Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Before the celebration of the new year begins, most people reflect on the passing year. The Times-Union is no exception.
Following are the 10 top stories of 1999, as voted on by the newspaper staff.
1. Charges in the case involving the Aug. 12, 1996, death of 4-year-old Kaelie Cusick were dismissed earlier this year, and those from the Nov. 23, 1996, death of 7-year-old Anthony Cusick were dismissed the week of Sept. 13. Sherrie Cusick, stepmother of Kaelie and Anthony, was accused of murdering her stepchildren. She and her attorneys held a press conference Sept. 22 "to clear the air and try to remove any tarnish that has been put on (Sherrie's) name."
2. Christopher L. Thompson, 19, was accused in the shooting death of Jamie Sloan, 21, of Warsaw. Thompson, of 306 S. Buffalo St., was taken into custody without incident and reportedly confessed to the murder. Sloan's body was found at 2 p.m. Oct. 7 in a cornfield off CR 800S by a farmer who was harvesting his crop. She was shot in the head.
3. Three teen-agers were killed and another was injured in a head-on accident Aug. 21 near Claypool. According to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, a southbound car driven by 18-year-old Jose Sanchez, Warsaw, veered left of center on Ind. 15 for an unknown reason and struck a northbound car driven by Christopher B. Prater, 17, Leesburg.
Prater and a front-seat passenger, Daniel Gibson, 16, Warsaw, were pronounced dead at the scene of the 9:09 p.m. accident on Ind. 15 near the intersection of CR 900S. Sanchez died later at Kosciusko Community Hospital.
4. Roy and Barbara Hamer, of Leesburg, were the lucky purchasers of a single-winning ticket in the Sept. 18 $41-million Powerball jackpot. They chose the cash option. After taxes, the Hamers received more than $15.4 million.
5. Randal Lee Pryor, Goshen, will serve nine years in prison for possessing a bomb, drunk driving and resisting arrest.
Pryor, 27, held police at bay on Fox Farm Road for 21 minutes April 16 while armed with a rifle. In September, he pleaded guilty in Kosciusko Circuit Court to charges of possession of a bomb, resisting law enforcement and driving while intoxicated. Through a plea agreement, two charges of criminal recklessness were dismissed.
Judge Rex Reed sentenced Pryor Oct. 8 to four years in prison for the bomb charge, 18 months on the resisting arrest charge and six days for drunk driving. The terms will be served concurrently and all but 1-1/2 years was suspended for probation. Under Indiana law, prisoners receive one day off their sentences for each day served on good behavior. Pryor could be released after nine months in prison.
6. The final numbers are in from the sale of Kosciusko Community Hospital and the resulting numbers bode well for the Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation. With the final accounting from the sale of the hospital and Mason Health Care Facility complete, the Foundation has total assets of $65, 715,835.89. The nonprofit organization receives roughly $1 million per month in interest and dividend income.
7. Elder-Beerman officially opened its doors at 9 a.m. Oct. 15. The 56,000-square-foot department store is a prototype concept for the Dayton-based retailer.
8. Two Warsaw men were arrested Dec. 31, 1998, in connection with the shootings of Claypool residents Gary Conley and Patsy Howard. Arrested and being held without bond were Eric Shaw, 22, Warsaw, and Fernando Ramos, 17, Warsaw. A third man, Alfonso Ramos, 20, of Warsaw, was arrested three weeks later in connection with the incident. All face charges of aggravated battery, battery with a deadly weapon and carrying a handgun without a license.
9. Warsaw business and government officials joined the leaders from Sofamor-Danek Medtronic Oct. 12 to break ground on their new 150,000-square-foot facility at CR 150W and U.S. 30, Warsaw.
10. The Kosciusko County Council approved an additional $20,000 for the Animal Welfare League's 2000 budget. Jim Tranter was the only councilman who voted against the additional money. At one time, the AWL sought as much as $80,000 to $120,000 for 2000. The county council initially approved only $30,000 for the AWL for 2000.
