The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 28, Milford, Kosciusko County, 22 August 1990 — Page 4

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., August 22,1990

Editorial

Lack of customer service at area post offices We have come a long way since 1860, when the Pony Express mail service was in full swing. By the use of horses — not ponies — riders delivered mail within a 1,966-mile radius, and most always met a 10-day delivery goal. Today, much has changed, in that letters and packages usually reach their destinations within just a couple days from send-off. But what good is speedy delivery if postal patrons are unable to get to their mail? It’s a sad fact that post offices in the Lakeland area do not practice convenient, customer service. And, until fax machines and other high technological inventions eliminate the need for post offices, there needs to be some changes made. Those who must rent post office boxes — yes, pay a fee because mail is not delivered to their residence — are only able to get their mail between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at most area post offices. In Syracuse, box holders must get their mail before 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. What good does that do anyone who works an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift? Those who work in a town other than where they claim residence can retrieve their mail before noon on Saturdays. As it now stands, the annual $6.95 (average) fee to rent a post office box is a service the customer must pay for but is not free to use at his or her own convenience. Understandably, 24-hour supervision of the post office lobby is impossible. However, it also seems highly unlikely that supervision is even necessary. Post office boxes require a key, held by the renter of the box. Post offices in larger cities and towns understand their postal customers’ needs and leave their lobby area open 24-hours a day or until the late evening hours. At least Syracuse has the capabilities to keep the lobby open, without supervision, after regular business hours. Why then, isn’t that capability initiated? What harm would there be if the lobby were to remain open, even if just for an hour or two after 5 p.m.? After all, why must those of us who choose to live away from the congested cities forfeit our right to convenient postal service?

What others say —

Reward best teachers Lengthening the school year and requiring high school students to pass a comprehensive exam to graduate are two of several proposals that should be considered to improve Hoosier students’ preparation for life after high school. That’s the word from Dr. Dean Evans, state school superintendent. Evans has long sought a longer school year, but the Indiana State Teachers Association isn’t very excited about extending the school year much above 180 teaching days. It has been suggested to us by a Goshen teacher that it might be better for teachers and children to simply extend the school day, possibly a half hour a day. This seems reasonable since some school buses seem to be heading home with children about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. From 8 to 3 with time out for lunch isn’t a very lengthy school day. In some cases it may be from after 8 to before 3. But parents and school administrators truly concerned about the education of children should be most concerned about what is happening in the classrooms, whatever the hours and number of days. Superior teachers will do a fine job of educating children in whatever time is allocated. Poor teachers worn get the job done in 12 months, eight hours a day. Mediocre teachers will do an average job with either schedule. The facilities and equipment have far less impact on good education than most school administrators like to admit. School teachers were underpaid for many years. This is changing now and the average salary of Goshen teachers is about $30,000. We do not want to suggest that teachers in Goshen or elsewhere have an easy job. If they’re doing a good job, they’re working hard. And dealing with some of our young people who don’t want to learn, but who are required by law to attend school until age 16, would be too much of a challenge for many people. Good teachers work more than eight hours a day and often spend part of their vacation time preparing for the next school year. These teachers are doing a fine job educating our children, and they are to be commended. These good teachers can do well if they get cooperation from parents, who provide a good home environment and a certain amount of encouragement for their children to do well in school. These superior teachers deserve more than they’re being paid here or elsewhere around the state. Now comes the problem Too many teachers are mediocre and a few are poor. That’s a major reason why student test scores in Indiana don’t measure up to those in some other states, and other nations. The answer seems rather simple, now that teacher salaries are becoming much more attractive. Get rid of the poor teachers and demand that mediocre teachers do better And challenge parents to improve the education opportunity of their children with some encouragement and support for the teachers. Parents must impress upon their children the need of a good education, starting at the kindergarten level But solving the problem isn’t simple. Our school teachers may have the best organized union in the state. They have great influence in the Indiana General Assembly. And the organization supports the rights of all teachers, seemingly regardless of their teaching skills. We have teacher salary schedules so all teachers with the same education, years of experience and teaching assignments receive the same pay. So the superior teacher gets the same pay as the poor teacher. That’s not much of an incentive for a teacher to excel. We have professional educators employed under the rules of blue collar factory workers. This arrangement makes no sense at all if we hope to improve education in Indiana and America. Most teachers with average skills and interest in their profession can retain their job until they are placed on tenure. Dismissal of tenured teachers who do an average or poor job is very difficult. There is a provision for dismissal, but most school administrators are inclined to take the easy way out and retain the teacher unless there is obvious proof of misconduct. ISTA fights hard for all teachers at these dismissal hearings, regardless of their ability. Administrators are being paid enough to accept some tough challenges. Education in Indiana probably won’t get much better until we revise the tenure law and upgrade teachers in our schools. Teachers should be paid on merit, like other people in the workplace. If they don’t perform up to standard, they should be fired. Most administrators and students can sort out the superior teachers in a very short time. Critics of merit pay say evaluating teachers would be too difficult and unfair. Hogwash. We hear so much about the importance of the education of our children when school administrators and teachers justify high taxes for education. Certainly the education of our children is too important for it to be compromised by laws that protect and shield mediocre and poor teachers in our schools. These teachers are dragging down the educational system in this state and no one seems to hav> the clout or courage to do anything about it. -THE GOSHEN NEWS

