Tragedy, Business Ventures Highlight ‘22 Year-In-Review
December 30, 2022 at 11:44 p.m.
Tragedy, Business Ventures Highlight ‘22 Year-In-Review
By David [email protected]
It wasn’t all bad news though as several restaurants and businesses opened, and World War II veteran Bob Gast turned 100.
Here is a timeline of some of the things that took place locally in 2022:
• Dr. John Teeven was appointed to serve as interim president of Grace College & Seminary in January after Dr. Bill Katip announced his retirement in December. On April 14, Dr. Drew Flamm was announced as the college’s seventh president.
• Winners in the 2022 election included Jim Smith for sheriff, Craig Snow for District 22 state representative, Rhonda Helser in the auditor’s race, Deb Wright as county recorder, Gail Chapman as county assessor, incumbent Bob Conley for southern district county commissioner, Kimberly Cates as County Council District 1 member, Michael Long as District 2 Councilman, Anthony Ciriello as District 3 Councilman, David Wolkins for District 4 and Brad Voelz as prosecutor.
• The North Webster Community Center Board of Directors announced the hiring of Emily Worrell as its new executive director. She assumed her new position Feb. 1. On May 28, Worrell announced North Webster was getting a full-time doctor as Goshen Physicians Dr. Chelsea Wolf will have her office in the NWCC. On Dec. 16, the NWCC celebrated the opening of the Culver Family Wellness Center, which includes the Gladys Culver Education Room and the Goshen Physicians Family Medicine North Webster Clinic.
• A number of new businesses opened in 2022, while a couple shut their doors.
Rural King moved into the former Kmart building on Lake City Highway. Popeyes officially opened Jan. 31. A second Culver’s restaurant opened its doors officially Oct. 10.
In April, Sullivan Wickley Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer John Murphy confirmed Big Lots and Planet Fitness would be coming to the Marketplace of Warsaw. The city of Warsaw invested $1.4 million into helping rehabilitate the dilapidated Marketplace of Warsaw shopping center. The agreement relies on the use of new tax revenues from an existing tax increment finance district surrounding the shopping center.
In May, it was announced that two Italian restaurants would be coming to Warsaw – Salvatori’s Authentic Italian Eatery and Papa Vino’s Italian Kitchen.
Gabe’s, a discount retailer, also came to the Marketplace of Warsaw in 2022.
Penguin Point announced the closure of seven of its restaurants, including one Warsaw location on Lake Street. Tyler Haines announced Dec. 14 that Stacy’s Restaurant in Leesburg was closing after 50 years in business.
Those were just a few of the openings and closings in 2022.
• Thousands of Catholics from northern Indiana and beyond came to Warsaw June 19 for a historic Eucharistic procession to proclaim their faith and a festival at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Originally, 3,000 people from throughout the diocese were expected to walk the procession, but the number went up over 5,000. The procession started at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and went 2.8 miles to Central Park and then Our Lady of Guadalupe. The procession was led by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades.
• Oak Grove Community Church and Winona Lake Free Methodist Church merged in 2022 to form Winona Lake Community Church at 902 College Ave., Winona Lake. On Feb. 21, they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the merger. Meanwhile, Church of God, 1059 Rozella Road, Warsaw, had its last service Aug. 14. The decision to close the church was made in mid-July due to the decline of the congregation.
• In March, Medartis, a Swiss-based orthopedic company for head and extremity surgery, announced its intent to acquire Nextremity Solutions Inc., of Warsaw. On May 3, Medartis announced it completed the acquisition. On Oct. 4, the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Medartis as part of the community.
• World War II veteran Bob Gast turned 100 on March 28 and Warsaw Community Schools proclaimed March 28, 2022, as Bob Gast Day during a special celebration. On Aug. 17, Martha Robinson turned 100 and celebrated it with a Hawaiian theme at the business she and her husband founded in 1956 – Robinson Construction.
