Letters to the Editor 04-12-2004
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Water Quality - In Agreement - Webster Library Says Thanks - Alcohol Awareness
Water Quality
Editor, Times-Union:It is surprising and more than a little disturbing that our policy-makers hold the quality of our lakes in such low esteem. One reasonably would think they would point with pride to them, especially since we bill our fair city as the "City of Lakes," in much the same way as Fort Wayne points with pride to their cultural assets. It is bewildering that anyone would want to witness on their watch their deterioration. Like sheet erosion, this is a slow-moving process; it does not rise up and smite between the eyes. It necessitates vision and insight to look beyond the here and now. Why should it take a Ph.D. in geophysics or earth sciences or public policy to figure out A. water runs downhill. B. Running water seeks the course of least resistance. C. Given the terrain south of Winona Lake, i.e. its extensive watershed, the steep gradient of the stream flowing into it and the small size of this body of water, that the relentless destruction of the natural forces that mitigate all of the above conditions, i.e., the uprooting and huge trees and the eradication of plant life that works as a sponge, is a formula for a bleak and dismal lake.
It is ironic that as Christians we pray to the Almighty for the wisdom to be faithful stewards of his creation. Perhaps this applies only to the confines of the house of worship.
Winona Lakers were told that all the demolition was to accommodate the water run-off from a subdivision that had been in place for many years, apparently without problems, and that the effluents into the Peterson Ditch and thus into Winona Lake would be minimal. If so, why bother to do all this work? However, it is blatantly visible that this is not the case, as the IDNR agent from Indianapolis s clearly saw. But then what to our wondering eyes should appear but, stuck in the muck, a FOR SALE sign!
Education can be a useful tool when used timely and effectively, but now this issue is beyond that. Recall a number of years back, before the Wetlands Act existed, some enterprising minds decided to drain the wetlands of Conklin Bay on Lake Wawasee. The enlightened citizens there rose up in righteous indignation and deemed otherwise. Those wetlands still stand, doing their job of filtering pollutants and sediments among other things and aiding in the health of that lake. That is what is needed here.
That large amounts of pollutants and sediments are flowing into Winona Lake is self-evident, producing prolific weed growth and contributing to the ever-growing sandbar. Neither of these conditions sprang from spontaneous generation. It's cause and effect. There are other factors too, such a lakers fertilizing lawns down to the shoreline instead of at least 15 feet from it. Also, having sewers that do not go completely around the lake is like treating two-thirds of a wound.
In my view, no amount of well-planned and well executed historic renovation, no amount of trophy homes along the shore can compensate for the continuing damage being inflicted on this body of water, ironically one of the premier assets that make the Warsaw area distinctive.
Tam Vogel
Winona Lake
via e-mail
In Agreement
Editor, Times-Union:We would like to acknowledge the letter to the editor by Kyle K. Lowe that was printed in the Times-Union on March 23, 2004.
What a beautiful testimony of faith and a wonderful letter of comfort, kindness and a knowledge of the Scriptures of the Holy Bible.
You did a great job, Kyle, in explaining what the Bible has to say about the plan of salvation in quoting John 20:31. "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
It is comforting to read this letter written by a young man with courage to write what he believes.
A thank you to Kyle for a great letter, and we agree with everything you wrote.
Don and Mary Trease
Warsaw
Webster Library Says Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:What better time than National Volunteer Recognition Month and National Library Week could there possibly be for the board of directors and staff of the North Webster Library to thank all of the wonderful people who have helped make it possible for us to move into our wonderful new space in the North Webster Community Center?
Thank you to the 50 people who showed up early on a Saturday morning to help us move over 15,000 books, audio books, videos, furniture and assorted stuff! I still cannot believe that we moved it all in just three hours!
Thank you to the members of the Lakeland Kiwanis Club, who have made the North Webster library their project for this year. With your help, we unloaded six tons of steel shelving from the back of a semi truck, and then spent the next week putting those shelves together! We never could have gotten everything assembled in time without you.
