inwhitleycounty.com
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Staff report COLUMBIA CITY — It’s time for spring cleaning. Columbia City residents will be able to take advantage of the city’s biannual citywide trash pick-up April 28 and May 5. Residents living on the west side of the city will have their “junk” picked up April 28, and the east side will be collected May 5. The city is divided down Main Street. All trash will be picked up in the same location as regular trash collection. Items should not be put out prior to two weeks before the scheduled pick-up. There is no charge for the following special items: stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, dishwashers, refridgerators, air conditioners, freezers, batteries and any other appliances. Those items will be picked up during the week of May 1, but residents must call City Hall at 248-5100 to be put on the list for special pick-up. Residents must call by April 21 to have special items collected. No computers, VCRs, TVs or monitors will be picked up. Those items can be taken to the Whitley County Solid Waste center at 701 S. Line St. No bricks or concrete will be allowed. Additionally, construction material such as carpet or other items should not be more than See JUNK, Page 4
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City’s downtown is finding new life By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com
COLUMBIA CITY — Frozen yogurt, a quality steak, boutique clothing, locally-brewed beer — five years ago, none of those things could be purchased in downtown Columbia City. This has changed. Revitalization began
in 2012, when Gary and Heather Parrett opened Downtown on the Square, a more upscale restaurant. But downtown truly caught fire when entrepreneur Billy Reffitt set his sights on the area. Reffitt opened yo2go at the corner of Chauncey and Van Buren streets in 2015. Since then, a lot
more activity has sprouted downtown. After owning all or part of 20 companies beginning at age 23, Reffitt looked back to his hometown to see where, and how, he could help. “After selling my largest company, Mobile King, at the end of 2014, I decided to focus my effort on being
a better servant leader for our community,” Reffitt said. “All of our family is here and we love the area and the community.” Reffitt was born in Columbia City, grew up in Pierceton and graduated from Whitko High School. He attended Indiana Tech on a baseball scholarship. When his daughter was
born, he moved back to Whitley County. He started his career as a sales representative at Centennial Wireless in Columbia City, then worked his way up as a national sales director for Centennial before it was purchased by AT&T. See DOWNTOWN, Page 8
Ag Museum becomes a gathering place Wilkinson’s collection to brought idea to life By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com
NICOLE MINIER
From left, Bill Valjack, Galen Wilkinson and Dave Kyler enjoy each other’s company at the annual Whitley County 4-H Ag Museum breakfast Saturday morning. Wilkinson donated most of the items to start the museum, which was constructed in 2005.
COLUMBIA CITY — If you build it, they will come. While that saying doesn’t always hold true, it has for the Whitley County Ag Museum. The building was packed full of people for Saturday morning’s annual benefit breakfast at the museum. Some came for a good breakfast, but many came to visit with friends, staying long after the event ended. Galen Wilkinson, 91, sat in a chair and looked on with a smile. Construction of the museum was his idea 12 years ago. “Galen came to the fair board and told us if we built a building, he would fill it,” said Ron Myer, vice president of the fair board. “And, he did.” The wall on the west side of the building is lined will antique farm tools from top to bottom — nearly all Wilkinson’s. Wilkinson has six barns that were See MUSEUM, Page 4
Agencies work together to protect children By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com
COLUMBIA CITY — Whitley County’s criminal justice system has zero tolerance for crimes against children — especially child molestation. In recent years, the county saw an uptick in child molesting cases in its courts. Many of those cases have ended in jury trials with guilty convictions, or the person admits to the crimes before going to trial. Though officials are pleased with the courtroom verdicts — they know that
Prosecutor: Effects of child molesting are lifelong jail time is not equal to the consequences the vicitims face. At a recent sentencing for a man who was convicted of three counts of child molesting in Churubusco, Prosecutor D.J. Sigler posed a moving argument: “You can’t calculate the damage to these children,” Sigler argued to the judge. “He will probably walk the streets again, but they will have to live with his conduct for the rest of
their lives. This person has destroyed their ability to trust.” The man in the case was sentenced to 15 years, but the three children he abused will continue to carry the burden of his crimes — the way it is with many similar cases, Sigler said. “Child molesting victims are scarred for the rest of their lives,” Sigler said. “The crime outlives the moment of its commission. In many of these
cases, the children are victimized daily for long periods of time. We can put the offender away in jail for a few years, but what happens to the child impacts their lives going forward.” Jeffrey Bedree, director of the Whitley County office of the Indiana Department of Child Services, believes more people are reporting crimes now, due increase in media coverage of sexual abuse cases.
“This coverage has really pushed the local community stakeholders to increase the knowledge of sexual abuse and how to better identify the signs and symptoms of such abuse in children,” Bedree said. Whitley County’s child molesting statistics are in line with the national average, but there has been an increase of 10-20 percent more child abuse cases overall in Whitley County. Sigler attributes the increase in cases to the additional Child Services See PROTECT, Page 19
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