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COLUMBIA CITY — Parents of the 21st century have a new world of concerns thanks to technology. Whitley County Consolidated Schools, along with the Department of Child Services, Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement, will host “Parent University,” a program to inform parents of the dangers of technology. The agencies will form a panel that will answer questions from parents in attendance. The event will be held 6 p.m. May 9 at Indian Springs Middle School.

Busy Saturday COLUMBIA CITY — There’s plenty to do in Whitley County this weekend. The Whitley County Farmer’s Market will open for the season 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Courthouse Square. The Republican Women’s Club will host a spring brunch at 10 a.m. at Peabody Library, which will include a fashion show and speaker Amanda Banks. BE Computers is celebrating Free Comic Book Day at its store in downtown Columbia City. The Whitley County 4-H Bicycle Club will host its annual bike repair day 8:30 a.m. to noon at the 4-H Fairgrounds. Churubusco and Columbia City High School will host their proms in Fort Wayne. The Leatherneck Coffee Club will meet at 8 a.m. for breakfast at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Columbia City. Big Lake Church of God will host a fish and tenderloin fundraiser 4-7 p.m. at the church. See more local events on page 19’s Community Calendar.

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It’s a sellers’ market right now Homes in Whitley County are being sold quickly after listing By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com

COLUMBIA CITY — When it comes to housing in Whitley County and much of northeast Indiana, it’s a seller’s market, and local residents are finding out the good and the bad of the aggressive time in housing sales.

Many people report selling their homes within days of listing them, as Whitley County appears to have more residents than it has housing. “We listed our house on a Friday and immediately people were requesting showings,” said Shannon Pullen, who recently sold

her home in Columbia City. The Pullens weren’t prepared for such a quick response. By Sunday, they had their first showing and got a full-price offer. “There were three other showings scheduled for Monday that had to be cancelled,” Pullen said.

Realtor Brad Minear, of Columbia City, said it’s been a seller’s market since 2016, and it hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. “I’ve been doing this for 17 years — this is probably the most aggressive market I’ve seen,” Minear said. “There’s a low

inventory of homes and more buyers.” Growing, growing, growing Whitley County’s population is expected to grow by at least 5 percent from now through 2040, meaning the need for See HOUSING, Page 5

Health Dept. to offer free opioid overdose kits

Howell’s surprise baby leads to early cancer diagnosis; saves life Columbia City woman nominated for LLS Woman of the Year

Addiction a growing problem

By Nicole Minier

COLUMBIA CITY — Leshia Howell’s youngest child literally saved her life. With two toddlers under age two, Howell wasn’t planning for anymore children. She wasn’t planning for anything that happened that year. Howell, who lives in Columbia City, learned of her surprise pregnancy in 1998, with a one-year-old and a two-year-old. Little did she know, the unexpected pregnancy was a miracle in disguise. “It was a definite surprise,” Howell said. A pregnant mom of two toddlers, Howell noticed her pregnancy was taking more of a toll on her body. She was exhausted, she had unexplained bruising, and her left side was especially painful. “I dismissed those problems, thinking they were pregnancy symptoms,” Howell said. “I thought I pulled a muscle in my side. I thought I had bruising from being extra clumsy. I was

COLUMBIA CITY —Whitley County residents will soon be able to save their loved ones from immediate opioid overdose effects. Narcan, a brand of Naxolone, has been used by law enforcement and first responders in Whitley County for some time. Now, through a program with the Indiana Department of Health, Whitley County’s Health Department will offer Naxolone for free to those who complete the required training. The Whitley County Health Department will receive five Narcan kits every three months and will distribute the kits via registered nurses April Waugh and Heather Reid, who are leading the training programs in Whitley County. Narcan helps reverse the fatal effects of opioid overdoses, which includes heroin. Opioids also include prescription medications such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone and Vicodin. Deaths on the rise The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate more than 16,000 deaths in the U.S. involved prescriptions opioids and more than 8,000 deaths from heroin in 2013. Though precise statistics on opioid and drug

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Leshia Howell, surrounded by her children, holds a white lantern, which represents cancer survivors at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night walk. Pictured from left are Katie, Leshia, Alexandra and Jordan Howell.

tired, but I was chasing two toddlers.” She went in for routine prenatal bloodwork, and got a phone call the next day that

would change her life forever. “They suspected something was wrong,” Howell said. See LEUKEMIA, Page 5

See OPIOIDS, Page 4

Commissioners OK $13,770 study for jail chiller By Lucretia Cardenas lcardenas@kpcmedia�com

COLUMBIA CITY — The Whitley County Jail needs to replace its 30-year-old chiller for its chilled water system – but where to place the new one is up for debate. County Maintenance Supervisor Mark Sturtevant

recommends the county pay $13,770 to Martin Riley Architects & Engineers to evaluate the best location for the new chiller, which is expected to cost $150,000-$200,000. To date, three contractors have looked at the current chiller and have made multiple suggestions

on where to place the new chiller, Sturtevant said. “They’ll all work,” he said of the suggestions. “But what’s the best way to do it?” One goal would be to find a location outside of the main building to avoid an evacuation if the refrigerant were to leak – as it

has in the past, he said during the Whitley County Commissioners’ meeting May 1. Sheriff Marc Gatton voiced his support for the proposed study and Sturtevant’s suggestions. County Commissioners and County Council unanimously approved the

purchase. “If we are looking at a $200,000 cost, we need to make sure we do it properly,” Commissioner Chairman George Schrumpf said of the study. A new chiller is needed because the current chiller See COUNTY, Page 7

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Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Carpenter follows father’s footsteps By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Rae Carpenter grew up to be just like her father. The Columbia City police officer has always been around police work, as her father, Tim Carpenter, was a town marshal and is now an Indiana State police trooper. “I grew up in the back of a squad car,” Carpenter said. “At night, before bed, I watched my dad lace up his boots before working third shift.” Carpenter grew up in Kosciusko County. As a child, she thought she wanted to go to law school and become a prosecutor. After working as an intern for the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, her view shifted. “I quickly realized that the criminal justice system wasn’t anything like the television portrayed,” Carpenter said. “Trials are few and far between. Many cases fall into plea deals. I felt that as an officer, I could make more of a difference in a community.” Carpenter has taken a special focus on forensically interviewing children ages 2-17. She’s completed hours of training, and will also attend out-of-state training, funded by the prosecutor’s office. She is specifically

working with a program called “Child First training.” “Child First training is specifically geared for children who have been abused,” Carpenter said. “The number one principal taught is that the child comes first.” The training has helped her understand how to talk to children and how they store memories. She’s also learned not to be suggestive when questioning a child. As the first full-time female officer in Whitley County in several years, Carpenter said there are advantages to being a female on the force. “In some cases, I can identify well with a female victim, as I am a female,” Carpenter said. Additionally, if photo evidence on a female needs to be collected, she is the preferred officer. Carpenter may not be the tallest or strongest officer, but she doesn’t see that as a disadvantage. “I’ve had remarks made to me by the general public about my size, and that it may be a disadvantage,” Carpenter said. “In my eyes, it’s all what you make it. I am able to fit into places that my shift partners cannot.” In her 2.5 years as an officer, Carpenter said she’s

had many mentors along the way. Including her father, she’s also influenced by her best friend, a retired Indiana State Police officer, Jody Hill, and her husband Chad, who is a deputy at the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department. “I often seek advice from both of them in regards to what direction to take my career,” Carpenter said. She also said her sergeant, Scott Leatherman, Chief Tony Hively and Hively’s wife, Jodie are mentors. “My sergeant is a plethora of knowledge and always expects my best work. He leads by example by having great worth ethic,” Carpenter said. “The Hivelys are excellent mentors, especially in the area of child interviews. They’re always willing to share their knowledge and push me toward my goals of being an excellent and knowledgeable interviewer.” Though Carpenter’s mother, Christy, hasn’t had a career in law enforcement, Carpenter says the life skills her mom taught her have helped her to be a better officer. “She’s always taught me to be compassionate and respectful to anyone I come into contact with,” Carpenter said. “She also

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Rae Carpenter is a patrolwoman with the Columbia City Police Department.

taught me to have good work ethic and put my best foot forward in all that I do. “I’ve had several mentors, I’ve been blessed with so many wise people along the path of my career.” Carpenter didn’t grow up in Columbia City, but said she chose the area because it seemed like a small,

tight-knit community. “My assumption was right,” Carpenter said. “I’ve had several instances where people have paid for my meal when I’ve been on duty. And people were more than generous with the Patrolling for Presents program for the past few years.” Since she was hired,

several senior officers have retired, meaning there have been seven new officers hired. Though she doesn’t have many years on the police force, her fresh perspective has been helpful to the newer officers. “I get to mentor those who have been hired after me,” Carpenter said. “Since it has only been a few years, I know how I learned, and what worked well for retaining information. The best way to learn the job is to do it.” Helping one another is not uncommon among those in the Columbia City Police Department. “My work family is just that — family,” Carpenter said. “My co-worker’s wives and families are always willing to feed you and greet you with a warm hug. I’m confident in the decision to start a career in Columbia City was the right one.”

Internet woes cause problems for South Whitley Police Department By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

SOUTH WHITLEY — We’ve all been there – watching the spinning wheel on our computer go around and around as we wait for a web page to load or a program to crash. For many of us, the spinning wheel is not an every day, every hour occurrence. But, it’s becoming a reoccurring theme at the South Whitley Police Department and, as a result, the department is looking to council to help fund additional internet speeds. The department learned that its current internet speeds do not support the needs of the recently installed computer-aided dispatch system called Spillman. In order for the

Spillman program to run properly, it needs a minimum upload speed of 10 megabytes per second. That is far from what the department has, said Police Marshal Mikel VanDevender. “He (Mark Harvey who does the IT maintenance for the South Whitley Police) clocked ours and we are at .08 MBPS (upload),” VanDevender said. This means that simple case reports that would take 20 minutes to complete now take hours because of the slow upload speeds, VanDevender said. Currently, the only way for offices to complete case reports is to do so from their vehicles, but that still isn’t as fast as the department needs, he said. “Our whole job is now

through Spillman. With the exception of traffic citations and crash reports …,” VanDevender said during the April 25 town council meeting. “They started setting it up, going live yesterday, Monday (April 24), they had some issues. They came down today to work on those issues and, like I said, our whole job, our case reports, everything is through that system now; we can’t do case reports our internet is too slow.” To address the slow speeds, town council approved VanDevender’s request to obtain quotes from Mediacom to get faster internet. The department currently uses Century Link. VanDevender believes Mediacom may offer a cheaper rate See POLICE, Page 11

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Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Turkey crashes into Coyles’ home By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — For five years, Lynn Coyle has wanted new siding for her home. Her husband, Bruce, has always told her, “no.” To get anything I have to pull teeth from Bruce,” Lynn said. “He’s really conservative with money, especially with material things.” When Lynn wanted a new, three-car garage, Bruce said they only needed a one-car garage. After a some convincing, Lynn got her three-car garage. She always wanted new siding to match the garage. “I nagged, but I realized I wasn’t going to win,” Lynn joked. “I put it in God’s hands. If I was going to get new siding, it would be Him.” She thought Mother Nature would give her a hand — maybe strong winds would blow a tree or debris into the siding. One day last month, Lynn was drinking her morning coffee, and Mother Nature finally answered her call, but not

