Letters to the Editor 12-18-2001
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Positive Incidents - Silver Lake Sham - Anniversary Thanks - Locker Theft - Lockouts - Educational Tragedy - Senior Center - 'Water Costs - Potter's World
Positive Incidents
Editor, Times-Union:This is an open letter to the parents and other patrons of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation -ÊPart 2.
Last August, I wrote to encourage parents and guardians to be involved in their children's education. As the school year nears the halfway point, I would like to share some positive incidents that I have witnessed at the high school. Please understand, this is only a partial list.
1. One day in PE class, during a softball game, a student accidentally suffered a bloody nose. He did not get mad, he did not swear, he did not vow revenge. He went to the locker room and took care of the injury.
2. A foreign exchange student mistakenly started answering study guide questions in the wrong chapter. I noticed her mistake and told her of the error. A student nearby, who had finished the assignment, came over, sat down and said, "Let me help you."
3. A student playfully flipped another student with a dish towel. The towel struck harder than intended. I suggested to the student with the towel that an apology may be in order. He addressed the other student by name and sincerely apologized for his action.
4. During lunch, a student threw a small piece of food at another student. Later, the student who threw the piece of food went to the office and confessed his involvement.
5. There are some special needs students within the student body. Many of the students interact with them as peers, showing friendship, giving encouragement and treating them with respect.
These examples show that education takes place in the home as well as at school. The students are being taught self-control. They are being instilled with a desire to help others. They are being taught when and how to apologize. Taking responsibility for one's actions and developing good character are obviously taking root. Item number five speaks volumes. I wish each reader of this letter could have been there to see and hear one student helping another student count the days until Christmas while holding a calendar.
Certainly there are negative incidents which take place from time-to time. This letter's objective is to inform about the good and positive happenings taking place in our high school. I commend the parents and guardians who are doing a great job of teaching their children. Please continue your involvement.
Mark Wilcox
Silver Lake
Silver Lake Sham
Editor, Times-Union:I attended the November and December School Board public work sessions. The meetings were polite and civil; however, if this were a court session it would have been a kangaroo court. Mr. Lee Harman already has his mind made up as to what should be done and is slowly maneuvering behind the scenes to ensure the outcome. The citizens from Silver Lake have been ambushed. They have the choice - "Do you want to be shot in the front or in the back?" Mr. Harman and his administrative cohorts seem to have already decided that the only school to build is a three-section school. This means that there will be three classes for each grade. Presently, Silver Lake is a one-section school with one class for each grade. Superintendent Harman's choice means that there will only be larger schools. Most people do not necessarily believe that big is better. Many of us have seen the crime, corruption, patronage and vice of the big city and so we have chosen to live in a smaller community where our voices can be heard and our children better educated. Interesting enough, both South Bend and Indianapolis have started building smaller grade schools. Do you suppose that they know something that we do not know? Perhaps bigger is not better. Simply put, there is nothing wrong with a one-section school. Superintendent Harman, you are wrong.
The recent public hearing was a sham. It was obvious to me that certain members of the school board were already in Mr. Harman's pocket. The meetings are simply preliminary and perfunctory to closing the Silver Lake School. The administration has orchestrated the plan from the beginning and seeks to enlist the members of the school board to acquiesce in its attempt to do away with smaller schools.
These are the facts - a Community Based Planning Project was initiated to plan for the community; a committee of about 50 were called together for this noble task; however, they were promptly divided into two groups.
The facilities committee was not led by local citizens but by Dr. Boyd from a college at Evansville, Indiana. Mr. Rick Kerlin, a member of the committee, said that the report was simply the opinion of Dr. Boyd and Dr. Ellis, who led the committee and yet they do not live in the community. Interest by the committee diminished and less than half of the members were present for the last meeting. (Times-Union 11-21-2000). Dr. Boyd and Dr. Ellis seemed to have a fixation on bigness. Some of their recommendations were "just what Superintendent Harman ordered" - a facility for fine and performing arts, including an auditorium, and an improved onsite facility for physical activities.
