The Independent-News, Volume 111, Number 27, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 5 December 1985 — Page 4

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- THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS - DECEMBER 5, 1985

EDITORIALS

A LOT IN A LITTLE TIME There is lot to do in a little time by a group of lawmakers that control the future of Indiana. It has come to the attention of most that the 1986 session of the Indiana General Assembly is nearly upon us and that 1986, being a short session, will have to crowd a lot of things into a little time. The short session, 30 working days, has been a part of Indiana law now since the early 1970’5. Before that Indiana’s General Assembly met only every other year, but as things change, a changed was needed in this plan to bring Indiana more up to date. Hence the short session, introduced mainly because most felt that planning two years at a time was no longer feasible. However, at the first meeting of the 1986 session, which was an organizational day held on November 19, bills were also introduced and one bill was introduced to eliminate the short session once again. If anything, Indiana needs a little more “full-time” action for the legislature instead of cutting back. It is true that a lot of time is wasted according to public opinion, but actually the job of the legislators in an average session is more than can be given proper time in many respects. It is not right to see actions of some legislatures get “lost” due to time restrictions and also to see the flury of action that always occurs near the end of the session where almost anything goes in order to get the job done. Trading, compromises, simply not having time for committee action and the following legal responsibilities often result in much last minute tactics that is not always in the best interest of the state. Indiana’s General Assembly is a part-time legislature. It is made up of 150 individuals, 100 in the house serving districts of approximately 55,000 people, and 50 senate districts representing approximately 110,000 people. These people come from varied walks of life, bringing different interests and values to the legislature. For a part-time legislature, it has been successful over the years with mostly positive action. However, these same legislators do represent you and basically are interested in your feelings. We are fortunate in this area to have three down-to-earth concerned legislators representing us. Senator V. Richard Miller, of Plymouth; Rep. Richard Mangus and Ed Cook, of Lakeville and Plymouth, respectively, are the representative for the area covered mainly by The Independent-News and ail three are interested in you and your opinions. In this short session year, if you have the desire to express your feelings one way or the other, you will have listeners in Indianapolis who are interested in you, their constituents. Do not be afraid to let them know and help them keep as much of local feelings into their work as possible. We will try in the coming weeks to help keep you informed and pass on to you any questionnaires, information or thoughts from our legislators that we can. They are YOUR voice in state government. F^REMEMBeS'W when...

1975 Walkerton Troop 293 Boy Scouts of American will be selling American Bicentennial First Air Kits this Saturday, at the Farmers State Bank lobby. These are compact kits containing supplies needed for any minor home or car emergency. This year the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago opened on November 27 and will run to December 2. A short baseline shot by Ron Haney dropped through the nets with two seconds showing on the clock for the Falcons to win over the South Central Satellites on Friday night. To all residents in the Walkerton area, affective immediately, all dogs found running at large will be picked up and a $15.00 fine impossed to the owner, no exceptions, according to the Humane Officer. 1970 On Tuesday, December 1, the brand new Wilcox Supermarket was opened in Walkerton. The Walkerton Salvation Army committee has announced that the 1970 drive will begin on Saturday with the following two Saturdays to also hold the kettle drive. This is the only way funds are raised by the committee to serve the community for the year. National Civil Defense Day will be on December 7, Pearl Harbor

Day. 1965 The annual drive for the Salvation Army for the Walkerton area will begin on Saturday with the manning of the kettle at the comer of Illinois and Roosevelt by the Walkerton Lions, American Legion and Chamber of Commerce taking turns in operating the drive. At the school board meeting of November 23, the Polk-Lincoln-Johnson trustees approved a building site option with Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Bierly for 38 acres of land. The site is located at the east edge of Walkerton along Georgia Street outside the city limits. 1960 Plans for the emergency service for Police and Fire calls for Walkerton after the new dial phone system is put into use has been completeled by the Town of Walkerton with the exception of hiring of employees to man the control center This will be done 24 hours a day, giving this service for any emergency that might arise. An open house will be held at the Walkerton High School on Monday, December S, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., according to Virgil Gwin, superintendent of schools. All teachers will be in their respective rooms for conferences with any student of parent having a problem pertaining to their department. 1955

