IN|Whitley County July 12, 2018

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Opinion .................6 Community Calendar.............15

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Servant leader stepping down from post

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Domestic battery cases difficult BY ALLISON MINIER

aminier@kpcmedia.com

WHITLEY COUNTY — Domestic violence, domestic battery, rape, sexual battery and sexual assault crimes are the most problematic crimes to prosecute and the most dangerous situations for police officers in the field, officials say. These crimes are not only destructive to the lives of the victim and the abuser, but also frustrating for prosecutors and officers. SEE BATTERY, PAGE 2

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

Telephone: (260) 693-3949

Vol. 2 No. 28

nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — After more than 20 years of serving the citizens of Columbia City, Police Chief Tony Hively will call “off-duty” for the final time next week. Hively has served as a patrolman, sergeant,

detective, captain and most recently as chief of the 20-officer department. “He’s been a really great chief,” said Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel. “I hate to see him go.” Daniel said Hively has been a “change

agent” for the department, bringing back the K-9 program and expanding it, taking the dispatch department under his wing and continuing the school resource officer program, which was started by his predecessor, Tim Longenbaugh.

“Tony is focused on doing the right things for the right reasons,” Hively Daniel said. “When i shifted from Tim to Tony, I wasn’t sure what to expect

— he surpassed my expectations.” Hively’s dedication to the Columbia City community and to the nation is highly commendable. Not only has Hively served as the leader of the local police department, he serves the highest role in the U.S. Army Reserves as SEE CCPD, PAGE 3

Making a splash Hundreds turn out for opening day of new aquatics center BY NICOLE MINIER

nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — “This is a place where families, people, can come together and be together. It’s not only a Columbia City facility. It’s not only a Whitley County facility. It is a northeast Indiana regional facility and you can all be very proud of that.” Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel was one of many speakers at the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Russel & Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Center in Columbia Daniel City on Saturday — an exciting event for all in attendance. “This truly is a historic day in Columbia City,”

NICOLE MINIER

Those in attendance of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Russel & Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Center celebrate after Pam McCoy, daughter of the Fahls, cut the ribbon.

Daniel said. “The reason this facility is here is because of you and your excitement, and the donors who have been a part of it. “To everyone who has worked so hard, to everyone who has made a difference to this facility — I say ‘thank you’ — our community says ‘thank you.’” Sixty years ago in the same location, Columbia City opened Burnworth Memorial Pool. In recent years, the pool became a burden on the city’s tax

dollars. It was in poor condition and in need of expensive repairs. Planning for the new facility began in 2013, and Burnworth pool closed for good in 2016. When Mayor Daniel first took office in 2011, he had different thoughts about the future of aquatics in Columbia City. But local residents had something else to say about that. “I thought we should just close it and be out of the SEE POOL, PAGE 4

A detective and an artist Mike Christie creates Old Settlers postcards

BY WHITNEY WRIGHT for IN|Whitley County

COLUMBIA CITY — Mike Christie has been in law enforcement for 40 years and working for Whitley County for 30 years. He is currently Whitley County’s prosecuting investigator. What some may not know — he is also an artist. One of the annual traditions of Old Settlers

Day is the creation of a caricature of the Old Settlers Day president, provided as a free postcard during the festivities. Marilyn Kimble worked as the artist for a number of years before Christie took over. Christie grew up in an artistic and creative family of six. Past projects include working with pencil, paint, slab

INWhitley County

2008 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT

BY NICOLE MINIER

123 North Main Street,Churubusco, IN 46723

TRUCK OF THE WEEK

Tony Hively retires from CCPD after over 20 years

art, wood carving and sculptures. As a longtime resident of the area, he knew about the post cards and made known his interest in becoming a part of the tradition. When Kimble stepped down after 1999, Christie was offered the role of Old Settlers Day postcard artist. His first drawing was of Jim Fleck in 2000. He has continued the postcard tradition, depicting the current Old Settlers Day president. Christie typically has the president choose a theme for the postcard caricature, such as one of the president’s hobbies or occupation. This year’s president, Ralph Bailey, was a longtime educator and area school superin-

WHITNEY WRIGHT

Mike Christie is pictured with some of the caricatures he’s created over the past 18 years.

tendent. Creativity is usually a means of stress relief for Christie. However, the Old Settlers Day postcard always carries a bit of anxiety for him. “I am not a caricature artist and had never drawn caricatures before the postcards. I don’t exaggerate their features, but still depict them sort

of cartoonlike,” said Christie. When he isn’t drawing the Old Settlers Day postcard, he enjoys working on art or another hobby in his basement, which he plans to do into retirement. This year marked Christie’s 19th Old Settlers Day president caricature.


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