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Covering Milford, Syracuse & North Webster, Indiana

SAL Commander Serves Community

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

One Nation Under God

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Syracuse BZA approves three cases By MARISSA SWEATLAND Staff Writer During the regular board meeting Thursday, Nov. 16, the Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals approved three cases. Douglas Troyer went before the board to petition for a variance to allow a deck to remain at 20 feet to a right of way of Bishop Street when ordinance requires 25 feet. The property is located at 916 S. Hansing St. Troyer constructed the deck and installed a pergola over the deck. He received notice that he was in violation of the ordinance.

Since the pergola was not mentioned in the original petition, the board considered continuing the case. To avoid having to refile and repay fees, Troyer agreed to keep the pergola temporary and to take it down seasonally, about every 6 months. The board approved his petition for a variance. David Ganger went before the board to petition for an exception for the change and alteration of a nonconforming use to allow a 14-foot by 78-foot accessory addition to the business to be used for personal storage. The property is located at 215 E.

Palm Drive. As part of preparation for the board meetings, board members drive by and inspect properties that are on the agenda. While doing this, Randy Cox noticed the business owner was violating his 2012 exception conditions by storing items outside the fenced in storage area. The board was hesitant to approve Ganger’s accessory building because the building would lessen the business owner’s current storage space, possibly forcing him to store even more items outside the fenced in storage area. Continued on page2

THAT’S THE SOUND — The “Chain Gang” barbershop quartet performed prior to the lighting of the Christmas tree during last year’s Old Fashioned Christmas event. They will return to serenade the crowd at Oakwood Resort on Saturday, Nov. 25. Photo by Keith Knepp.

Chautauqua-Wawasee Old Fashioned Christmas —

A schedule of activities Old Fashioned Christmas kicks off the Christmas Season Saturday, Nov. 25, at Oakwood Resort in Syracuse. This extravagant event features Santa, 50-foot tree lighting, musical groups, caroling, live reindeer and six live characters such as Frosty, Grinch, Gingerbread Man, all done with the goal of keeping Christ in Christmas. The evening includes a reading from The Gospel of Luke at the historic chapel, live nativity and much more. Sixty volunteers and performers work to make this event the best of its kind in all of northern Indiana. Here is the schedule of activities: • 5:30-6 p.m. — Music groups sing from the stage, including Wawasee High School choir, Vo-

cal Artists of Heartland Sings and Chain Gang Sings. After 6:15 p.m., they will be strolling through the park singing carols. • 6:05 p.m. — The Grinch throws T-shirts from the stage. • 6:15 p.m. — Countdown to tree lighting. • 6:15 p.m. — Audience singalong caroling • 6:15 p.m. — Park area lighted. • 6:20 p.m. — All activities open: Santa, reindeer, wagon rides, elf reading and chapel. • 8 p.m. — All activities closed. A map will be available at the Chautauqua welcome tent, along with a glow necklace. Here’s a summary of where to go: • Map of activities — blue Chautauqua tent • Hot Chocolate — Rotary tent • S’mores — Boy Scouts by a fire pit

• Family Fun Photos — WACF tent • Kid’s holiday games — Lakeland Youth Center and Syracuse Wawasee Chamber tent • Horse wagon rides — Bonneyville Carriage in parking lot near event center • Cookies — by Chautauqua in cookie tent • Reindeer food — in Syracuse-Wawasee Museum tent • Elf reading Night Before Christmas — under Event Center veranda • Santa Claus — under Event Center veranda • Live nativity — take the path up to Historic Chapel • Reading of Biblical Christmas story from Luke — in Historic Chapel • Live reindeer — near a fire pit Continued on page 2

Syracuse Town Council tables decision on vacating alleyway By LAUREN ZEUGNER Staff Writer The Syracuse Town Council chose to table a request from Doug and Jeannine Schrock regarding an alley vacation during its regular meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 21. The council will review the matter at its Dec. 19 meeting. Local attorney Steve Snyder explained the Schrocks would like a short portion of an alley-

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way, located adjacent to two lots they recently purchased, vacated. By eliminating the public rightof-way the Schrocks would have greater setbacks for the new home they intend to build. Snyder explained by eliminating the right-of-way, the property would automatically revert to the Schrocks since the alleyway was originally platted to the lots they purchased. He noted the area is fully developed and adjacent Continued on page 2

Inside

By MARK KNECHT Chautauqua-Wawasee

THE FIRST OF SANTA’S VISITS — Santa made his first arrival in the area Saturday, Nov. 18, at North Webster’s Tree Lighting event. Santa will be in the area several more times before he makes his deliveries Christmas Eve. Among his upcoming visits will be at the Old Fashioned Christmas at Oakwood Resort Saturday, Nov. 25; the annual Breakfast with Santa at Syracuse Community Center, Dec. 2; the annual Santa Parade in Milford, Saturday, Dec. 9; the Leesburg Candelaria Saturday, Dec. 9; and the annual Breakfast with Santa at North Webster Community Center Saturday, Dec. 16. Shown above, Jade Patterson tells Santa what is on her list as he intently listens. Photo provided by Cody Patterson.

Solid waste board discusses ditch near former Syracuse recycling drop-off site By LIZ SHEPHERD Staff Writer The Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District’s board discussed a ditch near the former Syracuse recycling dropoff site during a Nov. 21 meeting. Board Member Cary Groninger asked KCSWMD Executive Director Tom Ganser if Kosciusko County Surveyor Mike Kissinger had contacted him about a ditch near the former Syracuse recycling drop-off site. Groninger said there’s a county ditch near the site, which is currently owned by the district, and Kissinger was seeking a dump location for spoil. Ganser said Kissinger had not contacted him, and Groninger said there was a possibility Kissinger found another location. If Kissinger contacts him, Ganser will reach out to Wawasee Community School Corporation to see if dumping spoil at that ditch would be a deal-breaker for the school corporation’s eventual purchase of the land. Additionally, Ganser asked the district’s board for permission to move $100,000 from the district’s checking account to its investment. Doing so would

Tree Lighting Delights Community See Page 5 See Public Notices On Page 11

bring the investment back to $1.4 million. Ganser said overall, the district’s collected volume and cash flow are staying positive. “We continue to see not only the positive trend with the landfill, but we’re better than we’ve been in the previous two years,” said Ganser. The board approved moving $100,000 to the investment and also approved a resolution to transfer $2,700 from the district’s recycling services budget

to three separate categories. This includes $600 to office supplies, $700 to meeting expenses, and $1,400 for building repairs. The board also: • Approved a salary ordinance for 2024 for the district’s employees. • Approved the board’s meeting dates for 2024. • Approved an interlocal agreement with the county auditor’s office for 2024. The board’s next meeting is at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19.

November 25 5:30-8:00 pm

Oakwood Resort, Syracuse, Indiana Outdoor Family Event - Dress Warm Chautauqua-Wawasee’s Annual Event For Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma And Kids Of All Ages

Christmas Tree Lighting At 6:15 Santa, Live Nativity, Grinch, Frosty, Plus Other Characters, Chapel Reading Of The Christmas Story, Live Reindeer, Family Photobooth, Caroling And More! Musical Groups. Outdoors. Free.

Jointly sponsored by the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation and Syracuse Parks Department Free: Stay in touch at www.ChautauquaWawasee.org or our Facebook page or call 574-377-7543

www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

DECK VARIANCE — Douglas Troyer, left, went before the board to petition for a variance to allow a deck to remain at 20 feet to a right of way of Bishop Street when ordinance requires 25 feet. Board members pictured from left are Brandon Wolferman, Cory Mast and Matthew Goodnight. Photo by Marissa Sweatland.

Syracuse BZA Continued from page 1 “It’s his business, he needs to be able to display what he sells,” Ganger argued, “its a 10-year old condition.” “Whether it was made 10 years ago or 10 days ago, the condition needs to be honored,” Matthew Goodnight explained. The board considered continuance, but ultimately agreed to approve the petition for exception with the condition the Area Planning Commission inspects to make sure the operator and property owner are following their previously agreed display and

storage requirements. Steve Snyder went before the board on behalf of James George to petition for a variance for the construction of a 14-foot by 22-foot carport 12 feet from the right of way of Medusa Street. The property is located at 412 E. Medusa St. “To put it simply, this property has become quite the neighborhood hang out spot,” Snyder explained, “The carport serves two purposes: one, if they don’t put a car in the garage, it will be sheltered from the weather. Two, if the neighborhood wants to bring their chairs, they can do so and be

sheltered from the sun.” “I would motion to approve, given no real issues with visibility or issues actually being in the right away,” Brandon Wolferman mentioned. “It’s a dead end road and still fits in conforming all the buildings and houses on that road,” Cory Mast agreed. The board approved George’s petition for a variance. The next regular Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Syracuse Town Hall, 301 N. Huntington St.

County parks board OKs firm for master plan, tables trail extension

HE’S MAKING A LIST — During last year’s Old Fashioned Christmas event, Lucas Muir, left, and Jaxon Muir had their chance to share their Christmas lists with Santa while their mother, Andrea Muir, listened in. Photo by Keith Knepp.

By DAVID SLONE Times-Union

A schedule

Picking a firm to do a blueways and greenways master plan for the county was an easy vote for the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board Thursday, Nov. 16. Choosing one for the Chinworth Bridge Trail extension was a little more difficult so a decision was tabled until a special meeting at 1 p.m. Nov. 30. During a special meeting Nov. 2, the board agreed to interview all but one of the firms that submitted bid proposals for the two projects. The interviews took place Nov. 9. Bid proposals had been opened at the board’s Oct. 19 meeting and came from, for the master plan,

Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group, Troyer Group, McKenna and Triad Associates Inc.; and for the trail extension, Jones Petrie & Rafiniski, Troyer Group, RQAW and Triad. RQAW was the only firm not selected to be interviewed Nov. 9 due to the cost estimate they presented in their proposal. At Thursday’s meeting, Board President Rob Bishop said after the Nov. 9 interviews, the board split the bidders up and called references for those in preparation for Thursday’s discussion “in hopes that we’d be able to take a vote to recommend the winning bidders to the (county) commissioners who would, in fact, enter into the contract on the county’s behalf.” He then announced the short-

lists for the two projects. For the trail extension, it was down to Triad and Troyer; for the master plan it was Troyer and TSW. Discussion on the master plan took place first. Board member Aggie Sweeney spoke about TSW, whose subcontractors include Cornerstone and Structurepoint. The reference Sweeney was able to get the most information from — out of Richmond — said they hired TSW four different times and spoke favorably about TSW without reservations. TSW also recently completed a plan for the Indiana town of Orleans and Sweeney was able to look at information and was impressed. Bishop said he had the opportunity Thursday to talk to a couple Continued on page 3

Syracuse Town Council Continued from page 1 properties have access to area streets and do not use the alley. The alley also does not serve as access to anyone’s property. Councilman Paul Stoelting asked if the adjacent property owners to the north would have any claim on the alleyway if the right-of-way was eliminated. Town attorney Jay Rigdon explained since the alleyway is in the plat it would go to the Schrocks. After some more questions from the council, Councilman Larry Siegel, who represents the district the property is located in, told the council “I can’t vote against any of my neighbors. I’ll let you decide.” Councilman Bill Musser commented several times Siegel has never voted to vacate town property.

Several neighbors attended the meeting to remonstrate the request. Corey Mast told the council he and his neighbors have maintained the right-ofway for years, keeping it mowed and using it to bring in boats and other vehicles for storage. Mast even paid to have a large flower box and tree removed so the power company could access the area. Tree removal companies have also used the rightof-way to access the area and remove limbs and trees from the neighbors yards. Mast told the council area children also use the right of way to access other housing additions without having to go out onto the road. “People have to live with the restrictions they have to build,”

he told the council. Don Yoder, another neighbor, told the council he’s lived there 18 years and maintained the space. Another neighbor told the council, “This affects all of us even if we didn’t get notice. ... None of us asked for more than what we bought. ... Those lots are narrow, there’s no way to get trucks in.” Stoelting asked Mark Aurich, public works superintendent, about accessing utilities in the area. Aurich said he didn’t know exactly what public utilities were in the area and would like some time to investigate before the council made a decision. The matter was tabled for 30 days so Aurich can investigate whether access to public utilities will be affected.

LRSD hears update on ferric chloride project By PHOEBE MUTHART Staff Writer An update on the ferric chloride project was given at the Lakeland Regional Sewer District board of trustees meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15. The project will be paid for using The American Rescue Plan Act funds. Joe Cleland, a board member, praised county commissioners and county council for funding the project. Both the county commissioners and county council approved the ARPA funding. “I’d like to thank the county commissioners and council for granting us the ARPA funds to pay for the ferric chloride project,” Cleland said. The cost of the ferric chloride project is $100,000 and with the purchase of dewatering equipment the total funds for both projects is $250,000. Casey Erwin of DLZ gave the engineering report on the ferric chloride project. Haskins Underground must perform a final retest with water prior to releasing for usage. “The contractor is moving forward,” he said. “I emailed the contractor and he said he will be here

tomorrow (Nov. 16).” In other news, the financial report was presented by Treasurer Mike DeWald. “We are spending a lot,” he said. Most of the costs are mainly maintenance; however, he said, that money will come back to the district for the ferric chloride project. The Indiana State Board of Accounts five-year audit is still on going, without any feedback yet. Resignations were given by board members Emily Shipley and Rosa Ritchie. Mark Koehler replaces Ritchie; however he was not at the meeting. A board member is needed to fill Shipley’s vacant position. A rate reduction request was debated for a property owner. It was approved, per a district ordinance, for a temporary time period. The customer was seeking a permanent reduction, which the board denied. The LRSD Treatment System Operations Report was issued to board members by Astbury Water Technology, Inc. It also gave the pump and panel inventory report. A customer protocol reminder was set in place. Electricity and breakers must be kept on if the

homeowner is not residing at the premises and must not be turned off. It is needed to operate the plant efficiently and not cause damage to the plant’s equipment. Future test plans for commercial customers was approved by the board. A visual inspection will be conducted at two Barbee Lake business establishments instead of monthly grease sample testing, since the two businesses are now in compliance. The inspections will be conducted starting Friday, Dec. 1. A cost of up to $46,000 plus $1,500 was approved to repair lift station one. Astbury will oversee the construction of the project. In other news: • A request to rescind a late payment fee for a homeowner at 15 EMS B59 was approved. • A damage dispute for a home owner at 174 EMS B33 was denied. • Cleland was named vice president until Dec. 31. Election of officers will be done at the January meeting. • Heard the employee handbook is being worked on and will be ready by the December meeting. The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Wednesday Dec. 20, at the district’s office in Warsaw.

