Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 130, Number 33, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 16 August 2007 — Page 2

Page A2

• Advance News • Thursday. August 16. 2007

Death notices Anna Lea Helmuth Aug. 7, 2007 BREMEN Anna Lea Helmuth, 5, of Bremen, died at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 at home. ' She is survived by her parents, Raymond and Elva Helmuth of Bremen; brothers: Ray Allen Helmuth, Gary Lee Helmuth, Mark Lavon Helmuth, James Helmuth and Walter Jay Helmuth, all at home; sisters: Eleanor (Leon) Kuhns of Nappanee, Alma Marie (James) Borkholder of Bremen and Marilyn Helmuth, at home; grandparents: Simon and Rosa Miller and Barbara Helmuth, all of Nappanee; and great-grand-father, Joe Miller of LaGrange. The body lay in state Wednesday, Aug. 8 after 2 p.m. at the family residence, 1265 B. Rd., Bremen, and all day Thursday, Aug. 9. Funeral services were held at the David Miller residence, 1329 E. B. Rd., Bremen, Friday, Aug. 10 at 9:30 a.m. ThompsonLengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee, is in charge of the arrangements. Betty L Fairchild Aug. 9, 2007 NAPPANEE Betty L. FAirchild, 76, of Nappanee died on Thursday, Aug. 9 at 1:15 a.m. at her home. She is survived by her son, Robert Lee (Dolly) Fairchild Jr. of Aurora, Colo.; daughters: Darla (Daniel) Schmucker of New Paris, Cathy (Roger) Collins of Venice, Fla. and Annette (Gary) Manda of Venice, Fla.; 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grand-children. Visitation was Saturday, Aug. 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home in Nappanee. Memorial services were Saturday, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. at the funeral home. Cremation took place. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Elkhart County Hospice. John R. ‘Hookie’ Stuckman Aug. 11,2007 BREMEN John R. "Hookie" Stuckman, 89, of Bremen, formerly of Nappanee, died on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 9:50 a.m. at Bremen Healthcare. He is survived by his sister, Joan (Fred) Franks of Payson, Ariz.; brothers: George (Carol) Stuckman of Bicknell and Jim (Nancy) Stuckman of Bremen; 11 nieces and nephews. Visitation was Monday, Aug. 13 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home in Nappanee. Funeral services were Monday, Aug. 13 at 10:30 a.m. followed by cremation. Military graveside services took place. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Marshall County. Annual ABATE ride for MDA to take place Sept. 2 The 27th annuel ABATE/MDA Ride for Jerry's Kids will take place on Saturday, Sept. 2 at the St. Joseph County 4-H fairgrounds. Motorcyclists will begin gathering at 8 a.m. and the ride will leave at noon. All motorcycle types and brands are welcome. The parade of bikes will travel through South Bend, North Liberty and Walkerton and will end at the fairgrounds. The route is approximately 46 miles long. Gates will open for non-riders at 2:30 p.m. Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, will warm up and country music artist Blake Shelton will perform at 5 p.m. There is a minimum admission donation of S3O and there are no advance ticket sales.

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Community

NIGHT, from front

"Just one drink really does make a difference in somebody," he said. Nappanee Police Department K-9 officer Bear put in a special appearance, demonstrating his savvy, with the help of his handler, Steve Rulli, and Nappanee police officer Cutis Weldy. During the police dog demonstration, Weldy donned a protective arm covering and posed as a suspect. According to Rulli, the police are required to give a fleeing suspect three warnings before unleashing the police dogs. However, for demonstration purposes Rulli turned Bear loose right away, allowing him to seize Weldy's protected arm. While Bear's grip was firm and his adrenaline high, one word from Rulli was all it took to call him off. Rulli later explained to the audience that the officer would normally intervene and physically remove the dog. However, the police are required to prove that the animal is well-trained enough to obey a voice command to stop. The Nappanee Fire Department was also present at the event. A table full of community safety information pamphlets stood nearby. The Elkhart County SWAT team was scheduled for a demonstration, however they were unable to attend. ABOUT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT National Night Out (NNO) is a nationwide event designed to raise community awareness of drug and crime prevention, generate support for various local anticrime programs, strengthen partnerships between communities and police and send a message that neighborhoods throughout the United States, U.S. territories and Canada are fighting back against crime. The National Association of Town

