The Mail-Journal, Volume 26, Number 47, Milford, Kosciusko County, 6 January 1988 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., January 6,1988

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Editorial

Why didn't they get their permits? It’s hard for us to understand why 50 food establishments did not have their permits for 1988 from the county board of health as of December 30. It’s a yearly permit. Something that should be as natural as paying taxes. Yet, many chose to violate the law, or at least wait until the last minute to take care of this matter. Are these the same people who wait until the last day to purchase license plates? File their taxes? Pay their bills? Or, is there a good reason? If so, we would like to know what it is. Letters were sent advising food establishment operators of the law and of the need for a valid permit. Yet, the letters seemingly went unnoticed by about 25 percent of the people who received them. County administrator/chief sanitation officer Jon Cupp said in a news item printed in last week’s paper, “Anyone who does not think enough of a business to secure the permit, probably should not be allowed to have a license.” At this point we have to agree! If you find a yellow and black closed sign on your favorite restaurant in the new few days, you’ll know the reason why. In all probability, the owner or manager didn’t get a permit. '.■. “ ■ » • Celebration 'BB The time for Hoosier Celebration ’BB has arrived. It was first announced in 1985 by Governor Orr in his inaugural address. It is a year to welcome home people who have lived, worked and gone to school in Indiana for the biggest • homecoming ever. . The celebration is more than just a homecoming, Hoosier Celebration 88 is a community by community effort to celebrate the richness of Indiana’s heritage and, most importantly, according to Orr, the bright potential the state can realize. Orr said it will generate greater self-esteem and pride within each Hoosier while engaging every Indiana city and town in a hands-on approach to community development and improvement never before seen in the state s history. . Orr said the committee is confident that this effort is the best hope for inspiring new found greatness and progress in Indiana’s future. A committee is hard at wprk on a special celebration for Syracuse and Hoosier Celebration ’BB signs are on display outside that Lakeland community. It is our hope that both Milford and North Webster will join in the celebration before 1988 draws to a close. 100 years of service With this issue of The Mail-Journal we begin our 100th year of service to the community. The first edition of The Milford Mail came off the presses in December of 1888. rv A man by the name of Harry M. Williams wasveditor and publisher. The papeCaccording to a history compiled by current publisher Arch Baumgartner, was a 13 pica, five-column paper, 18 inches deep. It usually contained eight pages of which four were “ready-print” provided by a Chicago firm known as the Western Newspaper Union, long since defunct. Today’s Mail-Journal is the result of the consolidation by Publishers Della and Arch Baumgartner of The Milford-Mail and The Syracuse-Wawasee Journal (established in 1907), some 26 years ago. Reporters attend town, school and county meetings to give first hand coverage to events which will touch the lives of the people who live and work here. Staff members work hard to give the readers a wide variety of news items from sporting events to weddings, from births to deaths. New, modern equipment helps to provide the best product possible. Over the past 100 years, the two newspapers and now The Mail-Journal have been dedicated to serving the people of what has become the Lakeland Community. We have no plans to quit now. We plan to continue this service to bur readers in the coming years. What others say — a Invitation to a fresh start There is something entrancing about opening a desk calendar at the beginning of the year. For a fleeting moment it is like holding a whole new year in your hands. All of the shortcomings and mistakes of the past fade into insignificance. Here are three hundred and sixty-five clean white pages — this year it is three hundred and sixty-six. - Each one is an invitation to a fresh start and a promise of an untouched opportunity. Each one suggests an exciting adventure in living. Each one masks a carefully guarded secret, for no one knows the future. Three hundred and sixty-six days! Some of them will be birthdays, school days, graduation days, wedding days. One of them will be Mother’s Day, others will be for basketball tournaments. There will be days for hunting, football, golf, tennis, swimming, skating and bowling. There will be an Easter, a Thanksgiving and a Christmas. There will be days for work and days for vacation. There will be days to dig and days to plant and days to harvest the fruits of nature. There will be days for those who wish to join together to worship God and days for those who want to pray quietly alone. Each day is a single page and the pages are to be used one at a time. Some will be used, some in monotonous routine, some shamefully. There will be days we will want to remember always. There may be days we will wish we could forget. And, each day one page of the calendar will be torn off to make away for the next. Some will be pulled off and tossed gaily toward the wastebasket. Others will be carefully removed and carefully folded and carefully tucked away. Some will betaken off hurriedly and torn into bits so that no one would try to piece them together again. Some will be jerked from the calendar pad, crushed angrily into a wad, and thrown viciously away. Most will be thoughtlessly discarded as part of daily habit. , . Then one day the last of the three hundred and sixty-six calendar pages will be gone. Once again we will hold a new calendar and a new year in our hands. Once again the mistakes and shortcomings of the past will fade into insignificance. . / For once again we will see before us a fresh start and a new promise of untouched opportunity. We wish you a Happy 1988! -THE SCRAP BOOK, 29TH EDITION, 1958

| H I I rl ■ It's time to welcome Indiana's people home! State to celebrate in 1988. Court news

