IN|Whitley County Aug. 24, 2017

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School bus malfunction injures students

Interim buffers for CFOs recommended

By Nicole Minier

COLUMBIA CITY — With a 7-2 vote, the Whitley County Plan Commission recommended a long-awaited interim overlay-agricultural residential district during its Aug. 16 meeting. The district was the result of months of debate

nminier@kpcmedia�com

COLUMBIA CITY — Multiple students were reportedly injured while riding a school bus home after leaving Indian Springs Middle School Monday afternoon. According to Whitley County Consolidated Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Patricia O’Connor, a radiator hose burst and steam was released through heater vents. She said the bus driver was alerted that something was wrong and the driver moved the bus to a safe location, called the central office and evacuated the bus. Several officials were called to the scene, including those from Whitley County EMS and Columbia City Fire Department, school nurse Sandy Kohut and school administrators. O’Connor did not disclose the number of students who were injured, nor the severity or nature of their injuries, stating that she was not qualified to determine severity of injuries. Some students were taken to the emergency room, however O’Connor did not immediately know how many. O’Connor said school administrators called all parents of the approximately 35 students who were on the bus Monday evening and conducted follow up phone calls Tuesday. Stacey Gorski, a parent of one of the students on the bus, said that her child wasn’t injured, but she was upset that she never received a call from the school until long after the incident. “Those who were not injured were left outside in the heat for a long period

By Tyler Roebuck troebuck@kpcmedia�com

and committee meetings about the appropriate locations for confined feeding operations in Whitley County. If passed by the Whitley County Commissioners on Sept. 5, the overlay will take effect for 12 months. During that time, a committee will be formed to adjust the comprehensive zoning plan.

See BUFFER, Page 7

By Tyler Roebuck troebuck@kpcmedia�com

SOUTH WHITLEY — A crowd of nearly 40 stargazers flocked to a gazebo in South Whitley Monday looking for the “Great American Eclipse.” Among the onlookers was one man recollecting his first total solar eclipse, which crossed over Indiana in 1979. Tim Weybright, now 61, was 23 at the time. “So I saw the [eclipse] in ’79, and I was in Fort Wayne at the time, and of course nobody cared about it back in those days,” Weybright recollected. “I was one of the nerds that showed up in Freimann NICOLE MINIER

Fifth-grade students at Coesse Elementary School were excited when they saw the eclipse for the first time.

See ECLIPSE, Page 3

Happy 90th, Mr. Bailey By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com

NICOLE MINIER

Ralph Bailey will celebrate his 90th birthday party in Pierceton in September. Bailey is pictured in his front yard at his home on West Van Buren Street, where he has a variety of colorful flowers.

123 North Main Street,Churubusco, IN 46723

INWhitley County

Vol. 1 No. 21

to work together for positive results for everybody.” John O’Connell, a member of Whitley Water Matters, disagreed strongly with the decision. “We’re not satisfied, so we finally hired legal counsel to take the fight to the fight,” he said. “I don’t think the steering

Tunker man recollects ’79 eclipse

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know that agriculture is a very important part of our community, it’s a strong foundation, and the Planning Commission members see that. We also realize that we need to work together to make recommendations because we realize that the lakes, the land and our neighbors are important to us and by doing so we can continue

Community awed by the eclipse

SEE BUS, PAGE 9

INWhitley County 123 N. Main Street, Churubusco, IN 46723

At the end of the 12 months, the Plan Commission will revisit the issue and make a more permanent decision. “We feel very good about the Planning Commission’s decisions tonight,” said Kelly Shiess, a member of the steering committee and vocal part of the agricultural community. “We

COLUMBIA CITY — He may be almost 90 years old, but Ralph Bailey is still sharp as a tack. That’s no surprise to anyone who’s visited with Bailey in the past few years — it was just five years ago that he finally retired — at least until another school district calls on him. Until then, Bailey will tend to his over 700 flowers at his home on West Van Buren Street in Columbia City. Anyone who drives down the street can’t miss the colorfully decorated lawn, which has 16 different types of flowers: impatiens, wax begonia, white daisy, black-eyed Susan, rose of Sharon, nasturtium, sunflowers, zinnias, white

salvia, red salvia, blue salvia, cone flowers, hibiscus, peony, petunia and marigold. Decorated career

Bailey was most recently an interim superintendent at Smith-Green Community Schools, retiring at age 85, and has served 11 different school districts in his career, including all three Whitley County districts. Bailey spent most of his career as superintendent of Columbia City schools and made such an impact that the school’s main office is named after him, the Ralph Bailey Administration Center. Bailey began his career at Coesse school as a teacher in 1951. Two years later he became the elementary principal at Etna-Troy, then was

a principal at Cromwell school before taking on his superintendent position. Bailey served 23 years as Columbia City’s superintendent and then went onto serve a variety of roles, including interim principal, college classes at Manchester University and interim superintendent for multiple districts, including Whitko for six months in 1996 , SmithGreen for three months in 1998 and Smith-Green again from 2012-2013. Bailey has accomplished many things, but one of his favorite accomplishments was hiring Dan Mullett as the first male elementary school teacher. “The kids just loved him and he was loved by everybody,” Bailey said. See BAILEY, Page 5


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