Sewer fees to rise, but below anticipated amount

Sewer fees will increase in Warsaw, but not as much as anticipated for the first phase of the city’s sewer project.

City Of Warsaw Gives $10K To JCAP

Milford Presents Proposed 2021 Budget; Discusses Chickens

Warsaw Council Revisits Nextremity MOU Discussion

Kay Dabler Named North Webster Tippecanoe Township Chamber’s Person Of The Year

Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission Talks Incentives, U.S. 30

Kosciusko Habitat For Humanity Moving Forward

Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County has four houses under its belt and is ready to move forward. The Kosciusko board is an affiliate of the international housing ministry started in 1976 by Linda and Millard Fuller.That ministry has grown to over 500 affiliates in the United States and more than 100 other projects in 30 different countries. Locally, Habitat works with low-income clients or "partners" to provide affordable housing.Partners and volunteers - including local contractors - contribute time building Habitat houses.Volunteers also help with fund-raisers and finance management to lessen the cost of the home. The first two Habitat homes in Kosciusko county were built in Syracuse.The third house, built in Warsaw on the corner of Oldfather Street and Park Avenue, was completed in the fall of 1995.The fourth was completed right next door, on Oldfather Street, this fall.

South Whitley Celebrates 'A Small Town Christmas'

SOUTH WHITLEY - "A Small Town Christmas," a Christmas walk and celebration, is Sunday in South Whitley. The house walk, from noon to 4 p.m., includes the homes of Joe and Darci Kessie at 403 N.Calhoun St.; Brad and Cathy Nestel, 102 N.Maple St.; Larry and Libby Reynolds, 215 N.State St.; Doris Snyder, 101 N.Line St.; Bryan and Vicki Sprunger, 801 S.Metzger Circle; and Richard and Mary Yarnelle, 210 N.Calhoun St. The homes are all decorated for Christmas.Cost is $5 per ticket. Two homes on the walk, those of Bruce and Kay Gilson, 411 Carroll Road, and Tim and Cindy Grant, 309 S.Water St., will include Christmas crafts and decorations. South Whitley's "Small Town Christmas" begins with a beef and noodle dinner served at the VFW Post from 11:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m.

68.5% Of Triton Sophomores Pass GQE

BOURBON -ÊOf Triton Jr.-Sr.High School's 73 sophomores who took the Graduation Qualifying Exam, 50 students passed both the language arts and math sections and 11 failed both sections, principal Rick Dehne told the school board Monday. Ten students failed just the GQE's math section and one student failed the language arts portion, Dehne said.One student's test score was undetermined. The students have "done extremely well," he said. Forty seniors took the GQE, which is required for graduation.Twenty-five students passed both portions and 13 failed both sections.Two students' test scores were undetermined, Dehne said. Dehne told the board the state will add algebra I math concepts to the ISTEP test in 2004. As a result, high school freshmen will need to take algebra I, he said. Triton will be "jumping through hoops" to get the kids caught up, he said.The state will lend a hand to help somewhat but he didn't give specifics.

Whitko Foresees Lean Budget Years

PIERCETON - Due to the state of Indiana's budget crisis and the state property tax reassessment, Whitko Community School Corp.'s budget for the next few years may be hurting. Monday, director of finance Phil Menzie told the school board he met with the Department of Local Government Finance Oct.14 for the 2004 budget, but the 2003 budget has yet to be finalized. Whitley County also has yet to finalize its assessed valuation.It's a crap shoot, he said, of whether or not Whitko schools will get their tax draw at the end of the year. To pay back the tax anticipation warrants, Menzie said, the school board may have to pass some resolutions in December.The bond bank will likely work with the school corporation on the payment of the warrants. "The major problem at this point is a cash flow problem," said Menzie.If the tax money doesn't come in, the question for Whitko will be where the money will come from to pay for Whitko's expenses.

Pierceton Resident Fights Water Woes

PIERCETON - Wes and Veronica Steinke spent Tuesday battling high water at their home at 106 W. Pine St., Pierceton.

New Fitness Trail At Harrison Available For Community Use

With a snip of the scissors Thursday afternoon, the Community Fitness Trail at Harrison Elementary School now is officially open.

Obama

Editor, Times-Union:I am writing because it is so important that we pick the right leader this election...