Circuit Court The following petition has been filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court, Judge Richard Sand presiding. Complaint Ervin Heiser and Evelyn Heiser vs Daren Phillips, Marcellus,-Jdich., and Fred Sibley, Elkhart. Count I-Plaintiff Ervin Heiser prays for judgment in amount to fully and adequately compensate for his loss, and damages suffered as a result of the negligence and/or fault of the Defendants herein. Count IIPlaintiff Evelyn Heiser prays for judgment in sufficient amount to adequately and fully compensate her for the loss and damages that she has suffered and sustained. Superior Court The following petitions have been filed in Kosciusko Superior Court, Judge Robert Burner presiding: Complaint For Deficiency Upon A Promissory Note Liberty Bank and Trust Co. (formerly Counting House Bank), Warsaw vs William E. Knowles and Patricia A. Knowles, Milford. Plaintiff seeks $1,618.90 plus reasonable attorney’s fees Os $500; accrued interest at rate of 62 cents per day from October 12, 1987, until date of judgment; costs of action; and all other relief proper. Elkhart County Court Goshen Division The following fines plus court costs have been levied and paid in the Elkhart County Court, Goshen Division? Speeding — Geneva D. Weirich, 31, Syracuse, $63; Stewart J. Snyder, 41, Syracuse, SSB; Jerry J. Christner, 45, Warsaw, $63

Letters to the editor

Why one and not the other? Dear Editor: I was amazed that the Syracuse Town Board would all agree to having a five-way stop at Oakwood Park entrance and 530E — and not give a second thought to having a four-way stop at the corner of Pickwick Road and Old SR 13. This has always been a very busy corner and now with the nursing home there, this makes it twice as bad. I think someone better go back to the drawing board and come up with a different place to put their stop signs. Joy E. Nolan Carnival committee faces dilemma Dear Editor: The Syracuse-Wawasee Winter Carnival Committee faces a dilemma — how to raise the $1,500 needed to provide the fireworks which add such color \ ancLexcitement to the event. We have mailed requests for donations to local businesses and industries and have, to date, received sufficient funding to provide the essentials (eg, portapots, printing of flyers), for which we are grateful! Guess the question boils down to: Does the community enjoy the fireworks enough to contribute towards their funding? This is a plea for help! If your readers want to continue seeing the flashes of color bouncing off the frozen lake and hearing the booms reverberating from surrounding structures, they can make a statement by sending a donation to the SyracuseWawasee Winter Carnival, PO Box 398, Syracuse, Ind. 46567. The 1968 carnival is scheduled for

Driving with BAC in excess of .1 percent — Dale E. Thompson, 57, North Webster, $250 plus costs, with $125 suspended, 60 days in jail suspended, the suspensions on the condition the defendant be on non-reporting probation for six months, follow standard probation terms, obtain an ECADAP assessment within 30 days and follow recommendations, use no alcohol while on probation, driver’s license suspended 90 days Marriage Dissolutions The following couples have filed for marriage dissolutions in the Kosciusko Superior and Circuit Courts: Morrison — Ernie E. Morrison, Kosciusko County, and Donna L. Morrison, r 2, Campton, Ky. The couple was married May 10, 1980 and separated November 24, 1987. There are two minor children. Plaintiff seeks joint custody. Shepherd — Claudia Shepherd, Leesburg, and William Shepherd, Pierceton. The couple was married July 3, 1969 and separated October 15, 1987. There are two minor children. Petitioner seeks custody. Reed — Phaw Thi Ngoc Reed, r 3, Syracuse, and William L. Reed, Shoots Apartments, Goshen. The couple was married September 19,1972 and separated -December 8, 1987. There are three minor children. Petitioner seeks custody and child support. x 5 Frantz — Sandra H. Frantz, Milford, and Steven Robert Frantz, r 2, Warsaw. The couple was married January 12,1975 and separated November 9, 1987. There are two minor children. Petitioner seeks custody and child support.

Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30-31. Time is running out! Hopefully, Syracuse-Wawasee Winter Carnival Committee S. C “Bud” Hursh Jerry “Scoop” Claybaugh Jeanne Gardiner NIPSCO office hours changed Northern Indiana Public Service Company changed its commercial office hours at several locations effective January 4, 1988. Included in the offices having extended hours changed to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. are the Warsaw and Elkhart offices. The company announcement stated that extended hours are no longer needed at most commercial offices because of its centralized customer service centers ip Fort Wayne, South Bend and Merrillville. Customers can conduct most of their business by phone by using either their local NIPSCO number or a toll-free telephone number for their area to reach service representatives at the central centers.

THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S.P.S. 3258-4000) Published by the Mall-Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse, Indiana 46567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: sl7 per year In Kosciusko County; $23 outside county. POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to The Mall-Journal, P.O. Box IM, Milford, Indiana 46542

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE" .

(EDITOR’S NOTE: NIPSCOman and sometime newspaper columnist Bob Westfall took bis turn a t filling a t least part of this column this week, knowing the scribe who normally fills this seat would be absent from his desk. Westfall has proven he has the proverbial "nose for news,” and if he should ever choose to change professions, we 11...) RUE SIGNS' of winter were present around Wawasee this past week. The ice fishermen wfere on the Chinese Gardens channel by Wednesday morning. One had a line from his waist to a nearby tree. Sunday morning the iceboating contingent swarmed Syracuse Lake. The senior citizen group headed by city honorary council members Bud Smith and Bob Troutman gave lessons to novices like Jack Oswald. Speaking of Jack, it was told that liejs now ice fishing from his living room! Yep! Rumor has it that he cut a hole in the side of his new house on the channel and runs a fishing line to the end of his pier. From there, he cut a hole in the ice and the fish just are jumping on the hook. Some of your old neighbors from the addition are a little jealous, Jack. BACK TO iceboating. Bill Beemer was seen gliding by on an iceboat. The Indianapolis iceboating contingent was well represented, too. One local drugstore chain owner wandered out \>n the ice as an observer. The ice was so clear and smooth the bottom was visible through the four-bdd inches of ice. THE CHRISTMAS season is now officially over in Syracuse. Bob Kocher and the Christmas undecorating committee were hard at work last Sunday. AU were pleased at the lack of cold weather. There have been many years that the zero weather, cold winds and snow made it a tough job. Too bad Forest Cook wasif’t around to help supply the coffee. » - « ONE OF our more notable citizens has been missed at the daily coffee table. All indications are that he is doing well and should be back at his routine in short order. Phone calls at his home are always welcome. LOCAL REALTOR Joe Todd was quite proud of his Spartans at the coffee shop Monday morning. The Michigan State victory over Southern California at the Rose Bowl marks the first time in many years that a Big Ten team came back victorious. Joe is touting a running back named Ezor for the Heisman trophy next year. There was even a little praise from Joe for the other victorious football bowl winner from the state of Michigan. CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT from the Monday morning football critique club at the case were Indiana supporters Bob Jones and John Hagan. Although Indiana played a good game, they came up short on the scoreboard. Maybe peaches were not their bushel of fruit. Basketball will be another story. Go Boilers! « WITH OFFICE space at a premium in Syracuse, it’s nice to see some remodeling going on in the downtown area. The Huntington Building is getting an exterior face lift. New wooden siding is going on to give a neat appearance to the office building. * . « FOR THE past few months, the old Buzz Keck Auto building has been standing vacant. It is one of the few empty buildings in the downtown area or out at the Wawasee Village. The new owners hail from Warsaw and are in the new car business. It will be nice to have that space filled again. After all, Syracuse is “The Heartbeat of America.” Welcome Steve Ross Chevrolet. LOOK FOR a new auto body shop to be hanging out its sign on SR 13S. NOW THAT the downtown NIPSCO office is closed, local merchants and residents are wondering what will become of the vacant office space. As NIPSCO was merely a tennant in the building with a lease that is soon to expire, Jim Howard may have the answer to their questions. During the closing days of the office, he had been seen on several occasions with the tape measure, paper and pencil in hand. Look for a quick occupancy of the space. GOOD NEWS for all you winter snow enthusiasts! Reports are that there is plenty of good snow in Michigan\for skiing and snowmobiles. Several Wawasee area residents just returned from Michigan and- had high regards for the snow. Os course, they said it would be nice if there was a little more snow. Good skiing at Nubs Nobs, Boyne Highlands and Crystal Mountain. Quite a contrast to the mild snow of last year at this time. We’ll have a first hand report on snowmobile conditions from our senior travel correspondent next week. A group of the local businessmen are off for their annual snowmobile trek to Michigan

