The Independent-News, Volume 107, Number 37, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 18 February 1982 — Page 4

THE INDEPENDENT NEWS — FEBRUARY 18. IW2

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EDITORIALS

UP AND UP AND UP! The tax figures released a week or so ago certainly were not favorable for the people of Walkerton. The various taxing units of St. Joseph County, in figures released recently by the County Auditor, showed 18 increases and 11 decreases. The majority of the increases were in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 cents. However, several had large increases of more than SI.OO and you can just about tie these in with school building programs for one of the main reasons. The sad news locally is that Walkerton was number one . . . number one in amount of increase that is. The 1982 tax rate for a property owner in Walkerton raised $1.17, from $8.30 to $9.47. Two big factors in this increase are that the school tax jumped 57 cents and the fact that the ambulance service had to be put on the tax rolls after several years of trying otherwise, added 46 more cents to the local charge. At the same time, Lincoln Township reflected only a 63 cencent increase. North Liberty and Liberty Township, had decreases for both taxing units, North Liberty dropping from 10.10 to 9.85, and Liberty Township from 7.07 to 7.05. The bad news for local residents is that this is just the beginning. The increase in school taxes this year will seem like just a nibble to what they will be in another year as the big expansion and remodeling project will throw another big increase our way. This is one area where we feel the taxpaying public of the now Polk-Lincoln-Johnson School district has been a little short changed. It is true some changes were needed with the including of Liberty Township in our school corporation. A more balanced and better educational program can be offered the students with the increase in school population, but we really question all the “improvements” and remodeling being done. We feel that the school board has developed an attitude in recent years that is not completely healthy, that in several cases personal feelings and not accepting controversy, has not only clouded the atmosphere in which they are working, but in isolated cases has caused part of the governing body, the board and top administration, to accept the challenge they felt was offered and act more with feelings than with common sensense. It is also our feeling the board has been led down the proverbial path by the architects in the remodeling project. It is no secret that the numerous improvements that have been made and especially the ones that will be made will give a more convenient and accessible set of facilities to the school corporation, but we wonder just how much of this is really necessary. Bricks and mortar and all the fancy buildings, special labs, various types of studios, etc., do not make a better education. They offer a more convenient and comfortable place to work, but it is still the human element that provides the education. We feel that the architects have gone to the extreme in many cases, but of course a $5 million project brings a lot higher fee to the architect than a $2.5 million plan. It is also felt that in many areas much could be cut back without forcing hardships on the teachers and students alike. And to add to this problem, the steadily and alarming decrease in school enrollments in this entire area makes one wonder just what will be needed down the road. Almost every school corporation in the entire area is losing student population at sometimes an unbelieveable rate. It is not unusual for enrollment figures to drop in double digit percentages from year to year. Certainly there will be a stopping point in the future, but just where it will be might also be shocking. This aspect alone makes one wonder if the longrange plan of the present school corporation merits all the plans that are moving forward. Certainly the greatest of hardships wouldn’t be cast upon students and faculty if our corporation of less than 1800 students in K-12, had to struggle along with only four gymnasiums with regulation or larger playing floors, telescopic bleachers, brightly lighted scoreboards, etc. And we also think a lot of education can still be administered in old-fashioned classrooms, not necessarily in specialty labs and studios, etc. We sometimes wonder how our leaders of today got to be where they are with just school houses and classrooms of common nature in which to gain their education. We feel much communication and insight was not present in a lot of the planning, but here again, we stand behind our convictions that in certain cases personal feelings got in the way and certainly that the board was sold a bill of goods by the architectual firm . . . adding many nice, but unnecessary things to the expansion program. Maybe they will change that fancy semi-colon in their name to a dollar sign after this project ... a Polk-Lincoln-Johnson dollar sign. WHEN... (Taken From The Files Os The Independent-News) hol d their annual Blue and Gold Ine Walkerton Cub Scouts will Banquet at 7:30 p.m on Saturday,

February 2b. in the Walkerton Elementary School. A Nurse's Scholarship is being offered by the Woman's Community Club of Walkerton to a John Glenn High School graduate who will be entering nurses training this fall. This Sunday has been designated as Heart Sunday, February 27, in Walkerton. This is a part of the nationwide Heart Month campaign. The PU P.T.A., Tri Kappa and St. Patrick’s Women’s Club announce the annual Arts and Crafts Contest to be held on April 23 at the Walkerton Elementary School gym. The Urey Middle School 7th grade team won the New Prairie tourney held on Saturday. February 12, with the Panthers topping the North Liberty Shamrocks 24-19 to advance to the final game with LaVille. The Panthers won by a score of 32-26 with Larry Stull and Barry Heim each getting nine points for the victory. At the market pork steak was selling for 69 cents a pound; roasting chickens at 39 cents a pound; bulk sausage at 59 cents a pound; chuck steak at 89 cents a pound; one pound carton of cottage cheese for 29 cents; Ballard dinner rolls, four for $1.00; six Banquet pot pies for 99 cents; 32 ounces of hash browns for 39 cents; five loaves of bread for 89 cents; three Betty Crocker cake mixes for 89 cents; king size bottle of Downy for 99 cents; bananas at 11 cents a pound; and three pounds of yellow onions for 29 cents. 1952 Immunization clinics will again be conducted in the Walkerton school during February and March. These clinics are conducted by the St. Joseph Health Department with the cooperation of the school and county medical society. Tetanus or lock-jaw immunization shots will be given. Want a tasty dinner — at these prices — why not. At Welco Restaurant, operated by James and Frances Meltinos, the following specials were offered. Round steak, potatoes, salad, bread, butter and coffee for $1.25; tender smoked ham steak with potatoes, salad, bread, butter and coffee, for $1.15; half dozen jumbo French fried shrimp with potatoes, salad, bread, butter and coffee for $1.25. 1942 The Walkerton Masonic Lodge will celebrate the burning of the mortgage on the property with a big party at the Temple on Thursday evening, March 19. The building was purchased from the Archie Williams Estate in November of 1936. A remodeling program was set in motion at once, converting the building, which had served as a general store for Rearick and Divine for many years, into a Masonic Temple. The basement floor was used for kitchen and dining room, the main floor for recreation and the top floor for lodge purposes. Dedication services were held The first public event to be staged in Walkerton under the direction of the United Service Organizations in honor of the new residents of town, living in West York and at the dormitories, will be held at the high school gym on Saturday evening, February 21. starting at eight o’clock. William Summers, 60, of Knox, night watchman at the dormitories in Walkerton, was found dead on Wednesday morning near Dormitory No. 2, when the day watchman. Otto Sache, came to work at TOO. Death was found to be due to a skull fracture which resulted when Mr. Summers slipped on the ice and fell striking his head on the frozen ground. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE Drag Education Program I am very pleased with and wish to congratulate Mr. Jerry Fleischer

THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS Publication Number 261460 ROBERT E. URBIN, EDITOR SUSAN R. URBIN, ASSISTANT EDITOR INDEPENDENT-NEWS CO., INC., Publisher 601-03 Roosevelt Road, Walkerton, Indiana 46574 Telephone (219) 586-3139 PUBLICATION TIME: Thursday of Eacy Week Second Class Postage Paid At Walkerton, Indiana 46574 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 15e Per Copy; $4.50 Per Year (50C Extra If Mailed Out Os State)

for initiating the drug education program held recently at the North Liberty School. This has been needed for a long time. Now that it has been started, let's keep it going with more information to ail ages through the use of films, lectures, panel discussions, and other carefully structured programs. In my opinion the police could go on raiding and arresting alcoholics and drug addicts/pushers indefinitely. There will always be someone else to take their places. Also, as long as people deny that there is a problem, nothing will be done. I feel we should not just focus on catching or punishing alcoholics and addicts. This implies they are bad people who need to be made good. Rather, let’s focus on the disease itself, the need to help sick people get well, and on the prevention aspect. With a continuing successful drug and alcohol education program, and an alternative offered for “getting high” on more positive and constructive living, there will soon be no more costumers for the pushers. 1 believe this type of program can broaden into the local and surrounding communities. Perhaps the local churches and communityconcern groups such as the Chamber of Commerce. Jaycees, Tri Kappa, Lions Clubs. Woman's Community Club, etc., could encourage and support the continuance of this education and offer hope, help, and better living alternatives to those already addicted. Let’s help those in need of recovery and educate those in the “experimenting stage” and the whole community will be helped. Barbara Rohrer Thanks! Sometimes, in the midst of winter's cold blasts comes some experience that brightens our days and makes living in winter more endurable. Last week when I got &uck in a snow drift near my home, at least 10 drivers stopped, offering to help. Some had shovels to dig the car out. But the ice was too much with eight inches of snow on top. So. thanks to the Jaskes who called Jim Snodgrass for me. Two men were here in about a half an hour and within a few minutes had the car back to the center of the road. Then they made sure that I got home without any further trouble. I am most grateful to a lot of folks, some of whom 1 do not know, who so kindly offered to help. Thanks to Jim Snodgrass and his men for the promptness of service on a rough day and for the very reasonable fee. Because of things like this I’m doing a better job of thinking Spring. It is only 38 days away! John Goodpasture Rep. Cook Gives Legislative Weekly Report On Thursday of this week, the House and Senate compelted direct action on legislation introduced to the 1982 session of the General Assembly. The House passed more than 100 bills in a 9% hour meeting, approving a wide range of

proposals. Two bills were defeated and one, which would have placed a statute of limitations on civil rights cases, failed due to the fact that it did not receive the required 51 votes. Among the bills passed was a reaffirmation of the 1981 school funds distribution formula. Although debate on the formula in the 1981 session lead to a special session of the General Assembly, the governor pressured this session to make no changes in the formula this year. A small amount of new money was added to the formula through an amendment in the House but this will not address the serious need for adequate funds in Indiana's public schools. The bill continues to shift school funding back towards a reliance on the property tax. The House also approved a bill to remove the requirement that drivers with good records take a written exam every time they renew their drivers license. Only the eye examination would be required if a motorist had less than six points for traffic violations on his or her record. Another bill related to automobile operation that passed would require children under five to be protected by suitable restraints while riding in a car. Currently, the death rate among infants in auto accidents is three times as high as that for those over five involved in a crash. This proposal will now go to a conference committee. Among the other bills approved by the House this week were proposals for nursing home reform and increased fire protection in motels, hotels, and office buildings, churches will be allowed to obtain temporary beer and wine permits for festivals and other occasions under the provisions of a bill passed by the House. A bill was also accepted to raise the interest rates on credit cards from 18% to 21%. A system of co-payments passed into law last year but stopped by court actions was revised by another bill passed this week. The House adopted a Democratic proposal to remove the requirement that Medicaid recipients make copayments for prescription drugs. The House also passed a bill to raise an occupation disease benefits by 8 percent. Two bills were defeated by the the House concerned campaign contributions and divorce settlements. By a 43-52 vote the House rejected a proposal to raise the limit on corporate and union political donations to $5,000. Also rejected was a bill to allow spouses involved in a divorce to keep the property they had before marriage. This was a busy week in the State House. Next week, conference committees will work to resolve differences between House and Senate bills. Dr. Elliott Frash Optometrist 413 MlcWoin St^Walkartan MX) a.m. • 5:00 p.m. Thursdays Call 586*3722 For Appointment UMI