Continued from page 1 Old Fashioned Christmas is a community program with participation from the Town of Syracuse Parks Department, Wawasee

Area Conservancy Foundation, Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum, Syracuse-Wawasee Rotary Club, Oakwood Resort, Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber,

Lakeland Youth Center, Milford Christian Church and many local businesses. The event is free to attend at Oakwood Resort.

County ends contract with Lexur Appraisal Services for not meeting expectations By DAVID SLONE Times-Union County Assessor Gail Chapman requested the county commissioners end a contract with Lexur Appraisal Services Tuesday, Nov. 21, after the company failed to live up to expectations. Chapman explained after Darby Davis, who headed up the commercial-industrial assessment department retired after 28 years, it was turned over to two others employees. One retired, the other determined it was too stressful and did not want to do it. In September 2022 a contract was signed with Lexur Appraisal Services — now part of Vision Government Solutions — to do the majority of the assessor’s office commercial-industrial work. Chapman discovered at the beginning of the year the company was not exactly transparent with her on the person doing the field work. Chapman said. “It took me three months before someone finally admitted to me that she had no idea how to do data entry on our INcama system, which is one of the critical aspects of our work for everything we do.” Chapman attempted to get the woman training, but had no way of accomplishing that. Vision Government Solutions is a company based out of Ohio with about 300 employees trying to edge its way into Indiana and become a competitor with XSoft, who the county has used for more than 10 years, Chapman said. A new person was assigned by Lexur, but the person assigned lived four hours away. In mid October that person had all the county’s commercial reassessment and building permit construction work to catch up on. “I’m going to say it as politely and respectfully as I can — nobody can accomplish that much work in the amount of time that it was done,” Chapman stated. She started reviewing the work. She found million-dollar buildings had not been picked up and buildings that were assessed on the wrong parcel. Chapman proposed the commissioners end the contract with Lexur at the end of the year. It is a three-year contract, but there is a clause in the contract that allows either party to end the contract at any time for any reason. The cost of the contract is $57,800 for year one; $59,500 for year two; and $61,300 for year three. This is the first year of the

contract, and Chapman said after the meeting she’s paid Lexur $50,000 so far this year. Chapman presented a second proposal — bring the work back into the assessor’s office. “With training, I have a lady in my office (Jennifer Spyres) who has offered to head up our commercial-industrial department.” Spyres has worked in the assessor’s office going on six years, is well-versed with all of the assessor’s office operations and how the work is done. Additional training would be needed. She asked the commissioners to allow her to move the assessor’s office commercial-industrial work back into the office at the start of 2024 with training. Commissioner Cary Groninger asked Chapman if Spyres would be up to speed to start in January. Chapman replied she’s already started and the office has been working on it for a while. Chapman said there’s still commercial work they will have to go out and pick up because it was not done. Spyres is already working on it. Groninger asked if there were funds budgeted for the additional training. Chapman said in 2024, the budget has about $80,000 for contractual services, which might cover the training portion but not the employee’s salary to move to supervisor of the commercial department. Groninger made a motion to end the contract with Lexur and let Chapman move commercial-industrial assessment back in-house. The motion passed 3-0. Commissioner Brad Jackson told Chapman if she sees it’s not working to come back to the commissioners and they’ll work to get it done. A number of items were quickly approved during the meeting. The commissioners: • Accepted all annual bids for the Kosciusko County Highway Department for 2024, which were opened Nov. 6. • Approved Local Public Agency consultant contracts for construction and inspection for bridge No. 30 on Beer Road, scheduled to be completed by 2026; and for bridge No. 227 on Hand Street, scheduled to be done in 2024. • Approved a supplemental agreement for right-of-way services for a small structure/bridge No. 320 on T26 Lane, which the county received a Community Crossings matching grant for from the state.

• Approved a fence encroachment agreement for Tony Siri, as requested by attorney Steve Snyder, with an addendum the county is not responsible for any damage to Siri’s mailbox and curb done by routine maintenance and snowplowing. The property is on Pine Road, north of Walnut Drive, in Turkey Creek Township. The agreement will be recorded and show in the title with the property. • Discussed the rededication of vacated roadways in Long’s Park and first addition to Long’s Park at T52 Lane in North Webster, as presented by Snyder. After approximately 20 minutes of discussion, and hearing a concern from the commissioners the request was putting the “cart before the horse,” Snyder withdrew the request. • Approved the vacation of the northern half of an alley and part of a right-of-way in Wooster for Alex Valentine, as presented by Area Plan Director Matt Sandy. • Approved the annual Johnson Controls planned service agreement for $13,483, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. • Approved the furniture quote for the joint courts secretarial area from KDA, Fort Wayne, as requested by McSherry. The amount is for $20,619.14. The courts want to replace the existing cubicals, which are shorter than they should be. • Approved signing the contract with Schenkel Construction for the Justice Building renovations. County attorney Ed Ormsby had reviewed and approved the contract. • Approved the 2024 nonprofit agreements with Stillwater Hospice and Kosciusko Community Senior Services with the caveats the county council wanted. • Approved Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Mulligan’s request to accept the 2024 Comprehensive Hoosier Highway Injury Reduction Program grant funds. For Click-It-Or-Ticket Click It To Live, the county received $19,000; for DUI Task Force, $8,000; and Stop Arm Violation Enforcement, $13,000. • Recognized Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell for receiving the Order of Kosciuszko award at the Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at American Legion Post 49 in Warsaw. • Announced the next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — www.the-papers.com

Obituaries Phillip Amones

Baylor Lee Arnold Infectious Personality

Baylor Lee Arnold, beloved son of Ryleigh Cole and Carmaene Arnold, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, at Parkview Warsaw. He was just shy of 3 months old. Born on Aug. 25, 2023, Baylor’s time with us was brief but filled with smiles that could melt hearts. Baylor’s personality was simply infectious. As BAYLOR LEE a baby, he was always full of smiles and laughter, ARNOLD exemplifying the purest form of happiness. One could not help but be uplifted in his presence as he greeted each morning with joy. His parents were blessed with a son whose spirit shone brightly. In his short time on Earth, Baylor cherished every moment spent with his parents, especially when it came to car rides and family trips. Being held close and feeling the warmth of his family’s embrace brought him comfort and contentment. He also enjoyed eating, watching Bluey and spending time with his pit bull, Blu. His untimely departure left his family and friends devastated, grieving the loss of such a precious young life. Although Baylor’s time on earth was cut short, the impact he made during his brief existence will forever be cherished. He is survived by his loving parents, Ryleigh and Carmaene; grandparents, Michelle Saunders Cole, Jason Cole and Heather Davis; aunts and uncles, Brianna (Cody) Stuckman, Caitlyn Cole, Brock Reece, Tanner Cole, JT Arnold, AJ Arnold, Jalynn (Katie Ewing) Williams, Jayvone Williams and Keontrae Ousley; three cousins; and his great-grandparents. He was preceded in passing by his great-grandmother, Mary Saunders; great-grandfather, Felipe Flores; and great-aunt and uncle, Shirley Saunders and Bill Saunders. Titus Funeral Home of Syracuse is entrusted with the care of Baylor and his family. Friends may join his family there, 1001 S. Huntington St. Syracuse, from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, for visitation. Memorials may be given to the family or to his GoFundMe page, https://gofund.me/4c8f14c7. To leave a condolence or send flowers, please visit TitusFuneralHome.com.

Jack And Carol Darr Celebration Of Life

A celebration of life will be held for Carol L. Darr and Jack R. Darr from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at The Owls Nest, 7369 800N, North Webster. Carol passed June 29, 2022, and Jack passed Feb. 18, 2023. They invite anyone who knew them to attend and remember their wonderful lives.

JACK AND CAROL DARR

County parks Continued from page 2 people from Michiana Area Council of Government — Donny Ritsema and James Turnwald — about the bidders. Ritsema and Turnwald had good things to say about TSW. On Troyer, Bishop said Ritsema said Troyer was “very much” a landscaping firm and more geared toward the master plan. Bishop said the feedback he received was TSW was a “little higher, better” for what the parks board was looking for than Troyer Group. Board Vice President Troy Turley said he followed up on some references in regards to Triad from Indianapolis, North Webster and Valparaiso. There was some positive reviews in general, but there also was some concern about project deadlines being met though everything worked out in the end. Turley said he was unable to get any feedback regarding blueways though. Board member Matt Metzger was tasked to talk to references about Troyer Group. He talked to a woman from Marshall County who said Mike Reese, from Troyer Group, was “super communicative” and anytime something was needed he was on it. Board member Mike Cusick, via Zoom, reported on his conversation with the Kosciusko County Highway Department, who only had experience with Troyer and not Triad or TSW. The KCHD shared some of their concerns with Troyer on the current Husky Trail project. In working with Troyer, Cusick said he was told there have been some compliance issues and project delays that put

the federal funds for the project at risk, though the project is on track now. “But I think the Highway Department and MACOG were kind of getting more engaged to make sure that happened,” Cusick stated. Metzger asked Cusick if there would be an antagonistic relationship between the county and Troyer Group if the parks board decided to go with them. Cusick said he couldn’t answer that but they could work together to minimize potential delays. Metzger said whoever they ended up going with they should make sure there’s “teeth” in the contract that certain deadlines are met. Bishop eventually asked the board if anyone wanted to make a motion on the master plan. Turley made a motion to recommend TSW to the commissioners for the master plan, Cusick seconded it and it was approved 5-0. When it came to a motion for the trail extension, Cusick suggested one option would be to delay a decision until the board could do more homework. There was some concern about the time frame and getting a contract before the county commissioners for their approval. The next commissioners meetings are Nov. 21, Dec. 5, Dec. 21 and then not again until Jan. 16. After a little more discussion, Turley made a motion to table a decision on the trail, Cusick seconded it and eventually the motion — amended to be tabled to 1 p.m. Nov. 30 — was approved 5-0.

Phillip Amones, 76, Barbee Lake, Leesburg, died Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. Arrangements are currently pending at Titus Funeral Home of North Webster.

Dennis Paternoster

Dennis Paternoster, 79, Syracuse, died Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. Arrangements are currently pending at Eastlund Funeral Home, Syracuse.

Births Dominic Gareth Rees Quentin Cook and Anna Rees, Syracuse, are the parents of a son, Dominic Gareth, born at 9:21 a.m. Nov. 21, 2023, at Blessed Beginnings Care Center, Nappanee. He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 22 inches long.

Holiday hazard prevention: Steps to a safe and accident-free season (StatePoint) As the holidays approach, you might be hosting guests, shopping for gifts and decorating your home. While all these activities can bring a lot of joy into the season, they can also bring an increase in risks. Prepare by following these six tips to prevent. 1. Install a smart doorbell. Whether you want to see who just arrived or help keep packages secure, a smart doorbell will keep you updates on all activities in front of your home. From package deliveries to carolers, you can easily view (and communicate) with your visitors, even if you aren’t home. 2. Decorate carefully. As pretty as those lights might be, they can be a tripping hazard. What’s more, overheating lights can trigger a fire in seconds, especially in a dry environment, such as near a parched tree. On Erie Insurance’s YouTube channel, they show how fast a Christmas tree goes up

in flames and have tips on how to avoid fires, including to check string lights for any frayed wires and to always turn off lights when you aren’t home. 3. Prepare for the unexpected. As temperatures drop, prepare your home for potential damage. Bad weather can trigger a weak tree to fall, potentially on your house, while cold temperatures can cause frozen pipes, which could cost thousands of dollars in water damage if the pipes burst. Be sure to keep your homeowners insurance up to date so you are prepared should any seasonal damage occur. To prevent that damage and a costly claim, survey your property and even call-in experts to check trees, pipes and other possible hazards. 4. Stay safe on the road. The winter season carries driving risks. Not only may roads be slick and icy, but holiday shoppers are often stressed and frazzled. On roads, and particularly in shopping

centers and mall parking lots, slow down and stay alert to avoid a fender-bender. As an added precaution, be sure to keep your auto insurance up to date in case of damage. Your insurance company might offer options to help you tighten your wallet during an expensive season. For example, Erie Insurance offers convenient bundling of car and home insurance to potentially save you money. 5. Be smart online. If you’d rather keep your comfy pants on and do your holiday shopping online, be aware of where your data might be susceptible and only shop on reputable sites. An Erie’s homeowner policy includes identity recovery coverage that can help you if you are the unfortunate victim of identity fraud. Whether you are on the road or going on a shopping spree, being safe and prepared for the holidays is key to avoiding any accidents, injuries and incidents.

Syracuse Town Council approves response to open door complaint By LAUREN ZEUGNER Staff Writer During the Syracuse Town Council’s regular meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 21, Town Attorney Jay Rigdon asked the council if they received and approved a letter he intends to send to the public access counselor regarding a open door violation complaint. The complaint comes from a meeting Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. hosted regarding the South Shore Village project. The council acknowledged receiving the letter and asked Rigdon to send it. KEDCO hosted the meeting Tuesday, Oct. 31, inviting representatives of the Syracuse Town Council, Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission, Kosciusko County Commissioners and Council along with Jeff Dyson, who is one of the investors in the South Shore Village project. Three members of the Syracuse Town Council, Councilmen Bill Musser and Larry Siegel and Council President Cindy Kaiser attended the meeting creating a quorum. Prior to the meeting, The Mail-Journal received a phone call asking if having a quorum of the council present at the meeting was allowed under the Indiana Open Door Law. While the law allows elected officials to meet privately for information gathering, having a quorum put the meeting in a “funky gray area” according to a representative of the Public Access Counselor’s office. The Mail-Journal brought its concerns to the KEDCO meeting, asking either the meeting be open to the press or the meeting be brought into compliance with the Open Door Law by having a council member leave. Terry Sweeney, project manager for KEDCO stated he did not want to open the meeting to the press. On learning of the possible violation, Council President Kaiser asked Siegel to leave the meeting. He refused. The Mail-Journal filed an open door complaint with the Public Access Counselor’s office on Oct. 31. The Syracuse Town Council was informed of the complaint Nov. 3 and given until Monday, Nov. 27, to respond to the Public Access Counselor. I.C. 5-14-5-9 requires the public access counselor issue an opinion in response to the complaint

within 30 days of receiving it. The council approved the following: • DP Real Estate Ventures deeding utilities on KoKo Drive to the town. • A letter of engagement with Bose McKinney and Evans for annexation work for North Trace RV Park. • Ordinance 2023-7 allowing outdoor dining. • Ordinance 2023-10 allowing a one way designation for an alley between Portland and Brooklyn streets. In department reports, David Wilkinson, town manager, told the council Tom Bonaventure, who lives next to the municipal pier, asked if it could be shifted to the south so he could access his pier space. The pier juts out at an

angle and pontoons are known to double park at it. While the town does not own the pier, it does maintain it. Jeff Dyson, chamber president, told the council the pier is aging and something will need to be done. It was decided to work on shifting the pier and extending it to provide more space for Bonaventure and boaters. Michiana Area Council of Governments has provided a $25,300 grant to remove a tank from the Dolan Street property. However the town will be responsible for the removal of any contaminated soils that are on the site as well as any contaminated liquids that may be in the tank. The council approved a motion to move forward with the project. The council approved an annu-

al interlocal agreement with the county for $5,515 for the terminal data system. Chad Jonsson, park superintendent, reported Breakfast with Santa will be held from 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Syracuse Community Center. The council approved spending $115,480 in American Rescue Plan Funds for a new metal roof on the community center. The work is expected to start in late March. Aurich told the council work on the booster station for the Technology Park is slated to begin Dec. 2 Clerk-Treasurer Virigina Cazier asked if the council wanted to hold an end of the year meeting. The council said it did not want to hold an end of the year meeting.