Thank you to the folks who have signed up to volunteer two hours of your time every week to help us staff our new location, and to the volunteers who helped us secure the funds for our new shelving, furniture, books and materials, and the volunteers who helped us to plan the layout and design.
If access to information is the bridge to the future, then you have all helped us to build our bridge. Thank you all so very much. Please come see the results of your hard work.
Brenda Rigdon
Library Board President
North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Library
via e-mail
Alcohol Awareness
Editor, Times-Union:The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking would like to remind all Hoosiers that April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. As April brings spring break, kicks off prom season and is followed by graduation, we would like to especially remind parents about the consequences of underage drinking.
One central Indiana parent felt the consequences during a trial this week for hosting a party. Having a safe party does not mean allowing your child and his/her friends to drink alcohol at your home after collecting car keys. The law clearly states that no one under 21 should drink - so parents, if you're furnishing alcohol to your minor child you are breaking the law, a Class C misdemeanor. The same charge is levied for each minor present, not just your child. You could also faces charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Both carry fines ranging from $300 to $10,000, possible jail time, probation and completion of an alcohol awareness program.
But that's not all. By hosting the party, your property could be considered a "nuisance" carrying a Class D felony punishable by a $10,000 fine and a jail term of 6 months to 10 years. And, if you are still considering hosting or allowing a party, remember that for each minor present there are parents who will sue you civilly, especially if their child in injured or killed as a result of consuming alcohol at that party. Your house, your car, your job - you have worked hard to provide for your family and it could all be taken away in a moment, the moment you decide to provide or allow alcohol in your home.
Parents can play an important role in influencing their child's decision to drink, and minors are less likely to drink when their parents have clear beliefs and attitudes disapproving of underage drinking. Don't be a friend, be a parent! Have clear, enforced rules and never allow your child or anyone else's child to drink in your home.
Alcohol is an illegal drug for anyone under 21, and underage drinking costs our state $1.3 billion each year, for which we all pay. Be a "safe party house" - don't pay for one moment's decision for the rest of your life.
Lisa Hutcheson
Executive Director
Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking
Indianapolis
via e-mail
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- Water Quality - In Agreement - Webster Library Says Thanks - Alcohol Awareness
Water Quality
Editor, Times-Union:It is surprising and more than a little disturbing that our policy-makers hold the quality of our lakes in such low esteem. One reasonably would think they would point with pride to them, especially since we bill our fair city as the "City of Lakes," in much the same way as Fort Wayne points with pride to their cultural assets. It is bewildering that anyone would want to witness on their watch their deterioration. Like sheet erosion, this is a slow-moving process; it does not rise up and smite between the eyes. It necessitates vision and insight to look beyond the here and now. Why should it take a Ph.D. in geophysics or earth sciences or public policy to figure out A. water runs downhill. B. Running water seeks the course of least resistance. C. Given the terrain south of Winona Lake, i.e. its extensive watershed, the steep gradient of the stream flowing into it and the small size of this body of water, that the relentless destruction of the natural forces that mitigate all of the above conditions, i.e., the uprooting and huge trees and the eradication of plant life that works as a sponge, is a formula for a bleak and dismal lake.
It is ironic that as Christians we pray to the Almighty for the wisdom to be faithful stewards of his creation. Perhaps this applies only to the confines of the house of worship.
Winona Lakers were told that all the demolition was to accommodate the water run-off from a subdivision that had been in place for many years, apparently without problems, and that the effluents into the Peterson Ditch and thus into Winona Lake would be minimal. If so, why bother to do all this work? However, it is blatantly visible that this is not the case, as the IDNR agent from Indianapolis s clearly saw. But then what to our wondering eyes should appear but, stuck in the muck, a FOR SALE sign!
Education can be a useful tool when used timely and effectively, but now this issue is beyond that. Recall a number of years back, before the Wetlands Act existed, some enterprising minds decided to drain the wetlands of Conklin Bay on Lake Wawasee. The enlightened citizens there rose up in righteous indignation and deemed otherwise. Those wetlands still stand, doing their job of filtering pollutants and sediments among other things and aiding in the health of that lake. That is what is needed here.
