The Independent-News, Volume 115, Number 44, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 29 March 1990 — Page 4

- THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS - MARCH 29. 1990

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| EDITORIALS!

SPRING AHEAD Sunday morning is the designated time for most of the clocks around the country to “spring ahead’’. As of two years ago the time to move clocks from standard to daylight time, was moved from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. This will have a direct affect on all of us, most of our readers will not change their clocks as most of Indiana is on Eastern Standard Time year around. However, for our neighbors to the west and southwest in Starke and LaPorte Counties, their clocks will be moved ahead one hour to correspond with our time for the next six months and three weeks. What it all boils down to is we will again be with Chicago and surrounding area through October instead of New York. This change should be remembered by those who have affiliations one way or another with those going on Daylight Savings Time. Remember, it is “Spring Ahead” and later “Fall Back." WHEN...

1985 The John Glenn School Corporation Teacher of the Year committee is pleased to announce the selection among five nominees, of Mrs. Sharon Klinedinst, elementary music and computer teacher at North Liberty School and Walkerton Elementary School, as Corporation Teacher of the Year for 1984-85. Cathy L. Schmeltz, daughter of Jerry and Betty Schmeltz. of Walkerton. was inducted into the Indiana Eta chapter of the national collegiate honor society. Alpha Chi. at Indiana Central University. The John Glenn School Corp, announced Tuesday night that James Dennis Rippy will be the new head football coach at John Glenn High School for the 1985 season. He replaces John Hostrawser who coached at John Glenn for 13 years, and resigned in October of 1984. 1975 The North Liberty children, preschoolers through fourth grade, are invited to breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the North Liberty High School. Saturday. March 22, beginning at 10:00 am. This is sponsored by the Tri Kappa. North Liberty Volunteer Firemen, Wells Local 194, Jaycees and Lions Club and is free. Two girls from John Glenn High School placed first and second at the sectional gymnastics meet held at Wawasee High on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 11 and 12. The first place went to Lisa Creed. 6.15 points, and second to Lisa Schmeltz with 6.1 points, for the intermediate balance beem event. They will go on to the regional. There were seven schools in the competition and the John Glenn team place third in the intermediate division. With John Glenn and North Liberty High Schools the co-champ-ions of the Northern State Conference in basketball, the Falcons have three players on the All-Con-ference team and North Liberty placed two. They are Randy Schmeltz. Lee Bouse, both seniors, and Bam Heim, sophomore, from Glenn, along with Mike Hudak and Alex Blair, both seniors at North Liberty. At the market 17-22 pound smoked hams were selling for 79 cents a pound; butt half ham at 89 cents a pound; center cut ham slices at $1.39 a pound; round steak at SI 09 a pound; ground beef at 65 cents a pound; Swiss steak at SI .09 a pound; boneless rolled rump roast at 51.39 a pound; fun franks at 89 cents a pound; sliced bologna at 89 cents for a 12 ounce package; a gallon of one percent milk for SI. OS; a pound of Imperial stick margarine for 66 cents; two pound

can of Folger's coffee for $1.89; three five ounce Banquet cooking bags for 89 cents; two 12 ounce cans of orange juice for $1.00; carnation 20 quart package of instant dry milk for $3.79; a pound box of Nabisco sahine crackers for 59 cents; a 19'/i ounce can of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee spaghetti dinner with meat or mushrooms for 75 cents; 200 count box of Puffs tissue for 39 cents; bananas at 19 cents a pound; tomatoes at 39 cents a pound; and 10 pounds of white potatoes for 79 cents. 1970 A 50-ton truck crane rests in Potato Creek amidst the rubble which once was the Walnut Road bridge. The crane used by Power City Construction and Equipment Co., was being driven across the bridge for use on Indiana & Michigan Electric Co. transmission lines Friday afternoon, and needless to say, it didn’t make it. The John Glenn Thespian Society will present “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, April 3 and 4 at the high school auditorium. Members of the cast include Tim Jackson, Sue Zartman, Don Hendricks, Danny Stasko, Debbie Kiingerman, Sandy Morris. Nick Miller. Ginni DeSimone, Jeff Marquardt. Carol Tayor. Dirk Pletcher. Vicki Taylor. Lynn Stasko, Sue Morris, Bob Mueller, Connie Harness, Rick Pfeiffer. Garry Laßere and Keith Knepper. The director is Robert S. Mulligan. The Koontz Lake Fire Department will dedicate a new fire truck on Sunday. April 5, at 2:00 p.m. C.S.T., at the fire station. At the market Agar canned ham, 5 pounds, was selling for $4.89; 17 pounds and up whole hams for 59 cents a pound; center cut slices at 99 cents a pound; butt half ham at 69 cents a pound; T-bone or sirloin steak at $1.19 a pound; 16 pounds and up turkeys at 39 cents a pound; bacon at 79 cents a pound; pickle and pimento loaf or macaroni and cheese loaf at 89 cents a pound; Banquet pot pies at 19 cents each; 42 ounce can of spry for 69 cents; a half gallon of ice cream for 59 cents; two pound can Chase & Sanborn coffee for $1.49; an eight ounce box of cream cheese for 33 cents; four boxes of frozen strawberries for $1.00; a quart carton of Cool Whip for 49 cents; oranges at 7 9 cents a dozen; fresh asparagus at 39 cents a pound; carrots at two pounds for 29 cents; and two pounds of sweet potatoes for 29 cents. 1965 Ihe North Liberty chorus will present an operetta. “So This Is Paris," Thursday and Friday. April I and 2 in the high school gym. The North Liberty Building As-

