Why Having An Investment Policy Statement Is Key To Investment Success

County Ends Contract With Lexur Appraisal Services For Not Meeting Expectations

County Assessor Gail Chapman requested the county commissioners end a contract with Lexur Appraisal Services after the company failed to live up to expectations.

Football Coach Search Continues

SYRACUSE - Basketball changes aren't the only thing Wawasee athletic director Mary Hurley is dealing with now.She's also trying to find a head football coach to replace Gene Mitz, who resigned Oct.28. Hurley has received 30 applications and plans to continue accepting more, for the time being. She likes what she's read on the first 30."Excellent people," she said."Two individuals (in-house) have indicated they may have an interest." But a unique predicament has slowed Hurley and her search: No teaching openings.She needs one to bring in a football coach. "Last year, we ended up with three we knew about immediately, teachers who were retiring and getting married and moving out of state," she said."This is an unusual situation.Even now, we haven't had a teacher come in and say they're going to move or get married or go back to college.

Are You Ready For Retirement?

Lake Science Camp

Ashley Ormsby, 10, Chapman Lakes (L) places a portion of her Crooked Creek water sample into a testing vessel during the Lake Science Camp held recently at Chapman Lakes. Madeline Scott, 11, West Lafayette, observes.

New Rental Venue Offers Flexibility

After booking venues as a wedding planner for four years, Grace Whalen wanted to see something simpler.

Harold Richard Estep

SPENCER, W.Va. - Harold Richard Estep, 77, of Looneyville, W.Va., died June 13, 2009, at Heartland of Charleston, Charleston, W.Va.

Your New Summer Tradition – A Mid-Year Financial Checkup

With the data from the first half of the year available to you, look at how and where you spent your money.

Grace College To Host Dr. Georgia Purdom Of Answers In Genesis

Grace College will welcome Dr. Georgia Purdom, ministry content administrator for Answers in Genesis, to campus on Thursday.

Pension Default Should Raise Red Flag

I think the United Airlines pension default was under reported. It was the largest pension default in U.S.history and it really didn't seem to bother anybody, except maybe some pension administration-type people. And that's kind of strange because the pension default affects everybody - well, everybody who pays taxes, I should say. And it certainly has the potential to affect everybody else indirectly as it ripples through the economy. For the record, a federal judge, in a bankruptcy filing, allowed United to dump its pension obligation to 134,000 current and retired employees in the lap of the federal government. That's because United's pension fund is upside down to the tune of about $6.6 billion. That's right.United has pension obligations of $6.6 billion that they can't afford to pay. So now the burden of paying for those pension plans falls on the federal government. US Airways did the same thing not so long ago, only on a much smaller scale.

County To Deal With $0.6M Shortfall

No matter how much planning and budgeting takes place, sometimes shortfalls still happen. Tuesday, at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting, county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the insurance and retirement benefits for the county employees will cost the county more this year than the county anticipated during budgeting last year.Without an additional appropriation, the county will not have the money to pay for the benefits. The insurance shortfall for this year, which will hit about September, will be approximately $300,000.The retirement shortfall will be $200,000 with a possible shortfall in Social Security of $100,000. Mitchell said the county council will be informed of the matter at its 7 p.m.Thursday meeting, and she will ask them for an additional appropriation to cover the shortfall. "We're going to spend it.You have to have the additional appropriation to do it," Mitchell said.

Warsaw Redevelopment Commission Approves Resolutions For Ongoing Projects

Two public hearings, approval of three resolutions and two agreement approvals by the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission advanced the Gatke, Marsh and Owens projects a little further Monday.

Planners Deny Rezone Request

It doesn't matter what Daniel J.Conley's plans are for his property in Plain Township. At the meeting of the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission Wednesday, he was denied his request to rezone 20 acres from an agricultural district to an agricultural two district because of what might occur in the future.His property is north of CR 300N and east of CR 200W. Downsizing within Zimmer created a need for Conley to change his retirement plans.He wanted to build on five of the 20 acres, and then sell the house and five acres. He would then retire on the rest of the 15 acres.Conley also said he would make sure that the property always stays in the hands of his family. "I have absolutely no intention of subdividing that into lots," Conley told the APC. A pond would be built on the east side to help with drainage problems.In addition, a 2-1/2- foot trench, 600 feet long, would be dug to help with water runoff problems.

