Warsaw Welcomes Orchestras Students

More music will be flowing through Warsaw Community Schools.

May Is A Time For New Things

English poet Alexander Pope penned the phrase “hope springs eternal” in his famous Essay on Man. I thought about those words on several different levels this week.

Wooden Impacts Trgovich, Ogle

In Doug Ogle's view, coaching against someone who played for legendary coach John Wooden is "very cool."

Syracuse Council Approves Ambulance Purchase & Ordinances

SYRACUSE - Syracuse Town Council members worked through a full agenda Tuesday evening - some items carried over because last month’s meeting was canceled due to a lack of quorum.

Cancelled! Cancelled! Cancelled!

Stutzman Cites "Lack Of Leadership" In D.C.

Whether it be domestic issues like the economy or issues from abroad like Israel, Congressmen Marlin Stutzman used his time at the Saint Regis Club Wednesday to claim a “lack of leadership” from the White House is a contributing factor to those issues.

Community To Speak At Opioid Epidemic Call-To-Action Event

Board Of Works Awards Street Light Project, Approves Fire Chief Agreement

Hoffert Is 1st Of 2 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients

Habitat For Humanity Breaks Ground In Mentone For Home For Family Of Six

MENTONE - Fifteen years ago, the town of Mentone had its last Habitat for Humanity home built. About five years ago, Tim and Jackie Croy purchased three lots on North Franklin Street and then decided to donate the property to Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County. Thursday evening, Habitat for Humanity, the Croys and business sponsors broke ground at 405 N. Franklin St. for what will become the first home for Kimber Boyd, her four daughters and her mother.

City's High Screens Lower Boom On Whitko

COLUMBIA CITY - The basketball game ended, and as the fans walked toward the exits, they repeated the same question over and over. The only difference was the wording and the tone. "When is the last time we beat Whitko?" you heard an overjoyed Eagles fan ask. "When is the last time we lost to Columbia City?" you overheard a disgusted Whitko fan grumble. That was 1990, but it happened again in 1996, the day before Thanksgiving.Columbia City 66, Whitko 57 the scoreboard showed. Whitko had one lead: 2-0.The Eagles (1-0) led the Wildcats (0-1) the rest of the way.And one thing is certain: the new coaching staff of Chris Benedict, Chad Christman and John Snyder have breathed life into a Columbia City program that had been mired in mediocrity.

Tiger Spikers Take Title

COLUMBIA CITY - For the first time in several seasons, Warsaw appeared to have some challenge in the championship match of the Columbia City Volleyball Sectional Saturday. Or so it seemed. The host Eagles entered the title game with an impressive 25-7 record this year, and had been playing their best volleyball of the season since a close loss to Warsaw in the regular season. Columbia City also had an impressive win over Tippecanoe Valley in the semifinals, and the championship was in the Eagles' home gym.Everything pointed to a highly contested match. Or so it seemed. Warsaw came out hitting on all cylinders and won the first game 15-2 behind 11 consecutive points on the serve of senior Sarah Calhoun.The second game was more of what everybody had expected, but the Tigers still came out on top 15-8 and won their eighth straight sectional title.

Forecast For Wawasee, Plymouth - Raining Threes

SYRACUSE - Some teams play above the rim and some play below.For Wawasee and Plymouth, they both play 19-feet-9-inches away from the rim. For those who like three-pointers and guard-oriented play, then Huntington North High School is the place to be today as the Warriors and Pilgrims square off in the northern semistate of the Class 3A state boys basketball tournament. This will be the second time these Northern Lakes Conference foes have squared off. The first time was a hair-raising 76-75 triple-overtime affair in favor of Plymouth.That game didn't see the services of the Warriors' leading scorer, Austin Kaiser. Kaiser, who averages more than 19 points per game, broke his hand in a practice and missed the Plymouth game along with four others.Wawasee went 1-4 during that stretch. With Kaiser back, that will change the complexion of how the Warriors play.

