Like any other year, 2024 had its ups and its down, but one big highlight for the city of Warsaw and the Warsaw Community School Corporation was the Warsaw Community High School football team winning semi-state and advancing to the state championship for the first time in school history.
The Tigers were 10-3 as they geared up to take the field in the IHSAA 5A state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis against Nov. 4 Decatur Central (10-2) Nov. 30.
To get there, they had to dispose of the No. 1 and No. 2 5A teams, followed by No. 3 Merrillville in the regionals.
While Decatur ended up being this year’s state champions in 5A football, the community showed up to the game in a big way sporting their Tiger orange.
Here’s a lookback at some of the other highlights of the past year in somewhat chronological order:
• In January, Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith announced the launch of the Community Recovery Program that will utilize the resources of many community partners. The CRP is a division of the sheriff’s office.
Shanna Wallen was named the resource navigator for the CRP. In that position, she provides inmates with resources as they prepare to be released from jail.
• Kosciusko County Council in January approved the additional appropriation of $299,999.99 from the county’s opioid grant to help Fellowship Missions close on the purchase of the building at 123 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, to create The Gathering Place.
The Gathering Place celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 15.

    Lewis Salvage and Warsaw Chemical announced Warsaw Chemical acquired the Detroit Street Complex, 3454 N. Detroit St., from Cary and Mike Lewis and the sale has been finalized. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

With the help of the city of Warsaw, Fellowship Missions applied for a Blight Clearance Grant through the Office of Rural Affairs in March to demolish the former Jomac Products buildings on East Winona Avenue. The maximum grant amount that the city could be awarded on Fellowship Missions’ behalf is $500,000. The grant application was denied, but a second application was submitted in December.
• A new county health officer was approved by the Kosciusko County Commissioners Jan. 16 - Dr. Eric Waldo, of Mentone. Dr. William Remington Jr. stepped down effective Dec. 31, 2023, after nearly 30 years as the health officer.
• Parkview Kosciusko Hospital officially opened to serve patients in Warsaw and the surrounding area on Jan. 16. The facility opened to patients following the completion of an expansion that transformed the building into a full-service hospital. The hospital held a ribbon-cutting Jan. 30.
On Feb. 26, Parkview Health System Inc. petitioned the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals for a use variance to allow medical use in an Industrial-2 zoning district on CR 200N. The proposed facility is to include an ambulatory surgery center and medical office building. The variance was approved.
Parkview Whitley Hospital Family Birthing Center relocated to Parkview Kosciusko Hospital.
• Madison Elementary School teacher Terry Sims in January 2024 celebrated 50 years of teaching - all 50 years at Madison.
• Terry White and Georgia Tenney were presented with the Man and Woman of the Year awards, respectively, at the annual Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner Jan. 25.
• On Feb. 20 at the Warsaw Common Council meeting, the council approved on first reading ordinances creating a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) downtown. The ordinances were approved on second reading March 4. Winona Lake also approved a DORA previously. With DORA, a municipality can create up to seven areas within its jurisdiction allowing citizens to purchase alcohol at designated establishments and consume the beverage anywhere within the DORA boundaries.
The state’s Alcohol and Tobacco Commission approved Winona Lake’s DORA on Feb. 23 and Warsaw’s on April 29.
• Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana has served Kosciusko County and 10 other surrounding counties for the last 18 years. On Feb. 21, a ribbon-cutting was held for the nonprofit’s first resource center outside of Allen County at 2190 N. Pointe Drive, Warsaw.
• On March 4, the Warsaw Common Council approved a resolution giving their OK to a petition for the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory to seek an increase to its operating fund tax rate. The council heard the financial details about the proposed levy increase at their Feb. 20 meeting. The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance later approved the tax levy increase for the territory.

    The economic development panel at the U.S. 30 Summit included (L to R) Chris Graham, Steel Dynamics; Bill Konyha, Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana; and Ivan Tornos, Zimmer Biomet. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

On March 11, Fire Chief Brian Mayo informed Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose of his decision to step down as chief, effective May 1. Mayo replaced Garrett Holderman in 2023 after Holderman resigned after one year as chief and moved back to Arizona.
On April 26, Grose announced Fire Marshal Joel Shilling would serve as the new fire chief.
Votes by the Warsaw Common Council, Board of Public Works and Safety and the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Board turned down the fire territory going to a merit board system in 2024. By a vote of 31 to 5, the eligible firefighters on Dec. 2 also turned down the merit board system.
• On March 14, Joe’s Kids had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce for Joe’s Kids’ new location at 1692 W. Lake St., Warsaw, which is 18,600 square feet on 10 acres of land.
• The town of North Webster learned in March it received $2 million from the Indiana Department of Transportation for a trail. The trail includes wider sidewalks from the south edge of town to the north edge.
• A ribbon-cutting ceremony and panel discussion took place March 20 to celebrate the opening of Plug and Play’s Warsaw office, located at the Zimmer Biomet headquarters. Plug and Play is a global innovation platform connecting startups, corporations and investors. Among those attending were Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg and Zimmer Biomet CEO Ivan Tornos.

