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We Live In A Culture Of Violence

If ever you needed evidence that we live in a culture of violence, you have to look no further than an elementary school in Mount Morris Township, Mich., south of Flint. That's where 6-year-old Kayla Rolland died after being shot in the neck by a 6-year-old classmate. The classmate, a boy, brought a loaded .32-caliber semi-automatic pistol to school after getting into a playground scuffle with the girl the day before. He fired one shot while children from his class were waiting in line.He then walked into a bathroom and tossed the gun into a trash can. The shooter told police it was an accident. At age 6. It is inconceivable to me that a 6-year-old would be capable of something like that. I remember my kids at age 6.They were concerned about candy, toys and recess. But murder? Granted, this 6-year-old in Michigan is an extreme exception.The vast majority of 6-year-olds are scared to death of guns and wouldn't know how to operate one.
Gary Gerard, Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

MTEMS Celebrates 25th Year

The first garage, a converted Murphy Medical Center warehouse, was kindly referred to as "the barn." "It was cold in winter and hot in the summer," said 25-year Multi-Township Emergency Medical Services veteran Nancy Huffer, speaking of the organization's first quarters."The sleeping rooms were in a loft.It wasn't unusual to find snow on the bed in January." Multi-Township's quarters were located along Lake Street - now Ind.15 - "where the Marsh Supermarket meat department is," Bill Darr said. Sanitary and storm drains weren't separated back in the late '70s, when the service began.As he recalls, it wasn't unusual to have raw sewage floating over the garage floor after a significant rain. Darr is an advanced emergency medical technician now and Huffer is a paramedic.They, along with administrator Cindy Dobbins, have been MTEMS employees since the first ambulance run Dec.27, 1977.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Safe Kids: Education Is The Key

The leading cause of death in children up to 14 years old is preventable injuries. So why aren't more children saved each year by learning how to stay safe? The Kosciusko County Safe Kids Chapter is working to educate parents and the community in ways to help keep children safe. Safe Kids is a group of volunteer organizations whose representatives meet once a month to discuss ways they can help educate a community to prevent childhood accidents. The national coalition is working to reduce the number of children who are injured or die from motor vehicle and pedestrian injuries, bike crashes, fires, drownings, poisonings, chokings, shootings and falls.Safe Kids says that each year, nearly 6,700 children under 14 die and more than 50,000 become permanently disabled from unintentional injuries.
TIFFANY SHAW, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

I'm not so sure I like all this budget surplus stuff.

This means the government has even more of our money to play around with. The government is taking in more than it budgeted, so they call it a surplus.But it really isn't a surplus because the Social Security trust fund is underfunded.But they call it a surplus anyway.They shouldn't.Frankly, they shouldn't call it a trust fund, either. A trust fund is generally set up so you can't use it for anything other than its intended purpose.They've been raiding that Social Security trust fund for a long time. So the surplus really isn't a surplus and the Social Security trust fund isn't really a trust fund. But for the sake of this column I'll roll with them and pretend there is a surplus.
know the economy is booming - the longest expansion in history, in fact. That means the economy has grown every quarter longer than ever before. That, in turn, means more people are making more money. | July 28, 2016

What's Up With Our Fascination With Celebrity?

Well, Martha Stewart's out of the Big House. And I really don't care. I can't help but know all about it because that's all there is on CNN.It's as if the whole world revolves around this women getting out of jail. They had pictures of her jet sitting on the runway - for hours.Then they had pictures of her, clad in jeans, climbing on the jet. They had pictures of her driving to her estate in New York in the middle of the night. After she arrived, they had pictures of her through the windows of her home, walking around inside. (It was a quick shot as she passed by the window, so they had to replay in slow motion a few times.) They even had aerial photographs of her estate. It all seems rather absurd to me, but what do I know. They have marketing people at CNN, I'm sure, who help them decide what it is we really want to watch.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Hayhurst To Run For Congress On Demo Ticket

Tom Hayhurst, of Fort Wayne, made the decision to run for third district congressman under the Democratic ticket last summer. Since then, he said the idea of a better health care program has motivated him to continue his campaign.Being a doctor for more than 30 years, Hayhurst acknowledged the importance of affordable and accessible medication and surgical procedures. He labeled the new Medicare program as a "step in the right direction," but said complications stemming from gaps in coverage are a concern. "Good legislation should be as clear and simple as possible," Hayhurst said."I feel we have better options for treatments." Hayhurst plans to encourage the government to allow the health care market to negotiate for prices both in the United States and internationally. "I've been heavily involved in medicine," Hayhurst said."I've seen sad cases, where people are literally dying because of holding off due to financial reasons.
Joe Kirkendall, Times-Union staff writer- | July 28, 2016

