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Spring break happenings ............................ 17

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NEWS IN BRIEF Easter egg hunts planned this month WHITLEY COUNTY — Several community Easter egg hunts are planned in Whitley County this month. Morsches Park will again host the Columbia City Rotary Club’s annual event on April 13 at 6 p.m. Christ Community Church is planning its annual mEGGa Hunt at Churubusco’s town park. The annual community event not only features the traditional egg hunt with 14,000 eggs, but also has bounce houses, facepainting, games, cotton candy and prizes — free of charge. The event begins at 2:30 p.m. on April 15. The egg hunt starts at 3:30 p.m. The South Whitley Lions Club will host an Easter egg hunt at South Whitley Elementary School at 1 p.m. on April 15. Also on April 15, Big Lake Church of God will host a pancake breakfast that begins at 9 a.m. and kids activities at 10 a.m.

Community Calendar.............19

By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Ground should be broken this summer on Whitley County Consolidated Schools’ new Columbia City High School. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the school’s design plans March 20, and the job will now open for contractors

New campus will cost about $68M to construct to bid on construction projects. “This is a momentous evening,” said Chuck Tyler, architect for FanningHowey. “Now it’s time to take the next step in the process.” The site, located south of Columbia City on State

Road 9, is currently an empty field. It will soon house a 249,971-squarefoot high school building and 18,000 square feet in outbuildings. The total cost of construction is estimated at $68,147,225 — with slightly more than $50

By Derreck Stahly By Nicole Minier dstahly@kpcmedia.com nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Whitley County has more jobs than its current workforce can fill. Ten to 15 years ago, many manufacturing jobs were going overseas, said Jon Myers, president of the Whitley County Economic Development Corp.. That’s beginning to change. “American manufacturing is kind of in a robust growth stage. The problem with that is all of those folks who worked in that industry and acquired years and years of training and experience, are getting older and retiring,” Myers said.

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More manufacturing NICOLE MINIER

Trey Shively smiles at grandma after she gave him a push on the swing at Every Kids Dreamland in Columbia City. Children of all ages are enjoying spring, espcially this week with local schools on spring break. See more photos of local families on spring break on page 17.

See CCHS, Page 4

With this increase in manufacturing jobs after a rather lengthy hiatus of manufacturing overseas, the talent hasn’t kept up with the new demands companies have, he said.

A lot of people don’t have the skills manufacturing employers need. The manufacturing sector is the largest employer in Whitley County, and is expected to grow by 25 percent over the next decade in the county, said Rick Farrant, Northeast Indiana Works spokesman. Manufacturing jobs also have some perceived drawbacks, he said. “This is not your grandfather’s workplace anymore, and that’s a perception we have to change. A lot of people still think they are hot, dirty, repetitive jobs — some of them are,” Farrant said. “But a lot of them are hightech, they’re clean, they require people who have advanced skills and advanced knowledge. We need to change the conversation about some of these jobs.” See TALENT, Page 10

Columbia City looks to finish fundraising for new pool By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — More than three-quarters of the way through the fundraising campaign for the new aquatics facility in Columbia City, Park Director Mark Green is seeking out all options. The city set out to construct a replacement for

Burnworth Memorial Pool, replacing it with a $4.2million aquatics facility, which will have something to offer for adults and children of all ages. The city has $3.8 million raised so far and is awaiting word from the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority for potential Regional Cities

Initiative Funding. Green expects the RDA to decide how much money the city will receive at the organization’s next meeting in mid-April. Columbia City’s Parks Board began planning the new facility five years ago, and started fundraising last year. The city is contributing

$1.3 million to the project, the Dekko Foundation contributed $1 million, the Russel and Evelyn Fahl family donated $500,000, Lutheran Hospital gave $500,000 and the city raised $25,000 by selling engraved bricks, which will be on display at the facility. Green is approaching county government offi-

cials to seek funding assistance for the project, because he believes Whitley County residents who live outside the city limits will also benefit from the new pool facility. Green spoke with Whitley County’s Commissioners in March, and met See AQUATICS, Page 7

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million of that going toward the high school’s main building and $17.5 million going toward outbuildings and site work. Architects noted that the cost is only an estimate, and a more definitive number will be available after the construction

managers accept bids. In 2015, the districts’ taxpayers approved an $85-million referendum to construct the new school, which replaces the nearly 60-year old school on North Whitley Street in Columbia City. A portion of that $85 million will be used to

Talent attraction trumps job creation in Whitley County

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INFORMATION

April 6, 2017

WCCS pulls trigger on school design plans

Date set for CCHS Honors Convo COLUMBIA CITY — Those who wish to present an award at Columbia City High School’s annual honors convocation need to contact the school by May 1 with their information. The convocation will be held May 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium. Any group or individuals planning to present an award should contact Joyce Hull, school guidance counselor, by May 1 with the following information: • Name of the award • Presenter of the award • Name of the student recipient. Hull may be contacted via email at hullja@ wccsonline.com or phone at 244-6136 ext., 3211.

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Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Where food and friends become family By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Gary and Heather Parrett have a big family. The owners of Big G’s Sports Cafe and Downtown on the Square restaurants in Columbia City have a combined 39 employees who not only work for the restaurant, but have become a part of the Parrett family. “Our employees don’t just fill a position,” Gary Parrett said. “Everyone is like family.” The Parretts have taken their employees on cruises, trips to Las Vegas and even rented a tour bus so employees could bring their families on a trip to Cedar Point. “The key to keeping good employees is giving back,” Parrett said. “We can’t run these businesses buy ourselves.” The Parretts are not only committed to giving back to their employees, but to the community as well. Big G’s and Downtown on the Square have helped sponsor many community events. Recently they donated fish for a church fish fry. “I’m glad we’re fortunate enough to be able to do that,” Parrett said. “How I look at it, when people eat at our restau-

Parretts build community among two Columbia City restaurants rants, it’s like making a deposit into a bank. When the community is in need — come to me. I’m glad to help out.” Setting goals

Parrett’s childhood led his desire for helping others. His father passed away when he was five years old, leaving him in the care of a single mom, and a life of poverty. “We were kicked out of places to live. We had our utilities shut off. When I became a young adult, I told myself I didn’t want that life for my kids. I’ve worked at least two jobs for most of my life,” Parrett said. Parrett began in the restaurant business while he was in high school as a manager of Pizza King in Columbia City. Then, he moved to the East Coast for work, but returned to Columbia City’s Pizza King to take over as store manager. He was later recruited by Papa John’s to help the business open its first restaurant in Columbia City. “When they hired me, I told them I wanted to climb the ladder to higher

NICOLE MINIER

Gary and Heather Parrett are owners of two Columbia City restaurants which employ 39 people. They are pictured in the bar area of Downtown on the Square, which opened in September 2012.

management positions,” Parrett said. “I didn’t want to be a store manager all my life. But, I didn’t see the progression and opportunities they told me they had, so I moved on.” Parrett went into the excavating business and was later hired by the Columbia City Police Department. “People were telling me I needed to open up

a restaurant of my own,” Parrett said. “I even had people who told me they would invest and help me get started. But I wanted to do it on my own.” Seeing a need for a good place for people to get together for breakfast, he saved his own money to purchase the “Norm’s Country Post” building, located at the intersection of Chicago and Main

streets. The location was previously a Penguin Point and “The Junction” restaurant. Opening Big G’s

Big G’s opened 12 years ago, named after Parrett’s nickname, “Big G,” that he received when he was the manager at Pizza King. “I decided to jump in

with both feet,” Parrett said. “I wanted to provide a service and provide jobs.” More than providing jobs to the community, Parrett focuses on being a teacher and mentor to his employees. “I tell these young adults who work for us, ‘I’m trying to teach you,’” he said. “I know they’re not going to work here all of their lives, but I want to teach them how to be good employees — being on time, how every dollar counts, having good work ethic.” Parrett met his wife, Heather, when she worked part-time in the kitchen at Big G’s. About five years ago, after they were married, they saw another need in the community. Downtown commitment

“All we would hear is that Columbia City needed a good steak restaurant,” Parrett said. “I thought I could put out a good steak.” They opened Downtown on the Square in September 2012 — on top of the couples’ responsibilities at Big G’s and See PARRETTS, Page 8

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Whitley County • April 6, 2017

S. Whitley discusses parking, parks County is establishing sewer district By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Failing septic tanks can cause health issues and become a financial burden on homeowners. The Whitley County Commissioners hope to provide a solution for these homeowners by establishing a regional sewer district this year. With only a few tanks failing in the county, a regional sewer district may seem like an unnecessary addition, but even one tank can cause a lot of harm, Scott Wagner, the county’s environmental health specialist said in a commissioners meeting last month. County commissioners are working with BCS Management and the Secant Group to create the regional sewer district for Whitley County. Whitley County’s regional sewer district would not build its own sewer treatment facilities. Instead, the county would work with local municipalities to hook up new homes outside of those districts, Lana Beregszazi, president of BCS Management, said. “For example, if we were to move forward with a project outside of Churubusco, we would need to connect the new infrastructure to the Churubusco treatment facility,” Beregszazi said. The main purpose of forming a regional sewer district is to assist county residents who have failing septic systems, Commissioner Don Amber said. A new septic tank can cost about $8,500 for a three-bedroom house. “I would say about 10 percent of all septic tanks out there are illegal or failing,” Wagner said of the county’s current sewer situation. One reason septic tanks fail is because they are installed too deep underground, and because northeast Indiana often has a high amount of rain in late fall and early spring, Wagner said. “Many of our illegal or failing tanks discharge to a large ditch or river, so many people could be affected by one tank,” Wagner said. State law dictates that septic tanks have to be built 50 feet away from a well. As a result, a septic

tank can take up more space than a sewer line, Amber said. In addition, many people like having sewer-line connection because it removes restrictions for adding on to one’s home, Wagner said. Thus far, BCS Management and the Secant Group have not yet received any push back from residents on the establishment of a regional sewer district, Beregszazi said. The new sewer district will be led by a seven-member board. The members will be appointed — three by the commissioners, one by the Whitley County Council, one by the town of Churubusco, one by the town of South Whitley and one by Columbia City. No one has been appointed to this board yet. Payments could work in two different ways. First, if a home’s sewer is handled by a local municipality via the regional sewer district, the homeowner could be billed directly by the municipality. The amount the homeowner pays would be split between the municipality and the regional sewer district. The second billing option would be for the municipalities to bill the regional sewer district and then, in turn, the district to bill the customers. The billing process is dependent upon the agreement made between the regional sewer district and the municipality. Now that the formation of a regional sewer district board has the commissioners’ blessing, the municipalities will be asked to consider appointments. The petition for the formation of the regional sewer district and its board will be submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The final step will be for them to reach out to the communities for potential projects. “No project happens without the agreement of residents, a cost-effective project option and the agreement with a municipal service provider for treatment,” said Beregszazi. Initial meetings of the Regional Sewer District are expected to begin around May.