sociation has announced that a meeting will be held in the Community Building on Thursday evening. April 1. to discuss the establishment of a Senior Citizen Community program. Mrs. Myrtle Barney will be honored on her 75th birthday Sunday with a family dinner at noon and an open house in the afternixm at the Town Club. Mrs. Barney was born in LaPorte on April 1. 1890, and has lived in this community all her life. She taught piano and voice to many area residents. Recently the biology classes at Tyner School finished a unit on taxidermy taught by Miss Marilyn Frank. The students learned the basic steps of mounting birds by practicing on chickens. Some birds entered in the Science Fair at Walkerton last week. 1960 The limelight will shine on Friday at 8:00 p.m. when a three-act mystery-comedy written by Donald Payton and published by Heuer Publishing Co., will be presented by the Junior class. The crazy mixed up cast consists of Warren Wood. Jim Nusbaum. Deanne Mechling. Jean Anderson, Myrlyn Dixon. Janet Hughes. Joe Kronk. Denny Guard. Mark Bierly. Norma Murphy. Mike Heimer. Bette Grote and Jerry Hostetler. At the market spare ribs were selling for 39 cents a pound; smoked sausage for 49 cents a pound; pork roast at 29 cents a pound; club steaks at 69 cents a pound; turkeys and hams at 49 cents a pound for Easter; fresh asparagus at 19 cents a pound; and a two pound carton of cottage cheese for 49 cents. 1955 A new pastor will take up his duties at the First Brethren Church this coming Sunday and he is Rev. William Thomas. Road 6 through Walkerton from the city limits to city limits will be resurfaced just as soon as the weather breaks, according to word received by the Board of Trustees of the Town of Walkerton. Who would have thought that Walkerton would have been all tied up with snow on March 19 with 12 to 15 inches of white stuff blowing all around. All traffic was stopped except for a few semi-trucks that refused to stop but when they hit Walkerton, they did stop. The train service came to a complete halt. Even a branch of the Monon years ago was stalled out in the country by the high snow drifts and couldn’t move. So there they sat. me whole company of paying passengers, all night long. The coal ran out and tne cars became very cold and at dawn some of the passengers remembered that they hadn’t had anything to eat for some time, since midnight. Then along came farmer Jones and he and ma fired up their stoves and he went out to rescue the passengers. Soon the old farm house was alive with chatter and ma fixed breakfast for all. Pa got out the bobsled and soon had the neighbors aroused and they delivered most of the passengers to their homes, safe and sound. 1950 The McMillen Feed Mills, of Fort Wayne, have leased a plot of ground of the Wabash Railway Co., in North Liberty, for the purpose of erecting a new elevator in the near future, according to James Johnson. manager of the McMillen elevator, which burned recently in North Liberty. The commissioners of St. Joseph County passed favorably on the petition presented by the Pine Creek Association. The petition provided for the cleaning of Pine Creek from the Kankakee river eastward to Road 23. at the edge of Walkerton. People believe if you sprinkle salt on the tail of a bird, you will have good luck New York was the first state to require the licensing of motor vehicles. The law was adopted in 1901.

