Editor, Times-Union: We have watched, read and listened to all the happenings in regards to the various political races. We are both pastors who have been in this community for just over a year. Until now we have chosen to remain silent for two reasons: 1. as relatively new residents we realize that we do not know much about the history of the county, the politics within it, or the individuals involved; 2. we are not interested in political bantering with people who hold different opinions than us. We lived the past 25 years in the Washington, D.C., area and have seen politicians' mud-slinging at its finest. We saw good people ruined by gossip and other power tactics.
When we moved here, we expected the people of the Midwest to be friendly and caring. For the most part we have found this to be true. I guess this is why we have been surprised at some of the behaviors we have seen in the political arena. We had hoped to see mutual respect among the candidates and a community working together for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, the past rather than the future seems to be the focus. Instead of building a community together, we seem bent on dividing it, destroying reputations and lives along the way. Good people have been its fallen victims. None of us has a perfect past. Few of us would want our past blunders publicly displayed. We all have made mistakes in judgment and done our share of wrongs. Romans 3:23 will attest to that. We are glad we serve a God who sees what we can be instead of what we have been. Fortunately, our eternal destiny is not based upon what we have done wrong, but upon our faith in the man Jesus Christ, who put our past behind and said, "Come and follow me." We want to follow political leaders of integrity who have vision for what can be rather than hindsight for what has been. May God help us all.
Faith and Keith Staneart Warsaw
Bike Paths
Editor, Times-Union: The Warsaw area is a lovely place to walk and ride a bike around now that the weather is getting nicer. And I have read about the proposed "bike path" for the future.
My question is why is there no sidewalks on so many of the streets to allow for pedestrians to walk. And when riding my bike, I have to battle the speeding traffic on many streets to get to areas where the road may be wider, and the risk of riding on the street is less.
And many of the existing sidewalks are so irregular, you could not ride a bike on them. I do not expect all the old sidewalks to be fixed, or new sidewalks to be built on top of existing front lawns. But I would like to ask that all drivers be careful of the walker and especially the bike rider - kids and grownups!
Parker Street is my pet peeve - a person cannot ride or walk on the edge of that street! Cars race up and down Parker Street as if their life depended on it. I tell ya' - my life depends on these people slowing down to the speed limit, slowing down behind a bike rider and passing that bike rider only when there is no oncoming traffic! Someday there will be an accident, and the person on the bike will go flying through the air!
If you are driving a car and cause an accident with a bike rider, you and car will win, and then probably lose later in court.
Jennifer Ann Richards Warsaw
Thanks To KCH
Editor, Times-Union: First of all, I want to praise the staff at Kosciusko Community Hospital. I had wonderful care. I would recommend KCH to anyone. The same goes for Mason's Health Care. Everyone treated me well. I couldn't ask for better care. The food at both Mason's and KCH was outstanding in both quality and quantity.
Now I want to thank all my friends for the cards, prayers, flowers, phone calls and visits. You all helped the healing process. God bless everyone!
Marjorie Perry Warsaw
Honesty
Editor, Times-Union: I want to thank a person who found a white envelope containing $500 cash inside McDonald's on U.S. 30 on April 27, and turned it in to the store, which I also want to thank. The money was lost by a brother-in-law who was visiting us from Washington state. He is a pastor out there and has lived frugally for many years in serving the Lord. People in his church handed him the money when he left to spend time with us when our daughter passed away. Needless to say, he was deeply impressed with such honesty.
John Danilson Warsaw
Ambulance Service
Editor, Times-Union: I am a volunteer for the ambulance service in Silver Lake. I want everyone to know we are a total volunteer service, with no reimbursement for the time we spend there, except for the satisfaction of helping those in need. We have been in service since Jan. 1, 1978. We are only funded by ambulance runs, donations and fundraisers. I'm an EMT.
Last week, I was informed by a doctor that the paid paramedic service in Warsaw wants to station an ambulance in Claypool and use us as first responders. That means they want to take over this area and close us down. They would take all runs, charge the patient more, and we would have no money coming in.
We have missed some calls due to us being low on help. We have five EMTs, 19 drivers and nine helpers and receptionists. We work eight-hour shifts, three shifts a day. There has to be an EMT and a driver on every call. That means each EMT has to take almost a shift a day. In April, I took 22 shifts to try to keep it covered. We need help! I've been here nine years.
Our ambulance is certified as a basic ambulance, not a first responder truck!
The EMT class costs $400 plus 125 hours of training. We are willing to help with the money if you are willing to help your community.
If they put an ambulance in Claypool, how long will it be before they take over Pierceton, Leesburg, Milford and Mentone?
If they are so worried about helping us cover our area, why don't each of them volunteer 16 hours a month to help us cover our area instead of closing us out?
My husband and I helped another service one day a week for two years when they were low on help. Who will help us?
In the past month, Kosciusko County Dispatch has given four of our ambulance runs to another service. We had a crew on station!
Please let us know if you are interested in helping us. All we ask is 16 hours a month. Also let us know if you want us to stay in service. Call 352-2543.
Virginia Stephens, EMT Claypool
Good Samaritans
Editor, Times-Union: I want to thank a lady I never met who took the time to call my pet dog's, of 15 years, vet.
The vet gave her my phone number. The pet is almost blind and had gotten too far from home. Cindy went after her, Eboney, she knew Cindy's voice and was very happy. It proves the tags on her collar was a good thing. More people could find their dog.
I am grateful for this lady and hope I meet her some day.
Arlene Schaefer Warsaw
School Safety
Editor, Times-Union: There are a lot of upset people out there due to the recent bomb threats at WCHS. Sure it disrupts everyone's day, but what is the important thing here? The students' safety should come first. It seems to me that the school is more concerned with keeping things in order and not disrupting the day than they are about our safety. Putting 2,000 students in a crowded gym while teachers search the rooms for a bomb doesn't feel safe to me. Even if there is little to no chance that there will be a bomb in the school, who wants to take the chance with their life? People are taking this issue too lightly. If they really wanted to protect us they would have sent us all home.
Compounding the stress on the students, the school threatens to punish anyone who leaves the school grounds to find a safer place to wait out the search. Some of our administrators didn't even have to wait it out in the school. If they won't look out for our safety, I guess we'll have to do it for ourselves.
Kara Randall Junior at WCHS Warsaw
Child Abuse Prevention
Editor, Times-Union: On April 20, the Child Abuse Prevention Council had its third annual luncheon. Hosted by Dr. Steve Grill, we had a wonderful panel of speakers: Dr. Karen Boling, Dr. William Worl, Dr. Mark Stock, Dr. Lee Harman and Mr. Rex Roth. What a great turnout we had of concerned people in this community who are concerned about preventing child abuse! On behalf of the council, I would like to thank everyone for participating in this successful event.
In our county for 1997, there were 395 substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect, and we had one child die as the result of child abuse. Child abuse is a significant problem in our community. These are the children around us who need advocates against the pain and adversity they face. Education, awareness and community support and involvement are essential in helping those who desperately need our love, care and concern.
For parents who are in stress, or concerned individuals, you can call 800-CHILDREN for help from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Let's join together as a community, and find ways in which we all can help prevent child abuse. Reach out to a child in trouble, or a parent experiencing stress. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings of the Child Abuse Prevention Council, on the fourth Monday of each month at noon, at the Mental Health Association. Call 269-2102 for more information.
The motto for Prevention of Child abuse for 1998 is "Teach by Example: Because Prevention Works." Thanks to every parent, teacher, neighbor, business leader, pastor and friend who is willing to teach by their example to help prevent child abuse.
Nancy Wilson President Child Abuse Prevention Council of Kosciusko County