Mother Nature provides an unexpected gift to comical couple how she expected. “I was sitting there, and all the sudden it sounded like a bomb or a car hit the house,” Lynn said. “It was so loud.” She ran back toward her bedroom, where the sound came from, and saw a lamp knocked over, a picture off the wall, and a large crack in the drywall. “I looked out the window, and there was a big turkey sitting there. It looked a little stunned,” Lynn said. The wild turkey flew into the side of the Coyles’ home, leaving a large dent in the siding, and feathers everywhere. “I didn’t even know turkeys could fly,” Lynn said. “I opened the window, it looked up at me, then staggered off.” A car drove by, and stopped for the turkey, which flew off toward Greenhill Cemetery. “I was still in my pajamas,” Lynn said. “I got dressed and went outside to see what happened — the dent was huge! Are you

kidding me? I couldn’t believe the damage. If we didn’t have aluminum siding, it would have gone through the wall into our bedroom.” She snapped a few cellphone photos of the incident, and sent them to her daughter, who was with Bruce. When he saw the photos, he didn’t realize it was his own house. Lynn is getting her new siding now. The Coyles have done some research since the incident, finding that turkeys can fly as fast a 45 miles per hour. Bruce took to Facebook for comic relief. “I have bee putting off the request for new siding for some time now! Well, you might say that bird has now just opened a door and my wife walked right through,” Coyle posted. “She conquers once again - this time with an assist from a dumb turkey!! I would be suspicious of my lovely wife creating the damage, but she would have had to have shot a

Commissioners, council members at odds over three salary increases By Megan Knowles mknowles@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — “What we’ve done today is officially junked our rating system,” Whitley County Council member Bill Overdeer said after the County Council decided not to approve three wage reclassifications at its Tuesday meeting. Commissioner Chairman George Schrumpf brought three positions approved by the personnel committee before council. The first, a human resources director position, changed from its original role as a county coordinator several years prior, Schrumpf said. The other two, a communications director and an office administrator/IT support person, had assumed additional responsibilities after a 911 director job had been eliminated, he said. Each request came with a pay increase. For the HR director, the pay was raised to $58,262 from $49,329. For the communications director, the pay would increase from $41,912 to $49,329. The office administrator position would see an increase from $48,245 to $58,262. The HR director position was discussed at length,

with Schrumpf, Commissioner Don Amber and Whitley County Sheriff Marc Gatton speaking on their interactions with the director. “We need to invest in Pam (Smith),” Gatton said. The council agreed that Smith does good work for the county, but debated the cost. Councilman Jim Bayman said most counties the size of Whitley County do not have human resource directors and many that do pay less than $58,262. Council member Kim Wheeler said he felt there was too much connection within the personnel committee between writing job descriptions and recommending pay increases. “There has to be a different way,” he said. Schrumpf said the commissioners were looking into a different system. The motion to increase the HR director pay failed 2-5, with Council members John Barrett and Overdeer voting for and Bayman, Wheeler, Glen LaRue, Thor Hodges and Chad Banks voting against. “I have never felt more slighted (by council) than I have right now,” Amber said to council after the vote.

Bayman said the commissioners needed to do a better job of communicating its intentions with County Council. “There’s a little bit of a wedge…you people keep pushing,” he said. Bayman also said that the increases in salary should have been discussed around budget time rather than after the beginning of a new year. There was no motion on the other two positions. In other business, council unanimously approved to amend a tax abatement with Metronet to offer fiber optic to its tax increment financing district, including the Gateway Industrial Park. The investment is for about $2 million in equipment, according to a statement of benefits form. The 10-year abatement had previously been approved in February but had the condition that Columbia City approve incentives for Metronet as well. The city has decided not to go forward with those incentives, Whitley County Economic Development Corporation President Jon Meyers said. Meyers said connection speeds had been a “pain point” for businesses in that industrial park.

It’s not the giddy with excitement. first time Lynn Pretty soon he hits somehas laughed at thing with the shovel, and Bruce’s expense. pulls out the crowbar with Prior to building the skull attached. I played their new garage, into it, and was screaming.” the old garage Bruce told her to go had a small sink get the camera and take hole under it. pictures. The Coyles “He said, ‘It’s OK, were the founders we didn’t do it,’” Lynn of the Haunted laughed. “He was excited Jail, and Lynn and wanted to call our son. contacted the After a short time, he went person in charge inside to call the police. to assist her with Right before he started a prank. dialing, I told him it was a “We (Lynn prank.” and her daughter) Bruce still took the put a skull with skull down to the police CONTRIBUTED a crowbar stuck station, but he wanted Lynn Bruce Coyle holds a pair of in it under the arrested, jokingly. feathers next to the dent left in garage in the “It looked so real,” Lynn his house after a large turkey flew hole,” Lynn said. said. into the side of his home. “We covered The Coyles live near frozen turkey through a it back up and Ellsworth and Wayne cannon to have done this waited and waited. streets, where the large dent much damage. I haven’t “One day, Bruce said he in the siding can still be found a cannon or a frozen was going to go out and seen — until Lynn gets her turkey, so, siding it is! Man, work on that hole. I was new siding. that Guy upstairs has a funny sense of humor. As COLUMBIA CITY for me, I’m going to see if I can find some groggy lunch stumbling around the neighborhood.”

Correction: Last week’s South Whitley Town Council headline on page 1 should have read, wastewater rates on the rise.

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Whitley County • May 4, 2017

OPIOIDS from Page 1 overdose deaths are unavailable, Columbia City Police Detective Chip Stephenson says he knows of at least 15 cases in the past 10 years. “That’s just the cases I can remember,” Stephenson said. In some of those cases, the official cause of death may not be labeled as a “drug overdose” on paper, but drugs could have aggravated existing conditions, causing death. Accidental deaths by overdose have surpassed motor vehicle deaths in Indiana. From 1999 to 2014, the number of deaths from heroin have increased six-fold, mostly in people between the ages of 20 and 59. In 2014, there were 170 deaths caused by heroin in Indiana. Combating the outbreak The rise in heroin and opioid overdoses has caught the attention of health and law enforcement officials, who are working from all angles to combat what some have called an “epidemic” in parts of the state. Stephenson, who serves on the Whitley County Drug Task Force, has been proactive, hosting community discussions and reaching out to teenagers. Teens appear to be especially at risk in Whitley County, which is one of the largest pain killer prescribers to teens in the state. According to the INSPECT Prescription Monitoring System in Indiana, 1,363-2,166 prescriptions were issued to Whitey County residents under the age of 18 for opioids between 2012 and 2013. In a map produced by INSPECT, Whitley County showed some of the most concentrated use in the state — more than neighboring Allen County, which is much higher in population, rivaling the Indianapolis and Gary areas (see image). “I was surprised that we were that dark blue,” Stephenson said. “Whitley County has been a hot spot for pain killer medications.” Will Whitley County reach epidemic levels like parts of southern Indiana? “I hope not, but we have the ingredients to have an epidemic,” Stephenson said. “When there’s prescribing doctors who close up shop and have a lot of patients, it’s difficult for those patients to continue getting their prescriptions. The alternative is to resort to illegal substances, such as heroin.” Illegally purchasing pain killers is expensive — $50-$100 for an 80 mg pill of Oxycontin. Whereas 1 gram of heroin can be purchased for $100. Heroin is often used in doses of 5-100 mg, depending on the user’s tolerance — meaning one gram would

be used many times. “The thing with heroin is, you never know what you’re getting, but it is a better high,” Stephenson said. The state has been cracking down on people who are “doctor shopping,” going from physician to physician to get prescriptions, but there’s still some instances that fall through the cracks. Stephenson said through government health care, people are able to get large quantities of their prescriptions at cheaper rates. “I worked an investigation where an individual was receiving 270 pills a month — and they were selling a large quantity of them,” Stephenson said. Stephenson said over-prescribing can be attributing to drug abuse. “I’m not a doctor, and I know pain is difficult to test for,” Stephenson said. “But how many times does a person get prescribed 30 pain killers and only need four to five?” Many people take the leftover pills and stash them on a shelf in their house. For people with children in the home, especially teens, that could be a dangerous practice. “In general, a lot of us are naive,” Stephenson said. “We don’t believe addiction is something that happens, but nearly every person has a vice — it could be opiates, or alcohol, or pornography. We don’t want to admit our own inadequacies and weaknesses, but we need to take a hard look at what’s happening in our community. We have young people who are passing away. This is so tragic that we want to prevent every one of those. My goal is to bring awareness and help people look for clues that indicate addiction.” Narcan: A lifesaving crutch Most first responders keep Narcan nearby on a daily basis. Officers on patrol have added it to the long list of items they carry on their person. When a first responder is called to the scene of a possible drug overdose, the responder is prepared to administer the drug, which has no ill effects if it is used without the presence of opioids. CCPD Officer Scott Valentic has successfully administered Narcan twice while on duty. “I arrived on the scene and checked for a pulse — I didn’t feel one,” Valentic said. “The person was purple, and I knew I had to act fast.” Valentic, alongside his partner Rae Carpenter, used the nasal spray, and within minutes, the person’s pulse and breathing returned. “Many times there is no pulse, or it is very weak,” Valentic said. “Narcan is really the only thing that

sleeping, and it’s had pretty bad effects on them. There’s a perceived safety with prescription drugs, but they are prescribed to that individual — no two people are the same.” Giving a controlled substance to another person is considered drug dealing, and can be prosecuted as a felony. Stephenson investigated a case where the person said they were taking 10 Oxycontin a day. “They were willing to do anything to get more pills,” Stephenson said. “They could look at the obituaries to find out who recently passed away, see that the person had an illness, and break into their house to take their drugs. Those addictions are so powerful.” If someone suspects a loved one is abusing drugs, they should reach out to the person’s doctor and law enforcement. “Whether or not the person is in possession of the drug or under the influence at the time, we can give them help,” Stephenson said. “The goal of law enforcement isn’t to put everyone in jail. We want to put the community in a better place. Sometimes, that’s by means of incarceration, but there’s a lot of other resources too.” There are drug treatment programs in Fort Wayne, as well as the Hope House in Warsaw and Noble County. Allen County also offers a needle exchange program, where drug users can get clean needles to help prevent the spread of diseases common with heroin, such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Allen County has served 35 clients, handing out 2,860 needles with 1,778 returned, since it began the program in November 2016. Those interested in having their own Narcan kit can fill out an application from the Whitley County Government website, whitleygov.com. Another website that officials say offers valuable information is curiosityandheroin.org.

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can be used right away to give paramedics the extra time needed to get the patient to the hospital. It’s only temporary — the person still needs medical treatment.” Opioids slow body functions, especially breathing and heart rate, causing the user to be drowsy, often passing out. “When they’re passed out, they’re not consciously trying to breathe,” Valentic said. “Their body goes into desperation mode and doesn’t know what else to do.” Valentic said he doesn’t mind having one more thing to carry with him while on duty if it means saving lives. Narcan cannot be left in vehicles, because it needs to be temperature-controlled. It’s not the only answer Stephenson said he thinks the free Narcan program through the health department is a “great thing,” but it’s not going to solve all problems. “My concern, is that people won’t follow up after administering Narcan,” Stephenson said. “The person will still need medical treatment in the short term, and drug treatment to help them with their addiction.” The free Narcan could be especially helpful for people who are afraid to call 911, for fear of being arrested. “So many people are hesitant to call the police when they’re with someone who is overdosing,” Stephenson said.