County Council Hears About Success Of Lock Box Program

Fall property tax payments landed promptly in county coffers, which will allow tax distributions to arrive in a timely fashion, according to Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell. She said the lock box program instituted by County Treasurer Kent Adams was deemed a success during Tuesday's county council meeting.The meeting was rescheduled from last Thursday when a record snowfall blanketed the county. The program is designed to deposit property tax payments in a county government account on the same day they are received.Lake City Bank employees open and record the payments from landowners.Costs to the county were $4,200 for the service.Payments received and not processed during regular office hours by the treasurer's office and at other collection points were processed at LCB, too.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

You Must Pay To Play

I would hate to be on that City-County Athletic Complex board of directors. Talk about your proverbial rock and hard place. You remember the CCAC board.They're the folks who had a vision of creating a first-rate athletic complex in our county. They got no support from the county.There are no local tax dollars going into the CCAC. They went around to individuals, businesses and organizations, hat in hand, to solicit donations. They got it done. Our county has one of the nicest places to play softball in the Midwest.Teams come from all over to play ball here. It also is a top-notch soccer facility. After all that, the board is faced with a dilemma. The CCAC is operating in the red. All those annual pledges received each year go into an escrow account and are used to pay off the original construction loans. That money can't be used to help meet operating expenses.The complex needs to be self-sufficient. It isn't.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw American Legion Post Seeks Donations For Building Repair

Words like "honor," "duty," "freedom" and "democracy" pepper their speech. The American Legion members of Post 49 in Warsaw are cautious with their speech altogether. They are reluctant to ask for help, except that they need it, just to take care of things that must be done. Their post home, the building at the corner of Fort Wayne and North Buffalo streets, was built in the 1930s. The structure needs repairs to the roof, upgrades to the furnace and air conditioning, some electrical work - and the upstairs bathroom should be made handicapped accessible. Oh, and the single-pane, second-story windows need to be replaced. "If 150 people would donate $1,000 we'd have it all done," said Bob Murphy, a long-time Legion member.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Beaman Home A Haven For Battered Women

Editor's Note: This is the third in a six-part series on domestic violence. You'd never know by looking at it that this ordinary house in a residential Warsaw neighborhood is really a haven for the women who find shelter here. The inside of the house - with its toys, books, bunk beds in the bedrooms - looks just as comfortable as the outside, as though any ordinary family could live here. Only the security cameras placed at strategic locations, the television monitors and other security devices hint that this is not a typical family home. In fact, this is not just any house - this house has meant the difference between life and death for hundreds of women.This is the Beaman Home, Kosciusko County's only shelter for battered women.
Laurie Hahn, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Social Security:

Or Isn't It? It's really quite bizarre, the Social Security debate. I must say, I don't know what to believe.On the one hand, you have the people - and W is one of those - who say the system is in crisis and we need to do something right away. Yet others say, nah, it's fine.Sure, it has some problems, but nothing to worry about right now. I checked out what The 2004 Social Security Trustees Report says. (I think this is where W got a lot of his info for the State of the Union speech.) The Social Security Board of Trustees states that, unless something changes, Social Security's currently scheduled benefits can't be sustained for the long term. In the 2004 Annual Report to Congress, the Trustees announced: • The projected point at which tax revenues will fall below program costs comes in 2018. • The projected point at which the Trust Funds will be exhausted comes in 2042 - also the same as the estimate in last year's report.
It Broken,- | July 28, 2016

The Best Government Money Can Buy

Just for grins I typed Bill Clinton into a search engine on the Internet and asked it to find sites that include the word Enron. What a fascinating batch of stuff I found. Seems buying influence is a longstanding tradition at Enron. The Center for Public Integrity is a watchdog group the keeps track of the activities of public officials. Their site offered up the following: "Kenneth Lay, chairman and chief executive officer of Enron Corp., accompanied Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown on a trade mission to India in January 1995. "While in India, Enron signed a contract for a 2,000-megawatt power plant in Dahbol worth an estimated $400 million.Enron also won a contract to build a $920-million power plant on the west coast of India and a $1.1-billion contract for offshore gas and oil production. "Rodney L.Gray, chairman and chief executive officer of Enron International, accompanied Brown on a trade mission to Russia in March and April of 1994.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Bush Has No Capital Left To Spend

I recall after the 2004 election W was gloating a bit. I remember a press conference the day after the election. W had this to say: "Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.It is my style.That's what happened in the - after the 2000 election, I earned some capital.I've earned capital in this election - and I'm going to spend it for what I told the people I'd spend it on, which is - you've heard the agenda: Social Security and tax reform, moving this economy forward, education, fighting and winning the war on terror." Well, I'm afraid W has spent most or all of his "political capital" and then some. Please don't misunderstand.I consider myself a conservative.And I was glad to see conservatives running the show in Washington. But honestly, they aren't acting like conservatives.I don't know what they're acting like, but it's troubling, nonetheless.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Webster Council Finishes 2001 Business