The Silver Lake community has a petition with over 1,000 signatures asking the school board to provide the type of education desired by parents and the community for their children. Their wishes need to be respected. Citizens' input is discouraged when the powers that be ignore their concerns. We need more input, not less input to protect our freedoms. Attend the school board meetings and see for yourself what is taking place. Superintendent Harman's administration that proposed the idea of eliminating the Silver Lake School should be ashamed of themselves.
W. Whitman
Warsaw
via e-mail
Anniversary Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:We would like to thank our many friends, neighbors and relatives for cards and notes we received for our 70th wedding anniversary and for Ruby Ross while she was in the health center.
God bless you all.
Lawrence and Ruby Ross
Grace Village
Winona Lake
Locker Theft
Editor, Times-Union:To the individual who is stealing money out of the gym lockers at TVHS, shame on you! My son worked hard for that money to buy his family Christmas gifts. Now he can't. If you need it that bad and asked me I would have given it to you. Haven't you ever heard that "Thou shalt not steal" is one of the Ten Commandments? All I have to say is, "What goes around comes around." Instead of relying on stealing money, maybe you should get a job on weekends and earn it like the rest of us.
Shelly Sausaman
Claypool
Lockouts
Editor, Times-Union:I have raised an issue twice in the last year that I consider important for several reasons. In a presentation to the Warsaw City Council on Dec. 18, 2000, I pointed out that vehicle lockouts were on the increase, often repeated and requiring more time for the officers to respond. The police chief acknowledged that there were 187 lockouts in 31 days, but believes that they had no impact on other police duties. (Reported in a Dec. 19, 2000, Times-Union article.)
The council meeting on Feb. 18, 2001, heard annual reports involving the level of law enforcement on the Warsaw portion of U.S. 30. (Reported in a Feb. 20, 2001, Times-Union article.) In 2000, the WPD responded to 2,996 incidents (of which 1,045 were accidents). Also, the dispatcher log for the last four and one-half months of 2000 shows that there were 801 requests for lockout service; 569 traffic stops; 565 property damage accidents; and 4,096 miscellaneous items, for a total of 6,031 calls.
In a Dec. 6, 2001, letter to the Times-Union editor, Julia Raypholz expressed thanks for the three times she needed help in getting into her car.
The subject was revisited on Nov. 19, 2001, (reported in a Nov. 20, 2001, Times-Union article). The city justified the lockout policy on the basis of good PR. I pointed out its effect on private enterprise, use of resources outside the city and its significance as the most often requested service of the police department.
I understand the value this practice has for public relations, but suggest that there are other means to accomplish this. It does impact private enterprise and can have other negative results. I like living in a friendly town. Kosciusko County has been my home for 40 years. Having benefited from the community, I have tried to render good service back.
I submit these thoughts and questions for public consideration:
- Does this practice really have ZERO effect on other police duties if it constitutes 13 percent of all dispatcher calls? What about trips to Leesburg or CCAC or multiple responses when the first (or second) officer on scene can't get the car open? What happens when we have a north/south train? Can they promptly respond to a crisis?
- Who should be responsible for vehicle damage caused by untrained hands? Professionals have books outlining the differences in car makes and models, along with the best points of entry. (The front door is not always it.) It often is a case of "Pay a little now or pay more later."
- How many, if any, lockout requests encumber the 911 system?
- What do the officers who perform the task think of it?
Many law enforcement agencies have done away with providing lockout service, that includes: state police, Bremen district; Kosciusko County Sheriff; and Plymouth Police. The primary reasons are time and liability. This deserves serious consideration.
I would like to see the following actions taken:
1. Make public the answers to the above questions.
2. Do a resources analysis to determine the impact of NOT having an officer respond to 13 percent of dispatcher calls now received. (Maybe we should reduce the force or beef up U.S. 30 patrol by this amount."
3. For PR and other practical reason, offer a modified service:
- Receive calls at the dispatcher number, NOT 911.
- Identify the owner of the vehicle. (I'm not sure this is being done now.)
- Obtain written agreement to hold police department harmless.
- Offer to dial up an approved trained professional and send him or her to the caller's location. This is a reasonable accommodation to Julia Raypholz's concerns.