Eighth Annual

Holiday Remembrance Service

December 2nd at 10 AM in Warsaw or December 3rd at 2 PM in Syracuse Lead by Pastor Tom Ducheteau & Pastor Glenn Hall

This Holiday Remembrance Service is provided for all families in our community who have lost someone recently or in the past. Whether we or another funeral home cared for your loved one, you will have an opportunity to participate in this ceremony.

Please call 574-457-4002 to RSVP

www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Accidents/Incidents

All charges made by law enforcement are allegations and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Kosciusko County Officers with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office investigated the following accidents and incidents: Accidents 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, East CR 200N and North Boeing Drive, Warsaw. Driver: Anthony Ganshorn, 37, West CR 700N, Leesburg. While trying to avoid a dog in the roadway, Ganshorn swerved his vehicle. Ganshorn’s vehicle struck a guardrail causing the right tire to break off of the axle. Damage up to $5,000. 6:41 a.m. Friday, Nov. 17, East US 30 and South CR 900E, Pierceton. Driver: Charles Bird, 28, South West St., Milford. Bird’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $10,000. 2:29 a.m. Friday, Nov. 17, East CR 900N, east of North Harper Road, Leesburg. Driver: Jose A. Xique, 22, North CR 175E, Warsaw. Xique’s vehicle left the roadway, hitting an REMC utility pole. Xique sustained a laceration to his forehead and complained of neck pain. He was taken to a local hospital. Damage up to $25,000. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, West CR 900N, west of North SR 15, Milford. Drivers: Sterling R. Templeton, 43, East Sheridan Street, Warsaw; and Jacklyn K. Anderson, 37, North CR 1025W, Nappanee. Templeton was backing his vehicle to make room for a turning truck when he hit Anderson’s vehicle. Damage up to $2,500. 7:28 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, 401 S. Rowland Ave., Leesburg. Driver: Geoffrey Riddle, 35, SR 19, Etna Green. Riddle was involved in a vehicle pursuit, during which he ran off the roadway into a privacy fence, then going into an in-ground pool. Damage up to $100,000. 9:14 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, North Warner Road and East Cornelius Road, Syracuse. Driver: Sidney Gabbard, 73, Rumplestiltskin Drive, Cromwell. Gabbard disregarded the railroad crossing signal and arms causing a collision between his vehicle and the train. Damage up to $10,000. 6:46 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, East CR 1400N, east of North CR 100E, Milford. Driver: Hannah L. Neff, 28, North Syracuse-Webster Road, Syracuse. Neff’s vehicle left the roadway, hitting a CenturyLink wire protection pole. Damage up to $5,000. 6:39 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, North SR 13 and East Epworth Forest Road, North Webster. Driver: Kimberley Kieper Landes, 60, Jersey Lane, Thornton, Colo. Landes’ vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $10,000. 11:09 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13, North CR 300E and East CR 1100N, Milford. Driver: William Kausal, 88, EMS D17 Lane, Syracuse. Kausal’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $2,500. 5:40 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, North CR 150W and West CR 400N, Warsaw. Driver: Cynthia Martinez, 30, West CR 600N, Leesburg. Martinez’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $1,000. 2:09 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, West Lake Street and Fox Farm Road, Warsaw. Driver: Anthony Castillo, 25, CR 1050N, Syracuse. Castillo’s vehicle entered the round about at Fox Farm Road, running up onto the curb and striking a yield sign. Damage up to $25,000. 12:21 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, East CR 900N and North CR 500E, Syracuse. Driver: Toby Popenfoose, 66, CR 200N, Warsaw. Popenfoose’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $5,000. 7:38 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, North CR 175E and East CR 1200N, Milford. Driver: Natalie Christian, 22, Grove Road, Milford. Christian’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $10,000. 6:21 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, North Detroit Street and East Arthur Street, Warsaw. Drivers: Sara Timmins, 17, Defreese Road, Syracuse; and Annette Magner, 69, Potawatomi Lane, Leesburg. When Timmins’ vehicle tried to change lanes her vehicle struck Magner’s vehicle. Damage up to $1,000. 7:49 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, North SR 15 and West CR 1350N, Milford. Driver: Cora Jones, 65, Shilling Road, Mentone. Jones’ vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $25,000. 6:27 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, North Main Street and West Van Buren Street, Leesburg.

Drivers: Larry Rocha, 63, Country Club Road, Warsaw; and Abdiel Sanchez Fuentes, 24, Catherine Street, Milford. Rocha’s vehicle pulled out into the path of Fuentes’ vehicle causing an accident. Damage up to $5,000. Incidents 9:51 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 9400 block East CR 1100N, Cromwell. Christopher S. Bornman reported the theft of vehicle parts. Value: $200. 9:58 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, 9700 block East Excalibur Place, Cromwell. Representatives for Bowen Center reported the theft of a catalytic converter. Value: $1,000. 10:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, 2900 block East Clay Street, Leesburg. Ammie N. Harris reported criminal mischief to a vehicle.

North Webster Officers with the North Webster Police Department investigated the following accidents: Accidents 11:08 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, SR 13, north of North Executive Boulevard, Syracuse. Driver: Kristina L. Stump, 52, North CR 950E, North Webster. Stump’s vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $5,000. 6:18 p.m. Monday, Nov.13, North SR 13 and East Washington Street, North Webster. Drivers: Michael Hummel, 37, Syracuse-Webster Road, Syracuse; David Greer, 33, River Bluff Drive, Columbia City; and Christine Miller, 39, East Wesley Lane, North Webster. Hummel’s vehicle rear ended Greer’s vehicle, causing Greer’s vehicle to rear end Miller’s vehicle. Damage up to $10,000.

Syracuse Officers with the Syracuse Police Department investigated the following accidents: Accidents 6:51 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20, West Bowser Road, east of South Huntington Street, Syracuse. Driver: Debra L. Griggs, 52, North Elwood Avenue, Syracuse. Griggs’ vehicle hit a deer. Damage up to $2,500. 11:26 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13, 1200 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. Driver: Michelle Bucher, 41, North CR 300E, Syracuse. Bucher’s vehicle struck a parked vehicle while backing up in a parking lot. Damage up to $2,500. 3:18 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, 1 Warrior Path, north of South Syracuse-Webster Road, Syracuse. Drivers: Brittany S. Bills, 33, East Wade Lane, North Webster; and Victor M. Trujillo, 19, East Camelot Lane South, Cromwell. Bills was traveling through a parking lot when she entered Trujillo’s path of travel while Trujillo was traveling in designated lanes. Bills sustained a minor head injury. Damage up to $5,000. 12:33 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, 901 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. Driver: Nola I. Marshall, 74, EMS W17 Lane, North Webster. Marshall’s vehicle hit a front pillar of a building. Damage up to $5,000.

Jail Bookings Kosciusko County The following people were booked in the Kosciusko County Jail: Nov. 19 — Jeffrey Norris Simpson, 52, 6838 E. 600N, North Webster, booked for invasion of privacy. Bond: $1,500 cash. Nov. 19 — Brandt Keith Guzman II, 24, 522 Turtle Bay Drive, Syracuse, booked for driving while suspended with prior. Bond: $450 cash. Nov. 18 — Drew Jacob Sims, 26, 9732 E. Excalibur Place, Cromwell, booked for failure to appear and an outside warrant. Bond: $10,250 surety and cash. Nov. 17 — Dustin Michael Myers, 33, 201 E. Greenhaus Drive Apt. 55, Syracuse, booked for parole violation. No bond. Nov. 17 — Dawn Marie Sweet, 49, 675 N. Albert Eckert Drive, North Webster, booked for domestic battery in the presence of child less than 16. Bond: $6,000 surety and cash. Nov. 16 — John Howard Edwin Heckaman, 50, 9516 N. 100E, Milford, booked on a warrant. No bond listed. Nov. 15 — Kegan Wayne Christie, 30, 114 N. Lake St., Syracuse, booked for resisting law enforcement – results in injury, intimidation, disorderly conduct, possession of mar-

ijuana, and criminal mischief. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash. Nov. 15 — Daniel U. Gillespie, 65, 7782 N. 400E, Leesburg, booked for failure to appear and on a probation violation. No bond listed. Nov. 15 — James Anderson Walters, 68, 12198 N. Mariposa Drive, Syracuse, booked for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and intimidation with a deadly weapon. Bond: $700 cash. Nov. 14 — Mykah Lee Hall, 24, no address listed, Syracuse, booked for invasion of privacy. Bond: $1,500 cash. Nov. 14 — Juan Carlos Montes, 32, 3510 W. 1000N, Milford, booked for driving while suspended prior. Bond: $450 cash. Nov. 13 — Charles Richard Losee, 54, Syracuse, booked for possession of methamphetamine. Bond: $10,500 surety and cash. Nov. 13 — Steven L. Thompson, 45, 8846 E. Crow Road, Syracuse, booked for possession of cocaine or a narcotic drug, maintaining a common nuisance, possession of paraphernalia and legend drug deception. Bond: $10,500 surety and cash. Nov. 12 — Anthony Castillo, 25, 4075 E. 1050N, Syracuse, booked for criminal mischief, battery and operating a vehicle while intoxicated – prior. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash. Nov. 11 — Heather Leeann West, 31, 4492 N. Sullivan Road, Leesburg, booked for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana/hash oil/hashish, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. Bond: $5,250 surety and cash. Elkhart County The following person was booked in the Elkhart County Correctional Complex: Nov. 7 — Royce James Myers, 43, 72297 CR 29, Syracuse, booked for contempt of court. Bond: $1,300. Noble County The following people were booked in the Noble County Jail: Nov. 13 — Ricky A. Duchaine Jr., 45, 347 N. Jefferson, PO Box 50, Cromwell, booked for a warrant arrest. No bond. Nov. 7 — Roy L. Allen, 45, 4484 E. 1300N, Syracuse, booked for a warrant arrest. No bond.

Jury trial for Schutz moved to May 2024 By LIZ SHEPHERD Staff Writer A jury trial for Wa w a s e e H i g h School’s former athletic director has been continued to May 2024. CORY J. SCHUTZ Cory J. Schutz, 50, Syracuse, was arrested Aug. 5 after he allegedly

The following fines for infractions have been assessed in Kosciusko Superior Court III, Judge Chad Miner presiding: Speeding — David A. Jackson, Milford, $164.50; Dylan L. Cassidy, North Webster, $164.50; Lauren N. Ramirez, Leesburg, $164.50 Owner allows dog to stray beyond owner’s premises — Nathaniel C. Houchin, North Webster, $25

Marriage Licenses The following couples have applied for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk

Kiwanis is second to none Dear Editor: “Ain’t nobody living that can ever stop me from walking down the freedom highway.” Thanks to the North Webster Kiwanis, that highway is just a short distance from my

Webster property. I hope they will continue the great flag display each and every summer. I’m pretty sure all of the property values in the Webster community have gone up because of their ef-

forts. In my honest opinion, North Webster has always been the best community in the county. Our Kiwanis, along with our great American Legion post, are second to none. Bill Rensberger

Year-end giving is a good time for sharing Dear Editor: I just became aware that Compass, a local helping agency, is out of funds. Compass has been a Godsend in helping local families in financial difficulties, helping with utilities, mortgage and rent payments. This is especially a crisis

situation because of the yearend RV and mobile home shutdowns, along with the economic slow-down. Thanksgiving and Christmas year-end giving is a good time for sharing. We just had another wonderful boat-in worship season on Lake Wawasee with a summer

theme of “A Leap of Faith.” I’m taking a “leap of faith” by asking our community to help our hurting community with this need. Will you help? Your tax-free gift can be sent to: Compass, P.O. Box 544, Syracuse, IN 46567. Harlan Steffen

We welcome readers’ letters. Our requirements are as follows: Letters must be written to the editor, not the public. They must be signed with full name in ink. Signature will be printed on all letters. Letters must include an address and phone number, which will be used for verification, but will not be published. Emailed letters will be accepted but the above information must be included. We ask that letters be limited to 400 words. Letters longer than 400 words may be edited for brevity. Writers may be limited to one published letter per month. Readers with lengthy comments should contact an editor about possible guest columns. Send letters to: The Mail-Journal, P. O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542 or dpatterson@the-papers.com.

Losee arrested on drug charges A Syracuse man was recently arrested after a traffic stop resulted in the discovery of drugs. Charles Richard CHARLES Losee, 54, LOSEE 311 W. Valleyview Drive, Syracuse, is charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of a narcotic drug, both level 6 felonies; and possession of methamphetamine with enhancing circumstances and possession of a narcotic drug with enhancing circumstances, both level 5 felonies. On Oct. 25, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed

of the Court Anne Torpy: Loftis-Patterson-Stonebraker Matthew Adam Loftis, 28, Milford, and Leeann Michelle Patterson-Stonebraker, 29, Milford Paton-Alfano Robert John Paton, 50, Leesburg, and Emma Kathleen Alfano, 24, Leesburg

a speeding vehicle near North Webster and pulled the vehicle over. The driver was identified as Losee. According to court documents, while speaking with Losee, the deputy noticed a folded piece of foil containing heroin on Losee’s lap. Upon searching Losee’s person, responding officers found meth. Losee told officers he purchased the drugs in South Bend. Losee has prior convictions for

dealing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, dealing meth, possession of two or more chemical reagents or precursors, and possession of meth. Losee also has pending criminal charges for possessing meth, possessing paraphernalia, and maintaining a common nuisance. Losee was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail Nov. 13, with a $10,500 surety and cash bond.

Gilliam arrested for allegedly tampering with drug test A Milford woman was arrested for allegedly tampering with a drug screen test. Marinel Lynn Gilliam (Can- MARINEL LYNN GILLIAM non), 28, 51 E. Camp Mack Road, Milford, is charged with obstruction of justice, a level 6 felony; and interfering with a screen test, a class B misdemeanor.