The North Liberty firemen last Saturday brought the town into the season of Christmas as they decorated the main street of town with lights and greenery. The Community State Bank eased the financial shopping worries of many local people this week when they issued 108 Christmas Club checks. 1950 Members of the Walkerton Chamber of Commerce will play hosts to all the kiddies of the town at their annual Christmas party to be given in the high school gym next Thursday evening, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. Air Products, Inc., will change managers at the Walkerton Plant the first of January. James. A. Henry, present manager, will be transferred to the main office in Emmaus, Pa., as assistant manager of the Cylinder Gas Division. He will be replaced in Walkerton by Kark Schmidt, from New Jersey. State Road 23 has been extended south in Starke County from Grovertown to U. S. Highway 30, about 10 miles to State Road 10, according to the State Highway Commission. 1945 Termination of war contracts and closing down of industrial plants have necessitated the termination of the U.S.O. Club, at 603'/i Roosevelt Road, Walkerton, which has been operated by the Women’s Division of the National Catholic Community Service. There is a prospect that a local group may take over the facilities of the club and continue it as a coumm unity Youth Center. Nine temporary buildings built for use as dormitories at Walkerton have been declared surplus, according to Orvil R. Olmsted, director of the regional office of the Federal Public Housing Authority. Five of these buildings were constructed on 33.54 acres of land owned by the United States and are located south of Virginia Street, in Walkerton. Four of the buildings are on leased land located at the intersection of State Road 23 and Washington Street. Each of the nine buildings are single story, of frame construction, having a floor area of approximately 6,000 square feet. All of the buildings are eqipped with individual heating units and shower and toilet facilities. On Saturday, December Bth, you will be approached by a Girl Scout on the streets of Walkerton and asked to buy a poinsettia. The purchase of one of these little flowers will signify that you have helped to contribute to the comfort and happiness of some hospitalized veteran of World War 11. 1935 The Methodist Church Sunday School orchestra, directed by Sam Frame, will present a concert at the church on Sunday evening. The T-rail posts that have barricaded the entrance to the alley's along the Nickle Plate Railroad tracks, just back of the business houses along Avenue F, in Walkerton, have been removed and the alley again is thrown open to traffic. A cast of 80 local characters, ably directed by Miss Mary Brown of the American Educational Company, scored a great success with two audiences in the Legion Hall Tuesday and Wednesday nights when they presented the great Biblical drama, "The First Commandment". Fire of undertermined origin did slight damage to Mart's Food Market Tuesday night. The fire was first discovered by someone in Slim's Coffee Pot, next door, who turned in the alarm. The fire was confined to the rear room. "It didn’t even do enough damage so’s I can have a fire sale", Mart said. Our Happy Ads only $ 1.50! The brilliant color* of firework* come from brightburning metallic salt*.

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*1294 Telephone (219) 586-3139 PUBLICATION TIME: Thursday of Each Week Second Class Postage Paid At Walkerton, Indiana 46574 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 15‘ Per Copy; $5.00 Per Year (SI.OO Extra If Mailed Out Os State)

‘Tis The Season For Fund Raisers ... So Beware! Thanksgiving is past, Christmas is around the corner and many Hoosiers are in the mood to help those less fortunate than themselves, says Attorney General Linley Pearson. A number of charitable organizations are busy thinking of ways to tap your wallet, he said. The year-end blitz occurs for two reasons, Pearson said. "Charitable organizations hope to take advantage of your holiday spirit, and towards the end of the year people want tax deductions.” When it comes to making a donation, the first concern should be the purpose of the charitable organization that wants a contribution. "Make sure you understand what its programs are and that you believe in those programs. "If a group says it helps starving children, for example, find out what they do to help starving children before you write a check.” Pearson said. One way to do that is to send for the charity’s annual report. That should provide a breakdown of its programs, including information on who was helped, he added. If it doesn't, specifically request the information, he said. Organizations that ask the public for charitable contributions should provide, upon request, all information a potential donor might reasonably wish to review, Pearson noted. Another way to check, Pearson said, is to send for evaluation reports prepared by two watchdog agencies: The National Information Bureau Inc., 419 Park Avenue South. New York. N. Y. 10016, and the Better Business Bureau's Philanthropic Advisory Service. 1515 Wilson Boulevard. Arlington, Va. 22209. Both agencies have standards for charities and publish lists of those that do and don’t meet them. “Once you’ve determined what programs a charity operates, you should find out the amount of money it spends on programs and the amount it spends for fund raising and administration,” Pearson said. The National Information Bureau says at least 60 percent of the money raised should go to programs. The Philanthropic Advisory Services says 50 percent is acceptable, but no more than 35 percent should go for fund raising. Some charities spend a large percentage of the donations they receive on administrative and fundraising costs, and only a small percentage is actually spent for the stated purpose of the organization, the attorney general said. Pearson said if consumers want to make sure their donations goes where they want them to,, follow these tips: Always make the contribution by check and make the check out to the charity, not to the person collecting the donation. Don’t be fooled by names that look impressive or that closely resemble the name of a well-known organization. Check out the organization with your local Better Business Bureau.

Ask questions, and don't give until you are satisfied with the answers. How much money was collected last year? How much was spent? On What? Compare administration and fund-raising costs with program costs. Charities with nothing to hide will encourage your interest. Mail appeals should clearly identify the charity and describe its programs. Beware of appeals that bring tears to vour eyes but tell you nothing of the charity or what it’s doing about the problems it describes so well. If unordered items, such as key rings, stamps, seals, greeting cards or pens are enclosed with an appeal letter, remember you are under no obligation to pay for or return this merchandise. Keep records of your donations, such as receipts and canceled checks, so you can document your charitable giving at tax time. TOURETTE SYNDROME FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP The Tourette Syndrome Family Support Group is having its meeting on Thursday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 319 of the Angela Building, across from St. Joseph’s Medical Center, 410 North Notre Dame Avenue, South Bend. All families and/or persons involved with Tourette's syndrome are encouraged to come. The Tourette Syndrome FamilySupport Group meets in cooperation with the Division of Integral Medicine of St. Joseph's Medical Center. Additional information may be obtained by calling 237-7773 afternoons, Monday through Friday. MICHIANA HEAD INJURY SUPPORT GROUP TO MEET FOR CHRISTMAS PARTY The Michiana Head Injury Support Group will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12. at the Family & Children’s Center, 1411 Lincolnway West, Mishawaka. There will be a Christmas party. Bring salad and vegetable or dessert. Table service, beverage and meat will be provided. Please bring a $4.00 door prize. The Michiana Head Injury Support Group meets in cooperation with the Department of Integral Medicine of St. Joseph Medical Center. For additional information on this program or other services, please call Jane Ullery at 232-5565 or Mary Lou Harmon at St. Joseph’s Medical Center at 237-7246. Defensive driving always helps. MW Ml 55 SAVES LIVES II W I