Archive - Nov 2010
November 19th
COLUMBIA CITY — Newell Cerak was the keynote speaker for the Whitley County Youth for Christ’s “Piece Rally” 2010 at the Eagle’s Nest Event Center Thursday evening. Cerak is the father of Whitney Cerak, who was misidentified after a truck-van accident on I-69 in April, 2006 when she was a freshman at Taylor University in Upland.
November 18th
FORT WAYNE — Does a dead cat bounce? Economists would say yes, but not because they tried it with a real cat.
The theory is that if you have a live cat and a dead cat and you drop them both off a building, the dead cat will bounce higher than the live cat. Or, the longer and deeper the recession, the stronger and more robust recovery there will be when it hits bottom, as opposed to a shallow recession with a shallow recovery, or the “live cat.”
By BECKY HAND
Community editor
WHITLEY COUNTY — A new group is organizing meals for those down on their luck, by a new church which meets in the Ag Museum, “The Warehouse.”
Called “The Forklift” the meals will be served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays at The Center for Whitley County Youth, 201 W. Market Street, Columbia City.
“Jeff Wike has worked tremendously for us,” said organizer Hank Workman. They had to bring the kitchen up to Health Department standards which required quite a bit of renovation. But the work is done, inspection completed and they are ready to serve.
Whitley County’s proposed wind power ordinance isn’t dead, but it has fallen into a coma.
And the responsibility for inducing the proposal’s deep sleep falls on a determined citizenry, articulate lawyers and an error in judgment by a county plan commissioner.
More than 200 people crowded the sweltering lower level meeting room in the Whitley County Government Center, some having to listen to the proceedings out in the hall, as eight members of the nine-member board listened to public input on the controversial Whitley County Wind Ordinance.
Police in Whitley County, as well as U.S. Marshals are on the lookout for a local convicted sex offender who is wanted for more sex-related charges.
DeWayne E. Stewart, 47, is wanted in Whitley County for child seduction and failing to register as a sex offender.
Stewart has a prior conviction for sexual misconduct with a minor, according the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.
The Whitley County Prosecuting Attorney’s office filed charges of child seduction May 24 and issued a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender on July 28.
It’s speed that has gotten both Churubusco (12-1) and No. 1 Lafayette Central Catholic (13-0) to be one of the last four teams remaining in class A high school football in Indiana.
Friday night, the speed of two teams ranking in the top 10 all season will come together for a chance at a state finals appearance.
November 17th
PIERCETON — With the referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot for a tax levy increase unsuccessful for the Whitko Community School Corporation, superintendent Steve Clason commented on the outcome to board members Monday evening.
“It was unsuccessful and it was soundly defeated,” Clason said. “We will move forward as we said (and the board said) with the reduction of $1.26 million and 27 staff members.”
Clason does not foresee any further reductions for this year, with hopes that the Indiana Legislative Assembly will put their dollars to appropriate use.
The WCCS School Board has found two ways by which to save the taxpayers money. The Eagle Tech project is a serious undertaking but board members are working with the city to replace a water main that will provide a sprinkler system for Eagle Tech at the Marshall Center.
The board’s original plan included a water main that would run along Walnut Street. The city had planned to install one running up Elm Street. The board can hook up to the city’s water main, paying only for the pipe it will take to connect to Eagle Tech—for a fee less than $5,000.
COLUMBIA CITY — In Monday night’s WCCS School Board meeting, board members listened to Tony Zickgraf’s explanation of plans to conduct a storm sewer study.
By hiring DLZ, Inc., out of South Bend, results are expected to be threefold: (1) measure outlets, inlets, manhole elevations, and hydraulic systems; (2) determine what capacity the system could handle in a 10-, 20-, 50-, or even 100-year “rain event;” and (3) provide up to three suggestions for improvement.
COLUMBIA CITY — The plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Whitley County Council has dropped the suit, according to County Attorney Dan Sigler.
Sigler told the Whitley County Commissioners on Monday that the suit was dropped.
The plaintiff, Steve Sickafoose of South Whitley explained Tuesday part of the reasoning for the decision to drop the suit.
“A taxpayer was going to have to pay for it (the suit) and it was going to come down to nothing more than a slap on the hand and a ‘don’t do that again.’”