SOUTH WHITLEY — Parking and parks were two topics of discussion at Tuesday’s South Whitley Town Council meeting. At the March 14 meeting, Town Marshal Mikel VanDevender asked the council for guidance on how to enforce the two-hour parking time limit in downtown South Whitley. The council answered his question Tuesday by electing to begin enforcing the town’s two-hour parking signs starting April 12. VanDevender said it will be universally enforced for everyone in the town.

Anyone caught parking longer than two hours will receive a warning. After that, a citation will be issued. “My goal is to be able to handle it without citations,” VanDevender said. VanDevender also informed the council that a Lenovo laptop would be purchased to replace a failing computer. The laptop will cost $1,164.60. VanDevender informed the council because the cost is over $1,000. The police department has authorization to purchase up to $5,000 before needing approval from the council. Judy Earnhart, of the park board, also sought

guidance from the council Tuesday. The park board’s budget is $7,500 and the park has about $6,000 in projects this year. Projects include replacing the water fountain that currently doesn’t work; replacing 24 railroad ties around the playground equipment that have been deemed a safety hazard due to bees living in the wooden ties. The cost of the water fountain would be about $1,246 and $80 per piece of railroad tie. The council considered purchasing the water fountain for the park, but Councilman Bill Boggs suggested that once the park exhausted

its own funds, the council would look in to assisting if something came up. Greg Hockemeyer, town attorney, also said that the park board could seek a grant from the Whitley County Community Foundation. Kent Slater, waste water operator and crew leader, told the council the water line at the Marathon gas station has been plugging shut. The line is going to have to be replaced because it is a lead line. The cost is expected to be $6,500. Lori Starkey requested $200 from the council to help pay for hanging flowers, which was approved.

CONTRIBUTED

The new Columbia City High School is set to open in August of 2020, welcoming its first students. Students who will be in the first freshman class at the new school are currently fifth graders at Whitley County Consolidated Schools.

CCHS from Page 1 demolish the old building. Officials indicated that the current school property may be donated to the Columbia City Parks Department to be an extension of Morsches Park. Additionally, some of the referendum money will go toward, “the cost of doing business,” such as financial and architecture work. After all bids are received on April 26, Skillman Corp., which is in charge of construction, will make selections. The project breaks ground in June, and is expected to be complete in the summer of 2020, opening for students in the fall. The new school will have two outdoor learning

areas — one is a courtyard at the interior of the school which will provide sunlight to the classrooms, and allow for usable, safe, outdoor space within the walls of the school. Officials are also considering an outdoor classroom, which would have a more scenic view of the wooded areas and retention pond near the school, Superintendent Patricia O’Connor said. Also outdoors, officials have finalized details press boxes at the athletic fields, fencing and signage to help direct visitors. The new football field will feature two-tone artificial turf to simulate real grass. Officials determined that the cost of an artificial

field would be identical to a grass field when maintenance costs over 20 years are factored. The school has three sections — the gymnasium and athletics area, the auditorium and cafeteria, and the academic classrooms. The auditorium will seat 636 people, and the new gymnasium will seat 3,000. The cafeteria, called the Blue River Cafe, will have a unique and open serving concept, “for students to take advantage of a wide variety of offerings,” Tyler said. Eagle Tech Academy, which is currently housed in the former Marshal Middle School building, will be incorporated into the new building, but have

Get prom paid for promposal contest, open to all county students WHITLEY COUNTY — The IN|Whitley County Promposal Contest is open to all high school students in Whitley County. To enter, submit a photo and/or video link of your promposal by April 15 via Facebook messenger or email nminier@kpcmedia. com. The best promposal will be selected, and winners will receive a prom prize package, which will include a tuxedo rental, corsage/ boutonnière and dinner — more prize details are to come. Entries must include names, ages, phone

numbers, emails, high school name and name of parents. The information is needed for both the one making the promposal and the one who accepted the promposal. The winner will be announced in the April 20 edition of IN|Whitley County, and a story will be written for the May 4 edition on the winning couple’s promposal. By submitting your video link and/or photos, the entrant agrees to allow KPC Media Group Inc., which publishes IN|Whitley County, to print, share and post the content.

a separate entrance and different learning spaces. There are also common areas and “collaboration spaces” for students that can also be used by the public when they come to the school for events in the auditorium. “We want to make smart decisions,” O’Connor said. “The goal is to look to the future.” A new entrance will be added to the north side of the campus, and a digital sign will be installed at the current Indian Springs Middle School and Little Turtle entrance, which will soon serve all three schools. Visit buildingcchs.com for more information about the construction project.

Terry G. Housholder, President Randy C. Mitchell, CEO S. Rick Mitchell, CFO

Whitley County inwhitleycounty.com

PHONE (800) 717-4679 (USPS 009-385) Periodical Postage Paid at Churubusco, IN 46723 Nicole Minier, Editor Located at 123 N. Main Street, Churubusco, Indiana 46723. www.inwhitleycounty.com Articles appearing in the InWhitley County do not necessarily represent the views of this paper.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: INWhitley County, P.O. Box 39, Kendallville, IN 46755. Published on Thursday throughout the year.

inwhitleycounty.com • A5

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Whitko officials look ahead to keep funding stable By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

Birth announcement Chad and Emily (Green) Deahn announce the birth of their son, Dylan DeRue Deahn. He was born Feb. 26 in St. Louis, Missouri, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21.25 inches long. The Deahns reside in Washington, Missouri. Dylan’s grandparents are Jack and the late Nancy Green, of Churubusco, and Chad and Joan Deahn, Fulton, Missouri.

Hartman wedding is May 20 Mitchell and Joni Zeigler, of Columbia City, and Pamela and Larry Pringle, of Ohio, announce the engagement of their daughter, Natausha Zeigler to Timothy Hartman II, son of Timothy Hartman, of Columbia City, and Beth and Ron Glassley, of Columbia City. The bride is a 2008 graduate of Columbia City High School and has been employed at Downtown on the Square for nearly five years. The groom is a 2000 graduate of Columbia City High School and has worked at the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department since 2008. The couple will be married May 20 at Ceruti’s in Fort Wayne. Their daughter, Paisley Mae Hartman, will be the flower girl for her mom and dad’s wedding.

Rays celebrate anniversary Denny and Trois (Rice) Ray will celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary June 2. The couple were married at the Whitley County Courthouse in 1989. They have one daughter, Aimee (Mark) Noragon, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Submit your birth, engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements to IN|Whitley County Editor Nicole Minier at nminier@kpcmedia.com Celebrations are published in IN|Whitley County free of charge.

LARWILL — Whitko Community Schools is attempting to avoid a future financial crises, said Superintendent Steve Clason. “Right now, Whitko is in great shape financially. We have a 10 percent cash balance, which is where you want to be as a school corporation. We have funds in our building accounts. The board and I decided we wanted to start projecting out a few years so we could stay that way,” Clason said. Whitko Schools relies on two things to draw in money: property taxes and enrollment numbers. Living inside the school district means part of residents’ property taxes go to the school. The remaining district funding comes from the state. State money is based on enrollment. The more students at the school, the more money the state gives. Less students means, less money. Whitko Schools has a history of “yo-yo economics,” where the school will have plenty one year but the next it might

be lacking, Clason said. The board wants to avoid this type of back and forth. “We figured it was time while we were good to look ahead, so that we could stabilize ourselves, and just make sure we stayed solid economically: so that we’re doing the best we could for our students and for our tax payer,” Clason said. In November, the board created a five-year goal. This goal was designed to help the school achieve financial stability by the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Accomplishing this requires a full budget analysis, Clason said. This means following each dollar and determining where cuts can be made to avoid breaking the bank, so to speak. “It caused kind of a stir that ‘Oh my gosh, you know what’s going on?’ kind of stir, which is appropriate,” Clason said. “We hurried around to set up some community meetings to say, ‘The sky isn’t falling, we’re in great shape financially, we’re in great shape academically, we’re in great shape physically.’”

During these community meetings held in December, Clason presented information about finances, declining enrollment and why it is important to cut back on expenses. Clason also pointed to the number of facilities in Whitko Schools’ system “Size wise, as far as number of class rooms and square feet and that type of thing, we’re almost as big as we were 20 years ago when we had a third more students,” Clason said. “So, we began to talk about is one of the economic things we should do to downsize our facilities.” Each year about 120 students graduate but only about 90 kindergarteners enter the system. Most of the decline happens during the summer after graduation. This is one reason why Clason says it makes sense to find ways to reduce costs. Looking at the facilities is just part of that equation. Seeing what students need and how the facilities are being used gives the school an opportunity to decide if the best decision is to close down a facility to avoid being put

into a financial crisis. On the bright side, the district is not having a teacher issue. Additional teachers may need to be hired at the end of this school year, he said. What does cause issues for teachers is the state of limbo the school system is in because the demands change so much from year to year, said school board member Joe Begley during a recent board meeting. If one of the facilities closed, the teachers would have to move to a different facility and a different classroom. That however is hard to plan for if the school system doesn’t yet know which facility will close or if a facility needs to close. Whitko Schools will be moving forward with an independent consultant to further analyze the school’s finances and decide what the best option will be moving forward. Currently, everything is on the table. The board will begin meeting with a consultant in April. Whitko’s school board will meet next at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at Whitko Middle School.

Smith-Green to take out $2M bond By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

CHURUBUSCO — After a lengthy discussion, Smith-Green Community Schools’ Board of Trustees decided to take out a $2 million bond to overcome budget shortfalls and complete projects. The board held a special meeting March 27 after having two regular meetings in a row where discussions went on past 10 p.m. SGCS administrators proposed a $600,000 bond to help the school overcome a $115,000 shortage in the general fund and complete several building projects. The board didn’t entertain the $600,000 bond idea, rather discussed two options: • Spend no money on capital projects in 2017 and utilize money in savings to overcome the general fund shortfall. • Take out a $2 million bond to take care of the budget issues for the next

two years and allow the school to complete several projects. Board members on both sides of the discussion indicated they may be looking for something to get by until a general fund referendum could be proposed to the public in 2018. After much discussion, Nick Uecker made a motion to freeze all extra spending for 2017. Uecker’s motion failed to receive a second, and the board further discussed their options. Luke Gross made a motion to take out a $2 million bond — which was also followed by silence. “Are we going to ask for another proposal in April or wait for a new superintendent?” asked Dean Geiger, board president. Cathy Petrie said she didn’t like the idea of using the schools’ cash reserve, but she also didn’t like raising taxes before proposing a referendum. “What kind of message are we sending if we can’t

Obituary Policy IN|Whitley County does not charge for death notices that include notice of calling hours, date and time of funeral and burial. An extended obituary, which includes survivors, biographical information and a photo, is available for a charge. Deadline for funeral

homes to place obituaries is noon Tuesday. The email address is: obits@kpcmedia. com. Submitted obituaries must contain the name and phone number of the funeral home. For information, contact Kathryn Bassett at (260)347-0400, ext. 2526.

make a decision on what we’re going to do?” Gross asked. Geiger, who couldn’t second Gross’ motion, said he would be in favor of the $2 million bond so SGCS could complete the projects planned for 2017. “If I could go back four years, I’d think we could have avoided this, but this is where we are at,” Geiger said. “I think that’s the best of the options.” After Geiger’s comments, Petrie seconded Gross’ motion for the $2 million bond. New board member Jeremy Hart abstained from the vote, which passed 3-1. Some proposed projects

that the $2 million will be used for are: • $600,000 for the HVAC at the high school • $155,000 for the elementary school HVAC • $160,000 to remodel the junior high restrooms • $1.2 million in general maintenance — $600,000 per year for the next two years The board will discuss the tax impact at the next regular meeting, where they will decide on the terms of the bond. There will be about $75,000 in “soft costs,” expenses produced by the bond company. The next meeting is 7 p.m. April 17 in the board room.