On Oct. 4, Gilliam reported to the Kosciusko County probation office for a random drug screen, which was a condition of her probation in three criminal cases. According to court documents, Gilliam brought a small bottle with liquid to intentionally tamper with the drug screen test. She admitted to using a relative’s pain medication and knew her drug test would return positive when she reported to the probation office. Gilliam was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail Oct. 15.

Marriage Dissolutions The following couple has filed a marriage dissolution in Kosciusko Superior Courts I and IV: King — Jessica King, Syracuse, and Justin King, Syracuse. They were married May 12, 2018, and separated in November 2023. One minor child.

Schmucker estate to receive $1.75 million settlement from Walorski crash The estate of Edith Jo Schmucker, one of the four people killed in the Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, car crash that killed U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski, has received a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement. The issue was ordered Tuesday, Nov. 7, by the Elkhart County Circuit Court, which approved the settlement on behalf of the estate of Schmucker vs. the United States of America. Schmucker of Nappanee was killed in the crash on SE 19 near the intersection of SR 119 in Elkhart County. The vehicle carrying Walorski and communications Director Emma Thomson was driven by Walorski’s district Director Zachary

forward with statements about Schutz allegedly inappropriately touching and interacting with them when they attended Wawasee High School. In August 2020, Schutz was placed on paid leave while employed at the school, pending an investigation by the Indiana State Police based on allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor. An online petition was started further alleging this conduct. Schutz resigned from his position at Wawasee in June 2021.

Letters to the editor

Court News Superior Court III

inappropriately touched himself July 24, while in a restaurant’s drive-thru in Elkhart. Schutz is charged with performance before a minor that is harmful to minors, a level 6 felony; and public indecency, a class A misdemeanor. On Aug. 17, the case was scheduled for a jury trial Nov. 20; however, due to court congestion, the trial is now set for 9 a.m. May 6, 2024. From 2019 to 2021, multiple social media posts circulated involving girls and women coming

Potts. All three were killed in the accident. An investigation by the Elkhart County Sheriff ’s Office concluded that Potts attempted to pass a flatbed truck his northbound vehicle was following. The car’s computer records indicated the SUV was traveling 82 mph seconds before it collided with Schmucker’s southbound Buick sedan. The money is to be paid by multiple different entities, according to Nappanee attorney Christopher G. Walter. The settlement terms do not allow Walter to disclose the sources. Schmucker died without a will, so the settlement will reportedly go to her son.

[U.S.P.S 325-840] ISSN 2834-3999 Vol. 62, No. 41 Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL (Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE-WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. 1907) 206 S. Main St. P.O. Box 188 Milford, IN 46542-0188 Phone (574) 658-4111 1-800-733-4111 FAX 800-886-3796

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Wednesday, November 22, 2023 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — www.the-papers.com

Christie arrested for battering, threatening, resisting police officers A Syracuse man was recently arrested for allegedly battering, threatening, and resisting police officers. K e g a n Wayne Christie, 30, 114 N. Lake St., KEGAN WAYNE CHRISTIE Syracuse, is charged with battery to a public safety official resulting in bodily injury, a level 5 felony; intimidation and resisting law enforcement, both level 6 felo-

nies; and possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief, all class B misdemeanors. On Nov. 15, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of an intoxicated person at a Warsaw business. Upon arrival, deputies saw Christie, who was exhibiting signs of intoxication while shouting racial slurs and acting aggressive. While one of the deputies attempted to assist Christie out of a vehicle, Christie grabbed the deputy’s hand, causing a laceration on the deputy’s right pinky

finger. Deputies searched Christie’s vehicle and found a vape pen with a substance consistent with THC. The business’s manager said Christie shut the business’s door in an aggressive manner, damaging the door by causing it to leak fluid from its top hydraulic cylinder system. Christie continued to yell racial slurs and profanities while being taken to a local hospital. He attempted to kick one of the deputies and threatened to kill them. Christie was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail Nov. 15.

LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT — The Christmas tree at Pilcher’s rises high into the sky. Cheers went up from the crowd when it was officially lit at 6 p.m.

North Webster tree lighting continues to grow and delight community Text and Photos By LILLI DWYER Staff Writer As soon as the tree lighting festivities began on Saturday, Nov. 18, downtown North Webster was packed with residents enjoying everything offered. Much of the activity was centered on the lawn of Pilcher’s Shoes, where attendees could do crafts with Girl Scout Troop 57002, make reindeer food with the Wawasee High School National Honors Society, or just gather around one of the two campfires set up to keep people warm while the temperature dropped. Trumpet player Matt Murdock wandered the grounds, playing Christmas carols for everyone to hear. Performances were also given by the North Webster Elementary choir and local musician Clint Olson. Staff from The River Coffeehouse were also there in their new coffee truck, handing out free hot chocolate and shortbread cookies. The River gave out an estimated 500 cups of hot cocoa, while Jennifer and Jill’s Salon provided 300 free hot dogs. Tangibles Resale and Consignment hosted North Manchester’s Animal-Grams, which brought a reindeer named Silver Bells for the public to visit. At the firehouse, visits with Santa and sleigh rides were available for all to enjoy, with lines stretching out the door. “I’ve heard that a lot of people look forward to it because it’s a hallmark town event,” said Emily Shipley, president of the North

Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce. At 5:45 p.m., shortly before the official tree lighting took place, the ATV Light Parade came down Main Street. Drivers waved at spectators from their ATVs, decorated with bright lights and inflatable Christmas characters. While the ATV Light Parade is now considered an annual part of the tree lighting celebration, it’s a fairly recent addition. According to Hailey Angel of Jill and Jennifer’s, it started with a few residents who came to the event in their ATVs, then grew and became official in 2019. The tree lighting celebration itself had undergone a transformation the year before, after a hiatus. Amanda Meerzo, owner of The River Coffeehouse had a hand in reviving the celebration. “It was my kids’ most favorite event in town and I love Christmas, so I wanted to bring it back to the town,” said Meerzo. While the Chamber had been involved in lighting the tree before, Meerzo wanted them to make the event bigger. “I said, ‘let’s make this a big deal,’” she recalled. “Let’s have music here, bring the people, let’s do free hot chocolate and cookies. That was really all we did the first year.” Since then, the event has only gotten bigger, with more businesses getting involved. Meerzo continued, “It’s rewarding to me to see people show up to something that was gone for a few years. Everybody wants to be involved now and that’s what makes it special.” The people of North Webster seemed to agree as they stood on

Pilcher’s Lawn with fake candles and counted down to the official lighting of the Christmas tree at 6 p.m., a loud cheer rising into the night when the lights went on.

MEMORIAL GIFT — The Kosciusko County Democrats presented the Papakeechie Protective Association with a $200 check in memory of Randy Girod, former Papakeechie resident and former election board member, on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Shown from left are Papakeechie resident and Kosciusko Democrat, Kent Renner; Bill Morton, Democrat Election Board member; Vicki Morton, chair of the Kosciusko Democrats; Alyssa Hammel, president of the Papakeechie Protective Association; Barbara Erst, Paul Erst, Patty Schwartz and Georganna Hart, all Papakeechie residents and Kosciusko Democrats. Photo provided by Vicki Morton.

Moyer seeking to be the next Kosciusko County surveyor J a m e s Moyer is seeking the nomination of Kosciusko County Surveyor in the 2024 election. Moyer has been a life- JAMES MOYER time resident of Kosciusko County, living in and raising his family in the Atwood area. He is a graduate of Warsaw High School and holds a degree in engineering. He is a member of the Atwood Aldersgate United Methodist Church, where he is the board president and the vice president of the Atwood Lions Club. Moyer was a member of the Atwood Fire Department for 25 years where he was an officer for many years as well as the secretary for the Kosciusko County Firemen’s Association. He served as the Harrison Township Trust-

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ON PARADE — The ATV Light Parade proceeded down North Webster’s Main Street during the Christmas tree lighting festivities Saturday, Nov. 18. The parade is a fairly recent addition to the event, representing how it has grown over the last few years.

ciusko County Surveyor. I will organize the surveyor’s office to be proactive in our drainage maintenance work while continuing the section corner perpetuation program, which now has an 80% completion rate since I have been in the field. “I have a great deal of experience with government budgets and accounting. I will be a good steward of the taxpayer’s dollar,” said Moyer. He continued by saying “Throughout my life here, the many friends and contacts I’ve made have taught me to listen and focus on their concerns. I will continue to work alongside all the groups and organizations, both public and private, to improve the water quality in the county an be proactive in reducing erosion and flooding conditions. “I look forward to continuing my public service to the people of Kosciusko County and I would appreciate your vote in the May primary.”

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MAKING REINDEER FOOD — Lucas and Chloe Linder of Wawasee High School’s National Honor Society help make reindeer food for young attendees. The “food,” made of marshmallows, oats and glitter, is supposed to be scattered on the lawn for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve.

ee for 15 years and on the Kosciusko County Council for five years, with three of those years as the vice chairman. Moyer has been a part of the construction industry all his life, something passed on to him by his father and grandfather. He has worked as a carpenter, surveyor, heavy equipment operator and project foreman. Moyer has been part of countless projects throughout Kosciusko County. He was employed by the largest civil engineering and land surveying company in Elkhart County for many years, surveying in a dozen counties across Indiana and Michigan. He also worked for several farmers in the Clunette and Atwood communities during his teenage years giving him invaluable experience that only an agricultural lifestyle can provide. Moyer has served on numerous boards, committees and organizations and is currently serving the public again as the Kosciusko County Assistant Surveyor. “I’m seeking to be the next Kos-

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www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Sports

READY TO GRAPPLE — Junior Alex Dibble warming up for his junior varsity match. Dibble won his match via pin against Bellmont junior Isaiah Herman. Photo by Nathan Pace.

Wrestling battles strong foe in opener By NATHAN PACE Sports Writer Hosting a quality Bellmont team to start the season gave first-year head coach Jamie Salazar a measuring stick to see what his team needs to work on going forward. Bellmont won the meet Friday, Nov. 17, 50-27. “We wrestled a state ranked team. We’re a young team that’s not scared of anybody so we’re out there trying to get the job done. It’s always a fun and electric match to wrestle against these guys but we know what we really need to work on,” Salazar said. “We’ve just got some tweaks that we need to do to turn that corner.” Wawasee picked up pins from senior Kaleb Salazar and sophomore Cameron Senter early to give the Warriors 12 points as the Braves led 20-12. Senior Titus Taylor earned a pin at 138 to make the score 26-18 Bellmont. What happened next was the scariest moment of the night when junior Ethan Rodriguez laid on the mat motionless after he was pinned by Bellmont sophomore Sam Wolpert. Rodriguez was transported to the hospital as the match continued. “The sport of wrestling is a different thing. It’s just like football, when someone gets a major injury, the odds are they will continue to play the game. Unfortunately, with the sport of wrestling, it is a combat sport. Mishaps do happen. We kind of have to pull together and try and rally behind

him,” Salazar said. The Warriors were shocked to see their teammate sent to the hospital but found a way to continue with the match. Taylor was one of the wrestlers who was not sure if the rest of the match would go on. “That affected the rest of the match,” Taylor said. “It’s so hard on the team. It’s a big tone switch.” Rodriguez is making a full recovery and had feeling in his limbs the next day. He was released from the hospital Saturday morning. Junior Carson Nine brought momentum back to Wawasee with a pin at the 157 weight class. Senior Donovan Blair would win a decision for the Warriors at the 190 weight class for the final points of the night. Salazar was impressed with sophomore Benjamin Brace as he went a couple periods with Bellmont senior Duke Myers. Myers, a Michigan State University commit, would pin Brace in the second period. Brace is only in his second year in the sport. “Benji wrestling against a Michigan State commit and he went two periods with him. That says a lot about his desire and credibility,” Salazar said. Wawasee did win a couple of junior varsity duals with junior Alex Dibble and freshman Cavan Tom earning pins prior to the varsity match. Wawasee will host their November Super Duals match at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25.

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SENIOR WARRIORS — Wawasee has four seniors in Collin Ziebarth (left), Darius Lewis, Weston DeLong and Mason Shoemaker.

New coach excited to take over Wawasee hoops Text and Photos By NATHAN PACE Sports Editor Coach Lou Lefevre has coached basketball in three different states and is taking over his seventh high school team with Wawasee. The Connecticut native is making his debut to the northern Indiana basketball hoops scene. “I’m very excited,” Lefevre said. “I love my basketball team. I’m like the Lou Gehrig of Indiana basketball coaches. I’m the luckiest coach on the face of the state. We’ve got good young men here. I’m really excited to be able to coach them.” Wawasee will be making it’s home opener Saturday night when Angola visits the Hardwood Teepee. Varsity is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. after completion of the junior varsity game. Lefevre has now coached four different teams in the state with previous stops at Providence, Tipton and North Harrison. In a total of 19 seasons of coaching hoops in Indiana, Lefevre has earned six sectionals and two regional championships. After coaching

North Harrison on the southern end of the state, Lefevre was ready to make a change and Wawasee presented itself. “I had decided last year that I wanted to coach somewhere else. I had gone to North Harrison, we had some good seasons. Won their first sectional 28 years, first conference championship in 50 years of the school so we had done some nice things.” While Wawasee was far from where he had coached, the school sold him on the idea of taking over the program. “Wawasee was interested in me for whatever the reason,” Lefevre said with a smile. “I made the long trip up here and they sold me on the school. I thought the people running the school really understood athletics and what student athletes should be. I just liked everybody that I met.” A coach he looks up to and tries to emulate is the late Jerry Sloan, who coached the Utah Jazz. “He just personified the attitude of coaching and how the players should play. It was more important how you played than what you did,” Le-

By NATHAN PACE Sports Editor With a 39-33 victory over Triton on Saturday, Nov. 18, the Wawasee Lady Warriors are off to their best start in 11 years when the 2012-13 team began the year 6-0. The 6-1 Warriors will take a four-game winning streak into its biggest gap in the schedule this season. “It’s a much needed and much deserved break for the girls,” coach Derek Gilreath said. “The back half of our schedule is really tough as we get into conference play. We’ll get some rest and start preparing for these.” On Friday, Nov. 17, Wawasee earned its first Northern Lakes Conference win of the season, 36-24 at Concord. Playing on back-to-back nights, Wawasee was able to maintain its defensive intensity and force 18 steals and 27 total turnovers by Triton. “It’s always tough for us playing in these types of games,” Gilreath said. “That’s two games in a row for us where we guarded 84 feet the entire basketball game. That’s asking a lot of the girls. It says a lot about their physical toughness and their mental toughness.” Junior Mackenzie Hackleman accounted for 11 steals herself to give her a double-double as she scored a team-high 13 points. Hackleman also led Wawasee in rebounds with six and in assists with five. Wawasee struggled with its shooting early, going 5-22 from the field in the first half. As a

result, the Warriors trailed the Trojans 21-16 at halftime. Triton senior Addyson Viers reached 1,000 career points in the first quarter of the game. Viers finished with a game-high 19 points. Despite dealing with foul trouble and injuries, Wawasee’s offense began to take off in the third quarter. The Warriors won the quarter 17-4 to take command of the game. “Second half, we were a lot more patient in our offense of getting the shots that we wanted,” Gilreath said. Triton would cut the lead to four in the fourth quarter but never got within one possession. Junior Ava Couture scored 12 points while junior Olivia Horn had four despite foul trouble. Horn led the team in the Concord win with 12 points. Senior Brooklynn Gibson played in her second game of the season back from injury and hit a 3-pointer in the second half. Senior Kylie Perkins scored three points despite leaving the game in the third quarter with a knee injury but did return. Junior Lucy Wilkinson scored three points and senior Kaydence Shepherd added a free throw after being in foul trouble most of the game. “I felt that down the stretch in the fourth quarter, Kaydence and Olivia did a nice job of being able to play with four fouls and stay on the floor,” Gilreath said. The next game for Wawasee is after the Thanksgiving weekend at West Noble on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

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NEW COACH — Coach Lou Lefevre is excited to be the man in charge of the Wawasee basketball program. might like the team. This is going to be a fun team to watch. We’ve got some talent and we’ve got some guys who really get after it and play hard.’ If people watch us once they will want to come on back,” Lefevre said. “With high school basketball, when you have a good team it’s the best product around.”