Court news

County Court > The following persons have paid fines and costs in Kosciusko County Court, Judge James Jarrette presiding: Unsafe Start — Steven E. Wood, 32, Leesburg, S6O. Operating On Expired License Plates — Janet L. Cain, 30, Milford, S6O. No Operator’s License — Herman Fletcher, 30, North Webster, S6O. Operating While Intoxicated — Allan L. Foyle, no age, Syracuse, $338, driver’s license suspended 180 days, K.C. J. six days. Illegal Consumption — Allan L. Foyle, no age, Syracuse, sll3. Check Deception — Andrew Kneller, no age, North Webster, dismissed. Resisting Law Enforcement — Allan L. Foyle, no age, Syracuse, $213. Goshen Division The following residents have had fines levied and paid in the Elkhart County Court: Speeding — James G. Steffen, 21, Syracuse, $56 Driving while suspended — Craig S. Hardy. 23, Syracuse, dismissed Failure to carry registration certificate — Joel Martinez, 21, Milford, $54 No license in possession — Joel Martinez, 21, Milford, $1 Small Claims The following judgements have been awarded in Small Claims Division, Kosciusko County Court, Judge James Jarrette presiding: North Webster/Tippecanoe EMS vs L. Gans. Plaintiff awarded $82.50 plus costs. North Webster/Tippecanoe EMS vs Collier Jacobs. Plaintiff awarded $82.50 plus costs. Marriage Licenses The following couples have applied for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk Jeanne Weirick: Reeder-Adams Richard Alan Reeder, 42, PO

Motor vehicle issues discussed

State Representative Kent Adams (R-Bremen) wrapped up a busy committee week, attending his third meeting in as many days, when the Motor Vehicle -Issues study committee met Wednesday. Adams noted that the committee's next meeting, Aug. 29, will be very busy. “We will be discussing at length three of the topics that we have studied this summer,” Adams said. “There are many ways that the state can save money through the vehicle registration process. We must decide if these methods still allow the people the same amount of protection and efficiency . ’ ’ .The committee will be discussing whether or not to grant the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commission the authority to determine the specifications and informational components that will appear on passenger registration plates. Authority to use a fouryear plate instead of a three-year plate will also be considered. Currently, Adams said any changes of this nature must be brought before the General Assembly “By moving to a four-year plate, the state could save approximately $11.4 million over

New Subscribers

Janet Rinehold R 1 Box 6081 Leesburg, Ind. 46538 Mr./Mrs. Brian Richcreek Apt. 2 1648 Foxhaven Dr. Richmond. Ky. 40475 Denise Mast R 2 Box 469-11 Shipshewana, Ind. 46565 M. Russell Anderson Purdue University Cary Quad SEC 128 West Lafayette, Ind. 47906

THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S.P.S. 3258-4000) Published by The Papers Incorporated every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office In Syracuse, Indiana 46567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: Newstand rate 45C per copy, $19.00 per year in Kosciusko County, $25.00 outside county. Della Baumgartner, Publisher & a Pon Baumgartner, General Manager {XT „■, Jeri Seely, Editor H xJw Kip Schumm, Advertising Manager POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to The MallJournal, P.O. Box 188, Milford, Indiana 46542. The Papers Incorporated reserves the right to refuse for publication any advertising that Is considered offensive, misleading or detrimental to the public, the newspaper or another advertiser and to edit advertising at Its discretion. DEADLINES: Legal copy, 5 p.m. Monday, classified copy and display copy, 11 a m. Tuesday