“The Good Samaritan law protects people when someone’s life is in jeopardy, but most people don’t believe that.” Stephenson has heard of cases where the same person has been revived using Narcan multiple times. That’s not the goal in Whitley County. “We want to revive someone once and get them the help they need so it doesn’t happen again,” Stephenson said. “I’ve heard arguments against Narcan, people saying we should just, ‘let nature take its course,’ but we’re here to save lives.” Stephenson wishes there were more long-term care resources in Whitley County. “How do we make sure they get the help they need? If they’re not arrested, we can’t mandate anything. There are more resources becoming available, but we don’t have that in Columbia City. We don’t have a place for people to get the help they need. We have counseling services, but for a lot of addicts, they need intense therapy.” What can I do? One of the biggest ways people can keep from contributing to the opioid problem is by protecting their own prescription medicines. “There’s so many of these drugs in people’s homes now,” Stephenson said. “You want to make sure your kids are aware of the danger of these drugs.” There’s some children who are abusing drugs at

a young age, and others are taking their parents’ stash and selling it to their friends. According to an Indiana Prevention Resource Center survey, 26 percent of high school students reported using some type of prescription drug without a prescription at some point in their lives. It’s not just kids who sell leftover pain medications to their friends, adults do it too. Whether you sell one pill or several bottles, it’s a crime. “People aren’t doctors. You shouldn’t share medications. It’s dangerous, and it’s a crime,” Stephenson said. “You don’t know what that person’s medical history is. We’ve had cases where people share medicine with their friends because they had trouble

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Whitley County • May 4, 2017

LEUKEMIA from Page 1 “They said things like, lupus, arthritis and a rare type of leukemia. None of them sounded fun.” While sitting in the waiting room alone for her second blood test, Howell, a nurse herself, could hear the nurses talking, saying, “she’s only 34 and she’s pregnant.” “I was sitting there thinking, ‘my life is about to change,’” Howell said. “I knew something was wrong.” Howell’s obstetrician told her she may have leukemia, and she needed to see an oncologist. “As a nurse, I knew a little about a lot of things,” Howell said. “I was going through my books, and was convinced I only had six months to live. I’m usually a positive person, but in this instance, I was trying to prepare for the worst.” While waiting to meet with her oncologist, Howell received more difficult news — the baby she was carrying had a “very high” chance for down syndrome, based on an optional prenatal test. “In a matter of two weeks, I found out I had cancer and I might have a special needs baby,” Howell said. “All I could think was, ‘I might be dying, leaving my toddlers alone without their mommy.’” Howell went in for an extensive, 1.5 hour ultrasound where doctors took many measurements, checking for signs of down syndrome, such as the distance between the baby’s eyes, and the length of the knuckles and femur. “From the ultrasound, the doctor told me he thought I was having a boy,” Howell said. “But I didn’t believe

him. I was dreaming about shopping for the baby — and everything was pink.” The results of the ultrasound showed no sign of down syndrome, but Howell had an amniocentesis to find out for certain. “I am a planner. If I had a special needs baby, I just wanted to be prepared,” Howell said. She had to wait 10 days for the results of the amniocentesis. Between waiting for the results and waiting to meet with an oncologist, Howell was on the verge of a breakdown. “I remember sitting on the floor with books open all around me,” Howell said. “My husband walked in and tears were pouring from my eyes. I told him I was looking for answers, but I didn’t know what I was looking for. He closed all the books and told me to stop. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. “It was 18 years ago, but this is still so raw — it doesn’t define who I am, but it’s a part of who I am.”

CONTRIBUTED

A coworker begins Leshia Howell’s chemotherapy treatment, just two months after her youngest daughter was born.

The diagnosis The day of the appointment with her oncologist, fear surrounded her. “I was about to be sentenced,” Howell said. “I could either receive probation — just a slap on the hand — a life sentence, or, the death penalty. The walk from the car to the office was like I was walking down death row.” It was moments later that Howell found out her baby saved her life. Her leukemia was caught so early that doctors would be able to treat it before it took her life. Howell was diagnosed with hairy cell

leukemia, a rare form that typically presents itself in older men — she was only the third in the world who had been diagnosed with that type of leukemia while pregnant. Hairy cell leukemia typically isn’t diagnosed until it is found in bone marrow. Howell’s leukemia was found in its very early stages — it was only in her blood. “We caught it so early, it was earlier than they’d ever caught it before,” Howell said. “The cancer was very slow progressing.” The doctor told Howell that hairy cell leukemia was the best-case scenario for her pregnancy — there was a treatment that could be done after the baby was born, as long as Howell was monitored closely. “The bad news was, I had leukemia. The good news — it was the type I wanted to have,” Howell said. Days later, Howell found out the results from her amniocentesis. Her baby did not have down syndrome. She also had some other interesting news from her doctor.

“He said I was having a girl,” Howell said. “I had dreams about having a girl with big brown eyes and brown hair — and that’s my Katie. She looks just like that.” With back-to-back positive news, Howell got a boost of strength. “My sentence wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Howell said. As her pregnancy progressed, Howell’s doctors continued to check her blood counts closely to monitor the progression of the leukemia.

new housing addition, and Minear Real Estate’s Ideal Homes is planning a 20-lot addition on South Line Street, across from the Whitley County Humane Shelter. Existing housing additions, such as Deer Chase on West Lincolnway, are continuing to grow. “We have a number of new homes currently under construction, but our builders are facing the same problem as other employers. They can’t keep up because they don’t have enough skilled employees,” Myers said. The EDC is working with other agencies to focus on talent attraction, as many companies aren’t able to fill positions in their workforce. New housing could attract more people to move to Whitley County, as well as other key factors that will play a role in coming years. “As big as the uptick seems right now, I think this is just the leading edge of what we can expect over the next five-10 years,” Myers

said. “Right now, the county and municipalities in the county need to focus on making sure all their utility infrastructure is going to be able to support that growth.” Columbia City’s new high school, which will be south of the city limits on State Road 9 near Indian Springs Middle School, will be completed in 2020. The city’s new aquatics facility is expected to be open next summer, and will be a draw not only for local residents, but a destination for families in surrounding counties. “If someone is looking for a place to live in northeast Indiana and they look at Columbia City, I think we look strong,” Minear said. “We’re in the middle of two cities that have a lot of good-paying jobs, we have a great crime rate — Whitley County is a great place to be.” Warsaw has been called the orthopedic capital of the world, and many people who work in Fort Wayne enjoy living in

Whitley County, outside of the bigger city. “It’s a very real possibility that Whitley County could experience the type of growth that the counties around Indianapolis have experienced over the last 30 years,” Myers said.

Treatment time When she was almost full-term, Howell’s blood counts dropped dangerously low, and she had to be induced. The doctor prescribed a seven-day dose of chemotherapy that typically requires a two-week hospital stay in isolation. Being a homecare infusion nurse, Howell begged her doctor to allow her to be home with her children. “They made it happen,” Howell said. “My coworkers took care of my

chemo for me.” Three days into the treatment she became very sick, but, the treatment did it’s job. After a painful bone marrow biopsy, Howell found out she was cancerfree. “You never know how strong you are until that’s the only choice you have,” Howell said. “I could either crawl under the covers and cry, or live every day to the fullest. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Have fun. Laugh. Appreciate the little things in life. That’s how I chose to look at things. This baby saved my life.” Had Howell not had her prenatal bloodtesting, the cancer may have progressed beyond treatment. Researchers haven’t determined what causes hairy cell, or many other types of leukemia, but are on the verge of breakthroughs in many areas — including treatment of the less-treatable forms. That’s why Howell wants to push forward in the fight for the cure. Howell has become very active in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She was named an honor hero in the 2016 Light the Night Walk in Fort Wayne. This year, she was nominated as the LLS Woman of the Year. She’s now part of a campaign to bring awareness to and raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research. Three men and three women are nominated for the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year awards. The man and woman who raise the most money by late May will earn the title. “It’s my turn to give back to LLS,” Howell said.

“Without their treatment, I wouldn’t be here. If I can pay it forward and help find an end to all blood cancers, I will do what I can.” Howell is a community health educator for Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville. Prior to working at Parkview Noble, she was an ER nurse in Whitley County for seven years. Her youngest daughter, Katie, is a senior at Churubusco High School.

The family of five had outgrown its home. After having their third child, Shannon and her husband, Mike, gave up their master bedroom to their children. “Five people sharing a bathroom and shower gets pretty ugly at times,” Pullen said. Possibly more stressful than sharing a bathroom is finding a new house. “House hunting is a big ball of stress,” Pullen said. “It’s depressing to see that your money doesn’t go very far, and how much things cost — especially just to get a four-bedroom home for a family of five. It takes a lot of patience, prayers and sacrifices to get through each day and think positively. There’s been many late-night discussions and shuffling of schedules to put house hunting as a priority right now.” Pullen said they’ve been interested in houses that are sold before they can get a showing. “I know the perfect house is out there for us,

I just need to have trust and faith that it will work out,” she said.

Ride for the Cure Howell’s biggest fundraising campaign will be centered in Columbia City with a motorcycle ride that concludes in a large downtown event. The Ride for the Cure will be held Saturday, May 13, starting at Harley Davidson of Fort Wayne, 6315 Illinois Road. The ride ends in Columbia City, where there will be a silent auction, live music, food, drinks and various vendors 5-9 p.m. on the Courthouse Square. The public is invited to the downtown event, regardless of participation in the motorcycle ride. The cost for the ride is $25 for a single rider and $35 for a double rider. The cost includes a meal and one raffle ticket per person. People may pre-register online at mwoy.org/pages/ in/neindiana17/gmannf, or register the day-of 11:30-12:30 at the Harley Davidson. Those wishing to contribute to the cause through a donation for the silent auction, volunteering at the event or making a monetary donation may contact Howell at 415-0015.

HOUSING from Page 1 housing is only going to rise. Several different companies, including Minear’s, are working to provide more housing options. In the next year, Columbia City will have 150 more housing units. Blue Bell Lofts, an abandoned factory that was transformed into senior apartments will soon be accepting residents on South Whitley Street. Quail Ridge on State Road 205 has already begun moving in families. The campus offers apartments, bungalow houses and senior villas. “The recent opening of Quail Ridge and the new Blue Bell Lofts will allow local seniors to sell their homes and make them available for young families,” said Jon Myers, president of the Whitley County Economic Development Corp. There are many new homes under construction as well. Cambridge Crossing, located on the north side of the city on State Road 109, is a

House hunting Minear suggests people have a plan on where they’re going before they list a house, since many are selling quickly, as the Pullens have discovered. “We have been looking at houses in Columbia City, but with the market being like it is, we unfortunately haven’t found anything,” Pullen said. “Now, we have to move in with family or attempt to find a rental from month to month. It’s put us in a position we weren’t expecting. We’re having to move much faster on making decisions for our family.” The same reason it’s difficult to find a house to purchase is why the Pullens listed their house in the first place.