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OPINION

Mayor’s Memo I can’t believe we are already in the beginning of April, but I guess that means that summer is right around the corner! This Mayor’s Memo will be a hodgepodge of items, as an update on some of the great RYAN projects DANIEL occurring in our community. We continue to keep an eye on the Road Funding Bill that is going through the Statehouse. As previously mentioned, municipalities, counties and even the state are being squeezed by a decreasing amount of transportation dollars coming in through the gas tax, and the rising price of road construction. We look forward to seeing what long term solutions the Legislature will come up with in the next month. The U.S. 30 project is now in a bit of a holding pattern until the Legislative session is over. However, if you are interested to see what progress has occurred, we have uploaded a concept document from the local planning committee on both the city and the county websites. Statewide, economic and governmental leaders are seeing and understanding that U.S. 30 is an economic engine for jobs and people. We have to capitalize on this opportunity while also protecting (to the best of our ability) the traffic patterns that we use to get to the grocery, or church, or the bank, or family members’ homes.

That balance is what your local officials will continue to plan for and fight for. Junk pickup schedules have now been released, with the city continuing with two junk cleanups each year. However, each junk cleanup will only have one day this year (versus the previous year’s week-long pickup). The city is divided into two halves, with Main Street/State Road 9 being the dividing line. The west side’s junk pickup dates for 2017 will be April 28 and Oct. 6. The east side’s junk pickup dates for 2017 will be May 5 and Oct. 13. There will only be one pass, so make every effort to put out your junk on time. Items should not be put out more than two weeks in advance of the pickup date. Certain items will not be picked up. For more information, check out the city’s website: columbiacity.net under the services tab. The Russel and Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Facility project is continuing to move forward. Despite a pause by the Regional Development Authority, we are still very hopeful that we will be granted funding for the project. As always, we welcome citizens to attend meetings of our city boards and commissions. The Board of Works and Safety meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at 5 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall. The Columbia City Common Council also meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at 6 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall. Other meetings are listed in the city calendar on the city’s website. Until next time… RYAN DANIEL is mayor of Columbia City.

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Hello, Whitley County! Our View

We hope you enjoy your first edition of IN|Whitley County, a free, community-centric newspaper that will be delivered to your mailbox weekly. The goal of this publication is to provide you with a synopsis of what’s happening in your local neighborhoods. We want to cover your fish fries, your little league games and your gardening workshops, in edition to providing you a trusted resource for local government coverage, significant court rulings and local school happenings. The staff at IN|Whitley County is devoted to covering what matters to you. The paper is published by KPC Media Group Inc., a family-owned company based in Kendallville that also publishes the Churubusco News.

KPC’s main mission is to provide local news and resources for the residents and businesses that call the communities in which it publishes home. We understand that you likely receive your international, national and some state news from other resources. What we are focusing on is the niche of your community. We want to engage with you, the reader. If you know of a community event you would like to see covered, send an email to one of our reporters. If you see

Editor Nicole Minier is a Columbia City High School graduate who has been in the newspaper business in Whitley County since 2010. She lives in Columbia City with her husband, Matt, and their five children. In her free time, Minier enjoys spending time with her family. Minier covers Columbia City government, Whitley County Consolidated Schools and Churubusco town government. Minier is also editor of the Churubusco News. Contact Minier at 615-4059 or nminier@kpcmedia.com, or follow her on twitter @NicoleMKPC.

News reporter Derreck Stahly is a graduate of Franklin College, and is a native of Elkhart County, graduating from Northwood High School. Stahly lives in Goshen with his wife, Maritza, and two dogs, Bentley and Zelda. He’s expecting a newborn son, Asher, this summer. In his free time, Stahly enjoys binge watching Netflix shows with his wife. Stahly reports on Whitley County government, South Whitley Town Council and Whitko Community Schools. Contact Stahly at (574)361-8063 or email dstahly@kpcmedia.com.

something happen that you believe others in the community should know about, send us a tip or a picture. We have a calendar section to help people stay alert of local fundraisers, screenings, festivities and other events. Be sure to send your activity details to us so we don’t leave you out. If you have a strong opinion about a local government action or want to share your passion for a certain cause, please send us your letter to the editor. We want to be the resource you look forward to each week for trusted, unbiased community news. We hope you are as excited as we are about the launch of IN|Whitley County. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sports reporter Justin Hunter is a graduate of Huntington University and Concordia Lutheran High School. Hunter lives in Fort Wayne with his wife, Hannah. In his free time, Hunter enjoys watching sports. Hunter covers athletics in all three Whitley County school districts, as well as youth league sports. Contact him to report sports scores and send photos of any events related to athletics in Whitley County. Hunter also reports on Smith-Green Community Schools. Contact Hunter at 704-4432 or emailjhunter@kpcmedia.com.

Show of Strength: Time for Congress to reassert role in defense In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Congress authorized the use of military force against the entities that carried out the plan. In the decade and a half since, both the threats our country faces and the conflicts we are engaged in have evolved in ways we never envisioned 15 years ago. The authorizations for the use of military force that were signed into law in 2001 and 2002 may have been appropriate at the time, but the authority they granted to our commander-in-chief was unprecedented. The authorizations empowered the president to target non-state actors and did not specify which states and non-state

actors were included. Unfortunately, these broad authorizations have now been contorted to apply to a variety of threats around the globe. Throughout his eight years in office, President Barack Obama frequently used the 2001 and 2002 authorizations to engage in global conflicts not envisioned by Congress, without congressional input. Today, President Donald Trump rightly is weighing more involvement against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a global threat that did not even exist when the last authorization was signed. While I support his desire to fast-track plans for defeating ISIS, I believe it is necessary to re-eval-

uate the authorizations in place to conduct such military operaJIM tions. BANKS Without that evaluation, we will swiftly approach a constitutional crisis in which unchecked executive authority is permitted to wage wars beyond what was authorized by Congress. To give Congress a voice in this important debate, I recently introduced a resolution in the House that

will authorize the use of military force against ISIS, al-Qaida and the Taliban and require the administration to provide to Congress a plan to defeat ISIS. My legislation is identical to a Senate bill recently authored by Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana. The significance of the conflict in Syria and its devastating humanitarian impact, combined with the ongoing war against ISIS, are deserving of a sober assessment and robust debate by the representatives the American people elected. Further, as the armed services committees in Congress begin their annual work of authorizing funding for our military,

it is essential that we first consider what we are asking our armed forces to do. Passing a new authorization to explicitly authorize war against ISIS and define the American military’s mission in the Mideast is also a way for Congress to express its full support of those serving overseas to keep our country safe. I want the men and women serving in uniform to be the best-equipped, best-trained and most lethal force on the planet, and I want them to know that the legislative branch is standing with them. To accomplish this, Congress must ensure that our armed forces are resourced appropriately to

achieve defined goals. My legislation aims to provide our military with the goal posts necessary to frame their objectives and shape their requirements. Now is the time for Congress once again to assume the mantle of leadership by fully debating and passing a new authorization for military force. The scourge of ISIS must be defeated, and if Congress gives my legislation the attention that it is due and supports it with appropriate funding, I believe a lasting military victory will follow. U.S. CONGRESSMAN JIM BANKS, R-Columbia City, serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

inwhitleycounty.com • A7

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Extension Educator: How to control ants By John Woodmansee Ants. With the warmer temperatures, these annoying little picnic spoilers (or their cousins) have recently become problems in people’s homes. A few people have called in recent days about how to control ants. Ants are common throughout the world, and believe it or not they do perform beneficial work. Their tunneling aerates soils, and many species are predators of

other insect pests. Ants come in varying colors — primarily red, dull yellow, brown and black. Some are quite small, like the Pharaoh ant at one-16th of an inch, while others are up to one-half inch long. Of course, they can also be pests. Purdue experts Gary W. Bennett and Timothy J. Gibb offered additional insight in Purdue Extension Publication number E-22-W they authored, “Ants.”

One common question I get is whether a suspect insect is an ant or a termite. Bennett JOHN E. and Gibb WOODMANSEE explain that ants have narrow “waists” like a wasp. A termite

has a straighter body with no pinched waist. Winged ants have two sets of wings that are not the same length. Winged termites have two sets of wings that are the same length, twice as long as their body. Ants swarm all seasons except winter, while termites typically only swarm in the spring. And, if you want to look close at the insect, ants have elbowed (bent) antennae, while termites have straight antennae.

Bennett and Gibb said, “the best way to prevent ants from invading a house is to locate and destroy their nest.” They suggest looking in the soil around the foundation of the house and control ants as you would in your lawn. Of course, this is easier said than done. If ants have gained entry into the house, Bennett and Gibb suggest applying insecticides where the ants gain entry or hide — at founda-

tion walls, doorways, windowsills, baseboards, behind built-in cabinets and furniture, beneath refrigerators, and under other heavy appliances. A number of ready-to-use indoor sprays can be used for spot treatments. Ant baits are also available. Bennett and Gibb said, “you may have to try more than one bait to find one that is effective for your ant problem, and See ANTS, Page 8

AQUATICS from Page 1 with the County Council Tuesday morning. Exact admission prices are not set but, if the county doesn’t financially support the project, people who live outside the city limits will likely pay $2 more per person, per day, to enjoy the facility. “I don’t want to have to do that — I really don’t,” Green said. “This project is for the whole community and I would like to offer it at the same price. But, the city residents are supporting this project and it wouldn’t be fair for them.” Green said, when he was a child, he never understood why city and county residents paid different rates, and hopes he won’t have to bring back that

policy with the new facility. Green is seeking $100,000 in funding from the county, which would help pay for a pavilion at the facility. “I believe the county will have a direct benefit from having this facility in our community,” said City Councilman Tad Varga, who has been working alongside Green in this project. “It will help in retaining and attracting new residents and employees for the whole county.” The County Council did not indicate if the county would assist in funding, but “tabled the discussion until budget time.” The RDA recently announced it was out of money from the state’s Regional Cities Initiative

CONTRIBUTED

City officials hope to have all of the fundraising for the Russel and Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Facility finished this year.

to fund projects, however, Green said the pool, along with six other projects, was presented to the RDA before all the money was committed. Now, the seven projects are in a holding pattern until the RDA finds out how much, if

any, state funds will assist in the Landing project in Fort Wayne. Any leftover money will be granted to the last seven projects. The RDA next meets in mid-April. “I think we have a great shot at getting some

funding,” Green said. The new pool will be in the same location as Burnworth Pool, near Columbia City High School, which is set to move south of the city in 2020 following the completion of the construction of the new school.