• Lack of participation and property taxes forced Richard “Dick” McCleary to make a decision on the Rising Arrow Day Camp he didn’t want to make: He was calling it quits, he announced in an interview in April. Sadly, McCleary, 81, died Oct. 25.
• On April 19, it was announced a donor pledged $2.5 million toward the Central Park Pavilion remodel. The donor wasn’t announced as the Zimmer Biomet Foundation until a couple months later.
• The K21 Health Foundation awarded a $300,000 grant toward the expansion and planned completion of Winona Lake’s Limitless Park, a universally accessible place for people of all abilities to enjoy, the K21 announced in April.
• On May 10, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved an ordinance establishing the Kosciusko County Department of Parks and Recreation. Named to serve on the Parks and Recreation Board were Troy Turley, Aggie Sweeney, Rob Bishop, Matt Metzger and Mike Cusick. Their first Park Board meeting was Aug. 18.
• Kurt Carlson retired at the end of June as the president and chief executive officer of Bowen Center. As of July 1, Rob Ryan has assumed the positions and duties. A retirement celebration was held May 21 at The vice at One Ten, Warsaw, for Carlson.
• New Life Christian Church & World Outreach Pastor John B. Lowe II confessed May 22 to “committing adultery” 20 years prior and said he was stepping down, but the woman involved said it was 27 years ago when she was only a teenager and she had been Lowe’s victim. She told her story when she and her husband took to the church stage after Lowe’s confession. The confession and confrontation were recorded by a member of the woman’s family and shared through social media.
On May 29, New Life Christian Church and World Outreach issued a new statement apologizing to the victim, the congregation and first-time visitors who witnessed the controversy unfold during a church service.
In a two-sentence news release June 1, the Indiana State Police said it was made aware of allegations concerning the church and was seeking information. It also asked that anyone with information to contact the ISP Bremen Post.
• On June 3, the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety accepted a bid from Green Demolition Contractors Inc. for $178,800 to demolish the former Arnolt Corp. building at 2525 Durbin Street. The demolition was funded by the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission. A groundbreaking ceremony for The 2525 affordable apartments being developed by RealAmerica at 2525 Durbin St. was held Nov. 11. The apartments are expected to be completed by fall 2023.
• Kosciusko County government was frauded out of approximately $314,000 in April. The theft of $313,951 came in the form of a fraudulent Automated Clearing House request in which the perpetrator imitated a vendor (J & K Communications) for Kosciusko County government seeking payment of invoices.
The scam began April 7 when the county administrator’s office received a request for payment using ACH, but with a different routing number. The auditor’s office then included the request among other ACHs being issued at the same time. The bills were sent on April 26, and officials realized there was a problem three days later.
New rules were put into place to safeguard from any potential future scam.
• On June 10, Parkview Warsaw had a “topping out” ceremony securing the final steel beam of the project to convert Parkview Warsaw into Parkview Kosciusko Hospital. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.
• A $1 million donation from the Sasso family will potentially make the Center Lake Recreation Trail a reality by as early as fall 2023. The Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved the project June 21 after hearing from Mayor Joe Thallemer and Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer.
• Lutheran Health Network is investing $30 million toward the expansion and modernization of its hospital in Warsaw, and renaming the facility from Kosciusko Community Hospital to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital, it was announced by LHN leadership June 23 to community leadership at a breakfast at Noa Noa.
• Kelly Heckaman was surprised when her husband said he wanted to go to the Sale of Champions at the Kosciusko County Community Fair July 15. She was even more surprised and in tears when she was honored for her service to 4-H after the sale. Heckaman served as Kosciusko County’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension educator for 26 years. She was moved to District 11 to serve as the ANR director. Kosciusko County is District 10.
• Second District U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three others were killed in a two-vehicle crash Aug. 3.