Challenges Homes selling at or above market price have their own challenges. “When people are paying full price for a home, if there’s any issues with the inspection, they want everything fixed,” Minear said. “But the seller might have a whole list of other people who will buy the house as-is. This market comes with its own set of problems.” It wasn’t that long ago, that it was a buyer’s market. “Now that the economy has improved, people are ready to move forward,” Minear said. “They’re more confident, and to the point that they’re not afraid to make a move. In 2010, people were too scared to do anything. It’s not as scary of a time as it was back then. “We’re riding the wave,” Minear said. “We haven’t seen a decline yet.”

A6 • inwhitleycounty.com

OPINION

YOUR VIEW The following question was posed on the IN|Whitley County Facebook page: Narcan, an opioid-reversal drug, is being offered for free to residents of Whitley County, provided by the state health department. Narcan is currently carried by most law enforcement officers and paramedics in Whitley County. What do you think about providing the substance to the general public to use in heroin overdose situations? Do you think it will be more effective in preventing overdose deaths, or should state funds be used in other ways to address the opioid epidemic? Here are your responses: Melanie Hull: It goes both ways. Drug addiction is a sickness. It’s great we have narcan to administer in an overdose situation. However, I heard just a couple days ago that medics went on a patient and this is the fourth time she has been saved by using Narcan. How is that helping her? So now we enable addicts to use the drug, have a buddy present to administer the

narcan? Certainly, there has to be a better plan. I’m just not sure what the answer is. Sad. Mandi Banks: A friend that use to be my neighbor but moved rushed a man that had overdosed to the ER where nurses recognized him from the previous night and sat with him until he was released. The moment they left the hospital the guy asked if my friend knew where he could get more heroin. My friend parted ways after that. I agree with Melanie there has to be a better way. Season Blankenship Jc.: if Narcan is used does the person go to jail? A person’s actions should have a consequence. Stephanie Valse Goss: The money would be better spent on public schools. Provide more education to teens about opioid abuse, STDs and suicide JM Born: Attention also needs to focus on addiction rehab, follow up and accountability. Narcan is one component of an enormously complex equation. Also important, is prevention among youth. We can always do better.

Narcan kits are one part of the opioid solution Prescription painkillers and heroin are a growing epidemic nationally and Whitley County is not immune – despite its population being one of the healthiest per capita in northeast Indiana. As noted in Nicole Minier’s story this week, the use of opioids is on the rise – in large part due to the availability of medications such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone and Vicodin. While these drugs may be initially prescribed for legitimate reasons, if an addiction takes hold and an individual can no longer receive the opioid via a law-abiding physician, the individual may turn to a “pain clinic” for a prescription or resort to heroine, which is cheaper, studies show. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration closed one such alleged clinic in South Whitley in October. The physician running the medical clinic, Dr. James Hanus, had

Our view his Controlled Substance Registration-Osteopathic Physician license suspended by the Indiana Medical Licensing Board. The community has also witnessed its own tragedies related to prescription drug sales and drug overdoses. Columbia City Police Detective Chip Stephenson says he knows of at least 15 cases in the past 10 years of deaths that were likely caused by drug abuse. Although local statistics were unavailable, in neighboring Allen County, of the drugs involved in overdose deaths, opioids were found in 86.2 percent of the toxicology screenings in 2014-2015, which is an increase from

On Russia, Trump should follow Reagan As I traveled through Eastern Europe recently with fellow members of the House Armed Services Committee, a familiar face kept appearing. Seemingly everywhere our delegation went, we encountered Ronald Reagan. A statue of President Reagan stands tall in downtown Warsaw, Poland. Leaders there describe him as their ideal of American strength. The Poles remember Reagan as a source of bold leadership, and as someone who stood up to the Soviet threat and protected their way of life. In Bucharest, Romania, Mayor Gabriela Firea announced that she too would be unveiling a likeness of Ronald Reagan in her city’s center. She referred to our 40th President as “a symbol of democracy, the fight against communism, and the respect of human rights.” In each of the countries we visited – Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Ukraine –leaders remarked that they are again looking to the United States for Reaganesque resolve to protect against the threats they face from Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Our visits to these countries came just hours after President Trump launched strikes against Syria in retal-

iation for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s barbaric use of chemical JIM weapons BANKS against his own people. These strikes were especially significant to these countries in Eastern Europe, as their neighbor Putin is closely aligned with the Assad regime. As the world spins out of control with unstable and unpredictable leadership in North Korea and Iran, ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ISIS carrying out attacks around the globe, President Trump cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye to an expansionist Russia that threatens many of our most cherished allies in Eastern Europe. To contain Russia and protect our allies, the president should follow a simple formula. First, the president should deliver on congressionally-approved lethal and defensive weapons to Ukraine. President Obama refused to provide Ukraine with these weapons to fight back against Russian

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

threats. Russia has already illegally annexed Crimea and continues to push forward into eastern Ukrainian territory. President Trump can deliver better weapons that will deter Russia from advancing further and protect one of our great allies and partners. Second, President Trump should abandon his misguided cuts to foreign military financing. These resources are the lifeblood for small militaries in countries like Estonia, who depends on American aid to boost their capabilities. Third, the Trump administration should move European Deterrence Initiative funding to base spending and provide a five-year budget profile for the EDI, as opposed to the one-year Overseas Contingency Operations funding currently provided. This change would send a message to Putin that the United States will be in the region for the long haul. Fourth, as America’s military continues to slip further into a readiness crisis, President Trump should push Congress to abandon the disastrous Budget Control Act. The BCA has resulted in a nearly 20 percent cut to our military since 2011, during a time when defense spending should have increased, not

decreased. Adopting the budget proposal put forward by Sen. John McCain and Congressman Mac Thornberry, rather than President Trump’s own paltry 3 percent increase in military spending, is fundamental to restoring the strength of our military at a time when we desperately need it. Our delegation visited several locations where our allies are hosting American forces, and the message was clear. Our allies are sharing the burden by hosting our forces and providing for their infrastructure needs. We need to stand with these allies. By renewing our commitment to NATO and our allies in the region, projecting American strength, and rebuilding our military, further aggression from Russia can be deterred. Barack Obama largely left our greatest threats unchecked and undeterred for eight years, but President Trump can take steps today that will earn the gratitude and generational esteem of our allies, just as President Reagan did in the 1980s. Following this course may result in the swooping hairstyle of President Trump emblazoned on statues throughout eastern Europe. CONGRESSMAN JIM BANKS represents Indiana’s third district and serves on the Armed Services Committee.

75.5 percent in 20082013. Back in 2008-2013, illicit drugs were responsible for about a third of the overdose deaths. By 2014-2015, the percentage rose to more than half, according to the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health. According to the INSPECT Prescription Monitoring System in Indiana, 1,363-2,166 prescriptions were issued to Whitey County residents under the age of 18 for opioids between 2012 and 2013. In a map produced by INSPECT, Whitley County showed some of the most concentrated use in the state — more than neighboring Allen County, which is much higher in population, rivaling the Indianapolis and Gary areas. Clearly, we are not immune to the epidemic. This is why we are glad to see state and local lawmakers taking action to address the issues

surrounding the abuse of opioids. It’s a complex problem that can’t be addressed from one angle. And, for those who are already addicted, we don’t want to see them overdose and die when we have the resources to save those individuals and provide them treatment. We are glad to see the expansion of the use of Narcan kits in the community. In such a rural community, having more residents trained on the use of Narcan will help reverse the fatal effects of opioid overdoses. But, the use needs to be coupled with treatment, therapy and prevention. We don’t want to see anyone have to use the Narcan kits, but we see it as a necessity until the community can get the opioid crisis under control. Given that the opioid crisis is nationwide, it will take time. So saving those who can be saved in the meantime is a valiant effort.

Thank you Open letter to Gary and Heather Parrett, Thank you. Thank you for being such caring and outstanding members of our community. My name is Karen Koday and I teach students with special needs at Columbia City High School. Our students are lucky enough to spend some of their time in the community learning skills that help them be independent and contributing members of society. We visit stores, restaurants and community facilities to generalize the skills the students learn in the classroom. In the past two months, my classroom has visited both of your restaurants, Big G’s and Downtown on the Square. On both of those occasions, you were so gracious as to allow us to eat for free. That was not something that we anticipated at all and we are so grateful. At Big G’s, you allowed us to take the entire back room which was especially helpful with some of our students with autism. Crowded places can be difficult for them. Your staff was gracious, friendly and very accom-

Letter to the editor modating to our needs. The food was also delicious. Then at Downtown on the Square we were treated to a fine dining experience that most of the students don’t often get to have. Again, your waitstaff was extremely accommodating, welcoming and kind to all of us. The food was also outstanding. We are overwhelmed at your kindness and generosity. With the money that we saved, we would like to pay that forward and give back to the community. We have contacted a couple of local agencies to see how we can be of service. I know that the students and the staff were all moved by your act of kindness and will benefit from the charity that they will bestow on others. My hope is for this cycle of giving to continue throughout their lives. You are a blessing to this community. Thank you so much. KAREN KODAY Functional Life Skills Teacher,CCHS

inwhitleycounty.com • A7

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Card shower for 90th birthday The family of Rose Hurd is calling for a card shower for her 90th birthday on May 6. Hurd was born in 1927 to Clarence and Ellen Hively. Her address is 1910 E. Keiser Road, Columbia City, 46725. She will celebrate her birthday in a private gathering with family

COUNTY from Page 4 is operating beyond its 20-25-year life expectancy, Sturtevant said. As a result, the maintenance costs are adding up. The county paid maintenance costs of $19,000 in 2015, $39,000 in 2016 and $6,300 thus far in 2017. In other commissioner meeting news: • Debra Darr, with the Whitley County Council on Aging, presented the organization’s expense report for the commissioners to approve, which they did. The commissioners’ approval is required so the organization can receive reimbursement dollars from the state, County Auditor Jana Schinbecker said after the meeting. • Community Corrections Director Paula Worden and Liane Minier, also with Community Corrections, presented an overview of the residential work release program from 2012-2016. The report also provides information on the home detention program for the last five years and an overview of fees and funding that has been received during the same period. The information was presented to commissioners to be considered. Worden and Minier plan to attend the May meetings to answer any questions. Look for a more in-depth story on the findings in next week’s IN|Whitley County. • The county’s health board approved revisions to the tattoo ordinance, which was last updated in 2002, said Scott Wagner, environmental health specialist for the county. The current ordinance only allows the health department to fine a code violator if the person is licensed to perform tattooing and piercing. This means, those who are unlicensed cannot be fined for violating the ordinance. Other proposed changes include referring to tattoo businesses as “establishments” rather than “parlors.” “I don’t think we’re going to put anyone out of business [with the changes],” said Wagner. The commissioners said they will request County Attorney Dan Sigler to review the changes before taking action. • Nathan Bilger, executive director of the planning and building department, presented the proposed zoning amendments approved by the Planning Commission last week, 9-0. Currently, the way the code is written, properties

that have 80,000 square feet and less, must have one acre of land per animal unit. While it is implied that properties over the 80,000 square feet do not have an acreage standard, the commission decided to clarify the language so the code is interpreted as such, Bilger said. The code is also being amended to clarify what is considered a confined feeding operation. The commissioners approved the changes to the ordinance. • County Engineer Brandon Forrester expects the highway department to have funding to chip and seal 90 miles worth of county roads this year. This amounts to about $900,000, he said in an email. “We can’t do as much as we liked to just because of funding…Next year, we will get more money,” Forrester said, referring to the recent approval of additional road funding by state lawmakers. To determine which roads were in the greatest need of chip and seal this year, Forrester said he drove down every county road. “I can say now I’ve been on every segment of every road,” he said. • County Commissioners plan to present a proposal for the county to provide health savings accounts

for county employees at a future County Council meeting, Schrumpf said. A study shows the county could save more than $80,000. “I think it will be a great program for us,” he said. • During the public portion of the meeting, residents raised concerns about how the commissioners are handling EMS service in the county. In 2016, Whitley County Commissioners signed an EMS contract with Parkview to provide service to the entire county, with ambulances stationed in Columbia City at Parkview Whitley Hospital, and at Churubusco’s and South Whitley’s fire stations. Then, Lutheran announced it would bring an ambulance service to South Whitley at no cost to taxpayers. Many questions have been raised regarding Lutheran’s presence in Whitley County — such as where the ambulance would be housed, who will dispatch the ambulance and how it would be decided which ambulance would respond to each incident. Commissioners are expected to meet with affected and involved parties to discuss Lutheran’s plans in the near future, Commissioner Don Amber said.