That large amounts of pollutants and sediments are flowing into Winona Lake is self-evident, producing prolific weed growth and contributing to the ever-growing sandbar. Neither of these conditions sprang from spontaneous generation. It's cause and effect. There are other factors too, such a lakers fertilizing lawns down to the shoreline instead of at least 15 feet from it. Also, having sewers that do not go completely around the lake is like treating two-thirds of a wound.
In my view, no amount of well-planned and well executed historic renovation, no amount of trophy homes along the shore can compensate for the continuing damage being inflicted on this body of water, ironically one of the premier assets that make the Warsaw area distinctive.
Tam Vogel
Winona Lake
via e-mail
In Agreement
Editor, Times-Union:We would like to acknowledge the letter to the editor by Kyle K. Lowe that was printed in the Times-Union on March 23, 2004.
What a beautiful testimony of faith and a wonderful letter of comfort, kindness and a knowledge of the Scriptures of the Holy Bible.
You did a great job, Kyle, in explaining what the Bible has to say about the plan of salvation in quoting John 20:31. "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
It is comforting to read this letter written by a young man with courage to write what he believes.
A thank you to Kyle for a great letter, and we agree with everything you wrote.
Don and Mary Trease
Warsaw
Webster Library Says Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:What better time than National Volunteer Recognition Month and National Library Week could there possibly be for the board of directors and staff of the North Webster Library to thank all of the wonderful people who have helped make it possible for us to move into our wonderful new space in the North Webster Community Center?
Thank you to the 50 people who showed up early on a Saturday morning to help us move over 15,000 books, audio books, videos, furniture and assorted stuff! I still cannot believe that we moved it all in just three hours!
Thank you to the members of the Lakeland Kiwanis Club, who have made the North Webster library their project for this year. With your help, we unloaded six tons of steel shelving from the back of a semi truck, and then spent the next week putting those shelves together! We never could have gotten everything assembled in time without you.
Thank you to the folks who have signed up to volunteer two hours of your time every week to help us staff our new location, and to the volunteers who helped us secure the funds for our new shelving, furniture, books and materials, and the volunteers who helped us to plan the layout and design.
If access to information is the bridge to the future, then you have all helped us to build our bridge. Thank you all so very much. Please come see the results of your hard work.
Brenda Rigdon
Library Board President
North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Library
via e-mail
Alcohol Awareness
Editor, Times-Union:The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking would like to remind all Hoosiers that April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. As April brings spring break, kicks off prom season and is followed by graduation, we would like to especially remind parents about the consequences of underage drinking.
One central Indiana parent felt the consequences during a trial this week for hosting a party. Having a safe party does not mean allowing your child and his/her friends to drink alcohol at your home after collecting car keys. The law clearly states that no one under 21 should drink - so parents, if you're furnishing alcohol to your minor child you are breaking the law, a Class C misdemeanor. The same charge is levied for each minor present, not just your child. You could also faces charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Both carry fines ranging from $300 to $10,000, possible jail time, probation and completion of an alcohol awareness program.
But that's not all. By hosting the party, your property could be considered a "nuisance" carrying a Class D felony punishable by a $10,000 fine and a jail term of 6 months to 10 years. And, if you are still considering hosting or allowing a party, remember that for each minor present there are parents who will sue you civilly, especially if their child in injured or killed as a result of consuming alcohol at that party. Your house, your car, your job - you have worked hard to provide for your family and it could all be taken away in a moment, the moment you decide to provide or allow alcohol in your home.
Parents can play an important role in influencing their child's decision to drink, and minors are less likely to drink when their parents have clear beliefs and attitudes disapproving of underage drinking. Don't be a friend, be a parent! Have clear, enforced rules and never allow your child or anyone else's child to drink in your home.
Alcohol is an illegal drug for anyone under 21, and underage drinking costs our state $1.3 billion each year, for which we all pay. Be a "safe party house" - don't pay for one moment's decision for the rest of your life.
Lisa Hutcheson
Executive Director
Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking
Indianapolis
via e-mail
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