Young Tigers Seek Lights For Field

With participation growing in the Young Tiger Football and Cheerleading organizations, members of its board of directors attended the Warsaw Parks Department meeting Tuesday with information regarding a potential new lighting system for Fribley Field. The Young Tigers organization is proposing lighted games Saturday nights to allow for more games to be played on the field.Various options for light installment and payment processes are currently being evaluated. "The ball is in (the Young Tigers') court," president Bill Baldwin said."If they collect the information and find a good option, then the parks board can support them." If approved, the Young Tigers said all residents adjacent to the field would be contacted regarding the new light fixtures.The organization is seeing continuing growth year after year and had 165 participants last season.

Indiana Leads Nation In Mortgage Foreclosures

Indiana leads the nation in mortgage foreclosure and loan delinquency rates. The most recent data available, compiled by the Indiana Mortgage Banker's Association in 2002, shows Indiana's foreclosure rate is more than double the nation's. Nationwide, more than $8.9 trillion in mortgage loans are delinquent with a national foreclosure rate of 1.15 percent.In Indiana, foreclosures are twice the national average, with 2.38 percent of all mortgages foreclosed. Indiana has not historically been a state with high delinquency rates.According to a report prepared by the IMBA, throughout the 1990s, Indiana actually had a lower rate than the national average.Only in 2001 did Indiana begin to lead the nation in its foreclosure rate.

Storage Seen As Solution For Sewer Overflow

Final resolutions for improvements to Warsaw's combined sewer overflow system were completed recently during a meeting held by Dave Henderson, department head of the city's Wastewater Works Department. Henderson and Brian Houghton, a Fort Wayne environmental engineer, reported a decision to request approval from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for a new storage procedure for the Warsaw CSO system. The fourth and final wastewater meeting was used to finish up Warsaw's request to IDEM, and also to update cost estimates for the new storage unit.The IDEM request was sent for approval. Houghton predicted the improvements would cost the city $2.1 million.

County Drops Animal Control Shelter

Animal control services will no longer be a headache for Kosciusko County government. On Tuesday, the county commissioners decided to let the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County take control of the animal shelter as of Nov.1. "There was a desire to return the shelter to a voluntary organization control and save the county some money and still support the shelter," Commissioner Eddie Creighton said. The Animal Welfare League will pay the county $1 a year to lease the animal shelter.The county, in return, will pay the AWLKC $30,000 a year for expenses.The county also will pay the salary of the animal control officer. Employees of the current Kosciusko County Animal Shelter have been offered other jobs within county government.All but two of the current employees are part-time.

Wawasee Eyes Future Building Plans

SYRACUSE - Facility options took precedence Tuesday during the Wawasee Community School Corp.board meeting. The board members discussed several important aspects of their options. One important part of any option they undertake is the possibility of site acquisition.If the board decides to build a new school, more land may need to be acquired.The board said a possibility of acquiring property around the North Webster school should be considered if they want to renovate or expand the current building. Several of the board members said they would like to keep the school within city limits, making site acquisition more probable. Architect Gary Watkins began the discussion by presenting several items which the board asked him to complete.The first item was how the board might go about site acquisition.Watkins said he did not have anything definitive at the time, but it should be a consideration the board should think about.

Winona Resident Offers Boat, Trailer Proposal

WINONA LAKE - Council members heard a proposal Tuesday from Hal Harting, who wanted to address Winona's boat and trailer ordinance and how he felt it could be improved. Currently, the town allows for a one-hour time span for boat trailers to be left on public rights of way, and any vehicle found in violation is fined. But Harting said the one-hour limitation does not provide adequate time for residents to prepare boats for entering the water. "I am asking you to revisit (this issue)," he read from a statement."Most of you who own cars and do the cosmetic maintenance yourselves know that one hour to wash and vacuum your car is pretty restrictive.

Harassment Suit Filed Against Foundation Director

Sexual harassment and failure to pay wages are allegations for the basis of a lawsuit filed recently against a Warsaw man. Amy Bowman of Warsaw and Candice Conroy of Claypool are the plaintiffs in the case filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court against Ford H.Olinger and the Dutch & Ford Foundation Inc.Both women worked for the Dutch & Ford Foundation until May.