Letters to the Editor 02-20-2004
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Positive Response - Avid Fan - Cheer Block Responds - Lost Property - Cheer Block Takes Issue
Positive Response
Editor, Times-Union:Wow, what a positive response the Warsaw Community High School men's soccer team received from the community! On Valentine's Day the soccer team did a community service for Heartline Center. We called it "Hearts for Heartline." The boys stood outside WRSW radio station Saturday morning taking donations from the community to help Heartline. A special thank-you to Rita Price. Your support and generosity that morning was wonderful. To everyone who dropped off items, we thank you so much, and your contributions were greatly appreciated. It was so awesome to see these young men going to cars to pick up donations and wanting to give back to the community. This was such a positive experience for the soccer team. We are looking forward to this next year.
Laurie Churchill
WCHS Soccer Parent Rep.
Warsaw
Avid Fan
Editor, Times-Union:I was so proud of the Warsaw cheering block at last Tuesday's game v. South Bend Washington.
Your "signs" were fun. Your conduct exemplary. You get an A+ from this "avid fan" and my appreciation of your spirit.
Lila O'Connell
Pierceton
via e-mail
Cheer Block Responds
Editor, Times-Union:As a student at Warsaw High School, I would like to respond to Ms. O'Connell's request of explanation in her recent letter to the editor titled "Poor Sports." The school administrators do oversee the cheer block. They tell us what we can and cannot do or say during the games. While keeping the content school appropriate, we encourage our fighting Tigers on to victory. I feel you have judged our group too quickly without having knowledge of the rich traditions of Warsaw High.
In reference to the turning of our backs during the introduction of the opposing teams' starter lineup, it is harmless fun. I have heard that this demonstration of not recognizing the opposing team started over two decades ago. Perhaps you were not in high school at that time or have ignored it during recent years, but it is nothing new. When Warsaw travels for away games, the home school student sections do the exact same thing. Avid basketball fans of WCHS who attend away games know of this practice.
Next on your list of concerns is your misunderstanding of my friend, Michael Moore. The truth is, that he, along with the entire Tiger team, wanted us to be loud during the Plymouth free throws. Why would a player in a Warsaw-Plymouth nail-biter not want an extra advantage of a cheer block that is "into" the game? The fact is, Michael waved his hands up, signaling to us to be extremely loud! I understand how a person could misinterpret this as a signal to be quiet if they did not understand how the fans at a home court is a real advantage with cheering during the opponents' opportunity to score at the free throw line.
You state that the Plymouth fans did not respond. That is a false statement. The Plymouth fans were just as loud, but more critical of players and officials. The letter title implicating us as "Poor Sports" should have been addressed to the Plymouth paper, because it best describes their actions, not ours. The cheer block will continue to be as loud as possible and make a positive difference in the game.
Usually during lunch breaks during the school week, members of the cheer block discuss and decide on a theme for the upcoming game. Sometimes we do bare our chests and as I compose this response, I am watching a college game on TV where the students are wearing basketball nets on their heads and have painted their bare chests with school colors. Hmmm! Good idea for our next game! It's all in fun and in the school spirit! Ms. O'Connell, we could be out soaping cars, knocking over mailboxes, shoplifting, etc., instead we are expressing ourselves, supporting our fantastic Tigers and having fun. We don't intend to offend anyone, so don't be so critical of the Warsaw student section. I can't help but think, if today, you were a student at WCHS, and a real Tiger booster, wouldn't you be one of us!
Travis O'Neill
WCHS Senior
Claypool
via e-mail
Lost Property
Editor, Times-Union:How secure is your property? Not as secure as you might think! My wife and I lost possession of our Kosciusko County property recently over "clerical errors" by the Kosciusko County Treasurer's Office and the Kosciusko County Auditor's Office. We lived in Australia nearly 12 years doing missionary work and in order to maintain our tax responsibilities and other financial obligations, we appointed an agent to look after our affairs here in America in our absence. For nine years our agent faithfully paid our property tax. In 1999, our agent changed addresses and duly notified the Kosciusko County Treasurer's office of his address change on two legal documents of record, but the Treasurer's Office for some unknown reason "ignored" his notification. Our agent lives in another state, was unfamiliar with Indiana Tax Law and because the Treasurer's Office disregarded his change of address notice, failed to reach him with the next year's tax statements. The tax notices, of course, were returned as "undeliverable as addressed" and our agent never received any more notices of taxes due. Indiana statute requires that the "owner be notified at the last known address," so all notices were diligently sent to our agent's "former" address, which he never received. Our property was sold at tax auction and we the owners knew nothing about it! Furthermore, the purchaser of tax-auctioned properties under Indiana statute must notify the owner that the property was sold "at the last known address!" You guessed it, we never received notification from the purchaser of our property either, those notices were all returned as "undeliverable as addressed!" We returned to the U.S.A. from Australia on Oct. 2, 2002, and on Oct. 15, I telephoned the Kosciusko auditor's office to notify them of our change of address from our agent's address to our new address here in Texas. The person in the Auditor's Office who took the call never notified me of any problem with our property or taxes and promptly recorded our new address. If that person had notified us that our property had been sold and that we needed to appeal the sale within 60 days, we could have done so and retrieved our property and gladly paid the back taxes, penalties and legal fees. The clerk said nothing and we lost all appeals with the state because we made our appeal after the 60-day period! To date, we have not received an "official notification" from either the Auditor's Office or the Treasurer's Office that there is any problem with our property! We simply discovered this whole mess by a fluke. We suggest that "all" taxpayers in Kosciusko County after reading this letter go directly to the Auditor's Office and the Treasurer's Office and verify "every detail" of your address information with the clerks because if the post office returns your property tax statement to those offices as "undeliverable as addressed," they have no further obligation to you than to continue sending notices to the wrong address! Be aware! Do it now! We have yet to receive word from either office that anything is amiss! If a clerk makes a mistake on your address and your property tax notice does not reach you, watch out, your property could be next to go! Believe me, there are plenty of leeches around willing to purchase your property for a song!
