www.thepapersonline.com
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties nties Know Your Neighbor. . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mentone Egg Festival . . . . 6-7 Graduations 9-11 Vol. 52, No. 49
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
Boating is more fun when it’s done safely
%(,1* 6$)( ³ $ IDPLO\ HQMR\V D GD\ RQ WKH ODNH ZKLOH SOD\LQJ LW VDIH :KLOH ,QGLDQD ODZ GRHV QRW UHTXLUH WKRVH RQ D PRWRUERDW WR ZHDU D OLIH YHVW WKHVH SHRSOH DUH &RQÀUPLQJ WKHUH DUH HQRXJK OLIH MDFNHWV IRU HYHU\RQH RQ ERDUG LV VRPHWKLQJ FRQVHUYDWLRQ RIÀFHUV ORRN IRU ZKHQ SDWUROLQJ DUHD ODNHV 3KRWR SURYLGHG E\ ,QGLDQD 'HSDUWPHQW RI 1DWXUDO 5HVRXUFHV %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 (GLWRU The sun is shining, the piers are in and many are jumping into their boats to spend a day on the water at any one of the county’s many lakes. But before you take that pontoon out, are you certified to drive a boat? Do you know how to handle a boat safely? The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recommends anyone new to boating take a boating safety course. Indiana law requires anyone age 15, who will be operating a motorboat or personal watercraft, but does not have a valid driver’s license, pass a boating safety course. The DNR will be hosting two boating safety classes in the area, 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 2-3, at the North Webster Community Center, 301 N Main St., North Webster; and 6-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 21-22, at Patona Bay Marina, 162 EMS T33 Lane, Leesburg. The class at Patona Bay Marina is sponsored by the Lake Tippecanoe Women’s Association, Lake Tippecanoe Property Owners Association and The Watershed Foundation. To register for the class at the North Webster Community Center, visit register-ed.com/events/register/194207. To register for the Patona Bay class, visit register-ed.com/events/ view/193507. At press time there were still openings for both classes. Sgt. Ashlee Jackson, public information officer for District 1 of the IDNR, pointed out public boating classes are free, while there is a fee for the online course. Jackson said the DNR typically holds two to three public courses in Kosciusko County, depending on requests. Usually there are two or three public courses and then the DNR is asked to do a couple of courses for the Amish community. “Those are exactly the same, except they’re held in an Amish barn,” Jackson said. The boating safety course covers everything from being able to identify the parts of a motorboat to being able to tie nautical knots. Sailboats and personal watercraft are reviewed as well. The course reviews getting out on the water, safe navigation and what Indiana law requires. Indiana legal requirements for boating is the largest section covered in the boating education study guide found online.
It covers everything from proper boater registration to protecting the environment through the proper disposal of waste, oil and trash to the legal penalties for driving a motorboat or personal watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Safety equipment is also discussed. Having a life jacket on board for everyone onboard is important. Jackson said it’s one thing conservation officers look for when on patrol. Boaters need to make sure their life jacket fits properly and can do that by checking inside the jacket for the Coast Guard stamping, which has a weight and chest size the jacket will fit. Legally boaters are not required to wear a life jacket when out Continued on page 5
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