House Fails to Pass DST

The Indiana House voted today 49-48 against putting Indiana on daylight savings time. But the bill is still alive, becuase it takes 51 votes to defeat or pass a bill. House Speaker Brian Bosma says he'll try to bring the bill up for another vote before the general assembly adjourns at midnight tomorrow night.

DST Passes Senate

State Senators who represent the Q101 area split their votes last night as the Senate passed the daylight savings time bill. Republicans Gary Dillon of Columbia City and Thomas Weatherwax of Logansport voted for putting the state on daylight time. But Republicans Ryan Mishler of Bremen and Robert Meeks of LaGrange voted against the bill. The bill has two more hurdles to clear before it becomes law. The House of Representatives must pass it before midnight Friday and if the House passes it, the Governor must sign it. The House began debating the bill yesterday, but postponed a vote until late this morning.

Police Arrest Kosciusko Residents on Drug Charges

The Kosciusko County Drug Task Force announced yesterday that it arrested seven Kosciusko County residents Tuesday on various drug charges. The charges range from misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia to felony dealing cocaine. According to a news release, the arrests resulted from investigations that date back as far as last January.

Etna Green "Robbery" a Hoax

Kosciusko County police have arrested a 20-year-old Bourbon man on charges related to a reported robbery at the Freedom Express gas station in Etna Green last night. According to a news release, investigators determined that there was no robbery. Instead, police say the clerk reported the robbery had himself stolen money from the store. The man faces charges of false informing and theft this morning. Police say charges are also pending against the man’s 19-year-old girlfriend, who allegedly participated in the plan.

Officers Seek Info about Pisgah Marsh Vandalism

Conservation officers are looking for help finding out who committed vandalism at the Pisgah Marsh in eastern Kosciusko County. Officers say someone did more than 500 dollars worth of damage to informational signs and restroom facilities over the weekend. Call the Department of Natural Resources in Syracuse at (574) 457-8092 if you know anything that might help in the investigation.

Kosciusko Treasurer Hopes to Speed Tax Lines

Kosciusko County Treasurer Kent Adams has announced plans to make life easier for people who choose to pay their property taxes in person. For one thing, Adams plans to station himself in the hallway outside his office during busy times. Hear Adams talk about what he'll be doing in the hallway. Adams says there will also be a drop box for people who don’t want to wait for their receipt. And he reminds taxpayers that they can always mail in their payment. Adams expects to mail tax bills Friday. There's more information on Treasurer's Office web site.

WCS Releases Early Today

Warsaw Community Schools will release two hours early today. Teachers will use the time for professional development.

CCAC Batting Cages Open

Batting cages at the Warsaw City-County Athletic Complex have opened for the season. Hours are five to eight p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. There's more information on the CCAC web site.

Moped Pursuit Ends in Death

Police say a 26-year-old Syracuse man died last night after crashing into a tree while riding a moped. According to a news release from Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, Joseph Oswald was fleeing Syracuse Police, who were trying to stop him for a traffic violation. Rovenstine says Oswald struck a tree at the intersection of County Roads 1000 North and 800 East at about 11 o’clock last night. The Kosciusko County Coroner’s office pronounced Oswald dead at the scene of extensive head injuries. Rovenstine says police are still conducting interviews and he expects to have more information this afternoon.

Coast Guard Calls Off Search for Warsaw Man

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a Warsaw man, who was aboard a fishing boat that sank off the coast of Florida last week. The Coast Guard says 48-year-old Jay Eckert was aboard the 22-foot boat when it went down in the Atlantic near Sebastian Florida Thursday night. Eckert’s 51-year-old brother, Michael, made it to shore Friday morning. He told officials he last saw his brothers clinging to a cooler. The Coast Guard called off the search Saturday afternoon, after covering more than 53-hundred miles. More information is available on the Coast Guard's web site.

Wabash County Crash Kills Peru Woman

A two-vehicle crash in southern Wabash County yesterday killed a rural Peru woman and injured several other people. State police say 77-year-old Detta Black died at the scene of the collision just after four o’clock yesterday afternoon. Police say Black was a passenger in a car that was traveling west on State Road 124 when a pick-up truck that was southbound on Old State Road 15 collided with the car.

Fires Strike Huntington County Homes

Fire struck two Huntington County houses over the weekend. Early Saturday morning, firefighters from the Mount Etna and Warren Fire Departments responded to an alarm on County Road 100 West. Early Sunday morning, fire broke out at a house in Huntington. Neither fire injured anyone.

Percussion Ensemble Wins World Bronze

The Warsaw Community High School Percussion Ensemble placed third in a world competition in Dayton, Ohio over the weekend. It’s the best showing the ensemble has had in three trips to the world finals.

