The Independent-News, Volume 108, Number 47, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 28 April 1983 — Page 4

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- THE INDEPENDENT NEWS - APRIL 28, 1983

lEDITORIALSI

GOOD SIGNS OF OUR OWN Everyone has been looking for quite some time for signs of better times . . . signs that the recession is improving and that unemployment is dropping. Os course the figures we hear all the time are on a national, section of the country, state, county or city level. And, although improving in some respects, everything is not approaching normal yet and unemployment and interest rates still remain, and will continue to remain much higher than one would hope. Locally, we have some signs of our own. It is true that employment still is not what one would hope for, and certainly interest rates keep a lid to quite some extent on many other phases of business, building, buying, etc., but all in all, we have some very encouraging signs right in our own area. In the last couple of months, Walkerton has seen four new business open . . . Par Cable started its operation in Walkerton and North Liberty; the Karate Studio opened on Roosevelt Road, filling a vacant building; Paulette’s Family Restaurant opened where a business and building had been missing for several months; and Lea’s House of Pizza opened on U. S. 6 East just last week. Add to that, the Rialto Theatre has been opened again and has done extensive remodeling, which is continuing as the very noticeable removing of the old marquee has taken place and a new one will be installed in the very near future, plus extensive remodeling inside; Her Place has expanded into the building next door and remodeled the shop considerably; and the Burger Dairy Store was purchased and Stook’s Burger Dairy Store has also been remodeled in downtown Walkerton. Add to that, last Friday Teachers Credit Union broke ground for a new Service Center at the edge of Walkerton, for a new, larger home later this year, and just across the road, work continues to progress on a new Dairy Queen. To say the least, the last few months have certainly shown a definite improvement in both businesses and appearances for Walkerton, a sign that at least some people still have a lot of faith in the old home town. Things may not be where we would like them right now, but certainly these additions and improvements are as refreshing and welcome as the nice spring weather that also dropped in on us this week. At least it gives one reason to think nncith..* IJMr; when—

1973 There will be an Indiana Motor bus provided for the Indiana-Ken-tucky All-Star basketball game on June 23, in which Bruce Davhuff will be among the players for the Indiana squad, to be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Indianapolis. The North Liberty High School Drama Club and Chorus will present three performances of "The Roar Os The Greasepaint" this weekend at the gymnasium. The Walkerton Jaycees are sponsoring a kite flying contest to be held on Saturday. May 5, at 2:00 pm.. in Place Park for all boys and girls ages 7-14. At the market pork chops were selling for 69 cents a pound; w hole fryers at 49 cents a pound and cutup fryers at 53 cents a pound; chuck steak at 89 cents a pound; bacon at 69 cents a pound; wieners at 59 cents for a 12 ounce package; beef liver at 79 cents a pound; a pound of butter for 69 cents; a gallon of one percent milk at 79 cents; a two bar package of Zest soap for 34 cents; 64 ounce bottle of Dow ny for 99 cents; a 12 ounce box of wheaties for 29 cents; a 12 ounce can of orange juice for 35 cents; tomatoes at four pounds for $1.00; asparagus at 49 cents a pound; and bananas at three pounds for 39 cents. 1968 Arthur E. Shirley, postmaster at Walkerton, announced he will retire on April 30. Mr. Shirley was appointed acting postmaster on September 30. 1944, and received his commission for the permanent appointment October 19, 1945. During his tenure city delivers service was started on August 16, 1952, and the new post office building was completed in January of 1960 and dedicated on April 16, 1961. The Board of School trustees of the Polk-Lincoln-Johnson School Corporation announces the ap-

pointment of Mr. Robert B. Hanni as superintendent of schools and he will assume his new position on July I. 1968. At the market smoked hams w ere selling for 45 cents a pound; a five pound canned ham for $4.59; Eckrich smoked sausage at 79 cents a pound; country style spare ribs at 59 cents a pound; three pounds of ground beef for $1.39; center cut pork chops at 79 cents a pound; three dozen small eggs for $1.00; a two pound carton of cottage cheese for 49 cents; a two pound can of Maxwell House coffee for $1.19; a six pack of ice milk bars for 29 cents; a half pint of whipping cream for 29 cents; a big roll of aluminum foil for 55 cents and three tins of tuna for SI.OO. 1963 For the first time in many years North Liberty High School will graduate two seniors who have completed their high school careers with high honors. The two students are Martha Rudynski and Larry Kane. They have completed their high school work with all straight "A's". This is most unusual. According to principal, Keith Davis, the last person to graduate from North Liberty High School with an "A" average was Sharon Peer, now Mrs. Saunders, who graduated in 1956. Salutatorian this year is Susan Steele and her grade average was 3.935 with only 2 B’s throughout her high school work, the balance being "A’s". Valedictorians are Rudynski and Kane. The Koontz Lake Lions Club is sponsoring a kit flying contest with prizes to be awarded for all bovs and girls in grade and high school. I he contest will be held in the large field directly south of the Koontz Lake dam. on State Road 23. 1958 The cast is set and all plans are now complete for the third annual Festival of Musk to be presented