Box, North Webster, and Tamara Kay Adams, 26, PO Box, North Webster. Snyder-Sult John D. Snyder, 47, Whispering Pines, Warsaw, and Joanne R. Sult, 41, rural route, North Webster. Williams-Busher John M. Williams, 66, rural route, Syracuse, and Nancy Busher, 48, Charleston, N.C. Simpson-Simpson John A. Simpson, 42, Kohr Drive, Syracuse, and Carolyn Sue Simpson, 38, Cromwell. City Court The following fines have been levied and paid in the Goshen City Court: Speeding — Timothy E. Dehoff, 21, Syracuse, plea bargain, dismissed; George O. Snook, 42, Syracuse, S6B Driving while license suspended — Timothy E. Dehoff, 22, Syracuse, plea bargain, dismissed Marriage Dissolutions The following couples have filed for marriage dissolutions in the Kosciusko Superior and Circuit Courts: Veach — Cynthia Jo Veach, PO Box, Milford, and Randy Richard Veach, PO Box, Milford. The couple was married May 1,1981, and separated Aug. 6,1990. There are three minor children. Lang — Herbert Vernon Lang, Keokuk, lowa, and Janeil Joyce Lang, Medusa Street, Syracuse. The couple was married Sept. 1, 1962, and separated June 18,1990. Weaver — William L. Weaver, rural route, Milford, and Cindy L, Weaver, Syracuse. The couple was married March 27, 1977, and separated March 25, 1990. There are four minor children.

four years,” Adams said. “Removing the county identification sticker could bring an additional savings of over $1 million?’ Adams said that the numerical prefix on the plate indicates which county the vehicle originates from, therefore the county sticker serves little purpose. Another consideration that will be discussed includes modifying the accident reporting form to the Indiana State Police and the BMV in order to speed up response time to verify insurance coverage of persons involved in accidents. Adams noted that this step would assist in removing uninsured vehicles from operation on Indiana roads. A final discussion will focus on the possibility of requiring the BMV to verify where a person’s vehicle is registered prior to receiving a driver’s license. “I believe this would allow us another tool to keep a firm handle on people who register their vehicles out of state,” Adams said. Adams noted that although there is a box on the state income tax report to help identify where cars are registered, additional provisions might be helpful.

Chris Jensen R 1 Box 73A Syracuse, Ind. 46567 Bruce/Ariene Dellinger 18EMST48BLn Syracuse, Ind. 46567 Dallas Umtnel R 1 Box 76 North Webster, Ind. 46555 George Staples P.O. Box 4 North Webster, Ind. 46555

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUS E' '

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HAT IN the world do you write about when you’ve spent the weekend at a family reunion in another

state and arrived home in time to dump dirty clothes and jump into bed before heading back to work the next day??? Panic. No time to glean information from others. Frantic thoughts and increasing pangs of writer’s block. Well, one could write about the wonderment of annual get-togethers with kinfolk. Measuring the growth of young ones, gleefully counting new white hairs on female siblings — and loss of same on the males. Os course, I haven’t changed a bit (the observer never does). Tons of food you’d never eat at home, swimming, horseshoes, hikes in the woods, and lots of sitting around picnic tables and catching up on the talking. Energy spent and frustration in multi-attempts to gather individual family groups for photos — grateful for another year of being able to photograph my dad. Proudly reintroducing a son who has returned after six years in Texas. Sharing a birthday week with two nieces — and all the trimmings that go with it. The sun moves lower in the western sky and one-by-one families gather their carry-in dishes and young charges, load up the cars, talking and calling to those who remain, until their voices trail off as they retrace their trip down the hardpacked earthen road to the main highway. Next year — same weekend in August — but at another town 50 miles north, hosted by a different family group. —o— OVERHEAD . . . JOHN Oyler, referring to his kitchen at Gropp’s as, “the Palace of Sweats.” —o— SEEING IS believing. Cindy Kaiser, Milford Elementary School Principal, and Kim Conrad, Syracuse kindergarten teacher, were spotted barefoot skiing on Syracuse Lake in the early dawn. They’re both long-time waterskiers, but Kim recently taught Cindy this new “no skis” trick. x , -o_ J A PARTING shot. The Enchanted Hills Playhouse wraps up Its season today, Wednesday, with a one-week run of “Arsenic and Old Lace.” This should prove to be a delightful way to close out the summer of 1990 season. If you enjoyed this year at the Playhouse, wait until you hear the line-up for 1991: “Godspell”, “Sound of Music”, “Man of La Mancha”, “Oliver”, “Anything Goes”, and “Harvey”. Sign me up now? —o— BEAUTIFICATION CAN also be enhanced by taking away, rather than adding. Case in point . . . our local realtors have joined the endeavor by agreeing to place one generic “house for sale by realtor” sign at intersections, to eliminate the clutter of individual corporate signs that used to sprout like colorful mushrooms at every corner. Hurray for the realtors! —o— MUSIC, MUSIC, music. The Lake Area Community Band is scheduled for its final performance of the 1990 “Music in the Park” series on Thursday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m. (note the earlier time). Come early (say sixish) to enjoy the band's chicken barbecue (a “full meal deal” complete with chicken, applesauce, chips, and a drink), followed by an ice cream social. The melody will linger on in the park, though, as the Lake Area Community Band has sprouted a German band which will be entertaining at the planned Oktoberfest fundraiser for the Syracuse Park Foundation. Next up will be the second annual “Christmas in the Park”, scheduled for early December. GULLEYWASHERS AND thunder. Our area was blessed with a full-bodied dumping of rain on Monday. The Village’s ditches were suddenly full to the brim. Trees hung low with their heavy blessings of moisture . . . and the humidity stayed on. WE’RE “KUWAITING” no longer. The threats of war are reaching our own community with some of our young men being sent to assist in a show of strength in the Middle East area. AND, SINCE you’re probably missing Don Kime’s nature story this month — here’s my own attempt to fill the gap: I love coming home to my woods. Driving up the winding gravel drive, the trees spread their leaf-laden branches protectingly over me in a warm welcome.