At approximately 12:32 p.m. Aug. 3, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-vehicle crash on Ind. 19, south of Ind. 119. Along with Walorski, 58, Elkhart, killed were Zachery Potts, 27, Mishawaka, 2nd District chairman and St. Joe County Republican chairman; Emma Thomson, 28, Washington, D.C., Walorski’s communications director; and Edith Schmucker, 56, Nappanee.
Just prior to the accident, Walorski, Potts and Thomson had attended a ribbon-cutting and lunch announcing Louis Dreyfus Company Agricultural Industries’ new soy liquid lecithin plant in Claypool. Walorski was one of the guest speakers at the event.
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb on Aug. 9 signed an executive order calling for a special election in the 2nd Congressional District to fill the vacancy in the office of U.S. representative due to Walorski’s death. The special election was held concurrently with the general election on Nov. 8, and Rudy Yakym won both after a Republican caucus chose him as their nominee.
• During the Aug. 9 meeting of the Wawasee School Board, Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer announced the school district will be looking at combining the two middle schools into one at Wawasee Middle School for the 2023-2024 school year. Wawasee parents and residents heard Oct. 26 why the school corporation is looking at combining Milford and Wawasee Middle Schools at a public presentation. Any decision was delayed until the new Wawasee School Board was seated in January 2023.
• U.S. 30 continued to be a topic of conversation at meetings and among the public.
There’s no final plan or design for a U.S. 30 freeway through Kosciusko County, but about a dozen Warsaw residents from the neighborhoods around Menards approached the Warsaw Common Council Aug. 15 about a Parker Street proposal.
On Aug. 26, Indiana Department of Transportation hosted a virtual media briefing to announce the new planning studies for U.S. 30 from Valparaiso to the Indiana and Ohio state line, excluding the Fort Wayne bypass, and U.S. 31 between Hamilton County and Plymouth, excluding the Kokomo bypass. For the next two years, INDOT will be studying the 180 miles of the U.S. 30 and 31 corridors.
On Dec. 6 at Lincoln Elementary School, INDOT hosted a public information meeting about U.S. 30 East with about 150 people attending from the public.
• On Sept. 2, Vickie Louise Wooldridge, 45, Nappanee, received a 94-year prison sentence after murdering a Warsaw man and attacking two others. She was found guilty in an August jury trial of murder, aggravated battery and attempted criminal confinement and battery while armed with a deadly weapon. Wooldridge’s charges stem from Dec. 15, 2020, when she murdered Matthew Lucas and attempted to murder Bill and Diane Burr.
• Demolition of the former Silver Lake Elementary School, 202 E. Sycamore St., began Sept. 6, and was expected to take three weeks.
• Area Plan Director Dan Richard stepped down from serving the county after 45 years. He began with the county in June 1977 and retired September 30, 2022. Matt Sandy moved from assistant director to director.
• At least 16 were injured – three very critically originally – when a semi-tractor-trailer crashed with an Illinois school bus Nov. 12 on U.S. 30 in Warsaw.
At approximately 8:06 p.m. Nov. 12, Central Dispatch notified patrol officers of reports of a semi with New Jersey registration swerving into other lanes and driving at excessive speeds. The semi was reportedly driving off the road as it was entering the Warsaw city limits westbound on U.S. 30.
Two minutes later, as officers were on their way to intercept, they were advised that the suspect semi had hit a school bus at the intersection of U.S. 30 and Center Street and the bus was on its side.
Arrested was Victor Santos, 58, of Brooklyn, N.Y., the driver of the semi. He was charged with four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle and 22 counts of criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon. Santos’ blood alcohol content was 0.13%.
• On Nov. 16, the K21 Health Foundation hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Miller Sunset Pavilion, 789 Park Ave., Winona Lake, which includes an ice skating rink. On Saturday, Nov. 19, K21 hosted a free skate for the community to christen the opening of the skating season.
K21 had provided a $1.5 million grant toward the project.
• For the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, it came down to two Kosciusko County companies’ products – Maple Leaf Farms’ roast half duck, representing Leesburg, and Polywood’s 12-piece pit sectional, representing Syracuse. On Dec. 14, it was announced the roast half duck won by online voting.