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fevre said. Wawasee is coming off a 9-14 season but has talent coming back starting with senior guard Collin Ziebarth. Ziebarth has a chance to reach 1,000 career points as he is roughly 350 points away. “We’ve got a new coach so we are excited to see how it plays out,” Ziebarth said. “Should be a fun year.” Wawasee returns the junior-brother duo of Myles Everingham and Maddux Everingham. Both scored over double-digits a game last season as sophomores. Sophomores Nolan Holzwart and Micah Wilson are expected to get heavy minutes. Holzwart, who is listed at 6’, won the team dunk contest. Seniors Darius Lewis, Mason Shoemaker and Weston DeLong join Ziebarth in the senior class. Lefevre hopes the community embraces his team as he sees potential. “I’ve talked to people around town at the coffee shop or somewhere else they would go ‘Yeah, I used to come to games all the time.’ I go ‘Why don’t you go to games this year? You

STAT SHEET EXPERT — Wawasee junior Mackenzie Hackleman led the team in points, steals, rebounds and assists Saturday in the win over Triton. Photo by Nathan Pace.

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SWChamber.com. Registration is $30 per runner. Awards will be presented to overall and division winners. All runners will receive a great goodie bags. For further information, contact Brian Shepherd at shepherdb@westnoble.k12.in.us.

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Sports

Four tips for sending beautiful holiday greetings on a budget

AND ONE FOR THE WARRIORS — Senior Collin Ziebarth (10) scores a basket and draws a foul in the first half as senior Darius Lewis and junior Weston Hoffert (20) rush over to celebrate with him.

HALFTIME PARTY — Sophomore Davis Everingham, left, and senior Mason Shoemaker are fired up after junior Weston Hoffert hit a buzzer-beater before half.

Late free throws secure impressive opener for Warriors Text and Photos By NATHAN PACE Sports Editor Nursing a one-point lead late, Wawasee needed sophomore Micah Wilson to come up clutch from the line with the host Fairfield fans trying to distract him. Wilson, who was on the freshman team a season ago, calmly hit two free throws, then hit two more the next possession to help Wawasee escape Fairfield with a 47-43 win to open the season. “I was telling myself it was just practice. I canceled out the noise. It was my teammates. They were telling me take breaths,” Wilson said. “It worked.” Fairfield missed a three that could have tied the game before the second round of free throws from Wilson put the game out of reach at 46-41. Senior Collin Ziebarth hit one last free throw for a game-high 19 points. Ziebarth connected on back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to give Wawasee the lead. “We worked really hard in the offseason so to get this win is pretty big for us. We are going to

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — www.the-papers.com

make some improvements and go at it Saturday versus Angola,” Ziebarth said. The win was the first at Wawasee for new head coach Lou Lefevre. “Things reversed itself so quickly in this game,” Lefevre said. “We made 11 first half turnovers. For a good team, 11 in the whole game is a lot. We had a 11 in the first half. We have good guards, just everybody looked uncomfortable. Not sure when to attack and when to hold it out. It was just a game where we had one foot in the grave, someone on our team would make a play and pull us out of there.” Lefevre was proud of how Wilson played the final minutes on defense and at the line. “This is a kid who had only been playing basketball since eighth grade. In the fourth quarter (he) was getting up over everybody for those incredibly important rebounds. When Fairfield was having to foul and saying ‘Let this non-shooting sophomore go to the line,’ ice water in veins. Nothing but net,”

Lefevre said. “That gave us the cushion to hold on to the lead.” Both teams were cold from the floor to start the game missing their first five shots each. Junior Weston Hoffert connected on buzzer-beaters at the end of the first and second quarters. His five first half points provided a 21-16 halftime edge for the Warriors. Junior Maddux Everingham fought through foul trouble to score 13 points. Sophomore Nolan Holzwart added six to go with the four free throws from Wilson. Fairfield senior Noah Mast led the Falcons with a team-high 13 points. Wawasee will have its home opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, against Angola. The varsity team will look to build off the win against the Falcons, its first at Fairfield since the 2019 season. “It’s a fun win for them. I hope we have a lot of fun wins,” Lefevre said. “The turkey tastes a lot better after you win this game. You just feel good going back to practice after this game.”

WawaseeRoundup

Junior Varsity Girls Basketball Nov. 17 — Wawasee defeated Concord 2825 to start Northern Lakes Conference play 1-0. The Lady Warriors trailed 17-10 at halftime but went on a 12-5 run in the third to tie the game. Junior Kiersten McCreary had eight points to lead Wawasee while sophomore Taelyn Tom added seven. Nov. 18 — Wawasee defeated Triton 35-25 to move to 4-3 this season. Wawasee outscored Triton 21-10 in the second half. Sophomore Emerson Krull finished with 14 points and freshman Josslyn Ducheteau had 10. Next game is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at West Noble. Freshman Boys Basketball Nov. 20 — Wawasee defeated Columbia City 34-25 in its season opener. Kaden Andrew led the Warriors with 22 points. Next game is 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at West Noble. Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Nov. 21 — Wawasee lost its season opener

at Fairfield 47-28. Next game is 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at home against Angola. Girls Swimming Nov. 21 — Swimming results were not sent to the Mail-Journal in time for publishing. Junior Varsity Wrestling Nov. 18 — Wawasee had three grapplers go undefeated at the West Noble JV Invite in Freshman Cavan Tom, freshman Kyron Cantu and junior Alex Dibble. Girls Wrestling Nov. 18 — Senior Ciara Rodriguez went undefeated at the Rochester Invite to win her weight class. She won her championship match via a 9-4 decision. Karlee Clevenger was third in her class going 3-1 at the invite. Kenidi Nine went 2-2 on the day to finish fourth in her weight class. The next girls meet is 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Penn.

(StatePoint) If you have less time and less money to dedicate to the holidays, it doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite traditions, such as sending a yearly holiday card. In a survey conducted by AmericanGreetings.com, 60% of Americans sent cards last year and 90% of people said they bring them joy. Here are a few tips to make this year’s family greeting more special than ever before, even while on a budget and time crunch. Write A Personal Message Holiday greetings don’t have to be the same for every recipient. In fact, 71% of people surveyed said personalization, such as adding a custom note, is their favorite part of cards. Make each message thoughtful and unique by sharing memories from throughout the year that showcase favorite moments with specific family and friends. Go Digital Between coordinating family photo shoots, building mailing lists, stuffing, addressing and stamping envelopes, sending holiday cards can be a time-consuming task—but it doesn’t have to be. Go the digital route with Pics & Wishes, a line of multimedia greetings from AmericanGreetings.com, where you can send specially designed ecards to loved ones. The app makes creating and sending heartfelt greetings extremely easy, personalized and affordable. With Pics & Wishes, people of all ages and skill levels can unleash their creativity. American Greetings’ easy-to-use card-builder lets you select from seasonal templates featuring a variety of animated graphics. Since your phone is likely already full of photos and videos, Pics & Wishes offers an easy, inexpensive way to personalize greetings straight from your mobile device. You’ll

HOLIDAY BUDGET — You do not have to break the bank to have a lovely holiday season. Follow these easy tips to ensure you stay within your holiday budget. Photo by shine.graphics. never need to worry about your long list of recipients or how it will add up in cost. Since the app is subscription-based, the unlimited number of sends makes it incredibly convenient to send ecards to your whole mailing list at once. Create A Family Newsletter Outdo last year’s traditional greetings while keeping loved ones up to date by creating a family newsletter. With Pics & Wishes, you have the option to write a simple, personalized note or take your card-sending game to a whole new level. One way is by sharing the latest and greatest in your family members’ lives in a fun, entertaining year-in-review letter. Plus, the easy-to-use app offers special accents for recipients to enjoy, such as decorative letterhead and cheerful

holiday musicF Don’t Forget Pets People love their pets and often treat them like family. In fact, nearly half of Americans say they have signed their pet’s name in a card. The annual holiday card is the perfect opportunity to include your furry friend in photos as an honored part of the family. Plus, recipients will also enjoy their inclusion, as 58% of Americans surveyed said they gravitate toward greeting cards that feature animals. Whether it’s a cute, posed photo of your puppy or a candid of your cat, it’s sure to bring a smile to your loved ones’ faces. With a little twist on the classic tradition, you can save time and money while creating unique and personalized holiday greetings that everyone on the recipient list is sure to enjoy.

Craft your own holiday gift tags in three easy steps (StatePoint) Infusing a little DIY into gift-giving adds a nice, personal touch to the holiday season. One simple, but impactful project to try this year is creating your own gift tags. It’s the first thing recipients see, and a great way to add your signature style to the look of your wrapped presents. To help you get started, art materials supplier Sakura of America is sharing these easy, threestep instructions for creating your own gift tags: 1. Gather your materials. Here is what you’ll need to make your gift tags: • Archival, colorful pens, such as Gelly Roll Retractable pens • Cardstock circles, stars, hearts and other shapes • A hole punch • Twine or ribbon • Scissors • Your creativity 2. Make your tags. Draw creative, seasonal designs on your cardstock shapes, like a snowflake or wreath, using Gelly Roll Retractable pens. Offering unlimited possibilities for your gift tags, they’re available in 12 colors and three ink effects to write smoothly on an array of paper colors and types. Hint: If you have dark, coated, matte or lightly colored paper stock, use a metallic or white Gelly Roll Retractable pen. If you

GIFT TAGS — Gather your materials and craft your own festive gift tags in three easy steps. Photo provided by StatePoint. have white or light uncoated paper stock, try a stardust (glitter) or classic Gelly Roll Retractable pen. Punch a hole near the edge of the cardstock and thread twine or ribbon through. 3. Tag your gift. Take your threaded gift tags and flip them over. Fill out the opposite side for your lucky recipients. Tie on to your presents for a personal, ex-

tra-thoughtful touch. Gift proudly! For more crafting and seasonal inspiration, visit sakuraofamerica.com. Using fun shapes and innovative colors, you can handcraft something special this season for everyone on your list.

This day is remembered and quietly kept, No words are needed, we shall never forget, Unseen and unheard, but always near, So loved, so missed, and so very dear.

Gloria Baumgartner February 15, 1945 November 23, 2008 Ron Baumgartner Jennifer Baumgartner Criss, Jeremy, Claire & Benjamin Corson

www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Community Corner

SPEC hosts euchre tournament By NANCY GRAY SPEC Director As you can see, we had another very successful euchre tournament last Thursday, Nov. 16. We had six tables going and so much fun. Our winners were: first place, Joe Schaefer with 71; second place, Ada Frenger with 68; most loans, Darcy Dean; and low score, Donna Hinsdale. Our next euchre tournament will be Thursday, Dec. 21. We are gearing up for our yearly walkathon. You will find your packets and the sign-up sheet on the desk that you sign when you come in to walk the halls. Any questions you have you can ask me in the senior center. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. We hope you will help us meet our goal. If you have a chance in the next few weeks, come in and check out the Kiwanis Christmas trees. They will be all around the walking track. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with all your loved ones. That does it for now; have a wonderful week.

SAL COMMANDER — Ed Klinger is commander of the Sons of the Legion, North Webster. He is pictured playing taps at the Veterans Day program Friday, Nov. 10 at North Webster Elementary School. Photo by Phoebe Muthart.

EUCHRE TOURNAMENT — SPEC had a euchre tournament Thursday, Nov. 16. The next euchre tournament will be Thursday, Dec. 21. Photo provided by Nancy Gray.

Ed Klinger serves the community through his Legion involvement By PHOEBE MUTHART Staff Writer Ed Klinger is serving his community by being active in the American Legion in North Webster. He grew up in Pierceton and graduated from Whitko High School in 1994. On the weekends, he would spend time with his grandparents, who lived in North Webster of which he has fond memories. Growing up Klinger said he wanted to be a history teacher. He went to college and started working at a business in North Webster; however, his plans changed. “I decided I didn’t want to pursue teaching,” he said. Klinger, a North Webster resident, started working part time at Group Dekko in 1994. In August, he was promoted to corporate quality manager. At one point, he lived in Fort Wayne. While he did not serve in the military, he joined the North Webster Sons of the American Legion. Both of his grandfathers were Legion members. One was a Pierceton Legion member and the other a North Webster Legion member. “My mom was very active in the Legion auxiliary and she still is,” said Klinger. “I use to help off and on with my mom and stepdad so you get to know a lot.” He has been a SAL member for the past 28 years. In 2014, he was named second vice president of the Sons of the Legion. He was in charge

of volunteers and “keeping things running.” In 2017, he was named commander of the Sons of the Legion. In 2021, he was commander for three years straight. In May, Klinger was given an honorary lifetime membership in the Legion. “I was surprised, and I greatly appreciated it,” Klinger noted. From 2018 to 2021 he was the Legion’s chaplain. “Our focus is on veterans and our members,” said Klinger. The SAL also helps support the Legion’s vans’ fund. “We make sure those keep going,” he said. “We take them (veterans) to doctor appointments, for instance.” SAL also supports the Boy Scouts and Junior Shooters programs. The best thing about being part of SAL is the camaraderie and helping people, he said. “It gives you a good feeling,” Klinger explained. SAL also helped fund the Legion’s heating and cooling system and repave its parking lot. He lives in the North Webster area. He is married to his wife of seven years, Andrea, who is president of the Legion Auxiliary. The couple have a poodle named Buddy, a rescue dog. They live on the water and enjoy their pontoon boat and spending time with family. He is also a member of the Syracuse Eagles. His hobbies include his 1958 King Midget car, which he bought in the spring.

