Banner Graphic, Volume 20, Number 118, Greencastle, Putnam County, 23 January 1990 — Page 1

■■■■■l BannerGraHM Greencastle, Putnam County, Tuesday, January 23,1990, Vol. 20 No. 118 35Cents ■■

With annexation of the Foxridge area to the City of Greencastle now in effect, City Street Department employees Brad Phillips (left) and Jim Jones are in the processing of putting up new city street signs along Martinsville Street. The area has also been receiving city trash collection and has been promised other improvements as part of

the annexation effort. Phillips puts the finishing touches here on installing the green-on-white city signs at Martinsville and East street, just east of Bloomington Street. (Banner-Graphic photo by Gary Goodman).

Aquaculture effort seen opening new world at SPHS

By USA MEYER Banner-Graphic Staff Writer Implementing an aquaculture program at South Putnam High School started out as just a suggestion. Then it turned into a possibility. It has since become a certainty, inspiring educators to dream about how far they can go in the virtually unexplored science. Just suppose the biology students started doing aquatic ecosystem studies. The computer science classes could write programs to control equipment and analyze statistics. And what if some math students could plan budgets and compare performance while chemistry students studied chemical kinetics. THEN HOME ECONOMICS classes could do nutrition research, and social studies classes could conduct dietary studies of various populations. English students could coordinate monthly newsletters. Documentaries could be produced using audiovisual equipment And drafting students could draw schematics of water line systems while graphic arts communications designed and printed packages and labels used in marketing. If all of these groups began working together, then the aquaculture program at South Putnam will have

New university zoning idea presented

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor At the comer of Elm and Locust streets, DePauw University is building its long-awaited, $4.4 million Center for Contemporary Media. The 40,000-square-foot facility will rise 40 feet in the air and be within some 15 feet of the adjoining home to the south. IT MAY WELL BE the last university building that so dominates a Greencastle neighborhood. “The Media Center simply could not be built under this ordinance,” City Attorney Larry Wilson said Monday night as the City Plan Commission began consideration of establishing a university zoning district under the city’s planning and zoning ordinance. Generally, the proposed univer-

Still hanging tough

Cloudy and mild overnight with a 40 percent chance of light rain developing. Low in the mid to upper 30s. Mostly cloudy Wednesday with high in the mid to upper 40s. Southwesterly winds at 5-10 mph during the period. Indiana Extended Forecast Mostly cloudy north and partly cloudy south Thursday through Saturday with a chance of showers north and central on Friday. Lows Thursday morning from the upper 20s to middle 30s, rising to the 30s on Friday morning and the middle 20s to

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accomplished one of its prime goals to be the catalyst of integrated education. The concept of the aquaculture education program is to allow students to conduct research for the confinement feeding of fish for production, as well as perform other studies such as cage or open pond production. MEANWHILE, OTHER STUDY areas such as chemistry, biology, physics, drafting, home economics and even English classes, can use aquaculture as a common study link. Principal Ken Tilford said the South Putnam teaching staff that is excited at the prospect of tying academics to vocational learning. “We’ve seen a lot of excitement with some of our staff members,” Tilford said. Lists of learning activities planned by the staff to work with aquaculture show just how intertwined the new program can become with regular classroom instruction. “When we asked teachers to bring back ideas, the list of things was phenomenal,” Tilford said. “If we care to dream, there’s so many ways we can go with it” He said he expects those initial sparks of enthusiasm about the program to progress into a schoolwide fire. And the nature of the teaching will make it easy to sustain interest in the program expec-

sity zoning area takes in all campus buildings (except stand-alone fraternities and sororities) with the boundaries suggested as the Dells on the south; Center Street, Taylor Place and the network of alleys behind fraternities, sororities and Lucy Rowland Hall on the east; Hanna and Seminary streets on the north and vacant ground west of Blackstock Stadium on the west. The effort was tabled at Wilson’s request Monday night, but not before some spirited discussion emerged. Julius and Betty Edmonds, 702 S. Indiana St, and former Mayor Evan Crawley, 504 S. Indiana St, whose properties border the everexpanding campus, were at City Hall to hear more about the university zoning proposition. AND THEY HEARD both Wil-

