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Slabaugh Hired As New Warsaw Building Commissioner

Todd Slabaugh was approved by the Warsaw Board of Works Friday as the new building commissioner. Previously, he was a building inspector for the city. Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins said Slabaugh has been attending some code education classes in Indianapolis and "we're looking forward to having him in this position." He will be paid $18.27 hourly or approximately $38,000 per year. Several other new hires were approved, including: Matthew Krallman, Lindsay J.Bruick, Heidi Bowers, Melissa Blaschke, parks department; Paul Mullins, Larry Hilliard Jr., Thomas Varney, Louis Mediano, Steven Robinson, Randall Creamer, Brian Littlejohn, Benjamin Gates, David Richter, Thames Malcolm and William James Jr., street department; Jonathan Mullins, David Riddell and Dan Dahms, sewage; Ryan Smith, aviation; and Justin Lowrance, police department. "I think it's safe to say we're gearing up for summer," said Wiggins.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Truex Wins Commissioners' Race; Anglin, Beer, Teghtmeyer Eye Council

Early in the vote counting, the numbers pointed in favor of Kosciusko County middle district commissioner candidate Tony Miller to win the race against his three competitors. But as more votes were counted, the tide turned and Ron Truex won the Republican primary for commissioner by 752 votes over Miller. However, while Truex received 2,459 votes, candidate Tony Miller came close with 1,707 votes; George E.Klinger had 1,187 votes; and Herschel Rainwater had 726 votes. "I've got a lot of respect for anybody who runs for political office," Truex said Tuesday night as the last numbers were being calculated."It was a lot of miles, a lot of meetings, a lot of sign making.It was a hard two months." He said he thought all the candidates were qualified individuals.Everywhere he went in the county, he said, he could tell how hard each candidate worked at their campaign.
DAVID SLONE Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

LifeMed Gets Needed Funds

WABASH - Despite a bleak financial forecast and empty pockets, Wabash County Council Monday approved, 5 to 1, an "accelerated" pay schedule subsidizing LifeMed. LifeMed is the emergency medical service covering northern Wabash County.The council approved $4,000 per month, but even the accelerated money will not support the ambulance service, said LifeMed president Christopher Brown. For the first four months of this year, the council paid LifeMed $6,400 monthly.With the acceleration, they will pay $10,625 starting May 2. "I don't know what we're going to do in October," said council president Gary Nose.With the accelerated schedule, the appropriated funds should be depleted by September, according to council members' arithmetic. "That won't do it," said Brown."The $4,000 will not help." The council is intending to pay $50,000 above the $77,500 currently appropriated, "if it's there," said council member Ted Little. "That's too many ifs," said Brown.
Matthew Weigelt, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Hogan Participated In Saigon Evacuation

Jerry Hogan is a 1969 graduate of Warsaw High School and a 1973 graduate of the Naval Academy Annapolis, Md. During their senior year, a few, select Annapolis cadets are asked to join the Marine Corps.Hogan accepted the invitation. "Isn't that a strange way to get out of Navy?" Hogan asked. Following artillery training in Fort Sill, Okla., the then-2nd Lt.was assigned to the Third Marine Division.He spent 1974 in Okinawa stationed there "because ostensively, Vietnam was over."A couple of months later he trained at the Naval Guns Fire School in the Philippines and became the officer in charge of naval gun fire spotter team. This platoon boarded the USS Vancouver in January 1975 and was sent to the contiguous waters of Vietnam. He and his division sat offshore for 89 days prior to the Fall of Saigon and witnessed the frantic evacuation ending the American presence in South Vietnam.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Conservation Association Head Tells Silver Lake Council About Projects, Availble Grants

SILVER LAKE -- Grants are available if the Silver Lake is willing to apply for them. That's the message the Silver Lake Conservation Association Inc.representative Jim Walker sent to the Silver Lake Town Council at Tuesday night's meeting. Walker updated the board on the project the association is researching, including cleaning the inlet channels to Silver Lake.Water from the town flows into the lake, taking sediment and other materials with it, said Walker.The association wants to remedy the situation and fix it so the sediment does not back up again. The association has applied for a pair of grants and is looking into applying for more. Walker gave the council a list of grants the town may be able to apply for to help fund the project. "It is going to be a large project," said Walker."My estimates put it at at least $20,000." The project could cost up to $75,000.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

State Board Of Accounts Audit Shows $25K Missing From Silver Lake Accounts

More than $25,000 is missing from Silver Lakes coffers, according to a State Board of Accounts audit for 2004. The state's audit also found that financial records were inaccurate and incomplete; that one month's balances did not agree with the next month's balances; and that many receipts and disbursement records did not exist. The town's clerk-treasurer, Angela Glass, was elected during an Aug.19, 2003, town convention, defeating incumbent Teresa Howell.Howell's exit conference with the State Board of Accounts in February 2004, was without comment, meaning all the monies were accounted for and the ledgers were complete and accurate. There are eight pages of comments regarding Glass' record keeping in 2004.Town council members Tom Waite, Ron Jones and Stanley Williams were present when the contents of the report were discussed by auditors March 14.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

