Archive - Oct 2012
October 18th
COLUMBIA CITY â Authorities are investigating the cause of a fatal accident on U.S. 30 Wednesday morning.
James Priest, 37, of Bay City, Mich., was killed in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 30 and CR 300 E. after the truck he was driving hit the back of a stopped semi at approximately 9 a.m.
According to police, Priest, who was headed westbound, made little or no attempt to stop before hitting the semi in front of him, driven by Thomas Dye of West Virginia.
âThereâs no evidence that he hit the brakes at all,â Whitley County Sheriffâs Department Chief Deputy Marcus Gatton said.
COLUMBIA CITY â With the realm of technology playing a vital role in education, Whitley County Consolidated School Corporation teachers and administrators have developed a curriculum based on the National Education Technology Standards (NETS).
âThese standards were developed by the International Society for Technology in Education and they teach students to become proficient in problem solving, critical thinking and creativity through the use of technology,â said Indian Middle Springs School Principal Jan Boylen.
Brad Wolfe was sworn in as a Whitley County Plan Commission member at the boardâs regular meeting Wednesday night. Wolfe was appointed to the post on Monday by the Whitley County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners appointed Wolfe to replace former president of the plan commission, Dave Schilling who was removed from the board by the county commissioners in September. The nine-member county plan commission also includes Chairman Brandon Forrester, Vice-Chairman Dave Addison, Secretary Doug Wright, Bill Auer, John Johnson, Kenny Kerch, Paula Reimers and George Schrumpf.
COLUMBIA CITY Ââ Dillon Sheiss is not your typical 10-year old. This Northern Heights fifth grader is a CEO of sorts for The Jack Patch, Dillonâs own produce business specializing in a variety of pumpkins and gourds.
This is Dillonâs fifth year growing pumpkins. Kelley Sheiss, Dillonâs mother, said his interest in the orange squash took root in Pennsylvania.
CHURUBUSCO â A public work session began Mondayâs meeting of the Smith-Green Community Schoolsâ Board of School Trustees, where the board discussed two main topics â procedures for the employment of a new superintendent and the process of replacing board members Mike Sturgis and Gary Smith.
Ralph Bailey has been interim superintendent since his predecessor, Steve Darnell, resigned during the summer. The board hopes to fill the position by January, 2013 â June at the latest.
FORT WAYNE â The Columbia City Lady Eagle volleyball teamâs season came to an end Wednesday night at the hands of the Fort Wayne Snider Lady Panthers in the opening round of IHSAA Sectional play.
The Eagles fell by a 25-12, 25-21, 25-22 score in a match that turned very competitive after the first game.
Karen Marie Dafforn, 67, a resident of rural Churubusco and wife of Donald W. Dafforn, passed away at 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, at the Kingston Care Center in Fort Wayne. She had been in declining health since May.
Mrs. Dafforn was born Jan. 25, 1945, in Smith Township, the daughter of Luther âBusâ and Vera E. (Brown) Duncan. She spent her formative years there, and graduated from Churubusco High School in 1963.
Employed as a special needs school bus driver for Smith-Green Community Schools for 29 years, she retired from there in 2008.
October 17th
PIERCETON â The Board of Trustees for Whitko Community School Corporation is preparing for board positions to be filled.
Come November, three school board seats will be up for re-election and the candidates were on hand Monday night for a public forum to discuss their stance on the issues facing Whitko Community Schools.
District One, which includes both Washington and Monroe Townships in Kosciusko County, has two candidates, Georgia Tenney and Phil Menzie.
Georgia Tenney â District 1
CHURUBUSCO â The Whitley County Board of Commissioners meeting, held Monday in the Churubusco High School auditorium, was a chance for the commissioners to introduce themselves and give the students in the audience political advice.
âI want to leave you with this impression,â said County Commissioner Tom Rethlake. âItâs important for young people to get involved in politics. You need to push all the muddy water aside and say âHey, thatâs something I might be interested in.ââ
COLUMBIA CITY â An original play is set to be performed at Columbia City High School November 10-11. âIt just so happens that this play has a military story line and we are performing it on Veteranâs Day,â said Drama Director Shane Barkley.
The two-act play, âOnce Upon a Town,â takes place during both World War II and the War in Afghanistan. The showâs plot centers around a train depot in North Platte, Neb. During the world war, troop trains traveled across the country and stopped in North Platte for short breaks.