Voted #1 in Whitley County

20-year-old killed by train in southwest Whitley County By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — A 20-year-old Columbia City man was struck and killed by a train Monday morning at about 9 a.m. Seth T. Barton was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement by Whitley

County Coroner Randy Delling. Sheriff Marc Gatton said personnel on the Norfolk and Southern train told him Barton stood on the tracks and watched as the train approached him. “It appears it was on purpose,” Gatton said. It took the train about

one mile to stop after the incident, which occurred in the 5000 south block of County Road 300 West in Washington Township. Barton lived in the vicinity of the incident, Gatton said. The death remains under the investigation of Whitley County Coroner.

Quilters club plans service projects Staff reports COLUMBIA CITY —The Whitley County Country Quilters met for their regular meeting in April. Committee chairs were asked to give updates. Becky Ousley, charity committee chair, outlined the goals for the guild this year, including Quilts of Valor and burp cloths for B.A.B.E. The retreat committee reminded members of the dates of this year’s annual retreat, Oct. 5-8. After a lively refreshments and visiting session, 40 quilters answered the roll call question: How many quilt projects are you currently working on? The answered ranged from none to too-many-to-count. President Caitlin Ackerman gave a run down of upcoming UFO sewing

CONTRIBUTED

Barb Born brought a quilt top she recently pieced to the Whitley County Country Quilters meeting.

days and an opportunity for an instructional workshop. An email will be sent out announcing details. After completing guild business, Ackerman lead a demonstration on the disappearing nine block. Show and tell, a favorite part of each meeting, was full of beautiful pieced tops and quilts, a woven wood

foot stool and a miniature sewing machine called a Betsy Ross. Whitley County Country Quilters meet the last Tuesday of the month at Grace Lutheran Church in Columbia City. Members can meet at 4 p.m. for sewing and visiting. The guild meeting is called to order at 6 p.m.

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A8 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

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inwhitleycounty.com • A9

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

American LandMaster expanding to Whitley County By Linda Lipp llipp@kpcmedia.com

WHITLEY COUTNY — Northeast Indiana cities and counties have to be competitive with each other — and with cities and counties across the country — when it comes to attracting or expanding local business. But there also are instances of cooperation. Whitley County’s latest win, American Landmaster, which will spend $4 million to equip a former Superior Essex building on U.S. 30 and create as many as 67 new jobs, was actually the result of legwork done by Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Whitley’s involvement came at the last minute,

Will be housed in former Essex building on County Road 600 East said Jon Myers, president of the Whitley Economic Development Corp. The Ambassador Enterprises affiliate, which manufactures and distributes off-road vehicles, was looking for a location at which it could consolidate operations currently in Fort Wayne and Roseland, La. To entice it to expand in Allen County, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered LandMaster $420,000 in tax credits and $70,000 in training grants, based on its job creation plans, and it would have qualified for a tax abatement as well. But

Allen County just didn’t have a building that met LandMaster’s needs, and there was a real possibility that the company would leave Indiana, said Scott Naltner, director of business development for Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Naltner sent LandMaster to Myers and Whitley County instead. The IEDC offer was transferable, and Whitley promised an abatement comparable to what Allen County would have provided. The abatement, approved by the Whitley County Council May 2, will allow LandMaster to save $88,000 in taxes

over 10 years. The new facility, which is housed in the former Essex building, is just 15 miles from Landmaster’s current one, close enough for current employees to commute. The company will invest more than $4 million to lease and equip a 112,000-squarefoot space at 2499 S. C.R. 600 East near U.S. 30 in Whitley County. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered ASW LLC (dba American LandMaster) up to $420,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $70,000 in training grants based on the

company’s job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The Whitley County Council also approved a tax abatement. “We are pleased that American LandMaster has chosen to move its operations here to Whitley County,” said Whitley County Commissioner George Schrumpf. “Not only do we welcome the company to our community, we also want to warmly welcome and provide support to

any employees who are considering relocating to the Whitley County community.” American LandMaster is one of nearly 500,000 small businesses across Indiana which employ 1.2 million Hoosiers across the state, according to U.S. Small Business Administration. The announcement helps mark National Small Business Week, which celebrates the small business community and its economic impact on Indiana. “It just worked out perfectly for them to stay in northeast Indiana,” Naltner said.

Whitko named Pierceton Chamber’s business of the month Staff reports PIERCETON — The Pierceton Chamber of Commerce has named Whitko Community Schools as its recipient for May’s Business of the Month. “Big enough to deliver, small enough to care” has long been the motto of the school district that spans two counties, but the message is becoming increasingly relevant in a field where schools openly compete to give families the best education and experience for their students. “We believe what’s good for the community is good for the schools and vise-versa,” said Superintendent Steve Clason. “The relationships between the schools and their communities often pave the way for commerce in the local towns, and we’ve been fortunate to experience tremendous support from our local businesses in Pierceton, Larwill, South Whitley and Sidney.” At Pierceton Elementary alone, during a

school carnival hosted by the PTO, more than 20 local Pierceton businesses volunteered and sponsored the event. The amount of time spent on gatherings have supplied fresh opportunities for area businesses to develop new, fruitful relationships and have also paved the way for Whitko to share successes. While the school has always been an advocate of the communities through creating new jobs and attracting and harvesting talented local professionals, this year, boosting enrollment at Whitko has also become an important part. The district’s goal is simple: to deliver a focused and clear message through communication strategies. If successful, school officials believed they could help inform their current students and families about events happening at the school, and at the same time attract new families to join the Whitko communities. Using social media,

photography, videography and the website, Whitko began the important task of connecting with families where they most often can be found: at large school events and online at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Facebook has become the schools’ primary format for delivering quick videos or updates to parents, meanwhile, students seem more interested in using Instagram. As a result, the school has seen growth in their base of followers online through both platforms. On any given day, a single Facebook post by the school can reach 3,000-5,000 newsfeeds, but several videos created by the school reached well beyond 30,000 newsfeeds, despite the district spending no money on advertising. Because of their intentionality in choosing to be hyper-focused in the area of communication, Whitko’s administrators have been able to celebrate on a large scale

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with their students, staff and families regularly the many successes that would otherwise have possibly only have been heard by a few. This school year alone, Whitko can boast: the 2016 World Archery Tournament champion, bands and choirs receiving gold ratings at ISSMA competitions, girls volleyball sectional winners, a No. 1 stateranked girls basketball

team, an art department with awards locally, nationally and globally, A-rated schools, and a prestigious awards such as the APTIP award, which was granted for Whitko’s devotion to continued successes in Advanced Placement courses. “Whitko’s student successes in academics and athletics are the direct result of a staff who care and the

communities who believe in us everyday. Thank you so much for recognizing our hard work as a team,” said Clason. Coming in July, Whitko’s strategy will focus on renovating its current website at whitko.org by creating updates which continue to reflect its commitment to excellence, improving student enrollment and strengthening their ability to attract top talent.

Graber’s Greenhouse

Offering beautiful hanging baskets and quality plants Lots of Proven Winners Flowers and Vegetables Hanging Baskets Antique Planters Large Potted Geraniums Nice Mother’s Day Gifts Perennials …must come to enjoy the beauty!

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY Saturday, May 13 Drawings and Refreshments • Also Offering Gift Certificates Regular Hours: Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

– WE DO CUSTOM POTTING – Located 2-1/2 miles northeast of South Whitley on Whitley Road

A10 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Learning hardwork through gardening By Derreck Stahly dstahly@kpcmedia.com

LARWILL — Students in the Whitko Middle School Clean World Association are learning more than how to have a green thumb. The association is a club that grows plants in a greenhouse located behind the middle school. The club is run by Laura Thong-Umphai and Joyce Hardy. Together the two work to teach the students about plants, math, responsibility and teamwork. “They’ll start off the

first of the year (saying), you know, ‘I don’t want to work with this person, I don’t want to do anything with this person’, and then pretty soon they’re just all working together as a team, and they don’t even realize that they’re doing it,” Hardy said. The club also teaches the students practical skills like sweeping and how to use a shovel. One year, the students learned how to build tables. These are skills kids don’t learn in school, but they can be valuable all the same, Thong-Umphai said.

WHITLEY COUNTY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

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“We teach them that everything doesn’t come free, we have a bonfire at Mrs. Thong-Umphai’s house in the fall, but you have to work so many hours with the club to earn that privilege,” Hardy said. The association’s system allows hard-working students to feel rewarded by getting to do a job. The program allows the students to take the lead “So, we try to build in that reward system,” Thong-Umphai said. “They really seem to respond to that.” Kids in the club also have opportunities to have a pool party at Thong-Umphai’s house, and get the chance to go to a river water park. It is all based on hard work and determination. Students are responsible for time cards and are required to complete 80 hours. They start tracking their hours when

DERRECK STAHLY

Laura Thong-Umphai shows some of the kids in Whitko’s Clean World Association how to remove wilted flowers.

the greenhouse opens in January. The students also use math skills by calculating the plant sales. One thing that Thong-Umphai really likes is the education-based approach of the club.

Most of the volunteers are former Whitko employees who know the purpose is to coach the students to enjoy what they do while they acquire or improve skills. “We have all these

community members, they understand that it’s not about getting the job done, it about helping the kids learn to do this,” Thong-Umphai said. “It’s just a tool we use to teach kids skills.”

Man arrested for OWI causing death in Easter morning crash By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — A Warsaw man was arrested last week for allegedly causing the death of a 17-year-old boy near Larwill on Easter morning. Chaise Belcher, 25, was

arrested by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and booked into the Whitley County Jail, charged with operating while intoxicated causing death and OWI causing bodily injury. According to a police

report, Belcher allegedly failed to stop at a red light at the intersection of U.S. 30 and S.R. 5 just after 1 a.m. on Easter morning. Belcher’s pickup truck collided with a car driven by 16-year-old Phillip Caudill Jr., of Warsaw.