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It wasn’t all bad news though as several restaurants and businesses opened, and World War II veteran Bob Gast turned 100.
Here is a timeline of some of the things that took place locally in 2022:
• Dr. John Teeven was appointed to serve as interim president of Grace College & Seminary in January after Dr. Bill Katip announced his retirement in December. On April 14, Dr. Drew Flamm was announced as the college’s seventh president.
• Winners in the 2022 election included Jim Smith for sheriff, Craig Snow for District 22 state representative, Rhonda Helser in the auditor’s race, Deb Wright as county recorder, Gail Chapman as county assessor, incumbent Bob Conley for southern district county commissioner, Kimberly Cates as County Council District 1 member, Michael Long as District 2 Councilman, Anthony Ciriello as District 3 Councilman, David Wolkins for District 4 and Brad Voelz as prosecutor.
• The North Webster Community Center Board of Directors announced the hiring of Emily Worrell as its new executive director. She assumed her new position Feb. 1. On May 28, Worrell announced North Webster was getting a full-time doctor as Goshen Physicians Dr. Chelsea Wolf will have her office in the NWCC. On Dec. 16, the NWCC celebrated the opening of the Culver Family Wellness Center, which includes the Gladys Culver Education Room and the Goshen Physicians Family Medicine North Webster Clinic.
• A number of new businesses opened in 2022, while a couple shut their doors.
Rural King moved into the former Kmart building on Lake City Highway. Popeyes officially opened Jan. 31. A second Culver’s restaurant opened its doors officially Oct. 10.
In April, Sullivan Wickley Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer John Murphy confirmed Big Lots and Planet Fitness would be coming to the Marketplace of Warsaw. The city of Warsaw invested $1.4 million into helping rehabilitate the dilapidated Marketplace of Warsaw shopping center. The agreement relies on the use of new tax revenues from an existing tax increment finance district surrounding the shopping center.
In May, it was announced that two Italian restaurants would be coming to Warsaw – Salvatori’s Authentic Italian Eatery and Papa Vino’s Italian Kitchen.
Gabe’s, a discount retailer, also came to the Marketplace of Warsaw in 2022.
Penguin Point announced the closure of seven of its restaurants, including one Warsaw location on Lake Street. Tyler Haines announced Dec. 14 that Stacy’s Restaurant in Leesburg was closing after 50 years in business.
Those were just a few of the openings and closings in 2022.
• Thousands of Catholics from northern Indiana and beyond came to Warsaw June 19 for a historic Eucharistic procession to proclaim their faith and a festival at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Originally, 3,000 people from throughout the diocese were expected to walk the procession, but the number went up over 5,000. The procession started at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and went 2.8 miles to Central Park and then Our Lady of Guadalupe. The procession was led by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades.
• Oak Grove Community Church and Winona Lake Free Methodist Church merged in 2022 to form Winona Lake Community Church at 902 College Ave., Winona Lake. On Feb. 21, they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the merger. Meanwhile, Church of God, 1059 Rozella Road, Warsaw, had its last service Aug. 14. The decision to close the church was made in mid-July due to the decline of the congregation.
• In March, Medartis, a Swiss-based orthopedic company for head and extremity surgery, announced its intent to acquire Nextremity Solutions Inc., of Warsaw. On May 3, Medartis announced it completed the acquisition. On Oct. 4, the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Medartis as part of the community.
• World War II veteran Bob Gast turned 100 on March 28 and Warsaw Community Schools proclaimed March 28, 2022, as Bob Gast Day during a special celebration. On Aug. 17, Martha Robinson turned 100 and celebrated it with a Hawaiian theme at the business she and her husband founded in 1956 – Robinson Construction.
• Lack of participation and property taxes forced Richard “Dick” McCleary to make a decision on the Rising Arrow Day Camp he didn’t want to make: He was calling it quits, he announced in an interview in April. Sadly, McCleary, 81, died Oct. 25.
