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McGuire, DeMarco Top 2005 Stories

While a lot of 2005's national headlines were about natural disasters, the top 10 local headlines focused on people's deeds. To determine the top 10 local stories of the year, front page news stories were reviewed and then voted on by the Times-Union news and sports staffs. Top story of the year was the resignation of Warsaw Schools Superintendent Dr.Dave McGuire. On July 27, by a vote of 6-to-1, the school board accepted a settlement agreement with McGuire along with his resignation. Ralph Bailey, Columbia City, was later named interim superintendent, by the same vote of 6-1.Bailey's consultant agreement requested pay of $495 per day plus 40 cents per mile traveled, but that was to be negotiated by three of the school board members.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

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

USDA Pushes Pork Promotion Policies

State pork producers can expect federal assistance to help them deal with record low market prices. The remedial steps announced by U.S.Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman come on the heels of pleas for help by Gov.Frank O'Bannon, Lt.Gov.Joe Kernan and Rep.Steve Buyer (R-5th Dist.), citing a record supply of hogs and the economic crisis as only two of the contributing causes for the financial woes of Hoosier pork producers.
DAVID A. BEALL, 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

Some Things Appear Quite Contradictory

From time to time I see things in the news that appear to be at odds with conventional wisdom. Like the Michael Moore bodyguard who got busted at JFK Airport in New York for carrying an unlicensed handgun. Now, to be fair, the bodyguard, Patrick Burk, was not Moore's personal employee. Burk works for a California-based security firm called Gavin de Becker and Associates. Furthermore, it's not like the guy was trying to smuggle the gun on the plane. He told a ticket agent he had the gun and wished to carry it on a flight to Los Angeles.The gun was unloaded and packed in a bag. Burk had licenses for the gun from California and Florida, but not from New York, which prompted his arrest, police said. Apparently, Burk has been assigned to protect Moore at different times in the past. The contradiction, in my view, comes from the fact that Moore produced a scathing attack film on the American gun culture in 2002.
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

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

Zoners To Review Sacred Heart Sign Variance

A variance from development standards for a second freestanding sign to identify Sacred Heart School and provide school information is being requested. The Board of Zoning Appeals will discuss the request at its meeting tonight. The second freestanding sign would be on one lot in a R-1 zoning district.The sign would be 7-foot high, with a double-sided, 4-foot by 8-foot copy area on the north side of the property at 135 N.Harrison St. The sign is proposed to be placed out of the right of way to allow for a vision clearance and be placed at the circle driveway off of East Fort Wayne Street at the entrance to Sacred Heart. Applicants Kent and Roxanne Wildman are requesting a variance from development standards to allow for a depth-to-width ratio greater than 3 to 1 for residential property at 925 S.Zimmer Road.
JENNIFER PERYAM, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Storm, crime, schools are year's top stories

Sept.11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath are the top news stories of the year nationally.The top local story is also one of destruction. However, the destruction caused locally was due to Mother Nature, not man. Each year, the Times-Union staff votes on the top local stories of the year.The top area stories for 2001 are: 1 - On Oct.24, tornadoes ripped through Kosciusko County. Two factories were among the damaged structures in the county, with Da-Lite Screen Co.Inc.on Ind.15N the hardest hit and R.R.Donnelley & Sons sustaining significant damage to the east plant.At least 14 people were reported injured at Da-Lite. The American Red Cross said 136 single-family properties were damaged by the tornadoes.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

3 Face Theft, Fraud Charges

Two people are in custody and a third is expected to surrender today in connection with a theft and fraud case investigated by city and state police. Melissa Lynn Hale, 18, of 2854 S.Country Club Road, Warsaw, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail Tuesday evening on a charge of theft.She turned herself in on the outstanding warrant filed after the November investigation for which she submitted to an interview and allegedly admitted her involvement.She is being held on $2,000 bond. Already jailed is Thomas Edward Lane, 24, of Warsaw, who was taken into custody Nov.13 because of an outstanding warrant from Michigan for a parole violation.He is being held as a fugitive from Michigan and also faces charges in this case. Jennifer Van Dyke, 20, of Warsaw, is expected to surrender today at the county jail.
Ruth Anne Lipka, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor- | July 28, 2016