PROFILE

CHRISTMAS GIFT BASKETS — Shown are some of the Christmas gift baskets on display. Photo provided by the library.

Milford Public Library —

New DVDs from Sentimental Productions Inc. available The Milford Public Library has announced two new additions to its Sentimental Reflec-

Bridge Results

Mobile Meals drivers Volunteer drivers for Syracuse, Milford and North Webster Mobile Meals have been scheduled as follows: Syracuse Drivers Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 MONDAY — M. Smith TUESDAY — P. & L. Stump

WEDNESDAY — J. Rowland THURSDAY — P. Smith FRIDAY — K. Young Milford Drivers Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 MONDAY — J. Kammerer TUESDAY — A. & C. Haab WEDNESDAY — S. Weisser THURSDAY — L. Kammerer

FRIDAY — R. & P. Haab North Webster Drivers Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 MONDAY — J. & K. Caskey TUESDAY — Bart’s Watersports WEDNESDAY — Cardinal/T THURSDAY — Cardinal/T FRIDAY — R. Chambers

North Webster Bridge Group The North Webster Bridge Group met Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Thursday, Nov. 16, at the Senior Primelife Enrichment Center in the North Webster Community Center. Tuesday winners were Ronnie Pierogy, first, and Wanda Wyrick, second. Winners Thursday were Jerry Hetrick, first, and Jean Cowan, second. Authorized Dealer

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tions series from Sentimental Productions Inc. Over the years, Sentimental Productions has produced videos that reflect on the American culture through story, scenery and song. These videos are both informative and entertaining. The Sentimental Reflections videos are produced four times a year and each video is approximately 45 minutes long. The two newest DVDs to be added to the library collection include the following topics: From Series Nineteen, (edition four), “The Cover Story” is about the magic of printing; “Scenic America” takes a look at Huntington Beach, S.C.; “Our Amazing World” focuses on two species of the world’s tallest trees, which are both located in California; and the “Time Capsule” segment looks back at the earliest of television’s game shows, including “Name That Tune,” “Beat the Clock” and “Make That Spare.” From Series Twenty, (edition one), “The Cover Story” examines the making of the popular Burma-Shave jingles which were so popular and a favorite project for Sentimental Productions; “Scenic America” takes a look at the Whitewater River spanning from a point near Dayton, Ohio, to where it flows into the Ohio River; “Time Capsule” segment takes a look back at the first universal newsreels shown in movie theaters during the 1930s; and finally, the “Timeless Trivia” section shows eras of the White House and how history has handled questions and answers pertaining to the various presidents who have held that office over the years. You can check out these DVDs from the library or any of the other numerous videos the library has in the collection from Sentimental Productions. November LEGO Challenge Have you submitted a photo

of your LEGO creation turkey to the Milford Library? The deadline for submissions is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Send your photo to milford@milford. lib.in.us and all entries will be considered for the November prize of a new LEGO set. Build an amazing turkey and get a photo submitted before time runs out. LEGO Saturday Bring the whole family to the next LEGO Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 2. You can work on a creation to submit for the December LEGO Challenge, build a Christmas tree, or work on something else. Animals Of The North Pole Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ryan is coming to Milford with Animals of the North Pole. The program will be in the Milford Community Building and begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7. Santa’s helper, Red-Nosed Ryan, will bring several animals to tell us all about, including a live reindeer. Bring your phone so you can get a photo with the reindeer before leaving the building. Library elves, Miss Jenny and Miss Janette, will be there to make sure everyone has a great time. This is a great program for the whole family, so make plans to attend. This is a free program provided by the Milford Public Library. Christmas Gift Baskets The Friends of the Milford Public Library have some gift baskets for sale at the library. The baskets are on display in the adult department, close to the circulation desk. If you are looking for some reasonably priced Christmas presents, take a look. Each basket has a theme and has at least one book included in the goodies. All the money goes to the Friends of the Milford Library and supports the Milford Public Library.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — www.the-papers.com

School

North Webster Community Public Library —

Give the gift of reading

THANK YOU — Syracuse Elementary’s lifeline is “grateful” These students were asked how to say “thank you” in their culture. Cultures represented on the lifeline are Amish, Russia, Mexico, India and Chinese. Pictured from left is Sara Bontrager, Timofei Plotnikov, Victoria Lia Gutierrez-Prieto, Khaleed Saleh, Leo Cheng and Ken Cheng. These students are just a few of the multilingual students at Syracuse Elementary. Photo provided by Cindy Brady.

While browsing the stores on Black Friday or scrolling through deals on Cyber Monday, consider thinking outside the box this holiday season to purchase gifts for friends and family. Do your loved ones live outside the library district? A nonresident library card makes an excellent Christmas gift. With options to purchase either a full-year membership or a partial-year membership, there is something for everyone. Plus, a nonresident library card offers all the same great perks as a normal resident library card — books, movies and the Library of Things, as well as access to NWCPL’s online resources, including e-books and e-audiobooks through Libby and Hoopla. So why not consider giving the gift of reading and learning as you are doing your holiday shopping? Stop by the library today for more information about library cards and pricing. Gift certificates for non-resident cards are also available. Weekly Library Events The following activities are set to take place at North Webster Community Public Library. Attendees do not need to have a library card to participate in any of these events. Adult Events Writers Corner, 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27. This month’s writing theme is to write about the Pilgrims’ arrival from one of the following perspectives: one of the Pilgrims, one of the local residents (Native Americans) or one of the crew members working aboard the Mayflower. Bring your

SPA DAY PROGRAM — Becky Prater and Rosie Purdy make homemade sugar scrub during North Webster Community Public Library’s doit-yourself spa day program. Photo provided by North Webster Community Public Library. writings and come to share with the group. Exercise classes will be happening at the library this week. These classes are free and open to the public, no library card required. Get Fit While You Sit chair exercise, 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30. Let’s Move dance class, 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30. This will be the last Let’s Move dance class of 2023. They will resume Let’s Dance on Thursday, Jan. 4. Teen Events Have the after-school blues? Students in grades 6-12 are invited to Teen Café at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27. Play games, eat

snacks and hang out with friends. Teen Wellness Circle, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Join fellow teens to engage in insightful discussions about physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Youth Events Baby and Toddler Time, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Join Miss Cathy for songs and stories geared toward children birth through 36 months. Registration is requested, but visitors are always welcome. For more information about any library events, call (574) 8347122, visit the library’s website at nwcpl.org or click into the library’s Facebook page.

Syracuse Public Library —

Teens invited to tree decorating festivities ACTS OF KINDNESS — Milford Elementary School celebrated National Week of Kindness, Nov. 13-17, by performing acts of kindness for others and helping around the school. Shown are preschool students Hailey Castro, front, and Alejandro Vega, helping the custodial staff rake leaves in the circle drive playground area. Photo provided by Natalie Bolton.

The History Museum giving presentation about Yuletide traditions

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New Year’s Day in 1897. “Insights in History” is a monthly series that features a lecture in conjunction with an exhibit at The History Museum. For information, call The History Museum at (574) 235-9664 or visit historymuseumSB.org.

RENTOWN COUNTRY STORES

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sights in History” is sponsored by THK Law, LLP. A first-floor tour of the Oliver Mansion decorated for the holiday season will be offered. J.D. and Anna Oliver and their four children moved into their new home at 808 W. Washington in South Bend on

RENTOWN COUNTRY STORES

Curator of Copshaholm, Skylar Whited, will describe Christmas traditions of yesteryear at “Insights in History,” taking place at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at The History Museum. Admission is $3, general and $1, members. Reservations are required by Monday, Dec. 4. “In-

Teens can help decorate Syracuse Public Library’s Rosalyn Jones Room tree from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Festive music will be played to get everyone in the spirit while attendees create ornaments and enjoy hot chocolate. There will, of course, be time to check out new arrivals in the young adult section. Later in the week, teens interested in writing can join the young adult writing club from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the Rosalyn Jones Room. Group members will explore character creation with a game and character sheets. Anime fans can join SPL’s anime club from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in the Rosalyn Jones Room. Group members vote on what anime to watch. Children’s Programs After a break for Thanksgiving, children’s programming resumes the week of Nov. 27. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade will show off their dance moves during Move and Groove Club at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27. Amber Cox will challenge them with different dance games during the session. Storytime develops a love of reading in preschoolers while mixing in the alphabet, Spanish, American Sign Language and colors. Children and their grownups can join the fun at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the downstairs children’s department. During home school class, older home-schooled students in grades fourth through sixth grade will learn about creative lettering and Chinese calligraphy at

ORNAMENTS — Young adult services librarian Michelle Parker holds some of the ornaments that teens will use to decorate the Rosalyn Jones Room tree. Join the festivities from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Syracuse Public Library. Photo by Sarah Wright. 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the downstairs meeting room. Instructor Rebekah Sceniak and guest instructor Savannah Chupp will guide students and then help

them make holiday cards. Younger children are welcome to join the group, but they may require the help of their grownups to complete the project.

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www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

GOBBLE UP THESE GREAT DEALS! Check out the classifieds!

To Place A Classified Ad, Call (574) 457-3666, Syracuse Or (574) 658-4111, Milford

It happened in Syracuse ... 10 years ago

CLASSIFIEDS ‘Organization Day’ charity Phone Or Fax In Your Ad Before 11 A.M. Tuesday MILFORD 574-658-4111 FAX 800-886-3796 SYRACUSE WARSAW 574-457-3666 574-269-2932 FAX 888-371-2934

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BUYER BEWARE The Papers Incorporated cannot screen all advertisements to eliminate possibilities of fraud or misleading information. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Persons responding to ads are advised to contact the Better Business Bureau in your area or the Indiana Secretary of State’s Fraud Hotline before sending any money. 1-800-223-8791

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10 YEARS AGO, NOV. 20, 2013 State Representative Rebecca Kubacki (R-Syracuse) was joined by legislators, staff and other state office holders during the legislature’s annual “Organization Day” in donating sporting equipment and other items to Special Olympics of Indiana recently at the Statehouse. Legislators and staff brought in sporting equipment, food, drinks, office supplies and other items for Special Olympics of Indiana. Chad Jonsson has started to put together a mailbox for children to send Santa Claus their letters. Letters can be dropped off now at the mailbox, located in the Syracuse Community Center’s lobby. Santa will pick up the letters after Breakfast with Santa. 20 YEARS AGO, NOV. 19, 2003 Candace Beer of Syracuse is a

member of Ashland (Ohio) University’s chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi. Beer, who is majoring in music education, is recording secretary, co-chair education committee of Kappa Kappa Psi. She is the daughter of James and Deborah Beer, Syracuse. Syracuse Parks Department is the happy recipient of 16 trees donated by Sprague Bartles from Wisconsin. Bartles is donating an assortment of trees valued at a little over $3,800 in honor of the memory of his grandparents Perry R. and Louella Sprague, who were residents of Syracuse at one time. Bartles is a summer visitor to the area and wanted to add to the beauty of the parks. 30 YEARS AGO, NOV. 17, 1993 Leo Druckamiller of Syracuse celebrated his 87th birthday Sunday, Nov. 14, with an early

breakfast with his wife, Alma, at England’s Family Diner and lunch at Gropp’s Restaurant with daughter and son-in-law, Dolores and Richard Hepler. The couple have breakfast at England’s every morning. M. Russell Anderson, a senior at Purdue University in agronomy (soil and crop science), spoke at the 85th annual convention of the American Society of Agronomy in Cincinatti, Ohio, Nov. 9. He was one of six student presenters. Russell is the son of Doug and Carolyn Anderson, Syracuse. 40 YEARS AGO, NOV. 23, 1983 Bill Cable, farmer, banker and benefactor, has set a lofty goal for his favorite service club, the Syracuse-Wawasee Rotary Club. Cable would like to see all of the 34 members of the club become Paul Harris Fellows, a

high distinction in Rotary. Cable is a honorary Paul Harris Fellow. Among the most loyal fans the Wawasee Warriors have are Jay and Lucille Peffley of Syracuse. This is the 23rd year they have purchased season tickets to follow the fortunes of their favorite high school basketball team. 50 YEARS AGO, NOV. 21, 1973 Hear our town’s Donna (Mrs. Jerry or R.G.) Johnson, Syracuse, had her first air solo last week and admitting to being slightly nervous, loved every minute of it. Helen and Willard Nusbaum arrived to today in Syracuse to pick up a load of miscellaneous belongings and will be leaving in a day or two to return to their new home at Saint Cloud, Fla.

It happened in Milford ... 20 years ago

INDEX ANNOUNCEMENTS .................... A005-A100 BUSINESS SERVICE................... C010-C430 EMPLOYMENT............................. E010-E080 FARM ........................................... G010-G070 FINANCIAL .................................. H010-H030 INSTRUCTION ............................. K010-K020

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Laura Dick performs at Amish Acres 10 YEARS AGO, NOV. 20, 2013 The Trupointe facility going up in Milford is developing quickly. The interior of the liquid fertilizer building seems almost finished. Finishing touched on the roof and exterior of the dry fertilizer building are being completed, and the two million gallon Uan tank now has a roof on it. Merle and Lena (Troyer) Yoder, Milford, are the parents of a son, Thaddeus Lavon, born Nov. 10, 2013, at home. He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Zoe Taylor, Lacey Lucas, Kylie Evans, Meadowe Freeman, Cameron Heinisch and Evan Bowser did extensive research on the rain forest, rain forest animals and how deforestation affects those creatures. These students put together Power Point presentations and presented them to their fellow third-graders and teachers at Milford School. 20 YEARS AGO, NOV. 19, 2003 Three Milford Middle School eighth-grade students were accepted to the American String Teachers Association All-Region Middle School String Festival

Nov. 22 in Chesterton. The students are Jennifer Stevens on viola and Samantha Morehouse and Elaine Shipley on cello. Stephanie Hesketh has been accepted at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion for the fall 2004 semester. She is the daughter of William and Norene Hesketh of Milford. Laura Dick, daughter of Dr. John Dick of Milford Family Physicians, was recently spotted in a performance of “The Wizard of Oz” at Amish Acres Round Barn Theatre. Laura is playing the part of Mayor Munchkin for half of the show dates, explains her mom, Shirley. 30 YEARS AGO, NOV. 17, 1993 Workers from Hank’s Construction of Wabash began working on the installation of the sewer line that will travel on the west side of the Conrail tracks and then east down CR 1150N to Waubee Mobile Home Park. The project is expected to be completed in about three weeks. Airman 1st Class Rob Clingaman recently reported for duty at Keesler Air Force Base in Bi-

loxi, Miss. Rob, who attended his early years of school at Milford, is the son of Larry and Deb Harter of Syracuse. He entered the U.S. Air Force in August. He and his fiancee, Trisha Hostetler of Milford, are planning to be married next month. 40 YEARS AGO, NOV. 23, 1983 Dome Pipeline donated a gas detector to the Milford Fire Department on October 4. The detector is used to read the percent of gases in the atmosphere, and according to Bill Leemon, assistant fire chief, this will aid the community of Milford. Monica Bice and Natalie Stump, EMT’s from Milford, showed their ambulance to the VIP students at Milford’s Elementary School on Thursday, Nov. 17. The special presentation is organized by school officials to educate the students outside the classroom. Following their time with the special guest, each student returns to his class and shares what he has learned. John and Florence Gardner have considerably improved

their East Catherine Street property in Milford this week by putting in a new sidewalk completely around the house and grounds. 50 YEARS AGO, NOV. 21, 1973 Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Mathews of R 1 Milford will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with an open house on Sunday, Nov. 25. Mr. and Mrs. Mathews were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1948, by Rev. Carl F. Weller of Goshen. The Home Arts Home Ec club of the Milford area met in the home of Mrs. Raymond Cook at Dewart Lake last Tuesday afternoon. Dessert was served, followed by the business meeting conducted by the president, Mrs. Earl Naegele. The meeting was opened in the usual form. Mr. and Mrs. Jose A. Carrillo of Milford are the parents of a daughter, Ramona Darlene, born Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Goshen hospital. Ramona tipped the scales at six pounds, four and one-half ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She was born at 4:10 a.m.