    Pictured (clockwise, starting at left, L to R) are Indiana District 22 state Rep. Craig Snow, KEDCO CEO Peggy Friday, Warsaw Community and Economic Development Director Jeremy Skinner, Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO Stephanie Overbey, K21 Health Foundation CEO Rich Haddad, KEDCO Leadership Partner Suzie Light and OrthoWorx CEO Bob Vitoux. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

• A complaint filed against Coroner Tyler Huffer by Prairie Township Trustee Julia Goon regarding Huffer’s election sign was dismissed 3-0 March 22 by the Kosciusko County Election Board. Huffer’s election signs said “Re-elect Tyler Huffer Coroner.” As Huffer became coroner through a caucus after Coroner Tony Ciriello resigned in 2022 to become a county councilman, Goon’s complaint was based on the premise Huffer was appointed by a caucus and not elected, therefore his sign stated “re-elect” was fraudulent.
Huffer not only won the Republican primary in May 2024, but he won the general election unopposed in November.
• Three of the Republican candidates for Indiana governor attended a candidate forum in the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center on March 25 - Curtis Hill, Suzanne Crouch and Eric Doden. Though Mike Braun did not attend the 90-minute event, he won the Republican primary and November general election against Jennifer McCormick to become Indiana’s next governor.
• A special prosecutor reviewed and investigated a traffic incident on March 9 involving District 1 Kosciusko County Councilwoman Kimberly Cates, 59, of Syracuse. A Marshall County judge, Dean Colvin, was assigned the drunk driving case. Cates faced two charges in the case, one for operating a vehicle while intoxicated - endangering a person and the other for operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or greater. Both charges are misdemeanors.
On Aug. 30, Cates received a sentence of six days in jail and 359 days on probation. As part of a plea agreement, the second OWI charge was dismissed.

    A $778,760 grant from the Don Wood Foundation was received by the Warsaw Area Career Center to purchase new equipment and upgrade facilities for WACC’s Welding and Advanced Manufacturing programs. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

• Warsaw Community Schools students were some of the millions of people who took part in the viewing of the solar eclipse April 8. Parts of Indiana could see the eclipse in its totality.
• Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) announced on May 1 that Margaret “Peggy” Friday would join the organization as their new CEO.
• In the Republican primary election on May 7, Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell beat Nate Scherer and Marcia Baumgardner for northern district county commissioner; Matthew Buehler won out over Jack Birch for Circuit Court judge; incumbent Tyler Huffer was retained as coroner over Tracy Cutler-Wilson and James Moyer defeated Ryan Prince for county surveyor. The winning candidates were unopposed in the November general election.
• At a special Whitko School Board meeting May 15, the board unanimously accepted the resignation of Superintendent Tim Pivarnik, effective immediately. The board also approved the appointment of Director of Special Services Kari Walmer as lead administrator until such time as an interim superintendent was found.
No reason for Pivarnik’s resignation was given by the board.
On Dec. 16, Dr. Amy Korus was hired as Whitko’s superintendent, effective Jan. 1, 2025. She replaces Dr. Tom Edington, who served as interim superintendent.
• Four Way Ambulance Service Board of Directors announced May 29 they will no longer be able to provide emergency medical services to the community. In a letter to the community from the board, they state after 51 years of continuous service, at this time they did not have a viable solution to continue the service. The last effective day of service was May 31 at 12 a.m.
• A grand opening June 10 of the new Downtown Warsaw YMCA saw Kosciusko Community YMCA members and potential members stream in the facilities to check out what it has to offer. The grand opening for the approximate 4,700-square-feet two-level building featured a raffle, tours and member sign-ups. The Downtown Warsaw YMCA is in the former Madison Elementary School gym.
The YMCA and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility on July 15.
• The OrthoWorx Vision Committee developed a roadmap for the $30 million appropriated from the state for the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative (OIRI), which was explained by the committee June 24. It proposes supporting 11 projects in Kosciusko County, including workforce housing, community amenities, city-county parking structure, orthopedic innovation research center, innovation development district, fairground relocation and redevelopment, Winona Avenue project, community experiences program, business innovation center, community fieldhouse and Gordon Health Center.

