting Easter eggs and other goodies courtesy of the Kent Recreation and Parks Commission. The town’s annual Easter Egg hunt was moved in-doors last Saturday when snow squalls and chilly winds made the season resemble more like Christmas than Easter. Four thousand Easter eggs, many containing a […]

Medication Take Back Day is Three Weeks Away



Start rummaging through your family’s medicine cabinet and sorting out unwanted medications. Putnam’s Spring Medication Take Back Day takes place April 25 at Putnam Hospital Center when residents can safely dispose of their unwanted prescription and over the counter medications in a secure fashion. The event is sponsored by the Communities that Care Coalition (CAC) in conjunction with the Putnam […]

Music in the Mansion Recital at Boscobel





Enter the Boscobel mansion on April 18 for a recital of songs, fortepiano, clarinet and violioncello music that promises to transport guests back to the early 1800s, when Boscobel itself was an example of high culture and sophistication. Fortepianist Audrey Axinn, renowned soprano Ilana Davidson, cellist Myron Lutzke and classical clarinetist Nina Stern have thrilled audiences around the world with […]

Book Sale Set at Kent Public Library





The Friends of the Kent Public Library will be holding a spring book sale on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am to 4 pm. This will be the first time that the Friends have held a sale in the Book Cellar/Program Room, the newly renovated downstairs area of the Kent Public Library at 17 Sybil’s Crossing. The new Book Cellar […]

Children’s Committee Scholarships Available



Scholarships are being made available to graduating Putnam high school students this year who desire to further their education. The Putnam County Children’s Committee in 2014 distributed $8000 in scholarship money to students from Carmel to Cold Spring. Frankie Feehan, coordinator of the program, told the COURIER that financial need will be the priority: “ Interested students should contact their […]

Sales Tax Receipts Drop, First Time in Year



February appears to be a down month when it comes to sales tax revenue collections in Putnam County. For the third February in succession, sales tax revenue generated in the county’s six towns declined from the previous year. Commissioner of Finance William Carlin presented his monthly sales tax report for February to members of the Legislature’s Audit Committee Monday evening […]

Bus Driver Saves Girl in Attack, Judge Spares Pit Bull’s Life



Carmel School bus driver Bill Donovan was at the right place at the right time when a pit bull terrier attacked a 14 year old high school girl on his route. The time was 6:45 a.m. on the morning of March 19 when Donovan was driving along St. Michael’s Terrace: “I observed a gentleman in his underwear carrying a child […]

Jane Smith, Sheriff’s Wife, Is Inspiring Cancer Patients



During her long, two-year battle with cancer, Jane Smith has never asked: “Why me?” Instead the wife of Putnam Sheriff Don Smith, mother of a daughter and son and grandmother of eight, has fought the insidious disease through treatments, prayer and a strong belief in the Almighty Lord. During an interview at the Smith’s home last week in Kent, Jane […]

Worker Burned at Chemical Plant Fire



Emergency responders from across the county responded to a chemical fire at the Materion Corporation located in the Mt. Ebo Corporate Park in Southeast Wednesday morning shortly before 11 o’clock. Incident Commander Brewster FD Chief Thomas Leather sounded a general alarm for his department while calling in mutual aid from the Putnam Lake and Lake Carmel Departments in addition to […]