It happened in North Webster ... 20 years ago

Jeremy Likens elected fire chief 10 YEARS AGO, NOV. 20, 2013 Sewage was the hot topic at the North Webster Town Council meeting Tuesday evening. Mike Noe, director of the street, sewer and water department, showed three quotes for pricing a project to repair 12 lift stations throughout town. Curly, New Plumbing and Underground Pipe and Valve General each submitted quotes, and costs were all nearly the same. The project will eventually install new lifts into the 12 stations in North Webster. North Webster Elementary third-grade students of Brittany Gummere have been studying about courage, based on the book “Courage” written and illustrated by Bernard Waber. As a class project, the students created their own play based on times they used courage. Each student was

given the opportunity to share their time of courage with school Principal Kris Woodard. North Webster wasn’t spared from the severe storm Sunday afternoon that put the community in a tornado warning at approximately 3:15 p.m. At least six mobile homes at Mid-Lakes Trailer Park were damaged. 20 YEARS AGO, NOV. 19, 2003 Jeremy Likens was elected Monday to serve as fire chief for the North Webster Fire Department. On Monday, Likens was elected to step in and serve a two-year term as chief, replacing Harold Gunkel. Gunkel led the department for eight years, but said he would be stepping down as of Jan. 1, 2004. North Webster Town Marshal Greg Church told town council members Nov. 12 that two North

Webster Police officers and one county sheriff’s department officer recovered a large amount of stolen property at 532 N. Main St., North Webster, on the evening of Friday, Oct. 31. Peggy Young read a poem about turkeys to open the Nov. 5 meeting of the Hoosier Auxiliary of Barbee Lakes Conservation Club held in the Conservation Building. Edna Lawson, secretary, called roll with the attendees responding with an answer to “something you are thankful for.” 30 YEARS AGO, NOV. 17, 1993 Memorial services were conducted at Mock Cemetery, Legion Post and North Webster Cemetery by members of the North Webster American Legion Post 253 Veterans Day. A service was held to honor those killed at sea. Those in the ceremony were the firing squad and color guard. Members of those are: Paul Becker, Legion commander; Dick Shock, chaplain; Terry Kaiser, Scott Weyler, Larry Shock, Mark Argenbright, Lee Armstrong, Jerry Lowe, Russ Moore, Dave Heath, Tim Hine, Kerry Koontz, Doug Jernigan, Bob Roberts and Bob Stevens. 40 YEARS AGO, NOV. 23, 1983 A request from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy,

Plainfield, to have only one North Webster police officer continue training was the main topic at a special meeting of the North Webster Town Board Tuesday evening. In response to questions and concerns voiced by area citizens about the proposed establishment of a public beach and park in North Webster, the following information was complied by Marilyn Thrasher, Steve Beavers and Dixie Pryor: Many people don’t realize North Webster has had a park board for several years and money has been in the town budget for just this type of project. 50 YEARS AGO, NOV. 21, 1973 Mrs. Albert Hamman, North Webster, was hostess for the Nov. 14 meeting of Tippecanoe Township Home extension club. Mrs. Rue Hunnicut assisted the hostess. A surprise birthday slumber party was given Nov. 11 in honor of the 16th birthday of Cathy Guard. The celebration took at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. D.E. Guard, Leeesburg. A movie “No Fault Insurance” highlighted the Nov. 12 meeting of Lakeland Kiwanis Club. F. Hazen Sparks gave the invocation.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — www.the-papers.com

Public Notice

BREW CITY NOVEMBER MEMBER OF THE MONTH — Brew City Roasting Company, 605 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, was named Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce’s November Member of the Month. Shown in front from left are Lexi Yoder, Nicole Sweatland and Cassandra Wells, with Brew City; Rachael Rhoades, Cottage Watchman; Rachell Hatfield, The 3863; and Jeanetta Slabaugh, Horizon Bank. In back: Jeff Dyson, South Shore Village; Deanna Beckner, Camp Mack; Alyssa Trout, Oakwood Resort; Dan Buchman, State Farm; Ashley Dillon, chamber executive director; Derek Poirier, Brew City; Ryan Austin, Bankers Life; Brittni Kuhn, Lake City Bank; and Jonathon Lackey, Crossroads Bank. Photo provided by the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce.

Brew City Roasting Co. named Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber’s November Member of the Month The Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce has named its November Member of the Month, Brew City Roasting Company, 605 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. Brew City Roasting Company is a locally-owned coffee shop, by Cassandra Wells and Derek Poirier, which began out of

love for good coffee, people and sharing it with the community. The owner is originally from the area, opening Brew City in June 2021. From teas to coffee beans, products are purchased from women- owned businesses. All other products are homemade or purchased locally. It is a local hangout for indi-

viduals and business meetings. There are several options on its menu (including gluten free) and catering is offered as well. The company roasts coffee beans, make syrups, bake pastries, pies and bread ... just to name a few. It is also known for its sourdough bread on Saturdays and cinnamon rolls on Sundays.

Polywood out of ‘Coolest Thing Made In Indiana’ The Indiana Chamber has announced their final four contests, and Polywood did not make the list. All hail from different cities: Blue Fox Farms LLC, Wawaka; Guardian Bikes, Seymour; Hard Truth Distillery, Nashville; and Hoosier Racing Tire, Plymouth. Blue Fox Farms, Hoosier Racing Tire and Hard Truth Distillery are “Coolest Thing” veterans, with Hard Truth making it to the quarterfinals last year. Guardian Bikes is a tournament newcomer. The contest started with 47 competitors, and interest remained high with thousands of votes cast in the quarterfinal. The semifinal round of voting tipped off Monday morning and will conclude at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. Blue Fox Farms entered its native plant roots that are shipped to nurseries across the country. Guardian Bikes is showcasing its innovative bicycles for children that features the SureStop braking system. Hard Truth Distillery put forth its signature Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream.

TYLER HUFFER

Huffer obtains associate degree Titus Funeral Homes and Cremation Services are proud to announce that Tyler Huffer has obtained his associate degree in mortuary science from Mid-America Mortuary College in Jeffersonville and has passed the National Funeral Director Board exams. He has worked at the funeral home for many years serving in several roles. Huffer is a lifetime area resident and a 2008 graduate of Warsaw Community High School. He is also a licensed paramedic and serves as the elected Kosciusko County coroner. In addition, he is a licensed life insurance agent, helping families with pre-planning. He has served on numerous boards and is currently a board member for the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, enjoying the lake, traveling and serving the community. To congratulate Huffer or to request more information about pre-planning funeral services, call (574) 267-3104.

Finally, Hoosier Racing Tire entered its well-known tires that are shipped to racers worldwide. Votes for the semifinal round can be cast at the Coolest Things Made in Indiana web site at indianachamber.com/coolestthing. As is the case in every round, the winners will be chosen through public fan voting, with the products receiving the highest votes in each matchup moving to the next round. A voter may vote once per matchup per round. Voters must vote for all matchups in each round to have their votes count.

Winners from the semifinal matchups will be announced Monday morning, with voting for the finals starting at that time and running through Nov. 30. The winner of the contest will be announced Dec. 13 at the Indiana Chamber’s 2023 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon. To participate, a company did not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but the product entered must be manufactured in the state. Companies are limited to having one product nominated for entry.

Public Notices LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given to the taxpayers of Kosciusko County, Indiana that The Parks & Recreation Board will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, November 30th, at 1:00 PM in the Old Courtroom of the Courthouse, 100 W. Center St., Warsaw IN 46580. The Parks & Recreation Board has re-scheduled their December 21st, 2023 meeting at 1:00 PM to December 14th, 2023 at 1:00 PM in the Old Courtroom. Rhonda Helser, Auditor Kosciusko County hspaxlp NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER DISPOSAL OF REAL PROPERTY Notice is hereby given that the Board of Commissioners of Kosciusko County will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 9:15 a.m. at the Kosciusko County Courthouse located at 100 West Center Street, Warsaw, Indiana 46580 to consider the disposal of real property owned by Kosciusko County. The real property for which the Board of Commissioners of Kosciusko County will consider for disposal is vacant land located at the Southeast corner of the intersection of County Road 900 S and Smalley Lane with the Kosciusko County Parcel ID of 025-082-002.A, Tax Bill ID: 025-708006-54, and State ID: 43-14-33400-004.000-021 and further described as follows: Lots Numbered 30, 31 and 32 in the First Addition to Northcrest Addition on Beaver Dam Lake, which addition is located in the Northwest Quarter of Section 33, Township 31 North, Range 5 East in Seward Township, and the plat for which addition is recorded in Plat Book 5, page 59 as Instrument Number 12283 in the Recorder’s Office of Kosciusko County, Indiana. hspaxlp NOTICE OF EXECUTION OF AMENDMENT TO LEASE Pursuant to action previously taken by the Board of School Trustees (the “Board”) of Wawasee Community School Corporation (the “School Corporation”), an Amendment to Lease (the “Amendment”) between the School Corporation and Wawasee High School Building Corporation (the “Building Corporation”) was executed and entered into as of November 14, 2023. The Lease covers the site of (i) the real estate for Syracuse Elementary School, located in Syracuse, Indiana, (ii) a portion of the existing Milford School, located in Milford, Indiana, and (iii) the real estate upon which a new Milford School will be constructed, located in Milford, Indiana. A copy of the Amendment is on file in the Administration Building of the School Corporation, 801 S. Sycamore St., Syracuse, Indiana, and is available for inspection during normal business hours. Dated this 22nd day of November, 2023. /s/ Secretary, Board of School Trustees Wawasee Community School Corporation hspaxlp STATE OF INDIANA COUNTY OF KOSCIUSKO) SS: MATTHEW M. BOYER AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT P. RATZ, Plaintiff, v. EQUICREDIT CORPORATION OF AMERICA AND ANY PERSON CLAIMING AN INTEREST IN THE REAL ESTATE DESCRIBED HEREIN, Defendants. NOTICE OF COMPLAINT TO QUIET TITLE TO REAL ESTATE TO: Equicredit Corporation of America and any other person claiming an interest in the real estate described herein. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Plaintiff has filed an action in the Kosciusko Superior Court No. 4/Circuit asking the Court to quiet title to certain real estate described as follows: The south 67 feet of lots numbered eighty-four (84) and eighty-five (85) in Dolan and Miles Addition to the Town of Syracuse, as recorded in Plat Book 2, page 149, in the Office of the Recorder of Kosciusko County, Indiana. LESS AND EXCEPTING the following portion of the above tract: The north 5.7 feet of the west 31 feet thereof. If you claim an interest in the real estate described herein, you or your attorney must file a response to Plaintiff’s Complaint not later than thirty (30) days following the last date of publication of this notice. If you fail to so respond to Plaintiff’s Complaint, the Court may grant the relief requested by Plaintiff. Dated: 11/8/2023 Ann Torpy, Clerk Kosciusko Superior/Circuit Court 121 N. Lake Street Warsaw, Indiana 46580 Stephen R. Snyder, #413-43 Snyder Morgan & Kuchmay LLP 200 West Main Street Syracuse, IN 46567 Telephone: (574) 457-3300 srs@smk.law Attorneys for Plaintiff hspaxlp N.15-29

