Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 126, Number 51, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 18 December 2003 — Page 3

Grinches steal more than good cheer this time of year

► U.S. Postal Service offers tips TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM FRAUD Though the holidays bring out the best in people, they sometimes bring out the worst All year long, and especially during the holidays, the United States Postal Service reminds customers to be on the lookout for those who prey on unsuspecting and trusting folks. Every year, illegal telemarketing and mail fraud schemes rob consumers, often elderly citizens, of their hard-earned life-savings. If someone contacts you or a loved one with an unsolicited offer: •Don't give your financial information to callers you don't know. •Don't be pressured into making an immediate decision. •Get all information in writing before you agree to a purchase. Additionally, if you are contacted by a person or persons presenting themselves as postal employees, they should be in a postal uniform and/or be able to present a Postal ID with their photograph on it. If you are uncomfortable for any reason, do not open your door. Ask them to leave the item on your porch for later retrieval. You could also call your local post office and speak to a supervisor to confirm the individual’s identity. CHARACTERISTICS OF A FRAUD SCHEME Always remember, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. An unbe-lievable-sounding deal probably is not true. Protect yourself from becoming the victim of such fraud by remembering the following tip-offs: > •High-pressure sales tactics. A swindler often refuses to take no for an answer, he has a sensible-sounding answer for your every hesitation, inquiry, or objection. •Insistence on an immediate decision. Swindlers often say you must make a decision “right now,” and they usually give a reason, like, “The offer will

REAL Services Menu

WA-NEE Senior members of the Nappanee and Wakarusa communities are invited to participate in the REAL Services hot lunch program by calling the Union Center Church of the Brethren at 773-4295 or the Town Cabin at 862-4400, one day in advance, to make your reservations. Meals are served at 11:45 a.m. Menus are subject to change without notice. Due to the diets of some persons, the food is not highly seasoned. Meals are served Monday through Friday, to all eligible seniors (60 years of age or older). A voluntary donation of $2.50 per meal is requested (actual cost of each meal is $6). REAL Services provides approximately 950 meals per day at 45 area nutrition sites. Anyone 60-plus years, and their spouse, even if under 60, is encouraged to attend the nutrition

Nappanee library News LIBRARY CLOSED FOR NEW YEARS The Nappanee Public library will close at noon on Dec. 31 and will be closed all day Jan. 1 in observance of the New Year’s holiday. The library will resume regular hours on Jan. 2 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING AT ÜBRARY The Board of Trustees of the Nappanee Public Library will meet in regular session on Dec. 23 at 7 a.m. at 157 North Main Street The public is invited to attend. For more information about any of the news items above, or to register for a class, call the library at 773-7919 or visit www.nappanee.lib.in.us

SOMETHING TO SELL? Advertise it in our CLASSIFIED PAGES!

a THE WORKS for a week! • Advance News (Nappanee) • Bourbon News-Mirror * The Leader (Knox) • The Shopper PL US... www. thepilotnews. com ($5.60 for each additional lino) Toll-Free? (800) 930-0356 or come to the Pilot-News Office

site of their choice. This week’s menu, which always includes coffee, tea or milk, is as follows: THURSDAY, DEC. 18 Breaded pork tenderloin on bun w/lettuce and mayo, macaroni salad, carrots, apricots FRIDAY, DEC 19 — Cream of tomato soup, saltines, hamburger on onion bun w/pickle slices, cheese cubes, peas, chocolate cake MONDAY, DEC. 22 Meatballs in gravy, seasoned red skin potatoes, broccoli w/cheese sauce on side, whole wheat bread w/margarine, tapioca pudding TUESDAY, DEC. 23 Baked ham, mashed winter squash, green beans w/bacon and onions, whole wheat roll w/margarine, oatmeal raisin cookie WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24 Christmas Eve; nutrition sites closed

Community

expire soon.” •You are one of just a few people eligible for the offer. Don't believe it Swindlers often send out hundreds of thousands-and sometimes millions-of solicitations to consumers across the nation. •Your credit card number is requested for verification. Do not provide your credit card number if you are not making a purchase, even if asked for it for “identification” or “verification” purposes, or to prove “eligibility” for the offer. If you give your card number, the swindler may make unauthorized charges to your account even if you decide not to buy anything. •You are urged to provide money quickly. A crook may try to .impress upon you the urgency of making an immediate decision by offering to send a delivery service to your home or office to pick up your check. This may be to get your money before you have a chance to think carefully about the offer and change your mind, or to avoid the possibility of mail fraud charges in the future. •You are given no detailed written information. If you must send money or provide a credit card number before the telemarketer gives you the details in writing, be skeptical. Do not accept excuses such as, “It's such a new offer we don't have any written materials yet,” or “You'll get written information after you pay.” •You are asked to trust the telemarketer. A swindler, unable to get you to take the bait with all of his other gimmicks, may ask you to “trust” him. Be careful about trusting a stranger you talk to on the phone. •You are told you have won a prize, but you must pay for something before you can receive it This payment can either be a requirement to purchase a minimum order of cleaning supplies or vitamins, or it can be a shipping/handling charge or a processing fee. Do not deal with a promoter who uses this tactic. •If you have been bilked in a telemarketing scheme in which the U.S. Mail was used or by someone presenting themselves as a postal employee, inform your local postmaster or nearest Postal Inspector at (317)328-2500.