• On April 19, it was announced a donor pledged $2.5 million toward the Central Park Pavilion remodel. The donor wasn’t announced as the Zimmer Biomet Foundation until a couple months later.
• The K21 Health Foundation awarded a $300,000 grant toward the expansion and planned completion of Winona Lake’s Limitless Park, a universally accessible place for people of all abilities to enjoy, the K21 announced in April.
• On May 10, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved an ordinance establishing the Kosciusko County Department of Parks and Recreation. Named to serve on the Parks and Recreation Board were Troy Turley, Aggie Sweeney, Rob Bishop, Matt Metzger and Mike Cusick. Their first Park Board meeting was Aug. 18.
• Kurt Carlson retired at the end of June as the president and chief executive officer of Bowen Center. As of July 1, Rob Ryan has assumed the positions and duties. A retirement celebration was held May 21 at The vice at One Ten, Warsaw, for Carlson.
• New Life Christian Church & World Outreach Pastor John B. Lowe II confessed May 22 to “committing adultery” 20 years prior and said he was stepping down, but the woman involved said it was 27 years ago when she was only a teenager and she had been Lowe’s victim. She told her story when she and her husband took to the church stage after Lowe’s confession. The confession and confrontation were recorded by a member of the woman’s family and shared through social media.
On May 29, New Life Christian Church and World Outreach issued a new statement apologizing to the victim, the congregation and first-time visitors who witnessed the controversy unfold during a church service.
In a two-sentence news release June 1, the Indiana State Police said it was made aware of allegations concerning the church and was seeking information. It also asked that anyone with information to contact the ISP Bremen Post.
• On June 3, the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety accepted a bid from Green Demolition Contractors Inc. for $178,800 to demolish the former Arnolt Corp. building at 2525 Durbin Street. The demolition was funded by the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission. A groundbreaking ceremony for The 2525 affordable apartments being developed by RealAmerica at 2525 Durbin St. was held Nov. 11. The apartments are expected to be completed by fall 2023.
• Kosciusko County government was frauded out of approximately $314,000 in April. The theft of $313,951 came in the form of a fraudulent Automated Clearing House request in which the perpetrator imitated a vendor (J & K Communications) for Kosciusko County government seeking payment of invoices.
The scam began April 7 when the county administrator’s office received a request for payment using ACH, but with a different routing number. The auditor’s office then included the request among other ACHs being issued at the same time. The bills were sent on April 26, and officials realized there was a problem three days later.
New rules were put into place to safeguard from any potential future scam.
• On June 10, Parkview Warsaw had a “topping out” ceremony securing the final steel beam of the project to convert Parkview Warsaw into Parkview Kosciusko Hospital. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.
• A $1 million donation from the Sasso family will potentially make the Center Lake Recreation Trail a reality by as early as fall 2023. The Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved the project June 21 after hearing from Mayor Joe Thallemer and Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer.
• Lutheran Health Network is investing $30 million toward the expansion and modernization of its hospital in Warsaw, and renaming the facility from Kosciusko Community Hospital to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital, it was announced by LHN leadership June 23 to community leadership at a breakfast at Noa Noa.
• Kelly Heckaman was surprised when her husband said he wanted to go to the Sale of Champions at the Kosciusko County Community Fair July 15. She was even more surprised and in tears when she was honored for her service to 4-H after the sale. Heckaman served as Kosciusko County’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension educator for 26 years. She was moved to District 11 to serve as the ANR director. Kosciusko County is District 10.
• Second District U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three others were killed in a two-vehicle crash Aug. 3.
At approximately 12:32 p.m. Aug. 3, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-vehicle crash on Ind. 19, south of Ind. 119. Along with Walorski, 58, Elkhart, killed were Zachery Potts, 27, Mishawaka, 2nd District chairman and St. Joe County Republican chairman; Emma Thomson, 28, Washington, D.C., Walorski’s communications director; and Edith Schmucker, 56, Nappanee.