lower 30s on Saturday morning. Highs from 40 to 50 on Thursday, rising into the upper 50s to near 60 on Friday and the middle 30s to middle 40s on Saturday. Abby AS Calendar AS Classifieds AB,A9 Comics A 4 Crossword A 9 Heloise A 5 Horoscope A 9 Obituaries AlO People A 4 Sports A6,A7 TV A 8 Theaters AlO

son and Mayor Mike Harmless stress that the university zoning designation will not give DePauw carte blanche with its property, but instead will give the city more control over what can and cannot be dore within the area. Strict guidelines will apply, Harmless said. “The key,” the mayor said, “is that it gives the city more checks and balances on their growth so that the residents in that area have a stronger voice. It forces discussion, and I think DePauw agrees.” The measure would treat university zoning like a subdivision. DePauw would have to prepare a site plan/sketch plan for any new building, conversion, enlargement or structural alteration. The site plan will detail boundaries of the property to be developed, showing

Wilcox reportedly drinks bowl cleaner

Jail inmate suicide attempt reported

By JOE THOMAS Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor Tun Wilcox, who is now awaiting trial on two criminal charges and a transfer to the Department of Corrections for safekeeping, reportedly tried to kill himself Monday night at the Putnam County Jail. The incident happened about eight hours after Circuit Court Judge William C. Vaughn 111 set aside a December 1989 plea agreement reached that called for three criminal counts to be dropped in exchange for Wilcox making regular child-support payments. SETTING ASIDE that agree-

Reggae drummer cleared in alleged rape at DePauw

By JOE THOMAS Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor The Chicago-area reggae drummer who was charged with the attempted rape of a 21-year-old coed after his reggae band performed at a DePauw University fraternity over Monon Bell Weekend in 1989 was cleared of that crime Monday. However, Fitzroy Williams pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana that was found by Leslie, the Sheriff Department’s narcoticssniffing dog as he was booked into the Putnam County Jail in November, 1989. “THE STATE OF Indiana is dismissing charges of attempted rape against Fitzroy Williams,” Chief Deputy Prosecutor Diana LaViolette wrote in a prepared statement released Monday. “What appeared to be strong evidence of criminal conduct at the time of the defendant’s arrest has since proved problematic.” Among the problems with the prosecution’s case, Mrs. LaViolette revealed, are contradictory statements on issues she deemed critical, along with the alleged victim’s

ted to be fully operational by the start of the 1991-92 school year, he said. “IT WILL BE HANDS-ON teaching where the kids use instruments and are not just reading.” The program should also touch a much higher percentage of the student population that the current vocational-agriculture program. Of the high schools enrollment, Tilford estimated that 120 students, or about 20 percent of the student population, are involved in the current vocationalagriculture program at the school. But the aquaculture program could reach 70 percent of the student body through integrated education. Tilford said he was skeptical about an aquaculture program at first, but his opinion changed when he looked into the area and saw the nationwide interest in such a program. AQUACULTURE IS IN ITS fledgling stage, he said, much the same as the nation’s poultry industry was 25-30 years ago. “I really believe that aquaculture is here,” Tilford said. Several aquaculture businesses are now operating in the Appalachian area of the country, he said, and one of those has an annual payroll of $1 million. Purdue University is also working on an aquaculture program of its own. Tilford said that will give a definite advantage to South Putnam students who

the proposed size, location, use and arrangement of buildings; parking areas with arrangement of spaces; entrance and exit drives and their relationship to existing and proposed streets. THE SITE PLAN would also: and size of structures on adjacent properties. Provide for the dedication of any right-of-ways for the widening, extension or connection of major streets or highways. Show the location and size of public utilities serving the site. which will be followed in the improvement of the tract And like a subdivision, the university plan would be reviewed by the Essential Services CommitCol. 5, Back Page, this section

ment at Prosecutor Bob Lowe’s request, Vaughn ordered Wilcox to stand trial on charges of escape and criminal mischief. Sheriff Gerry Hoffa said Wilcox was cleaning his cell at about 6:30 p.m., after he had finished his dinner. As part of the cleaning routine, he was handed a small cup of Bowl Shire toilet bowl cleaner. Hoffa said Wilcox drank the cleaner. “You can’t drink enough of it to kill you because it reacts so quickly,” Hoffa said. Wilcox was taken to Putnam County Hospital by Operation Life for treatment. He was returned to the jail sometime

