Cleveland Dietz

Two Hendricks County residents published books recently, but aside from both books being the products of Hoosiers, they couldn’t be more different. Plainfield native, columnist and author Jeffrey Kamm’s book, Classic Restaurants of Indianapolis, is a chronicle of restaurants with staying power. The 35 restaurants featured all lasted more than 30 years. About 12 of … Read more

The Avon Plan Commission approved the construction of 48 homes as part of the Regency subdivision development at its Dec. 19 meeting. This is the second phase of development for the property near the intersection of County Road 200 North and County Road 900 East. The commission approved the first phase – 62 single-family homes … Read more

The line at the Hendricks County Convention Center Expo Hall is long. People in it carry empty boxes and reusable grocery bags. Some have carts. When they get to the sign-up table, Bill Matlock or Teresa Muncie asks for the number of people in their household and their ages. Then, Muncie gives them a clothespin … Read more

Not everyone who went came back, and those who did didn’t want to talk about it. That’s what Charlie and Harriett Muston remember about the soldiers who went to World War II. Charlie lived in Avon in 1945 on a street with four houses. Harriett lived in Indianapolis. When the war ended, Charlie was 9 … Read more

One need not look any further than the Christmas tree for German influence in the United States. Historians credit Germans with the first printed reference to a Christmas tree, in 1531, and the invention of artificial Christmas trees during the 1800s. Many believe the German Protestant reformer Martin Luther established the tradition of lighting them. … Read more

Standing outside a window and dressed as Santa Claus, Charlie Muston, of Plainfield, jingled his bells. A little girl stricken with leukemia put her hand against the window from inside, and he put his against the glass to meet it. Harriett Muston, 79, of Plainfield, didn’t reveal the girl’s name to protect her privacy. However, … Read more

As Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma reflected on his time at Beech Grove High School, he spoke about teachers who focused on the big picture. The 1976 graduate said his math and physics teacher also taught at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “He was an inspiring guy for me,” Bosma, who went on to study engineering … Read more

Last year, Katie Gearlds led Marian University’s women’s basketball team to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II championship. It was her third year as a coach. Now entering her fourth year as a coach, Gearlds has a reputation for being tough but caring. Her former coaches helped shape her coaching style, but it … Read more

Three-time state wrestling champion Steven Bradley graduated from Beech Grove High School in 1998. This year, he became Marian University’s first wrestling coach. Under Beech Grove coach Fritz Feigert’s leadership, the wrestling team qualified for state when Bradley was a sophomore. Bradley was state runner-up as a freshman and champion the next three years. As … Read more

In 1894, H.H. Holmes rented a small cottage in the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis. He was on the run from Chicago and Philadelphia police for committing several grisly murders, but he didn’t stop killing. After leaving Irvington, the charred remains of a 10-year-old boy were found in his chimney. He was caught in Boston in … Read more