It's Always Tough When You Go To War

If there was ever any doubt in my mind - and there really wasn't - about how the Iraqis felt about 9/11, it was erased this week. You know how in Iraq there are all these giant portraits of Saddam and other mural-like displays all over the place? Well, this week while watching the war on TV I saw one of those murals.It was a depiction of the Twin Towers in New York with a jetliner streaking toward them. I really don't think the Iraqi who painted it intended it as a memorial for the victims. More like a tribute to the bombers. I suppose it's that kind of sentiment that worries me the most about the war in Iraq. I am afraid that there is the potential for us to underestimate just how much the Iraqis - and lots of other Arabs - really hate us. And how willing the Iraqis are to fight and prolong the war. We underestimate because I think it's difficult for us to understand that level of hatred.That level of fanaticism.

Reed Street Won't Get One-Way Designation

Reed Street in Warsaw is a narrow two-way street with no parking, and it's going to remain that way, despite requests by Reed, Main and Fort Wayne street residents for a one-way designation with parking on the west side. Citizens again attended the Warsaw City Council meeting Monday to re-address items on a petition, signed by 71 people in the community, originally submitted to the traffic safety commission Oct.4, 2001. Betty Gilbert, Ron Gilbert, Harold French, Jim Cox, Chuck Hodges and Dewey Lawshe spoke in favor of a one-way southbound Reed Street. This would compel the semi-tanker that delivers gas to the Freedom Oil mini-mart and gas station, formerly Center Quick Serve, on the corner of Center and Reed streets, to return to Center Street after delivery.Currently, the 40-foot tanker turns at Main Street and travels four blocks through a residential neighborhood before reaching the truck route on Ind.15.

City Plays Guessing Game With Assessed Valuation For '03 Budget

The Warsaw city council trimmed a bit from the $14.9 million 2003 budget Tuesday, removing $120,000 for parking lot paving at the police department. The city is advertising a net assessed valuation of $532,474,410 and a levy of $7,720,689.This increases the tax rate to $1.45 per $100 assessed valuation compared to last year's 96 cents. But that AV is only an estimate, based on 80 percent of last year's figure.No one can know for sure what the tax rate will be until the state-mandated reassessment process is completed. The advertised tax rate is expected to drop with the final numbers are in. The remainder of the city's funds ($7.2 million) are garnered from state and county taxes as well as investments. "We're in the same situation as all the other cities and towns," Mayor Ernie Wiggins said about the budget."We have to back our way into a tax rate." This year's AV was $657,728,976.The 96-cent tax rate raised a levy of $6,314,198.

County Faces Loss Of State Funding For Road Work

Kosciusko County and the cities and towns in the county could lose more than $1.2 million annually in transportation funding from the Local Road and Street Account under the state budget being proposed by the Indiana House of Representatives. According to Bill Haan, executive director with the Indiana Association of County Commissioners, the state gave Indiana counties supplemental money in the last two budgets for roads and streets. However, the state budget is figured for two-year periods.The House's proposed budget this year is for fiscal years 2001 to 2003. "This year," said State Rep.Dave Wolkins (R-Winona Lake), "we don't have the money so we're not giving as much."He said the supplemental funds the state gave in previous years are not there now and organizations like IACC are crying foul.

Local Teens Scale Continent's 3rd Highest Peak

"The man who gives up accomplishes nothing and is only a hindrance.The man who does not give up can move mountains." - Ernest Hello Some people think about climbing a mountain.Others go ahead and do it. Ben Cross, 19, and Joe Wildman, 18, are two 1999 Warsaw Community High School graduates who went ahead and did it.They climbed their first mountain in December. And the mountain they chose to climb - Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltepetl, as the Aztecs call it - is not only a volcano but is also the third highest mountain on the North American continent, at 18,700 feet.It last erupted in 1687 and is 120 miles east of Mexico City, in Veracruz, and 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.December is the dry season there, Cross said, and the area doesn't get much rain then, so it is the best time to climb the mountain. "It's one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," said Cross.

Deficits: Plenty Of Blame To Go Around

I get a kick out of the blame-Bush-for-everything crowd, especially when it comes to the deficit.

Warsaw Schools Reviewing All Employees' Pay

Warsaw School Board will review salaries and wages for all Warsaw Community School Corp. employees at its March 20 public work session.Some employees and their families are speaking up that it’s about time.