Don Kollmann
Warsaw
Educational Tragedy
Editor, Times-Union:Would it be a tragedy to not get the new athletic facilities? As much as I would like to see our school system improve its facilities, this would not be a tragedy. Would it be a tragedy to not get the new performing arts facilities? As much as we enjoy the performances of our very talented and deserving young people, this too would not be a tragedy.
An educational tragedy is in the making if Ivy Tech State College (at the state level) follows through with its threat to withdraw its support for the Warsaw Campus.
Ivy Tech State College is currently offering a second chance for more than 700 nontraditional (older) students to improve their quality of life by studying at the Warsaw Branch. To lose this campus would be an enormous educational tragedy for Warsaw and Kosciusko County. The timing could not possibly be worse as Ivy Tech State College is on the verge of becoming Indiana's Community College.
The Warsaw industrial and business community has been asked to come up with three million dollars to retain the college in Warsaw. An extremely unfair request. No other community has been required to do this. Business and industry in this county has been very supportive of the college over the past 20-some years. Ivy Tech is a state college and we all support it with our tax dollars.
All concerned citizens can help ward off this tragedy by writing to the most influential persons involved. Every one of the current 700 students, as well as the many thousands of former students, should feel obligated to write. Tell them your personal story of what Ivy Tech has meant to you and what the loss would be if Ivy Tech should be forced to leave Warsaw. The addresses of these influential persons follow: Virginia Calvin, Dean, Ivy Tech State College, Region II, 220 Dean Johnson Blvd, South Bend, IN 46601; Rep. Patrick Bauer (Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives), House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204; Sen. Robert Garton (President Pro-Tempore of the State Senate), P.O. Box 1111, Columbus, IN 47202-1111; and Gerald I. Lamkin, president, Ivy Tech State College, 1 W. 26th St., Indianapolis, IN 46206.
I shall be writing my own letters to these four.
Joe Beeson
Former Director, Ivy Tech State College, Warsaw Campus
Winona Lake
Senior Center
Editor, Times-Union:The Kosciusko Community Senior Services and the Kosciusko Community Senior Activity Center would like to give a big thank-you to Roy and Barb Hamer for their generous donation to the SAC. After reading about the stolen items from the SAC, Roy and Barb donated a television and a VCR to the seniors at the SAC.
The seniors truly appreciate their kindness and generosity.
April Baxter
SAC Director
Warsaw
'Water Costs
Editor, Times-Union:Water cost goes up, it is not the price of gold yet, it just looks like it is.
Over the past years, it was posted in the paper as upcoming back flush. In October, it was in the paper the day after.
Now that the office (local) is closed and most of the calls are answered somewhere else, they can give excuses without knowing what is going on.
Dec. 12 we have gold water again. Per phone conversation, they have no apparent reason.
Do they think someone is sneaking in and flushing or hooking on the main without their knowledge?
Loyd Thomas
Warsaw
Helpful Dispatcher
Editor, Times-Union:
As I sit up at midnight on Wednesday night, I realize that somehow I have to let the people of Kosciusko County know how much Heather Zentz, of your 911 center, helped me during my crisis on Dec. 6 in Elkhart County. My daughter (Michelle Morgan) had been shot twice during the deadly Nu-Wood incident a week ago today. I talked to my daughter on the phone for almost 1-3/4 hours waiting for Goshen and area police to go in. I thought she would bleed to death or even hear a gunshot when he had come back and finished her off while I am on the phone with her. She couldn't move anymore as her upper leg was shot and paralyzed. I was very frustrated that the police weren't going in. I had called 911 at least five times and they took my information down and had to hang up because of the sheer volume of calls coming in. My cell phone must have bounced me to your 911 center from the overload of 911 calls. Heather stayed with me (and my daughter, who I had on another line) the remainder of the time. My cell phone was going dead and she called me right back on a third phone I had. She stayed with me even after the police finally got in there. The people of Kosciusko County just will never know how much she meant to us that day.
Thank you, Heather.