WCS Board to Discuss Handbooks

The Warsaw Community Schools board meets at seven o’clock tonight. Among other things, board members will look over changes to the Elementary School handbook and the high school student/parent handbook.

Crash Kills Wabash Man

The Wabash County Sheriff's Department reports that a crash in Wabash County just before noon today killed a 26-year-old Rural Wabash man. According to a news release, Franklin Pennington died after another driver made a left turn into the path of Pennington's car. The news release says Pennington was not wearing a seat belt and flew out of the car as it rolled several times. Pennington's 19-month-old daughter was also in the car and survived with minor injures. The child had been properly buckled into a safety seat.

Whitley Schools to Select Superintendent

The Whitley County Consolidated Schools board meets in special session Friday, April 22 to select a new superintendent of schools. The successful candidate will succeed Dr. William cranes, who leaves the system at the end of this school year. cranes is retiring to accept a job as educational consultant at an Indianapolis architectural firm. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Marshall Community Center in Columbia City. The public is welcome.

Columbia City Chamber to Host Legislative Overview

The Columbia City Area Chamber of Commerce plans a legislative overview tomorrow. Congressman Souder plans to appear, as do staff members from the offices of Senators Bayh and Lugar, State Senator Gary Dillon and State Representative Dan Leonard. The event begins with a breakfast at eight o'clock tomorrow at the Parkview Whitley Hospital Auditorium. There's more information on the Chamber's web site.

Blood Drive at Grace College

If you’d like to give blood today, the American Red Cross will be on the campus of Grace College from 11 a.m. to five p.m.

WCS Begins Kindergarten Pre-Registration

Kindergarten pre-registration has begun in Warsaw Community Schools. Administrators are asking parents of children who will be five years old or older by July 1, 2005 and who reside within the Warsaw Community Schools district to visit the offices of the schools their children will attend next fall. Parents should make the visits and receive pre-registration packets by the end of April. Parents who don't know which school to visit can find out by calling the WCS Transportation Department at (574) 269-1750. More information is available on the WCS web site.

Grass Fire Spreads to Body Shop

A grass fire spread to a Warsaw body shop yesterday and did more than 200-thousand dollars worth of damage. It happened at about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon at Pete's Body Shop on County Road 325-East. Firefighters were on the scene until about 5:30. According to a news release, the fire started when someone nearby was burning stuff in a barrel and ashes ignited grass near the building.

Wabash Chamber Names Small Business of Year

The small business committee of the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce has selected Brandt's Harley Davidson as 2005 small business of the year. According to a Chamber news release, the company's investment in the community and longevity were among the reasons the committee chose it.

Cable Cut Silences Mentone Phones

About 500 Mentone residents lost telephone service for about 12 hours yesterday. A spokeswoman for Verizon tells Q101 that a town crew was working on a water and sewer line in Mentone yesterday morning and cut a large phone cable. Verizon says no one notified the company of the cable cut until 3:30 yesterday afternoon, and that’s when it sent a crew to repair the cable. The phone company expected service to be back on by midnight last night.

Daniels Announces Meth Initiatives

Governor Daniels announced new initiatives yesterday to help fight the spread of methamphetamine and to help protect children from living with meth producers. One of the plans involves using college students as interns at State Police labs, so lab workers can process cases faster. And the Department of Child Services will develop new procedures to remove children from homes where meth is being produced.

Voter ID Bill Passes Legislature

A bill that would require most Hoosiers to show government-issued photo identification before they vote is on its way to the governor’s desk. Governor Daniels says he’ll probably sign it into law. If he does, it will become one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the nation.

Blood Drive at Central Park

You can give blood at Center Lake pavilion in Warsaw today. The American Red Cross will be there from 12:30 to 6:30.

Wabash County Logging Accident Kills Worker

Police say a logging accident in Wabash County killed an Ohio man yesterday. According to a news release from Wabash County Sheriff Leroy Striker, his department got a report yesterday afternoon that a logging company employee had found a coworker trapped and unresponsive under a fallen tree. Wabash County Coroner Marilyn McDonald pronounced the 34-year-old man dead at the scene. Striker says the preliminary investigation indicates that both employees of the logging company were cutting trees on opposite ends of a wooded property to make room for new housing. Striker says OSHA investigators planned to visit the scene today.

DST Bill Passes House

The Indiana House of Representatives has passed a bill that would put the entire state on daylight-savings time next year. The vote was 51 to 47. Republican Representative Bill Ruppel of North Manchester voted against the bill. Republicans Dave Wolkins of Winona Lake, Dan Leonard of Huntington and Bill Friend of Macy voted for the bill. It now goes to the Senate. The Senate sponsor says he might move to send it to a conference committee, because it contains a provision that’s against federal law. That provision would allow individual counties to opt out of D-S-T.