    Downtown Warsaw YMCA is at 575 W. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

• On June 27, a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place for broadband internet for the town of Sidney.
• On July 17, three panels of discussion, hosted by the U.S. 30 Coalition, took place during the U.S. 30 Summit at Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw. Invited guests ranged from mayors and city and county officials to state representatives and senators. The basic message was that U.S. 30 must become a freeway.
A public informational meeting on the final screening step of the ProPEL U.S. 30 study was held Nov. 20 at Lincoln Elementary School in Warsaw. On Nov. 12, the Indiana Department of Transportation released its Draft Level 3 screening report for proposed alternatives for U.S. 30 and U.S. 31.
• On July 18, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb surprised Winona Lake Town Manager Craig Allebach with the Sagamore of the Wabash for his decades of service to the community.
Allebach submitted his intent to retire, effective the end of October or as soon as his replacement could be found. His intention to retire was announced at the Oct. 8 special Winona Lake Town Council meeting.
• Big Lots had a grand opening for its store at 2806 Frontage Road, Warsaw, on Dec. 10, 2022. On Aug. 2, 2024, shoppers began receiving notice that the Warsaw location would soon be closing.
Bealls had a grand opening on Oct. 25 for its new store at The Marketplace of Warsaw, just a couple doors down from where Big Lots formerly was located.
Workout Anytime, 2878 Frontage Road, in The Marketplace of Warsaw, announced Nov. 22 it was closing its doors permanently, effective Nov. 25.
• John Wayne Lehman, 68, Auburn, pled guilty Aug. 8 to conspiracy to commit murder in the 1975 death of North Webster teenager Laurel Jean Mitchell. He was initially charged with first degree murder. As part of a plea agreement, he testified against his co-defendant in the case, Fred Bandy Jr. On Oct. 11, Lehman was sentenced to eight years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the conspiracy charge. He was given 613 actual days credit for time already served.
A bench trial for Bandy, 69, Goshen, was held Oct. 7 in Noble Circuit Court. He was found guilty of murdering Mitchell.
On Oct. 22, Bandy was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Mitchell. His attorney said he planned to appeal.
• A resolution approved by the Warsaw Common Council on Aug. 19 gave the Redevelopment Commission permission to purchase the Warsaw Chemical properties on Argonne Road for $6.5 million. The site is planned to become the future home of an orthopedic innovation and research center with the use of OIRI funds and through partnerships with organizations like Grace College and OrthoWorx.
On Dec. 19, it was announced Warsaw Chemical was expanding with the acquisition of the Detroit Street Complex, 3454 N. Detroit St., Warsaw, from Cary and Mike Lewis.

    Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb surprised Winona Lake Town Manager Craig Allebach with the Sagamore of the Wabash July 18. Pictured (L to R) are Holcomb, Allebach, Winona Lake Town Council President Jim Lancaster and Indiana state Rep. Craig Snow. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

• Bowen Center, in the process of relocating and updating all of its clinics in its five core counties, held a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 22 for Bowen Health Clinic at 901 Anchorage Point Drive, Warsaw. The clinic, which currently is on North Harrison Street, is expected to be completed in late summer 2025.
• Wawasee School Corporation held a groundbreaking at the site of the new Milford Elementary School Aug. 27 with construction of the building to start in a few weeks. The project will cost $34.1 million, with the building expected to be open for the start of the 2026-27 school year.
• Lake City Bank purchased the 35,600-square-foot three-story office building at 122 E. Center St., Warsaw, on Aug. 30. The office building will expand the bank’s Warsaw campus and support the continued growth of LCB, according to a news release from the bank Aug. 30. The building will be renamed the Lake City Bank Innovation and Technology Center after some renovation and modernization.
• The official opening of the CR 1300N extension and overpass from Old Ind. 15 to Ind. 15 took place Sept. 12. The new section of road was officially named the Bradford L. Jackson Way of Kosciusko County.
• Three days from Cardinal Services’ 70th anniversary, many members of the community gathered Sept. 13 at the nonprofit’s renovated and expanded Warsaw building to celebrate its transformation.
• A $778,760 grant from the Don Wood Foundation was given to the Warsaw Area Career Center to help purchase new equipment and upgrade facilities.
• Teachers, coaches, administrators and students were excited to show the public the renovations and additions to Tippecanoe Valley High School during an open house Oct. 27. Planning for the renovations began in 2022 with public meetings.
• Lakeland Christian Academy announced a communitywide capital campaign Nov. 1 at their 50th-year celebration.
• The parking garage project memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and county was approved by the Kosciusko County Commissioners Dec. 3.
The OrthoWorx Vision Committee has developed a roadmap of projects for use of the $30 million approved and available from the state of Indiana for the OIRI, and one of those projects is a parking garage project with a contribution of $5 million of the OIRI funds.
• The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Dec. 6 awarded the bid and contract to demolish the Center Lake pier to Milestone Contractors for $397,838. They were the only bidder. The city’s Indiana Department of Natural Resources permit to demolish the decades-old pier expires in April 2025.
• On Dec. 24, the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County announced it recently received a financial gift allowing the nonprofit to pay off the remaining mortgage for their campus.