Dave Cripe
Goshen
Potter's World
Editor, Times-Union:Eight years ago, when I reunited with my birth mother, I was a Christian being introduced to the world some of you so greatly fear -ÊHarry Potter's world of magical, mystical things. My mother is a psychic who believes there is some validity in all religions and belief systems. At first I couldn't accept this. I experienced your fears. I even reacted the same. I judged and condemned her. I tried to convert her with fear. I overstepped my boundaries. God alone reserves the right to judge. He tells us, "Love one another." And says, "Perfect love drives out fear." (1 John, I recommend the entire book.) Love is tolerance and acceptance. If love motivates you, you can stare evil in the face, walk in its midst, hear it, read it, witness it and walk away, undamaged. With a loving, faithful attitude, you won't fear evil because you will appreciate opportunities to practice love and faith.
In the beginning I researched many religions, looking for differences to prove my mother wrong. In the end, I found I was misguided. Today, for me there is absolutely one God -Êknown by many names and identities. His most important name being "Love." I looked and found love plus other prominent religious commonalities. They are: the requirement of faith in something greater; use of ritual (candle lighting); use of herbs (frankincense and myrrh alter the mind to promote spiritual awareness); use of astrology (the three wisemen were astrologers); and chanting (ritual prayer is chanting, similar to a spell - faith determines effectiveness).
If our children learn faith in the power of love, they have all the protection needed. There is, then, little need for censorship. Knowing, trusting and expressing love prepares our children to recognize evil and deal with it effectively and intelligently. Then as parents, instead of controlling with fear, we guide with love. We can show them darkness, so they learn how to shed light there. Only when light is taken into the midst of darkness does darkness cease to exist. Fearing and condemning it increases its power. If you and your children exercise love, you can relax. Trust! You are protected, whatever evil may come.
On my journey, I discovered something important. People don't need to call themselves "Christian" to be Christ-like, to acknowledge Christ's greatness or love him completely. They might affiliate with Christianity, another religion or no religion. What determines Christ-like individuals is conscious choice to give and receive love without conditions or fear.
There is too much fighting in our world. We must stop our petty bickering and make conscious choices to accept our differences. Perhaps we should consider celebrating them. Has any good been done by alienating the people you have condemned? Wouldn't they be more receptive if they had been approached with love? God gave each of us free will. It is no human's right to take it away!
May our universe and all its inhabitants know only love, joy and peace!
Angie McCraner
Warsaw
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- Positive Incidents - Silver Lake Sham - Anniversary Thanks - Locker Theft - Lockouts - Educational Tragedy - Senior Center - 'Water Costs - Potter's World
Positive Incidents
Editor, Times-Union:This is an open letter to the parents and other patrons of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation -ÊPart 2.
Last August, I wrote to encourage parents and guardians to be involved in their children's education. As the school year nears the halfway point, I would like to share some positive incidents that I have witnessed at the high school. Please understand, this is only a partial list.
1. One day in PE class, during a softball game, a student accidentally suffered a bloody nose. He did not get mad, he did not swear, he did not vow revenge. He went to the locker room and took care of the injury.
2. A foreign exchange student mistakenly started answering study guide questions in the wrong chapter. I noticed her mistake and told her of the error. A student nearby, who had finished the assignment, came over, sat down and said, "Let me help you."
3. A student playfully flipped another student with a dish towel. The towel struck harder than intended. I suggested to the student with the towel that an apology may be in order. He addressed the other student by name and sincerely apologized for his action.
4. During lunch, a student threw a small piece of food at another student. Later, the student who threw the piece of food went to the office and confessed his involvement.
5. There are some special needs students within the student body. Many of the students interact with them as peers, showing friendship, giving encouragement and treating them with respect.
These examples show that education takes place in the home as well as at school. The students are being taught self-control. They are being instilled with a desire to help others. They are being taught when and how to apologize. Taking responsibility for one's actions and developing good character are obviously taking root. Item number five speaks volumes. I wish each reader of this letter could have been there to see and hear one student helping another student count the days until Christmas while holding a calendar.
Certainly there are negative incidents which take place from time-to time. This letter's objective is to inform about the good and positive happenings taking place in our high school. I commend the parents and guardians who are doing a great job of teaching their children. Please continue your involvement.
