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Memories Of '97: Wilcoxson, Wiggins and Wawasee among top stories of 1997

Changes in two communities and violence against two of the most innocent institutions - a child and a church - were among the top local stories of 1997. By a unanimous choice, Winona Lake's restoration project was the top news story of the year, according to news staffers of the Times-Union and WRSW radio. The massive restoration project, led by town council president Brent Wilcoxson and entrepreneur Dane Miller, spurred debate on several levels.While nobody doubts the project is well intended and will be a major benefit to the town, questions arose regarding Wilcoxson's role since some of the $7 million project has involved town council approval. While Wilcoxson, a first-term elected official, stayed busy with the widespread renovation project, the longtime leader of the adjoining city of Warsaw was stepping aside. After 13 years as mayor, Jeff Plank resigned and left office March 1 to join InstruMed, an upstart firm located in Warsaw.
Dan Spalding, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

A Look Back At 2003

Hundreds of men and women have died during and after the war in Iraq. One of them was one of Warsaw's very own. Lance Cpl.David Fribley, 26, was killed in action March 23 when an armored personnel carrier was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.He was the first Indiana native to die in the conflict. His bravery and death also make him the Times-Union 2003 top story of the year, as decided by a vote by the news and sports staffs. The attack on Fribley's vehicle occurred near An Nasiriyah, Iraq, a city about 230 miles southwest of Baghdad.Fribley was one of seven Marines killed in the incident in which an Iraqi unit indicated it was giving up, then opened fire when the Marines approached.U.S.military said about 40 were wounded. The Pentagon listed Fribley as a resident of Cape Coral, Fla.He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Local Retailers See Minimal Y2K Hoarding

New Year's Eve is often a time for celebration. This year, however, with concerns about possible Y2K problems, local residents are taking the time to be prepared for whatever may happen. From kerosene heaters and bottled water to guns and ammunition, local businesses have seen people buying up supplies in varying degrees. Howard Shoemaker, of Albertson's Sport Shop, said he has seen an increase in gun and ammunition sales to a degree."There hasn't been a big run.We haven't had people come in especially for that." He said gun sales are pretty steady every year, whether because of new gun control legislation or Y2K concerns. "Clinton is the No.1 gun salesman," he said. Several people, he said, have bought cases of 7.62 x 39 ammunition.However, cases of MREs are still sitting in the store.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Community Responds To Family's Fire Loss

ETNA GREEN -ÊEven after the loss of almost everything they owned in a house fire Christmas Eve, the Jim and Penny Railsback family, Etna Green, still witnessed the miracle of the holiday. At 12:27 a.m.Tuesday, the Railsbacks' residence, 492 S.CR 900W, was gutted by fire.The family was able to salvage several wrapped Christmas presents from the fire, but the rest of the house was destroyed when the fire rekindled about 4:49 a.m. No injuries were reported, but, save for the few gifts recovered, the family experienced a total loss. That's when the miracle began.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Fort Wayne Teen Held In Robbery Of Shell Station

A Fort Wayne juvenile is charged with armed robbery and being held without bond in Kosciusko County Jail. Tiffany Shauntae Potter, 16, was arrested early this morning and charged with robbing the Shell Food Mart on U.S.30, near Warsaw.She and three other Fort Wayne juveniles were stopped by police after a brief chase on U.S.30. Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department received a call at 12:52 this morning that the Shell station was robbed and a gun was displayed.The four suspects stole an undisclosed amount of gasoline, but no cash. Two sheriff's deputies were en route from Pierceton when one spotted the van with the juveniles headed east on U.S.30.At the intersection of Ind.13, police reported the van turned around and headed west, back toward Warsaw.
TIFFANY SHAW, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Crime Stories Dominate Top 10

Looking back at the top stories of 2002, one could say it wasn't one of the best years locally. Murder and vehicle collisions dominate the top 10 stories of the year, as chosen by the Times-Union staff, and those stories are: 1.Charges against a Warsaw woman were upgraded to murder Oct.25 and she is being held without bond while awaiting trial.Beatriz Cuautle is alleged to be the mother of an infant that was found dead in a trash can at Kralis Brothers Foods Inc., 2601 S.Tinkey Road, Mentone, where Cuautle apparently gave birth in a bathroom the afternoon of Oct.21.Cuautle then returned to her job at the chicken processing plant and a janitor found the dead infant.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Crafter Marilyn McDonald 'Just A Little Flakey'

SILVER LAKE - Marilyn McDonald admits she's "flakey." But "just a little." And the "True Flakey Lady" as she calls herself, wouldn't have it any other way. McDonald, who started taking her talent to craft shows about 18 years ago, creates a variety of craft items from thing most people would probably throw away. Using old pots and pans, bedspreads, baskets, old suitcases, tablecloths and other fabrics, McDonald makes everything old new again. "I'm not very good at recycling, but I am very good at reusing," McDonald said, adding "I use everything can find.If I can cut it up, I cut it up and use it.If it has a hole, I stick a snowman in it." McDonald creates Santa faces from fabric and the fringed trim of old bedspreads and angels from scraps of fabric left from other projects, but her forte is creating whimsical snowmen (and women).
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Winona Lake Plans For Annual Holiday Festival