Tom Huffman
Sherman, Texas
via e- mail
Cheer Block Takes Issue
Editor, Times-Union:I am a member of the WCHS cheer block and was at the Plymouth game. I take issue with Ms. O'Connell's points.
1) From her viewpoint (across the cheer block) Ms. O'Connell could not see. The Plymouth fans were booing among other things.
2) Themed dress? We are simply having fun and supporting or classmates.
3) As to Mr. Moore, you are wrong! He was not trying to quiet us - he was trying to get us more involved.
4) Teachers, administrators and the police were all around us without incident. If any of us had crossed the line they would have stopped us.
5) Earlier in that day an announcement was made on the morning news. The administration told us that tonight was a big game. We were asked to be loud and make noise to show our Tiger Pride.
6) We are the senior class of 2004. It is our job to support our team and class. Next year the class of 2005 will take over and do the same if not better!
7) Ms. O'Connell support our team but don't put us down!
***Ms. O'Connell why was it that at the South Bend game you did not participate in the wave like all the other tiger fans?
W.K. Kreicker
Class of 2004
Winona Lake
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- Positive Response - Avid Fan - Cheer Block Responds - Lost Property - Cheer Block Takes Issue
Positive Response
Editor, Times-Union:Wow, what a positive response the Warsaw Community High School men's soccer team received from the community! On Valentine's Day the soccer team did a community service for Heartline Center. We called it "Hearts for Heartline." The boys stood outside WRSW radio station Saturday morning taking donations from the community to help Heartline. A special thank-you to Rita Price. Your support and generosity that morning was wonderful. To everyone who dropped off items, we thank you so much, and your contributions were greatly appreciated. It was so awesome to see these young men going to cars to pick up donations and wanting to give back to the community. This was such a positive experience for the soccer team. We are looking forward to this next year.
Laurie Churchill
WCHS Soccer Parent Rep.
Warsaw
Avid Fan
Editor, Times-Union:I was so proud of the Warsaw cheering block at last Tuesday's game v. South Bend Washington.
Your "signs" were fun. Your conduct exemplary. You get an A+ from this "avid fan" and my appreciation of your spirit.
Lila O'Connell
Pierceton
via e-mail
Cheer Block Responds
Editor, Times-Union:As a student at Warsaw High School, I would like to respond to Ms. O'Connell's request of explanation in her recent letter to the editor titled "Poor Sports." The school administrators do oversee the cheer block. They tell us what we can and cannot do or say during the games. While keeping the content school appropriate, we encourage our fighting Tigers on to victory. I feel you have judged our group too quickly without having knowledge of the rich traditions of Warsaw High.
In reference to the turning of our backs during the introduction of the opposing teams' starter lineup, it is harmless fun. I have heard that this demonstration of not recognizing the opposing team started over two decades ago. Perhaps you were not in high school at that time or have ignored it during recent years, but it is nothing new. When Warsaw travels for away games, the home school student sections do the exact same thing. Avid basketball fans of WCHS who attend away games know of this practice.
Next on your list of concerns is your misunderstanding of my friend, Michael Moore. The truth is, that he, along with the entire Tiger team, wanted us to be loud during the Plymouth free throws. Why would a player in a Warsaw-Plymouth nail-biter not want an extra advantage of a cheer block that is "into" the game? The fact is, Michael waved his hands up, signaling to us to be extremely loud! I understand how a person could misinterpret this as a signal to be quiet if they did not understand how the fans at a home court is a real advantage with cheering during the opponents' opportunity to score at the free throw line.