Many enjoyable events at Elder Haus

NAPPANEE Exciting news! Elder Haus has moved to the former Central School building. They will use the south door to the west on the parking lot side for the time being. The phone number, 773-2424, will remain the same. Residents of Central Manor are welcome to the program, as well as all other senior members of the community. The center is open Monday through Friday. On Dec. 24, stop in for cookies and mulled cider or coffee with Santa from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The center will close on noon for Christmas Eve, and will remain closed Dec. 25 and Dec. 26. On Dec. 31, a special mystery trip out for breakfast is planned. The trip will leave Elder Haus at 8:30 a.m. Call for reservations. The center will close on noon for New Year’^y?. Please note, all of the trips will be based on weather conditions that Elder Haus workers feel are safe to go. Also, when schools are closed due to bad weather, Elder Haus will also be closed. Besides these special events, regular events are also held at the center, and all kinds of games are available, including Uno, Skip 80, Yahtzee and a jigsaw puzzle is

always in the works. Quilting takes place all day on Monday and Friday. You are invited to bring a sack lunch and stay all day. There is a microwave available for heating soups and sandwiches. Pinochle is enjoyed at 1 p.m. Mondays, and Euchre and other games at 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Chair exercises are also offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. Walking in the gym takes place nearly every week day from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday is “Volunteer Day,” with opportunities for cutting stamps for recycling, and for quilting and visiting. The stamps are given to the stamp club that meets at the Nappanee Public Library. Persons who have old stamps tucked away may donate them; they are glad to have these items. Friday is also the day when “Gifts From Andy” are prepared, beginning at 10 a.m. Anyone who would like to share in this, please come by; patterns and yam are available at the center. If you would like to have your name added to the Elder Haus mailing list, to receive the center’s monthly calendar of activities, please pall 773-2424.

Advance News • Thursday, December 18, 2003

Birthdays

DECEMBER 18 Floyd Davis Buddy Etsinger Bill Mattem Norma White Jennifer Berger Tricia Murphy Earl St. Germain Glee McDonald DECEMBER 19 June Culp Patricia Evans Barbara Quakenbush Patrick Sauer Andrew Chapman Alec Chapman DECEMBER 20 Jack Stillson Jan Grimm Joyce Keim Lyle Hochstetler Brian Stouder Steve Bollman Gene Pettifer Larry D. Otto Verna J. Crenshaw Bemiece Martin Lois Smeltzer DECEMBER 21 Tim Sheets Steven Mast Robert L. Shaw, Sr. Robert McAndrew, Jr. David Nissley Farrel Biller George Stanifer Dave Hahn Michael George

s Now accepting new clientele. Evening appointments available. Hair Dimensions 1106 E. Market St. • Nappanee (574)773-2222