pifiitßS THE H)IK)rVI

“Mr. Klckbush" I am sick of all this p<M>r Mr. Kickbush stuff. He is not the only person to have been fired from his job! I have yet to see the town of Walkerton show this much sympathy for any other person. Could it be no other person would play upon other peoples feelings the way Mr. Kickbush has? He chose to have his hearing open to the public. He did not have anyone (here to back up his statements, just people to say what a good person he is. Have any of those people worked with Mr. Kickbush in the classroom? My daughter had Mr. Kickbush for gym this year. She was very upset one day after school. When I asked why, she told me “Mr. Kickbush is prejudice." She went on to tell me. "Today in gym some of us girls asked him why he never had girls show how to do things." He told us because girls can't do the things as good as the boys can. My daughter has gym at 9:00 in the morning, this comment bothered her for the rest of the school day. At the time 1 did nothing about it, except to tell her 1 was sorry that Mr. Kickbush is like that. Now I wonder what other things he has said to other students. Do you want your child to be told things like this? I know that this is not what the other teachers are teaching because she was never told anything like this before and she has gone to this school since starting Kindergarten. When I found out that Mr. Kickbush could have resigned at any time before the hearing with full pension and severance pay, but chose not. that told me he thought he was above the rules of his job. I am glad the school board fired him! It is what should have been done. For all of the other people who have children that have had a bad experience with Mr. Kickbush, or anyone that witnessed something as a student of his, no matter when, we now need to hear from you. We need to remind the public that there are two sides to every story! You can write a letter to the paper like 1 have, and you can write to the school board members. Mrs. Lightfoot and Mr. Harvey to show your support. I will be. I am not signing my name since I work in the community and do not want to pul up with all the harassment I would get from people backing Mr. Kickbush if my name was printed. Parent of a WES student. “Good-bye, My Friend" Good-byes are always difficult under the best of conditions and devasting under these conditions. The North Liberty community is losing not only a Town Marshall but a dedicated friend. This man has served this community not only as a policeman; he has spent many hours talking to the children in our schools and nursery school, about "good touches, bad touches." fingerprinting, and educating our adults as well as our children on substance abuse. He volunteered his personal time to help chaperone dances at the North Liberty school, the High School, and at the VFW for the summer PTA dances, and escorted the Easter Bunny. There isn’t a child in town who doesn’t know and love “Officer Bliley" (ask any child in town why a police has a blue stripe down the side of his pants). He kept our homes, our streets, our businesses and our children safe. The North Liberty Police were no longer referred to as the “Rent a Cops." Did he want to leave? No. Did he leave only for more money? No. He left because he was offered the opportunity to function as a chief administrator in a police department that is allowed to act as a real

police department for a city administration that knows how to handle city government. He has a real budget to work with, not a "wish list" as one North Liberty town board member has. on more than one occasion, referred to the budget the department has submitted; he has real equipment (furnished by the city, not furnished at the individual officer's expense) to work with; he has a real desk in a real office to work from; and most important he’ll be working with people who respect him for his knowledge, his abilities, and his professionalism. Could the North Liberty Town Board have kept this man in this community? Yes. Did they try? No. His is the second resignation in the last three months. Does this say something about the politics of the town? We could have kept both of these men for a very small price. Respect, decent working conditions, and consideration of the jobs they do. The men lose because they both had a deep desire to stay in this community; the community is. by far. the bigger loser (ask the kids, the parents, and the teachers.) Slay the dragons in Plymouth, my friend. Become the Knight in Shining Armor for people who understand and appreciate what they're getting and what you're willing to give. We'll miss you. but we wish you well. Good-bye. My Friend . . . Thank You! A North Liberty Resident Friends: Again my most sincere appreciation to all of you that are continuing to support my effort to return to the teaching of students in our John Glenn School Corporation. The many daily memos I have received give us the strength and courage to continue the legal process that will give us back unity and trust in our system. The "finding of fact" report given by the Board on March 6th was far different from the public hearing held on February 21. Many of us feel that the decision and charges were pre determined by the Board. Supt. Harvey and Principal Lightfoot. At the present time. Jan Hayes, assn, president; Tom Slater. 1.5.T.A.. uniserve director and myself have filed four grievances for violation of our master teaching contract. We will be taking our case to arbitration in the near future. All money deposited in the special account at T.C.U. will be used for anticipated insurance and attorney fees. Regretfully, this matter has alainated our faculty and administration, and it is our desire to return our system to mutual trust and respect. Many teachers have indicated fear of written reprimands if they show support action, and also indicate that their questions to the Supt. at their last meeting received vague answers. Your continued peaceful support is all we can ask. and we will continue to seek fairness, honesty, and justice for all the faculty and students in our schools. Richard "Dick” Kickbush (Dedicated to the teaching profession for 34 years) 3/27/90 A man of 10,000 words. That, exports on vocabulary have calculated, is what the average American is. „„ ■ ■ - 55 , SAVES LIVES i