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When the current building is demolished, it will leave more room for the pool and other park facilities. During the winter, the aquatics facility can be converted to an ice skating rink to continue to generate revenue in the off-season. The city will be without a pool this year. Burnworth Pool cost the city more in repairs that it generated in revenue for the past several years. It would cost $1 million to repair the current pool, which was built 60 years ago for $78,000. Officials are counting on the new facility to generate more money due to its amenities, which include play areas for young children, water slides, a vortex area and competition lanes.

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Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Traffic on U.S. 30 could double with freeway By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Indiana Department of Transportation officials expect traffic to more than double — from 30,000 to 80,000 vehicles per day — on U.S. 30 if proposed changes are made to the highway. INDOT has worked with local officials to devise a plan for U.S. 30 to improve safety and commerce in northern Indiana by turning the four-lane highway into a freeway — meaning there would no longer be stoplights. Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel was one of several elected officials who approached INDOT two years ago after the agency made plans that many didn’t like — Michigan J-turns at intersections, which require vehicles to merge into traffic and then make a U-turn. “That would have been a disaster for our community and Whitley County,” Daniel said. Daniel, and other members of the U.S. 30 Coalition in northern Whitley County, proposed making U.S. 30 into a freeway, with several inter-

changes in Whitley County. “Certainly when people are going one way and there’s on and off ramps with no cross traffic and no stopping — that cuts down on accidents,” Daniel said. By eliminating all stoplights, officials believe the highway will be safer, and it will open up more opportunities for travel, especially between Chicago and Toledo. “If you look at most of the accidents we’ve had on U.S. 30 in the past year, most of them have been at intersections,” Daniel said. Studies by INDOT show that even if no changes are made to U.S 30, the amount of vehicles passing through Whitley County is expected to increase by 8,500 per day by 2020. INDOT had considered building a new highway and bypassing Columbia City, but Daniel said that would be detrimental to local business. Kokomo has three different versions of U.S. 31 — the original highway, a newer U.S. 31 and the newest development. When the highway moved the first time, so did local businesses, leaving a hole of abandoned buildings in the community.

When the highway was rebuilt for the second time, businesses were restricted from moving out to the freeway. “The farther out you move traffic, the more difficult it is to have people come through our community,” Daniel said. The mayor noted Gas City, which is smaller than Columbia City in population, but has some special amenities due to its proximity to Interstate 69, such as a Starbucks. “I’m not saying Starbucks is our ultimate goal, but an interstate can breed commerce that we don’t have now,” Daniel said. Additionally, with no stoplights and likely a higher speed limit, a trip to Fort Wayne or Warsaw could be much quicker for Columbia City residents. Daniel said no official plans have been made, only suggestions given to INDOT, which will make the final call. The city has hosted seven public meetings — three for local businesses and four for local residents — to voice their opinions on the potential changes. Between the seven meetings, Daniel estimates 300-400 people attended.

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Gary Parrett opened Big G’s Sports Cafe 12 years ago, the same place he met his wife, Heather.

PARRETTS from Page 2 Parrett working for the city police department. “He was excited, but I knew he was busy and didn’t want to do it all by myself,” Heather Parrett said. In 2015, Gary Parrett was promoted to captain of the police department. Somehow, the Parretts have found a balance to get everything done. “It’s hard to say how we balance it,” Gary Parrett said. “People ask how I do it, but I can’t say there’s certain things I do — I just do it.” Downtown on the Square has a couple managers, but the Parretts are the lone managers at Big G’s. Heather takes care of the book work and enjoys working behind the scenes, and Gary Parrett maintains the schedules. The Parretts said all of their employees are hard working, and they credit their success to their work. “They will do the job right if we’re there or not,” Heather Parrett said. “It’s easy to leave and know everything will be OK when we get back.” Family connections

Some employees have worked at the restaurants for 10-12 years “I still get teary-eyed at employee meetings,” Gary Parrett said. “Many times, people are with their work family more than their families. That’s how it is with any job. You put in an eight-hour shift and you only get a few hours with your family before bedtime.” Parrett said he encourages positive attitudes in his employees, which carries over to their coworkers and customers. “It’s a domino effect on everyone,” Parrett said. “People have said that it

“

I get pure enjoyment out of helping people.” Gary Parrett

Restaurant owner, CC Police Captain

feels like family when they come to our restaurants.” The family-feel has been evident in recent months when three employees took leave for medical reasons. Rather than replace them, other employees picked up the shifts to keep the positions available if they return. “We didn’t want to replace them if they might come back,” Parrett said. “The other employees knew that if it was them, the other employees would step up and do the same for them. We help each other out. We do it together.” He hopes some of his leadership abilities have spilled over to his work for the police department. “I wanted to become a police officer to help people,” Parrett said. “I went out and did my thing, and tried to do the right thing, always. I just tried to make a difference in the community.” Parrett has supported programs such as the Big G’s three-on-three tournament downtown in the summer, and has also privately helped out families in need. “I get pure enjoyment out of helping people,” Parrett said. “I’ve been there. I’ve been the kid who couldn’t participate in sports because my family couldn’t afford it. I had some families who helped me out when I was growing up, and I’m glad I’m at a point now that I can help. I get pure enjoyment out of helping people.”

ANTS from Page 7

Nicole Minier Editor 260/693-3949 Ext. 2702 nminier@kpcmedia.com

Derreck Stahly Reporter 260/693-3949 ext. 1197 dstahly@kpcmedia.com

To share a story idea, please contact us.

they may require 10 days or more to produce the desired effects.” Of course, good sanitation must also accompany your ant control efforts. You may find that ants are after some dropped and forgotten foodstuff, infesting stored food, or visiting an area with spilled vegetable oil or grease drippings. This may be a good excuse to clean under the stove and refrigerator. You may also need to thoroughly clean cabinets and store what foods may be vulnerable in the freezer, refrigerator or in sealed plastic bags that exclude any possible entry. As an example, you may wish to store bags of sugar in sealed plastic bags.

Carpenter ants can present structural problems for homeowners. Carpenter ants are large black ants, winged or wingless, and up to one-half inch long. Carpenter ants hollow out tunnels and discard the sawdust, while termites actually consume wood. Bennett and Gibb said, “while usually not as serious as termites, they can weaken building structures.” In this case, professional pest control may be needed. Bennett and Gibb said that the secret to control of carpenter ants is direct treatment of the nests. “To prevent carpenter ant invasion, spray foundation walls and adjacent outside

soil with a formulation labeled for this use,” they said. “Exclude ants by sealing cracks and openings on the exterior of buildings, and by keeping overhanging branches trimmed away from the roof line.” If using an insecticide on ants, be sure to note whether it is for indoor or outdoor use, and follow all label instructions. For additional information, consult Bennett and Gibb’s publication on ants at: http://extension. entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-22.pdf. JOHN WOODMANSEE is an extension educator for Whitley and Noble counties.

inwhitleycounty.com • A9

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

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A10 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Chamber plans Legislative session this Saturday Will host Judy, Zay to discuss current events Staff reports COLUMBIA CITY — The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center is slated to host the fourth event in its 2017 series of Chamber Legislative Forums in April. Set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the event will be held on the second floor Council Chambers inside City Hall, 112 S. Chauncey St. in Columbia City. State Rep. Christopher Judy and State Sen. Andy Zay are expected to discuss a variety of current events pertaining to the state legislature, including education. “Through our Chamber Legislative Forums, we believe it is important to provide the environment for meaningful dialog between our Chamber members, the community and our elected representatives,” Whitley

County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jennifer Romano said in a statement. “There is value in facilitating opportunities for open discussion for all involved. This enables everyone to discuss, face to face, issues they’re concerned about. These discussions are also important to our legislators because it allows them to gather immediate, timely feedback from Whitley County’s businesses, nonprofits and residents.” The 2017 Chamber Legislative Forums are sponsored by NIPSCO and the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana. For additional information about the events of the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center, visit WhitleyChamber.com or call 248-8131.

CONTRIBUTED

Quilters name 2017 officers The Whitley County Country Quilters recently selected new officers. From left are: Secretary Janet Reed, Vice President Susan McClish, President Caitlin Ackerman and Treasurer Waneta Bundy. The quilting guild meets the last Tuesday of each month at Grace Lutheran Church in Columbia City. The meeting begins with refreshments at 6 p.m. There is also the option to meet at 4 p.m. to socialize, work on projects or receive assistance with any quilting questions. Annual dues are $12 and quilters of any level, from novice to expert, are welcome. The next meeting is Tuesday, April 25.

TALENT from Page 1 Because of manufacturing and other jobs, Whitley County is experiencing about 3.5 percent unemployment — a drastic decrease from 2009, when it was 14 percent. But, that’s not all good, Myers said. “Economists will tell you that 5 percent unemployment is kind of the sweet spot. That’s enough jobs for everybody, but also enough slack in the economy that people can either find a job or change jobs,” he said. “Now, ideally, if somebody has experience in welding, industrial maintenance or machining, which are kind of the typical manufacturing jobs that we have around here, they could probably walk in two or three places in the county and start next Monday, if not yet this afternoon.”

Needed: people, homes

The lack in qualified employees also means that companies in the area can’t compete with their foreign competitors. Fixing that problem isn’t as easy as it might seem. “Even if we wanted to go out, take a bus out to halfway across the country, and find a place where unemployment is 12 percent, load everybody on the bus and bring them back here, we have a limited amount of housing,” Myers said. Last year, the county had a net increase in population of 41 people. Over the next decade, Whitley County needs to add 15,000 new residents to keep up with the demand for jobs, Myers said. The county should be adding about 1,200 people a year to achieve that goal. However, going from 41 to

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1,200 is not easy. The county is facing two problems: not enough skilled workers and a lack of places for new residents to live. This isn’t the problem that Myers and the EDC expected to have. They thought the biggest issue was figuring out how to train people to do these jobs. The EDC is currently exploring options on how to solve this issue. To start, the EDC is talking to community leaders and asking about who they might know who would be in a position to move to Whitley County. “Do you have kids and grandkids who graduated from college, went off to California, and now they have a family and household of their own?” Myers said. “When they’re home for the holidays, talk to them about how life could be a lot easier if they lived down the street and grandpa or grandma could help.” Creating a quality place

With the lack of population being an important addition to the equation, Myers said they are still looking for answers. “We haven’t figured out the magic bullet yet, and it may not be, I’m sure, one magic bullet, it will be three or four different things to get that amount of growth,” Myer said. Between new apartment complexes and new home construction, Columbia City is adding 150 new housing units in the coming years. Churubusco’s Thresher’s Ridge is also adding an additional 25-30 homes, as well as an apartment complex. Officials also believe the construction of a new Columbia City High School, which will be completed in 2020, will help attract people to Whitley County. Additionally, the city is working on various quality of life projects to make Columbia City a good place to call home. The city is currently fundraising for a $4-million

aquatics facility, which will double as an ice skating rink in the winter. The city is also consistently adding to its Blue River Trail system, which goes from the north side of U.S. 30, through Morsches Park and on to the south west side of the city. Stalled