Mark Wilcox
Silver Lake
Silver Lake Sham
Editor, Times-Union:I attended the November and December School Board public work sessions. The meetings were polite and civil; however, if this were a court session it would have been a kangaroo court. Mr. Lee Harman already has his mind made up as to what should be done and is slowly maneuvering behind the scenes to ensure the outcome. The citizens from Silver Lake have been ambushed. They have the choice - "Do you want to be shot in the front or in the back?" Mr. Harman and his administrative cohorts seem to have already decided that the only school to build is a three-section school. This means that there will be three classes for each grade. Presently, Silver Lake is a one-section school with one class for each grade. Superintendent Harman's choice means that there will only be larger schools. Most people do not necessarily believe that big is better. Many of us have seen the crime, corruption, patronage and vice of the big city and so we have chosen to live in a smaller community where our voices can be heard and our children better educated. Interesting enough, both South Bend and Indianapolis have started building smaller grade schools. Do you suppose that they know something that we do not know? Perhaps bigger is not better. Simply put, there is nothing wrong with a one-section school. Superintendent Harman, you are wrong.
The recent public hearing was a sham. It was obvious to me that certain members of the school board were already in Mr. Harman's pocket. The meetings are simply preliminary and perfunctory to closing the Silver Lake School. The administration has orchestrated the plan from the beginning and seeks to enlist the members of the school board to acquiesce in its attempt to do away with smaller schools.
These are the facts - a Community Based Planning Project was initiated to plan for the community; a committee of about 50 were called together for this noble task; however, they were promptly divided into two groups.
The facilities committee was not led by local citizens but by Dr. Boyd from a college at Evansville, Indiana. Mr. Rick Kerlin, a member of the committee, said that the report was simply the opinion of Dr. Boyd and Dr. Ellis, who led the committee and yet they do not live in the community. Interest by the committee diminished and less than half of the members were present for the last meeting. (Times-Union 11-21-2000). Dr. Boyd and Dr. Ellis seemed to have a fixation on bigness. Some of their recommendations were "just what Superintendent Harman ordered" - a facility for fine and performing arts, including an auditorium, and an improved onsite facility for physical activities.
The Silver Lake community has a petition with over 1,000 signatures asking the school board to provide the type of education desired by parents and the community for their children. Their wishes need to be respected. Citizens' input is discouraged when the powers that be ignore their concerns. We need more input, not less input to protect our freedoms. Attend the school board meetings and see for yourself what is taking place. Superintendent Harman's administration that proposed the idea of eliminating the Silver Lake School should be ashamed of themselves.
W. Whitman
Warsaw
via e-mail
Anniversary Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:We would like to thank our many friends, neighbors and relatives for cards and notes we received for our 70th wedding anniversary and for Ruby Ross while she was in the health center.
God bless you all.
Lawrence and Ruby Ross
Grace Village
Winona Lake
Locker Theft
Editor, Times-Union:To the individual who is stealing money out of the gym lockers at TVHS, shame on you! My son worked hard for that money to buy his family Christmas gifts. Now he can't. If you need it that bad and asked me I would have given it to you. Haven't you ever heard that "Thou shalt not steal" is one of the Ten Commandments? All I have to say is, "What goes around comes around." Instead of relying on stealing money, maybe you should get a job on weekends and earn it like the rest of us.
Shelly Sausaman
Claypool
Lockouts
Editor, Times-Union:I have raised an issue twice in the last year that I consider important for several reasons. In a presentation to the Warsaw City Council on Dec. 18, 2000, I pointed out that vehicle lockouts were on the increase, often repeated and requiring more time for the officers to respond. The police chief acknowledged that there were 187 lockouts in 31 days, but believes that they had no impact on other police duties. (Reported in a Dec. 19, 2000, Times-Union article.)
The council meeting on Feb. 18, 2001, heard annual reports involving the level of law enforcement on the Warsaw portion of U.S. 30. (Reported in a Feb. 20, 2001, Times-Union article.) In 2000, the WPD responded to 2,996 incidents (of which 1,045 were accidents). Also, the dispatcher log for the last four and one-half months of 2000 shows that there were 801 requests for lockout service; 569 traffic stops; 565 property damage accidents; and 4,096 miscellaneous items, for a total of 6,031 calls.
In a Dec. 6, 2001, letter to the Times-Union editor, Julia Raypholz expressed thanks for the three times she needed help in getting into her car.