Senate Budget Mixed News for Schools

The Indiana Senate has passed its version of the state’s two-year budget. It includes a one-point-two percent increase in school funding in 2006 and a one-point-three percent increase in 2007. But changes in the school funding formula would mean a that 129 of the state’s school districts would see a drop in state funding.

Warsaw Chamber to Host IOSHA Seminar

A seminar in Warsaw next week will help businesses learn how to survive an audit by the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The workshop is next Tuesday, but the registration deadline is tomorrow. Contact the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Huntington ARC Offers First Aid Class

The Huntington chapter of the Red Cross offers a community first aid and safety class next Tuesday. There is a fee for the class and the registration deadline is Thursday. Contact the Huntington Red Cross office for details.

Blood Drive in Mentone

The American Red Cross conducts a blood drive in Mentone this afternoon. It’ll run from two to six p-m at Mentone United Methodist Church.

Roads Expert to Speak at C.C. Chamber Luncheon

Dennis Faulkenberg of the Build Indiana Council will speak on "Indiana Highways and Roads--Funding Crisis" at a "Business Briefing Luncheon" organized by the Columbia City Area Chamber of Commerce. The event takes place Friday, April 15 at 11:45 a.m. at in the auditorium of Parkview Whitley Hospital. Reservations are required and the deadline is April 12. Contact the Chamber for more information.

Huntington Chamber to Host Legislative Update

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce will host a legislative update this Saturday, April 9. State Senator Gary Dillon, State Representative Dan Leonard and Huntington County Commission President Jerry Helvie will speak and answer questions about a variety of public policy topics. The event begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in at the Huntington City/Township Public Library.

House Rejects Red Light Cameras

The Indiana House of Representatives has rejected a bill that would have allowed cities to use cameras to catch people running red lights. The bill would have allowed 10 cities to set up such cameras as a pilot program. Republican Representative Dave Wolkins of Winona Lake authored the bill.

Senate Rejects Booze Tax Increase

The Indiana Senate has declined to raise taxes on alcohol to help pay for schools and Medicaid. But some senators say they’re willing to push cigarette taxes even higher… to as much as 19 cents a pack.

Powerball Odds to Increase

It’s going to get harder to win the Powerball jackpot… but the prizes will be bigger, too. Starting August 29th, the odds of winning will go from one in 120 million to one in 146 million.

Manchester Recital to Feature Warsaw Pianist

A Warsaw man is among three Manchester College students who will perform in a recital this evening. Tyler Secor is a junior who minors in music. He’ll perform on piano. The recital will also include performances by pianist Tyler Houlihan of Fort Wayne and horn player Brittany Cook of Tippecanoe. Get more information from the Manchester College web site.

Warsaw Group to Host Major Waterski Tourney

The National Show Ski Association (NSSA) and The American Water Ski Association (AWSA) have chosen Warsaw's Lake City Skiers to host the 2005 Central Regional Show Ski Tournament. Teams from five states will compete July 9 and 10 for the right to represent the Central Region at the National Tournaments in August. According to a news release from the Lake City Skiers, the tournament has never before been held in Indiana.

House Passes Bill to Increase Speed Limits

Motorists could drive faster on interstates and highways in Indiana under a proposal passed by the Indiana House. Speed limits on rural stretches of divided, four-lane highways would go up from 55 miles an hour to 60 miles an hour. The speed limit on the Indiana Toll Road would increase to 70. The bill now goes back to the Senate, to see if that chamber will agree with several changes the House made.

Feds: County DST Opt-out Illegal

The federal government says a provision of Indiana’s daylight savings time bill violates federal law. Monday, the Indiana House amended the bill to allow individual Indiana counties to opt out of DST. But the U-S Department of Transportation has informed Governor Daniels that such a provision would be illegal.

Warsaw, Columbia City Churches to Honor Pope

Sacred Heart Church in Warsaw and St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Columbia City have announced plans to celebrate a memorial masses in honor of Pope John Paul II. The Warsaw church will celebrate its mass at 7 p.m. tonight. The Columbia City church will celebrate at 7 p.m. Friday.

Warsaw Ceremony to Honor Pope

Monsignor James Wolf of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Ken Lock of the Boy Scouts of America will lead a short ceremony in honor of Pope John Paul II Friday. The event will take place at the Kosciuszko Monument on the Kosciusko County Courthouse Lawn at 8:00 AM. It will include a short time of prayer and laying a wreath for the late Pontiff.