this week. Those of you going up early watch out for the ham and bean soup! e ONE FINAL word on the 1987-88 United Way campaign in Syracuse. The goal was $5,200 for our community. Thanks to the hard work by Jim Evans and his crew, they collected nearly $10,000! It just goes to show how thoughtful our community is when asked. Hats off to the United Way crew! _o— DID YOU see the article in the Fort Wayne paper last Sunday? Calls to the police and fire dispatchers made their area column. Beware those of you who call in the future. Big Brother from Fort Wayne is watching. GRANDPARENTS’ BUTTONS are popping all over the area. Pat and Jake Bitner have a new granddaughter, Kellie Ann Koerner, bom in Lafayette on December 29, 1987, to Steve and Linda (Bitner) Koerner. Mom and daughter doing fine. Elanore Moore is sporting a new granddaughter charm on her bracelet, too! ONE LOCAL basketball fan has asked that" we highlight the Warrior coach and his efforts this year. Friday night is a home, game against Plymouth. If you are not busy, come out and support the team. Okay, then how about traveling to Ligonier on Saturday night. Wawasee plays West Noble. I’m sure it’s a game the coach really wants to win. Good luck! ONE FINAL note. We will miss the services of Officer Danny Gallmeier on the Syracuse Police Department. Officer Gallmeier has served this community with many years of unselfish service. We wish him well in his new endeavor. -BWTHE NEW year of 1988 promises to be more lucrative for Joe Dock, utilities superintendent, who supervises the Syracuse Street, Water and Sewer Department. His 22 percent increase in salary comes down as somewhat higher than the nine percent increase approved for other town employees in the salary ordinance adopted by 'the Syracuse Town Board on Dec. 29. The raise percentage amounts to an annual increase of $5,378, from $24,622 to $30,000. Incidentally, just for comparison, the town marshal’s 1988 salary is $24,148. Trustee Bill Hess serves as liaison between the town board and the street, water and sewer department. When asked why such a generous? increase, he stated, “We feel that in the best interests of the town we need a very qualified person as utilities superintendent. To have the best qualified people we need to pay for them. In addition to Joe Dock's regular duties over the past two years, he has been working on agreements with industry, condos, and Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District to bring sewage into our system. He has worked long and hard with the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Board of Health on our sewage expansion project. Joe handles all bids for projects and works with engineers, rate consultants and attorneys. Due to the increased duties he handles, we have increased his salary accordingly. ” ALAS AND alack, a new year is upon us! It’s coming was long enough ago that the celebration'and the celebrants have become a hazy memory. And yet, the occasion for revelry lingers on 4 A friend who took it all in tells us the bringing in of the New Year is celebrated many diff--i ferent ways by as many different people across the country. Syracuse remains All-American in this regard. From quiet get-togethers with family and friends to wild parties or a romantic dinner for two, Syracuse covers the spectrum. Then, there is this other group of celebrants who wish to bring in the new year with a bang! At the stroke of midnight, this particular group got out the old 12-gauge shotgun and blasted away e until their small supply of ammo was exhausted. A neighboring townsman was quoted as saying he was not feeling well, had retired early only to be awakened by the sound of gunfire. Now get this: He said, in the confusion of being so abruptly awakened from a sound sleep, he thought he had overslept and it was either the Fourth of July or the first day of the duck season! Just goes to show, you can tell the difference between the men and the boys by the choice of their toys. RUMOR HAS it that numerous residents of the Pickwick Road and Old State Road 13 intersection are wondering when they will be getting a four-way stop sign installed. The new sign was a recommendation by the local zoning board to the Syracuse Town Board. As we hear it, this recommendation was made a part and parcel of the approval of the rezoning for the new Miller’s Merry Manor on the northeast tract of that busy corner. If this is true, the question is: Who dropped the bail? A HANDMADE sign spied on the kitchen wall of an area restaurant might have an earthy implication fora lot of us: Your mother doesn’t work here. If you made a mess, clean it up! RUMOR HAS it that negotiations are in progress for G. L. Perry Variety Stores, Elkhart, to purchase the Ben Franklin Store in Syracuse and another in Winamac. If the purchase agreement , is finalized, the name of the store could change in February.