WINONA LAKE - Carriage rides, carolers and gingerbread house making are all a part of this year's Holiday Festival in Winona Lake. The Village at Winona will hold its Holiday Festival Saturday from 10 a.m.to 6 p.m.in the Artisan Court in Winona Lake. One of the activities planned is gingerbread house making at Rodeheaver Auditorium from 10 a.m.to noon. There are 100 gingerbread houses available, and kits can be purchased for $10 each and include trimmings, accessories and candy.Adult supervision of children is required. Reservations for the gingerbread house making can be made by calling 574-268-9888. Other activities include carriage rides, illuminated outdoor decorations, carolers, free hot cider, Christmas specials throughout the shops and entertainment by local elementary schools performing their annual Christmas programs. Admission to the Holiday Festival is free.
JENNIFER PERYAM, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

The Politics Of Medicare

Election season is fast approaching. Primaries are in May.The general election is in November. That means it's time for President Clinton to start the biennial process of making Republicans look evil. Let the games begin. Just this week, Clinton came forward with two plans - one to expand Medicare coverage and another offering tax breaks and subsidies for child care. Of course Republicans are telling the president there is no blank check for these these items.And there isn't. But I can hear the rhetoric already. The president feeling the pain of old people and children.The evil Republicans refusing to yield. Everyone knows these proposals play well with the public. But the question is not whether the programs sound good - they do. The question is whether they would bebeneficial and whether they are worth the money. Let's take a look at Medicare. Medicare is a legacy of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Petitioner, remonstrators reach compromise

Instead of just approving or denying rezonings, sometimes the Kosciusko County commissioners work with petitioners and remonstrators to find a happy medium. A case Tuesday was an example. Bruce Cavell, of Four Seas Resources, represented by attorney Steve Snyder, petitioned the commissioners to rezone ground from residential to commercial.The property is between CR 500N and Ind.13 in Tippecanoe Township. At the Nov.5 Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission meeting, by a vote of five to three, the plan commission voted to recommend to the county commissioners that they not rezone the property.On rezonings, the plan commission is only a recommending body to the commissioners. Remonstrators - neighbors adjacent to the property - said Tuesday they opposed the rezoning.Among other concerns, they didn't want the increase in traffic or to have commercial property in their backyards.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Former Winona Lake Resident Adams Pens Sixth Cookbook

Ten years ago, Marcia Adams of Winona Lake was a weekly food columnist for the Times-Union. Today, Marcia Adams of Fort Wayne has published six cookbooks during the past eight years, publishes a quarterly newsletter and hosts a 26-week-a-year television food show on PBS. Adams' latest cookbook, "New Recipes from Quilt Country" (Clarkson Potter, $30), was released in October and continues her chronicles of Amish and Mennonite recipes as well as offering a history lesson on their way of life. The chapters begin with "Good Morning" and end with "Good Night," noting foods the Amish might cook for various activities throughout their days, from "Family Breakfast" and "The School Lunch Bucket" to "The Roadside Stand" and "Growing Up Amish." The recipes and stories in the book were gathered while Adams and her husband, Dick, traveled to Amish and Mennonite communities throughout the United States.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Cash, Checks Stolen During Armed Robbery At Warsaw's 'On Cue'

An undisclosed amount of cash and checks was taken during an alleged armed robbery Thursday night outside On Cue in the Marketplace of Warsaw. One of the two suspects in the incident reportedly had a knife. According to a Warsaw Police Department report, two employees were leaving the store shortly after 11 p.m.when the two white males ran toward them from the east side of Radio Shack, which is the easternmost store in the strip mall. The 30-year-old female employee said she saw the men coming and screamed before dropping her purse and throwing the night deposit bag at them.An 18-year-old male employee also witnessed the robbery. One of the men reportedly ignored the cast-off bank bag and said, "Where is it?" to the female employee.The other man then yelled, "I have it."The two men turned and ran around the end of the building, but not before one of them stooped to pick up the woman's purse.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

Publication Marks 150th Year

This is a fairly significant year for the Times-Union. We'll be celebrating 150 years of newspapering in Warsaw. Today's date - Jan.10 - holds significance because it is the day in 1856 that saw the inaugural edition of the Northern Indianian weekly newspaper. Its circulation was 250. The newspaper was founded by Gen.Reuben Williams and George Fairbrother. It was printed in a frame building at 116 N.Buffalo St., which is now the home of Dig's Diner, of all things (no offense, Dig, I love those bacon cheeseburgers). By the early 1860s, publication was moved to the corner of White's block on the southeast corner of Center and Buffalo streets.In 1866, the offices were moved down the street to the new Phoenix block, where the presses were later operated by steam. The newspaper later moved into a building at the north end of the Empire block before coming to rest at the corner of Indiana and Market streets, where it remains today.
GARY GERARD Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