Abducted Girl Found Safe

Police say they’ve found a kidnapped four-year-old Indiana girl unharmed in Kentucky. Police say Justice Marie Watkins’ mother abducted her from her father’s home in Hanover last night. The mother did not have legal custody of the girl. After the abduction, police issue an Amber Alert in the case.

Fiscus Honored at Memorials

About 700 people, including Governor Daniels, attended memorial services yesterday for Milford resident Captain Michael Todd Fiscus. The Indiana National Guard presented Fiscus with two posthumous honors… the Purple Heart and a promotion from captain to major. Fiscus was one of four Indiana Guard members who died in Afghanistan March 26th.

Committee Approves Cig., Booze Tax

A committee of the Indiana Senate has approved a bill that would increase taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. The bill would also take money away from communities that have casinos and send it to the state. The state would use the money for schools and the Medicaid program. The bill is now on its way for consideration by the full Senate.

DST Bill Amended, Counties Could Opt Out

Indiana would not go on daylight savings time until April of next year, under an amendment the Indiana House of Representatives approved yesterday. Another amendment would allow any county to opt out of D-S-T with a vote by county commissioners. The complete bill still requires the approval of the full House and the Senate.

Gasoline Prices Reach Record Highs

If you’ve filled up lately, you’ve probably noticed how high gasoline prices have gotten. In Warsaw, regular unleaded costs as much as 2-39 a gallon this morning. Dollar-wise, gasoline has never been more expensive. And there's no end in sight, with Energy Eepartment officials predicting even higher prices by Memorial Day. You can find the lowest fuel prices in your area on IndianaGasPrices.com.

Local Catholics React to Death of Pope

In a statement regarding the death of Pope John Paul II, Bishop John D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese says he feels as if he has lost a dear friend, a spiritual mentor and shepherd, a father and a magnificent example of the Office of Bishop. In Huntington, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church plans a special mass for the Pope Thursday evening at seven p.m.

Whitley Crash Injuries Six

A one-vehicle crash in Whitley County injured six people yesterday. Police say the Jeep Grand Cherokee was westbound on U-S 30 east of Columbia City when the driver apparently thought another vehicle was too close and swerved to avoid it. She lost control of the jeep, which rolled over twice and landed upright. The driver is an Illinois woman who is in fair condition in a Fort Wayne hospital this morning. A 19-year-old Fort Wayne woman who was riding in the cargo area of the jeep is in serious condition.

Fiscus Memorials Today

Memorial services for Captain Michael Todd Fiscus are scheduled for today. The first begins at one o’clock at Calvary United Methodist Church in Syracuse. That will be followed by a procession to the Warsaw airport for a military memorial ceremony. Governor Daniels plans to attend. Fiscus was a Milford resident who was among four members of the Indiana National Guard to die in Afghanistan March 26th.

Comcast to Appear Before Warsaw Council

Warsaw’s cable television service is one of the topics that City Council members plan to discuss at tonight’s meeting. Two representatives of Comcast are scheduled to appear before Council, which meets at seven p.m. in City Hall.

Poll Shows DST Support

A new poll shows that 56 percent of Hoosiers support putting Indiana on daylight savings time. Thirty-seven percent say they oppose the change and seven percent say they’re unsure. The Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis television station WTHR conducted the poll. It also shows that slightly more than half of Hoosiers support a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Capt. Fiscus Returns Home

A solemn ceremony last night at Indianapolis International Airport, as three flag-draped caskets arrived. Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman was one of several dignitaries who attended repatriate ceremonies, as the bodies of Captain Michael Todd Fiscus and two other members of the Indiana National Guard arrived from Afghanistan. Fiscus lived in Milford. He and three of his colleagues died when a land mine exploded Saturday. See a photo of members of a National Guard ceremonial unit carrying the casket of Capt. Fiscus.

Senate Committee Passes Budget

A committee of the Indiana Senate has approved a budget bill that increases spending on schools and Medicaid. The money would come from a separate bill that raises taxes on cigarettes and alcohol and shifts some gambling money away from communities that have casinos. The budget is on its way to the full Senate for consideration.

Lakeview Students Raise Money for Tsunami Victims

The student council at Warsaw’s Lakeview Middle School has recently presented a check to the American Red Cross for its tsunami relief fund. The students raised 795 dollars. Above, Red Cross representatives accept a check from a couple members of the Lakeview student council.

Video Wins Scholarships for WCHS Juniors

Two Warsaw Community High School juniors each won a hundred-dollar scholarship at the annual EdCom Expo. Sagan Stier and Robin Losey created a video based on the imagination of an abused child.