District to collect expired drugs

Expired pharmaceutical drugs will be collected by the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District, beginning Monday, at various locations. "Unused or expired drugs are a threat to children, animals and the elderly," said Sue Studebaker, executive director of the district."When flushed down the drain or burned, they can release toxic chemicals into the ground water or air.Drugs can be scavenged from the trash and illegally sold within the community." A federally certified hazardous waste disposal company will incinerate the drugs.Controlled substances will be collected by a Kosciusko County sheriff's deputy at the same time and kept secure until the HHW company picks the items up. The collection includes all expired medicines, all unused medicines, medicines that should have been refrigerated and weren't, unsealed syrups or eye drops, unsealed tubes of creams and ointments and medical sharps.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Claypool Elementary To Be Reopened

Yes, Claypool Elementary School will be reopened, the Warsaw Community School Board announced Monday night. The question is still when. But along with reopening Claypool, the school board also discussed the need to renovate other elementary schools, plus build a new school in the northern part of the school district. Property taxes likely will go up so the board talked about doing all the work at once so there's only one hit on the tax rates instead of multiple increases. The reason given for the work? Overcrowding in the school corporation.Leesburg Elementary has one classroom in a shower, and Harrison and Madison will need additional sections of grades to house students. Monday's special meeting opened with incoming Superintendent Dr.Rob Haworth reporting on the results of a survey on Claypool and the cost to reopen the school.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Fat, Skinny Tire Fest Riders Wow Onlookers In Winona

WINONA LAKE - Soaring back flips.Speeding road races.Epic battles between mountain bikes and tree trunks.Live music.Corporate road rash.A Midwest movie premiere and, of course, enough kettle corn and sushi rolls to feed the masses. According to Robbie Gast, of the Village at Winona's Trailhouse, it's all in a weekend's work for the third annual Fat and Skinny Tire Festival which was held this weekend in Winona Lake. "We (had) a great turnout for the weekend," Gast said."Our goal was to show people that a biking lifestyle is a fun and healthy way to live, plus there's so much you can do with a bike." And with near perfect weather throughout the three-day event, an estimated 2,500 gathered to watch the numerous races, shows and safety presentations the festival offered.
Joe Kirkendall, Times-Union staff writer- | July 28, 2016

43 Honored For 'Hearts Of Gold'

Forty-three people were recognized Wednesday at the Heart of Gold Awards reception for giving of themselves unselfishly to serve others beyond the call of duty. Each Heart of Gold nominee received a heart-shaped pin acknowledging their achievement.Monetary gifts will be awarded to charitable organizations in the names of those who receive Heart of Gold awards.Each recipient has the opportunity to direct a grant to the qualified charitable organization of his or her choice.Grants ranged from $60 to $1,000.A total of $7,000 was awarded. The awards are presented by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation in conjunction with the Kosciusko Leadership Academy.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Whitko School Board Candidates Meet The Public

LARWILL - Before a handful of people Thursday, the four candidates for the Whitko School Board answered five questions about why they would make the best school board member. The issue not one of the candidates could avoid, however, was the state budget crisis and its effect on Whitko schools. In fact, the fourth question of the night, posed by a member of the audience, was: With budget cuts at the state level, Whitko has already released three teachers and cut summer school.If the need for more cuts is necessary, where else do you feel the school corporation can make adjustments and not hurt students' academics? Candidate Richard Reed said the school board will need to look at non-teaching personnel and see how they can "save money there."He said national conventions may need to be axed for a few years and the entire budget needs to be reviewed "item by item."He said cutting teaching staff and extracurricular activities needs to be avoided.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Building Plans OK'd At Valley

MENTONE - Four last bid categories for the Tippecanoe Valley High School building renovation project unanimously were approved by the school board Monday as recommended. Bart York, executive vice president of Skillman Corp., engineers for the project, said the four bid categories were not recommended at the previous meeting because they wanted to gather more information on the contractors.One of the contractors, Skillman Corp., they were not able to conduct interviews with before last month.With a couple of contractors, York said, they have concerns on their scope of work. For roofing, York said, they recommend Morris & Sons Construction for a base bid of $1,247,358.If the board chooses an offered alternative of a "Geoflex" roof system, the school board can potentially save $135,000.The board has 90 days to decide on the alternative.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Manchester Makes Tough Budget Decisions

NORTH MANCHESTER - The Manchester Community School Corp.wants to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. "I don't have a crystal ball; I don't know what's going to happen," said Manchester business manager Steve Shumaker."Maybe it's not going to be as bad as we think, but we have to be prepared." "There is nothing optimistic in the state budget," said Superintendent Diana Showalter. Tuesday night in the Manchester High School media center, the Manchester Community School Board heard a cost reduction plan that is intended to protect the corporation in case of state budget cuts.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Brown Outstanding Alumnus At Ivy Tech Commencement