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d 11 M ‘Jr 9 • As the sun fades with the day, I slosh barefoot through the warm puddles of water on the patio, left from my watering endeavors. It is a pleasant sensation. Some of my pink impatiens are either missing totally or have been nipped to their bases. I suspect the deer have been munching at my patio garden. They are such a lovely sight, though, grazing where our lawn meets the woods, that I don’t have the heart to put anything out that might keep them away, and so I sigh and try to ignore the gaps in the colorful bedding plants. I love my woods. I own them — but they really own themselves. Sitting out on the patio in the evening, listening to the sounds of the night. Voices of the toad population chorus their expectations; suddenly a high-pitched staccato pierces the normal sounds — bats? I’ve watched them dip and dive after insects at dusk. Could they be sending out their sonar signals into the treetops? A crunching of twigs in the perimeter pulls me up short. An intruder? Probably it's our deer herd bedding down for the night. The blend of sounds continue, and I resume my comfortable enjoyment of my surroundings. Counting my blessings, all that I ask is that the insects don’t touch my body — they can hum and drone at will, just no touchdown, please. Such a sense of peace. All is well. The moon partially glows through an open space in the treetop canopy to the west. To the east, a twinkling light moves silently towards the woods. A small airplane heading for some unknown destination. In the faint glow from the inside house lights, the pink impatiens show off their color — the hosta background is a solid greenery. Behind the Aquarian waterboy statue which tops the shellshaped birdbath, the pink, white and lavender of the astible provide a colorful moving background in the evening breeze. Here I can leave the world behind. In my woods, I unwind by watering my garden to the strains of Chopin or Mozart drifting out the window from my tape player. Kneeling and making determinations of life or death to weeds is about all the decision-making I want to face at this time. IT WAS a close call for Jamie and Linda McAdams, r 3, Syracuse, when it came to getting to the hospital on time Tuesday morning for the awaited birth of their twins. Jamie, we were told, was stopped by a police officer on US 30 for speeding. (The couple was heading for Columbia City and Whitley Community Hospital.) When the officer realized Linda’s condition he told them to be careful, but hurry. Within 20 minutes of their arrival at the hospital Linda gave birth to a five pound, nine ounce son at 1:19 a.m. Tanner Jamieson measured 18'i inches long. At 4:15 a.m., his twin sister, Brennan Adele, was born. She weighed in at seven pounds, and is 20'/ 2 inches long. LOCAL RESIDENT Mary E. FisherShively, who has been fascinated by hot air balloons for years, made use of a “Hot Air Balloon Certificate” she received, one year ago. The great ride took place on June 4 when Mary and her daughter, Barbara Hoffman, spent l</4 hours floating south of Fort Wayne. “It was just as thrilling and beautiful as we had anticipated,” comments Mary. The certificate “good for one hot air balloon ride,” was presented to Mary last year on her 65th birthday by her children and guests. It was because of atmospheric conditions that it took almost one year for her ride to materialize. Mary's ultimate dream would be to balloon over Arizona's Grand Canyon. Back in 1979, Mary took a ride with “Bud” Whitehead in his homemade plane over Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake. The photo shows Mary and Barb in the basket with balloonist Russ Jones, Jr., while in the background is Mr. and Mrs. Russ Jones, Sr,, and their granddaughter.