LEGAL NOTICE Listed below is a complete list of taxpayers of Kosciusko County whose application for tax abatement in an economic revitalization area was approved for 2023-2024. REAL PROPERTY Tax Tax Identification Owner(s) of Record Other Revitaliza Years Unit Number Mailing Address Amount Remaining 1 - Clay 001-703000-60 Louis Dreyfus Agricultural Industrial $3,929,630 6 Attn: Tax Department 40 Danbury Rd, PO Box 810 Wilton CT 06897-0810 4 - Warsaw 004-702035-50 Flormar Realty Co LLC 163,150 4 C/O Flexaust Co 1510 Armstrong Rd Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-703032-00 Flexaust Company Inc 892,160 7 PO Box 4275 Warsaw IN 46581 4 - Warsaw 004-704013-24 Buffalo Street LLC 292,620 13 800 S Buffalo St Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-712020-80 Little Crow Lofts LLC 174,840 3 Attn Corinna Eiden PO Box 1658 Fond Du Lac WI 54935 4 - Warsaw 004-718022-16 802 Center LP 5,360,500 8 860 E 86th St Suite 5 Indianapolis IN 46240 4 - Warsaw 004-726004-81 BTC Investments-Warsaw LLC 256,840 8 c/o Benjamin T Clark Jr 2255 Walter Glaub Drive Plymouth IN 46563 4 - Warsaw 004-726006-35 WishBone Medical Inc 361,550 1 100 Capital Dr Warsaw IN 46582 4 - Warsaw 004-726022-61 AJM LLC Warsaw IN 985,200 5 4216 Dewitt Ave Mattoon IL 61938 8 - Syracuse 008-712000-10 Ridgestone Development Group LLC 576,200 10 420 N Main St Ste 1 Middlebury IN 46540 8 - Syracuse 008-712000-20 P W Realty LLC 10,002,340 9 1001 W Polywood Way Syracuse IN 46567 8 - Syracuse 008-713008-82 QES Realty LLC 805,120 9 PO Box 336 Syracuse IN 46567 8 - Syracuse 008-719003-93 P W Realty LLC 2,892,560 8 1001 W Polywood Way Syracuse IN 46567 8 - Syracuse 008-719005-70 P W Realty LLC 22,900 0 1001 W Polywood Way Syracuse IN 46567 8 - Syracuse 008-719005-71 P W Realty LLC 1,743,720 3 1001 W Polywood Way Syracuse IN 46567 10 - Pierceton 010-718002-11 Mid West Realty LLC 74,580 1 30396 Lakeland Blvd Wickliffe OH 44092 10 - Pierceton 010-726005-37 Spirit Master Funding X LLC 20,640 1 c/o Aludyne Attn: Julie Samson 300 Galleria Office #501 Southfield MI 48034 10 - Pierceton 010-726005-67 Ibex Development LLC 2,275,000 10 C/O J A Wagner PO Box 580 Bristol IN 46507-0580 20 - Milford 020-703000-11 CTB Inc 1,400,920 12 611 N Higbee St Milford IN 46542 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-713005-37 Texmo Precision Castings (US) Inc 51,900 3 596 E 200 N Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-715007-15 Symmetry Medical Manufacturing Inc 8,850 2 3724 N SR 15 Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-726000-50 West Hill Investment Group LLC 3,636,660 7 445 E 200 N Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-726002-52 West Hill Development LLC 3,452,560 10 445 E 200 N Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-726002-56 West Hill Development LLC 933,550 3 445 E 200 N Warsaw IN 46580 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-726009-03 TBS LLC 626,480 8 2098 N Pound Dr W Warsaw IN 46582 Total Real Property Amount Abated $40,940,470 PERSONAL PROPERTY 1 - Clay 001-207121-45 Louis Dreyfus Co Agricultural Industrial $14,073,540 Attn: Tax Department 40 Danbury Rd PO Box 810 Wilton CT 06897-0810 3 - Wayne 003-215091-12 Idna Series LLC 112,930 800 S Buffalo St Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-204265-35 Zimmer Inc 1,185,540 PO Box 708 Warsaw IN 46581-0708 4 - Warsaw 004-204265-36 Zimmer Production Inc 45,730 PO Box 708 Warsaw IN 46581-0708 4 - Warsaw 004-206231-81 Wildman Business Group LLC 309,500 800 S Buffalo St Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-210092-11 International Management & Finance 362,930 1510 Armstrong Rd Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-212201-14 The Flexaust Co Inc 411,460 1510 Armstrong Rd Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-214201-75 The Flexaust Co Inc 7,190 1510 Armstrong Rd Warsaw IN 46580 4 - Warsaw 004-220016-15 The Flexaust Co Inc 159,950 1510 Armstrong Rd Warsaw IN 46580 8 - Syracuse 008-212161-17 Patrick Industries Inc 3,820 107 W Franklin St PO Box 638 Elkhart IN 46515-0638 8- Syracuse 008-216161-22 Poly-Wood LLC 21,960,370 1001 W Polywood Way Syracuse IN 46567 10 - Pierceton 010-213004-04 Midwest Roll Forming and Manufacturing 388,030 c/o OMCO Holdings Inc 30396 Lakeland Blvd Wickliffe OH 44092-1798 10 - Pierceton 010-216012-05 Paragon Medical Inc 4,462,600 8 Matchett Dr Pierceton IN 46562-9075 10 - Pierceton 010-222011-11 Aludyne North America LLC 140,540 300 Galleria Officentre Ste 50 Southfield MI 48034 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-213131-25 Legrand Av Fka Milestone Av Techno 33,360 Attn: Accounts Payable 6436 City West Pkwy Eden Prairie MN 55344 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-215000-05 Symmetry Medical Manufacturing Inc 141,210 3724 N State Road 15 Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-217021-02 Banner Medical Innovations Inc 587,340 494 E Lies Rd Carol Stream IL 60188 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-219161-49 Patrick Industries Inc 93,190 107 W Franklin St PO Box 638 Elkhart IN 46515-0638 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-222022-05 Biomet Manufacturing LLC 2,223,370 1800 W Center St PO Box 708 Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-222091-66 Instrumental Machine & Development 646,700 2098 N Pound Dr W Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warsaw Plain 028-222121-84 Lake City Heat Treating Corp 1,156,950 2427 B Boeing Rd Warsaw IN 46582 28 - Warssaw Plain 028-222201-88 Texmo Precision Castings US Inc 87,800 596 E 200 N Warsaw IN 46582 Total Personal Property Amount Abated $48,594,050 hspaxlp

www.the-papers.com — THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Syracuse resident Sherm Goldenberg receives ‘Titan Award’ The board of directors of the National RV Dealers Association presented Syracuse resident, Sherm Goldenberg, and Minnesota RV dealer, Dan Pearson, of PleasureLand RV Center with RVDA Titan Awards Wednesday, Nov. 8, during the RV Dealers Convention Expo in Las Vegas. Goldenberg served as publisher of two national trade journals, RVBusiness and Woodall’s Campground Magazine, until February when he and then-partner Gregg Fore sold their respective shares in Elkhart-based G&G Media Group LLC. Goldenberg continues to work as a senior editor with G&G’s current owners, Publisher Rick Kessler and COO Scott Stropkai. “This prestigious award recognizes pioneering individuals who have made significant contributions to the RV industry and RV travel over the course of their career,” said 2023 RVDA

ABCDE F GH I J K L M NOP Q R S TU V W XY Z

TITAN AWARD — Sherm Goldenberg, right, was presented with RVDA Titan Award by the board of directors of the National RV Dealers Association during the RV Dealers Convention Expo in Las Vegas Wednesday, Nov. 8. He is pictured with RVDA Chairman Nathan Hart. Photo provided by Sherm Goldenberg. Chairman Nathan Hart of Walnut Ridge Family RV Sales in New Castle, in announcing the award, which was posthumously

Church

presented at Paris Las Vegas to the family of Pearson, a former RVDA chairman who died in early October.

Thanksgiving thoughts By PASTOR LEE COMPSON Milford First Brethren Church Before we start decking the halls, stringing up lights, and putting Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” on repeat, can we take some time to fully celebrate the current holiday? While Thanksgiving may get overshadowed from the annual “Christmas Creep,” I’ll try to do my part with these reflections and share some of the things I am grateful for this year. Let’s start at home. I am deeply thankful for my family. I am grateful for my wonderful wife who works as a counselor part time, lives as a mom full time, and has chosen to be a partner with me in our life’s journey. I am thankful for our two boys, nearly four and six respectively. They bring so much adventure, chaos, and fun into daily life. Parenting them is so exhausting but so rewarding. I’m very grateful to serve as pastor at our church. We are a congregation that takes our call-

PASTOR LEE COMPSON ing seriously to impact our community. We are not necessary a real “young” group of people but God has blessed us with enough energy and vision to do what Christ wants us to do and be who he wants us to be. I am especially thankful for the Milford community. And it is not just because of Harry’s Pork Tenderloin which is the best I’ve ever tasted. No, there’s more to it. We are a friendly town that is generally comprised of people who genuinely care about each other. I ap-

preciate how local businesses and organizations partner together to organize community events and foster a caring spirit among our people. I don’t take it for granted either that two other churches (First Christian, Wawasee Bible) have consistently joined our weekly Prayer Tent endeavor. If you can use some encouragement, stop by on Thursday afternoons where we’re stationed next to the Housing Authority building. Lastly, I need to mention just how grateful I am for God’s provision. As I take stock of 2023, I realize just how faithful he is. And not just generally. In our family, we had several significant unexpected medical bills — and God’s provided. The more I walk this Christian path, the more I see God showing up when I need him. He has done that ultimately with His Son Jesus – the greatest gift we could ever receive. But there I go, creeping into the Christmas season myself. Hopefully these reflections can help you embrace this Thanksgiving for all it’s worth.

Take a leap of faith for Wawasee Compass At this point in 2023, Wawasee Compass has donated over $107,000 to 109 local families to help provide assistance with rent or mortgage payments, utilities and fuel costs. However, Compass has ran out of funds and can no longer afford to provide local families help.

Without funding, Compass has had to shut it’s doors until it can afford to reopen. Compass is operated entirely on donations and every dollar donated is poured right back into the community, helping families experiencing financial hardships. Compass is asking the com-

munity to take a leap of faith and donate so they can re-open their doors and continue their work. With the holiday season approaching, Compass’ work is valuable more now than ever. To make a tax-free donation, visit wawaseecompass.org or send a check to Compass, PO Box 544, Syracuse, IN 46567.

Milford First Brethren to host holiday community dinner The Milford First Brethren Church, 110 W. Catherine St., is hosting a free holiday communi-

ty dinner 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29. On the menu is turkey, dress-

Around The Lakes

ing casserole, mashed potatoes and desserts. The dinner is held in the church’s gym.

ON BAUMGARTNER, editor and publisher of The Mail-Journal and owner of The Papers Inc. is celebrating his 80th birthday this month. In recognition of that milestone, employees and family celebrated with cake and punch on Monday, Nov. 20 in the Milford corporate headquarters building.

The occasion was highlighted by former employees Kip Schumm and Vicky Thompson sharing their memories of their time with the company and working with Ron. Congratulations to the Boss! —o—

BREAKFAST WITH Santa will be 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Syracuse Community Center. This is a great time for area kids to meet with Santa and make sure they’re on his nice list. Pancakes and sausage will be available until sold out. After breakfast, kids can make a craft, and enjoy cookies and milk while listening to the Wawasee High School Christmas Band. Kids eat free, adults are $5. —o— THE WAWASEE FFA Chapter will hold a School House Christmas Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the one-room schoolhouse on the corner of CR 1000N and Syracuse Webster Road. The bazaar will feature homemade crafts, baked goods, FFA caramel corn and Thirty-One items. Proceeds raised at the event will benefit the Makenna Van Laeken Liver Research Fund at Riley Children’s Hospital and the Wawasee FFA Chapter. —o— D U R I N G THE 16th Annual Milford Holiday Market last Saturday, Milford Lions Club member Lion Barb Zimmerman was ringing Bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle fundraiser. Brenda Niles and grandson Grayson were on there way out when Grayson was spotted putting some of his own money in the kettle. Thank you to all who give during the holiday season and all year long. —o— THE 11TH annual Mallane Family Toys for Tots spaghetti and meatballs dinner is from noon to 8 p.m. (or until sold out) Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Syracuse American Legion Post 223. Carry-out is available. The cost is $15 a plate. —o— JOIN THE American Legion Post 253, North Webster, for a Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, Nov. 23. It will serve dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The club will close at 3 p.m. Dine in or carry out is offered for a goodwill donation. Donations of pies and cash donations are welcome. The Legion also needs volunteers to assist with the meals, too. If you have questions or want to volunteer, call the post at (574) 834-4297. The Legion will be closed Friday, Nov. 24. —o— CHAUTAUQUA-WAWASEE’S once-a-year fundraising campaign is now underway! Are you a fan of the Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration? How about the Art Festival at Oakwood? And who doesn’t love the semi-annual cruises, The Patriotic Pops Concert and the incredibly moving Taps Across the Water event? The end of the year is fast approaching so time to consider those tax deductible donations. To donate to Chautauqua-Wawasee click below to do so online: chautauquawawasee.org/donations/. Or, you can mail your gift to PO Box 323, Syracuse, IN 46567. —o— THE MILFORD Police Department has announced the annual Santa Parade will be taking place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. It will travel up and down the north and south streets of town. Lineup will begin at 5:15 p.m. Sirens will be used sparingly. Participation in the parade is open to emergency personnel and their families only, but the public is in-

vited to line the streets to see Santa, get some candy and raise their holiday cheer! —o— PICKWICK THEATRE in Syracuse will be holding its “Free Family Christmas Fest” at 2 p.m. each Saturday for the next five weeks. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. for a free showing of a Christmas movie. The shows are sponsored by several local organizations and businesses. This Saturday, the movie will be Illumination Studios’ Dr. Seuss’ “The Grinch.” Subsequent Saturday films will be “elf” on Dec. 2; “The Polar Express” on Dec. 9; “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” on Dec. 16; and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” starring Jim Carrey on Dec. 23. The concession stand will be open for each show, so be sure to bring money for popcorn and soda. Pickwick Theatre is located at 108 W. Main St., Syracuse. —o— OPERATION CHRISTMAS blanket is in full swing. North Webster Community Center would like to gift each kindergartner in the Wawasee school district with a blanket for Christmas. A blanket for Christmas is a cherished gift for years to come. People can email or call or stop by NWCC to donate or sponsor a child. There are 194 kindergarten students in the district. Call (574) 834-1600, ext. 222, for more information. —o— SYRACUSE LIONS Club Christmas Tree sale is now going on at Ace Hardware in Syracuse. They are offering beautiful 6-7 foot Scotch pine trees throughout this week until they are gone. —o— MEET MILFORD will be holding an evening of holiday fun from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Milford Community Building, 111 S. Main St. The evening will begin with an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner and ice cream bar from 5-7 p.m.. Then, at 7:15 p.m. walk next door to Milford Town Hall for the first-ever Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Freewill donations at the dinner will be accepted. All proceeds will benefit the Christmas Tree Fundraiser. They would love to see the entire Milford community show up, so invite your neighbors, customers, friends and family! For further information, email meetmilfordindiana@gmail.com or call (574) 2210327. —o— T U R K E Y CREEK Fire Territory held another Safe Sitter class last Saturday. Those attending learned skills from changing a diaper to doing CPR on both infants and older children and adults. Shown are the girls working on chest compressions while they learned how to do CPR. —o— LAKELAND YOUTH Center will help everyone get into the Christmas spirit by offering gingerbread houses to decorate. Swing by LYC between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. Each house can be decorated at LYC or taken home with all the supplies. This is a fun activity for the whole family. Gingerbread houses are $5. Register at lakelandyouthcenter.com and let them know how many houses you plan to make. —o— BSA SCOUT Troop 726 and 726G, North Webster, took a day trip on Saturday, Nov. 11, to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Pictured in the front row is Rich Hays. In the second row from left are Paul Marken, Jaxon Kimes, Hendrix Starbuck, Nile Morrison, J.J. Roberson, Vada Leitch, Icellee Leitch, Allisson Smith, Hailee Smith and Sarissa Sturgill. In third row: Hollie Marken, Colton Ousley, Scott Fox, Jana Leitch, Silas Leitch, Jake Roberson, Nichole Roberson, Kara Kimes, Noah Morrison, and Jeremy Morrison.