lack of cooperation in preparing the case. “Certain information which was vital and could only be produced by the victim has not been produced,” Mrs. LaViolette said in her statement “The defendant, who maintains his innocence, agreed to a stipulated polygraph examination which showed no indication of deception. The polygraph operator was asked to assess the exam and answers of the defendant based on a polygraph examination of the victim, but she did not show for a scheduled appointment” IN COURT MONDAY afternoon, Mrs. LaViolette told Judge William C. Vaughn 111 that the victim has agreed with the dropping of the attempted rape charge, claiming she “could not handle this matter emotionally.” “Well, it sounds like he (Williams) has been telling the truth all along and the victim was lying,” Vaughn charged during Monday’s hearing. “It’s much more complicated than that,” Mrs. LaViolette explained, “and I’ll be glad to share some of those complications with

decide to continue their education in aquaculture. But even if students decide not to pursue aquaculture in college, it is a science that can be applied at home, he said. An example of that is hog farmers with empty buildings who set up their own fish producing system. THE COUNTY SCHOOL’S aquaculture program came about when the South Putnam School Board began a $5 million renovation project at the high school. The board found that the current vocationalagriculture curriculum in Indiana schools faces definite changes from the State Department of Education. State officials suggested that South Putnam meet new curriculum changes by setting up an aquaculture program. It would be the first of its kind not only in Indiana high schools, but in the nation. After looking into the aquaculture industry, the school board decided in December to pursue the program. An advisory committee of teachers, parents and students was put together to study the addition of aquaculture to the high school curriculum. DR. TOM GARRISON, director of the Putnam County Area Vocational School, has been working with South Putnam to set up the program. He praised the South Putnam School Board for having the vision to pursue the untried program. Continued on Page A 8

Council resets meetings for Thursday evening

The Greencastle City Council has postponed a scheduled Tuesday night meeting until Thursday, Mayor Mike Harmless announced Monday. The Council will now meet in executive session at 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. Subject of that closed-door meeting is narrowing a list of candidates for the Council’s appointment to the Greencastle Development Center Board of Directors. AT 6:30 P.M., the Council will meet in public session with some “house-cleaning” items on the agenda, the mayor said. Those items include the annexation of property along the

between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Hoffa said. HOFFA EXPLAINED that Wilcox has been separated from the rest of the jail population since being returned to incarceration last week on arrest warrants issued by Judge Vaughn and County Court Judge Sally Gray. “He’s segregated,” Hoffa said. “He is most of the time when he’s here. He can’t get along with anyone else here.” While Hoffa said he had no indication Wilcox was pondering killing himself, the sheriff said Wilcox had spent much of Monday after-

you later.” AT THE END OF Monday’s hearing, Vaughn said, “Personally, I trust the Prosecutor’s Office, but I think the public is going to have some questions about this case.” During Monday’s hearing. Williams pleaded guilty to possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana. “When I was arrested, it was on me,” Williams told the judge. He said he bought the marijuana from a DePauw student He said a Sigma Alpha Epsilon student had directed him toward the unnamed student who was selling the drug. Williams was sentenced to the 41 days he spent in jail before being released on bond. WILLIAMS WAS A back-up drummer for The Rude Beat League, a reggae band that performed at SAE over Monon Bell Weekend. He was accused of trying to rape the coed in a room at SAE after his band had finished performing. The pair were reportedly found by an SAE member naked from the waist down. The alleged victim was reportedly struggling and screaming for help when the alleged crime was interrupted.

south edge of the Southern Highway on the southwest side of town. First reading of the ordinance was approved Jan. 9. No homes are involved in the annexation. The annexation will put the entire Southern Highway within city limits. ALSO TO BE considered by the Council is a nine percent city water rate increase. The rate increase has already been passed by the Board of Works and will be forwarded to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for consideration if passed by the Council.

noon talking with jail trusty Mike Hughes. During that conversation, Hoffa reported, Wilcox allegedly said he would attempt suicide. However, Hoffa said, Hughes did not take the alleged threat seriously. WHEN VAUGHN dismissed the plea agreement Monday morning, Hoffa asked for a court order moving Wilcox from the jail to the Department of Corrections for safekeeping. Hoffa said the transfer was necessary because Wilcox has consistently been a discipline problem in the focal jail. Hoffa tokl the court Continued on Page A 8