A passenger in Caudill’s vehicle, Jack Burchett, 17, of Warsaw, was killed in the crash. Jacob Burchett, 18, another passenger, suffered two broken legs. Caudill suffered a brain bleed, collapsed lung and broken leg. Both were hospitalized.

inwhitleycounty.com • A11

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

WCCS, City considering property agreements By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Whitley County Consolidated Schools and Columbia City are negotiating two agreements for the future of the Columbia City High School property. The first agreement addresses parking at the school following the construction of the Russel and Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Center. WCCS is considering donating property to the city to accommodate the parking needs of the new pool, which is expected to begin construction this fall

and be complete by next summer. The parking lot would be shared between the school system and the city, with an agreement that the school would have access to the lot whenever necessary. In exchange, WCCS is asking the city to extend its trail system out to the property where the new high school will be located, near Indian Springs Middle School — south of the city limits on State Road 9. Additionally, WCCS is looking to pay less of the school resource officer’s

salary. Currently, WCCS pays about 73 percent and the city pays the remaining 27 percent of the officer’s salary. The second agreement addresses the future of the the property after the high school building is vacated. Following the completion of the new school, WCCS agreed to give all of the current CCHS property to the city after demolishing the building. Some buildings will be left intact, such as the buildings surrounding the football field and the weight room. “The space where the

buildings are demolished will be put back into green space,” said WCCS Superintendent Patricia O’Connor. “We will remove all debris and materials, level the land and re-seed it as appropriate.” The school is going to keep the parking lot and outbuilding across from the main parking lot, on the west side of Whitley Street. It is unclear what the property will be used for. Columbia City Parks Director Mark Green is excited to have the additional land for park space.

if he will have to sign a contract with Spillman for the IT maintenance. VanDevender also made requests to replace an aged office computer at the cost of $709.99; purchasing a new copy of Microsoft Office, that would cost an additional $200; and a VPN Firewall device, which is required by the Spillman program. VanDevender is still working on the price of the device, however it has been suggested the current VPN device the police department has may work, but that hasn’t been determined. In other council news:

• The council approved a waiver from the special events ordinance that allows people to drive golf carts, ATVs and off-road vehicles safely in the community April 27–April 29 during the Annual South Whitley Community Garage Sale. • Kent Slater, wastewater operator/crew leader, said he Spring Spruce Up is May 6. During this event, the town comes together to clean up the uptown area by sweeping sidewalks and washing windows of local businesses. The Spring Trash Cleanup is May 8, 9 and 10. This is when residents should set out trash

they have to be picked up. Exclusions include televisions, paint and other appliances. • Aubrey Smith was appointed by the council to be the newest member of the South Whitley Park Board. With Smith’s appointment, the park board can now hold meetings with three members but it is still short two members. Anyone interested in joining the board should call 723-5312. The next South Whitley Town Council meeting will be 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 9.

The school’s property extends all the way back to Blue River. Across from the river is Morsches Park, meaning the two parks would potentially be joined together if a bridge is a feasible expense. Green said he is interested in conducting a community study to determine what the space could be used for, such as a dog park or a disc golf course — but those discussions are down the road. O’Connor said she plans to have the resolutions finalized prior to the May 15 Board of Trustees meeting, where a decision

is expected to be made. Also discussed at Monday’s work session: • The school district will now offer online payment for textbook fees through Harmony, the district’s communication portal with parents. The service is offered at a $2 fee. • WCCS is working with an outside attorney, recommended by WCCS Attorney John Whiteleather, to trademark its logos. Utilizing a trademark will prevent outside agencies from generating a profit off of the school’s logos without the board’s approval.

POLICE from Page 3 for increased speeds than the current provider. Both companies provide internet that can meet the upload speed requirements. The problems didn’t stop with the internet because the current IT contractor can’t assist with the program because he is not one of the licensed companies authorized to work on the Spillman program which has sensitive information. As a result, the department must coordinate with Spillman and wait for a licensed IT contractor to perform maintenance on the system, he said. VanDevender is not sure

Passages announces Summer Youth Enrichment Program for 2017 Staff reports COLUMBIA CITY — Passages Inc. will again host its Summer Youth Enrichment Program. The program is designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities to practice and enhance academic, social and vocational skills in a structured and fun environment. The summer program is geared toward individuals ages 12-22 with an intellectual disability who are enrolled in a Whitley County school program. This year’s program will be held at First Church of God, 1200 W. Depoy Drive, Columbia City. The program will be in two sessions. The first session will run from June 12 through July 7. The second session will run July 12 through Aug. 4. Sessions will meet 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m, Monday through Friday. Class size is limited. The application deadline is May 30. Activities will include field trips to local and area attractions, as well as games, arts and crafts,

and many other summer events. For more informa-

tion, contact Pam Hoyt, senior director of the day program, at 244-9327.

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A12 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

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inwhitleycounty.com • A13

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

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SPORTS

A14 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Whitko, CC battle at Parkview Field By Justin Hunter

on the mound. Each team recorded seven hits.

jhunter@kpcmedia.com

FORT WAYNE – Whitko’s baseball team beat Columbia City 12-5 at the home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Tuesday. Whitko scored three runs in the first inning of the special game hosted at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne. River West batted in Landen Goff and Alex Bechtold when he hit a single. Drew Bradford also scored on a fielding error by Columbia City. Columbia City scored its first run in the second inning. Frank Planchon hit an RBI double to let Dillion Reed score. Whitko answered by scoring two runs in the second inning. Bechtold hit a sacrifice RBI so Bailey Platt could score. Bradford also scored on a double steal. The Eagles scored three runs in the fourth inning. Reed hit in Cam Harris and Ashtin Lee with his RBI single. Dalton Borton scored on a throwing error by the Wildcat shortstop. Columbia City struck again in the fifth inning when

Reed hit a single RBI to let Tanner Clark head home to tie the game 5-5. The Wildcats scored seven runs in the sixth inning with their backs against the wall. Goff and Bechtold scored off Zach Hewitt’s RBI single. Bradford got stuck in a pickle between third and home to find his way to score after Austin Hollowell’s double. Spencer Sroufe walked with bases loaded to add another run. Bailey Platt hit an RBI single to let Ryan Day and Alex Robbins in. Sroufe scored the last run of the game off a throwing

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN HUNTER

Left, Whitko’s River West gets ready in the batters circle. Above, Whitko’s Drew Bradford slides home to score a run, while Columbia City’s Jordan Lee tries to tag and Eagle catcher Jake Elkins looks on.

error by Columbia City. West got the win off the mound. Each team recorded eight hits. Columbia City had five errors compared to Whitko’s three. Whitko 5, Tippy Valley 2 SOUTH WHITLEY – Whitko’s baseball team beat Tippecanoe Valley 5-2

on Monday. The first inning was scorless, but the Wildcats got the bats going in the second inning. River West scored on a fielder’s choice by Bailey Platt. Alex Robbins then scored off another fielder’s choice by Landen Goff. Alex Bechtold then hit an RBI double to let Bech-

told score. Tippecanoe struck in the fourth inning by scoring two runs. Whitko answered by score two of their own in the same inning. Bechtold scored on a double steal, then Zach Hewitt hit an RBI double to let Drew Bradford score. Bradford got the win

From left, Dillon Reed pumps his fist in celebration of his sacrifice RBI while jogging back to the dugout; Zach Hewitt has a conversation with an assistant coach in the dugout; Columbia City’s baseball team calls for a meeting in between innings; Colin Craig, left, entertains River West after the game in the dugout.

Southwood 7, Whitko 3 SOUTH WHITLEY — Whitko’s baseball team lost to Three Rivers Conference foe Southwood 7-3 Wednesday. The loss was the Wildcats’ second of the season. The first three innings went scoreless before Southwood scored a run in the fourth inning. The Knights added another two runs in the fifth. Whitko got two runs on the board in the sixth inning. Drew Bradford hit an RBI single to let Alex Bechtold score. Alex Robbins then hit in Bradford, making the score 3-2. Southwood answered by scoring four runs in the seventh inning. Bradford hit a sacrifice RBI for Spencer Sroufe to score, but the lone run in the seventh inning was not enough to comeback. Whitko had eight hits compared to Southwood’s 10. Both teams had two errors apiece.

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN HUNTER

FOLLOW WHITLEY COUNTY SPORTS Friday, May 5

Thursday, May 4

Columbia City Baseball (Home) vs. New Haven 5 p.m. Columbia City Girls Tennis (Home) vs. New Haven 5 p.m. Whitko Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Tippecanoe Valley 5 p.m. Whitko Softball (Away) vs. Wayne 5 p.m. Churubusco Girls Tennis (Away) vs. West Noble 4:30 p.m. Churubusco Baseball (Away) vs. Hamilton 5 p.m. Churubusco Softball (Away) vs. Hamilton 5 p.m.

wc wc

Columbia City Softball (Home) vs. Snider 5 p.m. Churubusco Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Blackhawk Christian 4:30 p.m. Whitko Baseball (Away) vs. Bellmont 5 p.m. Whitko Boys Track (Away) vs. Concord 5:30 p.m. Whitko Softball (Home) vs. Oak Hill 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 6

Monday, May 8

Tuesday, May 9

Columbia City Boys Golf (State Preview @ Prairie View) TBA Whitko Baseball (Away doubleheader) vs. Southern Wells 11 a.m. Churubusco Boys Golf (Away) vs. Fremont 8 a.m. Churubusco Baseball (Home doubleheader) vs. New Haven 10 a.m. Whitko Boys Golf (Away) vs. Northfield 8:45 a.m. Whitko Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Angola 9 a.m.

Columbia City Softball (Home) vs. East Noble 5 p.m. Columbia City Track (NE8 @ New Haven TBA Churubusco Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Lakeland 4:30 p.m. Churubusco Baseball (Home) vs. Heritage 5 p.m. Churubusco Softball (Home) vs. Lakewood Park 5 p.m. Whitko Baseball (Away) vs. Wabash 5 p.m. Whitko Boys Golf (Away) vs. Tippecanoe Valley 4:30 p.m. Whitko Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Central Noble 4:30 p.m. Whitko Softball (Away) vs. Wabash 5 p.m.

Columbia City Boys Golf (Away) vs. East Noble 5 p.m. Columbia City Baseball (Away) vs. East Noble 5 p.m. Columbia City Girls Tennis (Away) vs. East Noble 5 p.m. Churubusco Girls Tennis (Away) vs. Prairie Heights 4:30 p.m. Churubusco Track (Home) vs. NECC 4:45 p.m. Churubusco Baseball (Away) vs. Prairie Heights 5 p.m. Churubusco Softball (Away) vs. Prairie Heights 5 p.m. Whitko Baseball (Home) vs. Triton 5 p.m. Whitko Track (Away) vs. TRC @ Indiana Wesleyan 5 p.m.

Wednesday, May 10

Columbia City Softball (Away) vs. Leo 5 p.m. Whitko Baseball (Away) vs. Rochester 5 p.m. Whitko Girls Tennis (Home) vs. Wayne 5:30 p.m. Whitko Softball (Away) vs. Rochester 5 p.m.