A View Of News, Politics And Opinion

It doesn't hurt from time to time to let people know where you stand and that is especially important, I think, when you write an opinion column in a newspaper. I think it's helpful to give readers an idea of how I view the world of news, opinion and politics. It must be obvious to even the most casual reader of this column that I am generally conservative. I believe in lower taxes and smaller government. I believe government spends way too much on lots of programs that are ineffective. I think that unborn children should have rights, too.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Pedestrian Injured

A Warsaw man suffered a broken leg when he was struck by a car about 6 p.m. Friday on Ind. 15 near Penguin Point, Warsaw. Gary L. Keck, 49, was injured when he stepped out in front of the car driven by Ida T. Troup, 70, Milford. The impact of the collision flipped Keck over the hood of the car, then onto the ground. Troup told police she did not see Keck. Keck said he did not see Troup's car approaching as he tried to cross the street. Keck was being treated at Kosciusko Community Hospital for his injuries and was expected to be released late Friday. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union
Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union- | July 28, 2016

Alito Likely, Rightly To Be Confirmed

Eighteen hours and more than 700 questions later, Judge Samuel Alito's inquisition has ended. And despite all the wailing and gnashing of teeth by the Democrats, it seems as if he will be confirmed to the U.S.Supreme Court. There won't be a filibuster.There will probably be delays and obfuscations, but he will be confirmed. And frankly, he should be. By all accounts - and by all accounts I mean the Democrats couldn't find anybody to say mean stuff about him - Alito is eminently qualified. He has the intellect.He has the judicial temperament.He has the judicial philosophy.He has it all. But, gasp, he might be a conservative. And for heaven's sake we can't have any more of "those people" on the court.It might tilt the court to the right. You know what? That's absolutely correct.Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts might tilt the court to the right. To that, I only have one observation.
GARY GERARD Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Gingrich And The Ethics Drought

What a week for Newt Gingrich, eh? To me, his re-election as Speaker of the House of Representatives is symptomatic of the moral decay in our society. We've all heard of situational ethics.That tells us there really are no absolutes.That in any given situation, what's right for you may be wrong for me.Or what's right in one situation may be wrong in another.I think that is mostly nonsense, of course.There are absolutes.There are rights and wrongs, believe it or not. But this Gingrich thing goes beyond situational ethics, as politics often does.Now we have a sliding scale of situational ethics. The House of Representatives basically told us Tuesday that even though Gingrich has some ethical problems he can still ascend to one of the most important leadership positions in our government.His breach of ethics wasn't quite bad enough for him to step aside.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

When It's Slick, Slow Down

Slow down, people! I live at Dewart Lake.So for the past couple weeks I have been driving approximately 15 miles one way to work each day over some pretty nasty road conditions. But that's OK.I can deal with that.I can keep my car on the road.I have a pretty heavy old, rear-wheel drive sedan.It goes pretty good as long as the snow isn't too deep. So me getting around isn't so bad.I made it to work every day.It's all the nut cases I see out sharing the roads with me that blow my mind. I mean really.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

County Officials Define Holidays

Times-Union Staff Writer What's the meaning of Christmas? What do you hope the new year brings? And, what do you want for Christmas? These three questions were asked to the Kosciusko County elected officials, employees and department heads this week.While they answered the questions differently, their answers were pretty similar in their themes - peace, family and security. Stephanie Essenwein, county treasurer, said, "I think the meaning of Christmas is different to different people, and hopefully we can all dig deep into our hearts and find the peace and happiness to fulfill the new year." First and foremost, said county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell, Christmas means the birth of the Christ child.That, she said, should be the center of our lives.Second is family.As an only child, Mitchell said, family has always been important to her.
David [email protected] | July 28, 2016

Some Things Defy Understanding

Here are a couple things I have difficulty understanding. Earlier this week, the Associated Press ran a story about Clinton administration officials who are or have come under investigation by the Justice Department or independent counsels. This list starts at the top, with President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton. They're under an ongoing investigation by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr concerning their involvement in the failure of Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association of Little Rock, Ark.The infamous "Whitewater." There's the potential for obstruction of justice and false statements coming out of that investigation. Also, the president is under scrutiny for his role in the Democratic National Committee's fund-raising fiasco.So far Attorney General Janet Reno hasn't found any evidence of crimes committed by the president, but campaign finance quirks continue to be investigated by the Justice Department.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016
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