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NEWS IN BRIEF Benefit dinner will be held for Resler family CHURUBUSCO — A benefit dinner will be hosted at the Green Center Community Building for the family of Joshua Resler, who passed away unexpectedly at age 28 in September. Resler was a 10-year Green Township 4-H member and a volunteer firefighter. After the loss, the family is faced with unexpected financial burdens. The dinner is 4-8 p.m. Oct. 14 and is a free-will donation. There will also be a silent/live auction. To donate items to the auction, contact Kellie and Tyler Phares at 502-0030 or Marcus and Julia Troyer at 693-2445.
Event planned for 180th anniversary of Wesley Chapel CHURUBUSCO — This year marks the 180th year since Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church was created, and the congregation has many things to celebrate in 2017. In addition to honoring the 180th year, the congregation is celebrating having its mortgage paid off ahead of schedule, thanks to monetary donations and participation from the community in the church’s fundraisers. A free chicken and noodle dinner, including mashed potatoes, corn, salad and a dessert will be 4-7 p.m. Oct. 21. The celebration continues Sunday, Oct. 22, at the church’s 10 a.m. worship service, where the congregation will burn the mortgage. Wesley Chapel UMC is located at 13733 Wesley Chapel Road, Churubusco. Pastor Larry Smith leads the church.
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By Tyler Roebuck troebuck@kpcmedia�com
COLUMBIA CITY — “I don’t know what else to do, gentlemen, because I’ve given you everything I can possibly give,” Sheriff Marcus Gatton told the Whitley County Council at its Oct. 3 meeting. “I wish you would have put the faith and trust in me with
everything I gave you that this is a comparable wage.” Gatton came to the council after approaching the Whitley County Commissioners the day before with a suggested wage for the E911 director position at county dispatch, where he received a favorable pass. E911, or Enhanced
BILL FRIES, OWNER 260-244-3453
For Service of System Call
October 12, 2017
911, is a service that provides location-based support to dispatchers for mobile phone users. At last month’s meeting, the council recommended a three percent increase in wage to match increased duties for two employees in the Sheriff’s department, but both refused the duties and increase because they felt it inad-
equate. In a presentation to both commissioners and council, Gatton showed wages from nearby counties as well as other Indiana counties with a population similar in size to Whitley. The duties of Indiana Data and Communications System coordinator, or head of communications
in Whitley County, and 911 director positions are designated by state mandate, so they are the same county to county. In counties with populations between 30,000 – 40,000, the average pay for these two positions is $80,264 per year, according to Gatton’s SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2
IDOE releases New store has saltwater fish downtown accountability grades By Tyler Roebuck troebuck@kpcmedia�com
COLUMBIA CITY — A new Columbia City business brings 35 years of experience in an often-overlooked hobby - saltwater aquatics. Saltwater aquatics is the hobby of keeping pet fish from oceans around the world in a fish tank at home. Salt water fish are more difficult and expensive to keep alive than fresh water fish from a lake or river, and thus require specialized equipment, food and knowledge. Twisted Tailfins owner Chris David brings all of those things in his new downtown store. David became a connoisseur of the hobby in his childhood, as it was a source of bonding between he and his father. “My dad and I were doing freshwater fish, and we went to a store in Michigan one day looking for fish, and
By Nicole Minier nminier@kpcmedia�com
TYLER ROEBUCK
David opened Twisted Tailfins after a motorcycle accident in April rendered him unable to continue working as an auto mechanic.
they had a lot of saltwater fish,” David said. “The colors and sizes of the saltwater fish made my dad decided to make the switch over to saltwater, and I was right there with him the whole time. That’s
where I learned a lot about it, and I’ve been doing saltwater ever since.” Eventually, David opened a saltwater aquatics store in Niles, Mich., which was met with resounding
success, he said. Within six months of opening, the store outgrew its building. “This type of business is like the movie ‘Field of Dreams.’ ‘If you build it, they will SEE FISH, PAGE 5
WHITLEY COUNTY — The Indiana Department of Education released its 2016-17 school accountability grades last week. Two Whitley County schools saw improved grades, five saw no change and five schools received a lower letter grade than the 2015-16 school year. Of the 12 schools in Whitley County’s three school districts, one received an A from the IDOE — Whitko High School. Five schools recorded B grades, five received Cs and one school, Pierceton Elementary, was given a D. The IDOE reported that 25 percent of schools in the state received improved letter grades. Six percent of schools in Indiana have an A rating, and 62 percent are either A or B. Whitley County nearly lines up with the state average, with 50 percent of the schools receiving an A or B. B-rated schools include Churubusco Jr.-Sr. High School, Little Turtle Elementary School, SEE GRADES, PAGE 4
Whitley County recognizes, celebrates local manufacturing Staff reports
INWhitley County 123 N. Main Street, Churubusco, IN 46723
CONTRIBUTED
Qualitex President Rick Williams explains the equipment at his facility to Churubusco students.
123 North Main Street,Churubusco, IN 46723
INWhitley County
Vol. 1 No. 28
2215 E. Paige Rd., Columbia City, IN 46725
Sheriff, Council quarrel over 911 position
INFORMATION
Telephone: (260) 693-3949
G & K WELL DRILLING, INC. WATER SYSTEMS and WATER CONDITIONERS
COLUMBIA CITY –Local high schools are partnering with the Whitley County Economic Development Corp. and manufacturers to celebrate the role of manufacturing in the local economy throughout the month of October. The National Association of Manufacturers, the nation’s largest industrial trade association, deemed Friday, Oct. 6, as National Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Day was created to celebrate modern manufacturing and inspire the next generation of manufacturers. It’s an annual celebration that brings together manufacturers, students, educators, business people, commu-
nity leaders and elected officials in a collective effort to promote manufacturing, improve public perceptions and educate the community on the opportunities available in manufacturing. The Whitley County EDC is partnering with the schools and local manufacturers to recognize manufacturing throughout the month of October. Several manufacturing companies in Whitley County provided tours this week to high school students from Churubusco and Whitko, and several more companies will provide tours later in the month to students from Columbia City, Eagle Tech and TROY Center. “This was a great
opportunity for our ‘Intro to Manufacturing and Manufacturing and Logistics’ students to immerse themselves in a ‘real world’ manufacturing environment,” said Whitko High School teacher Jay Ocken. “It really brought the similarities and diversity of our local manufacturing community to the forefront of our students’ minds. Thank you to 80/20 Inc. and Shindigz for hosting us!” Whitley County is home to many manufacturing companies leading the way, and serving a variety of industries from automotive, agriculture, aerospace, defense, medical device, food processing and many SEE MANUFACTURING, PAGE 4