Submit your sports stories or photos to Whitley County Whitley County Justin Hunter at jhunter@kpcmedia.com inwhitleycounty.com

inwhitleycounty.com

SPORTS

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

inwhitleycounty.com • A15

CC places sixth at Wawasee Invite By Justin Hunter

with a 40. Garrett Roehling had a 41, Zach Harker carded a 42 and Lawson Hahn finished in 63 strokes. McCammon recorded a birdie and Harker started off with two birdies in the first two holes.

jhunter@kpcmedia.com

NICOLE MINIER

No. 2 doubles players Erin Wight, left, and Isabelle Kreienbrink support each other.

WAWASEE – Columbia City’s boys’ golf team placed sixth of 15 teams Saturday at the Wawasee Invitational at South Shore golf course. Whitko fell to 15th place. Spencer McCammon led the Eagles with a 77 and came in seventh place overall out of 73 golfers. McCammon recorded four birdies and two eagles. Nick Decker followed with 80, Zach Harker had 84, Garrett Roehling scored a 86 and Cameron Hall got a 96.

Whitko girls tennis beats Columbia City Whitko

Columbia City 160, Bellmont 179 COLUMBIA CITY – Columbia City’s boys’

By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY – Whitko’s girls’ tennis team defeated Columbia City 4-1 last Monday. Lady Wildcats who won their singles matches were Morgan Keirn and Delaney Keirn. Jackie Werstler and Keirn also won two doubles for the Wildcats. Whitko’s junior varsity team also won 5-0. Whitko 5, Northrop 0 SOUTH WHITLEY — Whitko’s girls’ tennis team beat Northrop 5-0 last week. Morgan Keirn received an easy 6-0, 6-0 win in No. 1 singles. Delaney Keirn won in No. 2 singles 6-0, 6-1. Jackie Werstler defeated a Bruin 6-1, 6-1 in No. 3 singles. Mallory Potter and Duyen Luc stumbled in their first match, but came back to win in No. 1 doubles 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Whitko picked up another win in No. 2 doubles thanks to Lady Wildcats Janna VanCuren’s and Manon

Sonneville’s 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Wabash 5, Whitko 0 SOUTH WHITLEY – Whitko’s girls’ tennis team lost to Wabash 5-0 April 27. Delaney Keirn played No. 1 singles in the absence of her sister, Morgan Keirn, falling in in a long tiebreaker, 6-4, 3-6, 5-10. Unfortunately for the Lady Wildcats, they didn’t get any closer in winning a match. Huntington North 5, Columbia City 0 COLUMBIA CITY – Columbia City’s girls’ tennis team lost to Huntington North 5-0 April 27. Olivia Campbell lost in No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0. Grace Cotter also lost 6-1, 6-0 in No. 2 singles. In No. 3 singles, Lydia Morgan fell 6-0, 2-0. Hannah Behm and Jayma Acres lost 6-4, 6-3 in No. 1 doubles. Erin Wight and Izzy Kreienbrink also fell short 6-2, 6-1, in No. 2 doubles.

track wins on senior night

NICOLE MINIER

Head coach Andrew Thompson talks to Columbia City’s boys golf team before the Eagles’ match against Carroll last week.

golf team beat Bellmont 160-179 last week. “We’re happy to get the win and go 3-0 in the NE8 along with posting our lowest nine hole score of

the year,” said head coach Andrew Thompson. Columbia City’s Spencer McCammon led the team with a 37. Nick Decker followed

Carroll 156, Columbia City 177 COLUMBIA CITY – Columbia City’s golf team lost to a strong Carroll team 156-177 on Thursday. Spencer McCammon led the Eagles with a 40. Nick Decker was not far behind with a 44, Zach Harker with a 47, Garrett Roehling had a 50 and Cameron Hall had 52 strokes.

Field of Dreams

By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

SOUTH WHITLEY – Whitko’s track team beat Wabash and Lakeland Christian 97-44-11, respectively, on senior night last week. Blue ribbons were given to Garrett Elder, Conner Sherwin, Zack Freel, Alex Wilson, Shad Ebbinghouse, R.J. Patrick, Gavin Howard and Chase Meade. The seniors who competed this season for the Wildcats are Sherwin, Elder, Alex Morales,and Justin Hartman.

JUSTIN HUNTER

Bird Perch: Columbia City and Whitko competed at Parkview Field, home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps last week. See more on Page 14.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK sponsored by

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CHANCE GALLMEIER

NICOLE MINIER

Olivia Campbell takes a swing against Huntington North.

Chance Gallmeier, a junior, is this week’s Athlete ANNA WEIGOLD of the Week. He broke the school single-game Columbia City softball’s Anna Weigold shut receiving record on Friday at Lakeland with 164 out Northrop on the mound last week. yards and three touchdowns in the 33-19 win.

Justin Hunter Sports Reporter 260/693-3949 Ext. 1195 jhunter@kpcmedia.com

To share a story idea, please contact me.

SPORTS

A16 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Lady Eagles win first ever NECC tournament By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

CHURUBUSCO – Churubusco’s softball team won its first NECC tournament championship in school history as the Lady Eagles beat Fremont in a close, 4-3, game Friday evening. The Lady Eagles won the tournament after starting the season 0-3 in conference play. “We were out of the conference race,” said head coach Phil Nicolette. “There was nothing else to play for at that point other than to get better and play in this tournament. Our mind frame was that no one expects us to do well, so let’s give this a shot. We were relaxed and playing with no pressure, and it worked well.” Churubusco trailed early as Fremont went up 2-0 after the first inning. “We lost every game last season when we found ourselves down in the game. We’re now at a point where we know we can come back,” said Nicolette. Churubusco tied the game in the second inning scoring two runs. Maddison Simmons hit a two-run homer to tie the game. Abi Erwin hit another

CONTRIBUTED

Breanna Baughman waits for the pitch at third base.

two-run home run in the third inning to make the score 4-2. The fourth inning went scoreless. Then Fremont hit a single score home run in the fifth inning. No other runs were scored in the game thanks to a strong effort by the Lady Eagle defense. Carlee Koldyke got the win on the mound as she threw 61 pitches in seven innings, allowing five hits, three runs and recording a strikeout. “Koldyke got to a rough start to this season,” said Nicolette. “I was worried she wasn’t going to have the senior year she wanted, but it’s all

JUSTIN HUNTER

The Lady Eagles pose with the tournament trophy after they won the Northeast Corner Conference softball tournament on their home field last week.

coming together and I’m not worried about it anymore.” Churubusco has 12 more games to play in the season before the Lady Eagles enter sectional play against Canterbury in the first round. “We have about a dozen games left in the season to keep getting better,” said Nicolette. “Hopefully we can make a run-in sectionals just like this.”

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Nicole Minier Derreck Stahly Bridgett Baldwin Justin Hunter Editor

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Lady Eagles whip Northrop, 15-0 By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY – Columbia City’s softball team shut out Northrop 15-0 Friday. The Lady Eagles scored a run in the first inning, and added another in the second. Columbia City scored a fury of eight runs in the third inning and didn’t stop there, as the Lady Eagles scored five runs in the fifth. The Bruins were unable to stop the mercy rule in the fifth inning. Columbia City recorded 11 hits compared to Northrop’s two. The Lady Eagles only had one error, but the Bruins racked up seven. Bella Krieg led the Lady Eagles at bat going 3 for 4, with an RBI. Pitcher Anna Weigold earned the shutout on the mound. Huntington 11, Columbia City 5 HUNTINGTON — Columbia City’s softball team lost 11-5 to Huntington North last week. The Vikings scored first with three runs scored in the first inning. Columbia City hit in

NICOLE MINIER

Columbia City’s Bella Ross scoops up a ball.

two runs in the second inning, but Huntington North answered by adding three of its own. The Lady Eagles added a run in the third inning, but the Vikings added another three runs in the third to cushion their lead. Columbia City scored another run in the fifth inning, but Huntington North answered once again by adding two runs. Columbia City added

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one run in the last two innings, but was not able to provide a comeback. Homestead 6, Columbia City 2 COLUMBIA CITY – Columbia City’s softball team lost to Homestead 6-2 last week. The first three innings did not see any runs. Homestead got on the board first in the fourth inning to go up 1-0. Homestead scored five runs in the fifth inning. Columbia City scored two runs in the same inning, but it couldn’t score any more runs. Both teams recorded nine hits. Columbia City had four errors compared to Homestead’s three. Bella Ross led the Lady Eagles with two hits, a run and an RBI. Felicity Clawson also tallied two

SPORTS

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Softball sectional pairings announced By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Whitley County’s softball teams learned their sectional pairings last week. Columbia City will face sectional host Norwell, Whitko drew the bye and Churubusco faces Fort Wayne Canterbury. Dates and times have not been announced for the games; however, sectional play is May 22-27. Columbia City will play Norwell in round one. In the other part of

the bracket, Heritage will face Mississinewa and Marion takes on Bellmont. Whitko drew the bye in the Oak Hill sectional, and will play the winner of Manchester and Wabash. In the other half of the bracket, Northfield takes on North Miami and Southwood faces Oak Hill. Churubusco plays Canterbury, then plays the winner of Bluffton and Woodlan. South Adams and sectional host Adams Central drew the bye and will play in round two.

Lady Wildcats shutout TRC rival Southwood By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

SOUTH WHITLEY – Whitko’s softball team defeated Three Rivers Conference foe Southwood 8-0 last week. Pitcher Ellie Snep got the shutout on the mound. Snep recorded eight strikeouts and Anna Ousley came in the game late and struck out four. The Lady Wildcats scored three runs in the first inning, another three in the second and scored a couple more in the third inning. The Knights could not overcome the early deficient. Andrea Snavely led the Lady Wildcats at bat with a single and a double. Reannon Hopkins and Kennedy Krull had seven outs on the field collectively. Huntington 3, Whitko 2 HUNTINGTON —

Whitko’s softball team lost a close game to Huntington North in extra innings last week, 3-2. Whitko had a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning but was unable to put anymore runs on the board, and the Lady Vikings tacked on two runs in the sixth and 10th innings to take the win. Ellie Snep started the game on the mound for Whitko, giving up three hits but earning eight strikeouts in five innings. Pitcher Shi Bradley finished the game, earning three strikeouts and giving up five hits. Anna Ousley hit a single, Snep hit a double and Kennedy Krull hit a single. “It was a tough loss but a great game by both sides,” said Whitko head coach Michele Garr.

inwhitleycounty.com • A17

MAKING COMMITMENTS

CONTRIBUTED

Churubusco’s Carson Gatton recently signed to play football for Trine University.

CONTRIBUTED

Columbia City’s Dyson Redding signs with Indiana Wesleyan’s new football team.

CONTRIBUTED

Columbia City’s Heath Atkins signs with Huntington University’s bowling team.

CONTRIBUTED

Churubusco’s Jacob Eyer signs with the University of Saint Francis for track and field.

CONTRIBUTED

Churubusco’s Nash Wood signs with Trine University to play football this fall.

CONTRIBUTED

Whitko’s Nate Walpole signs with Adrian College (MI) for basketball.