bx (he members of the Little league. This year’s show will be headed bx Bob Balsley and the Dixie Cats who feature Dixieland st vie music. The Michiana Coraleers. a group of 30 radio, television and night club entertainers, will present vocal, comedy and spiritual nu mbers. All dogs found running at large will be disposed of and no further warnings will be given at any time. The town dog ordinance forbids any dog to run at large unless under restraint. There has been a great deal of negligence and disregard of this ordinance and strict enforcement can be expected in the future. 1953 The development of Liberty Heights sub-division at the west edge of North Liberty, is progressing rapidly according to Dean Krom, local manager. Within the past few weeks sewers have been put in and work has been started on the installation of water mains. The work of rebuilding the North Liberty Lumber Yard is going ahead at a good pace. The cement bhxk and brick are practically all laid; steel beams have been placed and it is expected that the roof over the office and display room section will be laid in a few days. The graduating exercise for the Senior Class of North Liberty High School will be held in the gymnasium on Thursday. May 14. at eight o'clock. A new ten-alley Brunswick bowling parlor will be built on State Road 23. North Liberty, just south of the A. E. Zent residence. Work has been started on the building. The owners and operators of the bowling parlor are A. E. Zent and his son. William, all of North Liberty. The Community State Bank will observe its tenth anniversary on Friday of next week. The work of remodeling the Tabor Evangelical United Brethren Church, located on Road 4. cast of North Liberty, is almost complete. A special rededication service is set for Max lOat 2:00 p.m. 1943 Morris Cooper. 27. of Bainbridge, has been contracted by the Walkerton Board of Education to teach in the high school and serve as coach of the athletic teams. He replaces Don Wahl, recently resigned to accept training in the Navy. The USO Council has completed plans for a May Festival to be held on Sunday afternoon. Mary 23. at Place Park. There will be a traditional May Pole dance, the crowning of a May Queen, foreign folk dances and other outdoor ac- । tivities. Each year national music week is observed throughout the Nation the first week in May. This year locally the consolidated band of Lib-erty-Lincoln Townships will observe national music week with a concert to be held Sunday. May 2. at 3:30 p.m., in the high school auditorium under the direction of Fred Waters. I The first anniversary of the । Rialto Theatre will be observed I this weekend with the Hall of Fame picture. "Random Harvest staring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson. i VOICE OF I THE PEOPLE A Night To Be Remembered A night to be remembered . . . as grandparents we feel very proud ' to have attended the musical which the elementary grades did so perfectly last Friday evening. We thank Sharon Klinedinst and all of the students for a job well done. It was truly a night to be remember- ' ed. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Kronk r An Excellent Performance I Io anyone who didn't see the I musical plav. "The Electric Sun-