Several companies in the city are in need of employees now, said Columbia City Community Development Director Jeff Walker. “They said their biggest challenge is with the workforce. The have so many openings, it’s limiting production,” Walker said. “They said if they had the right employees, they could ramp up their work. It’s a very real challenge. If you know someone who is looking, the jobs are there.” KC Jones, formerly C&R Plating is down 19 employees, which is limiting the amount of work that can be completed, said Art Wormet, vice president of KC Jones. Where some companies are looking for skilled workers, Wormet said his manual labor, lower-paying positions are very difficult to keep filled, especially while the unemployment rate is so low. Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel is trying to help address workforce needs where he can, asking questions such as, “How do you see the city helping with addressing your workforce needs?” and “What is the greatest challenge to your workers?” “To say our economy is on a roll is an understatement. As positive as this is, however, it is also a challenge,” Daniel said. “In order to continue economic growth and raise wages, we have to develop and attract talent.” Daniel wants the city’s population to be more than 10,000 residents by 2025. Concerns arise about the age of residents. Studies show that 25 percent of

Whitley County’s population will be over retirement age. “That means a large amount of individuals will be exiting the workforce,” Daniel said. “It also means we have to do a much better job of attracting youth and families into our county and city.” A study by Ball State University indicated that many people choose where they live based on schools and public services. The same study also indicated that job creation doesn’t necessarily lead to population growth. “We have to continue building a community that is attractive for current and future generations,” Daniel said. Daniel plans to do that in Columbia City by focusing on roads and utilities, as well as quality of life projects, such as the aquatics facility, expanding parks and extending trails. The city has a track record of being one of the safest in the state, receiving recognition from several entities. “If Columbia City has a niche, it’s that we are a safe community,” Daniel said. County Commissioner Don Amber believes one thing that might help increase population growth is the introduction of the Whitley County Regional Sewer District, which will help homes outside of city districts get access to sewer systems. The training side of the question isn’t completely answered yet either but a program like Whitley Works can help, Myers said. Whitley Works is bringing business leaders and educators together to enhance students job readiness skills. The program has opened a dialogue between school administrators and the community to discuss what skills are needed in Whitley County’s employees. Read more about Whitley Works on page 11.

Chamber plans ‘Thanks a Bunch Lunch’ Staff reports SOUTH WHITLEY — Every office has that “go-to” person, the one who knows where everything is located, the one who keeps the calendar organized, the person who coordinates the conference room schedule, and keeps the office organized and running efficiently. Once again this year, the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center invites local businesses and nonprofits to celebrate and support those who contribute their time, talent and energy keeping the office in tip-top shape. The 2017 Thanks A Bunch Lunch will celebrate Administrative Professional Day by honoring administrative assistants, personal assistants, volunteers and others with a great lunch, door prizes and more. This year’s celebration will be held on Wednesday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at by: Belle Haven in South Whitley. Sponsors for this year’s event include: 1st Source Bank, IN|Whitley County, Fort Wayne Metals and Preferred IT Group. “The event is designed for any local businesses or nonprofits wanting to celebrate with their staff, volunteers or other special people,” said Jennifer Romano, executive director of the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center. “So often, key staff faithfully do their job day after day and this is the one day when we can show them how much we appreciate all they do every day throughout the year.” Tickets for this annual event are $20 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber at 248-8131 or via email at office@whitleychamber. com. The deadline to RSVP is noon on Friday, April 21.

inwhitleycounty.com • A11

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Educators, local businesses combine for Whitley Works By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Hard working, reliable, self-motivated and teachable — these are just some of the adjectives used by local business professionals and educators to describe their ideal worker. Whitley County business professionals came together in March for the Whitley Works Summit, organized by the three local school systems: Smith-Green, Whitley County Consolidated and Whitko schools. The program Whitley Works was formed because the unemployment rate in Whitley County is about 3.5 percent according to Jon Myers, president of the Economic Development Corporation in Whitley County. The goal of the summit was to find ways to help students better understand their options before they graduate high school. Whitley Works plans to create a certification for students that would show students developed skills businesses consider essential to being a good worker. The summit was funded by a Lilly Endowment Grant. Smith-Green and Whitley County Consolidated applied for the grant together. Whitko applied

for the same grant separately, but the decision was made to join with the other two schools. Local employers are looking for workers with advanced math abilities and reading comprehension, said Rick Farrant, spokesman for Northeast Indiana Works. The manufacturing sector is the largest employer in Whitley County, he added. Over the next decade, Whitley County manufacturing is expected to grow by 25 percent. Adding in all the other sectors with manufacturing, Whitley County has a lot of jobs to fill. “Which means that in the next decade in northeast Indiana, we’re going to have to fill up to 104,290 positions,” Farrant said. In nearly every field, employers need people with strong communication skills and employees need to be self-motivators, said Alisa Deck, director of education workforce cultivation at the Center of Excellence in Leadership and Learning. Schools alone can’t accomplish this task of supplying local employers with the employees they need, said Patricia O’Connor, superintendent of Whitley County Consolidated Schools. “We believe that

CONTRIBUTED

Braden Mullett taking notes for his group during a discussion about skills students need when entering the workforce.

when we lock arms for a common goal for our youth and the future of our county, this exciting and challenging initiative can absolutely be accomplished,” O’Connor said. The summit was a large-scale brainstorming session for local businesses and educators on how to connect students with careers in the community. During the session, Deck created eight small groups. These groups were made up of community leaders, educators and business leaders; their goal, to lay out what makes a good worker.

Council passes resolution to shore up city boundaries By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Columbia City’s Common Council passed a resolution last week to clearly define the city’s boundaries. Community Development Director Jeff Walker said the boundary description has not been updated since 1971. Since that time, the city has completed 15-17 annexations. “Not since 1971 have we had a complete,

S. Whitley garage sales are this month SOUTH WHITLEY — The community of South Whitley will host its annual garage sales April 28-29. For those who don’t have property in South Whitley, the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center is offering booth rental space along Mulberry street — $20 for one day or $25 for two days. Event sponsorships are also available for $75. Contact the Chamber at 248-8131 or email office@ whitleychamber.com.

updated corporate boundary,” Walker said. Walker discussed the project with Planning and Building Director Nathan Bilger, who said the city should have its boundaries well defined before it considers future city growth. “This staves off any potential legal action that would be caused by

that,” Walker said. “This would really be more of a proactive approach to any questions as far as what the existing boundary is.” The most recent city annexation is the area where Quail Ridge is being constructed — near Eagle Glen on State Road 205 — the northeast corner of the city.

Braden Mullett, principal of Eagle Tech Academy, shared his group’s thoughts about workers knowing their parts. “This idea of knowing your role and accepting your role, not everybody gets all the glory, but we all win,” Mullett said. “Every part is important.” The groups were then asked a much harder question: How to teach students these skills to prepare them for their future. The answers were similar from all the groups, but it was clear the room agreed students

need to learn about business opportunities in their community earlier. “I think what we’re seeing, what we see in schools, is if they don’t know they don’t go,” Mullett said. That’s why bringing the businesses presence to the school could be a big benefit to helping kids learn about career opportunities in the area, Mullett said. Such an exchange would show kids that businesses want to invest in them. It was suggested that businesses could create a presentation to highlight what particular skills a

career needed, what the pay was like and how much school was required. Kevin Quickery, vice president and corporate services at Northeastern REMC, highlighted something he hears from students today: “‘What’s in it for me?’ That’s what kids want to know,” he said. According to Deck, what’s in it for the students is a cleaner path to a career that they really want. Not a fouryear degree with which a student can hopefully find a job. O’Connor closed out the summit by saying that if the community works together and can create a network of support, the Whitley Works program will be a success and allow the schools to enhance their curriculum to better assist students. “It’s not going to be a one and done, that’s not the way we do it here,” O’Connor said. “I believe that if we get 200 letters of support and 200 stakeholders in this county that are willing, we will get the attention of the Lilly Endowment.” Anyone who wants to show support and wants to get involved can email Lori Heuer, talent development director at heuerla@ wccsonline.com or by phone at 244-5771.

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Whitley County • April 6, 2017

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Whitley County • April 6, 2017

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A14 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Reaching beyond the wrestling mat

Whitko Columbia City youth club teaches grapplers life skills hosts county Follow the meet

By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Jeremy Lopez, head coach of Columbia City’s youth wrestling club, is focused on more than teaching his grapplers how to win bouts — he’s teaching them life skills they’ll use the rest of their lives. Lopez is in his first year of coaching the wrestlers, who range in grades from elementary to high school. No matter the age, coaches all expect the same from each boy — hard work. “We are building kids into young men,” Lopez said. “We will have parents who say it’s hard to see me work their kids the way I do, but at the end of the day, they know it’s for the best. We’re trying to build good wrestlers, but we’re trying to build good people too.” Lopez said instilling good work ethic and pride are his top goals. “I want them to be proud of who they are and what they’re wrestling for,” Lopez said. Lopez graduated from Columbia City High School in 2008, at the tail end of former coach Randy Kirby’s successful career at CCHS. “Up to that point, we had won eight sectionals in a row,” Lopez said. “After that, things started to slip a little. It wasn’t a matter of the coaching change, but a change in the team overall.” Current head coach Blane Culp was a senior when Lopez was a freshman, and he too experienced the tough practices of coach Kirby. Lopez said Culp was one

Churubusco Eagles

’Busco boys, CC girls win By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

October 23 NICOLE MINIER

Adam Coyle, left, wrestles his V/JV Volleyball ............. Sectional @ Woodlan opponent at the Iron Eagle match in Columbia City. The event featured more than 200 November 6 wrestlers from 10 different NICOLE MINIER states. V/JV Girls Basketball . . . . . .right, . . . . and Scrimmage Coach Pat Krause, Carter Krouse, center, congratulate Northrop of the players he looked up to as Kash Uher on his match at@the Columbia City Iron Eagle wrestling meet, hosted at Indian Springs Middle School last month. a younger wrestler, and is excited

to work alongside him in the club gets them hooked,” Lopez said. more than 200 wrestlers from 10 — a feeder program for the high “It’s also a good way to find out if different states, as far as Washschool team. your child has the heart for it — ington. Lopez and Culp are working not everyone does.” The schools also put together an to get Columbia City back on top During the season, the club elementary wrestling team, which as one of the consistently better wrestles almost every weekend at consists of children from Churuteams in Indiana. an invitational in Indiana — some busco and Whitko schools. About “I run everything past him,” competitions are tougher than 10 wrestlers from the elementary Lopez said. “We’re working others.October 24 team went on to the club team. together to better transition the “I try to go with harder Starting the wrestlers at a November 11 meets wrestlers into high school. I want for a couple weeks, then some young age with the Columbia us to constantly have a good Var.team, Footballthat ..................................... Sectional aren’t as .competitive help City program should make for V/JV Girls Basketball . . . . . . . . to . .Garrett (H) year in and year out.” build their confidence,” Lopez smoother transitions into high Columbia City’s high school said. “It’s a. learning school, especially with Culp JH Boys Basketball . . . against . . . process.” . . . .Woodlan . Angola (H) (A) team has put on a free clinic in the The wrestling club has hosted helping out in practices and past several years, which helped two events — one in February attending club meets. spark interest in the sport. and another in late March, the “I like what coach Culp is “The clinic gets them in and Iron Eagle, which brought in doing,” Lopez said.

