Good Neighbors

Good Neighbors is a column in which readers share friendly advice. To ask or answer questions, write ‘the PAPER’, Good Neighbors, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542; fax 800-886-3796; or e-mail abias@the-papers.com. Please no phone calls.

Editor’s Note: The Good Neighbors column is for people looking for hard-to-find or old items or for people seeking advice, not for items you can find in a local store or sell through the help of a classified ad.

This column will not run every other week. —o—

New questions

Canning jars — Wanted: Used canning jars, any size. Call (574) 773-9307.

Set of china — Does anyone have a set of china called American Rose they no longer need or want? I am wanting to enlarge a set I was given.

Call (574) 646-2153.

Bounder — Does anyone know where I could find a Life Tec Health bounder or other rebounder. My springs are starting to break. (This is like a small indoor trampoline.) I would like one with a lifetime warranty, if that’s possible. Call (574) 6462153.

Old garage door — Looking for a 12-panel, 10-foot garage door. Old, wood-type with windows on one level, complete or in part (wooden parts). Call (574) 858-9241.

Local artist — Looking for a local artist in the Rochester area to illustrate a children’s book. Call (574) 835-5741.

Kosciusko County prosecutor urges safety, school bus awareness

As summer break draws to an end, it’s nearing that time of year when children will be heading back to school.

Returning to school can be exciting for kids, and their parents, and it also means school buses return to the roads.

Kosciusko County Prosecutor

Brad Voelz is urging drivers to take precautions and be aware of their surroundings. Ignoring school bus stop arms can have tragic or fatal consequences, as this community knows all too well.

In Indiana, it’s against the law for motorists to pass a bus that’s stopped and has its red lights flashing with the stop arm extended.

Unfortunately, school bus stop arm violations are all too common in Indiana. Voelz wishes to remind us all to slow down around school buses and in school zones, and to always make a full stop when the school bus stop arm is extended and the red lights are flashing.

A national survey in 2022 found almost a third of buses recorded stop arm violations. During the one-day survey, 6,665 bus drivers from 195 school districts in Indiana counted and reported stop arm violations throughout the day. In total, drivers recorded an unbelievable 2,041 violations, according to the National School

Bus Illegal Passing Driver Survey.

Disregarding a school bus stop arm is a Class A infraction, which could result in a fine of up to $10,000 and a license suspension up to one year. Recklessly passing a stop arm is a criminal offense, which could result in jail time. The punishment is much more severe, up to years in prison, if injuries or death occur as a result of the reckless passing.

“There is absolutely no excuse for ignoring school bus stop arms,” said Voelz. “For kids and our community to be safe, we must all take this seriously. Please pay attention, be patient, and slow down.”