The subject was revisited on Nov. 19, 2001, (reported in a Nov. 20, 2001, Times-Union article). The city justified the lockout policy on the basis of good PR. I pointed out its effect on private enterprise, use of resources outside the city and its significance as the most often requested service of the police department.
I understand the value this practice has for public relations, but suggest that there are other means to accomplish this. It does impact private enterprise and can have other negative results. I like living in a friendly town. Kosciusko County has been my home for 40 years. Having benefited from the community, I have tried to render good service back.
I submit these thoughts and questions for public consideration:
- Does this practice really have ZERO effect on other police duties if it constitutes 13 percent of all dispatcher calls? What about trips to Leesburg or CCAC or multiple responses when the first (or second) officer on scene can't get the car open? What happens when we have a north/south train? Can they promptly respond to a crisis?
- Who should be responsible for vehicle damage caused by untrained hands? Professionals have books outlining the differences in car makes and models, along with the best points of entry. (The front door is not always it.) It often is a case of "Pay a little now or pay more later."
- How many, if any, lockout requests encumber the 911 system?
- What do the officers who perform the task think of it?
Many law enforcement agencies have done away with providing lockout service, that includes: state police, Bremen district; Kosciusko County Sheriff; and Plymouth Police. The primary reasons are time and liability. This deserves serious consideration.
I would like to see the following actions taken:
1. Make public the answers to the above questions.
2. Do a resources analysis to determine the impact of NOT having an officer respond to 13 percent of dispatcher calls now received. (Maybe we should reduce the force or beef up U.S. 30 patrol by this amount."
3. For PR and other practical reason, offer a modified service:
- Receive calls at the dispatcher number, NOT 911.
- Identify the owner of the vehicle. (I'm not sure this is being done now.)
- Obtain written agreement to hold police department harmless.
- Offer to dial up an approved trained professional and send him or her to the caller's location. This is a reasonable accommodation to Julia Raypholz's concerns.
Don Kollmann
Warsaw
Educational Tragedy
Editor, Times-Union:Would it be a tragedy to not get the new athletic facilities? As much as I would like to see our school system improve its facilities, this would not be a tragedy. Would it be a tragedy to not get the new performing arts facilities? As much as we enjoy the performances of our very talented and deserving young people, this too would not be a tragedy.
An educational tragedy is in the making if Ivy Tech State College (at the state level) follows through with its threat to withdraw its support for the Warsaw Campus.
Ivy Tech State College is currently offering a second chance for more than 700 nontraditional (older) students to improve their quality of life by studying at the Warsaw Branch. To lose this campus would be an enormous educational tragedy for Warsaw and Kosciusko County. The timing could not possibly be worse as Ivy Tech State College is on the verge of becoming Indiana's Community College.
The Warsaw industrial and business community has been asked to come up with three million dollars to retain the college in Warsaw. An extremely unfair request. No other community has been required to do this. Business and industry in this county has been very supportive of the college over the past 20-some years. Ivy Tech is a state college and we all support it with our tax dollars.
All concerned citizens can help ward off this tragedy by writing to the most influential persons involved. Every one of the current 700 students, as well as the many thousands of former students, should feel obligated to write. Tell them your personal story of what Ivy Tech has meant to you and what the loss would be if Ivy Tech should be forced to leave Warsaw. The addresses of these influential persons follow: Virginia Calvin, Dean, Ivy Tech State College, Region II, 220 Dean Johnson Blvd, South Bend, IN 46601; Rep. Patrick Bauer (Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives), House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204; Sen. Robert Garton (President Pro-Tempore of the State Senate), P.O. Box 1111, Columbus, IN 47202-1111; and Gerald I. Lamkin, president, Ivy Tech State College, 1 W. 26th St., Indianapolis, IN 46206.
I shall be writing my own letters to these four.
Joe Beeson
Former Director, Ivy Tech State College, Warsaw Campus
Winona Lake
Senior Center
Editor, Times-Union:The Kosciusko Community Senior Services and the Kosciusko Community Senior Activity Center would like to give a big thank-you to Roy and Barb Hamer for their generous donation to the SAC. After reading about the stolen items from the SAC, Roy and Barb donated a television and a VCR to the seniors at the SAC.