Taylor leaves Churubusco for CCHS By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Suzanne Taylor is exiting the gym doors at Churubusco to take the reins of Columbia City’s volleyball team. She is excited for the new challenge. “I am excited about joining a bigger program,” said Taylor. “There seems to be a lot of support from all the coaches and Khelli Leitch (athletic director). I feel that I have all the

resources to do well.” Taylor coached Churubusco for three seasons and led the team in back-to-back sectional runner-up finishes. “I had a really good experience at ’Busco,” said Taylor. “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I first started. But I feel that we got better and better. I had a better understanding of what had to be done to be a better program. I learned

November 12

to really connect with why I’m at Columbia 6thplayers. Gr. Boys Basketball City. . . . I. work . . . . there, Angola the I’m thankful and(A) for my time at ’Busco. I now I won’t have to learned a lot.” commute as much. The Taylor is a Fort Wayne move October 25had nothing to do resident who teaches with Churubusco. It had kindergarten at Little everything to do with Turtle what was best for me,” V/JVElementary VolleyballSchool ............. Sectional @ Woodlan in Columbia City. The said Taylor. location change as a Taylor met with her result of makes sense for new team and has been her. holding open gyms twice “I’ve been driving in a week. According to a giant triangle for these Taylor, she likes what she last few years, and this sees. will make things a lot “I am confident in easier. That’s a big reason my abilities to take this

program and take it to the next step,” said Taylor. “I just need these girls to be all in, which might take some time, but we should get there. These girls are tall and built for volleyball. They have a hunger to learn more and break out of a routine. I think I can provide a new freshness to the practices.” Columbia City will play a series of scrimmages in June and July before starting its season in August.

SOUTH WHITLEY — Columbia City’s girls and Churubusco’s boys were the victors in the annual Whitley County track meet, held at Whitko High School this year. Columbia City’s boys and Whitko’s girls placed second. Alex Scharpenberg won the high jump for Columbia City. Tim Hearld also helped Columbia City by winning both the 400-meter and 200-meter races. Columbia City’s girls track team was dominant, winning both the 3,200-meter and 1,600meter relays. Mariah Schaefer took first place in the 110-meter hurdles. Schafer also took second place in the 300-meter hurdles. First place was won by Churubusco’s Rachel Jacquay, who also won the pole vault. Whitko’s Lyndsey Sapp took first place in shotput and discus. Suzanne Sickafoose also finished in first place for the Wildcats in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter. Burdge won the high jump and long jump for Columbia City. Lillie Oddou won the 1,600-meter and 3,200meter race. Jasmine Early won the 800-meter race. Churubusco’s boys took first place in the 3,200meter and 400-meter races. Columbia City won the 1,600-meter race, but Churubusco came in second to have the advantage in the relay events. Brayden Simmons helped Churubusco in a See TRACK, Page15

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Monday, April 10

Columbia City softball at Marion, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, April 11

Wednesday, April 12

Whitko, Columbia City and Churubusco boys golf at Eel River, 4:30 p.m. Columbia City softball hosts Wawasee, 5 p.m. Columbia City girls track at Norwell, 5 p.m. Columbia City boys track hosts Huntington, 5 p.m.

Columbia City softball at Garrett, 6 p.m. Columbia City girls tennis hosts Manchester, 5 p.m.

SPORTS

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

inwhitleycounty.com • A15

CC boys hoops move to Class 4A By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced new classifications for a couple Whitley County high schools. Churubusco football moved down a class to 1A. Columbia City basketball will compete as a 4A school next season as opposed to 3A. The IHSAA makes every high school in the state go through a classification process every two years to determine in which class a team

’Busco football shifting to Class 1A belongs, based on current enrollment. Churubusco football will most likely play less competitive teams in the postseason due to the class change. The football coach could not be reached for comment. Columbia City, on the other hand, will have to play larger schools in the tournament. Some of the 4A schools may cause a bigger threat than those of 3A. “I would be lying if I

didn’t say I was a little disappointed when I first heard,” said Columbia City Athletic Director Khelli Leitch said. “We’re familiar with the teams in 3A — teams that we’ve been playing in sectionals. We’ll lose a sense of familiarity. Being the smallest school in 4A might change our mental process.” Despite the changes that will make winning games more of a challenge for Columbia City, the Eagles are hopeful in their abil-

ities. “We have to play the cards we’re dealt,” said Leitch. “We’ve had success in Class 4A in the past, so we look forward to having more success in the future. Our coaches will prepare the team to compete to our best ability regardless of class.” The IHSAA has not said which class Columbia City or Churubusco baseball and softball will compete in next season. It has not been announced which other schools will fall in the same sectional as Columbia City. CONTRIBUTED

Kaitlyn Reed stands at the podium at the Indoor State Track Finals in Bloomington.

Wildcat wins state high jump with ‘bum leg’ By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com JUSTIN HUNTER

Nathan Oilar grips on to the pole as he attempts to go over the bar.

JUSTIN HUNTER

Holden Scharfer smiles as he leads the race.

JUSTIN HUNTER

Cassidy Burdge leaps in the air for the long jump.

BLOOMINGTON — Whiko’s Kaitlyn Reed won first place in high jump at the Hoosier State Relay on March 25 at Indiana University. Reed won despite having a shin splint in her left leg. “I wasn’t expecting to get first or anything with a bum leg,” said Reed. “I was only hoping to finish in the top four.” Reed jumped just under than 5 feet, 5 inches in the high jump, which was almost as good result as last season’s best for Reed. “I definitely came home with a smile on my face. I felt great with almost putting up what I did last season. Overall, I thought I performed pretty well considering my jumping

leg was injured,” said Reed. Reed had a lot of unknowns walking into the event. She didn’t know what to think about her injury nor the venue at Indiana University. “I had run outdoors at IU before, but never inside the facilities. I have competed at Purdue before, which that was a lot more spacious. So, it was a little overwhelming, because we went in not knowing how they were going to run things. After I ran the 60-meter, I calmed down a bit and was able to focus on jumping,” said Reed. Reed also uses her jumping skills to be a fierce competitor in volleyball. She has committed to Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.

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TRACK from Page 14 major way when he took first place in discus and second place in shot put, falling to Columbia City’s Gavin Howard. Nick Murphy won the 110-meter hurdles. Murphy also took first place in the 300-meter hurdles. Columbia City’s Heath Atkins won the long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 10 inches.

The 1,600-meter race was taken by Churubusco’s Jacob Eyer, just outrunning teammate Trey Springer by 0.2 seconds. Eyer also won the 800-meter race, with Springer again taking second behind his teammate. Churubusco’s Zach Bultemeier won the 100-meter dash to add to the Eagles’ lead.

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A16 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Whitko sweeps Marion in doubleheader By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

MARION — Whitko baseball defeated Marion twice Saturday. Game one went the Wildcats’ way, 6-2. Whitko proved the first result was not by coincidence as the Wildcats won 6-3 in game two. Senior Alex Bechtold got on the board first for Whitko (3-0) off a wild pitch. Marion (0-3) answered in the bottom of the first inning to make it 1-1. It wasn’t until the fourth inning when the game featured another run. Bechtold hit an RBI single. Senior Drew Bradford also hit an RBI that sent in sophomore Spencer Sroufe. The last run from Marion was in the bottom of the fourth inning. It was too little, too late for the Giants at that point. Whitko scored three runs in the last two innings to cap off the victory. Marion’s only lead of the day came in the second inning of game two, with a 1-0 lead. That was short lived when Whitko answered with three runs scored in the third inning. Senior Landen Goff scored off a single from Bradford. Bechtold was

the next to score, thanks to a single hit by junior Austin Hollowell. Bradford scored the third run off a double steal to home plate. The Giants scored the fourth inning’s lone run. Whitko’s winning run came from Bechtold from an RBI single from Bradford. Whitko head coach Erik Hisner was pleased by what he saw out of his Wildcats in the two games played. “Today was all about our pitching and defense,” said Hisney. “Zach Morris gave us a solid start in game one. I thought he competed very well and was able to work out of a few jams early on until he settled in. And Drew Bradford was a bulldog out of the bullpen. I can’t say enough about what he after entering the game with a one run lead in the fifth inning. “However, the best pitching performance of the day belonged to River West in game two. He was outstanding. His ability to work ahead and change speeds was huge. I didn’t think we swung the bats very well, but we were able to string together enough quality at-bats to win both games.”

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Got Game? Then I’ll be there to cover it.

Hoops players named all-state By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

Sickafoose signing

Whitko’s Suzanne Sickafoose signed her letter of intent to run track for Grace College with parents Sherri Sickafoose and Jeff Sickafoose, along with Whitko athletic director Josh Mohr, Whitko track coach Gary Sims, and Grace College track coach Jeff Raymond.

Whitko mercy rules Churubusco By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

CHURUBUSCOWhitko baseball defeated Churubusco 17-6 last week. The chilly environment served as the Wildcats (1-0) opener. Whitko got the bats swinging right away, as they went up 4-0 after the first inning. Senior Zach Hewitt drove in three runs with a homerun over the right field fence. Hewitt went 2 of 3 at bat, scored two runs and had five RBIs. “It’s always difficult scoring the first run of the season,” Whitko head coach Erik Hisner said. “When he hit the homer, the team felt better and got all the first game jitters out.” Junior Zach Morris also recorded an RBI off his single hit in the first inning. Morris went for 2 of 3, scored a run and recorded three RBIs.

The Wildcats received another run in the second inning when sophomore Spencer Sroufe was hit in by senior Drew Bradford. The Eagles (0-2) got on the board in the second inning. First with junior Dalton Blessing scoring off a throwing error. Junior Isaac Smith also scored due to a throwing error to make the score 5-2. Whitko’s biggest inning came in the third inning, when they scored six runs. Senior Bailey Platt got it started when he scored on a throwing error. Sroufe followed when he was hit in by a double RBI by senior Landen Goff. Goff scored off a single from senior Alex Bechtold, before Bechtold was hit in by a double from Hewitt. Hewitt finished the scoring for the inning when he scored home due to a throwing error. The Wildcats had done

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too much for Churubusco to come back by the middle of the third inning. The Eagles may not have been pleased with the result of being mercy ruled after the sixth inning, but Churubusco head coach Jason Pierce was content with the progress his young players made. “I’m not disappointed,” said Pierce. “I know the scoreboard doesn’t look too good in our favor, but I’m upbeat last night we were not swinging the bats. We were much more aggressive at the plate. Bottom line in we grew up a bit overnight. We made big strides today in my opinion.” Hisner was pleased with his team’s performance. According to Hisner, he may have not seen a better game from the Wildcats during his tenure at Whitko. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years now, and that’s the best we’ve ever swung the bat,” said Hisner. “So, I’m really pleased with how we played tonight.” Whitko’s starting pitcher Bradford recorded four strikeouts. Closer Alex Robbins also threw four strikeouts.