shine Man", given by the North I ibertx Middle School, you really missed an excellent performance. The acting was super good, the harmony of the chorus was excellent. as good as any high school chorus. The director. Mrs. Cathy Van Duvne and Mr. Fred Henderson. are to be highly commended for their fine directing, also the patience and time I'm sure it requirecd. Maybe we should spend more time praising our kids for the giMxi and talented things they do rather than condensing for the wrong things. Proud of our school. A North Liberty Senior Citizen Wrap-Up By Senator V. Richard Miller Now that the 1983 legislative session is history. I wanted to take this opportunity to report to you on the major accomplishments of the session. First. I believe the session was a productive one. Significant and wide ranging legislation was successfully debated and ultimately enacted. A well-funded state budget was enacted that will help lead Indiana out of the recession and into recovery. A comprehensive utility reform measure was agreed to by both houses and sent to the Governor. A 15 bill, sll9 million Economic Development program which will allow Indiana to compete worldwide for economic growth was also agreed to by the legislature. New education initiatives plus a statewide average increase in funding for public schools will truly make the 1980's the Decade of Excellence for our school children. All in all. the General Assembly approved and sent to the Governor over 380 bills, covering a wide variety of areas and issues. While space limitations prevent me from discussing each and every one of these. I invite you to contact me should you be interested in further information on bills not covered in this report. State Budget Highlights The state's two-year spending plan for the period beginning July I. 1983, is estimated to total about $13.8 billion. After three years of little or no spending increases for many of the areas funded by state government, many programs received modest increases, including our public schools, state universities. the mental health area and the correctional system. In the area of education, both our public school system and state universities will receive funding increases of about 7 per cent over current appropriations. Over S3B million was added to the existing operation levels of the Department of Mental Health, and a $6.6 million contingency fund was established to give officials greater flexibility to move resources to areas where the need exists. Finally. $34.5 million was appropriated over the two-year period for state highway purposes, which will enable the state to receive over S2OO million in federal highway repair monies. Utility Reform Another major issue sent to the Governor was House Bill 1712, a comprehensive utility reform bill (hat will revamp the state's utility ralemaking process. Among the highlights of this measure arc the expansion of the present ratemaking process. Among the highlights of this measure are the expansion of the present three member Public Service Commission to five, the creation of the Deputy Consumer Counselor post in Washington. D.C.. to represent Indiana ratepayers in federal energy matters, a strong certificate of need program to prevent utilities from undertaking any unnecessary plant construction, a provision preventing utilities from filing for new rate increases within fifteen

months after the filing date of their most recent request, and the creation of a PSC Nominating Commission to forward nominees to the governor when vacancies occur. Although the provisions in this bill arc significant. 1 want to stress, however, that they will not result in lowered utility bills for Indiana ratepavers. The measure may result in reducing the frequency of future rate hikes, will make the PSC more accountable to and representative of the ratepaying public. and will assist the PSC in regulating the utilities, but it will not lower our utility bills. lam hopeful that action will be taken soon at the federal level, particularly in the area of long-term contracts with foreign gas suppliers, which have been primarily responsible for much of the recent rate hikes. Economic Development Proposals Gain Overwhelming Approval One of the major accomplishments of the session w as the enactment of the fifteen bill. sll9 million. Orr-Mutz Economic Development program. The measures approved this year, like those enacted in 1981 and 1982. have one thing in common, that is to create new or retain existing jobs. The program involves job training and re-training efforts, loan guarantees to existing businesses and new, emerging technologies, assistance funds to local governments for promotional efforts, the rebuilding of Indiana's infrastructure. and state sponsored research for high tech and energy related matters. It has been estimated that this new phase three component, when coupled with earlier efforts bv the legislature, could create as many as 800.(XX) new jobs by the end of the decade. This wide ranging program will enable Indiana to compete aggressively with the rest of the country, and in fact worldwide, for future economic growth. Miller Legislation Mx main activities in the 1983 session centered on fiscal and budget matters, legislation developed by the Sunset Evaluation Committee aimed at streamlining the affairs of state committee, financial disclosure reports by Indiana hospitals, and a measure designed to help the Indiana Small Business community through changes in their tax status. In the Sunset area, the several bills enacted this year will streamline procurement and bidding practices by Indiana State Government as well as abolish the office of State Court Reporter, at a savings of several hundred thousand dollars annually. An audit done by the Sunset staff found that office's work to be lagging several years behind work done by a private firm, and that a few law firms and government agencies were actually using the work product done by this office. ' In the area of hospital costs. I was pleased to have a part in the enactment of House Bill 1011, which requires financial reporting bx hospitals to the Indiana State Board of Health on an annual basis. Many of the provisions in this bill, including the provision creating a state commission to study prospective payment systems as well as other factors in hospital and health care costs, were originally part of my ow n Senate Bill 555. This needed legislation is a step in the right direction in the ultimate containment of hospital costs. Finally. I was pleased to be involved in a measure that will have the unique effect of increasing state tax revenues yet provide an overall decrease in the tax liability of many Indiana Sub-Chapter S Corporations. The new law will allow these Sub-Chapter S corporations to be taxed at lower Federal Corporate Tax rates, as opposed to the higher federal individual tax rales, and be taxed at a higher <«air rale. Although their state (continued on page 10)