119 Nappanee Legals NOTICE TO BIDDERS WA-NEE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Elkhart-Kosciusko Counties, Indiana Notice is hereby given, that the Board of School Trustees of Wa-Nde Community Schools wHt receive sealed bids, for school buses. Instruction to bidders and bid forms may be secured at the Administration Office, 1300 North Main Street, Nappanee, Indiana 46550. Bids will be accepted at the School Administration Office until 2:00 p.m. (Local time) on Tuesday, January 6, 2004. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at that time in the board room of the School Administration Office and will be considered by the Board of School Trustees at its next regular meeting. Bidders will be required to file, with their bids, a certified check made payable to Wa-Nee Community Schools or a Bid Bond for an amount not less than five percent (5%) of their maximum bid or bids. The Wa-Nee Community Schools Board of Trustees reserves the right to waive formalities in bidding: to reject any or all bids; and to let separate contracts or as a whole, without assigning any reason for its action in the premises, using its discretion to determine what action will be in the best interest of the Wa-Nee Community Schools. Bids not reaching said office by 2:00 p.m. (Local time) on January 6, 2004 will not be opened and will be returned unopened to the original bidder. Dated this 17th day of December, 2003 Board of School Trustees Wa-Nee of Community schools Chris Gillam, Secretary AN-8556 December 18, 25, 2003 STATE OF INDIANA SS: COUNTY OF ELKHART IN THE ELKHART CIRCUIT COURT 2003 TERM CAUSE NO 20C01 -0309-AD-19 IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF KENDRA HELMUTH, a minor MYRON J. HOCHSTETLER, Petitioner TO: John A Slabaugh 13 4th B Road Nappanee, Indiana 46550 NOTICE OF ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS John A Slabaugh, the natural father of Kendra Lyn Helmuth, bom November 24, 2000, is notified that a petition for adoption of said child was filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Elkhart Circuit Court, Courthouse, Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana by Myron J Hochstetler on August 15, 203 under Cause No. 20C01-308-AD-19. If John A. Slabaugh wishes to contest the adoption of Kendra Lyn Helmuth, he must file a motion to contest the adoption in accordance with I.C. 31-19-10-1 in the above-named Court no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the last publication of this notice. If John A Slabaugh does not file a motion to contest the adoption the above-named Court will hear and determine the petition for adoption. His consent will be irrevocably implied and he will lose his right to contest either the adoption or the validity of his implied consent to the adoption.

Page A3

Kay Fisher Jade Murphy John Meissner DECEMBER 22 LaMar J. Stutzman Patricia Ganger Lenore Rupple DECEMBER 23 Dennis Martz Marvin P. Huff Debbie Lou Miller Trent Klotz Kari Jo Stutzman Josh Alderman Zelma Harman DECEMBER 24 Carol Stanifer Marietta Pippenger Eldon Yoder Sandra K. Hartman Kent Stuckman Kay Zentz Paul Miller DECEMBER 25 Jeff Biller Sel Copeland Leroy Cramer Mary Lou Miller Dallas Evans Deb Anderson Cathy Hamilton Robin Rice The birthdays of local residents and subscribers are published in the Advance News free of charge. E-mail your family's birthdays to [email protected].

119 Nappanee Legals Nothing the Petitioner, Myron J. Hochstetler, or anyone else says to John A Slabaugh relieves John A Slabaugh of his obligation under this itotfei:" ‘'-I “* torn. *mtqq6rt Dated thte 6th ■ day of December, 2003. Randy J Spitaels, # 14076-71 Kindig & Stoat Attorneys for Petitioner Myron J. Hochstetler 102 Heritage Parkway P.O. Box 31 Nappanee, IN 46550 (574) 773-7996 AN-8548 December 17, 24, 31, 2003 WA-NEE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS NOTICE OF SALE OF WARRANTS NOTICE is hereby given that WANEE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS (the “Issuer") has authorized and will make one or more temporary loans to meet current running expenses for the use of the General Fund, the Transportation Fund and the Transportation Bus Replacement Fund of the Issuer, in aggregate amounts not to exceed the following for the respective identified funds: General Fund: $7,128,163 maturing on June 30, 2004 or a date fixed by reference to the Issuer’s receipt in settlement to the funds in anticipation of which any Warrant is issued, or any combination thereof, as determined by the Issuer’s officer prior to their issuance; Transportation Fund: $1,317,020 maturing on June 30, 2004 or a date fixed by reference to the Issuer’s receipt in settlement to the funds in anticipation of which any Warrant is issued, or any combination thereof, as determined by the Issuer’s officer prior to their issuance; Transportation Bus Replacement Fund: $221,598 maturing on June 30, 2004 or a date fixed by reference to the Issuer’s receipt in settlement to the funds in anticipation of which any Warrant is issued, or any combination thereof, as determined by the Issuer’s officer prior to their issuance; Such loans shall be at a per annum rate not to exceed 6.5% (the exact rate to be determined by negotiations with the Indiana Bond Bank) subject also following their due date to an alternate rate as provided in a warrant purchase agreement entered into by the Issuer. The Issuer will issue temporary loan tax anticipation warrants to evidence such loans. The Issuer has appropriated and pledged the taxes to be received in such funds ( which taxes were originally anticipated for collection in 2003 but due to reassessment and related delays are now anticipated for collection in 2004) to the punctual payments of such warrants including the interest thereon. The Warrants will be sold to the Indiana Bond Bank, in Indianapolis, Indiana, pursuant to Indiana Code 5-1.5-8-1 on one or more dates during 2003. The Warrants will be issued pursuant to Indiana Code 20-5-4-8 (and Section 4 of P.L. 230-2003), and pursuant thereto, no action to contest the validity of such warrants may be brought later than fifteen (15) days from the first publication of this Notice AN-8543 Decern berll,lß, 2003