Wa-Nee students encouraged to be safe this school year

By Mandy McFarland Editor It's that time of year again. Parents breathe a sigh of relief and kids-groan as they head out the front door for yet another school year. As with any new school year, there are always safety risks involved. Wa-Nee school resource officer Brad Balassa and transportation director Amy Ailes offer advice to kids to stay safe in the new school year. BUS AWARENESS According to Balassa, bus safety is as important for drivers on the road as it is for students and bus drivers. Busses make frequent stops, he said, which means that others on the road must be aware and courteous when driving behind a school bus. AT THE BUS STOP Students, too, need to know proper bus and bus stop etiquette. "Pay attention, don't play games in the road or near the road." Balassa encourages the buddy system. "If you can, try to be with a friend or a parent at the bus stop," he said. Timeliness is also important, as many students who are late may run to avoid missing the bus, and may instead miss seeing an oncoming car. "Try to be at the bus stop on time so

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ADVANCE NEWS PHOTO/MANDY MCFARLAND Nappanee police officer Steve Rulli (left) poses with K-9 officer Bear (front) and (left to right) Sarah Workman, 6, Hailey Farris, 7, Riley Kitson, 2, Keaton Kitson, 6 and Trace Engbrecht, 8.

Watch (NATW) sponsors the event each year. This year marked the 24th annual night out. In 2006, more than 10,000 communities

you don't have to run and risk running in front of a car," Balassa said. "And, of course, watch and listen to the bus driver." WALKING AND BIKES Those who live close enough to the school may choose to walk or to ride their bikes. This, too, can present hazards on the road. Again, Balassa encourages the buddy system. He also encourages kids to walk or ride on the sidewalk, as traffic can be heavy before and after school. STRANGER ETIQUETTE Students may not always know how to react to strangers when walking or biking to school. However, kids are not the only ones out and about early in the morning or after classes have dismissed for the day. Knowing one's route to school can be a helpful way to avoid contact with strangers. "Get used to your route, how you get to school, and the people who are there so you know who is a stranger and who isn't." Balassa also warns kids against accepting rides or hand-outs from strangers. "Don't ever get in the vehicle with them,' he said. "Stay away. Try to find that safe person, run away, make a lot of noise and, of course, make sure when you get to the school to tell a teacher. Or,

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consisting of more than 34 million people participated in National Night Out. For more information, visit www.nationaltownwatch.org.

if you see a police officer driving by, try to stop them." According to Balassa, kids do not always report encounters with strangers. "1 think that's one thing that gets overlooked, is reporting," he said. "Kids need to let us know." Balassa also feels it is important for parents to know their students' daily route of travel. "I would encourage parents to know their kids' route of travel or what bus stop your kid is at," he said. "Make sure your kids are out the door on time and •go where they're supposed to." DRUGS Sometimes, friends or even strangers will try to offer kids potentially harmful substances, such as drugs. Balassa warns students who may encounter such a situation to stay away and not accept the drugs. "If you don't know what it is, don't take it even if it is a prescription medication," he said. “It's illegal if it's not yours. Don't take it and, again, report it." ADVICE FOR ADULTS Again, school traffic is not the only traffic on the road before and after school. Adults on their way to work often add to the morning chaos. "Adults drive too fast in the school zones, not realizing there are kids all over the place," Balassa said. "We need

to pay attention and drive slower in the neighborhoods." The Nappanee police make it a priority to patrol the school zones during the school year. This includes enforcing the speed limits. In addition, morning drivers with a long way to go may tend to speed in order to arrive on time. Many disregard school busses that have stopped, swerving around them when they put on their yellow lights. "When they're slowing down, they always turn on their yellow lights," Balassa said. "School bus drivers can and do report license plates to the police of people who disregard stop signs, and the police can and do issue citations."

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