Just prior to the accident, Walorski, Potts and Thomson had attended a ribbon-cutting and lunch announcing Louis Dreyfus Company Agricultural Industries’ new soy liquid lecithin plant in Claypool. Walorski was one of the guest speakers at the event.
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb on Aug. 9 signed an executive order calling for a special election in the 2nd Congressional District to fill the vacancy in the office of U.S. representative due to Walorski’s death. The special election was held concurrently with the general election on Nov. 8, and Rudy Yakym won both after a Republican caucus chose him as their nominee.
• During the Aug. 9 meeting of the Wawasee School Board, Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer announced the school district will be looking at combining the two middle schools into one at Wawasee Middle School for the 2023-2024 school year. Wawasee parents and residents heard Oct. 26 why the school corporation is looking at combining Milford and Wawasee Middle Schools at a public presentation. Any decision was delayed until the new Wawasee School Board was seated in January 2023.
• U.S. 30 continued to be a topic of conversation at meetings and among the public.
There’s no final plan or design for a U.S. 30 freeway through Kosciusko County, but about a dozen Warsaw residents from the neighborhoods around Menards approached the Warsaw Common Council Aug. 15 about a Parker Street proposal.
On Aug. 26, Indiana Department of Transportation hosted a virtual media briefing to announce the new planning studies for U.S. 30 from Valparaiso to the Indiana and Ohio state line, excluding the Fort Wayne bypass, and U.S. 31 between Hamilton County and Plymouth, excluding the Kokomo bypass. For the next two years, INDOT will be studying the 180 miles of the U.S. 30 and 31 corridors.
On Dec. 6 at Lincoln Elementary School, INDOT hosted a public information meeting about U.S. 30 East with about 150 people attending from the public.
• On Sept. 2, Vickie Louise Wooldridge, 45, Nappanee, received a 94-year prison sentence after murdering a Warsaw man and attacking two others. She was found guilty in an August jury trial of murder, aggravated battery and attempted criminal confinement and battery while armed with a deadly weapon. Wooldridge’s charges stem from Dec. 15, 2020, when she murdered Matthew Lucas and attempted to murder Bill and Diane Burr.
• Demolition of the former Silver Lake Elementary School, 202 E. Sycamore St., began Sept. 6, and was expected to take three weeks.
• Area Plan Director Dan Richard stepped down from serving the county after 45 years. He began with the county in June 1977 and retired September 30, 2022. Matt Sandy moved from assistant director to director.
• At least 16 were injured – three very critically originally – when a semi-tractor-trailer crashed with an Illinois school bus Nov. 12 on U.S. 30 in Warsaw.
At approximately 8:06 p.m. Nov. 12, Central Dispatch notified patrol officers of reports of a semi with New Jersey registration swerving into other lanes and driving at excessive speeds. The semi was reportedly driving off the road as it was entering the Warsaw city limits westbound on U.S. 30.
Two minutes later, as officers were on their way to intercept, they were advised that the suspect semi had hit a school bus at the intersection of U.S. 30 and Center Street and the bus was on its side.
Arrested was Victor Santos, 58, of Brooklyn, N.Y., the driver of the semi. He was charged with four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle and 22 counts of criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon. Santos’ blood alcohol content was 0.13%.
• On Nov. 16, the K21 Health Foundation hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Miller Sunset Pavilion, 789 Park Ave., Winona Lake, which includes an ice skating rink. On Saturday, Nov. 19, K21 hosted a free skate for the community to christen the opening of the skating season.
K21 had provided a $1.5 million grant toward the project.
• For the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, it came down to two Kosciusko County companies’ products – Maple Leaf Farms’ roast half duck, representing Leesburg, and Polywood’s 12-piece pit sectional, representing Syracuse. On Dec. 14, it was announced the roast half duck won by online voting.
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