NORTH WEBSTER - Town council members finished 2001 business Wednesday with financial transactions to balance accounts and by approving the salary ordinance for 2002. Town council members receive $3,000 per year with an additional $500 for the council president; the clerk-treasurer's salary was set at $32,860; town marshal at $40,000; deputy marshal at $28,450; street crossing guard at $18 per day; public works supervisor at $42,330; assistant to the supervisor, $29,000; public works employees receive a minimum of $8 an hour, with the clerk-treasurer's assistant receiving a minimum of $7.Park board members receive $250 per year. Bob Murphy of R.P.Murphy and Associates said he would have the report ready Jan.7 regarding the North Webster Elementary School. Murphy said he would have insurance and demolition figures at that time, as well as where the money to fund the project will come from.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

House offers solace for families in crisis

The kitchen isn't much more than a place to cook, store food and wash the dishes, but the beautiful hardwood floors and paneling with built-in cabinets in the living room and dining room more than make up for the kitchen's shortcomings. The three bedrooms are spacious and cozy with new carpeting on the floors and the stairway leading up to them. For many families the Upson House will be their first real home. Full of character and charm, the old house on Center Street serves as transitional housing as a duplex. Upson House is also a program for families suffering such hardships as domestic violence, eviction or temporary loss of income. "Two of the most immediate needs for families in crisis are safe, affordable housing and employment which will enable the parent(s) to support and care for the household," said Pam Kennedy of Housing Opportunities of Warsaw. The program allows families to get back on their feet and become self-sufficient.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Conservative, Liberal Lines Blurred

A rather lively debate erupted in the newsroom earlier this week over the Federal Communication Commission's fine against Clear Channel Communications. The FCC proposed a $755,000 fine against Clear Channel for a radio show that was deemed a little too obscene for the public airwaves. The material aired as part of shock jock "Bubba the Love Sponge's" show on a Tampa, Fla., radio station. Bubba has been in hot water before over his antics on the radio, which, it's only fair to say, made him No.1 in pretty much every market he's worked. That says a lot about our culture right there. (On a side note, Bubba, 39, is a Warsaw Community High School graduate.In his WCHS days, he was known as Todd Clem.) We won't get into the content of the show.Suffice to say that if it triggered the largest fine in the history of the FCC, it was probably a little raunchy.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

You Just Can't Trust Saddam

I'm glad - for now at least - that there has been a derailment of the Iraqi war train. But I am by no means satisfied with this whole Iraqi mess. First of all, I simply don't trust Saddam Hussein.Secondly, I see Kofi Annan, the U.N.secretary general, as more of an Iraqi apologist than a diplomatic hero. True, he brokered an agreement with Saddam that averted U.S.airstrikes against Iraq.But frankly, the agreement looks like something Saddam wrote. It certainly doesn't look like something Saddam was forced to sign after losing a war. The agreement seems conciliatory to Saddam. The agreement applies to all sites in Iraq, including eight disputed presidential palaces. But it also says that senior diplomats will be appointed by Annan, in consultation with UNSCOM (U.N.Special Commission), for inspecting the eight palace sites.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

I Owe, I Owe, So Off To Work I Go

I made what has become an annual trek to North Carolina for a few days of golf last week and on the way we stopped at a convenience store in Tennessee for snacks. I purchased a 20-ounce bottle of diet soda that was priced at 99 cents.(Of course you can buy a whole liter of the same stuff for 99 cents - sometimes 79 cents - but it won't fit in the cup holder.Do you suppose the soft drink companies know this?) Anyway the final cost, with tax, was $1.06. This got me thinking about taxes in general because there is a proposal afoot in the Indiana Legislature to raise our state sales tax to 6 percent.(Also because April 15, the deadline for filing your federal income tax return is looming.) Six cents on a dollar. When you first think about it, 6 cents doesn't sound like much.And it's already 5 cents, so it's just one penny more. That's one way to look at it.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Marilyn Quayle Points To Value Of Christian Education

Winona Lake - Marilyn Quayle touted the importance of Christian education in a modern America during a speech Saturday night before a fund-raising anniversary dinner for Lakeland Christian Academy. The wife of former vice president Dan Quayle exalted the benefits offered by schools such as LCA, a 25-year institution currently seeking to construct a new campus for its burgeoning enrollment. Along with speaking briefly about LCA and its efforts, Quayle gave a wide-ranging speech focusing on a faith, family and freedom theme before about 175 supporters of LCA at Westminster. "There's only one way to build a better future for all of us.And that's with God's help one family at a time.You here tonight are doing that," Quayle said.
Dan Spalding, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Winona Addresses TIF Plan

WINONA LAKE - Further discussions on a rental property inspection ordinance and on establishing a Tax Incremental Financing district in Winona Lake will take place in a special meeting Monday. The Winona Lake Town Council will meet Monday at noon in the community building to review the inspection ordinance and the proposed TIF district.The meeting will be open to the public. Both subjects were mentioned in previous town council meetings, but council members said Tuesday they preferred to hold a special meeting to discuss them in depth. Items to be decided in the inspection ordinance include whether the restrictions would apply to all rental housing or only to multi-family housing, and the fee structure for inspections. Establishing a TIF district in Winona Lake would mean returning property tax money for use in that area of Winona Lake instead of giving it to the county or school district.
Laurie Hahn, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016
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