A Warsaw man who went back to school at age 35 was honored as the outstanding alumnus of the year at Ivy Tech State College's commencement ceremonies last Friday, May 10, in South Bend's Century Center. Curt Brown, 48, was cited by Ivy Tech's North Central Region for his professional achievements, community service, and example to others that education is a lifelong process. While working full-time as a maintenance machinist at R.R.Donnelly and raising a young family, Brown enrolled at Ivy Tech, in his words, "to try something different." Taking two or three courses a semester, he earned an associate's degree in machine tool technology at Ivy Tech summa cum laude.Brown has used his Ivy Tech training to help his company transition to CNC machining, and to advance several levels to his current position of supervisor of operations services.
Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Biomet Asks To Buy Land From County

The county owns it, Biomet wants it. A piece of land, that is. The property is just over a half acre off CR 250N.Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson told the county commissioners Tuesday it actually is a county-maintained road that dead-ends before entering Biomet's property.He said he was contacted by Biomet about purchasing the property. "It's a low-volume road," said Ladson."It's actually a hassle for us." There were some questions about how the county acquired the property in the first place.Depending on how the county received the property will determine how the county can get rid of it, county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said. Commissioner Ron Truex instructed Mitchell to investigate the property further.After Mitchell reports back, Truex said, the commissioners will make a decision on it. Later, Mitchell presented to the commissioners the tentative tax billing and distribution schedule for Kosciusko County.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Gets Grant For Bike Trail Design

The plan is to link the Warsaw's lakes and parks through a system of hiking and biking trails. According to City Planner Jeff Noffsinger, the implementation of that plan recently took another step toward completion with the city being awarded $10,000 from the Community Planning Fund for the design of a seven-mile segment the Lake City Greenway project, between the Chinworth Bridge on the Tippecanoe River to Winona Lake Park. "The grant will be combined with a $10,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Foundation to pay for the design of the trail system," Noffsinger said. Requests for design proposals will be sent out by the end of June, with those plans being finalized by the end of the year, he added. The city also has applied for a federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grant for the construction of the project, with an estimated $1.2 million price tag, Noffsinger said.
DAVID A. BEALL, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Wildman Flew Missions In China

Editor's note: This is part of a series of interviews with World War II veterans.The articles will continue in each day's edition until Friday, one day before Saturday's World War II Memorial Dedication and Recognition Day, May 29. The Japanese began to expand their boundaries in Asia beginning in 1931, with the annexation of Manchuria. By the time they bombed Pearl Harbor, Dec.7, 1941, the Japanese had overrun and occupied the Philippines; French Indochina and Thailand; and overwhelmed Singapore, owned by the British, and the oil-rich Dutch West Indies.In 1937, their aggressive policy secured China's major cities - Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, Nanking and Hankow, effectively isolating the country from the rest of the world. In their colonies of India and Burma, the alarmed British looked to their borders.Early in 1942, the Brits lost the major shipping port of Rangoon, Burma, after a 75-day battle with the Japanese.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Looking To Improve

Despite the fact that Kosciusko County Council was talking about the future of the county Monday, the public didn't seem interested, as there were only two or three members of the public present at the council's special meeting. The 6 p.m.meeting was to discuss the financing of the Justice Building project and to adopt a resolution authorizing the publication of a notice of public hearing and the formation of a building corporation.All objectives were unanimously approved. Also unanimously approved was an additional appropriation of $2.2 million from the $5.6 million cumulative capital fund to buy Lake City Inn.The Inn will become home to the work release program and temporarily to the probation department and several offices. Kosciusko County commissioners today approved the purchase for $2.2 million.However, commissioner Brad Jackson, citing soil problems in the area, asked for an engineer's inspection of the building before the contract is signed.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Success Generates Fund For WHA

Thanks to recent successes Warsaw Housing Authority's Section 8 program has funds available for area low-income renters in need of financial assistance. The program has been in use in the city for years, but clients coming off the program into self-sufficiency have created openings, according to WHA director Vickie Provine.Provine said there may be some confusion over the program with the recent changes in the welfare system.Unlike welfare, the program does not require that participants be employed, she said.The program does not have a time limit either. The program bases assistance levels on income levels established by the federal government.One-person households can have a maximum income of $14,500; two persons, $16,500; three persons, $18,650; four persons, $20,700; five persons, $22,350; six persons, $24,000. The waiting period for the program has lessened with the successes of clients, the WHA reported.
GREG BROWN, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

McGuire Hired At Knightstown

KNIGHTSTOWN - Former Warsaw Community School Corporation Superintendent Dr.David B.McGuire has a new job. Tuesday, The Charles A.Beard Memorial School Board announced McGuire will head their school district beginning July 1.McGuire replaces Hal Jester, who is retiring after 17 years.The school corporation is near Knightstown, Ind. McGuire, a 1965 graduate of Warsaw High School, has 22 years experience as an educator.A 1970 Manchester College graduate, he has served as elementary and middle school principal, a high school administrator, assistant superintendent and superintendent for three years. According to newspaper reports, McGuire will make $93,500 plus benefits at the 1,400-student district named after Charles A.Beard, a noted historian born in a small town near Knightstown in eastern Indiana.
DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016
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