We Can Be Safe And Free

I suppose I am not too concerned about the government listening in on my telephone conversations. Frankly, I can't imagine somebody in government feeling it necessary to hear me complain to my buddies about what a hack golfer I am. Or to hear me tell my mom when I'll be over to replace her kitchen faucet. Nonetheless, the fact that the government could do that without a warrant is a bit unsettling to me. And that's pretty much what the government was doing in the name of fighting terror. W was using the National Security Agency to do a little warrantless wiretapping of suspected al-Qaida-linked individuals. Wiretapping is nothing new.The government has been wiretapping bad guys since the advent of the telephone. But until now you either had to have single-party consent or a warrant. Now, it seems, W interpreted Congress' vote to declare war against Iraq as permission to do warrantless wiretapping.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

The Return Of Congress

They're baaack. Our congressmen, that is.It is the 109th Congress and it's back in session. It will be quite interesting to watch these guys operate this time around. There are some pretty weighty issues to deal with.And at the risk of being accused of a lack of fairness, I must say the last thing a congressman wants to do is take a stand on a weighty issue. But that's the dilemma into which the congressmen of the 109th have been thrust. Do we make those tax cuts permanent? Do we expand that prescription drug benefit? How much do we spend on the war in Iraq? Do we reinvent Social Security? What about immigration and federal caps on medical lawsuits? They've pretty much already written off any meaningful income tax reform for this session. And the spending, my word, the spending. I used to be critical of Bill Clinton because discretionary spending during his administration was running at an average annual growth rate of 2.4 percent a year.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Cable Franchise Agreement OK'd

The Warsaw City Council approved a new 10-year cable franchise agreement Friday with Marcus Cable. Marcus is a subsidiary of InterMedia Partners Southeast. According to Mayor Ernie Wiggins, the new agreement retains the 3 percent franchise fee on gross revenues contained in the current franchise agreement.The fee generated approximately $34,000 for the city in 1999. "We didn't seek an increase in the franchise fee because it is only passed on to the customer," he said. Also part of the agreement is a commitment on Marcus' part to make channel space available on its basic tier, which includes local broadcasts, signals choosing to be carried and public, educational and government access channels.The channel space would be for programming of interest to the city and surrounding area.
DAVID A. BEALL, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

The Good Old Days Are Gone For Good

My son asked for a yo-yo for Christmas. It was kind of funny because it is really a pretty low-tech toy request for him.He also asked for a Sony Playstation¨.So while the yo-yo was really a pretty inexpensive gift to acquire, it was a bit difficult to find.Apparently they are pretty hot items because lots of places were sold out. I ended up ordering some from an Internet site.Remembering the days of my youth when I used to fool around with yo-yos, I ordered a couple for the kid and one for myself. When they arrived I found yo-yoing to be quite entertaining.I could still "rock the cradle" and "walk the dog" just like when I was a kid. Of course, the yo-yos of today are vastly superior to the ones around when I was a kid.They have ball-bearings instead of fixed axles.They have special weights placed around the outside to make them spin faster and "sleep" longer.But they're still yo-yos.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

It's Not Easy Being Challenged

I underwent a paradigm shift over the New Year holiday. A paradigm shift is when the way you perceive something or the way you feel about it is quickly and dramatically altered. Here's an example.Say this guy shows up late for work fairly frequently.You are his boss. This day, he's more late than usual.You figure he has overslept - again.You conjure up all these mental images of this slovenly, lazy guy blowing off work. How dare he? People have to cover for him.There is lost productivity.There are morale problems created with the other employees. A half hour later he shows up.You confront him."Where have you been?" you ask impatiently. The employee has a blank look on his face as he answers, "My dad died last night.I came in to request some time off." Wham. Your emotions shift from anger to sympathy to shame all in the blink of an eye.You feel guilty for ever having been angry at that person. My paradigm shift was not nearly that dramatic.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Christmas Break Was A Bit Long

Isn't it nice to have the kids back in school? Please don't misunderstand.I love my kids.But they were really starting to drive me crazy with all this time off school. Each day after work when I would walk through the door they would pounce on me. Each would have a litany of misdeeds by the other to report.It has always amazed me how much they can appear to love each other one minute and hate each other the next. I have an older brother - nine years older - so I didn't really have that competition thing going on with a sibling.But my kids sure do.It always starts out as good-natured fun.Tickling or teasing or something.But soon it escalates into a screaming match. They compete over who gets the "middle" cinnamon roll in the pan when it comes out of the oven.The middle cinnamon roll has no hard, crusty outside edge, you see. We got them one of those Playstation¨ game things for Christmas.Now the debate rages over who gets to play what game at what time.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Bush, Cheney Give Demos Something To Complain About

What's a self-respecting Democrat to do these days? W is cruising along with an approval rating above 80 percent. The Afghanistan thing is going pretty well, all things considered, and the recession seems to have bottomed out. Why, just this week came the news that gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2001 grew by a 0.2 percent annual rate. Despite the fact that 0.2 percent is very modest, it was still far better than most economists anticipated.The general view among the experts was that the GDP fell at an annual rate of 1 percent in the fourth quarter. The Fed this week even decided against cutting interest rates again.I guess they figure the 11 rate cuts they put in place last year will be enough to initiate a sustained bounce in the economy.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016
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