WHITLEY COUNTY — Churubusco’s Jalen Paul, Dakota Barkley, Columbia City’s Parker Hazen and Whitko’s Nate Walpole were selected to be on Indiana’s small school all-state list. Churubusco was helped by Paul and Barkley to win Churubusco’s first sectional championship in its 99-year history. Walpole scored a Whitko team high of 616 points this season, including 79 threepointers, 110 field goals, and 159 free throws. Parker Hazen scored 416 points for Columbia City this season. Hazen raked in 192 rebounds and recorded 56 assists in the season. Paul led Churubusco with 574 points in the season. He also led the team in steals with 99 and 8.4 assists per game. Paul came to Churubusco before his senior year along with his father, head coach Chris Paul. The Canterbury transfer averaged 22.1 points a game for the Eagles. Barkley scored 497 points for the Eagles this season. He also accounted for 184 rebounds, 39 steals and 20 blocks.

Lady Eagles claw New Haven early By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

NEW HAVEN — The Churubusco softball team outscored New Haven 20-5 in just five innings Wednesday. The Eagles (2-1) had their best at bats in the first inning when they outscored the Bulldogs 12-1. After the first inning, New Haven was too far in the hole to come close to making a comeback. The most competitive the Bulldogs were able to make it was in the second inning, when both teams scored one run. The Eagles’ exclamation point was in the sixth inning, when Churubusco scored six runs to New Haven’s three.

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inwhitleycounty.com • A17

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

SPRING BREAK SNAPSHOTS

CONTRIBUTED CONTRIBUTED

Siblings Eli Patrick, Ethan Patrick, Kyndalyn Patrick, Megan Baxter, Addison Baxter and Ryan Baxter took a long drive to South Padre Island to enjoy their spring break, and celebrate Eli’s and Kyndalyn’s 10th and second birthdays.

CONTRIBUTED

Siblings Jenna Pittenger, left, Callen Motter, front, and Mackenzie Pittenger enjoy fresh coconuts in Cozumel, Mexico.

NICOLE MINIER

Allan Scutt has fun with his daughter, Libby, at Every Kids Dreamland in Columbia City.

NICOLE MINIER

Elizabeth, left, and Isabelle Royal help their little sister, Trinity, play on the equipment at Every Kids Dreamland.

WHITLEY COUNTY CRIMINAL CHARGES COLUMBIA CITY — The following people were charged in Whitley County Superior Court: • Nicholas Beverforden was arrested March 29 by the Churubusco Police Department, charged with possession of marijuana. •Wade Beck, 21, of South Whitley, was charged with possession of a synthetic drug. •Michael Platter, 25, of Columbia City, was charged with possession of a synthetic drug. •Amber Parker, 28, of Fort Wayne, was charged with Driving while suspended and speeding. • Travis Lepper, 25, of Columbia City, was arrested March 31 by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, charged with intimidation, invasion of privacy and possession of maraijuana. • Monique Bogart, 20, of Columbia City, was arrested March 31 by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, charged with possession of a synthetic drug, visiting a common nuisance and possession of parapher-

NICOLE MINIER

Daniel Hartman plays with friends at Every Kids Dreamland in Columbia City.

Friends Raegan Pratt (left) and Jadyn Forrester made a stop for a University of South Carolina softball game during their drive to South Carolina’s beaches with their families.

nalia. • Amanda Arthur, 28, of Columbia City, was arrested April 1 by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, charged with possession of marijuana. • Kelsee Groce, 27, of Columbia City, was arrested April 1 by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, charged with possession of narcotic drug and possession of hypodermic needles. • Christopher Stahlman, 40, of South Whitley, was arrested April 1 by the South Whitley Police Department, charged with OWI, endangering a person, OWI per se and driving left of center. • Bobby Herrick, 29, of Syracuse, was arrested April 2 by the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, charged with battery resulting in bodily injury and driving while suspended. • Adam Geiselman, 32, of Columbia City, was arrested April 3 by the Columbia City Police Department, charged with theft.

CONTRIBUTED

The Mapes family is traveling in Arizona for spring break. Pictured at the Grand Canyon, from left, are Zach, Rebecca, Kylie and Aubree Mapes.

Personal police scanners may need reprogrammed soon By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — If you own a police scanner, you may need to have it reprogrammed soon. The state will be making a changeover to a new radio system, which is expected to be installed

in early April. When that changeover happens those who have home police scanners that use the digital, 800 mHz system, will likely need to have their scanners reprogrammed, Emergency Management Director Amy Biggs said.

“If residents only listen to fire departments and the sheriff’s department, most of their traffic will remain on the VHF system, and no changes will be necessary,” Biggs said. Those who monitor other agencies, such as the Columbia City Police

Department, Indiana State Police and Department of Natural Resources, will need their software updated, which can cost up to $150. Whitley County is the last county in the state to be updated with the new system, called P25.

County Council discusses human resource salary, part-time position By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — With 170 full-time employees, Whitley County may be ready to add an additional position to its human resource department. Typically, one human resources director is needed per 100 employees, said Councilman Kim Wheeler during Tuesday’s County Council meeting. Based on this scale, the county is ready to add a parttime position to the department, said County Commissioner George Schrumpf.

Whitley County Commissioners previously approved the addition of the part-time position and a raise for the human resource director’s base salary. County council tabled both issues Tuesday. Currently, the human resources director position, held by Pamela Smith, has an annual salary of less than $50,000. After surveying other counties, the personnel committee recommended the new base salary be $58,262. “We did a survey of HR directors in the area, and the average that the

HR directors, comparable to this would be in the $70,000-$80,000 range,” Schrumpf said. “Because of the fact that we don’t have that in the budget for 2017, the commissioners decided that, if the council approved that, we would be able to take that $8,933 out of ceded funds for this year until it (the raise) could be budgeted for the 2018 year.” Councilman Jim Bayman questioned the justification for a raise and also raised concerns with funding a raise as well as an unbudgeted part-time position. Coun-

cilman Chad Banks suggested that some of the current director’s duties be delegated to another position to help in the meantime. Councilman Bill Overdeer made a motion to approve the salary increase and the addition of the part-time position but his motion died for lack of a second. Overdeer made an additional motion, to approve only the salary increase for the HR Director position but that too died without being seconded. Bayman suggested the council revisit the issue during budget time.

A18 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Health Dept. to offer free opioid overdose kits By Nicole Minier

In a recent meeting, Scott Wagner, of the Whitley County Health Department, said the kits will be available for free to any resident who goes through the proper training.

nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Whitley County’s Health Department will be receiving 40 Naloxone kits from the Indiana Health Department.

“Our nurses will be teaching a class for those,” Wagner said. “They can go to anyone in the public, such as a family member of a user.” Naloxone, also known as

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“People are paying hundreds of dollars for epipens, and they’re giving away Narcan,” Amber said. “There seems to be something totally wrong with that scenario.”

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inwhitleycounty.com • A19

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Community Calendar older how to find a pen pal and write a letter. Supplies are provided. • Columbia City’s Redevelopment Commission will meet at noon at the City Council Chambers.

Include news of your group, too

Send news of your group to nminier@kpcmedia.com by April 8 for the April 13 issue. Items will be selected and edited as space permits.

APR.

6 7 8

12 13 14 15

April 7 • Columbia City United Methodist Church will host a rummage and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church, 605 Forest Parkway. • Peabody Public Library will be showing new children’s movie, “Sing,” at the library at 2 p.m. • Whitley County’s Chamber of Commerce will host a GROW Network meeting at Brew’ha in Columbia City from 8-9 a.m.

April 13 • Columbia City’s Rotary Club will host its annual Easter egg hunt at Morsches Park at 6 p.m. • South Whitley’s library board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the library.

April 9 • Peabody Public Library will host an EGGstravaganza! Egg decorating contest for all ages. Bring in your decorated egg or egg-themed craft by 5 p.m. The items will be publicly displayed and voted on through April 15. There will be first- and second-place winners for children, young adults and adults.

10 11

April 6 • South Whitley’s library will host a beginning rug hooking class, which includes a beginner’s kit, for $12. Participants should bring scissors and a 10-inch hoop. The class begins at 6 p.m.

April 12 • South Whitley library will host bingo with prizes for winners at noon. • Peabody Public Library’s regular monthly board meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

April 8 • The Whitley County 4-H Ag Museum Benefit Breakfast will be held from 7-10 a.m. at the museum. The all-you-can-eat meal includes sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes and drinks. • The YMCA Easter Egg Extravaganza will be held from 9:30-11 a.m. The free event includes crafts, a drawing contest and the Easter story. The Whitley County Family YMCA is located at 950 E. Van Buren St., Columbia City. • Art in the Alley in downtown Columbia City will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Saturday each month. Whitley County and area artists will have their artwork on display for purchase. • Churubusco Public Library will hosts two movies: “Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them,” at 1:30 p.m. and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” at 4 p.m. Churubusco’s library is located at 116 N. Mulberry St. • The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce will host its Legislative Update Series in the council chambers at Columbia City’s City Hall at 9:30 a.m. There is no cost to attend the event, which will feature State Sen. Andy Zay and State Rep. Christopher Judy, who will discuss current issues, including education.

April 10 • Churubusco’s Library Board will host its regular meeting at 6 p.m. April 11 • Churubusco’s Lions Club will host its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Brevin’s. • South Whitley’s Town Council will host its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. • Columbia City’s Common Council will meet at 6 p.m. for its regular meeting. • Peabody Public Library will host correspondence night at 4:30 p.m., teaching those 18 years and

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April 14 • Whitley County’s Chamber of Commerce will host its GROW Network meeting at Brevins in Churubusco from 8-9 a.m.

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April 15 • South Whitley’s Lions Club will host an Easter egg hunt at 1 p.m. at South Whitley Elementary School. • Passages Inc. is hosting a 5K race at Morsches Park in Columbia City. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 8 a.m. Early registration, through April 7, is $20. Day-of registration is $25. Register online at passagesinc.org/passages-5k. • Christ Community Church in Churubusco will host its mEGGa Easter Egg hunt at 2:30 p.m. at the town park. The event will also feature games, facepainting and more. • Big Lake Church of God will host a community breakfast and egg hunt for Easter. The pancake breakfast begins at 9 a.m. and kids activities start at 10 a.m. There will be crafts, face paintings and a photo booth. Big Lake Church of God is located at the intersection of State Road 109 and County Road 700N.