You state that the Plymouth fans did not respond. That is a false statement. The Plymouth fans were just as loud, but more critical of players and officials. The letter title implicating us as "Poor Sports" should have been addressed to the Plymouth paper, because it best describes their actions, not ours. The cheer block will continue to be as loud as possible and make a positive difference in the game.
Usually during lunch breaks during the school week, members of the cheer block discuss and decide on a theme for the upcoming game. Sometimes we do bare our chests and as I compose this response, I am watching a college game on TV where the students are wearing basketball nets on their heads and have painted their bare chests with school colors. Hmmm! Good idea for our next game! It's all in fun and in the school spirit! Ms. O'Connell, we could be out soaping cars, knocking over mailboxes, shoplifting, etc., instead we are expressing ourselves, supporting our fantastic Tigers and having fun. We don't intend to offend anyone, so don't be so critical of the Warsaw student section. I can't help but think, if today, you were a student at WCHS, and a real Tiger booster, wouldn't you be one of us!
Travis O'Neill
WCHS Senior
Claypool
via e-mail
Lost Property
Editor, Times-Union:How secure is your property? Not as secure as you might think! My wife and I lost possession of our Kosciusko County property recently over "clerical errors" by the Kosciusko County Treasurer's Office and the Kosciusko County Auditor's Office. We lived in Australia nearly 12 years doing missionary work and in order to maintain our tax responsibilities and other financial obligations, we appointed an agent to look after our affairs here in America in our absence. For nine years our agent faithfully paid our property tax. In 1999, our agent changed addresses and duly notified the Kosciusko County Treasurer's office of his address change on two legal documents of record, but the Treasurer's Office for some unknown reason "ignored" his notification. Our agent lives in another state, was unfamiliar with Indiana Tax Law and because the Treasurer's Office disregarded his change of address notice, failed to reach him with the next year's tax statements. The tax notices, of course, were returned as "undeliverable as addressed" and our agent never received any more notices of taxes due. Indiana statute requires that the "owner be notified at the last known address," so all notices were diligently sent to our agent's "former" address, which he never received. Our property was sold at tax auction and we the owners knew nothing about it! Furthermore, the purchaser of tax-auctioned properties under Indiana statute must notify the owner that the property was sold "at the last known address!" You guessed it, we never received notification from the purchaser of our property either, those notices were all returned as "undeliverable as addressed!" We returned to the U.S.A. from Australia on Oct. 2, 2002, and on Oct. 15, I telephoned the Kosciusko auditor's office to notify them of our change of address from our agent's address to our new address here in Texas. The person in the Auditor's Office who took the call never notified me of any problem with our property or taxes and promptly recorded our new address. If that person had notified us that our property had been sold and that we needed to appeal the sale within 60 days, we could have done so and retrieved our property and gladly paid the back taxes, penalties and legal fees. The clerk said nothing and we lost all appeals with the state because we made our appeal after the 60-day period! To date, we have not received an "official notification" from either the Auditor's Office or the Treasurer's Office that there is any problem with our property! We simply discovered this whole mess by a fluke. We suggest that "all" taxpayers in Kosciusko County after reading this letter go directly to the Auditor's Office and the Treasurer's Office and verify "every detail" of your address information with the clerks because if the post office returns your property tax statement to those offices as "undeliverable as addressed," they have no further obligation to you than to continue sending notices to the wrong address! Be aware! Do it now! We have yet to receive word from either office that anything is amiss! If a clerk makes a mistake on your address and your property tax notice does not reach you, watch out, your property could be next to go! Believe me, there are plenty of leeches around willing to purchase your property for a song!
Tom Huffman
Sherman, Texas
via e- mail
Cheer Block Takes Issue
Editor, Times-Union:I am a member of the WCHS cheer block and was at the Plymouth game. I take issue with Ms. O'Connell's points.
1) From her viewpoint (across the cheer block) Ms. O'Connell could not see. The Plymouth fans were booing among other things.
2) Themed dress? We are simply having fun and supporting or classmates.
3) As to Mr. Moore, you are wrong! He was not trying to quiet us - he was trying to get us more involved.
4) Teachers, administrators and the police were all around us without incident. If any of us had crossed the line they would have stopped us.
5) Earlier in that day an announcement was made on the morning news. The administration told us that tonight was a big game. We were asked to be loud and make noise to show our Tiger Pride.
6) We are the senior class of 2004. It is our job to support our team and class. Next year the class of 2005 will take over and do the same if not better!
7) Ms. O'Connell support our team but don't put us down!
***Ms. O'Connell why was it that at the South Bend game you did not participate in the wave like all the other tiger fans?
W.K. Kreicker
Class of 2004
Winona Lake
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