CCHS boys track wins meet By Justin Hunter jhunter@kpcmedia.com

NEW HAVEN — Columbia City’s boys’ track team beat East Noble and New Haven 91-40.5-35, respectively,on Tuesday. Jacob Wigent won the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles to give the Eagles 10 points. Heath Atkins took first place in the 100-meter dash. Bryce Taylor won the 800-meter run.

Landon Wakeman won the 1,600-meter run, and his teammate Nathan Mills came in second place. Wakeman also won the 3,200-meter run. David Osborn won shot put while Liam Hesting was right behind him in second place. Alex Scharpenberg took first in the high jump. The Eagles also won the 1,600-meter relay to add to their lead.

Churubusco’s Trey Springer signs with the University of Saint Francis for track and field.

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CONTRIBUTED

Columbia City’s Jordan Bechtold signs with Wabash College for basketball.

ISMS boys golf wins first eight matches By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia.com

COLUMBIA CITY — Indian Springs Middle School’s boys golf team has won its first eight matches. Last week, the team took down Leo and won

a three-way meet with Crestview and Riverview. Against the Huntington middle schools, ISMS recorded a score of 183 to Riverview’s 223 and Cresview’s 239. Logan Campbell was match medalist with a

44 after he chipped in a shot on his last hole for a birdie. Other scores were: Sean Bledsoe, 46; Alex Hedrick, 46; Andrew Hedrick, 47 and Evan Krick, 49. Bledsoe was the Eagle Stars’ medalist against

Leo, scoring a 41, in a rainy match. Brendan Cook finished with a 47. Alex Hedrick finished with a 49, and ISMS had four golfers score 50s: Sawyer Bales, Tobey Krider, Andrew Hedrick and Campbell.

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A18 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

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inwhitleycounty.com • A19

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

Community Calendar Pathway of Hope counseling, tools for school (school supplies), holiday meal vouchers, hygiene pantry, baskets of hope, clothing vouchers, work shoes, school shoes and more. All proceeds stay in Whitley County.

Include news of your group, too

Send news of your group to nminier@kpcmedia.com by Friday prior to the next week’s edition. Items will be selected and edited as space permits.

May

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May 6 • The Whitley County Farmers Market will open for the season 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The farmers market his hosted weekly on the Whitley County Courthouse Square. • The Downed Veterans Ride and Dinner hosted by the Churubusco American Legion will include a ride, meal and music by an area radio station. The ride is $5 per person and begins at 11 a.m. Those driving cars are welcome to participate. The dinner is a taco bar and cost $5, 3-6 p.m. For more information, call Daryl Kizer at 693-1732 or Doug Cope at 897-3893. The Legion is also hosting a $600 raffle and will draw the winner that day. • The Whitley County Council on Aging will host its annual all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast 6:30-10 a.m. at the Woodlands Center, 710 Opportunity Drive, Columbia City. The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Whitley County Transit will provide transportation for seniors in need from 8-10 a.m. Those wishing to schedule transportation should do so by noon May 3. • The Leatherneck Coffee Club meets the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. for morning chow at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Columbia City. Active duty and honorably discharged U.S. Marines and USN Hospital Corpsmen are welcome for camaraderie, sea stories and service to the community. • The Whitley County Republican Women’s Club will host a spring brunch at 10 a.m. at the Peabody Public Library auditorium, in Columbia City. There will be a fashion show, and Amanda Banks, wife of U.S. Rep. Jim Banks and former senator, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $20 per person. Call or text 609-6803 to RSVP. • Big Lake Church of God will host an all-youcan-eat fish and tenderloin fry 4-7 p.m. The meal will be catered by J’s Frying (Jerry Hinen). The cost is $9 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and children 5 and under are free. All proceeds go toward a mission trip planned for August to serve the Lakota Native American Indian Tribe in Allen, South Dakota. Big Lake Church of God is located at 6955 N. S.R. 109, seven miles north of Columbia City, across from Crooked Lake Golf Course. • Free Comic Book Day will be celebrated at BE Computers in downtown Columbia City. Visit freecomicbookday.com for more information. • The Fellowship of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church will host a garage sale 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church, 13733 Wesley Chapel Road, Churubusco. Several families will be selling items. Booth space is available — call Vickie at 637-6863 or email Tammy at aunt46723@yahoo.com for more information. The United Methodist Women will also have a bake sale at the event, and the youth will have a concession stand to raise money for their mission trip this summer. • Bicycle Repair Day, put on by the Whitley County 4-H Bicycle Club, will be held from 8:30noon underneath the canopy at the main concession stand at the Whitley County 4-H Fairgrounds. Labor, tire inflations and inspections are free. Participants will need to pay for parts, if needed. The event is open to the public. Contact Eric Blank at 248-6390 via call or text message, or email whitleyco4hbicycleclub@gmail.com. • Churubusco High School’s prom will be held at TinCaps stadium 7-11 p.m. The theme is, “All that Glitters is Gold.” Parents are invited to take photos of their children at the stadium 7-8 p.m. May 8 • Registration forms are due for the Little Miss, Junior Miss, Pre-Teen, Teen and Miss Whitley County Scholarship program. Those wishing to participate should contact Jessica Geiger at misswhitleycounty@yahoo.com. The deadline was extended from May 1. May 9 • The Whitley County Salvation Army will host Pink Ice Cream Day at Dairy Queen, 409 N. Main St., Columbia City, all day. From 4-8 p.m. a portion of all sales will be donated to the Whitley County Salvation Army. These proceeds will be used for

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May 10 • The Churubusco Junior High Awards Program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Jason Smith Auditorium. Invitations will be sent via mail to eligible sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. May 11 • The next Whitley County Amateur Radio Club meeting will be 6-8 p.m. in the community rooms. The program will be, “Some Principles for Good Antennas,” presented by Theodore Tahmisian, W9WT. All meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit www.wcarc.org or contact Roger McEntarfer at n9qcl@arrl.net. • The Blue River Estates community garage sale will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m, May 11-13. Blue River Estates is located one mile north of Columbia City on State Road 9, across from the Shriner’s Horse Grounds.

Marines retire by fire hundreds of worn and tattered U.S. flags in the annual Memorial Day event put on by the Leatherneck Coffee Club of Northern Indiana, 7 p.m. at the Courthouse. Emily Neher, a musician from Columbia City High School, will perform “Taps,” on the trumpet. The public can bring flags to the event, or drop them off at yo2go downtown.

June

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May 12 • Columbia City High School’s Honors Convocation will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium. Those wishing to present an award should contact Joyce Hull, hullja@wccsonline. com, by May 1.

May 13 • An all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast will be held at Green Township Community Center 6-10 a.m. The breakfast is provided for a freewill donation — proceeds benefit the community center, west of County Road 300 East on County Road 300 South in Noble County, near Churubusco. • Art in the Alley will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 220 W. Van Buren St. in downtown Columbia City. The Mother’s Day weekend version of the event will offer items to give as gifts for Mother’s Day, as well ad music, kids activities and more. Those interested in becoming vendors for Art in the Alley should contact Natalie Spain at nataliespain1@aol.com. • The 1st Annual Ride for the Cure, supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, will begin at 1 p.m. at the Fort Wayne Harley Davidson at 6315 Illinois Rd., and will end in Columbia City with many events, vendors, food, a silent auction and live entertainment. The cost is $25 for a single rider, which includes food, drink and one raffle ticket, or $35 for a double rider with food, drinks and two raffle tickets. • Author D.R. VerValin will be at Peabody Public Library in Columbia City 2:30-4:30 p.m. to autograph copies of his book, “450 East,” which is set in Whitley County. The appearance is sponsored by B.E. Computer & Hobbies.

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June 2 • First Friday celebration will be hosted from 5-9 p.m. monthly through October. The event will feature entertainment, music, shopping, vendors, food and fun for the community. June 3 • The Leatherneck Coffee Club meets the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. for morning chow at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Columbia City. Active duty and honorably discharged U.S. Marines and USN Hospital Corpsmen are welcome for camaraderie, sea stories and service to the community. June 9 • The Tri-Lakes community garage sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 10 • The Tri-Lakes community garage sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 17 • The Tri-Lakes Property Owners Association will host a pancake and sausage breakfast 8-10 a.m. at the Tri-Lakes Park on Fish Hatchery Road. Eat-in or carryout is available. June 20 The 9th annual Civil War Camp begins June 20 and concludes June 22. The camp costs $40 per camper, ages 10-13. The camp is limited to 30 participants, and takes place at the Whitley County Historical Museum, 108 W. Jefferson St., Columbia City. June 23 • CJ’s Cruzin, hosted by CJ’s Drive In at 502 E. Business 30 in Columbia City, is hosted the fourth Friday every month through September. The event is 5-8 p.m.

June 24 • The 2017 Master Gardeners Garden Walk will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature gardens from the Churubusco/Smith Township area. There are seven gardens on the tour. • The Little Miss Whitley County Pageant will be held at 1 p.m. at the Whitley County 4-H Center, Squawbuck Road, Columbia City.

July

July 8 • The Leatherneck Coffee Club meets the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. for morning chow at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Columbia City. Active duty and honorably discharged U.S. Marines and USN Hospital Corpsmen are welcome for camaraderie, sea stories and service to the community.

May 15 • Livestock identification forms for Whitley County 4-H are due online. May 20 • The Girl Scout Travel Troop will host a free-will donation carwash at Tractor Supply on North Main Street in Columbia City from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will raise money for a trip to London.

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May 23 • The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce will host a Whitley County Education Forum. Details to come. May 24-25 • Registration for Churubusco Elementary School will be held May 24-25 at the school. Those wishing to register their children should call 693-2188 to schedule an appointment, and a registration packet will be mailed. Churubusco Elementary School accepts transfer students. May 26 • CJ’s Cruzin, hosted by CJ’s Drive In at 502 E. Business 30 in Columbia City, is hosted the fourth Friday every month through September. The event is 5-8 p.m.

May 29 • The Chain O’ Lakes Chorus will perform as U.S.

Aug.

July 10 • The Miss Whitley County Scholarship Program will be 6 p.m. at First Church of God, Depoy Drive, Columbia City. July 14-20 • The Whitley County 4-H Fair will be at the Whitley County Fairgrounds in Columbia City. July 28 • CJ’s Cruzin, hosted by CJ’s Drive In at 502 E. Business 30 in Columbia City, is hosted the fourth Friday every month through September. The event is 5-8 p.m. August 5 • The Leatherneck Coffee Club meets the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. for morning chow at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Columbia City. Active duty and honorably discharged U.S. Marines and USN Hospital Corpsmen are welcome for camaraderie, sea stories and service to the community.

A20 • inwhitleycounty.com

Whitley County • May 4, 2017

WHERE FOOD AND FRIENDS BECOME FAMILY THURSDAY NIGHT All-You-Can Eat Spaghetti FRIDAY NIGHT All-You-Can Eat Fish SATURDAY NIGHT Dinner Specials SUNDAY Breakfast Served All Day 602 S. Main Street, Columbia City

(260) 244-6388 Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Mon.-Wed. 5:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. 5:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Sun. 5:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Fine Dining • Lunch and Dinner

Full Bar with Yuengling on Tap 111 South Main Street Downtown Columbia City Owners: Heather and Gary Parrett

260-244-4011

Hours: Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.