April 17 • The Whitley County Commissioners will meet for their regular meeting at 1 p.m. at the Government Center. • Smith-Green Community Schools will host its regular board meeting at 7 p.m. • Whitley County Consolidated Schools will host its regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m. • Whitko Community Schools will host its regular board meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 18 • The South Whitley Lions Club will gather for its regular meeting at 7 p.m. at the South Whitley Town Hall. • The Whitley County Council on Aging will host its travel show at 6 p.m. at the Woodlands Senior Center, located on Opportunity Drive in Columbia City. • The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce will host its Community Conversation, asking “What do you want?” at Stir Crazy in Columbia City from noon-1 p.m. Attendees will discuss questions such as: What amenities or businesses would you like to see here? Can our community support this? What obstacles do you see for future growth? What do you feel

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April 19 • The Hoosier Antique Road Show will be available at the South Whitley library at 6 p.m. Attendees may bring two items apiece for review. The library requests attendees RSVP before bringing items. April 20 • The Center for Whitley County Youth will host its annual Cook-Off event at First Church of God at 6 p.m. The annual event serves as a fundraiser for The Center. • Chris Garau will host an informative session for autism advocacy at Peabody Public Library at 5:30 p.m. April 21 • The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce will host its GROW Network meeting at South Whitley’s library from 8-9 a.m. April 22 • The Turtle Days Association will host the 8th annual Tom Fletcher Memorial Texas Hold’em tournament at the American Legion. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the tournament starts at 2 p.m. sharp. The cost is $25 with a payout for the top five. Pizza will be served and drinks may be purchased. Proceeds go to the Tom Fletcher Scholarship, which is awarded to a Churubusco student. • The Whitley County Extension Homemakers will host their annual spring garage sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Setup is Friday from 3-7 p.m. Space rental is $20 each. The event will be held at the Whitley County 4-H Center on Squawbuck Road. For more information, call Barb Overdeer at 244-5210. • Peabody Public Library will host its annual Battle of the Books event for elementary, middle and high school students, starting at 9:30 a.m. April 25 • Columbia City’s Common Council will meet for its regular meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall. • South Whitley’s Town Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. for its regular meeting. • Churubusco’s Lions Club will host its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Brevin’s. • Author Margaret Hobson will visit the South Whitley library to talk about her series of books featuring Indiana’s 44th Regiment, which includes soldiers from Whitley County. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. • The Whitley County Extension Homemakers will host its Spring Fling at the Whitley County 4-H Center at 1 p.m. The cost is $2 and the program will discuss quilts. Reservations are due by April 18. • The Whitley County Country Quilters will hold their regular meeting at 6 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Columbia City. The meeting begins with refreshments at 6 p.m. Quilters also meet at 4 p.m. to socialize, work on projects or receive assistance with any quilting questions.

MORE ONLINE See the events section at INWhitleyCounty.com.

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A20 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

inwhitleycounty.com • A21

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

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160 lbs

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PACKAGE #4: #1 BEST SELLER FAMILY PACK - YEAR ROUND FOOD PLAN

PACKAGE #2: 260 lbs. Pack

100 lbs

-You Receive -

EXAMPLE:

MIX & MATCH: 160 LBS BEEF LOIN AND RIB AT $1.78 LB + $286.40 PLUS 100 LB BONUS 1A, 1B, 3E, 3F, 3O. AVERAGE WEIGHT: 160-360 LBS

GAS DISCOUNT TO ALL OUT OF TOWN CUSTOMERS.

D c B A E F G

PLEASE CA LL STOR FOR DETAEIL S

All meat cut on premises by appt. only. All total dollar prices based on minimum weights. Beef is not a manufactured item. Weights will vary. Free steaks based on 4 oz. portions. All free items with purchase only. .30¢ per lb. cutting and wrapping on all orders. All beef sold hanging weight. To ensure freshness, all hanging cattle ordered upon request.

USDA BEEF • Ribeye Steak • Rib Steak • Club Steak • Chuck Steak • Swiss Steak • Chuck Roast • Arm Roast • Ground Beef & More

ONLY YOURS TO KEEP

INCLUDES • 5 lb. Bacon • 5 lb. Sausage • 5 lb. Pork Chops as low as • 5 lb. Ham • 5 lb. Pork Steak • 5 lb. Pork Roast per week for 26 weeks • 30 lb. Asst. Chicken

975

-You Receive -

EXAMPLE:

60 lbs

MIX & MATCH: 150 LBS BEEF CHUCK AND RIB AT $1.69 LB=$253.50 PLUS 60 LB BONUS 1A, 1B, 3E, 3F, 3O. AVERAGE WEIGHT: 150-350 LBS

10000 OFF

During This Sale On Package 1, 2, 4 Or Freezer, Your Choice

Steakland Angus Beef Outlet

7.0 Cubic Foot Freezer

PACKAGE #3: 210 lbs. Pack

150 lbs

NO FREEZER? NO PROBLEM!

with 300 lb. beef purchase and coupon

FRE 20 Top S E during th irloin is even t

1120 Dehner Drive, Ossian, IN

260-622-6392

PRICES INCLUDE DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION!

(260)622-6392

Limit 1 coupon per customer with purchase of 300 lbs. of beef or more your choice . All meat out by appointment only. Please call ahead.

PRICES INCLUDE DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION!

SPRING TIME IS PLANTING TIME! Flowering Pear (12’) $395

Maples (20’) Starting at $595

Norway Spruce (10’) $650

Redbud (6-7’) $350

Largest selection - Lowest Price - Premium Quality - Superior Service

White Spruce (6’) 3 for $895

Red/Pin Oaks (14’) $495

Birch (10-12’) $375

Emerald Green Aborvitae (6’) 10 for $1,575

Many, Many Other Sizes and Varieties Available! Fort Wayne Trees

See You at the Farm!

7195 E. SR 14, Columbia City, IN 46725 Exit 305B

14 69 7 Miles West of 1-69 on Illinois Road

(260) 625-8080 www.fortwaynetrees.com

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

A22 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

3 OFF

$ 00

18 Holes of Golf

Must present coupon. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 7/1/17. Times Publications

518 HolesOFF of

$ 00 Must Present Coupon. Expires 5/15/17.

Must Present Coupon. Expires 5/15/17.

Golf with Cart

Must present coupon. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 7/1/17.

BE PREPARED!

Times Publications

We install home standby generators. Call today for a FREE estimate.

24-Hour Emergency Service!

Golf Outing Packages Available

79.95

Visit us at: www.eagleglengolfonline.com or call us at 260-248-4653 Check out our website for daily specials and unbelievable savings! Wi-Fi Available

classic_caterer

Tune-up Special

Limit one coupon per person. Must present coupon at time of service. Expires 5/23/17.

Classic Catering at Eagle’s Nest Event Center

Looking for a deal?

260-744-4343

Any Water Heater Installation

Weekly & Weekend Rates

Banquets, Concerts, Social Events, Weddings & Receptions, Christenings, Business and Press Conferences, Seminars, Office Parties

9410 Airport Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46809

100 OFF

Great Rates!

129 S. Eagle Glen Trail, • Columbia City, IN 46725 Pro Shop (260) 248-4653

Limit one coupon per person. Must present coupon at time of service. Expires 5/23/17.

SPRING SALE

TRADE IN SALE 22” RECYCLER

Time Cutter

0% Financing

www.toro.com

Available*

42” Zero Turn Mower Model#74720 Retail $2499 SALE $2299 SPECIAL

2199

29995

with trade

Model #20376

Mow Like the Pros

22” RECYCLER

50” Zero Turn Mower Model#74731 Retail $3199 SALE $2999 SPECIAL

Model #74731

PRO CONSUMER MX TIMECUTTER®

2899

Personal Pace

35995

with trade

Model #20332

MY RIDE HD TIMECUTTER®

SUPER RECYCLER

Suspension Platform for Smoother Ride 24.5 HP ZTR 60” Fabricated Mower Retail $4499 SPECIAL

Personl Pace 5 Year Warranty Retail $599

48”-54”-60” Fabricated Mower as low as

49995

4999 SAVE

4199

Model #74777

Self-Propelled High Wheel Retail $349.95

Model #75213

$300

with trade

Model #20381

THE TORO® SELECTION YOU NEED. BACKED BY THE SERVICE YOU DESERVE.

FREE

FORT WAYNE, IN West

Hwy 14 • Near I-69

(260) 432-9438

North

Hwy 3 • Near I-69

DELIVERY

(260) 489-9751

1-888-284-9606 www.muttonpower.com Mon. - Fri. 8-6 • Sat. 8-3

with Zero Turn Mowers

*To qualified buyers

Check our website for additional savings on Toro. Expires 4/30/17.

inwhitleycounty.com • A23

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

Just 7 miles north of Fort Wayne ~ off Hwy. 33

~ Weekday Special ~ $27.00 18 holes with cart Open Play, Leagues & Outings COLD BEER SOLD HERE 1265 North 950 East • Churubusco, IN 46723 (260) 693-3464 www.eelrivergolfcourse.com

WOULD YOU DARE to believe that anyone can try the Tri? Beginner-friendly • Individual or Team Combos

NIE

Newspaper In Education

Newspapers In Education

Newspaper In Education

spaper In Education

NIE

Newspapers In Education

SATURDAY, JULY 22 BIXLER LAKE • KENDALLVILLE

tary Club of Ro

Newspaper In Education

Proceeds willNIE help fund the KPC Newspapers In Education NE program for schools in Noble, nie and Steuben, LaGrange DeKalbNIE counties.

allvill , Indi e

THE CITY OF

Kendallville

KPCtriathlon.com

For sponsor information, call Vi Wysong at 260-347-0400 x 1161 or email vwysong@kpcmedia.com

Plant Center Coupon

Double Red

Knock Out Rose 3 gal. Reg. 34 $

NOW JUST 9431 W. US Hwy. 24, Fort Wayne, IN

• • • • • • • •

260-432-7370

Trees (1/4 mile west of Coventry) Shrubs Perennials Visit Us For All Garden Tools Of Your Lawn And Mulch Garden Needs Fertilizer Store Hours: Roses M-F 8 am-6 pm • Saturday 8 am-5 pm Lawn Décor Sunday 10 am-4 pm

Save $10

Plant Center Coupon

Norway Spruce 18-24” • 3 gal. Reg. $3499

Short Graft

Weeping Cherry 7 gal. Reg. $12999

Must present coupon. Not valid with other offers. Cash and carry only. Does not include White, Yellow or Pink. Expires 5/23/2017.

NOW JUST

Plant Center Coupon

NOW JUST

Plant Center Coupon

Fortify Turf Builder Covers 5,000 sq. feet

Reg. $1999

NOW

Limit 5

No Hold Backs. Must present coupon. Not valid with other offers. Cash and carry only. Expires 5/23/2017.

While supplies last

1299 While supplies last

No rain checks. Must present coupon. Cash and carry only. Expires 5/23/2017.

A24 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • April 6, 2017

WHERE FOOD AND FRIENDS BECOME FAMILY THURSDAY NIGHT All-You-Can Eat Spaghetti FRIDAY NIGHT All-You-Can Eat Fish SATURDAY NIGHT Dinner Specials SUNDAY Breakfast Served All Day 602 S. Main Street, Columbia City

(260) 244-6388 Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Mon.-Wed. 5:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. 5:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Sun. 5:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Fine Dining • Lunch and Dinner

Full Bar with Yuengling on Tap 111 South Main Street Downtown Columbia City Owners: Heather and Gary Parrett

260-244-4011

Hours: Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.