Blessed

Editor, Times-Union: Ever Since April 2002, I have been a resident at Retired Tigers. I was born and raised in this county on a farm at the Kosciusko-Whitley county line by two of the finest, most loving and caring parents this eldest of four siblings could ever hope to be blessed with.

Claypool To Install Storm Drains

CLAYPOOL - The town is preparing to install storm drains and spoke to Stuart Savka of Triad Associates Inc.regarding the project at Monday's town council meeting. The engineer outlined the work to be done, saying a basic plan must be completed and submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental management for approval. The Conrail railroad crossings at Church, Railroad and Walnut street crossings are permanently closed now and lights and gates have been installed at the Section and Clay street crossings.An access road is installed from Church Street to CR 200W. The Harrison Street crossing also will be closed; however, railroad and emergency services personnel may use it in need. The closings and improvements were part of a 1999 contract with the railroad company. Initially Conrail also agreed to demolish buildings on the old grainery site, work which has not been done.

Wawasee Student Builders Host Open House May 26

SYRACUSE - Wawasee High School Building Trades will host an open house May 26 from 3 to 6 p.m. The public is invited to tour the project home at 4456 E.Fox Run, Syracuse, just south of Wawasee High School in Fox Run Addition.The house is being built for Ken and Denna Lukas. House plans by Design Basics Inc.is this year's project home and is approximately 2,700 square feet.The front porch and arched windows provide a country feel.The 15-foot high arched openings to a great room provides a spacious view of the fireplace.The formal dining room is accessible from the large island kitchen.French doors in the breakfast room open to a versatile office.There is a utility area off the kitchen featuring access to the three-car garage, bath and laundry room.Entering the master suite, there is a built-in dresser/linen shelf, two closets and corner whirlpool tub adjacent the water closet.On the upper level there are three bedrooms and a full bath.

Rensberger Faces Ruppel In State Representative Race

Larry Rensberger is running for office for one of the usual reasons, dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. His ire is such that he's switched political parties, from Republican to Democrat, and running against seven term State Representative Bill Ruppel for the District 22 seat. It was Ruppel's swing vote for Daylight Savings Time, which passed the House, 51 to 47, and the license branch closing in Syracuse that brought the 67-year-old out of semi-retirement and onto the political trail. "I had no plan to do this," Rensberger said of his candidacy."My plan was to get behind someone else, find someone to run against Bill Ruppel." The challenge had to come from the Democrat Party, so Rensberger registered as a Democrat and became a District 22 candidate.He received more votes (303 to 136) than Allan Dunnagan of Wabash in the May primary.

Medicare

Township Trustee Retires After 24 Years Of Service

NORTH WEBSTER - After 24 years as the Tippecanoe Township trustee, Richard Mitchell is calling it quits when his term finishes at the end of this year. He ran for the position - his first - in 1978 and then took office in 1979. Of course, he's not planning to get away from the trustee's office completely.He said he plans to run for the township advisory board so that whoever takes over for him will have help to make it a smooth transition. "I have to get elected first," he said.

Warsaw Hosts First Work Force Seminar

Approximately 30 people from the Warsaw area attended the Indiana Work Force Development seminar Wednesday at the Ramada Inn, Warsaw. Northern Indiana Work Force Investment Board President Juan Manigault's assistant, Kathryn Thomas, said "the process is one that will continue on through this year." The seminar is basically a "county forum to get some feedback from the community and the information that we gather in these county forums" will be used to form a strategic plan to assess potential problems in the work force, according to Thomas. Thomas said Indiana Work Force will be "meeting with focus groups and individual one-on-ones in the area to get feedback and to see where potential problems are." She said the strategic plan will be complete around Labor Day. The forums take place in St.Joe, Elkhart, Kosciusko and Marshall counties.