The seniors truly appreciate their kindness and generosity.
April Baxter
SAC Director
Warsaw
'Water Costs
Editor, Times-Union:Water cost goes up, it is not the price of gold yet, it just looks like it is.
Over the past years, it was posted in the paper as upcoming back flush. In October, it was in the paper the day after.
Now that the office (local) is closed and most of the calls are answered somewhere else, they can give excuses without knowing what is going on.
Dec. 12 we have gold water again. Per phone conversation, they have no apparent reason.
Do they think someone is sneaking in and flushing or hooking on the main without their knowledge?
Loyd Thomas
Warsaw
Helpful Dispatcher
Editor, Times-Union:
As I sit up at midnight on Wednesday night, I realize that somehow I have to let the people of Kosciusko County know how much Heather Zentz, of your 911 center, helped me during my crisis on Dec. 6 in Elkhart County. My daughter (Michelle Morgan) had been shot twice during the deadly Nu-Wood incident a week ago today. I talked to my daughter on the phone for almost 1-3/4 hours waiting for Goshen and area police to go in. I thought she would bleed to death or even hear a gunshot when he had come back and finished her off while I am on the phone with her. She couldn't move anymore as her upper leg was shot and paralyzed. I was very frustrated that the police weren't going in. I had called 911 at least five times and they took my information down and had to hang up because of the sheer volume of calls coming in. My cell phone must have bounced me to your 911 center from the overload of 911 calls. Heather stayed with me (and my daughter, who I had on another line) the remainder of the time. My cell phone was going dead and she called me right back on a third phone I had. She stayed with me even after the police finally got in there. The people of Kosciusko County just will never know how much she meant to us that day.
Thank you, Heather.
Dave Cripe
Goshen
Potter's World
Editor, Times-Union:Eight years ago, when I reunited with my birth mother, I was a Christian being introduced to the world some of you so greatly fear -ÊHarry Potter's world of magical, mystical things. My mother is a psychic who believes there is some validity in all religions and belief systems. At first I couldn't accept this. I experienced your fears. I even reacted the same. I judged and condemned her. I tried to convert her with fear. I overstepped my boundaries. God alone reserves the right to judge. He tells us, "Love one another." And says, "Perfect love drives out fear." (1 John, I recommend the entire book.) Love is tolerance and acceptance. If love motivates you, you can stare evil in the face, walk in its midst, hear it, read it, witness it and walk away, undamaged. With a loving, faithful attitude, you won't fear evil because you will appreciate opportunities to practice love and faith.
In the beginning I researched many religions, looking for differences to prove my mother wrong. In the end, I found I was misguided. Today, for me there is absolutely one God -Êknown by many names and identities. His most important name being "Love." I looked and found love plus other prominent religious commonalities. They are: the requirement of faith in something greater; use of ritual (candle lighting); use of herbs (frankincense and myrrh alter the mind to promote spiritual awareness); use of astrology (the three wisemen were astrologers); and chanting (ritual prayer is chanting, similar to a spell - faith determines effectiveness).
If our children learn faith in the power of love, they have all the protection needed. There is, then, little need for censorship. Knowing, trusting and expressing love prepares our children to recognize evil and deal with it effectively and intelligently. Then as parents, instead of controlling with fear, we guide with love. We can show them darkness, so they learn how to shed light there. Only when light is taken into the midst of darkness does darkness cease to exist. Fearing and condemning it increases its power. If you and your children exercise love, you can relax. Trust! You are protected, whatever evil may come.
On my journey, I discovered something important. People don't need to call themselves "Christian" to be Christ-like, to acknowledge Christ's greatness or love him completely. They might affiliate with Christianity, another religion or no religion. What determines Christ-like individuals is conscious choice to give and receive love without conditions or fear.
There is too much fighting in our world. We must stop our petty bickering and make conscious choices to accept our differences. Perhaps we should consider celebrating them. Has any good been done by alienating the people you have condemned? Wouldn't they be more receptive if they had been approached with love? God gave each of us free will. It is no human's right to take it away!
May our universe and all its inhabitants know only love, joy and peace!
Angie McCraner
Warsaw
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