Pet of the Week – Eli

Sponsored by Fort Financial Credit Union

Eli is a very friendly and loving approximately 10-month-old Australian Shepherd-mix who was surrendered to the shelter by his owner who just didn’t have enough time for him.

Eli is housebroken, crate trained, cat and dog-friendly – and just a really good boy. This large pup is very loving and friendly, but needs some basic training (he jumps up like a puppy, but he is becoming a large dog). He loves to catch a ball, and he is really good at it. Eli will make some active family a magnificent pet!

If you are interested in adding this pup to your family, please stop by the Whitley County Humane Shelter to meet Eli. The shelter is located at 951 S. Line St., Columbia City. Shelter hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 2-7 and Saturday, 1-5.

If you would like to arrange a time to meet him, call the shelter at 260-244-6664, or e-mail http://dirhswc@yahoo.com.

Or visit the WCHS Web site at www.hswc.org.

Thumbs UP!

To Pet of the Week Feature

We are getting MANY more adoptions since BuscoVoice.com and other media have been featuring animals.

I am going to ask if I can add a section to the adoption application so we can gauge how people hear about certain animals, or our shelter in general. We will list your Web site as an option.

We (including the animals) are so grateful to you for featuring adoptable animals.

Slurp Slurp, purrrr purrrr…

Thanks so much!

Laura

Whitley County Humane Shelter

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (Feb. 2010) — The new Whitley County Government website is up and running.

Check it out at:

http://whitleygov.com/

The new Web site offers:

• information on all county meetings;

• information on key services;

• an online payment center to pay bills online;

• an action center for service requests and problem reports;

• GIS Access, including a Whitley County map and geographic data;

Pet of the Week

Brought to You by Fort Financial Credit Union

Jabez is a beautiful, neutered black and white tuxedo cat. In addition to elegant good looks, he is wonderfully even-tempered, affectionate and relaxed. While Jabez is a big boy, don’t be intimidated by his size. We think he’s a bit of a “gentle giant.” He’s going to be a great pet for some lucky family … maybe it will be YOUR family!

If you are interested in adding this loving cat to your family, please stop by the shelter to meet Jabez at 951 S. Line St., Columbia City. Hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 2-7 and Saturday, 1-5.

Or, call the shelter if you would like to arrange a time to meet Jabez at 260-244-6664. For more information, visit the WCHS Web site at www.hswc.org.

Pet of the Week – Sobe

Sponsored by Fort Financial Credit Union

Sobe is one of the calmer pups in a litter of seven (5 males and 2 females) who were surrendered to the shelter along with their mother, Annie.

These pups are Adorable with a capital A, and are approximately 8 weeks old. They all have very different personalities. Mother Annie is a smaller dog weighing less than 30 pounds, and is guessed to be a boxer-mix. Come in to the Whitley County Humane Shelter and prepare to fall in love!

If you are interested in adding this loving puppy to your family, please stop by the shelter to meet Sobe at 951 S. Line St., Columbia City. Hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 2-7 and Saturday, 1-5.

Or, call the shelter if you would like to arrange a time to meet this charming puppy at 260-244-6664. For more information, visit the WCHS Web site at www.hswc.org.

From The Sheriff’s Desk – December 2009

by Mark Hodges, Whitley County Sheriff

It goes without saying that the investigation of the disappearance of Debra Houser has kept nearly everyone from the Sheriff’s Department busy for the past three weeks. Information that was gathered in the investigation leads us to believe she has been killed and her body was placed in or near water. For those reasons, many different agencies have assisted in the search. The Indiana State Police and Department of Natural Resources have provided equipment and manpower to search several lakes and ponds with sonar equipment. Our local Emergency Management Office along with equipment and volunteers from Thorncreek Township Fire Department searched some of the same waters with an extremely high quality underwater camera.

Several canine handlers from Noble County searched water, fields and wooded areas with cadaver dogs. The Indiana State Police provided a helicopter and an airplane along with numerous Troopers that assisted on the ground. On the third day of searching, dozens of volunteers reported to the Larwill Fire Station and were assigned areas of ground searching in Richland, Cleveland and Etna Troy townships. Help also came from every police agency in Whitley County as did volunteers from every fire department. I am sure I have missed someone or group; however, I want to say thank you to everyone that has helped in any way. I also want to say thank you to everyone that was praying for the investigation. Several of you spoke to me about this, and it is greatly appreciated.

On a lighter note, November 14th was the first Veteran’s Day Marathon race for Columbia City and Whitley County. Reserve deputies from the sheriff’s department provided traffic direction at various intersections along the race course. Gary Bird did well at organizing the event and the weather even cooperated. The Reserves are prepared to assist in next year’s marathon as more runners are expected to participate.

Annually, the Columbia City Trinity Presbyterian Church provides a cook-out style meal for employees of the sheriff’s department and offices in the court house. On October 9th, several members and volunteers from the church cooked up brats, burgers, side dishes and very tasty desserts for us. On behalf of everyone that was served, I want to say thank you to the church and the volunteers.

Toys for Tots and the Sheriff's Department once again teamed up again for the collection of toys for area children in need.

Toys for Tots and the sheriff’s department once again teamed up again for the collection of toys. The United States Marines have been the guiding force behind this drive for many years. The Sheriff’s Department just provides a car for the collection during the live nativity on the Court House Square along with a collection drop box in our lobby.

I have had a lot of questions and comments on the car I am now driving. It is a 2009 Dodge Charger with the smaller hemi engine. I wanted to try one prior to buying several for our fleet. When the car first was introduced, Dodge had some problems with the brake pads wearing too quickly. In 2008, that problem was fixed. I was also curious as to the gas mileage from the Charger as the hemi engine will run on four cylinders during routine driving. In November, I got 19 miles per gallon. The department average for November was 14.9 miles per gallon. While my average was pretty good for a police car, I am still concerned about the mileage if the car was used for regular patrolling. The Indiana State Police are putting two Chargers on the road here in Whitley County within the next few months. I will monitor their mileage and report my findings. You will notice that my car is not the standard two tone brown. Adding two colors to a car costs an extra $500 to $900.  For that reason, I did not get the dark brown paint and the two patrol cars for 2010 will be a solid color also.

I will be writing again in February. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

-Sheriff Hodges

Whitley County Deputy Cory Patrick is pictured following his graduation from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Nov. 13, 2009. Deputy Patrick completed 15 weeks of instructions and graduated third highest in his class academically. Shown in the photo: Chief Deputy Marc Gatton; Sheriff Mark Hodges; Deputy Cory Patrick; Cory’s son, Ethan; Cory’s mother, Deb Wellborn.

Photo contributed

 The Mr. & Miss Whitley County Scholarship Program Friday evening marked the end and just the beginning, rolled into one, for the seventeen contestants eager to be the most visible spokespersons for the Whitley County 4-H program.

“They’ve been working together since May, honing their skills,” said the evening’s emcee Kevin Morse, who was later honored himself for having served in that capacity for the pageant for the past 10 years.

“You’re going to be delighted by what you see tonight,” Morse told the tightly packed crowd that filled the Churubusco High School auditorium. Morse praised the many volunteers, businesses and others that make the event possible each year. Morse described the candidates as, “outstanding leaders of their peers.” … To continue click here for our Whitley News Network partner http://www.talkofthetownwc.com …

Adam Hoffman and Hannah Bray take a valiant walk across the stage as applause surrounds them, above, after being named Mr. & Miss Whitley County.

 

Photos and story by Jennifer Zartman Romano of talkofthetown.